Earthheart Marrow

The morning mist had yet to fully disperse, but the disciples at Bedrock Martial Academy's training grounds had already begun practicing the familiar Bedrock Stance Art. Today, however, Lin Qing was nowhere to be seen.

Early that morning, he had gone to the steward's office to request leave. The previous night, he had outwitted the martial artists searching for Sun Shaoping, then listened to him speak at length about matters beyond the Ten-Thousand Mountains. He had long been exhausted beyond measure.

Returning to his small courtyard, Lin Qing collapsed into bed. He slept exceptionally soundly, only waking slowly after noon had already passed.

After lunch, he followed his usual routine and went to Hundred Herbs Hall to buy and consume a dose of Blood-Qi Potion. Then Lin Qing hurried back to his courtyard, shut the gate, and his expression instantly turned incomparably solemn.

He took a deep breath and pulled the jade bottle, pure white throughout, from the stove. The bottle felt icy to the touch, its texture fine and smooth. Within it was the treasure Sun Shaoping had left him—Earthheart Marrow.

Tilting the mouth of the bottle, a single milky-white drop, lustrous as jade and giving off a faint fragrance, slowly rolled out. Lin Qing did not hesitate in the slightest, opening his mouth and swallowing it.

The next instant, an indescribable coolness shot straight into his mind. His thoughts became incomparably clear, his spiritual platform empty and bright. Even the faint sounds of wind stirring grass, insects chirping, and ants crawling around him entered his ears with perfect clarity.

Lin Qing did not dare delay for even half a moment. He immediately stood in the center of the courtyard, focused his mind and calmed his breath, then began practicing the Bedrock Stance Art.

The time it took for an incense stick to burn passed in a flash. Lin Qing finished his form and stood still, his breathing steady. With a thought, a pale-blue panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Mortal (time to breakthrough: 10 years)

Fused arts: Essence-Stabilizing Foundation-Firming Art, Spleen-Strengthening Life-Nourishing Art (expand)

Recorded art: Bedrock Stance Art (207/500)

On the panel, the progress of the Bedrock Stance Art had leaped directly from 202 points to 207!

A single practice session had raised it by five points—five times the cultivation efficiency. The effects of Earthheart Marrow were truly heaven-defying!

After his initial delight, Lin Qing swiftly calmed himself. This period of high-efficiency cultivation was precious beyond measure and could not afford even the slightest waste. He immediately adjusted his breathing and threw himself once more into practicing the Bedrock Stance Art.

Each time he completed a session, he opened the panel to check the progress. Watching the number rise steadily at a pace far beyond normal, the excitement in his heart grew by another degree.

Two hours passed silently. The sun began to sink westward, and golden afterglow spilled across the ground through the courtyard walls.

Lin Qing suddenly noticed that the clear, lucid feeling in his mind was gradually fading. After finishing the practice and opening the panel, it proved exactly as he had expected. This round of cultivation had raised the Bedrock Stance Art by only one point.

Lin Qing understood. The medicinal effect of a single drop of Earthheart Marrow could last a little over two hours. Over those two-plus hours, the Bedrock Stance Art had gained 41 points of progress: the first eight sessions had been at fivefold efficiency, while the last had returned to normal.

Feeling the effects of Earthheart Marrow, a smile curled across Lin Qing's lips. Its sudden appearance and the abrupt fivefold cultivation efficiency had shattered the cultivation plan he had previously laid out. Many arrangements he had intended to advance step by step now had to be placed on the agenda ahead of time.

The first issue was cultivation resources.

As his proficiency in the Bedrock Stance Art continued to rise, his body's demand for energy grew greater and greater. One dose of Blood-Qi Potion per day was no longer enough to keep up with the consumption.

His original plan had been to find another pharmacy around dinner time in the next few days. That way, one dose of Blood-Qi Potion at noon and another at night would be enough for short-term cultivation. But now that his cultivation speed had surged by leaps and bounds, even two doses were merely a drop in the bucket.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Qing decided to skip the stage of using two doses and directly cultivate with ferocious beast meat.

Ferocious beast meat contained pure, vast qi and blood, far beyond what Blood-Qi Potions could compare to. It was normally a cultivation resource used only by Certified Martial Artists. However, ferocious beast meat was not nearly as easy to buy as Blood-Qi Potions. Moreover, he was still so young; purchasing ferocious beast meat on his own would inevitably arouse the suspicions of those with ulterior motives. This matter required careful planning.

Another pressing matter was finding a new stance art.

At his current pace, the Bedrock Stance Art would reach perfection within three or four days. Once it merged into his bodily instincts, he would no longer need to practice it actively. He had to find other stance arts. And just like the Life-Nourishing Art, perhaps stacking multiple stance arts could greatly increase his breakthrough speed.

A thought flashed through Lin Qing's mind—the Black Market.

Wang Yuan had mentioned that the Black Market sold stance arts from all the major martial academies. Perhaps he could also resolve the issue of ferocious beast meat while he was at it.

Having made up his mind, Lin Qing decided to ask Wang Yuan about the Black Market's specifics the next day.

That afternoon, he had practiced one more round of stance art than usual, and night had already deepened. Moreover, with the substantial increase in his stance art proficiency, a long-lost hunger rose from his belly.

Lin Qing did not delay further. He went out to settle his dinner, and on the way found an ordinary pharmacy to buy and consume a dose of Blood-Qi Potion. That night, Lin Qing did not cultivate again.

The next day, Lin Qing consumed a drop of Earthheart Marrow before heading to the martial academy. Unfortunately, time had been wasted on the road and during the group's break midway through. Of the eight practice sessions that morning, only seven had fivefold efficiency. By the end of the morning's cultivation, the Bedrock Stance Art had reached 279 points.

The dining hall of Bedrock Martial Academy buzzed with voices. Having finished their morning cultivation, the disciples gathered here to eat and replenish their strength. Carrying his food, Lin Qing walked straight over and sat down before Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan was shoveling food into his mouth in great bites. Seeing Lin Qing approach, he greeted him with a smile.

Lin Qing did not beat around the bush and asked directly:

"Wang Yuan, last time I heard you mention Azure Sun County's Black Market. Do you know how to get there?"

At this, Wang Yuan gave a sly chuckle, leaned closer, and lowered his voice.

"What, you want to join in the fun too?"

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. "What fun?"

Excitement gleamed in Wang Yuan's eyes.

"The Azure Sun Mountain ferocious beast incident has just ended. Quite a few martial artists from other places haven't left yet. The Black Market has been more than ten times livelier than usual these past few days. Maybe we can even pick up some goods from out of town."

Lin Qing's heart stirred. He had not expected the timing to be so perfect.

Wang Yuan patted his chest and continued.

"As it happens, I'm planning to browse the Black Market tonight too. I'll take you along when the time comes!"

Lin Qing immediately nodded in agreement, and the two arranged a time and place to meet that evening.

Returning to his small courtyard, Lin Qing did not waste any time. He took out the white jade bottle, swallowed another drop of Earthheart Marrow, and immersed himself in cultivating the Bedrock Stance Art. In his high-efficiency cultivation state, his stance art proficiency steadily rose, reaching 319 points.

After dinner, he first found another apothecary, bought and consumed a dose of Blood-Qi Potion, then turned into an inconspicuous clothing shop.

Only after a round of eyebrow-waggling and meaningful looks did the shopkeeper take out the indispensable item for every transmigrator from beneath the counter—a black hooded robe that covered the face.

Having successfully purchased the Divine Artifact, Lin Qing headed toward the place he had arranged to meet Wang Yuan.

By the time he arrived, Wang Yuan had already been waiting there. Seeing Lin Qing come, he immediately waved to signal him over.

The two said little. Wang Yuan led Lin Qing into the maze of tangled alleyways behind them. The alleys crisscrossed like a spiderweb, and after twist upon twist, Lin Qing quickly lost his sense of direction.

Lin Qing could not help asking, "Wang Yuan, do you come to the Black Market often?"

Wang Yuan waved a hand. "No, I've only been here once or twice."

Lin Qing looked unconvinced. "Then how are you so familiar with the route?"

Wang Yuan stopped, raised a hand to point at an inconspicuous white mark on the wall beside them, and said with a smile, "There are markers."

Lin Qing was left speechless.

The outer alleys extended in all directions, but there was only one entrance leading to the Black Market. As the two ventured deeper, more and more people converged from different alleys.

Before long, the crowd arrived at a secluded little courtyard. A staircase leading underground was hidden within it, and people flowed constantly around the stairway entrance. Just as Wang Yuan had said, the Black Market had truly become exceptionally bustling these past few days.

The two did not hurry into the Black Market. Instead, they went into a room in the courtyard to change their equipment. Their loose robes concealed their figures, and their lowered hoods hid Lin Qing's face.

Walking out of the room, the two looked at each other. Seeing their identical outfits, they simultaneously let out strange, sinister cackles. "Heh heh heh."

After laughing, they delayed no longer and headed down the stairs.