Marrow Cleansing Chapter (Please Follow, Please Bookmark)

Having completed Qi Refining, Wang Ping did not rush to end his meditation. He continued circulating the spiritual energy in his Dantian, absorbing the natural breath between Heaven and Earth to replenish his hungry body.

Only after a Quarter Hour did Wang Ping truly end his meditation. Yet the spiritual-energy vortex in his Dantian continued to turn on its own, autonomously absorbing the qi between Heaven and Earth to replenish his body.

He opened his eyes...

The Light Screen Panel's total progress for the Qi Cultivation Chapter had already reached (100/100)!

"Not bad. From now on, I won't have to brew soup for you every morning." A faint smile appeared on Daoist Yucheng's face. Wang Ping was not one for words, so he immediately bowed to Daoist Yucheng.

"Come sit." Daoist Yucheng pointed at the Stone Stool across from him.

Before sitting down, Wang Ping bowed once more. Then he heard Daoist Yucheng say, "You saw it last night as well. Your Spiritual Root is not good enough, your comprehension is lacking, and you cannot even complete the most basic Marrow Cleansing."

"I usually have you read the classics of various schools so that you may understand matters and principles. Every matter and every principle in this world is connected. Once you understand the principles, comprehension will naturally follow. But even Cultivators have limited energy, so we merely read the principles within books rather than cultivate the Dao within them."

Wang Ping was about to nod and answer yes, but Daoist Yucheng stopped him and continued, "With your aptitude, the later Marrow Cleansing and Foundation Establishment stages will naturally be no challenge. But there is no harm in improving a little further. Daoist Yuanzheng of the Shangdan Sect owes me a favor. Take my letter to him, and he will help you improve your Spiritual Root once!"

After saying this, Daoist Yucheng took out a letter and handed it to Wang Ping.

Wang Ping's heart jolted, and it began pounding uncontrollably. He respectfully rose and accepted the letter with both hands, then heard Daoist Yucheng say, "You will be nineteen after the New Year, correct? Although you possess a Spiritual Root, you have yet to see this world with your own eyes. Consider this journey a form of cultivation."

"Before your Spiritual Root is improved, do not perform Marrow Cleansing more than twice a day. After it has been improved, you may make further attempts." Daoist Yucheng instructed, "Prepare to depart after the New Year. Before then, you may exchange a few moves with your Third Senior Brother. Should danger arise, you will not be left scrambling like a headless fly."

Daoist Yucheng had spoken more today than he had in all the previous days combined. After finishing, he rose to his feet and formed a hand seal. Under the seal, two talismans appeared before him. "Of these two talismans, one is a Jia Talisman and the other a Bing Talisman. They can protect you during this journey of cultivation."

With that, he struck the two talismans into Wang Ping's body, then returned to his room to meditate.

It was still night at this moment...

Wang Ping returned to his own room as well. After sitting cross-legged, he digested Daoist Yucheng's words. He was somewhat afraid of the cultivation journey he was about to undertake, yet he also held a measure of anticipation.

Sensing the fluctuation in Wang Ping's emotions, Yulian poked out her head and rubbed against his finger.

After teasing Yulian for a while, Wang Ping calmed himself and recalled the contents of the Marrow Cleansing Chapter of the Returning Origin Art. Then the Light Screen Panel appeared:

[Returning Origin Art (Marrow Cleansing Chapter): Use the spiritual energy converted through Qi Refining to scour the body from within to without, increasing the body's affinity with the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. There is no shortcut for this step. Your Spiritual Root is above average; persist with ten Marrow Cleansings daily, and it can be completed in fifteen years. (Progress 0/100, Today's Progress 0/10)]

[Note 1: Do not exceed ten Marrow Cleansings a day, or irreversible damage will be done to the body.]

Even Wang Ping clicked his tongue at the final time estimate. An above-average Spiritual Root still required fifteen years for Marrow Cleansing alone. In fifteen years, he would already be thirty-five. Then there was Foundation Establishment, a process that might take even longer!

No wonder most people who cultivated the Dao severed their ties to the mortal world. Foundation Establishment alone took several decades—an ordinary Mortal's entire lifetime—not to mention the time needed later to cultivate secret arts.

"What are you doing?" Yulian's voice sounded in his Spirit Sea.

Wang Ping came to his senses. He was already fortunate enough; his three senior brothers did not even qualify for Marrow Cleansing.

Wang Ping gently stroked Yulian's head. She immediately coiled around his finger, wanting to dart out of his sleeve, but after exposing half her body, she shrank back again. She truly feared the cold.

"Hehe!"

Wang Ping was amused by her. He settled his mind and prepared for the first Marrow Cleansing of his life.

The Marrow Cleansing process was actually very simple. One merely circulated the transformed spiritual energy within the body, scouring every corner and washing away the turbid qi and impurities accumulated from the mortal world.

It was extremely uncomfortable at the beginning. Whenever the spiritual energy passed through a place, he felt a piercing pain like needles stabbing him. The pain was especially pronounced when it reached his internal organs, where impurities and turbid qi were most concentrated—particularly in the stomach and intestines.

After enduring one round of Marrow Cleansing, Wang Ping was drenched in cold sweat despite the depths of winter. When he opened his eyes, the sky outside was already bright.

"I'm hungry..."

Yulian was crying hunger again. She was completely unlike other snakes, needing to eat at least twice a day, and her appetite was growing ever larger.

After leaving his room and feeding Yulian, Wang Ping looked up to see Wang Kang approaching briskly from afar with a Meal Box in hand. Upon reaching the courtyard, Wang Kang spotted Wang Ping and immediately called out, "Senior brother!"

Recently, Wang Ping had not practiced in the mornings, so the two could exchange a sentence or two.

"There's an Outer Sect assessment today. Do you want to go have a look?" Wang Kang knew Wang Ping had nothing much to do these past few days.

"Forget it. It's quieter up on the mountain." Wang Ping shook his head in refusal. His status within Thousand Wood Temple was too high now; if he went to the Front Hall, a crowd would gather around him.

The Outer Disciples all learned fist techniques for strengthening the body. The assessment would likely consist mainly of written examinations. Even good results would not earn them a chance to enter the Inner Sect. The first requirement for entering the Inner Sect was the potential for Qi Refining. Only after one's character and temperament were assessed could the Qi Refining method be passed down.

Wang Ping had learned from Su Dun that the cultivation technique practiced by the other Disciples was called the Five Elements Guiding Luck Art. It contained only the Qi Refining method, without a Marrow Cleansing Chapter or Foundation Establishment Chapter.

After chatting briefly, Wang Kang glanced at Daoist Yucheng's room and tactfully took his leave.

Wang Ping called his Master out for breakfast. Though Daoist Yucheng had long since abstained from food, he did not refuse. Today, when Wang Ping took a bite of Steamed Bun, he felt something different. The moment the food entered his stomach, it seemed to digest instantly.

"Once you have passed the Qi Refining stage, food is no longer necessary. Furthermore, whenever you eat, you must immediately use spiritual energy to digest it, or turbid qi will remain in your body. Though it is troublesome, if conditions allow, you should still insist on eating something every meal. Otherwise, after a long time, you may even begin to doubt whether you are human!"

Daoist Yucheng spoke these words very seriously, as though warning Wang Ping of an important truth, yet he did not elaborate. Accustomed to Daoist Yucheng's temperament, Wang Ping immediately nodded and answered, "Yes."

After breakfast, Wang Ping took out his Iron Sword and practiced the Thousand Wood Swordplay for a while. Once he had stirred up the fierce energy in his heart, he followed his Master's instructions and went to the Small Daoist Temple of his Third Senior Brother, Mao Yulong.

At this moment, Mao Yulong no longer bore the sorry appearance he had worn the previous night. He looked no different from usual. He gladly accepted Wang Ping's invitation to spar and repeatedly offered Wang Ping guidance during their exchange.

Over the next ten-odd days, Wang Ping performed Marrow Cleansing once every morning, sparred with his Third Senior Brother Mao Yulong in the mornings, and studied the many books Daoist Yucheng had specifically collected for him in the afternoons.

Tenth Day of the First Lunar Month.

When Wang Ping stepped out of his room that morning, Daoist Yucheng cast a divination and reminded Wang Ping that it was time to set off.