Jade Liquid

After slightly refining one spirit fruit, Yang Huai sensed a trace of stiffness in his limbs.

That was a hint of the wood nature contained within the Millennium Purple Lingzhi Fruit.

Compared to the violent fire nature, the wood nature was gentler, but it could not be neglected. Otherwise, over time, it would seep deep into the body, even into the depths of the soul, affecting the purity of one's life radiance.

Fortunately, he only needed some time to refine it.

Yang Huai was in no hurry. He used his supremely firm, supremely yang mana to ignite that wisp of wood nature, slowly wearing it away within his body and turning it into spirituality that nourished his internal organs and increased his lifespan.

After completing the refinement, he took the second fruit and continued refining the Millennium Purple Lingzhi Fruit.

Yang Huai then completely refined the remaining four over another two days.

On the morning of this day, Yang Huai opened his eyes. The aura around his body surged, and dazzling radiance bloomed from every part of him, as though he had become one with the metal spirit between Heaven and Earth, suffused with extraordinary Dao nature.

The information on the Bronze Mirror deep within his sea of consciousness had already updated several times.

Anchored object.

[Name: Qingli]

[Age: Eleven]

[Primary Fate: Innate Sword Bone (Gold)](...)

Status: The sword bones in the right arm and mud pellet palace have fully awakened.

[Innate Spirit-Awakened Sword Body: 10/100](...)

Innate Divine Ability 1: Swordheart Clarity (The soul is like a mirror's heart, illuminating all things. All transformations are clear to the heart. While Swordheart Clarity is active, the host's innate spiritual sense is greatly enhanced, the acuity of innate spiritual sense is greatly enhanced, and comprehension is slightly increased.)

Innate Divine Ability 2: ?? (Not yet awakened)

[First Realm: Foundation Establishment (Jade Liquid: 10/30)]

[Heavenly Origin Pure Spirit Codex: Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman (70/100)]

[Lesser Circulatory Cycle Method: 90/100 (Great Mastery)]

[Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram: 10/206 (Minor Mastery)]

[Suiren Spirit-Aspect Visualization Diagram: 100/1000 (Minor Mastery)]

[Soul-Calming Spirit-Cleaving Technique: 106/180 (Minor Mastery)]

[Heavenly Circuit Spirit-Light Protective Incantation: 50/100 (Minor Mastery)]

[Little Vajra Incantation: 96/100 (Great Mastery)]

[Pure Spirit Evasion Technique: 6/150 (Beginner)]

[Twenty-Two Primordial Runes (22/22)]

Unconcealed delight shone from the depths of Yang Huai's eyes.

Six Millennium Purple Lingzhi Fruits had brought the number of Innate Geng Metal Spirit Bones in his body to ten. That progress was truly gratifying.

The gaseous mana deep within his violet palace had also been successfully compressed into violet palace jade liquid, greatly increasing his mana. Of course, the most important thing was that he had awakened an innate divine ability.

Yang Huai had only heard of innate divine abilities before. Now, as the Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram reached minor mastery, he had finally awakened one of the innate divine abilities that came with the Innate Spirit-Awakened Sword Body.

Though it was not a combat divine ability, Yang Huai felt that it might be even better than one meant for slaughter.

At a time like this, I really do miss that fellow Feng Ying...

Yang Huai thought to himself.

But he promptly suppressed the thought. What occupied his mind more was planning ways to make money.

This time, he had truly tasted the benefits brought by wood carving. Naturally, he had to press on while the iron was hot, striving to completely cultivate the Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram into form before completing the Great Circulation.

For the next month or so, Yang Huai maintained his original cultivation routine.

Whenever the Slaughter Hall received exotic beasts, he stayed there on duty. Most of the exotic beasts and demon beasts were slaughtered by his own hand; only some exceptionally powerful ancient bloodlines of Heaven and Earth were personally handled by Flame Daoist.

In the afternoons, he remained stationed in the kitchen and went nowhere else.

He used the Daoist temple's spirit wood to carve Suiren Wood Carvings, then traded the resulting Cloud-Pattern Wood Carvings with some of the Daoist temple's child acolytes for spirit fruits and spirit medicines, tempering the Innate Geng Metal Spirit Bones within his body and accelerating their formation.

Yang Huai also knew that although he currently monopolized the kitchen's plentiful spirit wood, once these originally worthless pieces of spirit wood could be carved into special Cloud-Pattern Wood Carvings and gain value, he would certainly not be able to keep doing this for long.

As for woodworking, although he had been the first to introduce it, those child acolytes were all sharp. It would not necessarily be difficult for them to learn it if they wanted to.

Given enough time, someone would inevitably succeed in imitating it.

He had to seize every benefit he could during this gap.

Sure enough, a little over a month later, Yang Huai received word that other child acolytes in the Daoist temple had already managed to carve similar wood carvings.

"What is this...?"

Yang Huai looked at an exceedingly strange wood carving before him, an odd look in his eyes.

Chang Geng wore rough linen clothes. His old garments had been washed until they had faded white, yet his person was exceptionally neat. He said, "This is a wood carving put out by one of the senior brothers from the pill room. They say it contains a wisp of the Dao rhythm of purity and tranquility, and it can suppress evil spirits as well. But it clearly cannot compare to the Human King Sacred Image carved by Senior Brother!"

Yang Huai looked at the strange Suiren Wood Carving in his hand, one that barely resembled a human figure, but his eyes turned solemn.

Though the carving was somewhat ugly and looked rather low-grade,

the material was still spirit wood heartwood, and it indeed contained a wisp of pure divine charm. It was quite extraordinary.

It truly possessed the power to suppress evil spirits and inner demons.

Yang Huai carefully played with it, thinking to himself, But the pill room, like our kitchen, has always had an ample supply of materials such as spirit wood. It is not strange at all that they could produce this kind of "pirated version"!

Still, Yang Huai asked, "Are there many of these?"

Chang Geng nodded, then added, "And they only want one millennium spirit fruit for one!"

Yang Huai was taken aback. He could not help but complain inwardly, Do they really have to engage in such malicious competition?

Good thing I prepared for this long ago! Otherwise, those people from the pill room really would have cut off my source of income!

Yang Huai thought to himself. At his current stage, he absolutely could not allow this source of income to be cut off. At the very least, it had to last until he thoroughly cultivated the Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram to great mastery.

After all, this past month had been the period in which he had progressed the fastest, and also lived the most comfortably.

At that moment, sheets of information emerged upon the Bronze Mirror deep within his sea of consciousness.

Anchored object.

[Name: Qingli]

[Age: Eleven]

[Primary Fate: Innate Sword Bone (Gold)](...)

Status: The sword bones in the right arm and mud pellet palace have fully awakened.

[Innate Geng Metal Sword Body: 101/305](...)

Innate Divine Ability 1: Swordheart Clarity (...)

Innate Divine Ability 2: ?? (Not yet awakened)

Innate Divine Ability 3: ?? (Not yet awakened)

[First Realm: Foundation Establishment (Jade Liquid: 29/30)]

[Heavenly Origin Pure Spirit Codex: Heavenly Yang Golden Light Talisman (89/100)]

...

[Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram: 101/206 (Minor Mastery)]

[Suiren Spirit-Aspect Visualization Diagram: 201/1000 (Minor Mastery)]

...

[Little Vajra Incantation: 100/100 (Great Mastery)]

[Pure Spirit Evasion Technique: 26/150 (Beginner)]

[Twenty-Two Primordial Runes (22/22)]

Not only had the violet palace jade liquid continued toward completion within a month, leaving him merely half a step from condensing the innate primordial qi of Foundation Establishment's Great Perfection, the Innate Geng Metal Spirit Bones in his body had also reached an astonishing one hundred and one. Surpassing the hundred required for the Innate Spirit-Awakened Sword Body, they had directly transformed into the Innate Geng Metal Sword Body. Yang Huai now felt as though he had become one with the power of the metal spirits between Heaven and Earth, almost like an innate metal spirit taking form. Any metal-element spell came naturally with a single study, was mastered with a single insight, could reach great mastery in a short time, and could even be innovated upon.

It was a terrifying state.

It was difficult to imagine what astonishing transformation the Innate Geng Metal Sword Body would undergo if he could completely cultivate all two hundred and six Innate Geng Metal Spirit Bones recorded in the Metal Origin Five Aggregates Diagram.

Under such circumstances, Yang Huai's need for spirit fruits and spirit medicines was simply staggering. He absolutely could not allow anyone to ruin his grand plan.

After some thought, Yang Huai took a rosewood heartwood box from his robes and handed it to Chang Geng. "All right, I understand what happened. Junior Brother Chang Geng, thank you for informing me so promptly!"

"But there is one more matter in which I need your help!"

Chang Geng glanced into the opened wooden box. Seeing the two round Millennium Vermilion Fruits inside, glowing with crystalline fiery light, his eyes brightened. He patted his chest and said, "Senior Brother, please give your orders. This junior brother is willing to go through fire and water for you!"

Yet his hands were not slow. He hurriedly put away the rosewood heartwood box as though it were a treasure. Yang Huai burst into laughter at the sight. "There is no need to go through fire and water. You only need to deliver a message for me!"