"Knock knock!"
However, before Huangfu Yi could curse at that ghostly thing, the sound of knocking on the door came again from the darkness, this time very close, as if it was knocking from the skull itself.
Not only did Huangfu Yi hear it, but the Immortal Bone also suddenly turned its head, seemingly hearing it too,
"Did Lei Gong win..."
After a moment of silence, the men on the mural sighed in unison.
"Never mind, itâs all the same."
So it raised its hand and flipped over its stone coffin.
With the eerie green glow emitted by the bones, Huangfu Yi clearly saw that there was a strange iron lump buried beneath the coffin.
"Si Ding"
Si... Ding?
Huangfu Yi had seen cauldrons before; they boiled demons in the big cauldron at the village entrance. But this lump didnât look like a meat stew pot; if anything, it resembled the word âDingâ, with a metal framework like a stand, supporting a black sphere like an âeyeâ.
The skeleton plucked the iron lump out, tossed it in front of Huangfu Yi, then reached into the mouth of the skull it held, pulled out the jade crystal, and flicked it like a bullet, embedding it deep into the center of Huangfu Yiâs brow.
In an instant, it felt as if pierced by a sharp sword, chilling to the bone, with a shocking sensation of thunder permeating through him. For a moment, Huangfu Yiâs mind went blank, even thinking he had died.
But then the prickling pain at the brow, the feeling of blood dripping across his cheek, and the icy and clear sensationâlike being seeded and rooted, penetrating from his brainâs lobes to his central spineâawakened him once more.
What... what does this mean? Body Seizing? Cursing? Transmission?
But the Immortalâs skeleton just sat cross-legged in his bewildered sight, gently stroking the skull in its arms, as if afraid to wake it.
"Donât touch our bones."
Then, with a crash, it collapsed into a heap, its jade bones shattering on the ground, leaving nothing behind, like broken fragments of glaze.
Then, the concentrated and purest immortal breath and Daoist energy poured out from the jade marrow of the bones, as thick and nourishing as a sweet spring, filling the cave almost instantly.
Covered by the swift flow of Immortal Qi and spiritual breath, emerging slowly from this purest Immortal breath, Huangfu Yi was utterly dazed for a moment.
What exactly is going on here? Why did that skeleton give him the crystal intended for a woman, its lifelong cultivation, and this thing? Hmmâoh damn! Could it be that heâs the reincarnation of that woman???
The system popped out,
"Stop overthinking, this is what they call stealing Immortal Fate and seizing Dao Seed.
The rest doesnât concern you, hurry up and refine Qi, quickly form your Golden Core, time is running out."
System? You saw all this happen? What exactly is going on with that skeleton, that sparrow, and that dragon, tiger, crane...
The system impatiently said,
"Fool, donât bother with those meaningless side quests. In this world, strength reigns supreme. As long as your sword is sharp enough, all tangled karma can be swiftly cut through.
If you start fighting and youâre just garbage, all your schemes and planning are for nothing if you get caught in the net, ending up as someone elseâs stepping stone.
There are so many brilliant minds in this world, but they think too much, plan too long, and donât take action. In the end, they can only watch opportunities slip like sand through their fingers.
Lucky for you, although your root bone talent is average, your decisive action and dedicated focus make your nature exceptional. Donât worry about it."
"So, donât mind what others say, just deal with what comes your way, fight the monsters, focus on refining, and do your work. Understand?"
Huangfu Yi pondered for a while and nodded slowly.
I donât understand...
But itâs fine, just like the Four Books and Five Classics taught at home, there was a lot I didnât understand, so just memorize by heart, focus on cultivation and upgrading.
So, Huangfu Yi calmed down, took deep breaths of the purest spiritual Qi, repairing meridians, refining sword energy, and strengthening his muscles and bones...
The system got angry,
"You idiot! You have Innate Dao Qi and Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow, and youâre just using them to refine Gang Fist? Have you gone crazy lifting weights? Practice the Heavenly Book!"
Heavenly Book? Wait, are you talking about that fake...
"Bullshit itâs fake! Thatâs the genuine âNine Heavens Profound Ladyâs Three Transformations and Nine Changes Refining Form Chapterâ!
If you successfully cultivate this method and form the Nine Heavens Profound Ladyâs Nine Transformations Golden Pill, there wonât be more than three people in Taiji Heaven who can defeat you!"
Wow... is it really that powerful!? Wait a minute, didnât you say before that cultivation technique was trash??
"Of course itâs trash! You at least have to be among the top three in the world to have a chance at reclaiming all nine Heavenly Books and mastering this technique!
Moreover, this technique is too overbearing! Itâs as difficult as climbing the heavens! A single Qi circulation must travel through the bodyâs twelve meridians, eight vessels, and three hundred sixty acupoints to succeed, and hardly anyone can master it!
In the mid to later stages, youâre even envied by the heavens! Every step of upgrading is a challenge with countless obstacles, requiring repeated body sculpting to succeed! At the very least, it takes a thousand years of arduous cultivation to achieve anything!
If you have that kind of idle time, you could have long since flown out of Taiji Heaven! Itâs an absolute waste and nothing but a time trap! Donât you see how itâs trash!"
Uh, thatâs indeed trash, should I just...
"Fool! People donât cultivate it because they canât; if you can, then cultivate it to the fullest! Just refining one vessel is useless! Only by clearing the whole cycle can you achieve mastery! Itâs really strong!"
Sigh, youâre saying one thing then another, the system contradicts itself...
"Donât worry about what I say, just trust that I know what Iâm doing!"
Sigh... okay, okay, letâs do it! Refining Form!