Qin Tiexin is holding the wolf leg bone, with the fingertip Spiritual Qi carving knife hanging three inches above the bone surface.
He has failed twenty-seven times, and less than half of the wolf's leg bones have been used, and the broken leg bones have become a small pile next to cave abode.
This time he was extra careful. Divine Sense first probed into the bone and found out the direction of all the fibers of the leg bone - extending from the knee to the ankle. It was straight overall, but there were three tiny bifurcations in the middle. When engraving, you should avoid the bifurcation points and follow the arc of the main fibers.
Fingers dropped.
For the first stroke, start with a spiral hand. The tip of the knife touches the bone surface lightly and follows the fiber texture to draw a very thin arc. The bone surface does not crack.
For the second stroke, draw it inward. Spiritual Qi The angle of the carving knife is adjusted, close to the inner edge of the first stroke, and slowly advanced. A subtle "rustling" sound comes from the bone surface, like spring nibbling leaves.
The third stroke completes the spiral closure.
Qin Tiexin stopped and looked carefully. On the bone surface, a complete spiral pattern the size of a soybean was clearly visible. The edges of the pattern were smooth and perfectly matched with the direction of the bone fibers without any cracks.
It's done.
He took a deep breath, picked up the leg bone, and injected a bit of spiritual power into it - the spiral pattern shone slightly, and the spiritual power flowed smoothly without any obstruction.
The first complete spiritual guidance pattern.
Qin Tiexin put down his leg bones and moved his stiff fingers. It was already bright outside the window, and he had been practicing all night.
What Qin Tiexin didn't know was that during the few days he was studying in seclusion, a burst of "big news" came out among the disciples of the sect.
At the outer gate of Liuyun Sect, the noisy voices of the disciples came from the mountain road:
"Have you heard? The ruins of Hunyuan Sect!"
"The notice just posted by Shanggong Hall, an ancient relic that has never been seen before..."
"You need a token to enter. No one above Foundation Establishment can enter..."
On the mountain road, several outer disciples were walking quickly towards the Shanggong Hall, talking as they walked.
More than twenty people have gathered in front of the bulletin board outside the Outer Gate Shanggong Hall. A new yellow paper notice has been posted on the bulletin board. After the magic circle on it is activated, a huge light curtain is formed three feet away. The writing on it is clearly visible from a hundred steps away:
[Sect Announcement]
[Ancient ruins of Hunyuan Sect appear in the world
Location: Misty Canyon in Qinglan Mountains
Opening time: about fifteen days later
Access conditions: Must hold the 'Hun Yuan Order', Foundation Establishment and above are not allowed to enter
Note: The restrictions in the ruins are unknown, and dangers coexist with fortuitous opportunity. The sect encourages disciples to obtain tokens on their own. Those who obtain tokens can sign up to participate in the sect's unified escort.
Escort leader: Foundation Establishment peak disciple Xu Qiu
Departure time of the flying boat: 12 days later, meet at the mountain gate]
A pot exploded in front of the bulletin board.
"A ruin that has never been seen before! There must be something good inside!"
"I'm at the ninth level of Qi refining. There might be Foundation Establishment elixir's main medicine 'Condensing Yuan Fruit'..."
"I'm only at the seventh level of Qi refining, I don't know if I have a chance..."
"Hunyuan True Person is a fierce man who has cultivated the golden elixir for five Spirit Root. His inheritance..."
"But... where can I get a token? What does it look like?"
"I heard that it is already circulating on the black market, and one token has been sold for 500 Spirit Stone!"
"Then what else are you going for! Five hundred Spirit Stone is enough to exchange for one Foundation Establishment pill..."
Disciples with ideas dispersed after seeing the notice, trying to find ways to find the token.
At this time, Qin Tiexin, who was in retreat at cave abode, had his waist message Jade Slip light up.
Luo Ling's voice came from it. "Tiexin, come to Zhuxintang."
In Zhuxintang, Luo Ling and Wu Zhen were both there.
Luo Ling sat on the stone bench, playing with a dark cyan metal token in his hand - exactly the same as the one Chen Xi gave to Qin Tiexin, with two ancient seal characters engraved on the front: Hunyuan.
When Luo Ling saw Qin Tiexin coming in, she raised her hand and threw the token over.
"I'll give you something good, go on."
Qin Tiexin took it and looked at it. It looked familiar. He took out the piece given by Chen Xi from Storage Bag. The two tokens were placed side by side in the palm of his hand. The size, material and engraving were exactly the same.
"Master, this is..."
"You have one too? Where did it come from?" Luo Ling asked.
"Given by Senior Brother Chen Xi."
"That boy..." Luo Ling shook her head, "He always looks for good things." She looked at Qin Tiexin, "Do you know about the ruins?"
"Well, it seems to be related to Hunyuan Sect."
"Want to go?"
Qin Tiexin was silent for two breaths. "I haven't thought about it yet."
"Are the things in the ruins useful to you?" Luo Ling asked directly.
"It should be useful. Hunyuan True Person is five Spirit Root." Qin Tiexin said, "And the Cultivation Method I practice is the "Hunyuan Jue". There may be something suitable for me in his ruins."
"Then why are you hesitating?" Luo Ling laughed a little angrily, "Your master, I was a 'relic scavenger' back then. When I encountered a relic, I had to enter it, and if I entered, I would get the maximum harvest. It would be polite not to take away the relic as well. Where can you get the adventures you have in the sect every day?"
"But, Master, my business..." Qin Tiexin It's not that I don't want to go, I'm really too busy with Qi refining, body refining, forging, martial arts, and now there's a bone and tooth weapon, and I really don't have enough time.
Qin Tiexin Sometimes I wonder if there is a kind of clone Law Technique that can let the clone do different things and then integrate them into the main body.
Luo Ling seemed to have noticed Qin Tiexin's concerns, "I know you have many things to do and not enough time, but it is difficult to make progress behind closed doors. Your master, every time I went out, my cultivation level would definitely increase greatly. In total, it would be much faster than being in seclusion. Go ahead and treat yourself as a holiday!"
"Yes!" Qin Tiexin agreed, he was indeed very interested in the ruins of Hunyuan Sect.
"That's right. The young man is a little energetic. I will teach you how to conquer the ruins one day as a teacher." Luo Ling pointed to the two tokens in Qin Tiexin's hand, "Also, take Chen Xi's piece. I will find a way to help you get rid of the other one - exchange it for something you can use now."
Qin Tiexin handed the token back to Luo Ling, and Wu Zhen spoke at the side, "Hunyuan Sect... I remembered it. I read their records when I was in Lingxi Sect."
Luo Ling and Qin Tiexin both looked at him.
Wu Zhen's tone was calm, as if he was recalling. "Hunyuan True Person, Wu Spirit Root, practiced very slowly, Foundation Establishment was nearly a hundred years old. But his combat power was amazing, and he was rare at the same level. There are rivals. The "Hunyuan Jue" he created emphasizes the balance of the five elements, and his spiritual power is far beyond ordinary Cultivation Method. Unfortunately, the sect declined later, and the follow-up Cultivation Method was lost, leaving only the Qi Refining Chapter."
He paused and added, "When the Hunyuan Sect was at its peak, most of its disciples were four Spirit Root and five Spirit Root. They had a unique set of cultivation methods that could make Spirit Root inferior monks as good as single or double Spirit Root geniuses in terms of combat power. It's just that the speed of cultivation... is really slow."
Qin Tiexin clenched the token in his hand.
Luo Ling said at this time, "Since you have decided to go, prepare well. There are still more than ten days to adjust to the best condition." She took out a small jade bottle from her arms and placed it on the table, "This is a bottle of top-quality Yuan-Pui Dan with very little erysipelas, which is enough for you for ten days. Five Spirit Root cultivation will slow down, and the pills cannot be saved."
Qin Tiexin Picked up the jade bottle and opened it. Inside were ten pills, the size of longan, all milky white, with a strong aroma that could hardly be dissolved. The market price of a bottle of top-grade Peiyuan Pill is at least one hundred Spirit Stone--and there is no market for it.
"Thank you, Master."
"Thank you for nothing." Luo Ling waved his hand, "After entering, be smart. There are not only people from our Flowing Cloud Sect in the ruins, but also other sects and Rogue Cultivator. Remember, fight for what should be fought, give in for what should be given, life is the most important thing."
Qin Tiexin Take note.
"Okay, let's go back and get ready." Luo Ling stood up, "I'll come back in ten days."
Qin Tiexin bowed and resigned.
In the next ten days, Qin Tiexin has a very full schedule.
Early in the morning, he practiced "Cunbu·Blood Vortex Stab". After the battle at Black Cloud Ridge, he had a much deeper understanding of this set of sword techniques. Especially the "double-step combo" - a collapse step followed by a step, or a flash step followed by a retreat. The two steps were seamlessly connected, and a knife was stabbed in the middle. On the seventh day of training, he could complete three footstep switches in one breath and stab two knives.
In the afternoon, he ate wolf meat and ran Cultivation Method to temper the body and refine the blood. The spiritual power contained in the Foundation Establishment Realm wolf meat was amazing. He only ate one kilogram a day, which was enough to support the whole day's training. The blood became more viscous and thicker with each meal, and the foundation of the seventh layer of body tempering became more stable. He tested the strength of his right arm - holding it with one hand, he could lift a seven thousand kilogram object steadily for ten breaths.
In the evening, I practiced Spiritual Qi carving knife and bone tool engraving. The success rate of spiritual guidance patterns gradually increased, from one out of ten times to three out of ten times. Although it is still far from the actual refining of bone tools, at least I have started.
At night, I took the top-grade Peiyuan Pill to practice "Hunyuan Jue". The effect of the top-grade pill was indeed remarkable. The fifth level of Qi refining, which had been almost stagnant, began to loosen a little. Although it was still far away from the sixth level, at least I saw hope.
On the ninth day, the sect officially issued a mobilization order.
All disciples who have received the Hunyuan Order must register at the Shanggong Hall within three days and form a unified team. Qin Tiexin went there, and when he registered, he found that there were already seven people on the list - all senior brothers and sisters at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining, most of whose names he did not recognize.
The deacon in charge of registration looked at him and then at the list. "Fifth level of Qi refining?"
"Hmm."
The deacon didn't ask any further questions. He wrote down his name and handed him a numbered jade plaque, "No. 8. Three days later, we will gather at the mountain gate and board the boat with the plaque."
Qin Tiexin took the jade token, turned and left.
He could feel a few eyes behind him - from those late Qi refining disciples who also came to register. They were confused, curious, and maybe even a little disdainful.
He didn't look back.
Returning to cave abode, he began to organize his equipment.
Edgeless heavy knife--this is the fundamental.
Short knife--for close combat.
Four fangs on the wrist - a means of long-range attack.
The moving talisman, stand-in puppet, soul-protecting jade, etc. given by Chen Xi are for life-saving purposes.
There are also the remaining dried wolf meat, healing medicine, water, and spare clothes.
Count them one by one and put them away one by one.
Finally, he picked up the Hunyuan Token. He put the token into Storage Bag, then sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes and adjusted his breath.
Tomorrow is the tenth day, and I have to go to Zhuxintang.