Innate Perfection

As soon as the Marrow Cleansing Pill went down, Ye Jing felt a warm current flow through his heart.

His body began to grow hot. Before long, he was flushed from head to toe, white smoke rising from his head as steam billowed around him.

Ye Jing felt as though an All-Heaven Furnace were refining his body from within, as if his entire body were about to melt.

Ye Jing held his breath and focused, knowing that the pill's effects were taking hold and burning away the impurities inside him.

This was the critical moment. If he let his guard down and the impurities in his body weren't completely refined, then when he forged his Innate Physique, the result would inevitably bear a flaw.

Enduring the searing pain within, Ye Jing circulated his cultivation technique, steadily refining the pill's medicinal power until he gradually sank into cultivation.

An hour later, the burning pain in his body slowly ebbed and finally disappeared. Only then did Ye Jing slowly open his eyes.

A foul stench emanated from his body.

Seeing himself covered in grime, Ye Jing immediately climbed into the bathtub and washed himself.

After washing up, he put on his clothes and looked into the bronze mirror. He froze in place.

Flawless as white jade, refined and elegant, handsome and peerless.

This Pure and Spotless body was indeed powerful. His appearance hadn't changed much, but his entire bearing had transformed noticeably.

The original owner had already been handsome; otherwise, he could never have become the Third-place Scholar. But compared to how he looked now, the difference was like that between an ordinary man and a superstar.

Before, he'd been roughly hewn; now, he was meticulously sculpted. If Ye Jing let it be known that he intended to marry, the threshold of Ye Manor would be trampled to pieces by matchmakers.

But that was all just an Outer Thing. What Ye Jing cared about most now was improving his strength.

Ye Jing circulated his cultivation technique, and delight immediately spread across his face. This Pure and Spotless body was indeed extraordinary. His body absorbed spiritual energy dozens of times faster than before.

In this Age of Dharma's End, spiritual energy between heaven and earth was scarce. There were only two ways for cultivators to improve their cultivation.

The first was to increase the speed at which they absorbed spiritual energy from heaven and earth; the second was to increase the speed at which they refined it.

In present-day Dali, the peerless prodigies all had some degree of talent in one or both of these areas.

The reason the Heaven and Earth Cataclysm had plunged Dali into turmoil was that spiritual energy across the land had surged. Any cultivator, no matter how poor their talent, would see their strength multiply several times over.

What's more, the Heaven and Earth Cataclysm also brought forth countless heavenly treasures and peerless rarities. Even an ordinary person who obtained one could have a chance to reach the Peak of Humanity.

For resources, for strength, countless cultivators fought and killed one another. Only the rise of an unrivaled figure who could suppress the world, like the first Emperor Li a thousand years ago, could finally bring peace to chaotic Dali.

Two days ago, Ye Jing had activated Heaven-Defying Comprehension. In a mere day, he'd broken through from the Qi Refining Fifth Layer to the Innate Realm. The reason was that his speed at refining spiritual energy from heaven and earth had leaped forward.

But the original owner's aptitude had been mediocre, and he'd absorbed spiritual energy at a snail's pace. Now that Ye Jing had this Pure and Spotless body, his rate of absorption would increase tremendously.

Ye Jing reckoned that if he'd had this Pure and Spotless body two days ago, he'd have been certain to break through from the Qi Refining Fifth Layer to the Innate Realm in just one afternoon.

After completing the second step of the Innate Realm, Marrow Washing, the next step was to forge an Innate Physique.

Compared with the second step, the third step—condensing an Innate Physique—was relatively simple. He only needed to temper his body with Innate Qi converted from spiritual energy.

After Ye Jing entered the Innate Realm, the spiritual energy stored in his spiritual core had already been converted into Innate Qi.

Without wasting a moment, Ye Jing immediately drew on the Innate Qi in his spiritual core to temper his body.

Three hours passed in a flash before Ye Jing woke from his cultivation. By then, the sky had begun to brighten.

He'd finally forged the most perfect Innate Physique. He'd now reached Innate Perfection, making him a minor expert even by the standards of all Dali.

Feeling the surging strength and vigorous life force within him, Ye Jing could finally set aside much of the worry that had weighed on his heart these past few days.

No God of Heaven and Earth had appeared in Dali for hundreds of years. The Peak of Humanity was already the highest one could reach there.

Across all Dali, there were no more than twenty figures at the Peak of Humanity—and most of them were in the Great Li Imperial Palace.

Besides, such figures rarely showed themselves. Ordinary people seldom encountered them.

The top figures in today's martial world were the Great Grandmasters. Among all the sects in the Great Li Dynasty, only a first-rate Sword Dao giant like the Sword Sect had a Sect Master at the Peak of Humanity. The leaders of the other major sects were only at the Great Grandmaster level.

Though Ye Jing had only reached Innate Perfection, he possessed two peerless martial arts: the Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Annihilation and the Indestructible Golden Body.

Forget opponents at the same level—even among those in the Grandmaster Realm, few could defeat him, unless they were renowned figures on the Grandmaster Ranking.

In other words, as long as Ye Jing didn't go looking for trouble by provoking Great Grandmasters or famous figures on the Grandmaster Ranking, he could protect himself.

Even if King Zhennan raised an army in rebellion and took the Imperial Capital, Ye Jing was confident he could leave with Qiuyue without a fuss, as long as they weren't surrounded by the army.

After a night of arduous cultivation, Ye Jing didn't feel the slightest bit tired. Instead, he was full of energy, his spirit bright and vigorous.

He didn't go to bed. After a quick wash, he ate the breakfast Qiuyue had prepared long ago and set off for the Hanlin Academy.

The moment he stepped into the Hanlin Academy, Ye Jing sensed that something was amiss.

The Hanlin Academy was a low-profile office, usually quiet, so the staff were fairly relaxed and often gathered to chat.

But the moment Ye Jing entered its gates, he felt a heavy tension in the air.

Not only were the familiar conversations absent, but there were also unfamiliar faces throughout the Hanlin Academy, interrogating its officials one by one.

Ye Jing didn't recognize the men, but he recognized their uniforms. They were dressed in the garb of the Law Enforcement Department.

"What's going on, Brother Zhang?"

Ye Jing asked an official from the Hanlin Academy nearby.

"It's all Hu Jie's fault. He stirred up public opinion, claiming His Majesty was a foolish ruler and had framed the Medicine Manor. In the end, it even sparked a riot in the Imperial Capital."

"Hu Jie's a real menace. He nearly dragged the whole Hanlin Academy down with him. If I ever get my hands on that brat, I'll make him pay."

It was obvious Zhang Shilin held a deep grudge against Hu Jie.

"By the way, Ye Jing, Hu Jie used to be close to you. The Law Enforcement Department officers will question you in a bit, so be careful."

"Don't hide anything! If those officers see you looking suspicious, you'll be in serious trouble."

Before leaving, Zhang Shilin stopped Ye Jing and gave him a few words of warning.

Sensing the goodwill in Zhang Shilin's words, Ye Jing nodded, then headed toward the inner hall of the Hanlin Academy.