Chapter 165: Su Lingxiu's Unique Physique

Chapter 165: Su Lingxiu's Unique Physique

Su Lingxiu's golden needles were indeed swift and powerful. The tiny needles were already difficult to defend against, and their penetration was extremely strong, making it easy to pierce through the qi and blood of ordinary warriors.

Moreover, the golden needles were unpredictable. You might be able to block one, but you couldn't defend against ten, a hundred, or even thousands of them.

However, for Xu Yan and Meng Chong, there wasn't much of a threat.

After all, Su Lingxiu had comprehended the technique of the golden needles with their help, and they already had a good understanding of the Needle Arts.

Meng Chong's Great Sun Golden Body was so sturdy that the golden needles couldn't even penetrate his defense.

As for Xu Yan, Su Lingxiu's golden needles were indeed formidable, but even at the same cultivation level, they couldn't pose any threat to him.

Even if Su Lingxiu launched a sneak attack, it would be the same.

"Sister's Needle Arts are indeed formidable against other warriors," Xu Yan said with a laugh as he returned the golden needle to her.

"Brother Xu is too strong," Su Lingxiu said, her face filled with frustration.

She felt that her golden needles were already very powerful, yet they were easily countered.

"I shall name this technique the Whirlwind Divine Needles!" Su Lingxiu exclaimed excitedly. Then, picking up the shovel she had brought with her, she said, "From now on, I shall cultivate the Shovel Arts and specialize in burying people!"

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she hurried off, saying, "I'm going to test my needles on Hu Shan!"

Xu Yan shook his head. Hu Shan was probably in for some trouble.

Although Su Lingxiu hadn't broken through to the Innate Realm yet, her strength far surpassed that of a first-rate warrior, and ordinary Grandmaster warriors were no match for her.

For now, their exploration of the Eight Trigrams came to a temporary halt.

The next step was to hone their skills, strengthen their foundations, and strive to break through to the next level as soon as possible.

Once they reached the pinnacle of the Innate Realm, even peak grandmasters would be easy to defeat.

Meng Chong was brimming with fighting spirit. He was determined to break through to the Grand Completion of the Great Sun Golden Body. With that achievement, he wouldn't have to fear grandmasters anymore.

He had been chased by the black-robed grandmaster for some time, and it had left him feeling frustrated.

After his breakthrough, he would take his revenge and teach a grandmaster a lesson.

Fortunately, the Wind and Thunder Vajra Fist and the Heaven-Defying Demon Sword had also made breakthroughs, thanks to their insights from the Eight Trigrams.

He could now test his fist and sword against grandmasters.

He, too, wanted to experience the satisfaction of defeating a grandmaster with a single punch.

The senior brother had been so awe-inspiring when he ventured into the Inner Realm, effortlessly killing Grandmasters and defeating grandmasters.

Meng Chong recalled his own experience in the Inner Realm. At first, he had killed Grandmasters as easily as slaughtering chickens, but then he had been chased by the black-robed grandmaster! He hadn't earned much spirit crystals either.

Thankfully, there had been plenty of spirit herbs in the spirit herb treasure land, so his trip to the Inner Realm hadn't been entirely in vain.

"Your disciple, Su Lingxiu, has comprehended the Whirlwind Divine Needles from the Eight Trigrams. You have also mastered the Whirlwind Divine Needles."

A golden light appeared, and Li Xuan's expression became calm and serene.

However, this technique of the Whirlwind Divine Needles didn't stir any emotions within him, and he didn't intend to use it.

As a man, he felt that using needles as a weapon didn't quite fit his image as an unparalleled, lofty expert.

Unbidden, he thought of a man named Dongfang Bubai, who was known for his flying needles…

Su Lingxiu began instructing the group of young men and women in the steps of pill refining. She selected those with the best talent to learn the final step of pill condensation.

Learning pill refining, even just one step, required repeated practice, so the consumption of medicinal materials was considerable.

During the practice stage, they used only ordinary medicinal ingredients.

Once they became proficient, they would practice with precious herbs.

Only after that would they move on to spirit herbs, and even then, they would need to control the failure rate and improve the success rate of pill condensation.

All of this required time and accumulation, and the techniques for refining the Qi and Blood Pill, the Qi Accumulation Pill, and the Injury Recovery Pill were slightly different, with variations in each step.

However, the differences weren't significant. Once they mastered the refining technique for one type of pill, learning to refine the others became much easier.

They started by refining low-grade pills, such as those made from precious herbs to aid in bone and organ refinement or to enhance the perception of qi and blood.

As a result, the pill refining room produced quite a few low-grade pills every day, along with a significant number of waste pills. However, as their pill refining skills improved, the number of waste pills gradually decreased.

The successful pills were naturally used by the members of Evergreen Pavilion to aid in their cultivation or sold to frontier warriors in exchange for medicinal ingredients or to recruit suitable warriors to join Evergreen Pavilion as peripheral members.

The allure of pills was irresistible to many aspiring warriors, and they all wanted to join Evergreen Pavilion. However, the requirements for joining were extremely strict, with limitations on both age and talent, ensuring that only the best were chosen.

As for the waste pills, in the spirit of not wasting anything, they were all fed to Chi Cat.

Chi Cat was a bit disdainful at first, having grown accustomed to eating waste pills made from spirit herbs. These ordinary waste pills weren't to his liking, but since they were from Su Lingxiu, he had to help consume them to avoid wasting them and to stay in her good graces.

To please Su Lingxiu and avoid displeasing her, Chi Cat gritted his teeth and swallowed all the waste pills in one go.

Only after they achieved a 100% success rate in refining each type of pill would they move on to the next one. This way, they could minimize the failure rate when refining new pills.

There seemed to be a lot of spirit herbs, but they couldn't afford to waste them. The senior brothers had spent a lot of time and effort to obtain those herbs.

Therefore, to minimize the failure rate when refining spirit pills, Su Lingxiu demanded a high success rate in pill refining.

Kou Ruozhi had made a breakthrough in his martial arts cultivation and entered the Qi and Blood Realm. He was thrilled to have finally become a warrior.

"Pavilion Master, I've broken through!" Kou Ruozhi immediately reported his breakthrough to Su Lingxiu.

"Well done. For now, leave the matters of Evergreen Pavilion to Yun Shan. You will go to the Inner Realm to handle some business for me," Su Lingxiu instructed.

Kou Ruozhi nodded.

"Yes, Pavilion Master!" Kou Ruozhi replied solemnly.

Yun Shan was the magistrate of Yunshan County. For him to have become the controller of Yunshan County under the Heavenly Mother Sect, he must have had some capabilities and not just been a brute.

Moreover, Yun Shan had been recruited into the Heavenly Mother Sect by Kou Ruozhi, and he was also a core member of Evergreen Pavilion.

After Kou Ruozhi finished arranging the affairs of Evergreen Pavilion, Su Lingxiu began to brief him on his mission to the Inner Realm. The first task was, of course, to prepare for Evergreen Pavilion's entry into the Inner Realm.

First, they needed to understand the strength of the warriors in Tieshan County and determine where to establish Evergreen Pavilion's presence and how to operate it.

There was also another very important task.

That was to try to establish an intelligence network for Evergreen Pavilion.

Su Lingxiu explained the general situation of the Inner Realm to Kou Ruozhi, and the specifics of how to act would depend on his own judgment.

Su Lingxiu believed that with Kou Ruozhi's talent, he should be able to complete the task quickly. She had kept him by her side because she valued his abilities.

"Be careful in your actions, and don't expose the existence of the frontier for now. You know what to do," Su Lingxiu said in conclusion.

"Pavilion Master, rest assured. I know what to do, and I won't let you down. Evergreen Pavilion will surely resonate in the Inner Realm and stand at its peak," Kou Ruozhi vowed.

Kou Ruozhi was even more excited by her words.

That very day, Kou Ruozhi set off from the frontier with the spiritual crystals and spirit tickets that Su Lingxiu had given him. He was on his way to Iron Mountain County in the inner domain.

Of course, the spiritual crystals and spirit tickets had been brought back by Xu Yan.

Su Lingxiu looked towards the inner domain, and a murderous glint flashed in her bright eyes.

She was about to return to the inner domain, and she would definitely uproot and completely annihilate the black-robed man's faction!

"Kou Ruozhi's entry into the Qi and Blood Realm theoretically corresponds to a third-rate warrior, but he is much stronger than a third-rate warrior in the inner domain. In Iron Mountain County, apart from the Heaven-Treasure Pavilion, there are definitely no Grandmasters.

"There may not even be third-rate warriors. Once someone breaks through to the third-rate, they will leave this barren place."

Su Lingxiu thought to herself.

With Kou Ruozhi's strength and means, she believed that he would soon be able to establish himself in Iron Mountain County and complete the tasks she had assigned him. Of course, setting up an intelligence network would be extremely challenging.

It was impossible to accomplish this in a short time.

"It's time for me to break through to the Innate Realm!"

Su Lingxiu prepared to break through to the Innate Realm.

Her foundation was already solid, and her deeper understanding of the Dan Medicinal Martial Manual, as well as her enlightenment of the Thousand Butterfly Phantom Body and the Xunyuan Divine Needles, meant that she was ready for a breakthrough.

"Master, I'm about to break through to the Innate Realm," Su Lingxiu said as she served tea to her master.

"Mhm."

Li Xuan fiddled with a jade scepter and nodded.

"Master, do you have any advice for me as I break through to the Innate Realm?" Su Lingxiu asked.

Li Xuan pondered for a moment. Xu Yan's breakthrough to the Innate Realm had involved infusing his body with sword intent, transforming his bones into spirit bones. Meng Chong's breakthrough had been similar, and both of them had undergone significant transformations.

If Xu Yan were to break through to the Profound Mystery Realm, Li Xuan even suspected that he would continue to transform, further enhancing his spirit bones, or perhaps even transforming into a spirit body.

But Su Lingxiu had not comprehended sword intent, knife intent, or needle intent like her senior martial brothers. How would she transform when she broke through to the Innate Realm?

Li Xuan had always suspected that Su Lingxiu possessed a unique physique. After learning about her background and that her mother, a Grandmaster, had passed away due to the immense strain of giving birth to her, his suspicions were further confirmed.

Therefore, Li Xuan believed that Su Lingxiu's unique physique was probably incomplete, and breaking through to the Innate Realm would be a catalyst for transformation and completion.

"You cultivate the Dan Medicinal Martial Arts. To break through to the Innate Realm and transform, you must focus on the path of alchemy. The Evergreen Bones are perpetually vibrant, and this should be your foundation for self-improvement.

"Your senior martial brothers transformed by tempering themselves with sword intent and knife intent, but since you haven't comprehended sword intent or knife intent, that's not your forte.

"So, put some thought into alchemy."

Su Lingxiu fell into deep thought. After a while, she nodded and said, "Thank you, Master. I know what to do now."

Li Xuan nodded. The fact that Su Lingxiu could figure out the method meant that she would also transform when she broke through to the Innate Realm.

Perhaps her unique physique would be elevated to a new level.

Su Lingxiu began preparing for her breakthrough to the Innate Realm. She pondered various pill formulas and, after a few days, she combined them into a new formula.

Then, she started refining pills.

The main ingredients were three types of sixth-grade spirit herbs, and the auxiliary ingredients were seventh-grade.

This was the highest-grade pill she had ever refined, so she was extremely careful and focused.

If she failed, the loss would be significant.

Finally, the pills were successfully refined. There were nine in total, with a mix of green and blue, a glossy finish, and an aura of vibrant vitality.

Li Xuan watched with a thoughtful expression.

Outside the manor, on a peak, under a large tree.

Su Lingxiu sat cross-legged, beginning her breakthrough to the Innate Realm.

Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Xie Lingfeng, along with Hu Shan, watched from a distance.

Zhou Ying felt both nervous and delighted as she gazed lovingly at the young girl in the distance.

For Su Lingxiu, breaking through to the Innate Realm was not difficult, but whether she could use this opportunity to transform and ascend was unknown.

As the Heavenly Bridge connected the heavens and earth, spiritual energy flowed into her body, and a faint green light appeared. It carried a vibrant vitality, and the tender sprouts on the large tree seemed to grow rapidly.

Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan looked on enviously. To be able to cultivate in the frontier, to be able to guide the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body and break through the realm—this was the true martial path.

Martial arts should not be constrained by rules and limitations.

The two of them cultivated in the frontier, relying solely on pills. They refined their bodies with Accumulating Qi Pills, and their progress was not slow.

However, they couldn't sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which was somewhat depressing.

The green light on Su Lingxiu's body grew stronger and more pervasive. Even from a distance, one could feel the vibrant vitality it exuded.

As her aura transformed, something unusual happened at the moment she was about to break through to the Innate Realm. The spiritual energy that poured into her body did not condense into Innate True Qi.

Xu Yan frowned, silently observing and probing Su Lingxiu's condition.

Zhou Ying asked anxiously, "Xu Yan, what's wrong with Lingxiu?"

Even though she was only at the Small Accomplishment stage of the Qi and Blood Realm, just one step away from the Great Accomplishment stage, she could tell that Su Lingxiu's breakthrough seemed to have encountered some kind of problem.

"It seems like her body is passively absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, like..."

Xu Yan furrowed his brows in thought, "Like a thirsty person drinking water frantically."

Zhou Ying became worried, "What should we do?"

"Sister Lingxiu has prepared pills, so it should be fine," Xu Yan said, though he, too, felt some concern.

Su Lingxiu also noticed the unusual situation within her body and felt puzzled. She quickly took a pill and put it in her mouth.

The pill instantly dissolved, releasing vibrant vitality within her body.

She took a deep breath and continued to circulate her martial technique. The Dan Medicinal Martial Manual flashed in her mind, and she took another pill to begin refining her Evergreen Bones.

At the same time, golden needles appeared and pierced her body's acupoints, trembling as if they were connecting with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, stimulating the acupoint's charm.

She took another pill, and a dense vitality, along with a long-lasting fiery energy, circulated within her body, stimulating her Evergreen Bones.

At a certain moment, the Evergreen Bones emanated a faint green light, and the vitality became even more pervasive.

Su Lingxiu felt like her body was transforming, and she seemed to have a sense of affinity with the large tree nearby, as if she could control it with a single thought.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth no longer scattered throughout her body through the Heavenly Bridge. Instead of being absorbed by her body, it rushed towards her dantian, creating a sea of energy.

Li Xuan approached with a leisurely stride, observing Su Lingxiu's breakthrough. As he had expected, Su Lingxiu did possess a unique physique, but it was incomplete.

It was limited by her environment, resulting in an innate deficiency.

However, she had refined her Evergreen Bones, and now, with the assistance of the pills, her unique physique was not only becoming complete, but it was also transforming and ascending to a stronger state.

(End of Chapter)

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