Golden Marrow Crystal Insect and Blood Gu Sword-Seeding (Please Keep Reading)

The young man glanced at the jade-like skeleton behind him, where golden radiance flickered faintly beneath its surface. The burning desire in his eyes was hard to suppress.

According to what Wu Yi's divine soul had said, this skeleton had been forged by Ru Yi using the crystalline fluid secreted by a unique creature known as the Golden Marrow Crystal Insect, combined with the body-tempering martial arts he had cultivated.

It contained a formidable foundation of qi and blood within, while its exterior could withstand the force of ten thousand jin. He had been able to wield the Nine Sun-Shooting Arrows precisely because of this powerful body, painstakingly cultivated through countless hardships!

"I wonder whether, once I cultivate my Dragon Elephant Grand Stance to completion, I'll be able to wield the Nine Sun-Shooting Arrows!"

The Nine Sun-Shooting Arrows were exceedingly difficult to cultivate and placed immense demands on the body, especially on the strength of both arms.

If one's arms lacked sufficient strength and one forcefully wielded them, the lighter consequence would be broken arms; the heavier consequence would be a backlash that blew apart the flesh and shattered the acupoints throughout the body!

His martial arts happened to include the Great Arm Scripture, which cultivated the flesh and blood of both arms. The appearance of the Nine Sun-Shooting Arrows today seemed as though an invisible great hand had been pushing him onward, guiding him toward greater heights of Martial Dao.

Not only had he gained another Profound-rank martial art, he had also made up for his shortcomings in weaponry!

This skeleton contained boundless flesh-and-blood essence, and the Dragon Elephant Grand Stance possessed a unique refining method.

As long as he refined it completely, the boost to his physical strength would far surpass that of many body-tempering martial arts!

He was just about to step into the rank of Martial Artist. This skeleton had come at exactly the right time!

The white cloak draped over the skeleton was a magical artifact capable of concealing one's qi and blood.

From what Wang Xuance had learned after refining Wu Yi's divine soul, all weapons and artifacts were divided into four ranks.

Mortal, magic, spirit, and Dao. This cloak was a magic artifact. For him, it would be the perfect equipment for "playing the pig to eat the tiger" when he ventured into the borderlands of the foreign races in the future.

Yet in Wu Yi's memories, these were not the most precious things.

After moving aside the jade-like skeleton, he found a sheepskin scroll beneath the meditation cushion, covered in countless blood-red characters.

"Blood Gu Sword-Seeding!"

"Heh heh, transform one's own qi and blood into a Gu insect, plant it within another's heart meridians, and form a blood sword to restrain them!"

Wang Xuance looked at Chen Linger, whose body was covered in solid ice formed from frost qi. Her blood flow had slowed, allowing her to barely cling to life.

"The fact that this opportunity fell into my hands was also because of you. But if I save you, I'd be letting a tiger back into the mountains, only to be restrained by you instead!"

"This Blood Gu Sword-Seeding solves that problem perfectly. Chen Linger, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for threatening me with Chen Feng first!"

Wang Xuance slammed a fist into his chest and violently spat out a mouthful of crimson blood. He brought together two fingers of his left hand in a sword gesture and muttered under his breath.

The blood suspended in the air suddenly condensed, gradually forming into a blood-colored Gu insect.

The insect had six legs and three wings, its entire body gleaming with an eerie bloody light.

"Fall!"

His sword fingers swept downward as he barked the command.

The Gu insect let out a shrill, piercing cry. With a pfft, it bit through the solid ice and shot straight into Chen Linger's chest. A flash of red light, and it vanished from sight.

A peculiar sensation passed through Wang Xuance's heart.

"The Blood Gu has turned into a sword. This secret art truly is exquisite!"

Of course, this use of Blood Gu Sword-Seeding had already caused cracks to appear in the ice covering Chen Linger.

Crack!

The ice shattered. In an instant, a thick scent of blood spread through the cave dwelling. Chen Linger's aura steadily weakened, gradually nearing complete dissipation!

"Fine. If I'm doing this, I might as well do it properly. You came here in search of this thing in the first place!"

More than a zhang away from the jade-like skeleton, Wang Xuance pulled apart three black rocks stacked against the stone wall. A blue-white herb came into view, with eight leaves, broad blades, a thick stalk, and faint blue threads flowing across it.

It was the Frost Eight-Leaf Grass that Chen Linger had painstakingly sought on this journey!

Wu Yi had casually killed a Martial Artist and found it dropped from his body. Since its aura was similar to that of the cold pool outside the cave, he had planted it where the yin veins intersected within the cave dwelling.

It had taken several centuries to grow to the size of a bowl. In the herb-starved Western Desert, it was already worth a hundred gold!

What astonished Wang Xuance was that Chen Linger actually possessed a special physique: a pair of unique eyes capable of seeing through the physical body and piercing through mist and miasma.

She had even used those eyes several times to examine his body. If the Great Arm Scripture had not concealed it for him, she would surely have discovered something earth-shattering.

In just one month, he had completed a path of Martial Dao cultivation that ordinary martial artists would need years to traverse.

"So that was why she invited me to become a guest elder of the Chen Clan—she had seen through the foundation of my body before I mastered the Great Arm Scripture!"

At that time, Wang Xuance had cultivated three stance arts at once. Naturally, the growth of his qi and blood far exceeded that of ordinary martial artists.

He plucked every leaf from the Frost Eight-Leaf Grass and placed them into Chen Linger's mouth.

An astonishing sight unfolded.

The eight leaves transformed into eight streams of qi like white snakes, burrowing into her seven orifices and the eighth aperture between her brows.

Rings of white light blossomed throughout the cave dwelling, like a snow lotus upon the Heavenly Mountains, standing alone in proud defiance of the cold. Within moments, they formed a cocoon over a zhang long, wrapping around her delicate body.

An inexplicable fluctuation of qi and blood began to pulse slowly, like crashing tides, its momentum far from insignificant.

Seeing this, Wang Xuance shook his head.

As long as Chen Linger successfully refined this century-old medicinal herb, she would certainly break through the Three-Knock Blood Pass. Judging by the situation, she would most likely succeed.

"Now it's my turn. Time to handle my own affairs!"

Wang Xuance's gaze blazed as he stared directly at the jade-like skeleton.

His feet planted firmly, one before the other like the roots of an ancient tree entwined in the earth. The qi and blood of his entire body surged into his arms, and golden radiance instantly flowed around his fists.

Eight-Armed Vajra!

Fist Aura filled every direction, closing in around the jade-like skeleton like a hundred waves crashing together.

Wang Xuance's punches now resembled a great flood dragon leaping from the water, smashing straight down.

Bang bang bang—

Fist force rampaged through the cave dwelling. Dust billowed everywhere, nearly blinding the eyes, but Wang Xuance's expression remained unchanged. His punches were still as swift as rushing thunder, advancing with unstoppable force.

Crack!

Crack!

"Success!"

Joy surged through Wang Xuance's heart as he slid backward more than a zhang.

The next instant, the skeleton exploded apart. Countless particles of golden bone powder scattered through the air, making the ground seem as though it had been brushed with gold paint, dazzling and brilliant.

The Eightfold Heavenly Gang scroll in his possession contained a set of methods specifically for refining the things of heaven and earth. Smashing apart Ru Yi's essence of flesh and blood naturally made it easier for him to refine.

Using the cloak as a sack, he gathered every grain of "bone powder" from the ground and stuffed it into his chest. After looking around once more, he closed his eyes and began to breathe and circulate his qi.

With a thought, he summoned his Martial Dao Template.

[Wang Xuance]

[Dragon Elephant Grand Stance]: 2100/3000 (Beginner).

[Great Arm Scripture: 1250/2000 (Beginner) Copper Flood Dragon Realm].

[Nine Sun-Shooting Arrows: 0/3000 (Beginner) Incomplete Scroll].

[True Martial Qi]: 0

"My True Martial Qi has been exhausted again. The battlefield—only the battlefield can provide an endless supply of True Martial Qi!"

Wang Xuance clenched his fists. The dangers of today had proven one thing beyond doubt: one's Martial Dao cultivation could only advance, never retreat. Otherwise, one day, he would be casually wiped out by the strong, left without even a burial ground.

Other than the skeleton and the Frost Eight-Leaf Grass, this cave dwelling contained only the cold qi nearly overflowing from the frigid pool, which would benefit the tempering of his flesh and blood.

"But aside from the Eightfold Heavenly Gang, I seem to have no martial art specifically meant to increase qi and blood. As for the Great Arm Scripture..."

"Though it can strengthen my qi and blood, I've always felt as if something is missing. There is probably another martial art in the Qilian Mountains of the demonic sect that corresponds to it, the two complementing each other!"

"The Nine Sun-Shooting Arrows can only be called a martial skill, and it's merely an incomplete scroll. What a pity True Martial Qi cannot deduce martial arts..."

"Tsk tsk, my heart is never satisfied—the snake wants to swallow an elephant!"

The things he had once lacked least seemed, in the blink of an eye, to have become scarce instead.