Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 116: Chapter 114 Marrow Refining

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The brilliant sunshine lit up the main room of Listening Tide Courtyard, illuminating Chu Zhiyuan who was sitting on the bed.

He sat cross-legged, holding the Flying Dragon Bone in his left hand, with the Flying Dragon Ball on his chest, allowing the third layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique to absorb the Flying Dragon Bone.

Super Sense was constantly providing Insight, observing the changes in Mo Chunyu’s visualization, detecting changes in his energy flow, and assessing his physical condition.

In his mind, he compared him to Chu Qingfeng.

There was a vague feeling that Chu Qingfeng was slightly better.

This feeling was very subtle, not discerned from the visualization or his body, but a mysterious and elusive sense.

The Grandmaster’s realm, even in the Grandmaster’s Martial Arts Notes, isn’t recorded, as if there’s no realm for the Grandmaster.

This indeed was peculiar, leaving him puzzled.

He once asked Chu Qingfeng, who said that Grandmasters do have a realm, but it’s indescribable and cannot be recorded in words.

As for why it can’t be recorded in words or spoken of, no one knows the reason, just that every Grandmaster follows this rule.

Which is stronger, the martial arts of Wentian Cliff or the Purple Sun Scripture?

He was always curious, but it seemed destined to be an enigma.

He saw Duke Kang sitting steadily, even though he had no say, even though Mo Chunyu did not pay him any mind, he still sat calmly.

This made Chu Zhiyuan quite contemplative.

Duke Kang protects his own, raises his sons poorly, but this thick-skinned demeanor was indeed extraordinary.

This kind of face may be easy to talk about but hard to achieve.

While providing Insight over there, he absorbed the qi from the Flying Dragon Bone. Suddenly, his mind shifted, and Super Sense abruptly withdrew to focus on his body.

Inside his body, the purple-gold bones suddenly shone brightly, with dazzling purple-golden light, then it converged inward, all the purple-golden luster retracting into the bones.

The bones no longer shimmered. The surface turned dim, revealing intricate patterns.

These patterns were layered and intricate, forming beautiful flowers in a fascinating distribution.

He felt as if he had boundless strength, as if a punch could shatter the sky. His body was so light it seemed like a breeze, capable of drifting up to the sky, flying endlessly far.

He floated gently outside the room, like a feather, silent and swift as a specter.

He instantly broke into a smile.

This was indeed not an illusion; he truly felt much lighter.

He stomped on the ground, yet he knew that his weight had actually increased, by at least twenty pounds.

He didn’t look heftier, purely due to the change in bones.

Why did he feel lighter, and indeed became lighter?

Because his bones could transform with a thought, becoming light, becoming hard, like an alloy.

A thought lightens, a thought makes heavy, a thought hardens, a thought softens.

The bones seemed to have become a controllable organ of the body, like the five senses or internal organs, capable of changing with thought, no longer fixed and impassable by energy.

This was true Bone Refining.

Not only was the bone trained to be hard and light, but also it was refined to be one with the self, in harmony with mind and spirit, capable of mastery.

He was filled with emotion, feeling the Dragon Transformation Technique was marvelous beyond belief, utterly incredible and surpassing imagination.

Suddenly, he struck out with a punch.

”Whoosh!”

The air seemed to cave in.

The fist was quick and fierce, and appeared larger.

Sky Thunder Hammer.

This punch was worlds apart from those of Chu Zhiyao and Chu Zhitian.

The purple-gold bones became abruptly hard and light, resulting in incredible speed, the fist indeed appeared larger, combined with speed, delivering an unyieldingly forceful impact.

The power of this punch was truly astonishing.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at the Flying Dragon Bone with emotion.

The tenth Flying Dragon Bone had turned into White Jade, with a bit of residual qi remaining.

These ten Flying Dragon Bones were indeed a great help, vastly boosting his strength, and more importantly, allowing him to practice the Fourth Layer.

Marrow Refining.

What would that entail, possibly refining marrow to align with the mind, capable of transforming through thought?

He began to activate the Fourth Layer of the cultivation technique.

The complexity of the operating route for the Fourth Layer was double that of the Third Layer, completing the Second Layer without reaching a full Circulation was impossible for the mind.

Misty Purple Energy circulated along the complex routes between different acupoints, forming a peculiar pattern.

Eventually, the Misty Purple Energy condensed into a wisp of Golden Qi, passing through the bones and absorbed by the marrow.

Chu Zhiyuan instantly felt mentally clear.

It was like waking up refreshed from a deep sleep, full of Essence Qi.

Yet he frowned.

Is this Marrow Refining for energy restoration?

For others, it’s indeed an unrivaled art, like having countless Beneficial Spirit Pills.

But for himself, it was like a chicken rib.

The Heavenly Yuan Technique achieved the same effect.

He thought about it and activated the Heavenly Yuan Technique.

Wanting to compare the difference between the two.

He discovered that after the Heavenly Yuan Technique was activated, Nectar descended from the sky, replenishing the spirit rapidly, and the previous supposed fullness was just an illusion.

When the Heavenly Yuan Technique stopped absorbing Nectar, it meant the spiritual power was full.

At this time, the feeling of mental clarity and a bright world was slightly different from before.

Chu Zhiyuan was confused.

If the spiritual power wasn’t full, why did it feel replenished like after a deep sleep?

He tried to activate the Fourth Layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique again, and after a Circulation, the Purple Qi from the Great Purple Sun Technique transformed into a wisp of Golden Qi, merging into the marrow.

That sense of wakeful vitality like after a deep sleep appeared again.

He then prompted the Heavenly Yuan Technique again.

Moments later, the spirit was replenished again, this time truly full.

The Heavenly Yuan Technique had a feature: if unnecessary to replenish the spiritual power, it wouldn’t absorb Void Nectar.

And the ability to absorb indicated that the spirit had consumed and needed replenishment.

He pondered and activated the Fourth Layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique once more, stopping abruptly near the last three acupoints, dispersing the qi.

He was unable to condense Golden Qi, unable to merge into the marrow.

He activated the Heavenly Yuan Technique again.

With the spiritual power replenished by the Heavenly Yuan Technique, he made a discovery.

Operating the Fourth Layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique consumed a lot of spirit, so when running the Heavenly Yuan Technique, Void Nectar was absorbed to replenish the spirit.

Yet the quantity of replenished spiritual power varied.

Completing one Circulation with the Dragon Transformation Technique required much more spirit to replenish with the Heavenly Yuan Technique than if a small Circulation was incomplete.

The addition of that wisp of Golden Qi to the marrow required even more spiritual power to replenish.

Was it the condensation of Golden Qi that drastically consumed spiritual power?

Or was it that... after the Golden Qi merged into the marrow, the limit of spiritual power increased, effectively expanding the capacity of spiritual power?

Was Marrow Refining possibly refining spiritual power, the soul?

Strengthening the soul?

For a moment, he couldn’t figure it out, as if he was in a fog.

Super Sensing could provide Insight into every part of the body, visible and invisible, yet could not discern the brain, like a mirror unable to reflect itself.

So, keep practicing to see.

The Flying Dragon Ball attached to his chest, the Fourth Layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique immediately surged forward without needing his focused activation.

He only needed to occasionally activate the Heavenly Yuan Technique to replenish spiritual power.

He found his spirit improving, becoming more robust, and detected that the range of Super Sensing was gradually expanding.

He finally concluded that this Marrow Refining seemingly strengthened the soul.

...

Mo Chunyu stood up and cupped his fists, saying, ”Prince, I should be going back today. I’ll come to visit another day.”

”Mr. Mo is leaving?”

”Worldly affairs bind me, can’t help it,” Mo Chunyu said with a smile.

”Then come again tomorrow,” Chu Minghou said, ”Come early, we’ll have a long chat. I still have some excellent paintings; Mr. Mo shouldn’t miss them.”

”Sure, I’ll come over early tomorrow morning, and I’ll bring some good paintings too.”

”It’s settled then!”

”Haha...” Mo Chunyu cheerful and hearty, cupped his fists and laughed, ”Prince, I’m off, no need for formal pleasantries, farewell.”

With that, he turned and left.

Chu Minghou hurried to see him off, but Mo Chunyu was so quick that in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared.

Duke Kang got up, stroked his beard, and sighed, ”What an extraordinary Grandmaster indeed, truly living up to his uncommon aura.”

This Duke himself, in Mo Chunyu’s eyes, was truly nothing, not even given a second glance, regarded as nonexistent.

”Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, Mr. Mo’s painting skills are so superb,” Chu Minghou marveled endlessly, ”Truly eye-opening!”

He was all smiles and exuberance.

Duke Kang cupped his fists and said, ”Prince, I’ll take my leave as well, when Tianhai feels better, he will personally come to apologize.”

Chu Minghou laughed, ”They are still young folks, inevitably bumping heads here and there. Let them handle their affairs on their own, we old folks shouldn’t get involved.”

”...That’s true too, haha,” Duke Kang laughed heartily.

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