54: 《The Art of Life Coffin》

Of these sixty-one points, sixty points were contributed by medicinal treasures, with only one point being a natural increase over time.

Xu Sanyan steadied his mind, no longer hesitating, and with a thought, thirty-two points of "Qi" instantly dissipated.

Boom—

At this instant, his muscles and bones throughout his body resonated, his skin suddenly tightened, then slowly relaxed.

His large tendons were taut, continuously twitching, as if an invisible large hand was forcefully pulling and stretching them.

His internal organs felt like they were being refined in a furnace, a strong burning sensation filling his lungs and viscera.

Xu Sanyan couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, and instantly, beads of sweat streamed down his forehead.

His bones made crisp cracking sounds, a continuous "crackling" sound, as if someone was breaking his bones and then reassembling them.

Xu Sanyan's face turned crimson, and he gritted his teeth, holding on tightly.

He knew this was a critical moment in Cultivation, the reshaping of muscles and bones.

Each Breakthrough in the Heavenly Human Realm would reconstruct the body to achieve perfection, preparing for the Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

Only a perfect Physical Body could bear the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, Breakthrough the limits of mortality, and achieve an extraordinary physique.

The Foundation Establishment Realm was by no means a simple increase in strength, but rather the casting of the Dao's foundation, laying a solid groundwork for later attainment of the Dao Fruit.

This was a leap in life level!

After an unknown period, the pain throughout his body dissipated, and his body felt lighter than ever before.

Xu Sanyan slowly opened his eyes; the room was pitch black, and it was already deep into the night.

Wiping away the sweat, he hadn't expected this Breakthrough to take so much time.

He opened his panel and took a look; his Realm had indeed reached the mid-stage Heavenly Human Realm, and his "Qi" only had twenty-nine points left, not enough for the next Breakthrough.

It seemed he would have to find new targets again.

The Eldest Young Master's residence should have quite a few good things...

Clenching his fists tightly, his strength had once again improved, not only in power but also in his senses.

He calmed down and could clearly hear the gentle breathing outside his room.

Just by listening to the breathing, Xu Sanyan knew who was outside.

Yang Qiyuan.

To still be guarding outside at this hour, she truly had a good heart.

Xu Sanyan sighed softly.

Unfortunately, no matter how sincerely she treated him, it was destined to yield no results.

His heart was set on the Dao, and he would never be bound by romantic affections.

He shook his head; overthinking was useless.

He would deal with it when the time came, and then he pushed open the door.

Yang Qiyuan, looking weary, turned her head and smiled softly, "Has husband finished his work?"

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips and remained rooted to the spot without answering.

The bright moonlight shone on the woman.

Yang Qiyuan wore a light red long dress, her dark hair coiled at the back of her head, and her hands rested naturally on her abdomen, as she sat elegantly on the veranda.

Her elegant and serene temperament almost made one overlook her external appearance.

Paired with the bright moon, withered trees, and fallen leaves in the courtyard behind her, at that instant, Xu Sanyan seemed to see a scene from an Immortal painting.

External appearance... perhaps it wasn't that important after all.

Yang Qiyuan slowly rose, feeling her legs a bit numb from sitting for too long.

Seeing this, Xu Sanyan stepped forward to support her, and the two walked side by side into the room.

Xu Sanyan had once thought that the Blood-colored Small Knife might be able to restore her appearance, or at least cure her atrophied hands and feet, but ultimately, he did not act.

He was afraid of being detected by those with ulterior motives, after all, this was a heaven and earth treasures.

One could not be too careful; once the news leaked, he would instantly lose his life.

Yang Qiyuan was unaware of these things.

She only felt that it was right for her to be good to her husband, after all, he also treated her very well and did not treat her coldly because of her appearance.

The relationship between the two was instead very harmonious, with a sense of mutual respect.

Only at this moment did Yang Qiyuan have time to speak to him, "Husband, if you are willing, your concubine can find another concubine for you; there will certainly be no such mistakes again."

Xu Sanyan shook his head, "No need, having you is enough."

After saying this, images of Yang Qizhu's appearance, and even... the Princess Consort, unconsciously surfaced in his mind.

Yang Qiyuan's heart warmed, and she tightly hugged his arm, completely unaware that Xu Sanyan was thinking of her sister and mother.

...

The next morning, the treetops were covered in white frost, and the sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the old trees with a golden glow.

Yang Qiyuan, lying on the bed, groggily opened her eyes and reached out, finding that the other person was no longer beside her.

Xu Sanyan sat alone in the study, holding two books, which were precisely the Cultivation Technique and the art he had obtained from the Cui Family yesterday.

"The Borrowing God to Refine Body True Art?" Xu Sanyan read softly.

Flipping it open casually, this was a Cultivation Technique that used the spirits of others to refine one's own body.

"Nine human oil lamps are required, lit around the body.

Place a 'living pill' in front of you, bind it with a life-lock chain, and hold the end of the rope in your hand.

Then take three inch-long silver needles and insert them into the living pill's glabella, lower abdomen, and lower yin."

Xu Sanyan's crotch tightened, and he frowned.

What kind of Cultivation Technique was this, playing so dirty?

He continued to read,

"Recite the Spirit-Guiding Incantation, slowly transfer the essence, Qi, and spirit of the other person through the life-lock chain into your own body, and refine your Physical Body Cultivation."

"This method can establish a Great Yang Dao Foundation, condense a Great Yang Body, keep all evil at bay, and is quite effective against ghosts and monsters."

Xu Sanyan flipped through it again; the rest only described how to condense the life-lock chain and the Spirit-Guiding Incantation, nothing else.

"Only one type of Dao Foundation?"

Xu Sanyan was curious.

Previously, both The Supreme Truth and Serenity Scripture of Eliminating Illusion and Attaining Reality and "Heart Slaughtering Yin Devouring Skill" had three types of Dao Foundations to choose from, but this one only had one.

Comparing them, the superiority or inferiority of the Cultivation Techniques was clear at a glance.

This Cultivation Technique was probably obtained by Cui Yousheng from who knows where and casually bestowed upon the Cui Family, so it naturally wasn't anything good.

Moreover, he discovered that this Immortal Realm was slightly different from what he had imagined.

Judging solely from these three Cultivation Techniques, they all seemed a bit sinister.

In comparison, the one he was currently Cultivating was more normal.

He then opened another book,

Life Coffin Technique.

Xu Sanyan shifted his butt, feeling a bit excited in his heart.

This was his second art, and he wondered if he could Cultivate it now.

"To Cultivate this art, one needs an old grave's coffin, a handful of soil from beneath the coffin, and the bodies of seven people, male or female."

"Take one person's head, one person's torso, one person's heart, and one limb from each of the remaining four people, then piece them together to form a human.

No stitching is required; simply place it inside the coffin."

"The one from whom the head is taken must possess official Qi.

The one from whom the torso is taken must possess malevolent Qi.

The one from whom the heart is taken must possess scholarly Qi.

The ones from whom the limbs are taken must possess Killing Intent."

"Once everything is in order, it must be fed with one's own essence blood, once every three days, one lamp's worth each time, poured into its mouth.

Then nourish it with magical power.

And every day at the first quarter of the Zi hour, recite the 'Fate-Fixing Incantation'."

"Repeat this for thirty-one days, and the Fiend will be connected to the caster's mind, allowing for complete control."

Xu Sanyan felt quite regretful in his heart; this art still required Cultivation only after Foundation Establishment, because it needed to be nourished by magical power.

It was similar to the art he had seized from Ma Tianqing before, both being summoning types; one was a blood demon, and the other was an Fiend.

He wondered which of the two was more ferocious.

He didn't reject these methods; whatever method worked was fine, but they were a bit singular.