Bone-Burying Secret Art!

"This Wang Ba really couldn't resist reading it!"

In the mountain hollow nearest Dingbaqi Manor.

Yu Changchun held a water mirror in one palm, a smile on his face.

Displayed clearly on the water mirror was the sight of Wang Ba eagerly opening the book and studying its pages.

Old Hou stood beside Yu Changchun.

Yet at this moment, Old Hou stood blankly, his eyes dull and his face expressionless, not uttering a word, like a puppet.

Small triangular flags were scattered around them, faintly blending the two men into their surroundings.

Even if someone passed by, they probably would not notice that two people were there at all.

Yu Changchun merely smiled to himself.

"Now that you've read this art, I don't believe you'll be able to resist coming to me."

He had tremendous confidence in the art he had given out.

At least so far, almost every copy he had handed out had brought back a Servant Disciple.

This chicken-raising Servant Disciple named Wang Ba would most likely be no exception.

"But according to that fellow Li Zhi, this boy seems capable of raising Precious Chickens into Spirit Chickens. He even deliberately withheld that information. Hmm, this one is a talent, too, so I can't refine away his intelligence as well. Tsk, that makes the procedure much harder all at once!"

Yu Changchun frowned slightly.

Just then, a glimmer suddenly flashed through Old Hou's dim eyes beside him, and he abruptly opened his mouth, speaking in an unfamiliar voice:

"Is Yu Changchun here?"

"This disciple is here! May I ask what instructions you have, Chief Steward?"

Yu Changchun hurriedly bowed as he answered.

Expressionless, Old Hou spoke somewhat mechanically. "How are things progressing on your end? Any problems?"

"This disciple has recruited over eighty Servant Disciples in succession. Just now, I gave a Servant Disciple the first volume of the 'Bone-Burying Art' as bait. I'm monitoring him now to prevent any leaks."

Yu Changchun answered truthfully, but after a moment's hesitation, he continued, "It's just that every department is short of Servant Disciples now. If I keep recruiting, I'm afraid it will attract attention..."

Old Hou remained stiffly in place without speaking, as though the person actually speaking was considering something.

After a while, Old Hou finally opened his mouth stiffly:

"You've done well, but make certain you monitor him closely. We absolutely cannot let any information leak at this stage."

"As for the problem you mentioned, those above are already addressing it."

"Is it... that spiritual spring outside from last time?"

Yu Changchun ventured.

"Do not ask questions you shouldn't."

Old Hou opened his mouth and spoke coldly.

"Yes! This disciple understands!"

Yu Changchun hurriedly shut his mouth.

The light in Old Hou's eyes quickly dimmed once more.

Once he was certain the other party had left, Yu Changchun's expression darkened, and he snorted coldly:

"Hah! Call you Chief Steward once, and you really start thinking you're someone!"

"You're nothing but a dog who betrayed his master and joined us halfway through! Once this is done, we'll see whether you meet a good end!"

After that tirade, he finally vented the pent-up fire in his heart.

He turned his gaze back to the water mirror, only to discover that Wang Ba was nowhere to be seen.

Startled, he hurriedly rewound the water mirror. Only when he saw Wang Ba returning to his room did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Stay put and behave yourself. If you dare leave the manor, don't blame me for refusing to give Li Zhi face!"

Yu Changchun muttered to himself.

Dingbaqi Manor.

Inside a side room of the manor.

"It seems that as long as I hide inside the room, Yu Changchun can't see me."

Sensing that the Yin Spirit Power in his Yin Spirit Mansion had finally stopped rotating, Wang Ba at last breathed a sigh of relief.

He really couldn't afford to keep expending Yin Spirit Power!

Wang Ba also found it very strange. By rights, he had watched the two men walk far away with his own eyes.

Yet the consumption of Yin Spirit Power had not diminished in the slightest.

Moreover, Yu Changchun was a Qi Refining cultivator, so it was normal for him to have ways of seeing Wang Ba, but why could Old Hou see him too?

Could he also be a Qi Refining cultivator?

That was clearly impossible.

Unable to figure it out, however, Wang Ba did not dwell on the question too much.

Instead, his gaze fell on the book in his hands.

He could not help recalling what he had just read in it.

The contents were actually very simple, yet far from simple as well.

This was an art called the "Bone-Burying Secret Art."

Like the "Body-Strengthening Scripture," it claimed that it could help mortals form a Spiritual Root, but its approach was entirely different.

The Body-Strengthening Scripture's method was to gradually transform the physical body through effort accumulated day after day, bringing it into a state suited to the birth and growth of a Spiritual Root.

Upon reaching the tenth layer of the Body-Strengthening Scripture, the initial transformation of the body would be complete, and the birth of a Spiritual Root would follow naturally.

But this step was extraordinarily difficult. By Wang Ba's own estimate, he would probably need other things to assist him before he could complete it.

Moreover, this method consumed an enormous amount of time. An ordinary mortal would most likely never succeed in cultivating it.

Only someone with a Hidden Spiritual Root already possessed a Spiritual Root, and the effects of the Body-Strengthening Scripture happened to be capable of rapidly awakening that hidden Spiritual Root.

This was also why Old Hou and Steward Li had previously said that anyone who failed to succeed with the Body-Strengthening Scripture within three years would never have a chance for the rest of their life.

So, in Wang Ba's view.

The "Body-Strengthening Scripture" could be called a fraud, yet it did not actually deceive anyone.

As long as you had enough time, you could indeed defy the heavens, change your fate, and form a Spiritual Root!

The crucial point was that the vast majority of people had no such possibility.

The "Bone-Burying Secret Art" took the exact opposite approach.

What was the function of a Spiritual Root?

The Bone-Burying Secret Art provided a profound explanation.

A Spiritual Root was a passage between the physical body and the world, or rather, a connector.

Without a Spiritual Root, the physical body could not absorb Spiritual Qi to nourish itself, then produce Law Power and gain inconceivable might.

Then the solution was simple: find something capable of absorbing Spiritual Qi and transplant it into your own body, wasn't it?

It had to be said that the creator of the "Bone-Burying Secret Art" was truly bold enough.

His approach also broke new ground.

He had actually attempted to implant all sorts of things capable of absorbing Spiritual Qi into human bodies.

For instance, Spirit Stones, spiritual trees, spiritual herbs, Law Artifacts, talismans, pills, and even the bones, flesh, skin, and fur of Spirit Beasts...

And in the end, he had truly found something suitable.

That was-bone!

And there were distinctions to be made even with these "bones."

Spirit Beast bones were the lower vehicle, cultivator bones were the middle vehicle, and the finest were the bones of those who possessed Spiritual Roots but had yet to set foot on the path of immortality!

Furthermore, bones from different parts of the body did not all produce the same effects.

For instance, the pelvis was the direct site where a Spiritual Root was nurtured, making it the most crucial.

Next came the skull, the breastbone...

According to the records in this "Bone-Burying Secret Art," replacing a bone in any location could hasten the birth of a Spiritual Root.

If one also cultivated the "Body-Strengthening Scripture" alongside it, it could greatly accelerate progress in that scripture as well.

"So Old Hou must have had a bone implanted. That's why he reached the ninth layer of the Body-Strengthening Scripture in such a short time. I just don't know which bone he replaced, or whether he used a beast bone or a human bone..."

Wang Ba recalled Old Hou, looking thoughtful.

But there was something that surprised Wang Ba as well.

This book actually recorded the complete methods for replacing bones.

For some locations, even a mortal could perform the replacement on himself.

The finger bones, for example.

As for extremely complex locations such as the pelvis and skull, a cultivator had to perform the procedure for it to succeed.

The chances of successfully completing it oneself were exceedingly slim.

Of course, at the end of the book, it also bluntly pointed out the greatest problem with this secret art.

Namely, this method offended the harmony of heaven. Thus, even if the bone replacement succeeded, one might still be affected by the lingering will within the foreign bone, resulting in mental confusion and great torment.

And the solution was, naturally, recorded in the "Bone-Burying Secret Art, Volume Two."