Chapter 49: The Cultivation of the Second Refinement
Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Cultivation of the Second Refinement
The day was unexpectedly calm.
Yang Wenqing sat behind his desk, a few recently issued documents from the main office spread out before him.
One was titled "Directive on Strengthening the Foundational Framework of City Defense System Field Teams," and it was filled with boilerplate phrases about enhancing political awareness. The other was "A Briefing on Recent Northern Border Conflicts and Guidance for All Regions to Heighten Alertness." It mentioned an increase in border skirmishes and required all branch offices to raise their alert levels, but the details were vague.
He read the documents carefully, trying to read between the lines to grasp the shifting political winds from higher up. These seemingly dry official papers often hinted at resource allocation and future work priorities.
During the day, Zhao Qin and Qian You were sent to handle a large-scale brawl sparked by a dispute between merchants. They only returned near the end of the workday. According to Zhao Qin’s report, it wasn’t a major issue—just a jurisdictional conflict between two public security offices.
"Good work." Yang Wenqing acknowledged their efficiency. Zhao Qin’s face immediately lit up with a flattered expression, while Qian You simply gave a calm nod.
When quitting time arrived, Yang Wenqing left the branch office right on schedule.
He didn’t linger outside. He first went home to make a quick bowl of noodles for dinner, then headed to a nearby sundry shop, where he spent one thousand five hundred yuan to purchase three standard energy cores made for Arrays.
It was already dark when he got back to his home in Dongning Community. Yang Wenqing immediately locked the door behind him and laid out his new purchases on the living room floor: silver powder, Clear Heart Grass powder, a Xuan Turtle Shell, and the three runic energy cores. He also took out the precious bottle of hundred-year-old Stone Marrow Liquid.
Afterward, Yang Wenqing practiced inscribing the Array twice and ran two more simulations in the Golden Core World. Only after confirming there were no issues did he adjust his mindset and prepare for the real thing.
First, he carefully spread the Clear Heart Grass powder evenly on the floor, outlining the outermost ring of the Array. A faint, tranquil aura immediately began to permeate the air.
Next, he took out the silver powder. Using his own Spiritual Power as a guide, he began to meticulously draw the six complex spirit-guiding runes in the middle ring. Thanks to his practice the previous night, his movements were steady and precise. The silver lines flowed smoothly with the flick of his wrist, connecting with one another to form a profound pattern.
Then, he precisely located the three array eyes in the inner ring and firmly embedded the three runic energy cores within them. Instantly, the patterns on the cores’ surfaces perfectly aligned with the spirit-guiding runes drawn in silver sand, triggering a fleeting blue halo.
Finally, he placed the meditation-cushion-sized Xuan Turtle Shell at the Array Base in the center. He then opened the glass vial, dipped his fingertip into a bit of the viscous, hundred-year-old Stone Marrow Liquid, and, holding his breath with focused concentration, wrote the crucial "Zhen" character-rune stroke by stroke onto the middle of the shell.
As the final stroke fell, the rune drawn with the Stone Marrow Liquid flashed with a Spiritual Light and silently sank into the turtle shell.
Yang Wenqing studied the Array for a short while, then formed a hand seal according to the Secret Technique to draw upon the Spiritual Qi in his Qi Sea and attempt to activate it. As the Spell took form, a beam of Spiritual Light shot into the Array. Two seconds later, a low hum resonated, and the entire Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array activated.
The Clear Heart Grass powder emitted a soft white glow, forming an outer barrier that soothed the mind. The silver sand runes of the middle ring shone with a brilliant silver light that complemented the blue glow of the energy cores; they flowed slowly, as if alive, organizing and guiding the Spiritual Qi. The three energy cores in the inner ring steadily outputted pure Spiritual Power. And at the very center, the Xuan Turtle Shell gave off a dense, earthy-yellow halo that merged with the Spiritual Light of the Stone Marrow Liquid, creating a stable force field that enveloped the entire Array.
Standing outside the Array, he could feel a steady, tranquil aura. Yang Wenqing didn’t hesitate for a moment. He stepped into the Array and sat cross-legged on the Xuan Turtle Shell.
In an instant, he felt the space around him become viscous and stable, as if he were enveloped by an invisible earthen power. All external noise was cut off, and his mind naturally grew calm. More importantly, he could feel that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gathering around him had become exceptionally docile and easy to guide.
’What a fantastic Array!’ Yang Wenqing praised inwardly.
He wasted no more time and immediately followed the method of ’Skin and Membranes Like a Drum,’ the Second Refinement of the Nine Refining Secret Skill. He began to guide the Spiritual Qi from his Qi Sea to temper the skin and membranes of his entire body.
With the aid of the Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array, the flow of Spiritual Qi became incredibly smooth. The intense itching and stinging pain from tempering his skin and membranes were also greatly weakened by the Array’s power. Although the sensations remained, they were now well within his tolerance.
Under the clear projection of the Golden Core World, he could see the Spiritual Qi acting like the finest sandpaper, brushing over the deep layers of his skin and membranes again and again. It stimulated the imperceptible fascial tissues, making them tougher.
Feeling the stabilizing effect of the Zhenyuan Nourishing Vein Array, Yang Wenqing decided to strike while the iron was hot. He once again took out the bottle of hundred-year-old Stone Marrow Liquid to aid his cultivation.
He carefully poured about ten grams of the Stone Marrow Liquid into his palm. The liquid was milky white, warm and viscous to the touch, and exuded a rich, heavy aura. He then brought his palms together, executed a Spell to envelop the liquid with his body’s Spiritual Qi, and closed his eyes to concentrate.
As his Cultivation Technique circulated, the Stone Marrow Liquid in his palms was activated. It transformed into a warm, heavy current that seeped directly through the pores of his skin, strand by strand, deep into his skin and membranes.
Under the clear projection of the Golden Core World, Yang Wenqing could see this milky-white medicinal power silently permeating every tiny structure of his skin and membranes. Wherever it passed, the fibers of his skin seemed to be injected with vitality, becoming denser and more resilient.
At the same time, an extremely faint, pale-yellow glimmer began to appear on the surface of his skin, making him look as if he were covered by a barely-there, stone-like film.
This was accompanied by a peculiar sensation, as if his entire skin was being moderately stretched. There was also a gentle, tingling itch, like countless tiny life forces moving just beneath the surface.
Observed through the Golden Core World, the infiltration route of the Stone Marrow Liquid’s medicinal power was clearly visible. It spread in a diffuse manner, evenly covering all his skin and membranes, with a focus on nourishing the areas that were weaker from previous tempering or were currently being impacted by the Spiritual Qi.
A strengthening effect that would have originally required bombarding the area with Spiritual Qi dozens of times could now be achieved in just a few applications under the influence of the Stone Marrow Liquid. What’s more, the foundation it built was even more solid.
Yang Wenqing maintained his focus, guiding his Spiritual Qi to work in concert with the Stone Marrow Liquid’s immense medicinal power, tempering his skin and membranes over and over. The power of his Golden Core was also constantly refining the medicinal residue left in his body, allowing him to perfectly absorb all of the Stone Marrow Liquid’s power.
In just half an hour, the ten grams of Stone Marrow Liquid were completely absorbed. The faint yellow glimmer around his body slowly receded, and the deep tightness and gentle itching also gradually faded away.
He then spent another half an hour healing the hidden injuries his body had sustained from the cultivation.
"Haha, excellent!" Yang Wenqing laughed out loud, feeling exhilarated.
According to the Secret Technique’s records, when cultivating with Stone Marrow Liquid, one could use a maximum of ten grams at a time. After each use, one needed to cultivate for at least a month to cleanse the toxicity brought by the medicinal power before it could be used again. However, with the help of his Golden Core, Yang Wenqing didn’t need to cleanse any toxins at all.
’In other words, if I have enough money, I might be able to complete the Second Refinement in just a few months!’