Draining the Essence of Jade Marrow

Chapter 32: Draining the Essence of Jade Marrow

"This is a top-tier First-grade Origin Pattern, the Ice Fire Gathering Origin Pattern. It works far better than an ordinary Gathering Origin Pattern. Zhou Yuan, are you confident you can inscribe it?"

Yaoyao inscribed an extremely complex Origin Pattern onto a jade board. Its countless Pattern Traces were dazzling to the eye, while ice and fire seemed to circulate through the pattern, making it exceptionally unusual.

Since they did not live in the royal palace, Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan had the ordinary relationship of senior and junior disciples. They knew each other, but were not particularly close.

Thus, she did not have Zhou Yuan take off his shirt and inscribe it directly onto his back. Instead, she taught him how to inscribe it himself.

If Zhou Yuan could not learn it, she could simply inscribe it onto his arm. The difference in effect would not be too great.

"It's a little complicated, but I'm sixty to seventy percent confident."

After studying it carefully, Zhou Yuan realized that it was far more complicated than the Tiger Roar Pattern. With his Initial Void Realm Soul Power, it was somewhat difficult for him to comprehend.

"You have quite a talent for Origin Patterns."

Yaoyao nodded, while glancing at Mu Chen.

His Late Void Realm soul was only slightly inferior to hers at present. Inscribing Third-grade Origin Patterns would be no problem for him, yet he had chosen another path.

Mu Chen shrugged and lay there idly. After entering Jia Academy, only the Jade Spirit Waterfall had caught his interest. He wondered how many meridians it could help him open.

He was not an idiot. Why would he pass up something free?

Besides the Essence of Jade Marrow, Mu Chen also had other ideas. He would have to inspect the place first before making plans; it was too early to think about it now.

"Mu Chen, I've finished eating the Beast Soul Crystals. When will you get me some more?"

Little Marten's voice rang out. Mu Chen's soul entered the Ancestral Stone, and he froze slightly. It probably was not his imagination—Little Marten seemed to have grown a whole size fatter, much rounder than before.

"Eat, eat, eat. All you know is eating. You don't even know to call me Boss anymore." Mu Chen rolled his eyes and complained.

"And look at your figure now. Heavenly Demon Marten? Keep eating like this, and you'll turn into a Heavenly Demon Pig."

Little Marten looked down, smiled awkwardly, then returned his body to its original form. He had forgotten to digest it earlier.

"We'll talk about it later." Mu Chen could not exactly keep going to the royal palace to ask for things.

Zhou Yuan left with the jade board inscribed with the Ice Fire Gathering Origin Pattern, intending to study it first. If he failed, he could only come back and seek Yaoyao's help.

"Yaoyao, do you have a Second-grade Gathering Origin Pattern for Youwei? Her Soul Power isn't particularly outstanding, so her efficiency when drawing in the Essence of Jade Marrow might be a little low," Mu Chen asked.

"Yes. I'll inscribe one for Youwei later." Yaoyao nodded.

Su Youwei often came to chat with her, and the two had grown much more familiar. Though their bond could not compare to the familial relationship she had with Cangyuan, it was still far better than being strangers.

"Thank you, Sister Yaoyao," Su Youwei said gratefully.

She intended to try opening all Eight Meridians at the Jade Spirit Waterfall, so a Gathering Origin Pattern was especially important.

In the back mountains of Great Zhou Mansion, a waterfall like a silver river plunged down from a lush green peak. Its thunderous roar spread across the entire mountain range, deafening and majestic.

Mu Chen released his soul perception and immediately sensed threads of purple energy within the waterfall.

This should be the Essence of Jade Marrow. He wondered how many meridians it would let him open.

Yaoyao sat on a stone beneath a tree, holding Tuntun in her arms. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, embellishing the scene with a poetic, picturesque atmosphere.

Her cool, ethereal aura left countless male students stunned, yet none dared approach.

Yaoyao's eyes were like the Divine Eye. Just meeting her gaze for a few seconds made one feel as though their soul were trembling.

No one knew how many people envied, resented, and hated Tuntun for being held in Yaoyao's arms.

"If I suck the Essence of Jade Marrow dry, will they call me in for a talk?" Mu Chen muttered.

His voice was not loud, but everyone nearby heard it. Yang Zai said speechlessly, "Since Great Zhou Mansion was established, no one has ever been able to drain the Essence of Jade Marrow dry while in the Meridian Opening Realm.

"The water constantly washes over the Purple Spirit Jade Marrow above, so the Essence of Jade Marrow is continuously replenished.

"Besides, the impact of the falling waterfall alone prevents most people from lasting very long. Even the longest anyone can hold out is around three hours."

Mu Chen nodded. Others could not do it, but he had the Devouring Ancestral Symbol. He could give it a try.

Those who had finished inscribing their Gathering Origin Patterns entered the cultivation platforms in the middle of the waterfall one after another. Yet even students from the previous class could only endure ten or twenty minutes before being swept into the lake below amid anguished screams.

When they emerged, their skin had all turned bluish from the waterfall's battering.

"Now this has some kick. The Essence of Jade Marrow works pretty well." Mu Chen's clothes were instantly soaked through by the rushing water, revealing the lean contours of his muscles.

The waterfall's impact made Mu Chen feel a slight amount of pain, but his physical constitution was already comparable to someone who had opened Eight Meridians. Calling him a humanoid Source Beast would not be an exaggeration.

After glancing around and seeing that everyone nearby had been swept away by the waterfall, Mu Chen stopped holding back.

"Devouring Power, absorb!"

Mu Chen activated the Devouring Ancestral Symbol. In an instant, powerful Devouring Power spread outward from him.

As the Devouring Power emerged, threads of purple Essence of Jade Marrow gathered toward Mu Chen. Compared with the others, who had to absorb it bit by bit through their Gathering Origin Patterns, Mu Chen's speed was unquestionably astonishing.

Mu Chen did not manually form a black hole. Absorbing the Essence of Jade Marrow did not require that level of effort.

Even so, everyone below widened their eyes. A vortex had suddenly appeared in the plunging waterfall. What an unbelievable sight—they had never seen anything like it.

Tuntun cracked his eyes open and snickered. What a bunch of ignorant country bumpkins. Wasn't this simply an application of Devouring Power? He could do it too.

Before long, all the Essence of Jade Marrow in the waterfall had been absorbed by Mu Chen. No matter how they sensed it, only clear flowing water remained.

Yang Zai suddenly felt as if he had been slapped in the face. He had just said it was impossible to drain it dry, yet Mu Chen had absorbed it all right before their eyes.

Of course, this did not mean that even the Purple Spirit Jade Marrow had been drained. Rather, the Essence of Jade Marrow in the water had been absorbed, and it would take some time for the flowing water to wash out more.

Mu Chen opened his eyes, and a hazy violet gleam flashed through them. He had absorbed too much Essence of Jade Marrow.

He was in no hurry to absorb it. The Devouring Ancestral Symbol was currently refining and storing it. It should be enough for him to open another two meridians. If the amount had not been limited, he would have liked to absorb more—enough to open all Eight Meridians.

But that was only wishful thinking. The Essence of Jade Marrow in the water was not enough for Mu Chen to open Eight Meridians. The Purple Spirit Jade Marrow above, however, could do it. He could figure something out later.

It would also take some time for the Jade Spirit Waterfall to recover. The flow of water was limited, and the Purple Spirit Jade Marrow was not so easily washed away. Otherwise, the water would not be this color—it would be purple.

With a flick of his sleeve, he left after the deed was done, hiding his achievements and fame. Mu Chen and the others departed at once, or they would not have been able to leave afterward.

Very soon, news that one person had drained the Essence of Jade Marrow from the Jade Spirit Waterfall spread throughout Great Zhou Mansion. But that had nothing to do with Mu Chen. All he was thinking about now was opening Eight Meridians. The Meridian Opening Realm was simply too weak.