Chapter 472: A Land for Raising Soldiers

"Huh."

"Hss."

In the small room, Li Yuan stood with hands hanging at his sides, half-closed eyes, sensing the rhythms of his internal organs.

Organs, major tendons, flesh and meridians!

The rhythmic sounds of all organs converged in his heart.

At his current speed in lightness arts, if he let loose, he was far faster than any carriage or boat.

The advantage of traveling by boat or carriage was that it didn't interrupt daily cultivation.

Over the past two months, his cultivation had been diligent: whether strengthening true qi and physique, advancing stances, altering his root bones, or practicing the many hammer arts and lightness techniques he studied in parallel, all had made great strides.

Most of the hundreds of martial arts borrowed from the scripture library were already largely complete, a small portion fully perfected, and his root bones had been altered dozens of times.

In contrast, the divine arts, limited by his failure to enter the Dao, remained stuck at the fourth or fifth level.

Those not bound by realm, such as Tianyi Nine Refinements, had reached the sixth refinement; his true qi grew ever more abundant, and his Worshipful Contemplation method had also advanced significantly.

Weng!

The rhythmic sounds of all organs echoed within his heart.

Li Yuan slowly pushed the Long Hu Great Stance; the trembling vibrations of his organs resonated through his body and faintly echoed within the room.

Threads of Whale True Qi spread outward, swirling around him,

like clouds and mist, with countless shadows flickering and intertwining within, sinking and rising.

These shadows resembled monkeys, tigers and leopards, dragons and serpents!

"Seven hundred and thirty-six forms."

Li Yuan kept his eyes closed!

He could feel the countless shadows revolving around him; the two hundred new forms came mostly from the Hundred Forms Pill, a smaller portion from the martial arts he practiced in parallel.

As for the "Ancient Spirit Elephant Hammer's" "Whip of the Nine Serpents,"

the Six Spirit Elephants' "Nine Serpent Body" was simultaneously being cultivated!

"Spirit Elephants like dragons: one elephant, six forms; six elephants, thirty-six; three forms make one serpent; nine serpents, twenty-seven. Hmm, this will soon reach eight hundred!"

Li Yuan's heart surged with excitement!

He still had over seventy lightness arts or hammer techniques, either largely complete or perfected; even without altering his Star Jackal Body to its full thousand forms, he was truly within reach!

⊙￠o

Oo!

Li Yuan multi-tasked, yet most of his focus lay upon the Spirit Light Realm.

Within the Spirit Light Realm, Lei Long still chased the Wan Leishi; this strange stone gifted by Jin Shengwu continued slowly altering Lei Long's form and purifying Whale True Qi.

Thunder is the form of heaven and earth, yet thunder has many kinds; compared to beast forms, heavenly and earthly forms are mostly invisible and less direct.

Opposite Lei Long, on the other half of the Spirit Light Realm, lay the Long Hu Yang Pure Sword, acquired from Nie Xianshan.

This sword-form, carrying a hint of spiritual semblance, emitted a faint hum under Li Yuan's perception; over these two months, he had devoted considerable effort to it.

The complete mastery of Liehai Whale Hammer and Long Hu Nourishing Furnace required the "Nourishing Scripture" and "Soldier-Nourishing Scripture," both needing the Divine Realm—he naturally took this seriously.

"Blood replacement is the union of essence and qi; entering the Dao is the union of qi and spirit; Grand Master is the unification of the Three Primordials."

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

The benefit of asking questions and learning widely was clear: though he had not yet replaced his blood, his understanding of the next major realms was already profound.

Martial cultivation—from internal qi and strength, to entering the Dao, to unification—is the path of refining essence, qi, and spirit as one.

"To transform the Spirit Light Realm into the Divine Realm, true qi must be guided into it!"

Casting the Divine Realm was not complex, yet its difficulty was extreme: guiding true qi into the Spirit Light Realm demanded exquisite control over true qi and immense spiritual strength.

Additionally, it required abundant spiritual pills and incense to replenish qi and nourish spirit.

"The presence of this Yang Pure Sword-form can guide Yang Pure Qi; moreover, it contains Nie the Daoist's cultivation essence—this step of guiding true qi is no obstacle for me!"

"And my spiritual strength is equally sufficient!"

Li Yuan had a clear self-awareness.

Each time he entered the Whale Secret Realm or the Nourishing Secret Realm, he absorbed a thread of Divine Weapon Qi, which nourished his spirit

and soul.

Combined with his practice of various contemplation methods, he had long achieved spirit-body separation, and his spiritual strength met the minimum requirement for casting the Divine Realm.

As for spiritual pills and incense, they were no problem for him.

"Huh."

After a long while, Li Yuan opened his eyes, replaced the Lei Shouling Pill, flicked his finger, and a blade of light slashed away the black hairs that had grown over his body.

"The Hundred Forms Pill has mostly been digested; the medicinal power of the Long Hu Great Pill is also nearly spent!"

Li Yuan mentally calculated.

Root bone alteration required medicinal replenishment; after over two hundred new forms, nearly eighty percent of the second Long Hu Great Pill's power had been consumed.

Of course, this also included the expenditure from hammering organs and bone marrow, and from Tianyi Nine Refinements.

He was ready to try.

Li Yuan took out the Shen Long and placed it aside, flicked his finger to wake the little rat, then lit the spiritual incense and sat quietly upon his bed.

The faint scent of spiritual incense drifted between Li Yuan's nose and mouth.

He closed his eyes, internally observed his body; with a thought, the abundant Whale Qi instantly retreated into his acupoints and dantian.

Then, threads of Yang Pure Qi rose from within him.

With the Yang Pure Sword-form present, the Nourishing Yang and Long Hu Mystic Scripture, both learned from Nie Xianshan, had long been mastered, and he had cultivated matching true qi.

"Sword-form."

Li Yuan murmured to himself, activating the Yang Pure Qi.

For martial practice, his attitude was always caution first—he rehearsed and reviewed repeatedly before cultivation, but once prepared, he acted decisively.

Hum!

Threads of Yang Pure Qi rose, drifting along the thirty-six qi channels scattered across his body, slowly sinking into his third eye.

The Spirit Light Realm was not a physical place, nor was it beneath the third eye,

yet as true qi passed through the third eye downward, Li Yuan faintly sensed the Spirit Light Realm trembling.

"The third eye must contain an acupoint!"

Amid the swirling incense smoke, Li Yuan's thoughts raced swiftly, yet his mind remained serene.

He had cultivated the Worshipful Contemplation method to considerable depth, but lacking a complementary supreme art, he could not yet locate acupoints within his body; still, he had faint sensations of them.

"Perhaps, I can use this to discover another acupoint?"

As Li Yuan's thought turned, a thunderous boom erupted in his mind, causing his body to shudder violently.

"Mm."

At the bedside, the Shen Long Belt trembled slightly; the little female dragon slowly lifted her head, seeing a thread of qi rise from Li Yuan's body, intertwining into a mist that gathered above his head.

Faintly, the sound of Long Yinhuxiao echoed.

"He… is he casting the Divine Realm?"

The little female dragon's heart jolted, utterly astonished.

Li Yuan daily offered blood and true qi to refine and warm the Shen Long Belt; she naturally knew his martial cultivation level.

A boy who had not yet replaced his blood was attempting to condense the Divine Realm?

"This!!"

The little female dragon was profoundly shocked.

Her Shen Long clan was born already entered the Dao, yet she understood human martial cultivation well—even having attempted it herself.

This made no sense!

"Pah."

The little female dragon instinctively leaned closer to look, but felt her body sink— a small, heavy rat slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

Looking at the snarling, fat rat, her mood plummeted—when had she sunk so low as to be bullied by a rat?

Looking at the fat rat baring its teeth, the little female dragon's mood plummeted—when had she sunk so low as to be bullied by a rat?

Li Yuan heard the sound of thunder, then saw lightning.

A gloom was torn apart by electric serpents, then the mind's space blazed with light.

"I've truly found an acupoint."

Li Yuan's spirit felt a momentary daze.

In his perception, a star had been lit within his mind, radiating a faint but unceasing glow.

A warmth flowed from his third eye, spreading swiftly through his entire body.

"Third eye… could this be, the Niwan Palace?"

Li Yuan's spirit sharpened!

He had studied few Daoist scriptures, remembered even fewer, but he knew of the Niwan Palace.

"The Spirit Light Realm… is it the Niwan Palace?"

"Between the eyebrows... could this be the Niwan Palace?"

Li Yuan's spirit surged!

He had studied few Daoist scriptures, and remembered even fewer, but he knew of the Niwan Palace.

"The place of spiritual light—is that the Niwan Palace?"

Li Yuan suddenly understood!

In the instant his niwan palace opened, he heard a cacophony of chaotic sounds!

Intestines churned, blood flowed, tendons and bones rubbed together!

These subtle, repetitive sounds naturally converged; with a single thought, he could clearly perceive the tiniest vibrations in his entire body!

And he could control and direct them.

"Niwan!"

Li Yuan felt a surge of delight, but had no time to dwell on it; after a brief thought, his spirit gathered within the niwan palace!

Within the niwan palace, dark shadows interwove—that was the realm of spiritual light!

Among them, Long Long's radiance had been suppressed to a very low level, while the Yang Sword shape blazed with brilliant light, drawing in streams of pure yang true qi into the realm of spiritual light!

"Yang Bing Jing."

Li Yuan did not dare slacken; he focused intensely and, with his powerful spiritual force, forcibly restrained the fine threads of pure yang true qi!

Following the Yang Bing Jing's circulation path, he bound the pure yang true qi within a tiny space!

Hum!

A faint, elusive wave of sound echoed in his ears!

Under Li Yuan's control, those threads of pure yang true qi transformed into the dragon and tiger shadows he had once visualized—corresponding to the Yang Sword shape!

"The essence of Yang Bing Jing is the Yang Bing land."

Li Yuan murmured to himself!

He had long memorized the Yang Bing Jing's text; now, as his mind shifted, the realm of spiritual light trembled slightly as the dragon and tiger shadows dispersed!

Taking the Yang Sword shape as foundation, he began to condense the Yang Bing land!

Ming.

Li Yuan's body shuddered; within his abdomen, the Long Hu Modadan—now nearly depleted of its medicinal power—cracked into powder!

A torrent of medicinal power spread through his body, stimulating the generation of vast amounts of pure yang true qi; the qi surged, flowing through the meridian network and pouring into the niwan palace!

Hum!

Hum hum!

After a long while, Li Yuan heard a tremendous roar; suddenly, the realm of spiritual light within the niwan palace erupted in brilliant light!

When the light faded, Li Yuan focused his perception!

There lay a barren, dull patch of land, its surface lifeless; the Yang Sword shape, dim and fading, was planted upon it, dissolving at a visible pace!

Soon, it became mere light and shadow, entirely absorbed by the barren land!

"Ang."

Long Long let out a joyful, prolonged roar, as if celebrating the sword shape's dissolution!

"This… is the Yang Bing land?"

Li Yuan concentrated intensely!

The barren land was tiny—barely large enough to hold a single Yang Sword shape, and far smaller than Long Long; yet unlike Long Long, this land felt slightly substantial in his perception!

"The Yang Bing land is the essence of Yang Bing Jing. The entire cultivation of this divine art lies in nourishing and expanding this land!"

With one successful cultivation, Li Yuan felt joy!

Though this Yang Bing land was formed from the Yang Sword shape and contained none of his own spirit, making it of the lowest quality, it was still a Yang Bing land!

Its formation meant he had now reached the first level of Yang Bing Jing!

Thus, he could now meet the control condition of the Xuan Jing Dou Chui, which bore the enhancement "Yang Bing Jing, Level Two," obtained from the True Transmission Trial!

Furthermore, he could now meet the control condition of another Xuan Jing Dou Chui, enhanced with "Yang Bing Jing, Level Three"!

"Next, I only need to gather a thousand forms, then forge a weapon enhanced with 'Yang Bing Jing, Level Five,' and I will fully control the Lie Hai Xuan Jing Chui."

In the room, Li Yuan exhaled, exhausted yet delighted, and fell into a deep sleep!

The little mouse, which had been holding its ground against the Shen Long's belt for a long while, finally squeaked and darted into the wall hole, trembling!

Glancing at the mouse in the wall hole, the little female dragon carefully studied Li Yuan, lost in thought!

Li Yuan slept soundly this time!

When he awoke again, the sun was high; he stretched his limbs and felt utterly refreshed!

When he woke again, the sun was high overhead; he stretched his limbs and felt utterly refreshed in body and mind.

Li Yuan sat up, closed his eyes, and began perceiving the newly formed Yang Bing land!

The barren land was pitifully small—not even worthy of being called a "spiritual realm," merely a nascent form—but it did nothing to dampen his spirits!

This was his hope for fully controlling the Lie Hai Xuan Jing Chui!

This was his only hope of fully mastering the Split-Sea Black Whale Hammer!

"Even a dim shape is a spiritual realm. With this Yang Bing land as foundation, once I reach Level Six in Long Hu Xuan Jing and Yang Sheng Yang Yang, I will qualify to condense a 'Pure Yang Sword Spirit Form.'"

"The Divine Time Wrinkle Form is also a Divine Realm; with this training ground as its foundation, once I reach the sixth level of the Dragon-Tiger Mystic Scripture and the Nourishing Pure Yang Art, I will have the qualification to condense the 'Pure Yang Sword Spirit Form.'"

His Yang Bing land was no true spiritual realm—it contained no Xuan Jing qi, nor any spirit within him—and the only spirit form he could condense was the Dragon-Tiger Pure Yang Sword!

This training ground of his is not a true Divine Realm—it contains no Black Whale true qi, and within his spiritual soul, the only spirit form he can condense is the Dragon-Tiger Pure Yang Sword!

"Half-step Sect Master?"

The thought flashed through his mind; Li Yuan focused on the Yang Bing land, carefully perceiving it!

Compared to the Old Dragon Head, the Lord of Zhaixing Tower, or the Dragon Dao Master's spiritual realms, his nascent realm was pitifully meager and crude!

"The Yang Bing land is the finest forge. Pouring molten metal into it allows one, according to the divine patterns one knows, to forge corresponding divine weapons!"

Comparing it to Yang Bing Jing, Li Yuan found his barren land even more pathetic—it was no true spiritual realm, and had not even sprouted the soil needed to forge a divine weapon!

At least, it must grow tenfold before it could nurture a divine weapon!

"To expand a spiritual realm, one must use a spirit form as a medium, drawing in celestial wonders of heaven and earth—or divine weapon patterns…"

Li Yuan was immersed in familiarizing himself with the Yang Bing land and had no desire to leave!

Around noon, Monk Liaokong came to knock on the door; Li Yuan fobbed him off, and had to notify the Xin Yi Jiao members to rest another day!

Before nightfall, after sitting still all day, Li Yuan stirred, opened his eyes, and the little tiger cub, missing for a full day and night, darted in!

Before nightfall, after sitting still all day, Li Yuan stirred in his heart, opened his eyes, and the little tiger cub, vanished for a full day and night, flashed inside!

Li Yuan glared fiercely at the little brat, then frowned and plucked a letter from the cub's body!

"Is this… a letter from Zhaixing Tower?"

"Is this a letter from the Star Plucking Tower?"