An Eye-Opening Experience

"Hey, Old Hou, don't rush off!"

"How about this? Just answer this one question: for this bone replacement, will bones from any Spirit Beast work? I want to try it myself first."

Seemingly oblivious to the change in Old Hou, Wang Ba grabbed his arm, his expression utterly earnest.

Hearing this, Yu Changchun abruptly stilled the hand controlling the threads.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

He wants to replace his bones himself?

It seems he still doesn't quite trust us... but once you start replacing your bones, it won't be up to you anymore!

Yu Changchun sneered, but still flicked his fingers lightly, quietly concealing the sharp edges of the threads in his palm.

Recruiting a Servant Disciple was no easy task. With success so close at hand, he was unwilling to abandon one for nothing.

After some thought, he worked his throat and tongue, speaking slowly through Old Hou's mouth:

"As long as it's a graded beast, its bones will work."

"Spirit Beasts' bodies all have the ability to absorb and convert Spiritual Qi. After the replacement, the Spirit Beast bone will guide... lead the human body through a transformation, allowing it to grow a Spiritual Root of its own."

"Of course, Spirit Beast bones and human bones are different, after all. Once the bones are replaced, you'll suffer the pain of rejection between bone and flesh, as well as reconstruction. And even if you develop a Spiritual Root afterward, it will most likely be considerably worse than even an ordinary five-element Spiritual Root."

"You should know that a five-element Spiritual Root is just about the worst kind."

"So it's best to join the Immortal Ascension Society, choose a suitable bone, and have its members help you replace yours."

"You've read the upper volume of the Bone-Burying Secret Art, so you should know that, under normal circumstances, the success rate for replacing bones yourself is very low. Most people suffer for nothing, and even those who succeed are usually influenced by the will lingering in the bone, leaving them in such agony they wish they were dead."

"Unless you follow the method recorded in the lower volume..."

He said no more. His implication was already perfectly clear.

As a member of the Immortal Ascension Society, Old Hou naturally possessed the lower volume of the Bone-Burying Secret Art. As long as Wang Ba asked, even if he still refused to join the society, Old Hou would hand over the lower volume after a token show of reluctance.

Then Wang Ba, who had agonized over this for three days, would inevitably be unable to resist trying the lower volume's method.

And once he began, he would discover that without the Immortal Ascension Society's supply of bones and assistance, his chances of success were truly pitiful.

To seek help, Wang Ba would naturally take the initiative to join the Immortal Ascension Society.

There were two reasons he had not given Wang Ba the lower volume's method from the outset. First, no one treasured what came too easily. Second, the lower volume of the Bone-Burying Secret Art was far crueler than the upper volume. Had he presented it right away, Wang Ba would most likely have been too afraid to practice it, and it would instead have put him on his guard.

Only by luring him step by step, fully unearthing the desire and selfishness in his heart, could he coax Wang Ba into the trap.

And that state of mind happened to be an important factor in successfully practicing the method in the "lower volume of the Bone-Burying Secret Art."

Of course, choosing the source of the bones was even more important.

One could even say that the source of the bones was the most important thing of all.

Beyond a complete, well-developed set of bone-replacement techniques and experience, the most crucial thing the Immortal Ascension Society could offer its members was suitable human bones.

Once you practice the lower volume's method and accept the bones we provide... heh heh!

Yet to Yu Changchun's astonishment, whether Wang Ba was too honest or had simply never thought to ask Old Hou for the lower volume, his eyes actually lit up, brimming with confidence.

"I've already figured out what to use for the replacement!"

Yu Changchun was speechless. "Uh..."

Before Yu Changchun could react, Wang Ba had already hurried impatiently back into the house at the Mountain Manor. A clattering and banging followed, though there was no telling what he was doing.

The house happened to be in a blind spot, and Yu Changchun considered sending Old Hou over to investigate.

But immediately afterward, Wang Ba's voice came from inside. "Go take care of your business, Old Hou! Once I've replaced my bone, I guarantee you'll be amazed!"

After a moment's hesitation, Yu Changchun frowned and guided Old Hou down from the Mountain Manor.

Meanwhile, he increased his Law Power to drive the Water Mirror.

The Water Mirror gradually enlarged, faintly revealing Wang Ba standing beneath the eaves, doing something he could not make out.

Yu Changchun tried adjusting the angle.

But soon, the Water Mirror began to shake, blurry ripples appearing across it continuously. It even showed faint signs of imminent collapse!

"Damn it! The sect's formations are suppressing it!"

Yu Changchun cursed and hurriedly reduced the flow of Law Power.

The image in the Water Mirror rapidly shrank, stabilizing once more.

Yu Changchun stopped fiddling with it, chiefly because, despite the problematic angle, it was already enough for him to see Wang Ba's movements beneath the eaves.

At first, he was somewhat puzzled, unsure why Wang Ba had suddenly lit a stove and was heating a knife over the fire.

When he saw Wang Ba pull a Spirit Chicken out of a chicken pen, he was still lost in a fog.

Until he saw Wang Ba slit the Spirit Chicken's throat, then carefully pick out every one of its bones, cut by cut.

He had a vague inkling, but he simply could not believe his own guess.

And when he saw Wang Ba hold a chicken bone in his hand, measuring it against himself-

He was dumbfounded.

Yu Changchun even felt a sense of absurdity.

Had he gone mad?

He did not mean Wang Ba, but himself.

If he had not gone mad, why would he have approached a lunatic like Wang Ba?

That's a fucking chicken bone!

Even if it's a Spirit Chicken, it's still a chicken!

You're replacing your bone with a chicken bone?

At that moment, Yu Changchun, who had always carried himself with the ethereal bearing of an immortal, was thrown into turmoil and even began doubting himself.

Am I too conservative? Have I already fallen behind the way young people think these days?

But he quickly realized that it was not that he could not keep up with the thinking. This Servant Disciple's approach was simply too wild.

Wang Ba seemed not to have found a suitable one. He actually rose, caught another Spirit Chicken, gutted it again, and picked out its bones one by one.

He killed several more Spirit Chickens in succession.

Even Yu Changchun could not help wincing at the waste.

"I'm at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and even I've only eaten Spirit Chicken a few times! This bastard!"

At last, Wang Ba seemed to have found a suitable chicken bone.

Satisfied, he placed the bone in a bowl with the utmost care.

Yu Changchun could not help sitting up straight, curiosity stirring within him.

"Even though I know replacing a bone with a chicken bone is ninety-nine percent certain to fail, I still really want to know which part he intends to replace."

The next second, he saw Wang Ba bite down on a piece of coarse cloth, snatch up the red-hot knife, and slice straight through the flesh at the tip of his left little finger!

An agonized scream instantly pierced through the Water Mirror, making even Yu Changchun's body tense instinctively.

And immediately afterward, within the Water Mirror-

His veins bulging from the pain, Wang Ba forcibly severed the topmost bone of his little finger, dug it out, and roughly stuffed the Spirit Chicken bone inside!

The sight made the corners of Yu Changchun's eyes twitch.

"You didn't need to cut that tendon..."

Wang Ba did not stop. After inserting the Spirit Chicken bone, he dipped into the blood flowing from his wounded finger and clumsily drew lines on the ground.

The lines connected into a circle, its interior strange and unfathomable.

By the time he finished the final stroke, Wang Ba had bitten his lips bloody. He took six Spirit Stones from inside his robe and gently placed them at six points along the circular pattern.

The blood-colored circular pattern instantly blazed with bloody light!

At this extraordinary sight, Wang Ba hurriedly extended his left little finger into the bloody light.

Soon, like young swallows returning to the woods, the rays of bloody light rapidly merged into Wang Ba's little finger.

Their entry instantly detonated Wang Ba's pain.

Agonized screams echoed one after another...

The horrifying scene was reflected in the Water Mirror.

Even Yu Changchun, after staring blankly for a moment, could not help shaking his head and sighing.

"Now that's an eye-opening experience!"

Replacing a bone with a chicken bone. What a fucking marvel!

Watching Wang Ba roll about and howl incessantly in the Water Mirror, Yu Changchun's gaze showed a trace of serious regard for the first time.

With such steadfast resolve to seek the Dao, daring to stake his life on it, even if the bone replacement failed, he would have proven his determination. He truly did have a chance of becoming one of them.

Not the Immortal Ascension Society, but them.

Yet as he continued watching, Yu Changchun suddenly frowned.

"Huh... why does it feel like this Servant Disciple has gotten stronger?"