Chapter Six: Fourth Rank Martial Artist

For an ordinary person aspiring to cultivate the Way, the first requirement is one’s innate potential, namely, the spiritual root. Innate Dao Body, Primal Chaos Body, Pure Yin Body, and Mysterious Female Body—these are among the highest grades of spiritual roots. Those of superior quality progress with half the effort and double the result, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with unmatched ease and refinement.

The purpose of refining the body is to clear the blocked meridians, widen all the pathways of energy throughout the body, and expel internal impurities, laying the foundation for drawing in spiritual energy, and facilitating its absorption.

The Bone-Washing and Marrow-Cleansing Elixir brings fundamental transformation and enhancement to the body, its medicinal power nothing short of miraculous.

Disrobing, Shen Junhuai submerged himself entirely in the reddish-brown medicinal bath. A wave of warmth enveloped him, as if he had returned to the womb, nestled securely within his mother’s embrace—a tranquility and comfort beyond compare. But only moments later, his skin was seared by an intense burning sensation, as though he were immersed in rolling magma.

At the same time, a rush of heat surged from his abdomen, like a burning iron rod rampaging through his meridians, violently battering at each conduit: Guanyuan, Zhongji, Shimen, Qihai, Yinjiao, Shenque, Mingmen, Yangguan, Xuanshu, Zhiyang, Lingtai, Shendao, Baihui, Shangxing...

In the depths of agony, Shen Junhuai could feel the elixir’s power seeping into his blood, flesh, and bones, purging his internal organs. The process was like simmering a fine broth over a low flame, so slow and thorough that he nearly lost consciousness.

Through the haze, he heard Shen Yihuan’s urgent voice at his ear: “Quickly, circulate your cultivation technique!” Shen Junhuai came to his senses, calmed his mind, and channeled his energy. Immediately, he felt his body absorb the drug’s power with increasing speed, the pain spreading evenly throughout his body.

The agony, no longer concentrated at a few points, actually became more bearable.

Several hours passed. The medicinal bath gradually shifted from reddish-brown to green, then paled, cleared, and finally became a basin of clear water. The pain in his body faded into a tingling numbness.

A layer of foul, sticky residue still clung to his skin. Only by taking the soap pod and wooden brush Shen Yihuan handed him could he wash it away bit by bit.

Stepping out of the wooden tub, he felt utterly refreshed, a comfort that radiated from the inside out, his body light and every movement remarkably smooth.

Shen Yihuan looked on with a gentle smile, his eyes filled with relief. “There are three courses in total. You’ll do the next one at this time tomorrow.”

Shen Junhuai could feel the strange new changes within his body. He had nearly forgotten the agony that once made him wish for death, and now anticipated the next treatment with excitement.

And so, two more days passed. The Bone-Washing and Marrow-Cleansing Elixir was used up. Shen Junhuai closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes within himself—a pure sense of comfort and contentment, as though he were bathed in sunlight or immersed in warm water, or warmed by a gentle spring breeze with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers—his most beautiful experiences, magnified a thousandfold, sweeping through his whole being in an instant.

“The physical transformation is complete. Continue cultivating the Shen family’s arts. When Uncle Shi returns, he will find you the next set of cultivation manuals,” Shen Yihuan instructed.

Upon returning home, Shen Junhuai went to his mother’s main room and recounted his recent experiences. Madam Liu fell into deep thought. After a moment, she said, “We cannot let your Uncle Huan’s kindness go unacknowledged. His family is no better off than ours. Your father left a few valuables—see if some of them can be traded for something good, to repay your uncle’s great favor.” With that, she led her son into the inner room.

Madam Liu produced a wooden box and opened it for Shen Junhuai. “This jade hairpin was the betrothal gift from your father’s family. There are also the gold earrings I used to wear, and this jade qilin, a gift from your father. And here, this jade dragon pendant belonged to your father, carried by all Shen family men since birth. That’s all. I’ll let you decide what to do with them.”

A pang of sorrow gripped Shen Junhuai’s heart and he refused. “Let’s not discuss this for now, mother. When Uncle Huan finds a new place to live, we’ll deal with it together.”

Madam Liu thought it over and agreed. They would still rely on Uncle Huan in the future, and it would be more appropriate to find a reason to repay him later.

Since consuming python blood and expanding his dantian, Shen Junhuai had not truly settled down to cultivate. Now, after this rebirth of body and spirit, he was eager to test the results, and so, excusing himself from his mother, he hurried back to his own quarters to train.

The spiritual energy in the air of the Starry Sky Continent was many times richer than that of Earth. Sitting cross-legged, mind focused on his dantian, he circulated his cultivation technique. A faint white mist enveloped him, while true essence flowed through his meridians. With each cycle, he could clearly sense the energy growing purer, refined, and the enhanced true essence returned to his dantian, forming a hazy gray vortex.

Unknowingly, an entire day passed. The true essence accumulated in his dantian reached its limit; the capacity of his dantian was now fully expanded, and the vortex spun several times faster than before.

After one hundred and eight cycles, Shen Junhuai finally opened his eyes, feeling clear-headed and buoyant, as if he might float off the ground. He clearly sensed the astonishing effects of his transformation—whether in absorption, refinement, or compression, both quality and capacity had changed as if he had been reborn. He felt he was only a step away from the fourth level of martial cultivation.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, Ye Kong guided a wisp of spiritual energy into his qi sea, slowly opened his eyes, and a hint of joy flickered in his gaze—he had finally reached the fourth martial level. The speed of his progress filled him with delight.

Much had happened in that month.

Uncle Huan had found a new residence near Liu’s family in Chengguan Town. Auntie Huang from next door had been helping Madam Liu pack up their belongings, and as soon as the new house was ready, they could move.

The Shen family had heard the news, and over the past few days, people had been coming by to harass them. First, Shen Junhuai’s fifth cousin Shen Linghan brought servants; then, together with fourth cousin Shen Qingyuan, sixth cousin Shen Lingyu, eighth cousin Shen Jingqi, and a group of retainers, they came again. There were jeers and insults, even a few scuffles, but after being stopped, they left messages for the elders before swaggering off.

Mother and son felt an even deeper bond as they prepared to leave.

Savoring the power and inner growth of the fourth martial level, Shen Junhuai nevertheless felt some frustration. He had made great breakthroughs in cultivation, but in martial techniques, he was almost a blank slate. The Shen family possessed countless martial skills, but none had ever been passed to this outcast. He was still practicing the basic human-level Windborne Sword, a flawed manual his father gave him five years before. The intention had been to wait until he grew older and his cultivation deepened before teaching him more advanced arts, but fate had left him an orphan at seven, with no one to guide him.

Near noon, Ye Kong returned from outside, his mood light—after all, achieving results after more than a month’s hard training was no easy feat. Turning into his courtyard, he saw a crowd of relatives gathered at the gate. Shen Junhuai’s heart skipped a beat—surely the Shen family had come to cause trouble again. With a few quick steps, he slipped through the gate, only to be met by a sight that made him grit his teeth in anger.