Meridian Casting Mid-Stage

The night passed quietly, without the slightest disturbance. Zhang Tie slept soundly. Early the next morning, he got up and went to the External Affairs Hall. Because of the special token he carried, everything was handled exceptionally smoothly: his identity registration, the clothes and token for a personal disciple, and his cultivation resources were all quickly arranged.

Just as Zhang Tie returned to his cave abode, he saw a young attendant standing outside its entrance. Seeing him return, the attendant hurriedly said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Zhang. Patriarch Miao asked me to deliver this to you." With that, he respectfully handed Zhang Tie a Storage Pouch. After saying his farewell, the attendant left in a hurry.

Zhang Tie knew it was probably Spirit Beast blood, yet he was still surprised by how quickly it had been delivered. He did not rush to open the pouch and instead put it away first. Then, he took out two array disks and several dozen array flags, beginning to arrange them inside and outside the cave abode. These were the cave abode protection array disks he had just received: one was a defensive array, and the other was an isolation array.

The defensive array could withstand the attacks of a Golden Core cultivator for as long as an hour without any difficulty. The isolation array, meanwhile, could effectively prevent others from using divine sense or treasures to investigate the conditions inside the cave abode. As for divine sense, it was a change in consciousness that occurred after one broke through from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.

After spending more than an hour, Zhang Tie finally completed the first Array Formation of his life, and a trace of excitement rose in his heart. He circulated his spiritual power and formed several hand seals. Instantly, a path wide enough for one person appeared amid the mist before the cave abode. Zhang Tie walked steadily inside, then waved his hand lightly. The path vanished, returning to its former mist-covered state.

Zhang Tie entered the cultivation chamber and sat down on a cushion. He took out the Storage Pouch that had just been delivered and opened it, secretly startled by what he saw. Inside lay ten bottles of mid-grade second-rank Spirit Beast blood, ten bottles of high-grade second-rank Spirit Beast blood, and three bottles of low-grade third-rank Spirit Beast blood. As expected of the Hundred Crafts Sect—such reserves were far beyond what the Flowing Cloud Sect could compare to.

Next, Zhang Tie opened the Storage Pouch containing the cultivation resources for personal disciples. Each distribution covered one year, including six hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones and twelve bottles of Pure Yang Pills. Ordinary personal disciples had to complete one Sect mission each year, but Zhang Tie's circumstances were special. His sole task for the next three years was to cultivate with all his strength, improve his body-refining realm, and participate in the sect's Secret Realm Grand Competition three years later.

Next, Zhang Tie planned to continue cultivating the second revolution of the Nine Revolutions Undying Body, aiming to break through Meridian Casting and reach the Aperture Opening Realm.

Meridian Casting essentially meant forging entirely new meridians within the body. They were divided among the five viscera, six bowels, head, and limbs, for a total of sixteen meridians. Once these meridians were successfully reforged, the power of qi and blood in their vicinity could instantly converge at a single point. Once all sixteen meridians had been reforged, one could instantly gather all the qi and blood in the body at any part of the body.

Before these sixteen meridians existed, one could only mobilize the nearby strength when exerting force. But once one possessed them, it was equivalent to the body truly becoming one whole. Gathering the strength of the entire body in a single place could be accomplished in an instant. Whether attacking or defending, one's power would exceed that of the Body Tempering Realm by dozens of times.

Therefore, the key to the second revolution was to use one's consciousness to guide the energy absorbed from Spirit Beast blood and carve out these sixteen meridians within the body. Opening the meridians in the limbs marked Meridian Casting early stage; opening the meridians in the five viscera marked Meridian Casting mid-stage; opening the meridians in the six bowels marked Meridian Casting late stage. Once all sixteen meridians had been reforged, one could begin preparing to break through to the Aperture Opening Realm.

The human body possessed three hundred and sixty-five acupoints. The Aperture Opening Realm involved opening these three hundred and sixty-five acupoints. Once opened, they could store the power of qi and blood, allowing it to be mobilized instantly when needed. Thus, the more apertures one opened and the larger they were, the stronger one's combat power became.

After a person reached the age of five, their innate qi dispersed and all acupoints closed automatically. Therefore, only after Meridian Casting was completed could one gather the qi and blood of the entire body to strike at the acupoints. Once the first aperture was officially opened, it meant entering the Aperture Opening early stage. The apertures opened in the Aperture Opening Realm could not only store qi and blood, but also nourish the surrounding flesh and blood, enhancing strength and defense.

A single acupoint could store ten to thirty percent of the qi and blood of the entire body. Once an aperture was successfully opened, strength and defense would improve, but opening subsequent apertures would become increasingly difficult. The further one progressed, the difficulty would nearly multiply. This was why body refinement was so arduous.

Zhang Tie carefully reviewed the cultivation technique in his mind once more. Then, he took out a bottle of mid-grade second-rank Spirit Beast blood, swallowed half of it in one gulp, and immediately began circulating the second revolution technique.

Cultivation knew no passage of time; the years flowed like water. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed. On this day, the array around Zhang Tie's cave abode suddenly opened, and a sturdy youth emerged from within. He stood tall and imposing, brimming with heroic vigor. This person was none other than Zhang Tie, who had cultivated in seclusion for a year and had just emerged.

Over the past year, with the Undying Pearl, Zhang Tie had refined and absorbed all ten bottles of mid-grade second-rank Spirit Beast blood and six bottles of high-grade second-rank Spirit Beast blood. To recharge the Undying Pearl after its energy had been depleted for the first time, Zhang Tie had nearly exhausted all the Spirit Stones on him, as well as the Pure Yang Pills he had received.

At present, Zhang Tie had successfully entered Meridian Casting mid-stage, completing the reforging of the meridians in his head, limbs, heart, and lungs. His strength and defense had surged dramatically. Zhang Tie vaguely felt that dealing with Foundation Establishment late stage cultivators should no longer be a problem. There was even a chance he could survive in the hands of a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator.

At the same time, Zhang Tie felt that he had underestimated just how mediocre his aptitude was. He had a premonition that even if he used up all the remaining high-grade second-rank Spirit Beast blood and low-grade third-rank Spirit Beast blood, he would at most reach Meridian Casting mid-stage peak. Even with exceptionally good luck, he could only barely enter Meridian Casting late stage. Reaching late-stage peak was absolutely impossible.

Thus, besides needing a large amount of Spirit Stones and pills to recharge the Undying Pearl, Zhang Tie also urgently needed a great deal of Spirit Beast blood. Yet only a year had passed, so he absolutely could not go ask for more Spirit Beast blood, or it would inevitably arouse suspicion. After all, an ordinary body refiner could forget about reaching such a realm without eighteen or twenty years.

Therefore, the opportunity to charge toward Meridian Casting late stage and even the Aperture Opening Realm would have to be placed within the secret realm. Before entering, he would absorb the remaining Spirit Beast blood and fully recharge the Undying Pearl. Shortly before entering the secret realm, he would ask the sect for more third-rank Spirit Beast blood. Once inside, he would first find a place to hide and absorb all the Spirit Beast blood before exploring the secret realm. This would not only greatly increase his chances of survival, but after leaving, he could also claim that he had encountered a fortuitous opportunity in the secret realm, which was why his cultivation had advanced so quickly.

Having made his plans, Zhang Tie leaped into the air. His body shot forward like a cannonball, flying several hundred zhang with a whoosh. The moment he landed, he vanished into the distance with another whoosh. He intended to first go to the External Affairs Hall to collect this year's cultivation resources, then seek out his master to ask for Spirit Stones.