Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Splitting Stone Bare-Handed, A Sacred Training Ground! The Courtesan Who Ran Away!

【One month later, you successfully completed the 1st-tier cultivation of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture.】

【Marrow-Cleansing Scripture Lv1 (50/50)】

【A foul, fishy black liquid seeped out from every pore on your body, your blood flowing thick as mercury.】

【Your strength increased 3-fold, reaching 4,000 catties—enough to split stone and crack monuments with your bare hands.】

【The physical might of your body is already no weaker than many Postnatal Realm 7th-tier martial artists.】

【Afterward, you began the 2nd-tier cultivation of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture.】

【The 2nd tier of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture is called Jade Bones Radiant Glow.】

【This tier focuses primarily on tempering the bones, causing silver markings to emerge upon them.】

【These silver markings possess powerful self-healing capabilities and are an essential prerequisite for completing the 3rd-tier cultivation, Meridians Clear As A Dragon.】

【Regarding this 2nd tier, the most common training method at Dragon Elephant Prajna Temple is to have practitioners take up wooden clubs and beat their own bodies, repeatedly stimulating the bones.】

【Done so for three to five years, the silver markings will naturally emerge.】

【This near-masochistic training method, however, is not suited to you.】

【It is not that you fear pain—rather, you find it far too time-consuming and inefficient.】

【You possess 3 Talent Tags: Born With Brute Strength, Extreme Yang Constitution, and Hard Work Always Bears Fruit. You must make full use of the advantages all 3 offer.】

【You summoned Guard Commander Dian Cheng-feng and the manor's divine physician Elder Chen, and had the 2 of them design a rapid training method suited to your constitution.】

【The 2 were stunned to discover that you actually possessed the Extreme Yang Constitution.】

【Had you possessed such a constitution before, you never would have collapsed bedridden from bodily weakness.】

【You told them that it had manifested naturally after you completed the 1st tier of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture, and that you yourself did not know how it came to be.】

【The 2 exchanged glances, utterly bewildered. Was the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture truly this extraordinary?】

【Not only could it cleanse one's meridians and marrow—it could also grant special constitutions?】

【The Marrow-Cleansing Scripture had 9 tiers in total, and this was only the 1st. Would even stranger constitutions or abilities emerge in the tiers ahead?】

【After a period of research, Elder Chen suggested: since you possessed the Extreme Yang Constitution, you might try using cold energy to stimulate the bones—the efficiency of that method would exceed physical striking by more than ten-fold.】

【Guard Commander Dian Cheng-feng was tasked with finding a suitable training location.】

【3 days later, Dian Cheng-feng returned from outside and reported that a thousand li away, on the Great Snow Mountain, there lay a thousand-zhang Deep Cold Pool that you might wish to try.】

【Under the escort of Dian Cheng-feng and a retinue of guards, you set out for the Great Snow Mountain.】

【Elder Chen naturally came along to safeguard your wellbeing.】

【Of course, the official word given to outsiders was that you wished to take in the winter scenery.】

【Upon hearing of it, Xiao Wei also expressed a desire to accompany you to the Great Snow Mountain for a bit of leisure—a request you flatly refused.】

【You were going there to cultivate, not to actually sightsee.】

【Before departing, however, you made a special trip to Intoxicating Fragrance House to visit your old acquaintance Li Xiang-jun, sharing a tender moment with her.】

【After all, this journey would keep you away for several months.】

【At the sight of you, Li Xiang-jun's pretty face went pale with fright.】

【The last time, you had worn her out quite thoroughly.】

【But given your status, she had no power to refuse.】

【The next morning, gazing at the unconscious Li Xiang-jun lying beside you, you gave a satisfied nod.】

The Extreme Yang Constitution truly is something else.

【One look and no one would dare call you a weakling now!】

【Thoroughly content, you set off on the road to the Great Snow Mountain.】

【Half a month later, you and your group successfully arrived at the Great Snow Mountain.】

【Atop the Great Snow Mountain resided a major jianghu sect known as Snow Palace.】

【The Deep Cold Pool served as a vital training ground for Snow Palace disciples. Gaining entry naturally required a certain exchange of interests.】

【For someone of your standing—sole grandson of the Guardian King—this was a trivial matter.】

【You swiftly and smoothly gained entry to the Deep Cold Pool for cultivation.】

【The Deep Cold Pool plunged to a depth of a thousand zhang, but once you had submerged to around a hundred meters, the cold energy already cut to the bone and became nearly unbearable.】

【Fortunately, you possessed the Extreme Yang Constitution, and had already completed the 1st tier of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture.】

【Had it been the you from before, you likely would have perished the moment you leapt into the pool, let alone reached a hundred meters.】

【From that point onward, you cultivated at a position slightly above that depth, surfacing at intervals to breathe.】

【The effects of the Deep Cold Pool were truly staggering.】

【In just half a day, your Marrow-Cleansing Scripture Proficiency increased by 1 point.】

【Each day, you could gain 2 points.】

【Marrow-Cleansing Scripture Lv2 (51/150)】

【Completing the 2nd tier required 100 Proficiency points—at this rate, breakthrough would take roughly 50 days.】

【By pushing yourself to the limit, you could gain 3 points per day.】

【But such all-out cultivation was unsustainable and would cause damage to the body.】

【Unless absolutely necessary, you would never recklessly push yourself to the limit.】

In your last life, you had driven yourself too hard at work—and ended up collapsing into a sleep you never woke from.

【This life, you would certainly take better care of your body.】

【Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, 50 days had gone by.】

【You were now submerging to a depth of three hundred meters.】

【As the final point of Proficiency was added, the 2nd tier of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture was at last complete.】

【Marrow-Cleansing Scripture Lv2 (150/150)】

【Dense silver markings emerged from within your bones, spreading outward.】

【You felt your entire body lighten at once—the cold energy at three hundred meters now posed little threat to you.】

【You dove down to around seven hundred meters before the cold energy began to feel bone-piercing once more.】

【You dove down to around nine hundred meters before reaching your absolute limit.】

【Most Postnatal Realm 9th-tier martial artists at Snow Palace could not reach that depth.】

【That you could do so was nothing short of remarkable.】

【Afterward, you returned to shore and announced that you had completed the 2nd tier of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture and were ready to return to Guardian King's Manor.】

【Elder Chen was somewhat taken aback—this was considerably faster than he had anticipated.】

【The secrets you harbored were even more numerous than he had imagined.】

【The gaze Dian Cheng-feng turned on you carried a note of genuine admiration.】

【He had watched you grow up, and he had never wished to see you remain a good-for-nothing forever.】

【Now that the dawn of martial cultivation was within reach, he was truly happy for you from the bottom of his heart.】

【And yet……】

Dian Cheng-feng carried a shadow in his heart that had never quite lifted—if you were a Transmigrator, could you still be considered the young master he had known?

【The whole convoy set off in high spirits, heading toward Capital City.】

【In fine spirits following your breakthrough, you rewarded every member of the party.】

【Elder Chen in particular received special recognition—over these past days, he had prepared no small number of restorative medicines for you, which had been a key reason your progress moved so swiftly.】

【Upon returning to Guardian King's Manor, you did not immediately begin the 3rd-tier cultivation of the Marrow-Cleansing Scripture.】

【After 50 days of intense training, even a production team's donkey needed a rest.】

【You rounded up a few drinking companions and headed to Intoxicating Fragrance House to enjoy some music.】

【When you learned that Li Xiang-jun had transferred to another city, you were utterly stunned.】

Is Capital City not prosperous enough?

Why on earth would she run off somewhere else?

【The madam was equally exasperated, saying that Li Xiang-jun had gone absolutely mad—she refused point-blank to remain in the capital, and threatened to throw herself from an upper-floor window if they didn't let her go elsewhere.】

【Otherwise, who would ever let go of such a golden goose?】

【You consoled the madam: though the capital was prosperous, it also had no shortage of deviants. Li Xiang-jun had likely been unable to bear the harassment and chose to seek refuge in another city.】

It was your fault for being away so long. Had you been here to protect her, Li Xiang-jun surely wouldn't have fled.

【Since Li Xiang-jun had fled, you had no choice but to invite the 2nd-place winner of the Courtesan Competition, Dong Xiao-wan, to keep you company instead.】

【Her looks and figure, her lute, chess, calligraphy, and painting—she excelled in all of them.】

【Had you not burst onto the scene out of nowhere back then and lent Li Xiang-jun a hand, the title of top courtesan would surely have been hers.】

【When Dong Xiao-wan saw you, her eyes held a trace of quiet grievance.】

【But before long, that look turned to sheer terror.】

【After spending a night in your company, she finally understood why Li Xiang-jun had run away.】