Chapter 197: Breakthrough to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, Body Tempering Breakthrou

Chapter 197: Breakthrough to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, Body Tempering Breakthrough

Chu Ning was startled by this turn of events. He hastily tried to activate his defensive shield to ward off the attack.

However, the sternum was approaching too quickly, and the distance was too close.

Chu Ning didn't have the slightest opportunity to defend himself before it reached him.

He could only pin his hopes on the armor he had obtained from this ancient site.

After all, this armor had remained intact even after taking a hit from the Yin Demon Sect's Golden Core elder.

But what left Chu Ning utterly astonished was that this piece of armor, renowned for its sturdy defense, was utterly ineffective against the jade bone.

The sternum penetrated through the armor as if it didn't exist.

In the next moment, Chu Ning felt the object strike his body. Even with his body tempered by the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, having reached such a profound state in the first volume, there was no resistance at all.

The jade bone pierced straight into his body.

This bizarre situation left Chu Ning flabbergasted and pale with shock.

Just as Chu Ning thought he would be severely injured once again by this strike, he was surprised to discover that he wasn't wounded at all.

He quickly removed his clothes and armor to inspect his body.

To his relief, there was no damage to either his clothes, armor, or body.

At this moment, Chu Ning hurriedly turned his gaze inward to examine his internal state.

To his bewilderment, he found that the bone had remained inside his body, affixed to his sternum, as if it were about to merge with it.

"What...?"

For a moment, Chu Ning's expression became complex, unsure if he should feel happy or worried.

"What exactly is this thing?"

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Chu Ning lifted his head once more to look at the remains in front of him.

And once again, he paused in surprise.

He noticed that the sternum on the remains was still intact. The skeleton was whole, as if this jade bone had merely blocked the original one.

"Could it be that this jade bone didn't originally belong to that elder?"

This thought flashed through Chu Ning's mind, and he inwardly examined the jade bone within his body once more.

Then, to his surprise, Chu Ning discovered that this jade bone seemed to possess a mysterious power that was slowly spreading throughout his body, reaching his limbs and bones.

Immediately after, Chu Ning made another astonishing discovery.

The two to three parts of his injuries that had not fully healed were now visibly recovering under his clear perception, right before his eyes.

The meridians that had been damaged and not yet completely healed, as well as the minor blockages in his spiritual power flow, were all restored to their original state after just a short while.

"This jade bone actually has the miraculous effect of healing injuries?"

Chu Ning's face revealed his extreme astonishment, and a hint of joy crept into his expression.

Sensing that his body had completely recovered in just this short while, Chu Ning's eyes took on a thoughtful look in the next moment.

"This power is extremely foreign to me; I've never come across it before.

But judging from its ability to heal my injuries, it doesn't seem to be an evil force.

Moreover, this power gives me a feeling of vibrant life force.

Now that this power is flowing into my limbs and bones, can I guide it for tempering and refining?"

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate the Blazing Divine Wood Art.

As he expected, Chu Ning found that the energy, which had previously been flowing chaotically in all directions, was now being guided by the Blazing Divine Wood Art toward his dantian.

And upon entering his dantian, it immediately transformed into spiritual power, merging with his own spiritual power.

Without hesitation, Chu Ning continued to cultivate.

The stone chamber fell silent once more.

Ling Xiaobai watched Chu Ning cultivating with a curious look in her eyes.

However, she could tell that Chu Ning was no longer cultivating the Mysterious Fate Art like he had been for the past month.

So, she didn't disturb him.

But Ling Xiaobai, this little fellow, also vaguely sensed that Chu Ning's body was exuding an extremely robust and vibrant life force.

The intensity of this vitality gave Ling Xiaobai the feeling that not only had Chu Ning's injuries almost fully healed, but even if he had been at his most severely injured state, his body could have recovered to its original state in an extremely short period with the infusion of this vitality.

Sensing this life force that made all living beings feel incredibly comfortable, Ling Xiaobai immediately laid down comfortably beside Chu Ning.

Time passed slowly, and Chu Ning remained in a state of cultivation.

After a full ten days had gone by, Chu Ning abruptly opened his eyes, a look of delight in them.

As he stood up, he exclaimed, "Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!"

With the help of the jade bone, not only had Chu Ning's physical injuries fully healed, but he had also directly broken through to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, having already reached the threshold before.

At this moment, Chu Ning checked his proficiency once more.

【Blazing Divine Wood Art (High-Rank Xuan Tier), Third Layer (1000/20000)】

【Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, First Volume, Undying Soul (1700/3000)】

【Refine God Art, Third Layer (6702/8000)】

This glance caused Chu Ning's eyes to shine with surprise.

The proficiency of the third layer of the Blazing Divine Wood Art had directly increased by 400 points.

This wasn't unexpected for Chu Ning.

After all, he had been cultivating nonstop for several days, and he had also crossed the threshold to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

It was only natural that his proficiency in the Blazing Divine Wood Art would increase significantly.

An increase of 100 points in the Refine God Art seemed normal as well. It was possibly due to the lingering effects of the golden light, or perhaps it was because his spiritual sense had become more robust after entering the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

However, what truly surprised Chu Ning was the increase of a full 200 points in his body tempering cultivation. This was completely beyond his expectations.

After all, this wasn't like the situation during his Foundation Establishment, where he had only needed to cross the final hurdle.

These thoughts flashed through Chu Ning's mind, but he didn't dwell on them.

To find out the reason, he immediately began cultivating the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art right there.

As Chu Ning cultivated, coordinating his movements with the incantations, the jade bone within his body began to glow faintly, becoming increasingly translucent and lustrous like jade.

"So, a body tempering technique is the proper way to utilize this jade bone?"

Chu Ning was delighted by this discovery and continued cultivating without pause.

As he cultivated, he casually glanced at the proficiency within his sea of consciousness.

To his surprise, he found that the Undying Soul's proficiency was rapidly increasing at a visible rate.

After cultivating continuously for ten iterations, Chu Ning felt that he had reached his limit.

Only then did he finally stop.

He turned his gaze to the proficiency of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art.

【Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, First Volume, Undying Soul (1800/3000)】

"This jade bone can actually help me break through the body tempering bottleneck, and the effect is surprisingly good."

Cultivating the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art ten times had increased his proficiency by a full 100 points.

Chu Ning was pleasantly surprised by this outcome.

After all, he had been stuck at the Undying Soul bottleneck for nearly three years without any progress.

At this moment, Chu Ning once again turned his attention inward to examine the mysterious jade bone within his body.

Instead of adhering to his sternum as before, the jade bone had now fused partially with his sternum.

"How incredibly mystical!"

Chu Ning now suspected that this was not truly someone's bone but rather a manifestation of some sort of energy.

Moreover, this object gave him a sense of familiarity.

"It's a bit like... Spiritual Essence Qi!"

Chu Ning suddenly recalled the feeling he had experienced when he first obtained the Spiritual Essence Qi from the Wood Spirit Seed and refined it.

Although the aura and pure energy of this jade bone were completely different from the Wood Spirit Seed's Spiritual Essence Qi, Chu Ning could still sense the profound connection between them.

"Could it be that this jade bone is actually a manifestation of Spiritual Essence Qi? But if that's the case, why wasn't it refined by the Great Elder of Leihu Zong, and instead, it remained in his body?"

Chu Ning was perplexed.

At the same time, he surveyed his surroundings once more, hoping to find some clues.

In his opinion, an ancient and powerful sect like Leihu Zong should have more records and information about Spirit Seeds and Spiritual Essence Qi.

However, after a thorough inspection with his eyes and spiritual sense, Chu Ning still didn't find anything.

Then, his gaze shifted to the stone door not far away.

He and Ling Xiaobai had entered this stone chamber through the restrictions, and if this was one of the Great Elder's chambers, then beyond this stone door might lie the elder's complete cave abode.

With this thought, Chu Ning felt a strong urge to go out and explore.

However, after some consideration, he suppressed this impulse.

"Since I can cultivate peacefully in this stone chamber, I might as well completely refine this jade bone first.

Perhaps with some time, I can directly break through the Undying Soul bottleneck.

It's always good to have one more life-saving measure."

Having made up his mind, Chu Ning decided against leaving the stone chamber to explore.

In the following days, he focused solely on cultivating the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art in the stone chamber.

The proficiency of Undying Soul increased by 100 points every day.

Twelve days passed in this manner.

Like the previous days, Chu Ning was cultivating the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art when he suddenly felt an extremely subtle sensation emanating from within his body.

Intrigued, he turned his attention inward and noticed the jade bone that had been gradually fusing with his sternum over the past few days.

At this moment, the jade bone had completely merged with his sternum, becoming one with it.

Chu Ning's sternum now appeared crystalline and jade-like, an extraordinary sight.

Soon after, a scorching sensation arose from Chu Ning's limbs and bones, surging towards his head.

Sensing this scorching feeling, Chu Ning's eyes lit up.

Having experienced similar sensations many times before, he was no stranger to what it signified.

It was the feeling of breaking through a body tempering bottleneck! Without further delay, Chu Ning focused solely on cultivating the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art.

As he cultivated repeatedly, the scorching sensation in his body began to dissipate, and Chu Ning felt increasingly comfortable and relaxed.

Finally...

When Chu Ning's sternum returned to its normal state, no longer crystalline and jade-like...

"Boom!"

That feeling of breaking free from the shackles of his body appeared once again!

【Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, First Volume, Undying Soul (3000/3000)】

With just a glance, Chu Ning could perceive the changes in his body tempering progress.

Undying Soul, perfected!

Since he had reached this level, he should be able to obtain the corresponding divine ability.

As he continued to look down, he indeed saw a line of text.

【Talent Divine Ability refreshed, rewarded with the divine technique "Soul Shattering Strike"】

At the same time, he had also completely grasped the method of using this secret technique.

What surprised Chu Ning was that this technique could be used to attack an opponent's spiritual sense.

Unlike the Reincarnation Divine Light and Phantom Divine Piercing, which required spiritual sense to use, the Soul Shattering Strike could be employed without spiritual sense, directly using physical attacks to inflict damage on an opponent's spiritual sense.

This meant that Chu Ning could accelerate and accumulate power using the Shocking Thunder Step, then use the Heaven Piercing Fist, and employ the Condensation Slash secret technique of the Spirit Mountain Strike to unleash the Soul Shattering Strike.

This combination would deal a tremendous amount of damage to his opponent!

At the same time, Chu Ning's body tempering technique had officially progressed beyond the Undying Soul stage, entering the final layer of the first volume of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art - the Indestructible Golden Body.

"Now, my body should be able to withstand the force of a mid-Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator's spell attack."

If I combine it with other defenses, like the Double Fire Ring Mother Ring and this armor, even a Foundation Establishment Stage late-stage or Golden Core cultivator's spell attack shouldn't be able to harm me too badly.

As for a Golden Core attack like the one used by that Yin Demon Sect elder before..."

Chu Ning paused for a moment, thinking that he definitely wouldn't be as severely injured as he had been previously.

However, to directly withstand such an attack would still be too risky.

But soon after, Chu Ning shook his head and chuckled.

It wouldn't be easy to force a Golden Core cultivator to go all out like that.

Moreover, his current offensive capabilities posed little threat to a Golden Core cultivator. If he really encountered one, his first priority would be to flee.

As long as he stayed alive, there would be hope.

"Nearly two months have passed. I wonder if that elder from the Yin Demon Sect is still searching outside."

At this moment, Chu Ning's eyes flickered as he looked towards the stone door once more.

Although he had been in a perilous situation during his pursuit by the black-robed, skinny old man, and had even come close to death, it had also been a blessing in disguise. Not only had his spiritual sense become stronger, but he had also consecutively broken through to the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage and overcome his body tempering bottleneck.

There was no doubt that his strength had increased significantly!

However, this place did not seem safe for a long-term stay.

He did not have a large supply of pills in his storage bag, and after years of use, his stock of spirit stones was almost depleted.

Ever since Cen Zikin left, no one had been helping him sell talismans and pills.

If it weren't for the fact that he had killed Song Li and Liu Yishan later on, he would have run out of spirit stones by now.

Now that he was trapped here, his cultivation resources would only last for a short while - perhaps a month or two at most.

"The spiritual energy here is too thin.

I wonder if it's because of this small world. Although it's not like the spatial rift where there's absolutely no spiritual energy,

the spiritual energy here is still noticeably inferior to that of Thousand Lakes and Islands."

Chu Ning pondered silently, then made up his mind and said softly,

"I'll stay here for another month. By then, three months would have passed, and that elder from the Yin Demon Sect shouldn't be lingering around this area anymore.

At that time, I'll leave this stone chamber and check out the situation outside. Then, I'll find an opportunity to leave this place."

Although Chu Ning believed that the elder from the Yin Demon Sect wouldn't remain in the area after three months, he still felt that leaving through the entrance he had used before would be too dangerous.

Instead, he wanted to exit this stone chamber and try to reach the place where he had left the ancient sect site the first time he had come here.

As long as he wasn't discovered immediately, he could disguise himself and change his appearance. Even if that person was a Golden Core cultivator, it would be difficult for them to recognize him again.

"During this time, I can consolidate my mid-Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation and organize all the techniques I currently possess."

Chu Ning mumbled to himself as he first took out the Cycle of Reincarnation Ancient Plate.

During his battle with the skinny, black-robed old man, the Cycle of Reincarnation Ancient Plate had exhausted all the stored Cycle of Reincarnation Divine Light.

Now, it was time to replenish it.

This item was something even a Golden Core cultivator would fear. As long as it was used well, it could be a lifesaving measure.

"Hmm?"

When Chu Ning infused his spiritual sense into the Cycle of Reincarnation Ancient Plate, he immediately noticed that his spiritual sense had indeed become much stronger.

He infused his spiritual sense into the plate ten times consecutively, and the power of the Cycle of Reincarnation Divine Light had increased by 50% compared to before! Chu Ning was very satisfied and put away the Cycle of Reincarnation Ancient Plate.

Next, he took out the Double Fire Rings and channeled his magical power into them to test them out. He breathed a sigh of relief.

When the black-robed, skinny old man had used his Golden Core for a final attack, Chu Ning had thought that the pair of magical treasure rings had been damaged.

Thankfully, they seemed to be intact. It turned out that he had simply been too injured to channel his magical power and use them at the time.

On the contrary, when Chu Ning channeled his magical power into the rings now, he found that the power of both the mother ring and the son ring had seemingly doubled compared to before.

"This should be related to the fact that I've reached the mid-Foundation Establishment Stage, and my magical power is now more robust."

Chu Ning's eyes lit up.

He had used the Xuanling Treasure Pill to complete his Foundation Establishment, and with each advancement in stage, his magical power increased more significantly than other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Now, in terms of the thickness of magical power alone, even a Foundation Establishment Stage late-stage cultivator would likely pale in comparison to him.

The increase in the power of the Cycle of Reincarnation Ancient Plate and the Double Fire Rings relieved Chu Ning.

With these, even without the Thunder Pearl, his offensive capabilities were still formidable, and he had a lifesaving trump card.

"In that case, my Godspeed Evasion should be faster now as well."

Chu Ning thought to himself. Unfortunately, there was no place for him to test it out.

However, he could carefully sense the differences in his other spells now that he had reached the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage.

Thus, he began to cultivate his spells and the newly acquired Soul Shattering Strike secret technique.

The entire month that followed.

Chu Ning stayed in the stone chamber, cultivating several techniques to consolidate his cultivation stage while also spending a considerable amount of time cultivating the Blazing Divine Wood Art and combining the secret techniques of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art.

"My cultivation resources are almost depleted. It's time to leave."

One month later.

Chu Ning held the jade token in his hand and slowly walked to the door of the stone chamber. He used the jade token to dispel the restrictions on the stone door and stepped out.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end