After news of the Inner Sect Grand Competition spread, the cultivation atmosphere on Qingyun Peak grew ever more intense. In the past, disciples could occasionally be seen gathered together chatting, but now not even half a wandering figure could be found. Whether newly promoted disciples or veteran cultivators, all of them worked themselves to the bone polishing their cultivation, wishing they could split a single day into two. Even their daily meals and drinks had been squeezed down to the bare minimum.
Shen Hao continued advancing his cultivation plan step by step, but compared to his previous balanced training, he placed greater focus on the Meridian Tempering Art. This cultivation method was the foundation of his path. The tougher and broader his meridians became, the more spiritual energy they could hold, and the greater the benefits to his future cultivation. After this period of day-and-night bitter training, the meridians in his limbs and torso had already been tempered to become exceptionally resilient, smooth and lustrous as jade. Spiritual energy flowed through them without the slightest obstruction. Only the meridians surrounding his dantian remained unfinished.
The dantian was a cultivator's source of spiritual energy, the fundamental core of cultivation. The meridians around it were the crucial hub linking the Sea of Qi to the limbs and bones, and their importance needed no explanation. For that very reason, tempering this final stretch of meridians was far more difficult than any before it, and the pain it brought was multiplied severalfold. Ordinary cultivators often needed months or even years to complete this area. A moment's carelessness could even damage the foundation of the dantian, leaving behind consequences that could never be erased.
That morning, the sky had only just begun to brighten when dawn light streamed through the window lattice, casting a few soft rays into the room. Shen Hao sat cross-legged atop the Jade Bed, his eyes half-closed, a thread of incomparably pure deep-blue spiritual energy curling around his fingertips. He took a deep breath and slowly adjusted his breathing, settling his mind into a state as still as an ancient well. Then, with the utmost care, he gradually guided that thread of spiritual energy toward the meridians around his dantian.
The instant the spiritual energy touched those fine, fragile meridians, a piercing agony shot violently through his entire body. It was as though countless steel needles, thin as ox hairs, were wildly darting and churning within his meridians, making his whole body shudder. Shen Hao's face instantly turned white as paper. His steady breathing abruptly stalled, his teeth clamping together beyond his control. He bit through his lips, and a thread of bright-red blood slid down from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the Jade Bed beneath him and spreading into a small, glaring scarlet stain.
His body began to tremble faintly beyond his control. Cold sweat rolled down his forehead like beads from a snapped string, quickly soaking his clothes, while even the Jade Bed beneath him was drenched over a large patch. Wave after wave of agony crashed over him like the tide, battering his consciousness until his vision darkened and he nearly fainted.
Can't stop... I absolutely can't stop... Shen Hao roared inwardly. Relying on astonishing willpower, he endured the pain that nearly tore him apart and controlled the spiritual energy as it slowly scoured his meridians bit by bit. His mind was intensely focused, and he did not dare slacken in the slightest, afraid that one misstep would make all his previous efforts go to waste.
The process was like death by a thousand cuts. Every circulation of spiritual energy seemed to tear at the inner walls of his meridians. Yet Shen Hao knew that as long as he endured this trial, his meridians would be completely reborn. Not only would they hold far more abundant spiritual energy, but the speed at which it circulated would also greatly increase, bringing immense benefits to his later cultivation of the Spirit Devouring Art and the Flowing Cloud Steps.
Time trickled away. Outside the window, the sun gradually climbed higher, its rays growing increasingly fierce as they fell across Shen Hao's body, yet they could not dispel the chill surrounding him. His face remained pale, and the blood on his lips had already dried, leaving a dark-red mark. His body was still trembling, but his gaze became ever more resolute. The spiritual energy at his fingertips flowed steadily throughout, never interrupted in the slightest.
Who knew how much time had passed before the final thread of spiritual energy flowed smoothly through the last inch of meridian around his dantian. An indescribable sensation of relief suddenly swept through his entire body. It seemed to seep into his very marrow. The agony from before ebbed away like the tide, replaced by a lightness and comfort that spread through his whole body, as though a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Shen Hao slowly opened his eyes. A deep exhaustion flashed through them, yet it was accompanied by irrepressible joy. He looked inward at his dantian and saw that every meridian throughout his body had become white and lustrous as jade, glimmering with a faint sheen. Spiritual energy flowed through them thirty percent faster than before, and it was more condensed and abundant as well.
"The Meridian Tempering Art has finally reached completion." Shen Hao murmured, his voice hoarse yet brimming with delight.
He slowly raised a hand, gathering a thread of deep-blue spiritual energy in his palm. It condensed without dispersing, flowing across his palm like liquid. It was more concentrated and abundant than before, radiating a powerful aura. Having tempered all his meridians, his control over spiritual energy had risen to another level. Even the most minute fluctuations of spiritual energy could be sensed and controlled with precision.
Shen Hao let out a long breath of turbid air, feeling refreshed throughout his body and filled with strength. He knew that completing his meridian tempering was merely the first step on his path toward greater power. There were still two months until the Inner Sect Grand Competition. He had to seize every minute and every second to raise his strength.
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