80: Chapter 80 The Method of Body Refinement

At this moment, a figure suddenly descended from the depths of the bamboo forest.

There was no sound, yet it carried a fragrant breeze...

The gazes of all the Yao Beasts were involuntarily drawn over; the tense, confrontational oppression in the air vanished the moment Lady Hua appeared.

Lady Hua stood barefoot on a bluestone; the morning light filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting upon her.

Her pale green dress shimmered with a lustrous glow, her long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and the silhouette of petals on the edges of her eyes appeared and disappeared within the light and shadow.

Her gaze swept over the crowd of Yao Beasts outside the bamboo forest.

"Everyone has arrived."

"Then let us begin."

Without any superfluous words, she sat back down, crossed her legs, and rested her hands gently on her knees.

Her gaze fell upon the distant mountains, as if looking at something, yet also as if looking at nothing at all.

"The cultivation of the Yao Race is different from that of humans."

"The Human Race has Cultivation Techniques, Alchemy, Magic Treasures, and Talismans. The Yao Race has nothing of the sort; we only have our Physical Body, a wisp of Yao Soul, and the Essence of the Moon that is omnipresent in this heaven and earth."

"The Essence of the Moon is the Foundation of the Yao Race's cultivation."

"The Essence of the Sun is Yang in nature, fierce and overbearing. If the Yao Race were to absorb it, not only would it be of no benefit, but it would actually scorch our Meridians."

"The Essence of the Moon is Yin in nature, gentle and enduring, which aligns with the Physique of the Yao Race. When the bright moon hangs in the sky and its essence scatters down, the Yao Race absorbs this lunar essence to temper our Physical Body and nourish our Yao Soul. This is the most basic form of cultivation."

"However, not everyone can absorb lunar essence."

"Opening one's wisdom is the first step... Without opening one's wisdom, one remains in Chaos, undistinguished. If lunar essence enters the body, it is like water droplets falling onto a stone—useless. Therefore, the fact that you can sit here and understand my words means you have already taken the first step."

Time flowed slowly amidst Lady Hua's voice.

She spoke of everything from the absorption of lunar essence to the circulation of Meridians, from the nourishment of the Yao Soul to the tempering of the Physical Body, and from solidifying one's Foundation to the opportunity for a Breakthrough.

She explained every detail meticulously and tirelessly.

The Wolf Yao asked about the tempering of claws and fangs; the Deer Yao asked about the relationship between antlers and the guidance of spiritual power; the Snake Yao asked about the connection between molting and the progression of cultivation.

Lady Hua answered each one, without the slightest perfunctoriness.

Wu Li crouched on the shoulder of the Iron-Backed Bear King, his blood-red pupils fixed firmly on the depths of the bamboo forest, committing every word of Lady Hua to his heart without missing a single one.

Even the crows behind Wu Li felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

The sun moved from the east to directly overhead, and then from overhead to the west.

The light and shadows in the bamboo forest changed from long and slanted to short, and then from short back to long and slanted.

The crowd of Yao Beasts listened intently; not a single Yao Beast felt drowsy, and they barely even moved.

Soon, the sun tilted westward, and twilight approached.

Lady Hua's voice ceased.

Her gaze swept over the crowd of Yao Beasts, and after a moment of silence, she spoke, her voice still very soft: "Finally, let us discuss this Technique of Refining Form."

The eyes of the Yao Beasts lit up.

"This technique was created by a great being of the Yao Race, modeled after the Innate Dao Body of the Human Race."

Lady Hua raised her hand, and a wisp of pale green light shone from her fingertips.

"By practicing this technique, you can condense a second Yao body. In terms of form, it resembles a half-human, half-Yao body."

"In this form, the combat power of the Yao Race will be somewhat enhanced, but more importantly, one can do many more things."

At this moment, a grayish-brown Rabbit Yao poked its head out from the crowd, its ears standing straight up, and asked with a timid voice: "My Lady, does this Technique of Refining Form... require us to abandon our original form?"

Lady Hua shook her head, her voice carrying a hint of gentleness: "It is not abandoning, but adding a choice."

"Your original form remains, and your Yao body remains; it is simply an additional form. It is like the clothes of the Human Race—you have one more, you do not throw away the old one."

As she finished speaking, the light at Lady Hua's fingertips flared brightly, and her figure began to change.

Her pale green dress transformed into petals that drifted in the air.

Her body slowly rose amidst the petals, legs together, arms outstretched; she was like a blooming lotus flower.

The petals dispersed.

Lady Hua's figure reappeared; she was still that same woman, still wearing that same pale green dress, but behind her, there was now an apparition.

That apparition was a gigantic green flower, its petals like a skirt, its branches and leaves like arms, its roots like legs, coiled in the depths of the bamboo forest, blotting out the sky and sun.

"This is my original form."

"The Technique of Refining Form is not meant for you to discard your original form, but rather to have an additional choice beyond it."

"A half-human, half-Yao body can practice Alchemy, create Talismans, set up formations, and even Cultivate some Cultivation Techniques of the Yao Race. This technique is an extra option between the Acquired transformation and the Innate original form."

"Generally speaking, for the vast majority of the Yao Race, if they do not integrate into human cities, they will all choose to first Cultivate using the Technique of Refining Form. Even if their cultivation reaches the Late Stage, most of the time, they will still present themselves in the state formed by the Technique of Refining Form."

She retracted the apparition and landed back on the bluestone, her gaze sweeping over the crowd of Yao Beasts.

There was a moment of silence.

In the twilight, the light in the depths of the bamboo forest grew dimmer, but the faint glow on her body became increasingly clear, as if she were the only light in the darkness.

"Now, I shall impart this technique to you."

Her voice remained very soft, but every word fell clearly into the ears of every Yao Beast present.

Lady Hua raised her hand, and a cluster of pale green light shone from her fingertips.

The light grew stronger and brighter, eventually transforming into countless tiny specks of light that flew from her fingertips, drifting through the bamboo forest like fireflies.

Those specks of light circled in the air, slowly descending, and merged into the space between the eyebrows of every Yao Beast.

Wu Li's blood-red pupils contracted slightly as he felt a warm current surge in from between his eyebrows, flowing through his Meridians throughout his entire body.

In his mind, images began to emerge.

A Tiger Yao sat cross-legged, its Demonic Qi surging around its body.

Its form shifted between that of a Yao Beast and a half-human, half-Yao being, finally settling into a form with a tiger's head and a human body, its arms bulging with muscle, its tiger fur covering its entire body, retaining the characteristics of a Tiger Yao.

Next, there was a Fox Yao cultivating under the moonlight; when it manifested a human body, nine illusory fox tails appeared behind it...

An Eagle Yao swooped down from the sky, transforming into a human shape in mid-air—an eagle-headed human figure, still with its wings...

The images flashed by one after another.

Each one was as clear as if he had experienced it himself.

Wu Li closed his eyes, engraving those images into the depths of his memory.

When he opened his eyes again, the images in his mind had vanished, leaving only that warm current still flowing slowly within his body.

"These are images of the sages of our Yao Race practicing the Technique of Refining Form; you may comprehend them on your own."

As she finished speaking, Lady Hua withdrew her hand.

"Three months from now, I will still be here lecturing. If you have any questions, you may come and ask me."

"You may disperse."

The crowd of Yao Beasts rose one after another, bowed toward the depths of the bamboo forest, and then turned to disperse.

The Rift-Wind Wolf King led the wolf pack away in large strides, and the Azure-Horned Deer King followed with the Deer Yao.

Once they, the leaders, had left, the remaining foxes, badgers, martens, raccoons, and other small Yao Beasts also dispersed in twos and threes, and the open space outside the bamboo forest gradually became empty.

Among the birds, the Oriole Demon was the first to fly away.

On the way, it turned its head to look at the Crow Flock behind Wu Li, and then flew off quickly.