136: Chapter 136 Another Breakthrough in Body Refinement

Several months had passed since he last consumed the sea spirit ginseng.

The late autumn sea breeze already carried a chill; blowing against the body, it was no longer sticky like in summer, but dry, cold, and carried a faint, salty, fishy scent.

The leaves of the crooked tree in the courtyard had mostly turned yellow; whenever the wind blew, they rustled down, covering the ground in a thin layer.

Lin Xuan stood in the courtyard, facing that crooked tree, eyes closed, breathing deeply.

The sea breeze filled his lungs, cool and moist.

He felt the Thunder Spiritual Energy within his body slowly circulating through his Meridians. The Qi vortex in his Dantian was as solid as substance, the purple thunder seed was shining brilliantly, and his spiritual energy was so full it was almost overflowing.

He had been at the Qi Refining Level 6 Peak for some time now.

He was only a thin layer of window paper away from breaking through to Qi Refining Stage 7.

But that layer of window paper was not so easy to poke through.

Qi Refining Level 6 to 7 was the leap from the Middle Stage to the Late Stage of Qi Refining; it was a qualitative leap.

It required not only the accumulation of spiritual energy but also an insight into his Cultivation Technique and an understanding of the Dao.

It could not be rushed.

Lin Xuan opened his eyes, walked to the center of the courtyard, and began to practice boxing.

It was not a Spell, nor a Martial Skill, but the simplest of boxing techniques—straight punches, chopping palms, kicks, and sweeping legs.

There were no flashy moves, no dazzling special effects, only the purest power of the Physical Body.

With every punch thrown, there was a dull, explosive sound in the air.

With every kick, the bluestone slabs on the ground would vibrate slightly.

Sweat slid down his cheeks, dripped onto the ground, and was quickly dried by the sea breeze.

Beneath his skin, faint purple thunder light flickered in and out of existence, as if tiny thunder snakes were weaving through his blood vessels.

Over these past few months, his Body Refining cultivation had been steadily increasing.

The Realm of 'bones and tendons like jade' had long since stabilized, and the thunder patterns on the surface of his bones were clearly visible, like carved runes.

The tempering of his internal organs was also more than half complete—heart fire was vigorous, liver wood was sprouting, spleen earth was heavy, lung metal was sharp, and kidney water was abundant.

Under the guidance of the Thunder Spiritual Energy, the power of the Five Elements formed a delicate balance, circulating endlessly, growing and thriving.

He could feel that his body was undergoing some kind of qualitative change.

It was not an accumulation of quantity, but a leap in quality.

It was like a piece of iron being repeatedly forged; the Impurities were being eliminated bit by bit, leaving behind something increasingly pure and tough.

And now, he was only one opportunity away from the next leap.

The remaining sea spirit ginseng was that opportunity.

Lin Xuan retracted his fists and returned to the Quiet Room.

He closed the door and sat down cross-legged.

He took the jade box containing the sea spirit ginseng from his Storage Pouch and opened the lid.

A rich medicinal fragrance rushed towards him.

It carried a briny sea scent, but more than that, it was the freshness of vegetation, mixed with a faint sweetness that was refreshing and delightful.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse poked its head in from the doorway, sniffed hard, its eyes bright, and let out two squeaks.

"There is none for you." Lin Xuan glanced at it.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse aggrievedly pulled its head back and ran off.

The sea spirit ginseng lay quietly in the box, its entire body golden, with scale-like patterns clearly visible. The pale purple tender bud at the top had grown a bit longer than a few months ago, and one could faintly see fine thunder patterns circulating on its surface.

Over these few months, although it had left the reef where it grew, under the nourishment of the jade box and Spirit Stone powder, it had not withered; on the contrary, it was even plumper and full of more spiritual energy.

Lin Xuan held the sea spirit ginseng in his palm, closed his eyes, and focused.

He circulated the Thunder Body Refining Technique, letting his spiritual energy slowly flow through his Meridians, adjusting his internal organs to their optimal state.

He took a deep breath and placed the sea spirit ginseng into his mouth.

The ginseng entered his mouth, warm and smooth like jade, with a faint sweetness.

Then—Boom!

A familiar, violent vitality exploded in his abdomen.

But this time, it was even more violent and surging than the last.

If the medicinal power of the medium-sized sea spirit ginseng from last time was like the waves during a high tide, surging in one wave after another—violent, yet still giving him a chance to catch his breath...

…then the medicinal power of this large sea spirit ginseng was like a tsunami—all-encompassing and overwhelming, giving him no space to breathe, directly submerging him.

The massive medicinal power surged out from his abdomen like raging waves, rushing towards his limbs and bones, rushing towards his internal organs.

His Meridians ached with swelling.

His bones creaked and rattled.

His muscles felt as if they were being pricked by countless needles simultaneously.

His heart beat frantically, as if it wanted to jump out of his chest.

Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging, and sweat instantly soaked the clothes on his back.

But he did not stop, nor dared he stop.

He guided that violent medicinal power, following the circulation path of the Thunder Body Refining Technique, bit by bit seeping it into his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

The Thunder Spiritual Energy rumbled within his body, intertwining with the medicinal power of the sea spirit ginseng.

One was fierce and domineering, the other was warm and persistent.

One was like a hammer, the other like an anvil.

Every collision was a forging.

Every forging increased the strength of his internal organs by a fraction.

It hurt.

It fucking hurt.

But Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, not making a sound.

Time passed bit by bit.

The light in the Quiet Room changed from bright to dim, and from dim back to bright.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse squatted at the door, not entering to disturb him.

The Pangolin lay in the courtyard, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

The Thunder-Light Bug lay on the windowsill, the purple light on its body flickering on and off, as if acting as a Protector for Lin Xuan.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

Lin Xuan sat in the Quiet Room for three whole days and nights, motionless.

Late at night on the third day.

The moon was round, and the moonlight shone through the window into the Quiet Room, spreading a layer of silvery-white frost on the ground.

Inside Lin Xuan's body, a sound like a drum suddenly rang out.

"Dong—Dong—Dong—"

It was not a heartbeat.

It was the resonance of his internal organs.

Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—the five organs resonated at the same moment.

The sound was not loud, but it had immense penetrating power; the entire Quiet Room was vibrating slightly.

The Thunder-Light Bug on the windowsill suddenly flew up, the purple light on its body flaring brightly, as if responding to something.

The Pangolin in the courtyard raised its head, glanced towards the Quiet Room, then lay back down, but its eyes were wide open; it was clearly not asleep.

The resonance lasted for about ten breaths, then gradually subsided.

Lin Xuan opened his eyes.

Purple electricity flashed in his eyes and vanished, and deep within his pupils, thunder patterns circulated, more complex and deeper than before.

He looked down at his hands.

Beneath his skin, the pale purple thunder light moved faster, like living thunder snakes.

Moreover, he could feel a layer of faint thunder light circulating deep within his internal organs.

That was the sign of 'Thunder Tempering the Five Organs' reaching Major Achievement.

Body Refining Level 6 Peak.

He had broken through.

His Body Refining cultivation had caught up, leveling with his Qi Refining cultivation.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath and stood up.

His whole body crackled and popped for a while, his bones sounding as if they had been rearranged, emitting crisp sounds.

He moved his neck and twisted his waist, feeling light as a feather, as if he had shed a layer of skin.

He walked to the wall of the Quiet Room, clenched his right fist, and without circulating any spiritual energy, struck out with his fist using only the power of his Physical Body.

"Boom!"

The stone wall vibrated, and stone fragments flew off.

A bowl-sized fist crater appeared on the wall, with cracks spreading outwards like a spiderweb, extending nearly half a zhang away.

Lin Xuan retracted his fist and looked at the marks on his knuckles.

There were only a few shallow white marks.

The skin hadn't even broken.

He nodded with satisfaction.

Body Refining Level 6 Peak; the strength of his Physical Body had increased by a large margin compared to before.

If his body had previously been like a piece of refined steel, now it was like a piece of hundred-forged refined steel—fewer Impurities, higher density, and greater toughness.

He walked into the courtyard.

The Pangolin got up from the ground, approached his feet, and rubbed its head against his leg.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse darted over from the doorway of the Quiet Room, climbed onto his shoulder in a few movements, and let out a string of squeaks.

Lin Xuan reached out and patted their heads, took a few Medicinal Pills from his Storage Pouch, and distributed them to the two little guys.