Hidden Cultivation and Precipitation, Nine Yang Perfection

Chapter 39: Secluded Cultivation and Preparation, Nine Yang Perfection

Returning to the small courtyard of the Xuntian Guard headquarters, Li Yifan did not immediately begin his secluded cultivation. Commander Wang's warning and the potential threat from the zombie old monster hung over him like a sword, making him acutely aware that he must go all out in this secluded training, striving to maximize his strength in the shortest possible time. Although he had ten Foundation Elixirs from Li Heng's storage ring and contribution points rewarded by the garrison, he had other plans for the contribution points. The Foundation Elixirs were more suited for consolidating one's foundation and nourishing the core, and for the late stage of the Tendon Refining Realm, which required a large amount of energy to break through realms and temper tendons and bones, he needed more direct and efficient resources.

After a moment of thought, Li Yifan decided to visit the Liu Family Merchant House once more before entering seclusion. He needed to purchase some elixirs for his daily cultivation.

The next day, he changed into a neat, fitted outfit and returned to the Liu Family Merchant House in the southern part of the city. The merchant house was as bustling as ever, with shop assistants busily attending to customers. The moment Li Yifan stepped through the door, the shopkeeper Sun, who had served him last time, recognized him with sharp eyes. He immediately put down his ledger and greeted Li Yifan with a smile.

"Ah, Young Master Li! A rare visitor, a rare visitor! It's been some time since I last saw you. Your visit today must mean you have more good things to patronize our humble shop?" Shopkeeper Sun cupped his hands enthusiastically, his tone warm. He had a deep impression of this young Xuntian Guard captain who was extraordinary in his出手.

Li Yifan returned the bow and got straight to the point, "Shopkeeper Sun, I've come today to purchase a batch of elixirs for my cultivation."

"Oh? Young Master Li, please speak. What kind of elixirs do you need? I don't mean to brag, but the elixirs from our Liu Family Merchant House are the best in the Qing Province region!" Shopkeeper Sun gave a thumbs-up, full of confidence.

"I need 'Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills'," Li Yifan stated his target directly, "and the best quality ones. Ten bottles."

"Ten bottles of Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills?" Shopkeeper Sun's eyes lit up. "To be honest, our shop just received a batch of top-grade Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills transferred from headquarters. The medicinal efficacy is pure, and the effect is more than thirty percent stronger than ordinary goods on the market!" As he spoke, he signaled a shop assistant to retrieve a Jade Box from the inner hall. Upon opening it, ten white jade bottles were neatly arranged inside. He took out a bottle, uncorked it, and immediately a rich aroma of qi and blood medicinal fragrance emanated. Just a whiff made one feel that their tendons and bones were relaxed and comfortable.

"Young Master Li, look at the quality, the aroma! It's definitely top-grade among the top-grade!" Shopkeeper Sun introduced, "Ten pills per bottle, twenty taels of gold per bottle. Ten bottles would be two hundred taels of gold. For anyone else, it would be at least two hundred and twenty taels, but Young Master Li is a regular customer and a young talent of the Xuntian Guard. I'll make the decision and charge you two hundred taels of gold. What do you say?"

Two hundred taels of gold! This price was enough to deter ordinary martial artists. But Li Yifan knew well that necessary investment was indispensable if he wanted to improve his strength quickly. He calculated the wealth he had obtained from Li Heng's storage ring, which amounted to over three hundred taels of gold, more than enough to cover this expense.

"Alright," Li Yifan nodded readily, took out two one-hundred-tael gold notes from his embrace, and handed them over. He had exchanged some of his gold and silver for these notes for ease of carrying.

Seeing Li Yifan's straightforwardness, Shopkeeper Sun's smile widened. He quickly accepted the gold notes, verified their authenticity, personally wrapped the ten jade bottles, and handed them to Li Yifan, also gifting him a delicate storage pouch. "Young Master Li is truly generous! I wish you great progress in your cultivation during this seclusion and an early breakthrough!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Shopkeeper Sun." Li Yifan took the elixirs, said no more, cupped his hands, and took his leave.

Carrying ten bottles of valuable top-grade Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills, Li Yifan returned to the small courtyard. He knew time was pressing and he had to seize every moment. After closing the courtyard gate and hanging up a "Secluded Cultivation, Do Not Disturb" sign, he officially began his secluded training.

His goal for this seclusion was clear: to use the Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills and Foundation Elixirs to raise his cultivation to the peak of Tendon Refining; simultaneously, to make a full effort to break through to the perfect state of the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique, and to improve his control over the Nine Yang True Fire.

The days of secluded cultivation were monotonous and arduous. He took Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills and Foundation Elixirs daily, supplemented by his own training. The Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills lived up to their reputation as precious medicine for the Tendon Refining stage. Once the elixir entered his stomach, it immediately transformed into streams of scorching, surging qi and blood, flowing into every limb and bone, penetrating every tendon. He could clearly feel his entire body's tendons and bones being stretched and tempered by the powerful medicinal effects, becoming more resilient and elastic, and the strength he could unleash also increased steadily.

At the same time, he circulated the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique, guiding the Nine Yang True Qi to refine the medicinal effects and fuse them with his own true qi. With the support of a large number of elixirs, his cultivation progressed rapidly. On his status panel, the proficiency of his realm [Mid-stage Tendon Refining: 420/1000] began to tick up quickly.

However, Li Yifan did not blindly pursue the improvement of his realm. He deeply understood the importance of a solid foundation. Every small increase, he would stop to consolidate, ensuring that his true qi was refined and his tendons and bones were strong, leaving no hidden dangers. At the same time, he devoted more energy to cultivating the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique.

As his understanding of the technique deepened, especially with the existence of that wisp of Nine Yang True Fire within him, he gained new insights into the circulation of the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique. He attempted to cautiously integrate the faint intent of the true fire into his circulation. This process was extremely dangerous; a slight mistake could lead to self-immolation. But Li Yifan, with his extraordinary perseverance and profound understanding of the technique, tried again and again, adjusting each time.

Hard work pays off. After about half a month of secluded cultivation, he finally succeeded in finding a subtle balance, allowing the nascent Nine Yang True Fire and the technique's circulation to complement each other. The moment the intent of the true fire merged into the circulation, he felt as if the Nine Yang True Qi within him had been infused with a soul. Its circulation speed suddenly accelerated, and the efficiency of absorbing and refining the medicinal power also greatly increased! What might have taken two hours to refine one Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pill now only took a little over an hour to fully absorb!

"As expected!" Li Yifan was invigorated. He had discovered a shortcut to rapid improvement! The Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique and the "Nine Yang True Fire" were born from the same source. The true fire could greatly stimulate the potential of the technique, and the growth of the technique could, in turn, nourish the true fire. The two formed a perfect virtuous cycle!

With the correct method found, the subsequent cultivation was like sailing with the wind. He took elixirs daily, circulated his technique, guided the true fire, and his cultivation and technique proficiency advanced hand in hand. Inside the quiet room, his aura grew stronger day by day, with a faint crimson-gold light flowing around his body, a testament to his increasingly pure and abundant Nine Yang True Qi.

Time flew by in his engrossed cultivation. Outside the window, autumn deepened, then a cold wind blew, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

On this day, Li Yifan took the last Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pill and one Foundation Elixir. He focused his mind inward, guiding the surging medicinal power and true qi to make a final push towards the last hurdle for the perfection of the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique.

Within his dantian's sea of qi, the crimson-gold true qi churned like a boiling ocean. The wisp of nascent Nine Yang True Fire also seemed to be summoned, becoming exceptionally active, shuttling through the true qi, constantly burning and purifying it, pushing it to a higher level.

"Boom!"

As if some barrier was broken, an invisible roar echoed within Li Yifan's body! His qi and blood surged like a great river, his bones and sinews chimed in unison, and an aura of seamless integration and endless vitality naturally emanated. He felt a closer connection between himself and the yang and harmonious energy of heaven and earth. The quality and quantity of his Nine Yang True Qi underwent a qualitative leap!

[Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique] (Yellow Grade - Top Grade) - Perfected [Status: Nine Yang True Fire comprehended, technique effects greatly enhanced, comparable to Black Grade - Low Grade]

Perfected! In less than two months, the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique had finally reached perfection!

Almost the instant the technique was perfected, he moved his mind and spread open his right palm. A wisp of condensed-like-thread, flickering, crimson-gold flame emitting a heart-palpitating high temperature, appeared leisurely without deliberate activation! Although the flame was small, it contained a majestic will to burn all evil!

[Nine Yang True Fire - Minor Accomplishment (1/2000)]

It was a natural progression! The Nine Yang True Fire also advanced to the "Minor Accomplishment" stage!

Feeling the new power within him, Li Yifan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and bright. He briefly sensed his own cultivation. The medicinal power from the ten bottles of Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills and the Foundation Elixirs had all been absorbed and refined by him.

[Realm]: Body Tempering · Tendon Refining (Late Stage: 580/800)

His cultivation had indeed risen to the late stage of Tendon Refining, and he was only one step away from the peak of Tendon Refining! He had originally thought that 10 bottles of Strengthening Tendons and Bones Pills would be enough to reach the peak of Tendon Refining, but he hadn't expected that the further one progressed, the greater the energy required. He had only reached the late stage of Tendon Refining. A sense of powerful strength filled his body. He felt that he was now capable of easily crushing his pre-seclusion self.

At this moment, the sound of firecrackers and children's laughter could be heard from outside the window. Li Yifan was slightly taken aback. He pushed open the window of the quiet room and saw that the outside was covered in a silver blanket of snow. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder from firecrackers and the aroma of New Year's Eve dinners being prepared by every household.

"So today is already the end of the year..." Only then did he realize that his seclusion had lasted for nearly two months.

Feeling the surging Nine Yang True Qi within him, the minor accomplishment of the exotic fire, and his cultivation nearing the peak of Tendon Refining, Li Yifan's lips curved into a confident arc. This secluded cultivation had yielded abundant results.

It was time to emerge from seclusion, welcome the new year, and also welcome the new challenges that might be coming.