Chapter 254 - 252: Successful Cultivation Technique Fusion

As for the new main quest, it appeared in the system after Yang Shen claimed his reward.

"New Main Quest: Diligently manage the family to enrich its resources. Achieve a monthly income of no less than 1,000 Spirit Stones (623/1000) and have no fewer than 50 people in the family’s service (7/50)."

"Quest Reward: One random Hundred Skills of Cultivation inheritance (includes basic skills and Magic)."

Yang Shen studied it for a moment. If he remembered correctly, the system equated one Spirit Stone to about 10,000 yuan, something he’d learned from completing a similar side quest before.

Currently, the Yang Family’s monthly income was around six million, mostly from their medicinal herb business. It was still a ways off from ten million, but it wasn’t a major issue.

As for the people in the family’s service, besides Lin Yuebai, the other six were likely Ordinary Staff hired recently, a group that probably included some "distant relatives." He had just returned and hadn’t looked into it yet; it wasn’t a high priority.

And while Named Disciples were also distantly related, the system still counted them as disciples.

’I’ll deal with it later. In any case, I wanted to let these people settle in for a bit.’

’This quest doesn’t require my immediate attention. I have my own plans, but not for now.’

After taking care of everything, Yang Shen went to the ancestral hall. He placed the Blood Contract Gourd and the Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record in a hidden compartment behind the ancestral tablets, feeling an ever-growing desire for some kind of storage item.

He then ascended the stairs to the fourth floor of the hall.

Bright moonlight spilled down, outlining two lovely figures from behind.

Despite their loose-fitting clothes, their slender curves were still faintly visible. The moonlight painted their silhouettes silver-white, like an indescribably beautiful ink wash painting.

’Some women are so beautiful, you know it even without seeing their faces.’

Xu Bamboo and Long Jiu were sitting side by side. They had long grown accustomed to cultivating together. Their realms were comparable, and they had started at the same time, so they were of great help to one another.

Xu Bamboo opened her eyes and smiled. "I was starting to think you wouldn’t show up."

"Of course, I had to. Cultivation can’t be delayed. How is your Ancient Skill practice coming along?"

The ’living doll’, of course, remained silent the whole time. Xu Bamboo spoke up, "I feel like I’m not far from the second layer, and Long Jiu is about the same."

"Also, I’ve already reached the Middle Stage of Innate, and Long Jiu isn’t far from the Late-stage Innate."

Yang Shen nodded. With the aid of Cultivation, this speed was normal.

He was naturally at ease about Xu Bamboo, but he hadn’t seen the ’living doll’ in a long time and needed to check on her.

He didn’t shy away, placing his hand on the back of Long Jiu’s pale neck right in front of Xu Bamboo.

Her skin was cool and smooth to the touch, and the fine hairs on her nape were soft.

Long Jiu remained expressionless, her vacant eyes looking at Yang Shen, but without focus.

Xu Bamboo watched the somewhat intimate gesture but didn’t pay it much mind. She had been cultivating with Long Jiu for the past month and knew full well that this impossibly beautiful girl’s problem wasn’t caused by Yang Shen.

After a moment, Yang Shen withdrew his hand. "There’s no difference... It hasn’t changed, but it hasn’t worsened either..."

Xu Bamboo subconsciously took Long Jiu’s hand. "Is her condition really impossible to solve?"

A pale heart, locked in a cage—the feeling reminded Xu Bamboo of her former self, which was why she always felt so much empathy for Long Jiu.

Yang Shen sighed, thinking of everything that had happened at sea.

"There are some new leads... but what we really need isn’t the truth, it’s a solution. We’ll have to look for one in the Si Realm in the future... and we’ll still have to start with the Rebel Species."

Xu Bamboo nodded. "This time, I’m going with you."

Yang Shen thought for a moment and didn’t refuse.

’The nights in Jianghuai are vibrant enough; there’s certainly room for Zhuzi...’

"But... let me rest for a couple of days first. I just got back~"

"Of course."

With that, Yang Shen sat down cross-legged.

All three of them fell silent.

Only the Spiritual Qi in the air was continuously guided...

——————

「The next morning.」

When Yang Shen opened his eyes, the Rising Sun outside the window had just revealed a sliver of gold.

Knowing what Yang Shen was about to do, Xu Bamboo pulled Long Jiu aside to make room.

She had yet to form a Martial Dao Will, so it didn’t matter what time she did her Body Refining.

Yang Shen glanced back with a smile, then cleared his mind and began his Rising Sun Body Forging.

’When it comes to suns, the one on Cyan Blue Star is the real deal.’ The warmth completely soaked into Yang Shen, and every one of his movements was as dignified and proper as the nascent sun.

After returning from the Vast Sea, his power had reached a new level. Not only had his Cultivation Side realm reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer thanks to his epiphany from the Quenching Body, but consuming the Dragon Blood had also granted him a massive Source Supplement for his physical body.

In total, it was probably close to 600 points.

This was undoubtedly an outrageous boost, an ultimate numerical gain that no medicine could compare to, and it came with no side effects.

To put it in perspective, one portion of Dragon Blood was enough to numerically push six ordinary people into the initial stage of Bone Training.

Of course, that was assuming they could solidify and digest it.

When he returned from the Noon Realm, Yang Shen’s Qi and Blood Value was around 2200. He hadn’t been idle during the few days on the road. Once he finished digesting and solidifying the benefits from the Dragon Blood, he would smoothly cross the 2600 threshold and enter the Late-stage Innate.

He was rapidly advancing toward the True Gang Realm.

’What level was that, exactly?’

For example, the 100th and last person on the Qilin List: the Sword Monk, Shi Haiwen. Twenty-four years old, Early-stage True Gang...

Even if he was a monster among those in the Early-stage True Gang, undefeated in his realm and capable of fighting those in higher realms, he was still just in the Early-stage True Gang.

Luo Sheng, the chosen one of Nanliang High School back in the day, comprehended Fist Intent in high school but only reached the Early-stage True Gang at the age of 30.

At Jiangti, there were plenty of students who only reached the Innate realm in their senior year.

The progression from the initial to the late stage of Innate—the last Martial Arts realm one could cross solely by accumulating Source Supplement—was a lifetime’s journey for most people.

But Yang Shen had walked this path in less than half a year. He planned to break through to the Early-stage True Gang before he turned 19.

As long as his combat performance didn’t falter, and he had enough achievements and comparable examples of his strength, he would most likely enter the Qilin List directly and become its youngest member.

Among the examples Yang Shen knew of, only Xu Bamboo’s father, Xu Cheng, was comparable—a "hero of a great clan" who had been at the Middle Stage of Innate when he took the college entrance exams and broke through to True Gang in his sophomore year.

Incidentally, Yang Shen felt that within a year, Zhuzi and Long Jiu would also reach the Early-stage True Gang.

’If things dragged on a bit longer, even Lei Lv and the others might catch up...’

’The benefits of Cultivation are just too overpowered.’

This trip to the Noon Realm had been a massive harvest for him in every aspect—his Dao Heart, his insights, his realm, and his Qi and Blood.

As Yang Shen moved through the forms, the Rising Sun also slowly ascended, and his movements became increasingly harmonious and free.

He had already reached the pinnacle of the Initial Realm Body Refining Fist—a technique compiled and deduced by Yanhua’s predecessors for all the nation’s initial realm Martial Artists—long before the college entrance exams.

But half a year had passed, and Yang Shen still hadn’t changed his primary Cultivation Technique.

Normally, one would switch their primary technique after reaching the Innate realm. Jiangti had plenty of resources, and techniques like Zhuzi’s Bright Moon Body Refining Technique were inherently compatible with higher realms.

Aside from the fact that he had no lack of efficiency in Strengthening Qi and Blood Value, the main reason was that he felt there was still room for further improvement.

And after obtaining the treasure from the Qi Storage Pavilion, he had found a tangible path forward.

During his recent trip, especially his time in the Noon Realm, the lack of Spiritual Qi had made cultivation inefficient. So instead, Yang Shen had focused all his energy on deducing how to merge Cultivation Techniques. Now, he was just one step away.

Behind him, Xu Bamboo sensed a difference in Yang Shen. His fists and kicks were no longer purely the familiar Initial Realm Body Refining Fist; many other things had been integrated into it.

His arms were like vines, his spine like a dragon... his will like a god!

For a moment, Xu Bamboo was completely mesmerized.

’She even felt her own understanding of Martial Arts deepening significantly just from watching...’

Yang Shen’s attainments and talent in Fist Techniques were truly immense. This wasn’t something the system gave him; he was born with it.

And as a Cultivator, his ability to keenly sense the circulation of Source within his body gave him the opportunity to deduce, create, and merge Cultivation Techniques.

After a moment, Yang Shen felt he had grasped a sliver of opportunity, but it remained elusive. He was in his most enlightened state under the Rising Sun, yet he couldn’t break through that final barrier.

So he said softly, "Zhuzi, bring me some Heart-Inquiry Water..."

Xu Bamboo reacted instantly. She leaped down from the fourth floor and returned in less than twenty seconds with a bowl, not a single drop spilled, a testament to her exquisite control over her power.

Yang Shen wasted no words. After downing the bowl of Heart-Inquiry Water, he continued to practice, deducing through movement, guiding his fists with his will.

The Rising Sun climbed higher and higher. Gradually, Yang Shen felt his peak state beginning to fade, and a sense of regret washed over him, for he had failed to achieve his goal today.

However... a certain realization flashed through his mind...

It was precisely because his state was declining that Yang Shen realized the oversight in what he was doing.

’My body under the Rising Sun... it’s too strong!’

’The circulation of all Spiritual Qi and Source in my body is perfectly clear, without a single obstruction. Naturally, it’s hard to perceive the subtle conflicts between the techniques. On the contrary, practicing in a normal state... no, to be precise, practicing in a *weakened* state is the only way to test my ideas.’

’Because most people could never be stronger than I am under the Rising Sun.’

’I’m not trying to break through to a new realm; I’m trying to improve a Cultivation Technique. I can’t just stand on the summit and ignore the valleys.’

So, even when the sun had fully risen, Yang Shen didn’t stop. His movements grew weaker and stiffer.

They were no longer harmonious and powerful.

It was as if he were experiencing the full trajectory of the sun: from the momentum of the Rising Sun, to the brilliance of high noon, and finally, bit by bit, fading away until only a sliver of the setting sun remained...

He continued for far longer than usual, but no one disturbed him.

Xu Bamboo stayed by his side, in case Yang Shen needed anything.

A full three hours passed... Suddenly, Yang Shen paused. He seemed to be in a daze for a moment before slowly retracting his fist stance.

When he opened his eyes, a golden glint shone in them, lingering for a long time.

Previously, this phenomenon had only ever appeared under the Rising Sun...

He had finally finished deducing the fusion of his Cultivation Techniques.

Using the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist as a foundation, he integrated the Qi Daoist Techniques Vomiting Valley Qi and Refining Grease and Grain, supplementing them with his own understanding of Body Forging fists, as well as his insights from both the Martial Arts Side and the Cultivation Side.

There was even a trace of the Rising Sun Fist Intent within it...

Finally, he had mastered and synthesized all these elements, trimming the fat and keeping the essence, to condense them into... a Body Refining Technique that belonged solely to the Yang Family!

It not only possessed a stronger ability for Strengthening Qi and Blood Value, but could also gradually clear the accumulated residue of medicines from the body...

Furthermore, this technique had the potential to become a preparatory tool for the Cultivation Side. After long-term practice, if one had the chance to begin Cultivation, their starting point would be higher than someone starting from scratch.

Yang Shen exhaled a stream of white qi, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. With this, all preparations for the Blood Contract Gourd’s ritual were complete.

’The name of a Martial Arts Clan’s secret transmission isn’t really important. It could just be called ’Yang’s Body Refining Technique,’ since it’s not like we’re going to sell it or register a patent.’

’But having a good name is also beneficial for Cultivation.’

’If you called it the Flies and Dogs’ Body Refining Technique, your clan members would naturally lack motivation when practicing it, and their Martial Dao Will might even crumble.’

Yang Shen recalled the process he had just gone through, how his state had seemed to experience a full sunrise and sunset, and an idea came to him.

’How about I call it....’

’The Sun Wheel Body Refining Technique.’