84: Chapter 84 Cleansing the Marrow and Slaying the Feathers

Yun Song looked up at Steward Wang, his gaze firm: "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This Junior will keep it in mind."

However, when his gaze fell upon the Jade Slips on the table, his fingertips trembled slightly and uncontrollably. These seemingly ordinary Jade Slips...

...were as foreign to him as a heavenly book; he had absolutely no idea how to explore their mysteries.

Steward Wang took in Yun Song's unease and pointed vaguely at the Jade Slips: "Young friend, there is no need to be troubled. You only need to press the Jade Slip against your brow, and its contents will naturally appear in your Sea of Consciousness."

Yun Song was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, a flash of realization crossing his eyes as he muttered to himself: "So that is how it is." He reached out, picked up a Jade Slip, and pressed it against his forehead.

In an instant, a gentle, warm sensation like spring water spread from his brow, and the Jade Slip suddenly emitted a lustrous halo of light.

Countless characters emitting a soft light, like a flock of butterflies flapping their wings, drifted lightly into his Sea of Consciousness.

A massive amount of information surged in, yet it carried a sense of familiarity, as if he had read it a thousand times before.

Yun Song's pupils constricted at first, and then flames of ecstasy ignited in his eyes.

From now on, he would no longer need to toil through an endless sea of books; he could devote all his time to Cultivate!

He impatiently pressed the remaining Jade Slips against his forehead one by one, and knowledge flowed into him continuously.

When he pressed the last Jade Slip, which recorded the Spirit Guiding Art, against his forehead, he discovered with pleasant surprise...

...that the Cultivation Technique within the Jade Slip was even more complete than what he had seen before. It spanned thirty-two levels, from the Qi Refinement Stage all the way to the Undergoing Tribulation stage, truly a complete cultivation roadmap for a Cultivator.

"Since you have selected your Cultivation Technique, it is time to find a quiet room to Cultivate."

Chen Changsheng stood up at the right moment and patted Yun Song's shoulder.

Yun Song hurriedly followed him and left the Cultivation Technique Pavilion.

Walking to a cluster of scattered stone houses, Yun Song looked at the empty courtyard and couldn't help but ask: "Senior Brother, why is this place so deserted?"

Chen Changsheng smiled and explained: "Fellow disciples are either out on missions to earn resources or in seclusion, working hard to Cultivate; everyone is busy pursuing the Dao."

He pointed at the carvings above the stone doors and patiently explained: "If you see a name carved there, it means the room is already occupied."

The two walked among the stone houses for a long time until Chen Changsheng's eyes suddenly lit up: "This one is not bad. It's quiet, and the Spiritual Qi gathers well here."

The stone house was small but surrounded by plants and trees, exuding an air of tranquility. Yun Song nodded repeatedly: "Senior Brother has a unique eye; I am very satisfied."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Changsheng had already taken out his long sword from his Storage Pouch, and spiritual power condensed into two-colored light on the blade.

With the sword moving like a dragon and a snake, the two characters "Yun Song" were deeply engraved above the stone door.

As he sheathed his sword, he said gently: "From now on, this will be your place of cultivation. I hope you achieve a Breakthrough soon."

Yun Song bowed and said earnestly: "Thanks to Senior Brother's thoroughness today, I will keep this great kindness in mind."

Chen Changsheng waved his hand: "It is merely following the Sect Master's orders; do not take it to heart. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

As soon as he finished speaking and turned to walk away, he was urgently called back by Yun Song: "Senior Brother Chen, please do me a favor. I urgently need some Spirit Stones. Could you please help me take the Spirit Stones out of my Storage Pouch?"

Chen Changsheng paused upon hearing this, turned back, and said indifferently: "I almost forgot. You are still in the stage of Cleansing the Marrow and Cutting the Hair; you haven't condensed spiritual power in your body yet, so you indeed cannot use the Storage Pouch yourself."

He took the Storage Pouch from Yun Song, and with spiritual power circulating at his fingertips, he took out all the Spirit Stones and wiped away the mark on the Storage Pouch, speaking in a flat tone.

"These Spirit Stones are far from enough for your cultivation. In the future, if you are short on Spirit Stones, go to the Contribution Hall to take on some simple tasks and accumulate contribution points to exchange for them."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Chen! By the way, does the Contribution Hall force tasks upon you?" Yun Song asked hurriedly.

Chen Changsheng shook his head and said lightly: "They will not force assignments. For a Cultivator, the demand for Spirit Stones is bound to be immense. Before long, you will have to take the initiative to accept tasks."

"I have troubled you this time, Senior Brother; I will certainly keep this in mind." Yun Song bowed. Chen Changsheng waved his hand: "Take care on your path of cultivation."

After Chen Changsheng left, Yun Song entered the stone house.

Inside, only three night-luminescent pearls emitted a soft glow, and the stone table and bed were simple and plain.

He had no time to pay attention to these things and sat cross-legged on the stone bed, placing a thousand Spirit Stones neatly in front of him, and began to run the second level of the Spirit Guiding Art.

With his previous experience, he quickly entered the state.

Time passed quietly while he was Cultivating; in the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

With the aid of the Spirit Stones, Spiritual Qi poured continuously into the Huiming and Zique acupoints, breaking them open one after another until the Spiritual Qi reached the Dantian and the Spiritual Root.

But he was not satisfied; he guided the Spiritual Qi to repeatedly wash over his Meridians, striving to widen the space to contain more spiritual power.

When he completed the final cycle of the Great Circulation, he suddenly noticed that the surrounding Spiritual Qi had become thin.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked down to see that all thousand Spirit Stones had turned into dull, lifeless waste stones.

Looking at the pile of waste stones before him, he felt a complex mix of emotions.

A thousand Spirit Stones were exhausted. Although he had only barely mastered the second level of the Spirit Guiding Art, his body had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

Just as he was pondering this, a pungent stench assailed his nostrils, and looking down, he realized his clothes were covered in filth.

His heart stirred as he remembered the records in the Cultivation Technique; this was the normal phenomenon after Cleansing the Marrow and Cutting the Hair.

Having undergone this transformation, he had successfully crossed an important hurdle on the path of cultivation.