Chapter 107: Body Refining
Hua Changxi stared at the red lotus pattern on her brow. At first glance, it was a red lotus, but upon closer inspection, she could clearly see raging flames surging within the lotus petals.
This was the manifestation of her bloodline totem after ancestral return!
Looking at the lotus totem on her brow, Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised. The Vermilion Bird power within her bloodline had not surpassed the lotus power, resulting in the lotus totem appearing in the end.
However, she soon felt at ease.
Although the Vermilion Bird was one of the Four Spirits, the Vermilion Bird bloodline in her body was likely quite diluted. Even after soaking in the ancestral return medicinal soup, it hadn’t returned to its ancestral state by much.
Furthermore, she had previously consumed the Flowing Light Red Lotus, which was a top-tier fire-element ancestral return fruit. This likely strengthened the lotus bloodline within her body.
Seeing more and more laborers arriving at Number Four Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi no longer dwelled on the lotus pattern. She turned and went into the main hall, beginning to lecture on the direction of veins and the composition of meridians in plants and animals.
Afterward, she went to Number Five Qihuang Hall to lecture on the principles of decomposition, purification, and fusion of plants, animals, and minerals, as well as the corresponding methods and techniques.
While lecturing on alchemy at Number Six Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi saw Eunuch Jia, Eunuch Yu, Eunuch Zhao, and Eunuch Zhou. All four had brought people with them.
In the subsequent classes, the people brought by Eunuch Jia and the other three took turns asking Hua Changxi questions. From their questions, Hua Changxi realized that these individuals were all pharmacists.
Half an hour later, the class ended.
Everyone else left, but Eunuch Jia and the other three remained.
After the others had departed, Eunuch Jia quickly stepped forward to explain, “Master, those people were arranged by our superiors. We were only notified yesterday, and we couldn’t refuse. We didn’t have time to report to you, so we brought them to Qihuang Hall.”
Hua Changxi looked at the four trembling men, “You all seem very afraid of me?”
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Jia and the other three exchanged glances. Finally, Eunuch Zhou couldn’t help but ask, “We brought the people arranged by our superiors without your prior permission. Aren’t you angry?”
Hearing his question, Hua Changxi understood the reason for their trepidation, “I ask you, did you leak any information about me to your superiors?”
Eunuch Jia and the other three quickly shook their heads. The Master lectured in the Labor Department, and many people knew about it; there was no need for them to leak anything.
Hua Changxi asked again, “Have you betrayed me or harmed my interests?”
Eunuch Jia and the other three shook their heads again.
Hua Changxi: “That’s all there is to it. I want you to work for me, not to control your every move. As long as you don’t betray me or leak my affairs, I won’t interfere with anything else, nor can I.”
“In situations like this, your response was not problematic. You just need to explain the cause and effect to me afterward.”
“In the future, the people behind you will arrange for others to attend my lectures. You can agree to it. Anyone can attend my classes here.”
Seeing Hua Changxi’s reaction, Eunuch Jia and the other three were greatly astonished.
This way of interacting was something they had never experienced before, leaving them unsure how to respond.
Seeing the four standing still, Hua Changxi asked, “Do you need anything else?”
The four snapped back to attention and shook their heads, “No.”
Eunuch Zhou, wanting to strengthen his relationship with Hua Changxi, tentatively flattered her, “Master, the lotus flower adornment on your forehead today is truly beautiful. With this adornment, you are even more radiant than before.”
As soon as he said this, Eunuch Zhou and the other three saw Hua Changxi smile.
“Is that so? I quite like this adornment too. I’ll draw it every day from now on.”
Seeing that Hua Changxi had truly responded to him and appeared very happy, Eunuch Zhou’s eyes brightened. After leaving Qihuang Hall with Eunuch Jia and the other two, he said.
“This Master is different from the Masters in the palace.”
Eunuch Yu looked at the other three and sighed, “Not just the Masters in the palace; she is different from all Masters.”
In fact, when he collaborated with Hua Changxi on alchemy, he had already noticed that Hua Changxi seemed to build a relationship of equality when interacting with people.
After taking them in, she did not treat them as mere servants.
At this moment, the unwillingness and resistance of the four towards acknowledging a young girl like Hua Changxi as their Master had reached its lowest point. Just as they were about to go their separate ways, Hua Changxi’s voice called out from behind them.
“Wait a moment.”
“Master, do you have any instructions?”
Hua Changxi looked at Eunuch Jia and the other three. To make a horse run fast, one must first let it eat enough grass. If she wanted to completely control the Labor Department, she needed their assistance. “You will accompany me to Number Seven Qihuang Hall.”
The four exchanged glances and quickly followed Hua Changxi.
Upon entering Number Seven Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi took out the Spirit Testing Stone and the Totem Golden Alms Bowl. “This round ball is called a Spirit Testing Stone; it can detect if a person has spiritual meridians.”
“This Golden Alms Bowl can reflect your bloodline power and see if it can return to its ancestral state.”
Eunuch Jia and the other three gazed intently at the Spirit Testing Stone and the Totem Golden Alms Bowl.
Eunuch Yu had already had his spiritual meridians tested at the Eastern Depot; he had none. At this moment, looking at the Totem Golden Alms Bowl, he nervously asked, “Master, if one has no spiritual meridians and their bloodline cannot return to its ancestral state, does that mean they cannot cultivate?”
Hua Changxi: “Of course, there are other ways, but that would be truly defying fate. Everything has a price; can you bear the price of defying fate?”
Eunuch Yu lowered his head and fell silent.
Hua Changxi had the four undergo testing. In the end, none of them had spiritual meridians. However, the Golden Alms Bowl did reflect faint ancestral return totems on all four of them.
Eunuch Jia’s totem image was a rabbit, Eunuch Yu’s was an ox, Eunuch Zhou’s was a tiger, and Eunuch Zhao’s was a mouse.
Eunuch Jia and the other three were bewildered by the totem images and looked at Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi: “Although the totem images are somewhat illusory, ancestral return is still possible. You are my people, and we will prepare ancestral return medicinal soup for you. After soaking in the ancestral return medicinal soup, we will know if you can obtain ancestral return divine abilities.”
“Wait for me in this courtyard at Hai Shi tonight. Oh, and Eunuch Yu, call Yu Hui and have him come too.”
Eunuch Yu quickly nodded.
After the four left, Hua Changxi returned to her courtyard. She wanted to see if ancestral return would affect her cultivation.
As soon as she immersed herself in cultivation, Hua Changxi’s consciousness attached itself to the Inner Core within her Dantian Qi Sea, and then she saw the lifelike Vermilion Bird pattern covering the Inner Core.
Subsequently, as cultivation progressed and Spiritual Energy continuously flowed into the Inner Core, the Vermilion Bird pattern seemed to come alive, becoming radiant.
At the same time, the Vermilion Bird breathing and exhalation image in her mind regained its brilliance, becoming even more dazzling than before.
The Vermilion Bird totem, which didn’t compete with the lotus totem, had actually ended up here on the Inner Core!
As long as the totem was present, Hua Changxi didn’t care where it manifested and began to cultivate wholeheartedly.
In the past two months, she had unlocked eight Qihuang Halls. Each unlocked Qihuang Hall increased her cultivation by one hundred thousand points. After her bloodline returned to its ancestral state, her cultivation speed had increased again.
Now, cultivating for one hour could increase her Spiritual Energy Points by one million one hundred thousand.
As night fell, Hua Changxi stopped cultivating.
『Realm: Core Formation Realm 88,880,000/10,000,000』
Hua Changxi looked at her cultivation data with great delight. At her current cultivation speed, she would soon advance to the next realm.
Seeing that it was getting late, she got up and went to Number Seven Qihuang Hall.
At Number Seven Qihuang Hall, Yu Hui and Eunuch Jia and the other three had been waiting anxiously for some time.
“Sister, you’re here.”
Seeing Yu Hui approach Hua Changxi with a beaming smile, Hua Changxi responded warmly to him. Eunuch Jia, Eunuch Zhao, and Eunuch Zhou exchanged silent glances.
The three were surprised. Although they knew Hua Changxi might be different from the superiors they had encountered before, they hadn’t expected her to be so different.
Yu Hui actually called Hua Changxi “Sister,” and Hua Changxi responded. They had such a casual way of interacting in private.
Hua Changxi used the Golden Alms Bowl to scan Yu Hui for a bloodline totem. Unexpectedly, Yu Hui’s totem image was the strongest: a colorful rooster.
“I’m actually a chicken!”
Hua Changxi listened to Yu Hui’s exclamation, feeling somewhat speechless.
At this moment, four more people entered the courtyard. They were the two men and two women who had been shown a rabbit totem image yesterday.
“Steward Hua.”
Seeing Eunuch Jia and the others also present, the four appeared somewhat reserved.
Among the four, three were siblings: Xia Song, Xia Bai, and Xia Ge. The other person was named Su Ying.
After Hua Changxi introduced the four, she went to the alchemy room in the east wing to begin brewing the ancestral return medicinal soup.
Once it was brewed, she had the nine people soak in the medicinal bath.
After soaking in the medicinal soup, all nine felt uncomfortable.
“Ah~”
“Sister Changxi, it hurts so much.”
Eunuch Jia and the others dared not act rashly and endured the pain through gritted teeth. Yu Hui, being familiar with Hua Changxi, quickly informed her of his condition.
Hua Changxi knew the pain of soaking in a medicinal bath, “Endure it. It’s inevitable to feel pain when reviving the dormant bloodline power within your body.”
Afterward, Hua Changxi meticulously recorded the reactions of the nine people in the medicinal bath. The Number Seven Wooden Token in the main hall continuously emitted a white glow.
Hua Changxi noticed that a new pattern had appeared on the stone wall in the main hall. Seeing that Yu Hui and the others were enduring the pain to absorb the medicinal properties from the soup, she entered the main hall to examine the pattern.
It was a gruesome depiction: someone had activated their bloodline totem and exploded!
Clearly, this was a case of the body exploding because it couldn’t withstand the totem’s power.
After seeing the pattern, Hua Changxi quickly exited the room. Seeing that Yu Hui and the others had all fainted from the pain, she hurried over to examine them.
She quickly discovered that Yu Hui, Su Ying, and the three Xia siblings had developed bloodstains on their skin to varying degrees.
Seeing this, Hua Changxi’s expression changed. She swiftly lifted the few individuals out of the bathtub and administered pills to repair their bodies.
She then checked on Eunuch Jia and the other three. Soon, she found bloodstains appearing on Eunuch Jia’s body, followed by Eunuch Yu.
Before long, Eunuch Zhao and Eunuch Zhou were also lifted out of the bathtub by her.
Hua Changxi carefully examined the condition of Yu Hui and the other four. She found that Yu Hui had the fewest bloodstains, Su Ying had the most, and among the Xia siblings, Xia Song and Xia Bai had fewer than Xia Ge.
Next, she checked on Eunuch Jia and the other three. She discovered that Eunuch Zhou had the fewest bloodstains, while Eunuch Jia had the most.
“Yu Hui is a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist, so his body is stronger than the other four. Su Ying is petite and frail, with the weakest body. Among the three Xia siblings, Xia Ge’s body is clearly not as strong as her two brothers.”
“Among Eunuch Jia and the other three, Eunuch Zhou is a Grandmaster, Eunuch Zhao is an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, Eunuch Yu is a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist who can break through to Eighth-Rank, and Eunuch Jia is the weakest in combat, being a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist. The physical strength of the four decreases in that order.”
Comparing the conditions of the two groups, Hua Changxi concluded that the robustness of the physical body influenced the revival of the bloodline’s totem power.
As for herself, the reason she could revive her bloodline totem power in one step was that she was a Cultivator. Not only had her body been tempered by Spiritual Energy, but her body had also been continuously nourished by Spiritual Energy during the cultivation process. Her body was no longer that of a mortal.
“If they can’t withstand the bloodline ancestral return, what should we do?”
While contemplating this question, Hua Changxi’s gaze shifted to the adjacent Number Eight Qihuang Hall.
If their physical strength were enhanced, wouldn’t they be able to withstand the power of bloodline ancestral return?
Hua Changxi smiled. She guessed what content was being taught at Number Eight Qihuang Hall; it was most likely a body-strengthening Body Refining Technique.
A night passed. Eunuch Jia and the other three were the first to wake up in the east wing room, followed by Yu Hui, and finally the three Xia siblings and Su Ying.
When they woke up, their entire bodies ached. Upon learning that Hua Changxi had gone to lecture, they lay back down. It wasn’t until noon when Hua Changxi returned that they finally got up.
“Sister, why does our bodies hurt so much?”
“Your bodies are too weak to withstand bloodline ancestral return. Let’s go to Number Eight Qihuang Hall.”
Upon arriving at Number Eight Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi took out the first chapter, Skin Refining, of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique obtained from Five Finger Mountain, and gave it to Yu Hui, instructing them to copy it in the wing room.
Eunuch Jia and the others were Martial Artists. After reading it, they quickly said, “We have already practiced skin refining during our martial arts training.”
Hua Changxi: “Skin refining in martial arts only makes the skin firmer; it doesn’t make you immune to water and fire or impervious to blades and spears.”
“The Skin Refining chapter I’ve given you, once perfected, will allow your skin defense to withstand the spiritual energy attacks of Qi Refining Realm cultivators.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up, and they eagerly began to copy the Skin Refining chapter.
After they left, Hua Changxi did not leave Number Eight Qihuang Hall. Instead, she began to brew the Skin Quenching Decoction, as quenching the skin was the most crucial step in Skin Refining.
By the time Yu Hui and the others finished copying, Hua Changxi’s Skin Quenching Decoction was also ready.
“I will provide the first ancestral return medicinal soup and skin quenching medicinal soup to you free of charge. For subsequent treatments, you will need to obtain them through your own efforts if you wish to continue.”
Each chapter of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique requires corresponding body tempering medicinal soups. The skin quenching medicinal soup in the Skin Refining chapter requires many Spiritual Medicines. If she didn’t have Five Finger Mountain, she wouldn’t be able to afford it.
Yu Hui and the others understood this. They were already very grateful that Hua Changxi had helped them embark on the path of cultivation.
“Be prepared, skin quenching will be very painful.”
Having experienced the medicinal bath last night, Yu Hui and the others thought they had adapted to pain. However, once they soaked in the medicinal bath, they realized what true agony was.
Hua Changxi was also shocked. Looking at the skin of Yu Hui and the others, it cracked and healed, then cracked and healed again. Her scalp tingled.
However, this skin quenching was different from the explosion last night. Skin quenching was truly just quenching the skin; it did not damage the flesh beneath.
Therefore, Yu Hui and the others remained conscious through their suffering.
To distract them, Hua Changxi began to recite the Skin Refining Technique, allowing them to absorb the medicinal properties from the bath while simultaneously refining their skin.
As she recited, the Number Eight Wooden Token lit up with a white glow.
Seeing the white glow, Hua Changxi’s eyes curved. She had guessed correctly; Number Eight Qihuang Hall taught how to refine the body.
After reciting the Skin Refining Technique three times, seeing that Yu Hui and the others had adapted to the pain and were gritting their teeth to refine their skin, Hua Changxi entered the main hall.
On the stone wall of the main hall, two patterns had already appeared.
The first pattern was simple and direct, depicting a thin mortal undergoing body refining and transforming into a ‘sky-reaching’ giant.
Truly sky-reaching, the giant could pierce through the clouds, and mountains appeared minuscule at its feet, somewhat resembling the giant ape spiritual shadow that appeared at Five Finger Mountain.
She couldn’t help but recall the Divine Ability cultivation method, Great Law Manifestation, that she had previously obtained. To cultivate Great Law Manifestation, one had to refine the body first.
Hua Changxi then looked at the second pattern, which depicted a scene of a person refining their skin. It recorded a formula for a skin quenching medicinal soup.
Many of the ingredients in this formula were Mortal Plant Medicinal Herbs, with only a few Spiritual Medicines. These few Spiritual Medicines were quite common.
“This skin quenching formula is very cost-effective.”
Hua Changxi felt that ordinary people could gather all the medicinal herbs in the formula with a little effort, unlike the Spiritual Medicines in the skin quenching formula within the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, which were all precious Spiritual Medicines.
Moreover, the Skin Refining Technique was much simpler, making it feel easy to operate.
Hua Changxi copied the skin quenching medicinal soup formula and the Skin Refining Technique from the patterns and then went to the courtyard to check on Yu Hui and the others.
By the time Yu Hui and the others finished skin quenching, it was already dark. Seeing them slumped in the bathtub like noodles, Hua Changxi told them to leave on their own. She herself, carrying another portion of skin quenching medicinal soup, entered the main room of the east wing.
She also wanted to refine her body. This idea wasn’t new; she had planned it when she obtained the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique at Five Finger Mountain, but she was only starting now.
She felt that dual cultivation of Law and Body might be better.
She clearly remembered the scene where Old Daoist Jiang’s physical body was destroyed by her, leaving only his Nascent Soul to escape. The physical bodies of Law Cultivators were not considered powerful.
Pain!
Soaking in the medicinal bath, Hua Changxi felt admiration for Yu Hui and the others, and she also saw the great determination they had to cultivate. The pain of the skin cracking and healing was truly indescribable.
As Hua Changxi gritted her teeth and quenched her skin, the competition on First Street was entering its final stages.
Gu Qiming flipped through the list of Apothecary Shops on First Street. The Royal Family occupied twenty shops, the Heavenly Department occupied twenty, and the remaining forty were divided among various factions.
The Medical Affairs Department only occupied five, which greatly displeased him.
This was his territory. He had to consider the faces of other nobles to arrange for Pharmacists to move in, which was truly stifling.
Yuan Tianchou looked at Gu Qiming’s tired face and said, “Master, all the Apothecary Shops on First Street already have owners. You can finally rest for a while.”
Gu Qiming shook his head, “Where is there time to rest? The Minister’s assigned task has not yet been completed.”
He had to visit Gu Xing at the Old Plaza Courtyard these past two days. The other three who took the Wooden Token should also be found.
