Marrow Cleansing

Chen Fan ignored her and continued on his way, extending his Divine Sense to keep a wary eye on the Black-Veiled Woman behind him.

If she dared approach, he would strike without hesitation.

But to his surprise, the woman gave a soft laugh and remained where she was, never moving.

Chen Fan thought no more of it and headed for his next destination. This time, however, he was even more careful to conceal his tracks.

Only after Chen Fan had vanished completely did the smile in the Black-Veiled Woman's eyes slowly fade.

"His aptitude isn't bad. He's on par with that Qi Refining Layer 2 brat in the Heavenly Court," she murmured to herself.

A Burly Man then emerged from deep within the woods with several Earth Ghost Sect disciples and came to stand beside the Black-Veiled Woman.

"Why did you let him go again, Sect Master?" the Burly Man asked quietly.

"This boy's aptitude is extraordinary. He might even be a match for you. He's a useful pawn, so you can cancel the bounty. Also, have you heard anything from the Heavenly Court?" the Black-Veiled Woman asked.

"Still nothing. More than ten Foundation Establishment experts are asking around about that person."

"A One-Star Heavenly Soldier at Qi Refining Layer 2. Interesting." The Black-Veiled Woman narrowed her eyes slightly.

"But the Immortal Sect seems to be looking for him, too," the Burly Man said with a frown.

"Make things difficult for them. This pawn belongs to me. No one else can touch him." The Black-Veiled Woman spoke in a low voice, her words carrying the faint air of a queen.

"Yes."

The next day, following the map, Chen Fan found another forest and concealed himself completely.

On the way, he had seen many cultivators, each carrying a portrait of him.

He didn't act rashly. Instead, he watched from the shadows. At his current level, if the White-Robed Woman showed up, it would be a difficult and dangerous fight. He might even die there.

The gap between the Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm was simply too vast.

"Search carefully. Don't overlook the slightest clue. The Immortal Sect is offering a generous reward this time: ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones for capturing him alive," a middle-aged cultivator shouted.

"Boss, what if we can't capture him alive?" a young man asked quietly.

"Then you'll only get five Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Keep a close eye out. That kid's only at Qi Refining Layer 4. If you can't capture him alive, I'll skin you alive."

"Don't worry, Boss. Aren't the Immortal Sect's experts nearby, too? I heard they came here to dig up a treasured sword," the young man said furtively.

"Mind your own business. We're here to earn Spirit Stones," the middle-aged cultivator barked.

"You just said... the Immortal Sect is digging up a treasured sword?"

As the young cultivator nodded, a voice laced with coldness sounded behind them.

"Who's there?" The middle-aged cultivator and the others blanched and spun around, only to freeze in surprise.

"It's you?" The young cultivator recognized Chen Fan, then turned to the middle-aged man with a grin.

"Boss, the Spirit Stones have come walking right to us."

"Where are the Immortal Sect's people?" Chen Fan asked with a frown.

"Kid, if you're looking for them, surrender without a fight and I'll take you there myself," the middle-aged cultivator said darkly.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp whistle cut through the air as Chen Fan's gleaming sword point came to rest at the young cultivator's throat.

The sudden turn of events made everyone's faces change. The young cultivator swallowed hard, his legs going weak with fear.

How was this Qi Refining Layer 4? He was practically on par with Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

The middle-aged cultivator's expression turned grim, too. He knew his own limits; he was no match for Chen Fan.

"Where are the Immortal Sect's people? How much do you know about that treasured sword?" Chen Fan asked quietly.

The young cultivator finally raised a trembling hand and pointed east into the forest. "At the foot of the mountain over there."

He swallowed again before continuing cautiously, "I only heard rumors about the sword. Apparently, one appeared last night, but a mysterious person stole it."

As he spoke, the young cultivator glanced at Chen Fan. It was obvious he suspected that Chen Fan was the mysterious person. Otherwise, why would the Immortal Sect be searching everywhere for him?

"Also, some people say that sword is the Immortal Sect's treasured heirloom. Others say it has some great connection to the Immortal Palace. I really don't know anything else."

The Immortal Sect, the Immortal Palace, the treasured sword!

Chen Fan's heart jolted. How had his sword become connected to the Immortal Palace?

Though the young cultivator had only heard rumors, there was no smoke without fire. Judging by the Immortal Sect's reaction, they cared far too much about the sword.

With that thought, he furrowed his brow and shot a cold glance toward a corner of the forest. Then he returned his sword to its sheath and turned to leave.

The young cultivator was drenched in sweat. He let out a long breath and slumped to the ground, as if he'd just circled the gates of hell.

The middle-aged cultivator also took a small step back and let Chen Fan go. He liked Spirit Stones, but only if he lived long enough to use them.

In a corner of the forest, several cultivators were watching the scene.

"Hall Master, his strength is terrifying. Is he really only at Qi Refining Layer 4?" one Earth Ghost Sect disciple asked.

"No wonder the Sect Master thinks so highly of him. With those skills, even I'd have to take him seriously in a fight. But defeat me? Impossible." The Burly Man shook his head. The Black-Veiled Woman had ordered him to come here and make trouble for the Immortal Sect, but he hadn't expected Chen Fan to show up on his own.

"Hall Master, he just glanced this way. Could he have spotted us?"

"Probably not. At this distance, an ordinary cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm couldn't reach us with their Divine Sense. Keep watching and see what he does next." The Burly Man turned to leave.

"H-Hall Master, he's gone! He's heading toward the place where the Immortal Sect is digging for the sword!" the disciple exclaimed in shock.

"What?" The Burly Man turned around sharply. After seeing which way Chen Fan had gone, he shook his head. "That foolish brat. Does he really think he escaped unscathed last night through his own strength? If the Sect Master hadn't held off Mu Yunshui, he would've been captured already."

"Hall Master, what should we do now? Should we stop him?"

"Let him be. The Sect Master is already there. I'll send her a message using a secret technique in a moment. That brat's only heading over to suffer." The Burly Man narrowed his eyes.

An hour later, Chen Fan concealed his aura and hid among the trees, watching a group of robed disciples dig into a mountain.

To his surprise, the White-Robed Woman was there keeping watch. She clearly cared a great deal about the sword they were about to unearth.

"Disciple, you can stop hiding."

The sultry voice suddenly sounded behind Chen Fan. His expression changed; he'd let his guard down.

He shot to the right. With a hum, a sharp sword sprang from its sheath.

"I already stole that sword. If you alert my Senior Martial Sister, we'll have to go on the run again."

"Where's the sword?" Chen Fan stared coldly at the Black-Veiled Woman.

"Hmm? You're interested in that sword?" The Black-Veiled Woman paused. She'd assumed Chen Fan was interested in the Marrow Cleansing Pills, not the sword.

"Didn't you steal one last night?" she asked, a trace of amusement in her voice.

"That one was a replica," Chen Fan said.

"A replica? What do you know?" The Black-Veiled Woman's attitude changed at once, and her voice turned cold. For some reason, that made Chen Fan feel more at ease.

"I only know that it's my sword." Chen Fan shook his head.

"Your sword? Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This one is almost identical to the one you stole last night." As she spoke, the bracelet on her wrist turned, and a sword appeared before them.

"A Storage Bracelet?" Chen Fan was slightly taken aback, but he didn't dwell on it. His gaze settled on the sharp sword.

"You're young, but you know quite a lot." The Black-Veiled Woman glanced at Chen Fan.

"Sure enough, it's still a replica." After examining the sword she had produced a few times, Chen Fan lost interest.

He could now say for certain that his sword from his previous life had a deep connection to the Immortal Sect.

"You've seen the real one?" the Black-Veiled Woman asked suspiciously.

"There's only one true Wuya. I made it with my own hands," Chen Fan said coldly.

"Wuya? That sword is called Wuya?" As she spoke, the Black-Veiled Woman suddenly rapped Chen Fan on the head. He didn't even manage to dodge.

"Bragging isn't good for you, understand?"

"You..." Chen Fan nearly attacked the Black-Veiled Woman, but he restrained himself at the last moment. Any commotion would draw the White-Robed Woman's attention. Then he'd be facing two enemies.

Against two Foundation Establishment experts, a Qi Refining Layer 4 cultivator would be doomed, no matter how extraordinary he was.

Chen Fan glared at the Black-Veiled Woman, then continued to conceal his presence as he slowly backed away.

"Angry? Where are you going?" Amusement filled the Black-Veiled Woman's eyes. Though half her face was covered by a black veil, Chen Fan could still tell she was smiling.

"To cultivate, then go to the Immortal Sect and reclaim Wuya. Follow me again, and I won't hold back." Chen Fan spoke coldly, then set off with an uncanny gait toward the depths of the forest.

"What an interesting boy. 'Won't hold back'? If I didn't have important business, I'd like to see what you think you can do." Watching Chen Fan disappear again, the Black-Veiled Woman murmured to herself. She then concealed her figure and turned into a shadow, heading in the opposite direction.

After night fell...

"Senior Martial Sister, the sword was stolen," a robed cultivator told the White-Robed Woman, Mu Yunshui.

Mu Yunshui nodded slightly. She showed no surprise and quietly murmured, "Junior Sister."

At that moment, Chen Fan was sitting cross-legged inside a concealed Monster Beast cave. The entrance was extremely hard to find; if he hadn't happened to notice the strange Monster Beast bones outside it, he wouldn't have discovered the place.

The Monster Beast had been dead for many years. It seemed to have gone out hunting decades ago and returned badly wounded. It had died there before it could crawl back into its cave.

Chen Fan had taken over the place. It was secluded enough to make an excellent spot for a breakthrough.

Over the past few days, he had slain quite a few Monster Beasts, most of them at Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Combined with this body's excellent Root Bone, his physical body had reached the level he sought even faster than he'd expected.

After using his Foundation Establishment Divine Sense to possess this body, he had never been able to make his physical body respond as smoothly as the one from his previous life.

But now, he had finally brought his body and Divine Sense to the same level. His body no longer lagged behind wherever his Divine Sense reached. This had improved Chen Fan's strength somewhat, but more importantly, his foundation was now completely secure.

All that remained was to raise his cultivation as much as he could in one go.

The pill bottle he'd taken from the Tomb contained four Marrow Cleansing Pills. These pills had an extraordinary effect on cleansing the meridians and marrow, expelling impurities from the body and making True Qi more condensed and pure.

Nowadays, however, such pills were generally used by Foundation Establishment experts to break through to the Golden Core Realm. Chen Fan thought that was an appalling waste of a treasure.

He'd learned from ancient texts that if one took a Marrow Cleansing Pill before reaching Foundation Establishment and refined it using a special secret technique, one could elevate one's bones to a higher level. This would bring enormous benefits to one's future path of cultivation.

He poured a Marrow Cleansing Pill from the bottle, gently placed it in his mouth, and slowly closed his eyes...

A moment later, his body suddenly began to glow. His entire form turned translucent, and the meridians inside him became clearly visible to the naked eye...