Immortal Refiner

After much deliberation, Li Qing finally chose the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual, a secret technique for body refinement.

His reasoning was simple: even before embarking on the Immortal Path, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Martial Dao in the mortal world, possessing extraordinary vitality and vigor.

In terms of raw physical prowess alone, his combat capabilities rivaled those of some Early Qi Refining Realm cultivators with meager mana reserves.

Even in the cultivation world, individuals with such a robust physical foundation were exceedingly rare.

Li Qing felt it would be a waste not to leverage this advantage—one of his few true strengths.

”While it’s true that body refinement is less common in the cultivation world,” he mused, ”that’s because progress is slow and resource-intensive. But given my circumstances, supplementary physical cultivation seems perfectly suited for me.”

Moreover, the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual was gentle in nature. It required only high-grade spirit wood, extracting its spirit wood qi to nourish and temper his body, unlike the violent and domineering methods of other body refinement techniques.

Li Qing nodded to himself, reaffirming his decision.

The Vital Essence Enhancement Secret Art required Spirit Herbs, while this body refinement path demanded aged spirit wood. It was difficult to say which was more precious.

Li Qing made this decision purely from a long-term perspective, believing it to be the most prudent course of action.

Having settled on the cultivation manual he would transcribe, Li Qing returned to the first floor. Using the remaining time, he eagerly devoured the remaining scrolls, determined to absorb as much knowledge of the cultivation world as possible.

The day passed swiftly, and it was time to leave the Scripture Repository.

Reluctantly setting down the Manual of Demonic Beasts, Li Qing strode out with practiced efficiency.

The elder overseeing the scripture transcription was a member of the Liu Clan, his cultivation at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

The wizened old man exuded an aura of approaching twilight. Seated comfortably in a side chamber of the Scripture Repository, he appeared utterly at ease.

”Young man, have you decided which jade slip’s inheritance you wish to claim?” the elder asked with a warm smile, his face radiating benevolence.

Li Qing respectfully clasped his hands in a salute and replied, ”I have made my choice. I select the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual.”

The elder raised an eyebrow at Li Qing’s selection, clearly surprised that he had chosen this body refinement secret technique. He cast Li Qing a curious glance but offered no further comment.

After all, the man wasn’t a member of the Liu Clan, and the elder felt neither obligated nor inclined to advise him on the wisest course of action.

The elder produced a jade slip and cautioned, ”Before I impart this secret technique, you must swear an oath to your heart demon, invoking your own Dao path, never to reveal it to another soul!”

This was standard practice; sacred techniques were never shared with outsiders.

Without such restrictions, Li Qing could sell the technique far and wide for spirit stones, flooding the market and rendering it worthless. The Liu Clan, with its limited repertoire of secret techniques, would never risk such a compromise.

Li Qing nodded solemnly and immediately swore the oath to his heart demon, invoking his own Dao path.

Since entering the world of cultivation, he had learned that oaths were profoundly mystical things. Swearing to one’s heart demon carried particularly severe consequences if broken.

Ultimately, cultivators who dedicated their lives to pursuing the Great Dao were fundamentally different from ordinary mortals. Every vow they made resonated with the vast, unseen forces of the Dao itself.

Li Qing wasn’t bothered by the oath. He had no intention of sharing the secret technique with anyone; he was content to practice it on his own.

After Li Qing finished swearing his oath, the elder smiled and nodded, handing him the jade slip. ”Take it and memorize the contents. Return it when you’re done.”

Li Qing accepted the cool jade slip and infused it with a wisp of his mana.

Instantly, the complete inheritance of the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual flooded his mind.

The manual contained detailed instructions on extracting the essence from ancient spirit wood and using it to refine one’s physical body.

After a long while, when Li Qing had thoroughly absorbed the knowledge, he returned the jade slip. ”Thank you!”

The elder chuckled. ”Since you’ve chosen this body refinement technique, young friend, you’ll likely need spirit wood in the future.”

”Though few in the Liu Clan practice this art, we cultivate several aged Spirit Willow trees. If you ever require Spirit Willow branches, feel free to purchase them from us.”

Li Qing’s eyes lit up. ”Oh? May I ask, Senior, what’s the price for a Spirit Willow branch?”

Seeing Li Qing’s genuine interest, the old man’s smile widened even further. ”Heh, perfect timing!” he exclaimed. ”I just happen to have two branches from a century-old Spirit Willow right here. I cut them last spring, so they haven’t lost much of their Spirit Wood Essence.”

”I’ll sell them to you for fifty spirit stones each. How does that sound? It’s an absolutely fair price!”

Suddenly, Li Qing found the old man’s smile less amiable, more like that of a sly old fox.

Li Qing hesitated, scratching the back of his head and adopting a naive expression. ”Senior, I’m a little short on spirit stones right now. Could I perhaps buy just one Spirit Willow branch for now?”

”Heh heh heh, of course, no problem at all,” the old man chuckled softly.

And so, the transaction was completed within the Scripture Repository.

After leaving the Scripture Repository, Li Qing immediately returned to his courtyard. He gently patted his storage pouch, and the newly acquired Spirit Willow branch materialized in his hand.

”That old man wouldn’t try to swindle me, would he? Is this really from a century-old Spirit Willow?” Li Qing couldn’t help but wonder. Judging by the spiritual energy radiating from it, it was indeed a Spirit Willow branch—not some random willow twig the old man had palmed off on him.

It was difficult to determine the age of the Spirit Willow branch simply by looking at it. Some of the willow buds had turned yellow, and it was impossible to know how much Spirit Wood Essence could be extracted.

With nothing better to do, Li Qing decided to refine the Spirit Willow branch using the cultivation method from the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual.

He laid the branch horizontally before him, formed hand seals, and began circulating the manual’s energy.

After a long while, the Spirit Willow branch finally reacted. Li Qing sensed a trace of Spirit Wood Essence within it. With a thought, he began drawing the spirit wood qi out of the branch.

Spirit Wood Essence was essentially concentrated spirit wood qi, the very life essence of a spirit tree.

The cultivation world wasn’t lacking in precious spirit woods and trees, but these resources were largely monopolized by major powers. The fruits of some of these trees were comparable to rare Spirit Herbs, providing immense benefits to cultivators who consumed them.

Naturally, the value of these spirit woods couldn’t be measured in spirit stones alone. Some legendary divine trees were even used to refine magical artifacts.

If the branch Li Qing had purchased for fifty spirit stones truly came from a century-old Spirit Willow, it could be considered a fair price.

A complete century-old Spirit Willow tree, even one that didn’t bear Spirit Fruits, would be worth at least a thousand spirit stones.

For major sects, casually planting a few spirit trees within their territory was a common practice. After several centuries or even a millennium, they might eventually harvest peerless spirit materials suitable for crafting wood-type magical artifacts.

As Li Qing continuously circulated the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual, the Spirit Wood Essence within the Spirit Willow branch finally began to flow into his body.

Boom!

Instinctively, Li Qing unleashed his surging Vital Energy, as vast as an ocean. This vigorous energy enveloped the Spirit Wood Essence, slowly nourishing his physical form.

Before long, Li Qing, still seated cross-legged, seemed to be imbued with a faint azure aura, and his demeanor subtly shifted.

(End of the Chapter)

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