Second Refinement Cultivation (Please Read On)

The day was unexpectedly peaceful.

Yang Wenqing sat behind his desk, several documents freshly issued by headquarters spread out before him.

One was titled "Opinions on Strengthening the Structural Development of Grassroots Teams in the City Defense System," filled from beginning to end with empty phrases about raising political awareness. Another, "Briefing on Recent Northern Border Conflicts and Guidance on Strengthening Vigilance in All Regions," mentioned increasing border frictions and required every branch to raise its alert level, yet remained vague on the specifics.

He carefully read through the documents, trying to catch signs of higher-level policy shifts between the lines. These seemingly dull official papers often foretold where resources would be directed and what future work would prioritize.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qin and Qian You had been dispatched to deal with a large-scale brawl sparked by a dispute between merchants. They did not return until near the end of the workday. According to Zhao Qin's report, it was nothing serious—just a jurisdictional dispute between two Public Security Offices.

"Good work." Yang Wenqing acknowledged the pair's efficiency. Zhao Qin immediately wore an overwhelmed expression, while Qian You merely nodded steadily.

The moment work ended, Yang Wenqing left the branch office on time.

He did not linger outside. He first went home and quickly cooked himself a bowl of noodles for dinner, then headed to a nearby general store and spent fifteen hundred yuan on three standard energy cores meant for magical formations.

By the time he returned to his home in Dongning Community, it was already dark. Yang Wenqing immediately locked the door behind him and laid out the newly purchased silver powder, Clearheart Grass powder, Black Tortoise Shell, and three rune energy cores in sequence at the center of the living room. Then he took out the precious bottle of Centennial Stone Marrow Liquid.

Afterward, Yang Wenqing practiced engraving the formation twice more and simulated it another two times in the Golden Core World. Only after confirming there were no issues did he compose himself and prepare for the real thing.

First, he carefully spread the Clearheart Grass powder evenly across the floor, outlining the boundary of the formation's outer ring. A faint, tranquil aura gradually spread through the room.

Next, he took out the silver powder and used his own spiritual power as a guide, carefully tracing the six complex spirit-guiding runes in the middle ring. Thanks to last night's practice, his movements were steady and precise. Silver lines extended smoothly with the motion of his wrist, linking together to form a profound pattern.

Then, he precisely located the three formation eyes in the inner ring and firmly embedded the three rune energy cores into them. At once, the patterns on the cores' surfaces connected perfectly with the spirit-guiding runes drawn in silver powder, and a blue glow flashed past.

Finally, he placed the Black Tortoise Shell, which was the size of a meditation cushion, at the formation base in the center. He opened the glass bottle, dipped his fingertip into a little of the viscous Centennial Stone Marrow Liquid, and, holding his breath in concentration, wrote the crucial "stabilize" rune stroke by stroke in the middle of the shell.

As the final stroke fell, the rune drawn with Stone Marrow Liquid flashed with spiritual light before silently sinking into the tortoise shell.

After examining the formation for a while, Yang Wenqing formed hand seals according to the secret method and drew upon the spiritual energy in his Qi Sea, intending to test the formation's activation. As the hand seals took shape, a flash of spiritual light quickly shot into the formation. Two seconds later, accompanied by a low hum, the entire Origin-Stabilizing Meridian-Nourishing Formation activated.

The Clearheart Grass powder emitted a gentle white radiance, forming an outer barrier that soothed the mind. The silver-powder runes in the middle ring lit up with brilliant silver light, complementing the blue glow of the energy cores as they slowly circulated like living things, channeling and guiding spiritual energy. The three energy cores in the inner ring steadily supplied pure spiritual power. Meanwhile, the Black Tortoise Shell at the center gave off a heavy yellowish glow that merged with the spiritual light of the Stone Marrow Liquid, creating a stable force field that enveloped the entire formation.

Standing outside the formation, Yang Wenqing could feel a calm and steady aura. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped into the formation and sat cross-legged atop the Black Tortoise Shell.

In an instant, he felt the space around him become dense and stable, as though wrapped in the invisible power of the earth. Outside noise was shut out, and his mind naturally settled into tranquility. More importantly, he sensed that the ambient spiritual energy gathering around him had become exceptionally docile and easy to guide.

"What a fine formation!" Yang Wenqing silently praised.

He did not waste any more time. Following the method for the Second Refinement, "Skin Membranes Like Drums," from the Ninefold Refinement Method, he began guiding the spiritual energy from his Qi Sea to temper the membranes throughout his body.

With the support of the Origin-Stabilizing Meridian-Nourishing Formation, the spiritual energy circulated incomparably smoothly. The intense itching, numbness, and stabbing pain caused by tempering his skin membranes were also greatly weakened by the formation's power. They were still present, but well within what he could endure.

Through the clear projection of the Golden Core World, he could see spiritual energy like the finest sandpaper brushing over the deepest layers of his skin membranes again and again, stimulating the nearly imperceptible fascia and making it tougher.

Feeling the stabilizing effects of the Origin-Stabilizing Meridian-Nourishing Formation, Yang Wenqing decided to strike while the iron was hot and took out the bottle of Centennial Stone Marrow Liquid again to aid his cultivation.

He carefully poured roughly ten grams of Stone Marrow Liquid into his palm. The milky-white liquid was warm and viscous to the touch, radiating a rich, heavy aura. He then pressed his palms together and circulated the technique, guiding the spiritual energy within him to envelop the Stone Marrow Liquid in his hand before closing his eyes and focusing.

As the cultivation method circulated, the Stone Marrow Liquid in his palm was drawn into motion, turning into a warm, heavy current that seeped through the pores of his skin and into the depths of his skin membranes, thread by thread.

Through the clear projection of the Golden Core World, Yang Wenqing could see the milky medicinal power silently soaking into every minute structure of his skin membranes. Wherever it passed, the membrane fibers seemed infused with vitality, becoming denser and more resilient.

At the same time, an extremely faint pale-yellow glow began to appear across the surface of his skin, making his entire body seem as though it were covered by a barely perceptible stone film.

Along with it came a peculiar sensation, as if the skin over his entire body were being stretched to just the right degree. Gentle waves of numb itching also flowed through him, like countless tiny currents of life moving beneath his skin.

Under the Golden Core World's observation, the route taken by the Stone Marrow Liquid's medicinal power was clearly visible. It spread diffusely and evenly covered the skin membranes across his entire body, nourishing in particular the weaker areas from previous tempering and the regions currently receiving the greatest impact from spiritual energy.

The strengthening effect that had originally required dozens of repeated spiritual-energy shocks could perhaps be achieved in only a few rounds with the Stone Marrow Liquid's medicinal power, and the foundation would be even more solid.

Yang Wenqing held his mind firm and guided his spiritual energy to work with the immense medicinal power of the Stone Marrow Liquid, tempering the skin membranes throughout his body over and over. The Golden Core's power also continuously refined the residual medicinal power left within him, allowing him to absorb every last bit of the Stone Marrow Liquid's effects perfectly.

In less than half an hour, all ten grams of Stone Marrow Liquid had been completely absorbed. The faint yellow glow around his body slowly withdrew, while the deep tension and gentle numb itching gradually faded away.

He then spent another half hour repairing the hidden injuries caused by cultivation within his body.

"Haha, excellent!" Yang Wenqing laughed aloud, feeling utterly refreshed.

According to the secret method's records, no more than ten grams of Stone Marrow Liquid could be used at a time. After each use, one needed at least a month of cultivation to purge the toxicity brought by its medicinal power before using it again. But with the Golden Core's assistance, Yang Wenqing had no need to purge any toxins at all.

In other words, if he had enough money, he might be able to complete the Second Refinement in just a few months!