A "ring walk" meant that when the City Defense Bureau had disagreements over certain positions, the candidates would settle it by taking a turn in the arena. Deputy Director Gao had specifically mentioned a veteran Police Sergeant, which meant that although this man's cultivation realm was not high, his combat experience was certainly abundant. More likely than not, he could defeat the Police Sergeant arranged by the director.
Because the director was an outsider, the personnel he could call upon were already limited. Moreover, taking this matter to the arena was humiliating enough for him; if he lost as well, his face would practically be ground into the dirt. Therefore, under normal circumstances, he would certainly try his best to avoid such a thing, and would not come to contend for this captain's position.
The four of them continued chatting in detail for another hour before parting ways. As Yang Wenqing walked home, he held the storage pouch he had just received in his hand. It was something he had always wanted to buy, but his purse had always been too thin.
Now that he thought carefully about this Spiritual Energy Riot incident, lingering fear still crept through him. If that Fire Cultivator had been a bloodthirsty sort, he might already have died in the line of duty, all the effort he had put in along the way vanishing like bubbles.
When he had discussed matters with Deputy Director Gao and the other two earlier, they had usually all been tight-lipped and guarded. Yet today, they had become so talkative. The greatest reason was also the fear that had stirred in their hearts. During those dozen-odd seconds, they had been like fish on someone else's chopping board, their lives and deaths resting on a single thought from the other party.
That feeling was awful!
His greatest gain this time was successfully integrating into Deputy Director Gao's circle. His displayed cultivation talent had played a major role in that, and it was a good thing for Yang Wenqing, because Deputy Director Gao's circle consisted of far more than just these few people. It could link together the entirety of Thousand Reef County.
Only by integrating into this circle could he, after his cultivation realm rose in the future, possibly be pushed upward by these people, gradually entering higher levels and obtaining more cultivation resources. The cycle would continue, again and again, until...
He raised his head and gazed toward the stars in the sky. The knowledge he had obtained so far contained nothing about the starry heavens, but since this world could observe the stars, there should be a world beyond the atmosphere. Deep in his heart, he was curious about that world which had suddenly come to mind ever since he had become aware of things.
Lost in thought along the way, Yang Wenqing was somewhat dazed even when he reached the entrance to his residential community. Only after returning home and sensing the silent atmosphere within did he feel a trace of peace.
He stood blankly at the door for over ten seconds before locking it from the inside. After walking to the center of the living room and calming his mind, he sat cross-legged at the core of the Foundation-Stabilizing Formation. He planned to absorb the medicinal power of the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Grass tonight.
Having made his decision, he decisively activated the Spirit-Gathering Bracelet, and dense spiritual energy immediately filled the room.
Then, he solemnly took out the square wooden box Wang Jianchao had given him. When he opened the lid, a strangely shaped spiritual herb appeared before his eyes. Its leaf veins twisted like winding dragon tendons, its roots and stem were full like a fierce tiger's spine, and its entire body emitted a faint golden glow. It was precisely a twenty-year-old Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Grass.
After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the spiritual herb, he took a deep breath, placed it before him, and sank his consciousness into the Golden Core World.
Under the control of his consciousness, the Golden Core's power, drawn from the core region of his Qi Sea, released a gentle yet precise suction force that enveloped the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Grass. More than ten seconds later, the herb's medicinal power was stripped away thread by thread, extracted and gathered into a scorching, tyrannical torrent that surged into the Golden Core.
The instant this medicinal power entered his body, it was refined by the Golden Core's power and mixed with the spiritual energy within him. Then, he patiently guided the herb's medicinal power within that spiritual energy, charging it toward the muscles and bones throughout his body!
In an instant, Yang Wenqing's body shook violently!
Within the projection of the Golden Core World, he clearly saw the golden medicinal power move like living creatures. One stream took the form of a dragon, carrying unrivaled penetrating force as it bored into the deepest parts of the bones throughout his body; the other took the shape of a tiger, bringing a savage tearing sensation as it merged into every strand of muscle fiber.
"Buzz—"
Under the impact of this power, the muscles and bones throughout Yang Wenqing's body seemed to have been thrown into a furnace and reforged. Impurities were burned away, and their structure became denser, faintly producing crisp sounds like clashing gold and iron. The tendons throughout his body were madly stretched, becoming more flexible and filled with explosive power. Deep within him, low dragon roars and faint tiger howls even seemed to echo!
These dragon roars and tiger howls were an anomalous sign produced as the medicinal power transformed his muscles and bones!
Intense pain crashed over him like a tide, far fiercer than during any of his previous cultivation sessions. Yet with the help of the Foundation-Stabilizing Formation, Yang Wenqing guarded the clarity of his mind. More than ten minutes later, following the records of the Secret Art, he stopped deliberately guiding it, completely relaxed his body and mind, and allowed the tyrannical medicinal power to gallop through him.
The spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit-Gathering Formation also seemed to be drawn in at this moment, crazily flooding into his body and being transformed by the Golden Core into the purest nourishment to support the transformation of his physical body.
Who knew how much time passed before the dragon roars and tiger howls gradually subsided, and the ringing of his bones fell silent as well.
Another quarter-hour passed before Yang Wenqing slowly opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed through them and vanished. The "Bones and Muscles Resonance" of the Ninefold Refinement Method's First Refinement had been achieved!
He slowly rose to his feet and carefully felt the earth-shaking changes in his body.
First was his strength. He lightly clenched his fist, and his knuckles gave off crisp explosive cracks. Power far surpassing that of the past surged through his muscles. He tried throwing a punch at the air, and it actually produced a clear whistle as it tore through the void. This was not merely an increase in strength, but a qualitative transformation in his body's coordination and explosive force.
Next was resilience. He pressed hard against his arm and could feel the muscle fibers beneath his skin twisted together like steel wires, full of elasticity and resistance. His bones had also become harder, as if forged from refined iron.
If this were a martial arts world, he could already be called a first-rate master. With a long saber in hand, he could cut down half the martial world. But this was a world of immortal cultivation, and this step was merely meant to lay the foundation.
What delighted him most was the change in his Spirit Veins. As the foundation of his physical body became solid, his Spirit Veins had visibly widened and toughened. This meant that his efficiency in circulating cultivation methods and drawing in spiritual energy would greatly increase in the future, while the output of spiritual power when casting spells would also become smoother.
He once again sank his consciousness into the Golden Core World.
The projection of his physical body, which had originally been somewhat blurry, had now become clear, like a carefully carved glass figure. The bones, muscles, meridians, and even the flow of blood within were all visible down to the finest detail.
Then, he attempted to circulate the method for the Second Refinement, "Skin Membranes Like Drums," of the Ninefold Refinement Method, guiding spiritual energy along specific routes and beginning to temper the skin membranes throughout his body. Naturally, he did not use the Stone Marrow Liquid. That item needed to be used after he had become proficient in the Second Refinement, when its effects would be better.
Within the incomparably clear projection, he could see the spiritual energy like the finest sandpaper, brushing again and again across the deep layers of his skin membranes, stimulating those nearly imperceptible fascia tissues and making them tougher. Progress that originally required careful sensing to detect now appeared directly within the projection.
The area representing the resilience of his skin membranes had already been covered with a sheen like drumskin. He had entered the gates of the Second Refinement, and his progress was not slow!
Yang Wenqing's heart surged with excitement. So long as he possessed this nearly perfect state of "inner vision," his efficiency in cultivating the Second Refinement would far exceed anything he had imagined.
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