111: Chapter 70 Seclusion

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling upon three items on the table.

A golden crystal, a blood-colored Jade Slip, and the manifestation of the Heavenly Fire.

Chen Xuan watched them for a moment. He drew the golden crystal into his Dantian to nourish it, memorized the contents of the blood-colored Jade Slip before crushing it, and recalled the fire seed into the Lava Precious Bottle.

He stood up, walked to the entrance of the Quiet Room, and activated the defensive Formation of the Immortal Cave.

The spiritual light of the Formation flared up, enveloping the entire Immortal Cave within it.

In this period of seclusion, he was going to attempt the sixth turn of the Nine-Turn Sea-Steaming Method.

There was still half a month left before the auction. He did not know if there was enough time, but he had to try.

Chen Xuan sat cross-legged on the Futon, closing his eyes to look inward.

Within his Dantian Qi Sea, only twenty percent of his magic power remained, but every single drop was as pure as a water-attribute crystal.

After the fifth turn, the miscellaneous Qi of the Five Elements within his magic power had been completely steamed away.

Next, the sixth turn would steam the state of his magic power.

The magic power of a Qi Refining Cultivator was gaseous, churning like clouds and mist when circulated.

But the magic power required for Foundation Establishment was liquid, condensed like mercury and rushing like a river when circulated.

Steaming the sea in the sixth turn was to steam the gaseous magic power into a liquid state.

This was a process of qualitative change, requiring a vast amount of Spiritual Qi to support it.

Chen Xuan took out sixty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and set up a double-layered Spirit Gathering Array around himself.

With an array nested within an array, the speed of extracting Spiritual Qi was three times faster than a single layer.

The Spiritual Qi within the Spirit Stones was extracted, turning into a thick white mist that completely submerged him.

He took a deep breath and circulated the Nine-Turn Sea-Steaming Method.

His Dantian Qi Sea began to boil.

This time, the steaming process was completely different from before; it was no longer a gentle churning, but a violent surging.

The gaseous magic power expanded rapidly in the high temperature, then contracted sharply.

With each expansion and contraction, the magic power became a bit more condensed, and its volume shrank slightly.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Chen Xuan's forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto his robe.

His brow was tightly furrowed, his teeth clenched, and his hands rested on his knees, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.

The process of steaming the sea was like igniting a volcano within his Dantian, as scorching waves of heat spread from his Dantian to his limbs and bones.

His Meridians were scorched, sending out a faint, stinging pain.

His bones were roasted, and his Innate Sword Bone vibrated in resonance.

But Chen Xuan did not stop.

He knew that the sixth turn was the first major hurdle of the nine turns.

If he crossed it, his magic power would transform from a gaseous to a liquid state, doubling his combat power.

If he failed to cross it, all his efforts would be in vain.

Time passed bit by bit.

The Spiritual Qi within the Spirit Stones was rapidly depleted; sixty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were completely used up in less than three days.

Chen Xuan took out another sixty and continued.

On the morning of the fourth day, the last wisp of gaseous magic power in his Dantian was steamed into a liquid state.

One drop.

Only one drop.

But this single drop of magic power was as heavy as a mountain, slowly rotating in his Dantian with a deep blue luster.

The sixth turn was complete.

Chen Xuan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

He felt that his Dantian was completely empty, with only that single drop of liquid magic power floating there in isolation.

Yet, the power of this single drop was comparable to the sum of ten percent of his previous gaseous magic power.

He stood up and stretched his limbs.

His bones popped and crackled, and the resonance of his Innate Sword Bone grew even stronger.

Chen Xuan walked to the edge of the Spiritual Spring Pool, washed away the Impurities steamed out of his body, and changed into a clean robe.

He glanced at the Timing Hourglass; his seclusion had taken four days.

There were still eleven days left.

It was enough for him to attempt another turn.

The seventh turn steamed the density of the magic power.

The sixth turn steamed the gaseous state into a liquid state, but liquid could still be thin or thick.

The seventh turn was to steam the liquid magic power to make it thicker and denser, with each drop carrying more weight.

Chen Xuan returned to the Futon and set up the Spirit Gathering Array once more.

This time, he took out eighty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

The Spiritual Qi required for the seventh turn was twice that of the sixth.

Closing his eyes, he circulated his Cultivation Technique, and that single drop of liquid magic power in his Dantian Qi Sea began to expand.

It was like constantly adding new Spiritual Qi to a single drop of water, making it larger and heavier.

But getting larger was not the goal; the goal was to maintain purity while growing, preventing any Impurities from mixing in.

Chen Xuan carefully controlled the speed of the steaming; if it was too fast, it would burn and destroy his Meridians, but if it was too slow, he would not be able to steam out the desired purity.

This was meticulous work that allowed for not even the slightest mistake.

His Divine Sense probed into his Dantian, like a pair of invisible hands holding that drop of magic power, allowing it to be heated evenly.

Under the guidance of his Divine Sense, the magic power slowly expanded, transforming from one drop to two, and from two drops to four.

With each additional drop, the density would drop slightly, requiring steaming to compress the density back up.

Thus it repeated, over and over again.

It was tedious and monotonous, but he had to persevere.

There was no expression on Chen Xuan's face, only intense focus.

His breathing was steady, his heartbeat slow, and his entire being was like a boulder, sitting motionless on the Futon.

The Spirit Stones were rapidly being consumed.

Eighty, sixty, forty.

He replenished the Spirit Stones twice more, sixty stones each time.

By the evening of the seventh day, the liquid magic power in his Dantian had increased from one drop to thirty-six drops.

Every single drop was as thick as mercury, emitting a faint humming sound as they rotated.

The seventh turn was complete.

Chen Xuan opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi.

The turbid Qi condensed into a white stream, striking the wall of the Immortal Cave with a dull thud.

He stood up, feeling the abundant power filling his Dantian.

The liquid magic power rushed through his Meridians, its circulation speed several times faster than in its gaseous state, requiring almost no preparation time when casting spells.

But he did not stop.

There were still four days left, enough for him to attempt another turn.

The eighth turn steamed the spirituality of the magic power.

Although liquid magic power was pure, it lacked spirituality and relied entirely on his Divine Sense to drive its circulation.

The eighth turn was to steam out the spirituality of the magic power, giving it a trace of independent consciousness.

When casting spells, the magic power would circulate on its own, without requiring constant control from his Divine Sense.

This was of immense significance in combat, allowing a Cultivator to cast multiple spells simultaneously and causing their combat power to skyrocket.

Chen Xuan set up the Spirit Gathering Array once more, this time taking out one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

The Spiritual Qi required for the eighth turn was twice that of the seventh.

Closing his eyes, he circulated his Cultivation Technique, and the thirty-six drops of magic power in his Dantian began to rotate.

The rotation speed grew faster and faster, and the thirty-six drops gradually fused, turning into a deep blue sphere of light.

The sphere of light rotated slowly within his Dantian, emitting a faint glow.

The glow was very soft, yet it contained terrifying power.

Chen Xuan's Divine Sense probed into the light sphere, carving his own spiritual imprint within it.

The moment the imprint was carved, the sphere of light shuddered violently and then began to circulate on its own.

Without needing Chen Xuan to drive it, it began absorbing and exhaling Spiritual Qi on its own, refining itself.

Spirituality had been achieved.

Chen Xuan felt a surge of joy, but he quickly suppressed his emotions and continued to guide the steaming process.

The eighth turn not only required steaming out spirituality, but also perfectly fusing the spirituality with the magic power.

The process of Fusion was extremely painful, as if someone had stuffed a living creature into his Dantian; the creature was struggling and resisting, trying to break free from his control.

Chen Xuan clenched his teeth, his Divine Sense firmly suppressing the sphere of light, preventing it from spiraling out of control.

The veins on his forehead bulged, sweat poured down like rain, and his soaked robe clung tightly to his body.

But he did not let go.

Letting go would mean all his previous efforts would be wasted.

Time slipped away amidst the torment.

One Spirit Stone after another shattered as the Spiritual Qi was frantically devoured by the sphere of light.

One hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were completely exhausted in less than two days.

Chen Xuan took out another eighty and continued.

Late in the night of the eighth day, the sphere of light finally quieted down.

It no longer struggled or resisted, floating docilely within his Dantian like a tamed Spirit Beast.

Chen Xuan's Divine Sense probed into it, receiving a docile response.

The eighth turn was complete.

He opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing across them before vanishing.

The liquid magic power in his Dantian had already transformed into a deep blue sphere of light, within which the vague shape of a sword could be seen.

That was the mutation brought about by his Innate Sword Bone; his magic power and Sword Intent were beginning to fuse.

Chen Xuan stood up, his entire skeleton popping and crackling.

He felt that his combat power had increased by at least twofold.

Facing an opponent like the Evil Zhang Fan now, he could resolve it with a single strike of his sword.

There would be no need for a second strike.