Chapter 204: Four Rounds of Tempering
Chapter 204: Four Rounds of Tempering
After changing into a loose robe, Chen Mu returned to his meditation room and took out the Mountain of Stability Chart once more.
The effects of the Earth Origin Lotus Seeds had mostly worn off, and when he looked at the chart again, he no longer felt the immediate immersion he had experienced before, as if touching the essence of the Mountain of Stability.
At this moment, he clearly sensed that the Intention Realm contained within the chart was no longer as profound as before. Although he could still delve deeper into its mysteries, as his understanding deepened, his insights into the Mountain Root Concept eventually surpassed what the chart could offer. Thus, like the previous rubbings, this chart had also lost its usefulness.
"Perhaps another five or six rounds of deduction?"
Chen Mu wasn't entirely sure.
After all, this wasn't a tangible force that could manipulate the power of heaven and earth; it was a rather ethereal and abstract comprehension of the Intention Realm, making it difficult to gauge precisely. However, his rough estimation was that he could only train to the second step's limit using this chart.
Of course.
In reality, with the System Panel, there was no such limitation. Even if he thoroughly comprehended the entire chart's Intention Realm and continued to meditate on it, the System Panel would still forcefully grant him experience points.
He had already verified this from the previous rubbings of the Thunderclap and Fiery Cauldron charts.
The efficiency would simply decrease.
This Mountain of Stability chart was a high-quality imitation, and although Chen Mu had entered the second step of the Mountain Root Concept and progressed further, the efficiency of his insights remained high. According to his estimation, he would need to deduce it three or four more times before the efficiency of gaining experience would gradually decrease.
"So, should I continue with the Mountain of Stability or switch to the Water Cavern?"
Chen Mu paused briefly.
He soon made a decision and put away the Mountain of Stability chart.
Although practicing the Water Cavern or Marshy Lake Intention Realm now would not be as simple as his previous training in the Gale Wind, Thunderclap, and Fiery Cauldron Intention Realms, which could be directly integrated and layered, it would still enhance his adaptability to different temporal and spatial conditions...
But, he would eventually need to train the Skyward Primal and Earthly Primal Intention Realms.
Once he mastered one of them, the integration of the Skyward Primal with the Gale Wind, Thunderclap, and Fiery Cauldron Trinities would eliminate the conflict in affinity with the Water Cavern and Marshy Lake Intention Realms. After mastering the Earthly Primal, the Eight Trigrams Intention Realms would unify into a whole."
Continuing to train in the Mountain of Stability would further enhance his strength, but the efficiency was indeed too low. For now, he prioritized the integration of the Skyward Primal and Earthly Primal.
However.
At this moment, Chen Mu wasn't in a hurry to retrieve the Water Cavern chart. Instead, after some thought, he took out a bead the size of a fingertip, with a faint golden hue. It contained a trace of heavenly energy similar to the Earth Origin Orb, but with a different nature.
This was a Jinyuan Orb obtained from Meng Danyun.
Nearly two months had passed since his last tempering, and his organs had adapted to the inner breath within his meridians. Moreover, his organs were already undergoing the third tempering, with the process about halfway complete.
"I can increase the progress a little more."
A faint light flickered in Chen Mu's eyes.
In reality, for true disciples like Meng Danyu and Hua Nongyue, using Jinyuan Orbs and Earth Origin Orbs to accelerate the tempering of their organs wasn't very significant.
Even after completing the Organ Realms' tempering ahead of time, they would often remain in that realm for an extended period, striving to comprehend Intention Realms and using them to temper their Essence Energy, solidifying their foundation and depth until they reached their limits or turned thirty years old.
After all.
For the true disciples of various sects, entering the Six Viscera Realm was relatively effortless.
However, Chen Mu's situation was different. For him, the progress of organ tempering was synonymous with strength enhancement, and with his keen insight, comprehending Intention Realms was effortless, like water flowing into a channel.
Chen Mu crushed the Jinyuan Orb together with the medicinal herbs he had prepared earlier, brewing them into a cup of medicinal liquid. He gulped it down, and the liquid quickly dissolved, transforming into a portion of golden spiritual essence energy that flowed into his lungs, making his chest feel warm and comfortable.
[Inner Breath Technique (Second Transformation)]
[Experience: 215 points]
Chen Mu summoned the System Panel, but the experience gained from the medicinal power was slightly less than the previous time, as the Jinyuan Orb he used was smaller than the Earth Origin Orb consumed before.
"Each organ tempering requires more medicinal power and experience. For this third tempering, I'm not sure if I need three hundred or four hundred experience points, but I've already completed nearly half of it, so it should be enough either way."
A thought flashed through Chen Mu's mind, and he decided to try consuming experience points.
As he expected.
The experience points were instantly depleted, and he immediately felt the golden spiritual essence energy in his lungs divide into five portions, transforming into the distinct attributes of the Gale Whirl, Thunderclap, Fiery Cauldron, and Mountain Root Concepts, which then merged into his five organs, rapidly tempering and transforming them.
In just a moment, the third tempering of his five organs concluded, and Chen Mu didn't feel any discomfort.
[Inner Breath Technique (Third Transformation)]
[Experience: 65 points]
The experience points on the System Panel also changed.
"I should be able to do it once more."
Chen Mu briefly contemplated and took out the larger Earth Origin Orb.
Although the Earth Origin Orb also aided his comprehension of the Mountain Root Concept, its benefits became negligible after he entered the second step of the Mountain Root Concept, and he wouldn't be focusing on this concept for the next period.
He combined the Earth Origin Orb with several medicinal herbs, kneading them into a medicinal powder and consuming it.
[Inner Breath Technique (Third Transformation)]
[Experience: 517 points]
Chen Mu glanced at the changes on the System Panel and chose to enhance his attributes.
As he expected, the fourth tempering of his five organs required four hundred experience points' worth of medicinal power. The Earthly Spirit Essence Energy stored in his spleen divided into four portions, flowing into his heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys, allowing his organs to rapidly absorb and temper.
After a moment.
Chen Mu slowly exhaled a turbid breath and opened her eyes.
This time, she had completed two temperings of her five organs in succession, but the reaction wasn't as intense as the previous time. On the one hand, her organs and meridians had become more resilient after two temperings, and on the other hand, her third tempering was already halfway complete, so although it was technically two temperings, it was more like accelerating a tempering and a half.
"Three portions of Primordial Energy!"
Chen Mu opened his left palm, and a hazy ball of Primordial Energy appeared, dividing into four portions, transforming into the attributes of the Gale Whirl, Thunderclap, Fiery Cauldron, and Mountain Root Concepts, before quietly merging back into nothingness.
After completing four temperings of his five organs, his Primordial Energy had significantly increased, reaching the level of three portions.
"Excellent."
Chen Mu's five fingers curled in, and the Primordial Energy disappeared, "The Essence Energy True Strength has increased again. If I can control the Evil Exorcising Thunder Spear, its power will also be enhanced further. However, it will still likely possess only a single strike of power."
The Evil Exorcising Thunder Spear was a killing-type Spirit Armament, and among its kind, it was one of the most fierce and intense. Currently, at the Organ Realms, Chen Mu was unable to fully wield this Spirit Armament and bring out its full potential.
In Chen Mu's judgment, the Evil Exorcising Thunder Spear was not of low quality among Spirit Armaments. He estimated that if its power were to be fully unleashed, a single strike might reach twenty portions of power, almost touching the lower limit of the Gale Wind Rankings!
Of course, it was only barely touching the lower limit.
Someone like Yan Jingqing, without using a Spirit Armament, could still command at least twenty portions of power with their own abilities, not to mention those ranked on the Gale Wind Rankings who all possessed suitable Spirit Armaments.
"If I can cultivate the complete Heaven Earth Sky Earth Intention and temper my organs to the extreme, I might be able to approach the lower limit of the Gale Wind Rankings. Even if I still can't defeat them, I should have some resistance."
Chen Mu took a moment to glance at the book he was reading.
"Only then will I truly have some strength to roam the world."
Chen Mu's thoughts reached this point, and for a moment, his heart stirred with excitement.
Currently, he was unparalleled in Yu Prefecture, even surpassing Gu Hong and other true disciples. However, in the entire world, and even in the Cold Northern Path's eleven states, he was still considered insignificant. In the eyes of true Grandmasters and those on the Gale Wind Rankings, he was merely a junior.
But if he could reach the level of the Gale Wind Rankings, it would be a completely different story. Even those at the very bottom of the rankings could dominate the Cold Northern Path's eleven states and hold their own against Bone Marrow Masters.
Only then would he truly have the confidence to roam the world.
...
Quietly, Chen Mu left his meditation chamber once more.
He first called for a servant and gave a few instructions before leaving the courtyard.
With his current abilities, if he wanted to comprehend the Heavenly River Chart, he didn't need to go to the ancient courtyard; he could simply have someone bring the chart to him. As for the others studying the chart, the Yu Family still had many copies of it.
After a month of seclusion, he had originally planned to visit Hongyu Xu, but as he passed by Chen Yue's courtyard, he heard noises coming from within. He stopped and listened carefully at the wall.
Inside the courtyard.
Chen Yue was practicing sword techniques. She was practicing the Swift Rain Style, and the sword flowers she created shimmered in the sunlight, each move executed with precision. Her skill had already surpassed the need for conscious thought, but she still had a ways to go before reaching the Sword Aura.
In terms of body tempering, she had reached the Perfect Muscle Training level, just one step away from Sinew Transformation.
Reaching this level at the age of twenty, was considered exceptional among the younger generation in the Yu Family. Her progress was even faster than Hongyu Xu's, partly due to Chen Mu's care and partly due to her excellent Jade Bone Foundation.
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind her, reaching out towards her neck.
Chen Yue was startled, her body shrinking back. Simultaneously, she changed her sword move, executing a 'Swift Rain Style' slash towards the shadow behind her.
The shadow wore a black mask, concealing its appearance. Its hand, with a reddish hue, felt unfamiliar to Chen Yue. Its fingers changed from a grab to a palm, deflecting the flexible sword to the side, bending the sword, and then reaching for Chen Yue's neck again?
This grab was fierce, aiming for the throat, extremely dangerous. Chen Yue didn't even have a moment to call for help, forced to lean back, the bent sword slashing towards the arm.
Ding!
The masked figure's left hand shot out, bending the sword back with a finger, while its right hand reached Chen Yue's slender neck, a hint of coldness in its fingers. It seemed like it would pierce her throat the next moment.
In this life-threatening moment, Chen Yue, surprisingly, remained calm. The flexible sword, deflected once more, stabbed back towards the masked figure's abdomen with a strange angle.
This move wasn't part of the Swift Rain Style, but the sword tip glinted with cold light, still carrying the Sword Aura.
This sword move was a stance of mutual annihilation, forcing the masked figure to retreat.
However, the sword tip didn't pierce the figure's body; instead, two fingers pinched the sword, and the hand that touched Chen Yue's throat quickly regained its normal color, turning into a familiar hand shape. It lightly pinched her chin and then withdrew.
"Brother!"
Chen Yue's eyes widened as she stared at the figure, her cheeks puffing up.
"Excellent, you've finally grasped the essence of this sword technique."
Chen Mu removed his black mask with a smile, knowing that with his current abilities, it would be too easy for Chen Yue to recognize him. In truth, Chen Yue's understanding was quite good, and she had practiced this sword technique for many years, always falling short of the Sword Aura. With his slight 'pressure', she finally crossed that threshold.
Seeing Chen Yue still pouting, standing there, Chen Mu smiled, "What are you staring at? Quickly find that feeling and practice."
At her age, Chen Yue's sword technique had already surpassed techniques, and her future Martial Way was wide open. At the very least, she had the potential to comprehend Intention and even enter the Organ Realms. Before he left Yu Prefecture for the Seven Mysteries Sect, he hoped that those close to him would improve their strength, and he especially hoped that Chen Yue, like Hongyu Xu and even Meng Dan Yun, would forge their own Martial Way and stand on their own.
The little girl was still feeling awkward, as Chen Mu had changed his entire aura and even his appearance, making it impossible to recognize him. For a moment, she truly thought he was an assassin, and various thoughts flashed through her mind—thoughts of dying here, never seeing Chen Mu again.
Of course.
If it wasn't for that genuine life-and-death sensation, she wouldn't have been able to overcome the limit of the Sword Aura.
Chen Mu, understanding her awkwardness, chuckled and coaxed her, and soon, she couldn't help but laugh, both amused and annoyed, and pounced on him, before picking up her sword and practicing again.
Chen Mu watched for a while, seeing that Chen Yue's sword had already surpassed techniques, each move carrying the essence of Swift Rain. Finally, he nodded slightly, then quietly left the courtyard.
(End of Chapter)
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