Martial Saint with Passives

The supremely yin and toxic power of the Bone-Eroding Orchid was like a billion ice needles, madly stabbing into every inch of his skeleton and every strand of his marrow, trying to obliterate them completely!

Meanwhile, the cool, life-filled energy from the Yinghuo Stone flowed like a gentle, soothing elixir, following close behind. It enveloped the bones on the verge of destruction and, in a way that was profound beyond measure, began to repair and reshape them!

Destruction and rebirth waged the most primitive and savage of battles within his body!

At that moment, Jiang Che’s consciousness began to blur.

He could almost ”see” it happening: his own, once-mediocre bones were being corroded to dust by the poison, only to be re-formed and grown anew, bit by bit, under the miraculous power of the Yinghuo Stone!

The new bones were denser and possessed far greater tenacity. Their surface even shimmered with a faint, jade-like luster!

The marrow inside his bones also transformed from its original dark red, becoming ever more vibrant and brilliant, like flowing lava!

The process was excruciating!

But Jiang Che, relying on his tenacious will, desperately clung to his last shred of clarity. He focused all his effort on circulating the Heaven Mending Technique’s Heart Method, guiding the two energies to merge and transform.

An unknown amount of time passed. When the last trace of poison was finally neutralized by the Yinghuo Stone’s energy and the last inch of bone had been reshaped, an unprecedented wave of relief washed over him, emanating from the very core of his being!

Jiang Che slowly reverted from his Black Armor Form.

He looked down at his hands.

His skin was as fair as ever, but he could feel an explosive power simmering just beneath it!

He could clearly feel that his body had undergone a fundamental transformation!

’So this is... the feeling of an improved Root Bone?’

He tried circulating the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique and was delighted to discover that both the circulation speed of his Strength and his absorption efficiency of the world’s free-roaming Spiritual Qi were several times faster than before!

If his body before had been like a leaky ladle, then now, not only had the leaks been patched, but the material itself had been upgraded from clay to refined steel!

’Middle-Upper Root Bone...’ Jiang Che carefully sensed his condition, a small flicker of regret appearing in his heart. ’So I still didn’t manage to reach Upper-Class Root Bone, huh...’

However, this flicker of regret was quickly replaced by immense joy.

Going from Middle-Lower to Middle-Upper was already a world of difference!

For him, it was more than enough!

With this brand new ”Dao Foundation,” combined with his Skill Proficiency Panel that allowed him to bypass all bottlenecks, his future cultivation path would be smooth sailing!

...

After improving his Root Bone, Jiang Che didn’t rest for a moment. He immediately threw himself into breaking through the bottleneck to the Mid-stage of the Refining Organ Realm!

He entered the Level A Cultivation Room again and, without hesitation, took out his rewards from the Cloud Tier Inquiry Conference: the Nine-Turn Golden Pill, known as the strongest Elixir Pill below the True Master Realm, and the top-grade Snow Crystal Milk.

He sat cross-legged and swallowed a Nine-Turn Golden Pill.

Once ingested, the Elixir Pill instantly dissolved into a torrent of incomparably pure yet gentle and sustained energy, which slowly spread throughout his body!

Jiang Che immediately circulated the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique, guiding this immense Medicinal Power to wash over and nourish his internal organs again and again.

Bolstered by his ”Middle-Upper Root Bone,” he could clearly feel that his efficiency in absorbing and converting the Medicinal Power had increased severalfold!

Nearly every wisp of Medicinal Power was perfectly utilized, with none of it going to waste!

Nourished by this pure energy, his internal organs grew ever more tenacious and full of vitality!

With every beat, they generated a Strength that was far more robust and condensed than before!

Under this relentless assault, the once-unbreakable bottleneck began to show faint cracks!

「Days passed.」

By the time Jiang Che had consumed all the Nine-Turn Golden Pills and Snow Crystal Milk, the Strength within his body had finally accumulated to an unprecedented peak, like a reservoir filled to bursting!

’Now!’

With an inner roar, Jiang Che guided the fully accumulated Strength within him to launch a final, all-out assault on the last barrier!

BOOM!!!

A muffled boom that seemed to originate from the depths of his soul erupted within him!

Before this surging power, the bottleneck that had plagued him for months shattered instantly!

A new Strength—several times more powerful, more condensed, and more nimble than before—instantly surged through his entire body!

Mid-stage of the Refining Organ Realm!

Success!

Jiang Che slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them for a moment before vanishing.

He let out a long, turbid breath. The exhalation condensed into a white ribbon of air that lingered for a long moment before dissipating.

He clenched his fists, feeling the immense, surging power within him, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

An enhanced Root Bone and a Realm breakthrough!

Compared to who he was just six months ago, he was now on a completely different level!

After leaving the Cultivation Room, Jiang Che walked along the bluestone-paved mountain path toward Yunhai Courtyard.

As the Chief Disciple, he was required to return to the courtyard periodically.

Although he had delegated most of his duties to his senior brother, Xiao Mingqian, it still wouldn’t look good if he never showed his face.

Besides, he could also go see his master while he was at it.

’After all, I’ve had another breakthrough,’ he thought. ’Maybe I’ll get a reward or something.’

He arrived at Yunhai Courtyard.

The courtyard was already bustling with people.

Among them were some new faces, likely disciples who had joined recently.

Upon seeing Jiang Che arrive, all the disciples—whether they were new or old, and regardless of their level of Cultivation—would immediately stop what they were doing, their faces filled with sincere respect as they bowed and called out: