Chapter 12 Reviewing the Spoils, Great Sun Body Refining Art!

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Reviewing the Spoils, Great Sun Body Refining Art!

After calming himself, the Grand Elder spoke in a hoarse voice.

"The Mercer Family belongs to all of us. As the Grand Elder, this is simply what I should do."

"Why be modest?"

Julian Mercer’s tone remained firm.

"This Patriarch has always been clear about rewards and punishments. If there is merit, there must be a reward. Seeing that your Qi and blood are weak and your foundation has been damaged, I still have a Marrow Cleansing Pill and a bottle of Yuan-Enhancing Pills here. Take them and consume them. I also have a Cultivation Method. Take that as well."

As he spoke, Julian took out the newly obtained bottle of Yuan-Enhancing Pills, the Marrow Cleansing Pill, and the Pure Yang Technique before handing them to the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder’s hands trembled as he carefully accepted them.

His gaze settled on the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

For a moment, he could not speak.

He understood his own condition better than anyone.

After several failed breakthrough attempts over the years, his foundation had been damaged repeatedly. He had long believed that his cultivation would remain stuck at its current level for the rest of his life.

But the Marrow Cleansing Pill was different.

After witnessing its effects on the Clan, a faint hope finally appeared in the depths of his eyes.

The bottleneck that had imprisoned him for so many years might actually be broken.

And then there was the bottle of Yuan-Enhancing Pills.

Although their value was somewhat lower than the Marrow Cleansing Pill, they possessed the extraordinary ability to rapidly increase the cultivation of Heavenly Origin Realm cultivators.

They were extremely rare treasures.

In the past, even if the entire Mercer Family had emptied its treasury, they might not have been able to purchase a single one.

Yet now, an entire bottle had fallen into his hands.

The Grand Elder’s heart trembled with excitement.

He carefully placed the Marrow Cleansing Pill aside before picking up the Cultivation Method.

At first, he assumed it was merely another Cultivation Method collected by the Clan and had not paid much attention to it.

But after casually flipping through a few pages, his expression suddenly changed.

His pupils contracted.

His breathing became noticeably heavier.

"This..."

His hands trembled.

"This is..."

An Earth Rank, Top Grade Cultivation Method!

The Grand Elder’s mind went blank.

He had never imagined that the Pure Yang Technique bestowed upon him by the Patriarch would actually be such an extraordinary Cultivation Method.

More importantly, Julian had given it to him without the slightest hesitation.

"Tha... Thank you, Patriarch!"

Tears of joy streamed down the Grand Elder’s face.

As an Elder who had devoted his entire life to the Mercer Family, he had never expected to receive such a precious treasure personally.

Yet he did not question where Julian had obtained it.

He did not wonder what kind of opportunity the Patriarch had encountered during his years of closed-door cultivation.

Those things were not important to him.

What mattered was that the Mercer Family had become stronger.

As long as the Clan continued to prosper under Julian’s leadership, that was enough.

At the same time, the Grand Elder understood why Julian had not directly told him the grade of the Cultivation Method.

An Earth Rank, Top Grade Cultivation Method was far too valuable.

With the Mercer Family’s current strength, if news of such a technique spread, they might attract trouble from forces they could not afford to provoke.

Keeping it secret was the safest choice.

Once the Mercer Family became strong enough, there would be plenty of opportunities to reveal it.

Julian noticed that the Grand Elder had understood his intentions and did not explain further.

He simply nodded.

Then he walked toward a wooden box nearby.

With a casual wave of his hand, the box shattered.

A pile of Spirit Stones was revealed inside.

Julian moved to the next wooden box and shattered it as well.

This time, numerous pitch-black Medicinal Pills rolled into view.

Julian turned toward the assembled Mercer Family members.

"All Mercer Family members who participated in the battle to annihilate the Rourke Family will receive ten Spirit Stones and three Qi-Guiding Pills as a reward."

The hall immediately fell silent.

Julian continued.

"And remember, this is not the last time."

His gaze swept across everyone.

"From today onward, as long as you contribute to the Clan, I will treat everyone equally. Whether you belong to the direct line, a collateral branch, or another branch of the family, merit will be rewarded."

His voice became firm.

"I will never withhold a reward that rightfully belongs to you simply because of your identity."

The moment those words fell, the entire hall erupted.

"Long live the Patriarch!"

"Long live the Patriarch!"

Cheers thundered through the hall.

Some of the Clan members were so excited that their faces turned red.

Originally, many of them had assumed that only the most outstanding members would receive rewards.

They had never expected Julian to include everyone who had participated in the battle.

Ten Spirit Stones and three Qi-Guiding Pills might not compare to a Marrow Cleansing Pill, but to ordinary Mercer Family members, it was still a considerable reward.

In the past, they would have needed to save for more than a year before accumulating enough resources to exchange for something similar.

Now, they had received them simply by contributing to the Clan.

That realization made their respect for Julian grow even stronger.

Not long afterward, the rewards were distributed.

The remaining resources were transported to the Clan treasury.

After collecting the rewards issued by the System, Julian gave the order to end the assembly.

The numerous Mercer Family members left the hall one after another, each carrying their rewards with satisfied expressions.

Soon, the previously crowded hall became quiet.

Julian did not linger.

He followed the route he remembered and returned to his own room.

Fortunately, although he had spent several years in closed-door cultivation, his room had continued to be cleaned regularly.

Everything remained spotless.

His body was even cleaner.

The spiritual power that had constantly washed through his body during his cultivation had scoured away every trace of dirt. Despite not bathing for several years, his skin remained smooth and clean.

Still, when Julian remembered the bloodstains covering his clothes from the battle, he removed them and changed into a fresh set of white martial robes.

Only then did he sit down beside his bed.

Now was the time to examine his gains.

The first thing Julian thought about was the Great Sun Body Refining Art.

Through the System’s indoctrination, the entire Cultivation Method had already been firmly engraved within his mind.

The Great Sun Body Refining Art drew upon the power of the sun’s starlight to temper the Physical Body.

As cultivation progressed, Qi and blood would become increasingly powerful, surging through the body like an endless ocean.

According to the Cultivation Method, once an ordinary cultivator reached the Mastery Realm, their Physical Body could withstand the might of an Earth Rank Dharma Treasure head-on.

At that point, their body itself would be comparable to a mobile Dharma Treasure.

And Julian was no ordinary cultivator.

With the Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo, his Physical Body was already extraordinary.

If he cultivated the Great Sun Body Refining Art to Mastery, resisting a Heaven Rank Dharma Treasure head-on might not be difficult.

Thinking of this, Julian’s eyes became slightly brighter.

He immediately began following the cultivation method.

He guided his Spiritual Power and attempted to absorb the first wisp of sun’s starlight permeating the surrounding air.

The moment the Great Sun Body Refining Art circulated, Julian’s body underwent a dramatic transformation.

It seemed to turn into a gigantic vortex.

The surrounding sun’s starlight began rushing toward him at an astonishing speed.

Wisps of golden radiance entered his body.

They flowed through his muscles, bones, skin, and flesh, constantly tempering every part of his Physical Body.

His Qi and blood began to surge.

In less than ten breaths, the concentrated sun’s starlight gathered around him and formed a faint golden halo.

Julian sat within it like an immortal who had descended into the mortal world.

After completing one cycle of the Great Sun Body Refining Art, he temporarily stopped.

He carefully sensed the changes within his body.

The cultivation time had been too short for the effect to become truly significant, but even so, he could clearly feel that his Physical Body had become slightly stronger.

Julian nodded with satisfaction.

As expected of an Earth Rank, Top Grade Body Refining Cultivation Method.

He had only completed a single small cycle, yet it had already produced such a noticeable effect.

If he cultivated it continuously, the improvement would undoubtedly become considerable.

At the same time, another thought emerged in his mind.

The Great Sun Body Refining Art was extremely yang and rigid.

The Pure Yang Technique was also a cultivation path focused on yang energy.

Since both techniques possessed similar attributes, could they complement each other?

If they could, perhaps cultivating both would produce twice the result with half the effort.

Unfortunately, his cultivation time was still too short to determine the answer.

After cultivating for an entire night, however, he should have a clear conclusion.

Julian pushed the thought aside.

His attention then turned toward his next reward.

With a thought, a yellow medicine bottle appeared in his hand.

This was the reward obtained from investing in Adrian Mercer.

The Vajra Pills.

Julian opened the bottle and poured one into his palm.

The pill was orange-yellow and perfectly round.

A refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately spread through the room.

Just inhaling the scent made his mind feel clearer.

Julian’s anticipation grew.

An Earth Rank, Top Grade Medicinal Pill could not possibly be ordinary.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and swallowed the Vajra Pill.

The pill melted the instant it entered his mouth.

Pure medicinal liquid flowed down his throat before rapidly spreading throughout his limbs and bones.

A powerful heat immediately surged through his body.

Julian’s eyes flickered.

He could clearly feel the extraordinary medicinal power coursing through him.

Without wasting any time, he began circulating the Great Sun Body Refining Art.

Wisps of sun’s starlight were drawn into his body.

The golden power rapidly fused with the medicinal energy of the Vajra Pill.

The two forces intertwined and began tempering his Physical Body together.

One cycle.

Two cycles.

Three cycles.

...

Nine cycles.

After nine complete cycles of the Great Sun Body Refining Art, the medicinal power of the Vajra Pill had been completely refined.

"Hoo..."

Julian slowly exhaled.

A faint stream of turbid air escaped his mouth.

He opened his eyes.

Brilliant light flashed through them.

"As expected of an Earth Rank, Top Grade Medicinal Pill."

Julian could not help but sigh inwardly.

Under the rapid refinement of the Great Sun Body Refining Art, the medicinal power of the Vajra Pill had not been wasted in the slightest.

Instead, almost every trace of its medicinal efficacy had been fully utilized and absorbed by his body.

In such a short period, he could clearly feel that his Physical Body had become more than twenty percent stronger.

Of course, the improvement would inevitably decrease as his Physical Body became stronger.

The stronger the foundation, the harder it was to achieve the same level of enhancement.

But even so, the current result had already exceeded Julian’s expectations.

His gaze fell upon the yellow medicine bottle in his hand.

There were still countless Vajra Pills waiting inside.

Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

If one Vajra Pill could strengthen his Physical Body to this degree...

Then what would happen after consuming the entire supply?

He possessed a full ten bottles of Vajra Pills.

A faint smile appeared on Julian’s face.

The cultivation path ahead had just become considerably more interesting.