"First Refinement" Complete

A "ring match" was when the City Defense Bureau had disagreements over certain positions and let the candidates settle it in the ring. Deputy Director Gao had specifically mentioned a veteran police chief, which meant that although the man's cultivation realm was not high, his combat experience was certainly extensive. He would most likely be able to defeat the police chief arranged by the director.

Since the director was an outsider, he had few people he could mobilize to begin with. Moreover, taking this matter to the ring would already be humiliating for him. If he lost as well, his reputation would be utterly trampled. Therefore, under normal circumstances, he would do everything possible to avoid such a situation and would not compete for this captain's position.

The four continued talking in detail for another hour before parting ways. On his way home, Yang Wenqing held the storage pouch he had just received. It was something he had always wanted to buy, but he had never been able to afford it.

Thinking back carefully on the Spiritual Energy Riot, he still felt lingering fear. If that fire cultivator had been a bloodthirsty man, he might already have died in the line of duty, and all his efforts thus far would have turned to nothing.

When he had discussed matters with Deputy Director Gao and the other two earlier, they had usually been somewhat guarded. Yet today, they had become so talkative. The biggest reason was the fear still stirring in their hearts. During those dozen or so seconds, they had been like fish on someone else's chopping block; their lives and deaths had depended on a single thought from the others.

That feeling was awful!

Still, 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 connect all of Thousand Reef County.

Only by integrating into this circle could he, after his cultivation realm rose in the future, possibly be elevated by these people and gradually enter higher ranks to obtain more cultivation resources. The cycle would continue, until...

He raised his head and gazed at the stars. The knowledge he had acquired so far contained nothing about the starry sky, but since this world could observe the stars, there should be worlds in outer space. Deep down, 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 when he reached the entrance of his residential complex. Only after returning home and sensing the stillness within did he feel a trace of relief.

He stood blankly at the door for more than ten seconds before locking it from within. After walking to the center of the living room and calming his emotions, he sat cross-legged at the core of the Foundation-Stabilizing Formation. He planned to absorb the medicinal potency 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.

He then solemnly took out the square wooden box Wang Jianchao had given him. When he opened the lid, a strangely shaped spirit herb appeared before him. Its leaf veins twisted like winding dragon tendons, its stem was full like a fierce tiger's spine, and its entire body emitted a faint golden glow. It was precisely the twenty-year-old Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Grass.

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the spirit 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 of the 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 potency was stripped away thread by thread and extracted, converging into a scorching, domineering torrent that poured into the Golden Core.

The instant that medicinal potency 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 toward the muscles and bones throughout his body!

In an instant, Yang Wenqing's body shook violently!

Within the projection in the Golden Core World, he clearly saw the golden medicinal power move like a living thing. One stream took the shape of a dragon and carried unrivaled penetrating force as it drilled into the deepest parts of his bones; the other took the form of a tiger, carrying a violent tearing sensation as it merged into every strand of muscle fiber.

"Bzzzz—"

Under the impact of that force, Yang Wenqing's bones and muscles seemed to be reforged in a furnace. Impurities were burned away, and their structure became denser, faintly producing crisp sounds like clashing metal. The tendons throughout his body were crazily stretched, becoming more resilient and filled with explosive power. A low dragon's roar and a faint tiger's howl even seemed to echo from within him!

Those dragon roars and tiger howls were phenomena produced as the medicinal potency transformed his bones, muscles, and flesh!

Intense pain surged over him like a tide, far more violent than during any of his previous cultivation sessions. Yet with the help of the Foundation-Stabilizing Formation, Yang Wenqing kept his mind clear. More than ten minutes later, following the records of the secret method, he stopped guiding it deliberately and completely relaxed his body and mind, allowing the domineering medicinal power to rampage through him.

The spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit-Gathering Formation also seemed to be drawn in at this moment, flooding madly into his body. It was converted by the Golden Core into the purest nourishment, supporting the transformation of his physical body.

No one knew how long passed before the dragon and tiger cries gradually subsided, and the sounds of his bones ringing fell silent as well.

Another quarter of an hour passed before Yang Wenqing slowly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through them and vanished. The first refinement of the Ninefold Refinement Method, Bones and Muscles Resonance, had succeeded!

He slowly rose to his feet and carefully sensed the earth-shaking changes in his body.

First was his strength. He lightly clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out crisp popping sounds. Power far beyond what he had possessed before surged through his muscles. He tried throwing a punch at the air, and it actually produced a clear whistle of breaking wind. This was not merely an increase in strength, but a qualitative transformation in his body's coordination and explosive force.

Next was his 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 though forged from refined iron.

If this had been a martial arts world, he could already have been called a top-tier expert. With a long blade in hand, he could have cut down half the martial world. But this was a world of immortal cultivation, and this step merely laid the foundation.

What delighted him most was the change in his spirit veins. As the foundation of his physical body solidified, his spirit veins had visibly widened and become much tougher. This meant that his future efficiency in circulating cultivation techniques and absorbing spiritual energy would greatly improve, while his spiritual power output when casting spells would also become smoother.

He once more 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 meticulously carved glazed figure. Its bones, muscles, meridians, and even the flow of blood within were all visible in the finest detail.

He then attempted to circulate the method for the second refinement of the Ninefold Refinement Method, Skin Membranes Like Drums, guiding spiritual energy along a specific route to begin tempering the skin membranes throughout his body. Naturally, he did not use the Stone Marrow Liquid. That substance would be more effective after he became proficient in the second refinement.

Within the incomparably clear projection, he could see spiritual energy acting like the finest sandpaper, brushing repeatedly across the deeper layers of his skin membranes and stimulating those nearly imperceptible fascial tissues, making them tougher. Progress that had originally required careful sensing to detect was now displayed directly within the projection.

The area representing the resilience of his skin membranes was already covered by a sheen like drumskin. He had entered the second refinement, and his progress was not slow at all!

Yang Wenqing was exhilarated. With this nearly perfect state of "inner vision," his efficiency in cultivating the second refinement would far surpass his previous imagination.