Seeking the Secluded

Deep in the night, only the faint chirping of cicadas remained in the backyard of Changchun Medical Hall.

Xia Dong sat cross-legged on the bed in the main room, took a deep breath, and held the wooden box containing spirit stones before him.

Ever since the Evergreen Medical Classic reached perfection, the intuition that Crane Stance, Dragon-Capturing Technique, and Evergreen Medical Classic shared the same origin and could be fused together had grown increasingly intense.

Of these three arts, one focused on qi, blood, and movement; one on tendons, bones, and control; and the third on understanding the vital points of human meridians. If he could perfectly smelt these three into one, Xia Dong was certain he would obtain a brand-new martial arts scripture capable of seizing the fortune of heaven and earth.

Without hesitation, he took out all the remaining spirit stones from the wooden box, arranged them neatly by his pillow, and slowly closed his eyes, guiding his mind to sink into that mysterious space of his sea of consciousness.

In his dream, the pure spiritual energy contained within the spirit stones was forcibly extracted like silk threads, surging madly into the mottled Bronze Ancient Bell.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The ancient bell emitted a continuous, dull roar, and the scarlet characters on its surface twisted and boiled violently.

Xia Dong's consciousness felt as if it had been dragged into a massive furnace.

In his deduction, the lightness of the White Crane, the dominance of the Dragon-Capturing, and the subtlety of the Medical Classic began to collide and intertwine.

The pathways of his qi and blood were shattered and reorganized time and time again.

However, the difficulty of fusing core techniques at this level far exceeded any of his previous attempts.

As time passed, Xia Dong felt the power of deduction in his sea of consciousness beginning to wither. The phantoms of the three techniques had clearly intertwined, yet they remained separated by an incredibly tough, invisible barrier, unable to achieve a true, seamless union.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Xia Dong opened his eyes abruptly, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, a trace of deep exhaustion and regret flashing in his eyes.

He turned his head; the dozen or so spirit stones by his pillow had all turned into lusterless, grayish-white powder.

He had failed.

Even after exhausting all the spirit stone reserves he had on hand, the Bronze Ancient Bell still could not successfully fuse the three techniques.

"It seems I need more spirit stones to succeed."

Xia Dong wiped the sweat from his forehead, calculating silently in his heart.

However, although the fusion failed, the Evergreen Medical Classic had naturally broken through its shackles, crossing from the realm of "Perfection" into "Limit-Breaking."

In his sea of consciousness, the characters on the ancient bell slowly stabilized.

[Evergreen Medical Classic (Limit-Breaking): Rejuvenating Divine Needle]

A vast amount of memory regarding needle application and methods for circulating qi and blood was instantly branded deep into Xia Dong's mind.

Xia Dong closed his eyes to contemplate it in detail.

This "Rejuvenating Divine Needle" was not a hidden weapon for killing enemies, but a technique that utilized powerful soul perception and the extremely precise force of the Dragon-Capturing Technique to drive specially crafted silver needles into the major acupoints of the human body, forcibly locking in the vital energy and blood that were draining from a wounded person.

Even if a martial artist were severely injured, their meridians severed, and they were in a near-death state, as long as they still had a breath left, Xia Dong could use this "Rejuvenating Divine Needle" to forcibly sustain their life and drag them back from the gates of hell.

Having gained a little, Xia Dong was pleased, yet despite the relief, the regret of failing to fuse the techniques still lingered in his heart.

"When it comes down to it, I just don't have enough spirit stones. I have no idea how many more I need to complete the fusion of the three arts."

Xia Dong sighed, deeply feeling the scarcity of resources.

Currently, his only stable source of spirit stones each month was the two sent by Qin Wan from the Qixia Immortal Sect. For him, however, that was far from enough.

Spirit stones were materials strictly controlled by the Great You Dynasty Court. Cultivators regarded them as the foundation of their existence and guarded them jealously, never letting them flow out easily.

Even for mortals without spiritual roots or wealthy secular gentry, spirit stones held great value, as simply carrying one on one's person provided minor benefits to the body.

Therefore, even for someone like Lord He, obtaining spirit stones was not easy, let alone distributing them to Xia Dong.

Xia Dong quickly sorted through the current situation in his mind.

To obtain enough spirit stones for his cultivation, only two paths lay before him:

First, as Lord He suggested, find a way to join the Great You Dynasty Court's Eagle-Wolf Guard. There, the resources were even more abundant than in the Qixia Immortal Sect.

Second, attempt to find opportunities to acquire spirit stones in the black markets.

"However, neither of these paths is suitable right now."

Whether it was the unfathomable Eagle-Wolf Guard or the chaotic cultivation markets, both were far too dangerous for him at the moment.

His foundation was still too shallow; he possessed vigorous qi and blood, but lacked the absolute strength to contend with high-level martial artists or cultivators.

Xia Dong glanced at the pile of powder that used to be spirit stones by his bed, his gaze gradually sharpening.

Since the path of physical deduction through consuming spirit stones was currently blocked, he had to seek a breakthrough on another path.

The soul!

The Bronze Ancient Bell had just absorbed quite a few spirit stones for the deduction, and he could feel that there was still a significant amount of residual spiritual power remaining within it.

He could go look for ghosts and attempt to use the remaining spiritual power to refine more "Yin Evil Pill" to continue practicing the soul-refining secret arts of the Profound Yin Scripture.

He had already tasted the benefits of a powerful soul; whether it was taking pulses, setting bones, or controlling qi and blood, none could be done without the assistance of the soul.

If he could rely on the Yin Evil Pill to push his soul cultivation further, until he could—as recorded in the jade slip—force a transformation within his mortal body to produce the "divine sense" that only cultivators possessed.

With divine sense, he could do much more, and he would be better able to conceal and hide himself.

Moreover, he could now use the Dragon-Capturing Technique and Evergreen Medical Classic to restrain his own qi and blood, and with the Crane Shadow Step at his disposal, he would not easily expose himself when acting outside.

Xia Dong subsequently made a conscious effort to inquire about ghost-related incidents near Pingyang County. Combined with the vast amount of material on supernatural phenomena he had read while compiling the county annals, he quickly locked onto a target.

Yellow Mud Village.

There had been rumors of hauntings in Yellow Mud Village in recent years, but no reports of serious fatalities had surfaced.

Although the Bronze Ancient Bell could refine ghosts with ease, Xia Dong dared not rashly attempt to explore places rumored to be truly malevolent.

Based on Xia Dong's analysis, Yellow Mud Village should be a soft target.

He temporarily closed the medical clinic and left his maid, Xiao Hong, to look after the house.

During these days, Xia Dong had also been teaching Xiao Hong to practice the Five Animals Health Fist; with his guidance, she was making rapid progress.

If everything went smoothly, Xia Dong planned to expand the clinic and take on a few apprentices. Having his own people to command would make his future cultivation much more convenient.

However, to ensure complete safety, Xia Dong left behind a letter. If he did not return within the agreed timeframe, he instructed Xiao Hong to send the letter to Qin Wan.

If he truly encountered danger, there would still be a glimmer of hope.

If he were unlucky enough to meet his end, his belongings would be left to Miss Wan.

Having made sufficient preparations, Xia Dong officially began this journey into the unknown.

He chose a date approaching the Dragon Boat Festival, a season when Yang energy is at its peak and Yin evil is suppressed. It was a time that kept demons and ghosts in check, granting him the advantage of the heavens.

The advantage is mine!

Set off!