At dawn the next morning, when the first streak of rosy light fell from the distant horizon, Xu Yan opened his eyes on time.
Following the usual routine, he first circulated the Eight-Nine Profound Art, wielding Mystic Qi to cleanse the meridians throughout his body. Using force to break through the obstruction, he loosened the eighth Spirit Meridian Gate—the Jade Pillow Pass at the back of his head.
Different Pulse Opening methods followed vastly different orders for opening the Spirit Meridian Gates.
There was good reason why the Eight-Nine Profound Art left the Jade Pillow Pass and Baihui Pass until last. Those two Spirit Meridian Gates connected to the Niwan Palace within the sea of consciousness and were the most fragile locations. A single misstep could damage one's divine sense.
Opening the other seven first could strengthen the body and vital blood, protecting the meridians above the neck. It was the safest approach.
Boom!
The immense Mystic Qi battered the Jade Pillow Pass at the back of his head several times. Though Xu Yan's physical body was already immensely powerful, and though he had previously broken through obstructions by force hundreds upon thousands of times, the stabbing pain from his sea of consciousness during this cultivation still left him somewhat dizzy.
After finishing his cultivation, Xu Yan sat quietly for a while.
Then he walked to the Candle Breath Cauldron beside the main hall and drew out a portion each of five hundred-year spiritual herbs, along with the Azure Bottle containing two Flawless Embryonic Pills.
Xu Yan reviewed the alchemy processes of the past several days in his mind.
Today, he intended to add a Flawless Embryonic Pill while refining Foundation-Nourishing Pills.
If he could produce exceptional-grade pills, that would naturally be ideal. Even failing that, he should still be