5: Chapter 5 Repairing Meridians, Fifth Level of Qi Refining

Inside the Immortal Cave, the candlelight flickered.

The air still held a trace of the faint medicinal fragrance from Third Junior Sister Jiang Nian, as well as that touch of resolute killing intent.

"Heh, Heart-Devouring Powder, Bone-Melting Water..."

Su Ye lay on the bed. Although his body still couldn't move, his consciousness was exceptionally clear, and a playful curve hooked at the corner of his mouth in his mind.

"These Junior Sisters of Purple Bamboo Peak are truly one 'surprise' after another."

He had originally thought it was just a typical 'Trash-tier' start.

He hadn't expected the script to follow the 'all-villain' route.

Second Junior Sister Liu Ruyan seemed cold and aloof, but in reality, she practiced a Hehuan Demonic Technique. Taking advantage of his precarious situation, she treated him as a top-tier Cauldron.

Third Junior Sister Jiang Nian was usually a well-behaved Alchemist, but underneath, she was a pitch-black yandere who dared to poison the entire peak for his sake.

"Villainous Senior Brother..."

Su Ye murmured to himself in his mind, feeling the brocade quilt Jiang Nian had tucked back around him. "This taste of living off women doesn't seem too bad."

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink.

The sea of bamboo on Purple Bamboo Peak rustled in the night wind, sounding like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves.

Su Ye focused his mind, no longer thinking about the love-hate entanglements of those cheap Junior Sisters.

The priority right now was strength.

In this cultivation world where Incarnations walked everywhere and Nascent Souls were as common as dogs, a vegetative state person had no human rights.

Even if it was living off women, one needed a good set of teeth to chew it down.

"System."

Su Ye called out silently in his heart.

"Ding! The great villain counterattack system is dedicated to serving you."

The cold mechanical voice exploded in his mind, carrying a reassuring metallic texture.

"Bring up the personal panel."

Swish!

A pale blue light screen that only Su Ye could see appeared at the top of the dark bed curtains.

[Host: Su Ye]

[Identity: Eldest Senior Brother of Taichu Holy Land's Purple Bamboo Peak (Villain)]

[Physique: Ancient Desolate Sacred Body (Incomplete, 1% Awakening)]

[Realm: Mortal (Shattered Meridians, Broken Golden Core)]

[Cultivation Technique: None]

[Luck: 500 (Slightly recovering)]

[Current Status: vegetative state person (Recovering)]

Su Ye's gaze was fixed on the "Ancient Desolate Sacred Body" column.

This was his trump card for a comeback.

The Ancient Desolate Sacred Body, the number one combat Physique throughout the ages. A Major Achievement stage user could challenge a Great Emperor, achieve physical sanctity, and be immune to all techniques.

Even though it was an incomplete version with only 1% Awakening...

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

"Except..."

Su Ye's brow furrowed slightly (if he could have), feeling his Dantian, which was as dry as a desert.

To activate this overbearing Sacred Body to repair his Physical Body, he needed a massive amount of energy.

Normally, he could absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

But now his Meridians were all snapped; Spiritual Qi would dissipate as soon as it entered his body, like trying to fetch water with a wicker basket—it simply wouldn't stay.

"Energy, energy..."

Su Ye closed his eyes and used his Divine Sense to inspect his interior, searching through that battered body.

Suddenly.

Deep within his Dantian, amidst the broken fragments of his Golden Core, he discovered a strange cluster of Qi.

It was a cloud of pink mist.

Extremely pure, extremely cold, yet carrying an incredibly vast life force.

"This is..."

Su Ye's heart stirred, and he suddenly understood. "The Primordial Yin Qi left by Liu Ruyan!"

During the day.

That cold Second Junior Sister, in order to lock in his life force, had not hesitated to use the "Yin-Yang Records" to transfer the Primordial Yin of her Golden Core Origin—which she had cultivated for many years—into his body.

This was a massive loss for Liu Ruyan.

But for the current Su Ye, it was timely assistance!

"What a good Junior Sister."

Su Ye felt emotional. "Not only is she beautiful, but her delivery service is top-notch too."

"Since you've delivered it to my door, then I, your Senior Brother, won't be polite."

"Anyway, you intended to raise me as a Cauldron, so this counts as... a mutual exchange?"

Su Ye no longer hesitated.

With a thought, he began attempting to communicate with the dormant Ancient Desolate Sacred Body Bloodline within him.

"Ancient Desolate Sacred Body, absorb!"

Boom!

The instant Su Ye's will made contact.

He felt his heart leap violently.

Thump!

This heartbeat was heavy as thunder, like a war drum from the primordial era, exploding within his deathly silent body.

Immediately following.

A wisp of pale gold blood seeped out from the depths of his bone marrow.

That was the blood of the Sacred Body!

Overbearing, fierce, the ultimate Yang!

As soon as this wisp of golden blood appeared, it was like a shark scenting blood, instantly pouncing on the cloud of pink Primordial Yin Qi in the Dantian.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

Ultimate Yin and Ultimate Yang.

Seductive softness and overbearing power.

Two completely different forces met in Su Ye's shattered Dantian, instantly triggering a violent reaction.

This feeling was not pleasant.

It could even be described as agonizing.

It was like someone pouring molten iron into an ice cave—alternating heat and cold, with steam rising.

"Hiss..."

Su Ye gasped. Although he couldn't make a sound, the trembling in the depths of his Soul was very real.

If it were an ordinary person, they would likely have fainted from the pain by now.

But Su Ye had lived two lives; his Heart-Nature was resilient.

Besides, compared to being a vegetative state person for the rest of his life, what was this bit of pain?

"Refine!"

Su Ye held his mind steady, guiding that golden Sacred Body blood to frantically devour the Primordial Yin left by Liu Ruyan.

The pink mist began to tremble, seemingly fearing this overbearing golden power.

But under Su Ye's will, it had nowhere to run.

Bit by bit, wisp by wisp.

The pink Primordial Yin was forcibly stripped, crushed, pulverized, and then merged into the golden blood.

Buzz!

As the first wisp of Primordial Yin was completely refined.

Su Ye felt a warm current instantly surge through his entire body.

This warm current was different from ordinary Spiritual Qi; it possessed an extremely strong restorative ability. Wherever it passed, the withered flesh and blood seemed like parched land meeting rain, greedily drinking it in.

"It's working!"

Su Ye was overjoyed.

He could clearly feel that his body was undergoing an earth-shaking transformation.

His originally stiff and numb limbs began to regain a trace of sensation.

His originally bone-chilling body temperature began to gradually warm up.

Most importantly—

Those Meridians that had been snapped into pieces!

Under the nourishment of the golden blood, the ends of the broken Meridians actually began to sprout new tissue.

They were like tiny tentacles, weaving through the flesh, searching for their other halves.

Bridging, connecting, healing.

This was an extremely delicate and lengthy process.

But with the dual support of the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body and the top-tier Primordial Yin, this process was accelerated ten thousand-fold!

The first meridian, successfully repaired!

Su Ye felt the index finger of his right hand twitch slightly.

Then the second, the third...

Time passed bit by bit.

Outside the cave, the moon reached the center of the sky.

The Law Enforcement Hall Disciples responsible for the night patrol passed by Purple Bamboo Peak.

"Eh?"

One Disciple stopped and looked toward Su Ye's courtyard in confusion. "Senior Brother, don't you think there seems to be a heatwave coming from the Eldest Senior Brother's courtyard?"

The other Disciple yawned and waved his hand. "Don't overthink it. Eldest Senior Brother is already crippled like that, what kind of commotion could there be? It's likely just the Life-Prolonging Formation set up by Second Senior Sister in operation."

"True, Second Senior Sister is really deep in love and righteous."

The two sighed and left, not looking further into it.

Little did they know that the scene inside the room was already completely different.

Su Ye's entire body was shrouded in a layer of faint golden light.

Sweat soaked his clothes, then was instantly evaporated by the high temperature of his body surface, turning into white mist that swirled around the bed.

The cloud of pink Primordial Yin Qi had already been more than half-refined.

In its place was the roaring flow of blood and Qi within Su Ye's body!

"Whew..."

"Ha..."

Su Ye's breathing began to become heavy, powerful, and rhythmic.

It was no longer that thread-like, near-death state from before.

"Meridians repaired... fifty percent!"

Su Ye silently calculated the progress in his heart.

The feeling of power returning was simply intoxicating.

It was like a drowning person finally surfacing and taking a large gulp of fresh air.

"Not enough."

Su Ye was not satisfied. "There's still Primordial Yin remaining. If it's only used to mend the body, it would be a waste of a heavenly treasure."

"Since the Meridians are open, then... recultivate!"

"Destruction before construction, a new life through understanding!"

A sharp light flashed in Su Ye's eyes.

He guided the remaining massive energy, no longer focusing on repairing minor details, but instead surging violently toward his Dantian!

There, where the ruins of the shattered Golden Core once were.

But now.

Under the washing of the golden blood and Qi, the ruins were leveled.

A new vortex of Qi was slowly condensing.

That was a Spiritual Qi Vortex!

And also the Foundation of a Cultivator—Qi Refining!

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Break for me!"

Su Ye let out a low roar in his heart.

Crack!

It was as if some invisible barrier had been shattered.

A wisp of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi instantly surged into his originally empty body.

But this was only the beginning.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 1, achieved!

But this was far from over.

Second Junior Sister Liu Ruyan was a Golden Core Stage Cultivator with an Grade 8 Spiritual Root; how vast was her Primordial Yin?

Even though most of it was used to repair his Physical Body, the remaining small portion was still a massive experience pack for someone at the Qi Refinement Stage!

Su Ye's aura began to climb steadily.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 1 Early Stage... Middle Stage... Late Stage... Perfection!

Pop!

Another soft sound rang out.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 2!

Su Ye felt the Spiritual Qi Vortex within his body grow a size larger; the Spiritual Power, which had previously been as thin as a hair, was now as thick as a chopstick.

This pleasure of leveling up like drinking water almost made Su Ye groan out loud.

"Awesome!"

"This is the treatment a Transmigrator should have!"

"What's the point of bitter cultivation for a hundred years or contemplating the Dao? Nothing is as satisfying as direct plundering!"

The long-suppressed malice in Su Ye's heart was released at this moment.

He finally understood why so many villains loved taking shortcuts.

Because shortcuts are truly joyful.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 3!

The Impurities in his body began to be expelled, with black grime seeping out of his pores—that was the pill poison and stagnant blood accumulated in this body over many years.

Su Ye felt his whole body become much lighter.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 4!

The restoration of his Meridians had reached sixty percent.

His originally dull five senses became exceptionally sharp.

He could even hear the sound of dew sliding off the bamboo leaves outside the window and smell the fragrance of Spiritual Plants in the herb garden several miles away.

"It's not enough, come again!"

Su Ye was like an insatiable Taotie.

He frantically squeezed out the last wisp of pink energy within his body.

That originally thick Primordial Yin Qi had now become extremely thin, like a wisp of light smoke.

"Final sprint!"

Su Ye gritted his teeth, gathering all the energy into a torrent and slamming it fiercely against that barrier.

Rumble!

It was as if a muffled thunderclap exploded within his body.

The bed frame shook violently, causing all the furniture in the room to tremble slightly.

An invisible wave of energy spread outward from Su Ye as the center.

The curtains fluttered, and the candlelight was instantly extinguished.

In the darkness.

Su Ye abruptly opened his eyes.

In that instant, two golden rays of light flashed across his eyes and vanished, like two divine lamps in the dark night, captivating the Soul.

Qi Refinement Stage Level 5!

Success!

Su Ye let out a long breath of turbid air, which formed a white streak in the air that lingered for a long time.

"Is this... Qi Refinement Stage Level 5?"

Su Ye tried to lift his right hand.

Although it was still a bit stiff and sore.

He had truly, definitely lifted it!

He clenched his fist.

Crack, crack, crack.

His knuckles emitted a series of crisp cracking sounds.

A feeling that was weak but full of explosive power filled his palm.

"The Meridians are mostly restored."

Su Ye inspected his body and nodded with satisfaction, "Except for a few main Meridians that still need nourishing, the small branch Meridians are all completely unobstructed."

"And..."

He could feel that the Meridians, reshaped by the essence blood of the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body, were wider and tougher than before.

If his previous Meridians were a stream, they were now a rushing river.

The speed of Spiritual Qi circulation was more than several times faster than before!

"There is a blessing after surviving a great disaster."

Su Ye lay back on the pillow; although he could move now, he didn't intend to jump up and perform a set of military boxing immediately.

After all, there were still three covetous Junior Sisters outside, and one unfathomable Revered Master.

If they knew he was lively and active overnight, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause.

Especially that Second Junior Sister Liu Ruyan.

If she knew that her Primordial Yin hadn't locked him to death, but instead became his great tonic, she would likely be so angry that she would suffer Qi Deviation on the spot.

"I still have to keep a low profile."

Su Ye's lips curled up slightly, "Being a villain who can become stronger just by lying in bed is the true path."

"System, open the achievement panel."

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for achieving [Achievement], rewarding 200 Villain Points.]

[Congratulations to the Host for achieving the achievement "Survivor", repairing your injuries, rewarding 300 Villain Points.]

[Current Villain Points: 500.]

"Only five hundred?"

Su Ye curled his lip; this System was a bit stingy.

"Fine, even a mosquito's leg is meat."

He opened the System Mall and browsed through it slightly.

The good things inside were dazzling.

Things like [Emperor Weapon · Heaven Swallowing Jar], [Nine-Turn Golden Core], [True Dragon Precious Technique]...

Unfortunately, the number of zeros behind them was enough to make one dizzy.

Su Ye scrolled directly to the bottom, which was the "Miscellaneous Items Zone".

[A pack of Top-grade Hehuan Powder: 50 Villain Points.]

[Concealment Talisman: 100 Villain Points.]

[Puppet Substitute Straw Doll: 300 Villain Points.]

Su Ye's gaze lingered on these "low-class" items for a long time, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.

"As a villain, using some of these items should be quite reasonable, right?"

He didn't rush to exchange, but closed the mall.

At this time, the horizon had already turned a pale fish-belly white.

A night had passed.

Su Ye not only was not sleepy at all, he was full of energy.

He could feel that although the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body within his body had once again fallen silent, that wisp of golden Bloodline had completely taken root within him.

It was like a seed, waiting for the next irrigation.

"Junior Sister Ruyan..."

Su Ye looked at the rising sun outside the window, unable to help but feel some anticipation in his heart, "What kind of surprise will you bring me tonight?"

"Since you said you would come again at night, Senior Brother here has washed up and is waiting for you."

...

Purple Bamboo Peak Main Hall.

Morning bells and evening drums, clouds and mist swirling.

A beautiful woman wearing a purple Taoist robe with a graceful and noble temperament was sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat.

She was the Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak, Su Ye's Revered Master, Nangong Li.

The aura of a Tribulation Transcendence Stage Great Power, even when just sitting quietly, caused the surrounding space to slightly distort.

Suddenly.

Nangong Li frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes; those beautiful eyes seemed to be able to see through the Void Realm.

"Strange."

She parted her red lips slightly, her voice ethereal and pleasant, yet carrying a hint of doubt, "Why did I just feel an extremely domineering Yang Qi fluctuation from my Disciple's place?"

"Could it be that there is a problem with that girl Ruyan's Formation?"

Nangong Li pondered for a moment, and her Divine Sense surged out like a tide, instantly covering the entire Purple Bamboo Peak.

However, when her Divine Sense swept over Su Ye's room.

She only saw Su Ye lying on the bed, still "lifeless," his aura weak, and although his Meridians showed signs of healing, they were still in tatters.

That domineering Yang Qi seemed as if it had never appeared.

"It seems it was an illusion."

Nangong Li withdrew her Divine Sense and shook her head, "Ye'er's injuries are so severe that even I am helpless; what kind of changes could there be?"

"It is that child Ruyan, who, in order to save her Senior Brother, actually spared no effort to consume her Origin to set up such a Formation..."

A trace of complexity flashed in Nangong Li's eyes, "These Disciples are truly deeply affectionate and righteous."

"Forget it, as long as Ye'er's life can be preserved, let them do as they please."

After speaking, Nangong Li closed her eyes again and entered meditation.

...

Su Ye lay on the bed, his back covered in cold sweat.

Just now.

A Divine Sense, vast as the sea, swept across his body.

That was his Revered Master, Nangong Li!

Fortunately.

Fortunately, the Great Villain System came with a shielding function, perfectly hiding the aura of the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body and the Qi Refinement Stage Level 5 cultivation he had just cultivated.

In Nangong Li's perception, he was still that half-dead Trash.

"That was close."

Su Ye thought to himself, "This Revered Master is also a terrifying existence; I must be more careful in the future."

"However..."

Su Ye looked at his right hand.

He spread his five fingers and then clenched them tightly again.

Feeling the sense of power coming from his palm, he smiled very happily.

"This feeling of secretly becoming stronger right under everyone's noses..."

"It's just too exciting."