Chapter 4: Body Refinement

Perhaps it is due to the energy being forcefully plundered by him, or perhaps it has indeed reached the age stage of consuming the mysterious ore. Compared to the previous frequency of consumption, which occurred only once every three years, it now requires a piece of jade containing a significant level of energy almost every ten days to devour, a rate that is undoubtedly many times faster than before

Lin Shan sat by the bedside for a moment, watching him sleep peacefully, listening to his steady breathing, feeling a sense of tranquility in her heart

Alright! Lin Shanhuan responded and left the courtyard

It is unexpected that these jade stones, used to enhance the mysterious ore itself, possess such terrifying effects after being refined. The energy contained within just one piece of jade is sufficient to increase the resistance of my meridians to the extent that they can disregard the true energy attacks of a practitioner at the fourth level of Qi Refinement.

At that time, he truly had no way to deal with that surge of energy. In order to prevent it from falling into the mouth of the mysterious ore, he had no choice but to use his own body as a vessel to absorb that energy. Before absorbing it, he had no idea what changes would occur by allowing these inexplicable energies to merge within him

Lin Shan noticed his haggard expression, and the sweet smile on her face was replaced by a look of tender concern. She sat down at the edge of the bed, pressed his upright body back onto the bed, and said softly: "Look at you, you are so exhausted. Why don't you take a good rest? Lie down obediently, and I will go talk to the master, asking him to give you a day off so you can rest and regain your strength before continuing."

Thirty percent of the strength... still no response

Under that nurturing warmth, with the spiritual awareness restored to its previous strength, all the meridians were fully perceived by Qin Zhan's senses

Accompanied by the joy of his cultivation improvement, the issue of consuming the mysterious ore, however, caused him to furrow his brows

... ...

Qin Zhan responded with a sound. The continuous outburst of mental energy had completely reached the limits of his potential. At this moment, he was utterly exhausted. After closing his eyes, it took only a few breaths before he fell into a deep sleep.

Upon this thought, Qin Zhan dispelled a trace of drowsiness from his mind and sat cross-legged, entering a meditative state to refine his mental strength

Zhang Wang nodded in satisfaction from the side and said approvingly: "Alright, with your current strength, along with my arrangements for the senior brothers to assist, you will at least not suffer any losses when you go to the Sheng Xuan Sect. Since that is the case, we should not delay. Everyone, make your preparations; we will set off for the Sheng Xuan Sect tomorrow."

After the life-and-death stimulation from the mysterious ore, Qin Zhan underwent a subtle transformation. Under the pressure of impending death, his dedication to cultivation was markedly greater than before, to the extent that even his nighttime sleep was maximally utilized for training his mental strength. He was determined to exhaust every last bit of potential within him, vowing not to rest until he did so.

Moreover

Moreover, although he obtained some fragments of memories about the mysterious mineral through his spiritual awareness and learned about its dangers, who knows if this is all there is to it... What if there are even more terrifying functions hidden behind it? At that time... he would truly be at a loss for tears

Consuming jade and minerals, regardless of how one puts it, is not an act that can be possessed by humans. Qin Zhan did not wish to become a monster in the eyes of others too soon, enduring their strange gazes and discussions all day long.

The time when Qin Zhan woke up again was deep in the night. The first thing he did upon waking was to examine the condition of the meridian within his body

Qin Zhan immediately made a series of associations: "If the energy contained in a single piece of jade can enhance a meridian, then what about ten, a hundred, or even a thousand pieces? If I could strengthen all the meridians in my body at once, then in the future, when cultivating true energy, I would no longer have to worry about going astray; I could break through without any reservations!"

Considering the potential factors in this regard, Qin Zhan secretly resolved that, unless it was necessary to eat, he would absolutely refrain from having any thoughts about mining this ore

Haha, just now Zhan Er was feeling down with his head hanging low while looking at the *picture* book, but now he perked up upon hearing about the Sheng Xuan Sect. It seems this is a good omen. " Zhang Wang said while smiling at Lin Shan beside him, "Shan Er, you should go back and have a word with your father. Although this matter has been settled, it is still necessary to give him a heads-up.

Lin Shan felt her cheeks flush with a rosy hue under his passionate gaze, her heart brimming with sweetness. However, as a girl maintaining her composure, she playfully reproached him, saying: "What are you looking at? It's not like we haven't seen each other every day. Quickly close your eyes and rest well. If you don't recover by tomorrow, I can't guarantee that I will still be able to plead with the master on your behalf."

Qin Zhan, utterly exhausted, lifted his head and gazed at the charming figure before him, momentarily experiencing a sense of being reborn.

Moreover, the growth of the mysterious ore has not been halted by him; at most, it can only be considered delayed

However, this idea did not excite or thrill him

Amid the farewell of thousands, the vehicle ultimately departed from Shunhe City, gradually disappearing along the broad and even official road.

Indeed, at present, I am unable to deal with the mysterious mineral within my body, but my inability does not imply that no one in the world can. The Sacred Xuan Sect is the foremost sect of the Enlightened Kingdom, with a lineage spanning over 1,600 years. Within the sect, there are countless ancient texts. As long as I can gain entry and carefully peruse them, I will surely find a method to extract this mineral from my body

However, the results of the investigation were somewhat unexpected

... ...

Therefore, finding a way to remove this mysterious ore from the body has once again become a primary issue that must be addressed

After the mysterious ore devours the jade and transforms it into energy, a portion will naturally remain within its body. Although this quantity is quite small, over time, it accumulates to a considerable amount.

In this situation, the vital energy within him was naturally much stronger, subtly reaching the mid-level of the fourth stage of Qi Refinement.

Half of the people in the city are influential figures, while the rest are mostly martial artists or commoners who have come upon hearing the news. After all, Qin Zhan and Lin Shan are about to become disciples of the Sheng Xuan Sect, and it is highly likely that they will be inner disciples. If this news spreads in the future, it will bring them considerable prestige, thus they have voluntarily come out to see the two off.

Seventy percent of the strength... still cannot harm the meridians

The immense influence of the Holy Xuan Sect in the Enlightened Kingdom is clearly revealed at this moment

When Qin Zhan concentrated all the true energy of the fourth layer of Qi Refinement and struck that meridian with full force, he only slightly felt a twinge of pain from the meridian... However, it was merely a twinge of pain, far from being able to destroy the meridian in one blow.

This result immediately caused Qin Zhan to take a deep breath of cold air

Shan'er

Absorbing that pure energy not only did not cause any harm to the meridian, but instead made that meridian's strength and resilience far surpass those in other areas

On the second day, most of the prominent families in the city learned that Qin Zhan and Lin Shan would be entering the country's largest sect, Sheng Xuan Zong, under the recommendation of the innate powerhouse Zhang Wang. In an instant, they all gathered at the city gate to send them off, and when the time for departure arrived, over a thousand people had gathered at the city gate.

... ...

The cultivation of mental strength must not be relaxed any further

Qin Zhan pondered for a moment, then immediately mobilized the energy of his four levels of Qi Refinement from his Dantian, directing it into this meridian. He then circulated his true energy and began to strike this meridian.

A refreshing fragrant breeze swept in through the door, and Lin Shan, with her long flowing hair and dressed in a light blue long dress, entered gracefully

Holy Profound Sect

A force of one unit... no response!

A month later, the two had gained a preliminary mastery of the Xuanxu Sword Technique. Although in life-and-death battles they might still fall slightly short compared to those seasoned practitioners at the third level of Qi Refinement, they were more than sufficient when competing against external disciples aged fourteen or fifteen.

"Xiao Zhan'er, Xiao Zhan'er, you are awake. Seeing you smile so happily, what good news do you have?"

Qin Zhan lay down, following her soft jade hand, yet he was still unwilling to close his eyes. He kept them open, gazing at her as if fearing she might disappear in the next moment.

The spirit of Qin Zhan is invigorated