48: The method of refining the spirit

"Martial Dao initial success, killing intent unceasing, Battle Intent undying, until death it is complete!"

"Current Reincarnation evaluation: C-minus"

"Current Reincarnation reward: 30 Reincarnation Points"

"You currently have 83 Reincarnation Points. You can use Reincarnation Points to exchange for: Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill (5 points), Divine Statue Skill (25 points)."

In the real world, Gu Chang slowly opened his eyes, but the battle in the Reincarnation World seemed to still linger on him.

This was absolutely the first time he had encountered a Martial Artist above the Marrow Refining Realm; the opponent's power was simply indescribable, and even when he used his full strength, he still felt extremely weak in front of them.

"That surge of Qi is not right; my Internal Energy had no power to resist in front of that surge of Qi!"

However, what left the deepest impression on Gu Chang was the special surge of Qi contained within the opponent's final blow, which seemed somewhat similar to some descriptions in the Divine Statue Skill.

"Could that be the formidable power possessed after essence, Qi, and spirit finally fuse into one?"

Gu Chang felt as if he had grasped a clue, so he immediately made a decision.

That was to continue fighting the old Martial Artist and improve himself through continuous combat.

Of course, before that, he still had to improve his own strength.

So, without much hesitation, Gu Chang directly chose to exchange, exchanging for both the Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill and the Divine Statue Skill.

Immediately, he felt his own strength increase again, his Internal Energy circulating endlessly within his body, and his entire body's Qi and blood surging abnormally.

"Phew~ I didn't expect the Divine Statue Skill to be so compatible with the Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill; the Fusion of these two is much more powerful than either one alone!"

"I just don't know if the Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill has content beyond Marrow Refining? Was the Cultivation Technique I obtained back then truly a Complete Manual?"

Feeling the surging power within his body, Gu Chang couldn't help but have such thoughts.

"It's still early; I should be able to stay in the Reincarnation World for another month!"

Then, Gu Chang closed his eyes again and re-entered the Reincarnation World.

This time, he began to try to fuse his entire essence, Qi, and spirit, integrating his consciousness with the Qi and blood and Internal Energy within his body, so that they could become one.

However, the difficulty of this matter was far greater than he had imagined; after repeated attempts, Gu Chang still couldn't grasp the knack.

More than ten days passed quickly, until this day, Li Ergou and others saw Gu Chang looking distracted and finally couldn't help but ask him, "Big Brother, what's wrong with you lately?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about things related to the Martial Dao."

Gu Chang's mind wasn't on this, so he directly shook his head.

"Big Brother, although our strength is low, there's one thing we understand: if you encounter a difficult problem, it's best if you can figure it out yourself. If you really can't, then go find someone who can."

"Big Brother, if you've encountered trouble, why not ask others? If it's really not possible, you can also ask a few more people to think together; maybe someone will figure it out."

Li Ergou and the others had always regarded Gu Chang as their backbone, and at this moment, they also wanted to help him relieve his worries.

"You're right! It seems I've gotten stuck in a dead end."

Gu Chang was enlightened by these words, and his entire being immediately snapped back to reality. Then, after a brief explanation to them, he left Da Wu Mountain.

This time, Gu Chang did not immediately challenge the old man, but chose to first seek out various experts of the Marrow Refining Realm.

He sought to understand information above the Marrow Refining Realm through combat with them and verbal exchanges.

Regarding this kind of information, most of these Marrow Refining experts, with the exception of a few, knew more or less something.

For this, Gu Chang specifically had a good "exchange" with them, and in the end, Gu Chang basically won, and if he was lucky, he would even obtain their Cultivation Technique.

Just like that, another ten-plus days passed. In a series of fierce battles, Gu Chang's control over his own power became more refined, and at the same time, he vaguely sensed the existence of the so-called Martial Dao God Intent!

"Not enough! Far from enough!"

After once again defeating a Marrow Refining general, Gu Chang immediately understood that continuing to fight these people was no longer useful to him.

So, he immediately went to find the old man, but this time, Gu Chang had not yet found the other party when the other party found him first.

"Heh, these past few days, you, young one, have caused quite a stir, challenging those Marrow Refining experts everywhere. It seems you're already close to touching the threshold of Spirit Refining."

The other party was still dressed the same as last time, and his entire being exuded a captivating Aura.

"Senior, it seems that above Marrow Refining is Spirit Refining?"

Gu Chang was overjoyed to see the other party appear, and upon hearing his words, he immediately asked him.

"That's right, above Marrow Refining is Spirit Refining!"

"By condensing the essence, Qi, and spirit of the entire body and igniting this wisp of Martial Dao God Intent, we call this step ascending the Heavenly Gate!"

"As long as you cross this step, you will be the Martial Dao God of this human world. If you cannot cross it, your life and soul will dissipate, leaving nothing but a broken body!"

The other party answered Gu Chang with considerable approval, seemingly with no intention of hiding anything.

"Why would Senior tell me these things?"

Gu Chang's spirit was invigorated by the words, but he still harbored some suspicion in his heart.

After all, the other party's attitude did not seem to treat him as an enemy at all; instead, it was as if he regarded him as a junior.

"Why? Hahaha!"

"We Martial Artists do not fear life and death; we kill enemies with strength. Our only pursuit is to become stronger!"

"But after Spirit Refining, the path ahead is completely cut off. If you continue to cultivate, there is only one final outcome, and that is death!"

"This old man is unwilling! The other old ghosts are also unwilling!"

"So, for any Marrow Refining Martial Artist who is close to touching the threshold, this old man will offer guidance and support, only wishing that he can go further on the path of Martial Dao!"

The old man then burst into laughter, but this laughter contained a sense of sorrow, which also infected Gu Chang.

"So that's how it is, thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

"Then, please enlighten me, Senior!"

However, this emotion could not shake Gu Chang's inner self; instead, it made the Battle Intent in his heart grow stronger and stronger!

"Good!"

The other party also didn't waste words and directly agreed. So, the next moment, Gu Chang immediately attacked him, and his entire Aura was even stronger than last time.

"Boom! Rumble!"

Under the augmentation of the Blood Fiend Body, Gu Chang's entire body was enveloped in a crimson blood mist. His muscles swelled, bones elongated, and Meridians widened, instantly expanding him into a magnificent Martial Artist two meters tall!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Immediately, Gu Chang's killing intent directly erupted, and his entire being charged towards the opponent like a ghost god.

"Bang bang!"

"Rumble!"

"Bang! Crack!"

"Kill!"

The two collided again. The terrifying force of the impact instantly vacuumed the surrounding air, erupting with sounds comparable to exploding cannonballs!

This time, the opponent also used the Dragon Grasping Skill, but the force was significantly increased.

Facing Gu Chang's reckless, frenzied attack, the old man also displayed the formidable strength of the Spirit Refining Realm!

"Roar!!!"

With every movement he made, it was as if Flood Dragons were soaring and Azure Dragons were roaring. His entire body's Qi solidified, and his vigorous Qi and blood were like a melting pot.

At this moment, Gu Chang's killing intent grew more and more intense; he could feel his body burning!

His Internal Energy had turned into flames, frantically devouring his flesh, spirit, and Qi and blood. These flames grew more and more vigorous, turning him into a human torch!

"Crack crack crack"

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Chang's movements gradually became slower and slower until they finally stopped.

The old man also stopped at this moment, looking at Gu Chang with a regretful gaze.

At this moment, he looked as if he had been burned dry, his entire body covered in strange scorch marks and cracks. His originally expanded two-meter-tall body was now less than one meter seventy, and his flesh and skin constantly cracked and fell off like charcoal.

"What a pity, the accumulation was ultimately insufficient, and he was completely burned dry before achieving Spirit Refining."

Facing such an outcome, the old man appeared quite helpless, merely speaking to the not-yet-completely-dead Gu Chang in a faint voice.

"I see, I understand!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

But Gu Chang knew he was close to success; since the accumulation was insufficient, he only needed to make it up next time!

"Crack crack crack, bang!"

Finally, Gu Chang's body completely collapsed, turning into a pile of charred debris. His consciousness returned to reality.

"Martial Dao initial success, Heavenly Pass difficult to cross, Battle Intent unceasing, sacrificing oneself to refine the spirit!"

"Current Reincarnation evaluation: C-minus"

"Current Reincarnation reward: 24 Reincarnation Points"

"You currently have 76 Reincarnation Points. You can use Reincarnation Points to exchange for: Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill (0 points), Divine Statue Skill (0 points)."