Ten days later, Xu Yan returned, bringing him a Jade Ruyi along with several jade ornaments.
"Good, good. This disciple truly understands his master."
Li Xuan was overjoyed.
This disciple was truly excellent!
Just look at this jade—it was clearly worth a fortune!
It was beautiful!
As for the Fierce Beasts in Evil Fiend Forest, since Xu Yan had returned, they had naturally been dealt with, so Li Xuan did not ask about them.
However, Xu Yan seemed somewhat different this time.
As for exactly how he was different, Li Xuan could not quite put his finger on it. He was merely puzzled for a moment and did not think much more of it.
After returning, Xu Yan resumed his former cultivation routine. The difference was that he had begun Organ Refining.
"The internal organs are fragile. At the beginning of Organ Refining, you must proceed with the utmost care and cannot rush things. Otherwise, you may easily injure yourself instead."
Xu Yan, who was in the midst of Organ Refining, circulated his Vital Energy and first nourished his heart. As the tempering began, his heartbeat grew stronger, and with every beat, the Vital Energy throughout his body increased somewhat.
"I'll strive to complete Organ Refining within three months."
After tempering his Jade Bone, Xu Yan's confidence had soared. Completing Organ Refining within three months was already a relatively conservative estimate.
Three days later.
As the tempering continued, his heart grew stronger, and his Vital Energy had increased by more than half. The tempering that followed could be more intense, without needing to worry about injuring his heart.
However, as his heart grew stronger, Xu Yan also discovered a few problems.
"It feels somewhat unbalanced. I can't temper only my heart. I have to temper the other organs as well."
Xu Yan began tempering his lungs.
He firmly remembered what his master had said about Organ Refining: the five organs corresponded to the five elements, and Vital Energy circulated through the five organs, forming a perfect whole. When the five elements became one, Organ Refining would be complete.
After his organs had been strengthened through the initial tempering, Xu Yan began tempering all five organs simultaneously. Vital Energy circulated between the five organs, and with every tempering, he could feel himself growing stronger.
His Vital Energy continued to increase as well.
After Xu Yan returned, life once again returned to normal, and Li Xuan became completely idle.
He could not help sighing inwardly at Xu Yan's persistence.
This foolish disciple was truly stubborn.
"Half of the one-year term has passed. If I endure another six months, I'll be free."
Li Xuan sighed ruefully.
As long as he endured another six months, he could dissolve the master-disciple relationship and hide away in Wu Kingdom.
With Xu Yan's generous apprenticeship gifts, there would be no problem living a life of wealth. He could even marry two or three beautiful wives, and spend the rest of his life in bliss.
In any case, judging from the current situation, there was no such thing as an incredibly powerful martial path.
Besides, even if one did exist, given Xu Yan's background, he had still been unable to come into contact with it. How could Li Xuan possibly encounter it?
Organ Refining proceeded without any twists or turns, smooth sailing all the way.
Perhaps because he had tempered his Jade Bone and possessed a solid martial foundation, Organ Refining progressed extremely smoothly and methodically, with his strength constantly improving.
After more than two months of painstaking cultivation, Xu Yan was about to complete Organ Refining.
His internal organs had grown so strong that they had almost broken free from their fleshy state.
At this moment, Xu Yan's strength had increased two or threefold compared to when he had first begun Organ Refining.
His Vital Energy was especially formidable. Both its quality and quantity had undergone tremendous improvement.
Faintly, his deep and abundant Vital Energy seemed capable of bursting out of his body at any moment and forming a protective barrier.
"I'll be able to complete Organ Refining within three to five days."
Xu Yan sensed the changes within himself, his heart filled with excitement.
Once Organ Refining was complete, entering the martial path would be within reach.
"According to Master, once Organ Refining reaches completion, Skin Tempering, Bone Refining, and Organ Refining—the foundational stages—will merge into one and be gathered into a single whole. Then one can enter the martial path.
"When one enters the martial path, the bones and muscles will resound like thunder, and Vital Energy will be like Steel Aura."
Xu Yan immersed his mind in comprehension, carefully sensing himself and pondering how he could merge everything into one and gather it into a single whole to step onto the martial path.
It seemed simple and easy, but wanting to merge everything into one and gather it into a single whole was not simple at all.
"Skin, bones, and organs are already parts of my body. How am I supposed to merge them into one? How am I supposed to gather them into a single whole? This is already my body—it already belongs to one whole."
Xu Yan fell into deep thought.
"No, I've misunderstood the direction.
"Master said it lies in 'understanding,' in 'meaning,' not in form. Merging everything into one and gathering it into a single whole—is the meaning of it? Or is it Vital Energy?
"I vaguely understand something, but it isn't enough.
"There's no need to rush. Once my Organ Refining reaches completion, I'll carefully comprehend how to merge everything into one and gather it into a single whole."
Xu Yan calmed his mind and continued Organ Refining.
Three days later, Xu Yan's Organ Refining reached completion.
Yet he still had no clue how to merge everything into one and gather it into a single whole.
He could not achieve Bone and Muscle Thunderous Roar or Vital Energy like Steel Aura either.
"I feel as though I'm only a step away from entering the martial path. Only a step away from achieving Vital Energy like Steel Aura, yet I still can't find the door.
"It seems I haven't completely mastered my own body. That's why I haven't been able to enter."
Xu Yan carefully sensed himself. Vaguely, he felt that he was about to enter the martial path.
He was only missing the final step.
Yet that single step seemed impossible to take.
Clenching both fists, he stirred his Vital Energy. A faint layer of Vital Energy appeared over his fists, scarlet as fire and fiercely hot, but it was not solid enough. It was still far from Vital Energy like Steel Aura.
To say nothing of covering his entire body with Vital Energy like Steel Aura.
"I'm only missing this final step. There's no need to hurry. I'll enter eventually.
"What I need to do now is relax, to relax after this period of painstaking cultivation. Only with a tranquil mind will it be easier to comprehend the essence of it."
Xu Yan began relaxing, reducing the time he spent cultivating. He fed the chickens, pulled weeds, planted vegetables, and occasionally rode his horse around.
"Why has this foolish disciple stopped cultivating so diligently? Why does it feel like he's just playing around?"
Li Xuan was filled with confusion. Xu Yan had unexpectedly stopped cultivating hard over the past few days, instead seeming to be in a leisurely, playful state.
"Could he have realized that I deceived him?"
Li Xuan fell into deep thought.
He secretly observed Xu Yan for two days and discovered that, apart from cultivating less diligently than before, the boy still did everything he was supposed to do and had not changed.
His attitude toward Li Xuan remained exceptionally respectful.
Since Xu Yan had not become suspicious, Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and did not rush to pump Xu Yan up or encourage him to cultivate harder.
"I've comprehended it somewhat."
That day, after dinner, Xu Yan began cultivating.
After relaxing and sensing himself over the past few days, he suddenly understood how to merge everything into one and gather it into a single whole.
His Vital Energy circulated from his skin to his bones and then to his internal organs, uniting his entire body and merging everything into one. In that instant, his Vital Energy was no longer drifting freely but had instead been gathered into a single whole.
At the moment his Vital Energy was gathered into a single whole and merged into one, Xu Yan's control over his own Vital Energy improved tremendously. As his Vital Energy continued to gather and merge together,
Skin Tempering, Bone Refining, and Organ Refining formed a complete cycle. The Vital Energy throughout his body surged violently and began seeping out of his body.
His overall strength continued to soar as well.
Xu Yan entered a wondrous state and had long since forgotten everything around him.
No one knew how much time had passed. The Vital Energy seeping from his body grew increasingly fierce. It gradually condensed from a misty state and expanded outward.
It stopped only after expanding to a radius of one zhang around him. His Vital Energy began to churn, seeming to undergo a transformation as it continued to condense.
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