The Tingtao Courtyard was brightly lit.
Chu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged on the couch, facing the open window, able to see the bright moon, half-obscured by dark clouds, when he looked up.
The Dragon Transformation Art surged frantically.
Improving his cultivation to defeat Cheng Tianfeng was important, but fighting Cheng Tianfeng would not cost him lifespan, while rashly practicing the Marrow Cleansing Art would.
In order to prevent the Marrow Cleansing Art from damaging his essence and lifespan, he now placed great importance on the Dragon Transformation Art, practicing the Marrow Cleansing Art less and the Dragon Transformation Art more.
He strived to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Art to a high enough level to offset the damage caused by the Marrow Cleansing Art.
The aura of the second level of the Dragon Transformation Art was strange, ignoring the constraints of the meridians and darting around his body, constantly absorbing invisible energy to condense and strengthen itself.
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Under the perception of Super-Sense Insight, wisps of faint energy floated in his internal organs, light and subtle, like mist or smoke.
Wherever the aura of the second level of the Dragon Transformation Art passed, these mist-like energies in the internal organs were swept up and incorporated into it.
Combined with the aura of the Dragon Transformation Art, it formed another unique aura.
This unique aura was the power to open the acupoints.
Under the lamplight, Chu Zhiyuan's handsome face quickly turned gloomy.
Under the illumination of Super-Sense Candlelight, he discovered that after the energy of his internal organs was extracted, their vitality dimmed.
His originally vibrant internal organs seemed like eggplants that had been hit by frost, and a feeling of weakness surged through his body.
This made Chu Zhiyuan feel a chill in his heart.
He opened his eyes, his expression solemn.
He never expected that the Marrow Cleansing Art would harm his body, and that the second level of the Dragon Transformation Art would also harm his body!
It might diminish his lifespan, or it might only damage his internal organs, but either way, it was a method of drinking poison to quench his thirst.
He stopped circulating the Dragon Transformation Art and continued to observe his internal organs, wanting to see if they could recover.
If they could recover, that would be good, but if they couldn't, he would have to use Dragon Blood Stones.
One Dragon Blood Stone to open one acupoint, and to complete the cultivation, he would need to open twenty acupoints, at least twenty Dragon Blood Stones.
And one Dragon Blood Stone required nine merit points, twenty times, or eight merit points, twice.
Only after he became a Vice Minister did he realize how difficult it was to earn merit, and he deeply understood why the Ministry of Rites was called a 'clear water department'.
He looked at the sky and didn't go to the new residence to try the Imperial Heaven Earth Scripture, but instead tried to circulate the third level of the mental cultivation method.
The third level cultivated the bones.
The third level of the mental cultivation method was completely different from the first two levels.
The mental cultivation method suddenly became more than ten times more complex.
True Qi darted between acupoints, all three hundred and sixty acupoints in the body, but the path of the third level of the mental cultivation method connected four hundred and twenty-two acupoints.
Many acupoints had to be traversed once or even three times.
While pushing the mental cultivation method to circulate, he observed whether it was damaging his body.
He vaguely felt that the circulation route connecting these acupoints seemed to form a strange pattern, like a character.
He had never seen this kind of character.
In the end, he found that the third level of the mental cultivation method, apart from being complicated, was otherwise normal.
After this complicated route, the rich purple Qi was damaged again and again, losing eighty or ninety percent, much like the Qi Cleansing Art and the Marrow Cleansing Art.
The remaining ten percent of the Qi turned jade-white, and when it reached the last acupoint, it suddenly turned into mist and spread out.
Finally, it drifted down and landed on the bones of his body.
It was originally extremely thin, and after spreading to the bones, it became even more subtle, almost non-existent.
Its effect on the bones was also negligible.
If it weren't for Super-Sense, he wouldn't have been able to perceive the change.
Chu Zhiyuan's brows gradually furrowed.
The route of the third level of the mental cultivation method was too complicated; the time it took to circulate one cycle was enough to circulate the Great Violet Sun Art ten cycles.
At this rate, he didn't know how long it would take to complete the third level.
No wonder the second level was about cultivating acupoints.
The acceleration of these twenty acupoints could eliminate the slowness of the complex circulation route; otherwise, he might not be able to complete it even in a lifetime.
Before completing the cultivation of the acupoints, practicing the third level was too much of a waste of time.
But fortunately, he had the Flying Dragon Pearl, so he could let the third level circulate on its own when he wasn't practicing, relying on time to accumulate progress.
Thinking of this, he closed the Cold Jade Box, took out the Phoenix Script Jade Pendant, and began to observe it, training his mental strength.
When he was exhausted, he fell asleep.
— —
The next morning, he first went to the Bright Martial Hall and stood in the Violet Sun Stance with everyone in the morning light, practicing the Great Violet Sun Art.
After the sun rose, he went to the Ministry of Rites to report for duty, handled the documents on his desk, and discussed some matters with Gao Lingfeng before leaving the Ministry of Rites.
After the Flying Flower Sword Sect and the Earth Sect calmed down, the Zongwu Division regained its leisure.
Chu Zhiyuan had a feeling that a storm was brewing, and his desire to improve his martial arts became even more urgent, wishing he could reach the Grandmaster realm in one breath to feel secure.
He thought for a while, then returned to the newly purchased residence and saw Feng Zhihao welcoming the believers in the hall, offering them sandalwood incense.
Feng Zhihao's aura was becoming steady and heavy.
He could determine that Feng Zhihao was indeed practicing his mind in this way, which was also a method of cultivating the Imperial Heaven Earth Scripture.
Feng Zhihao might have been stimulated by him and had made considerable progress through hard practice, having already entered the first level, reaching the Third Level of the Acquired Realm.
He had broken through the Second Level Jade Tower without the help of the Earth Dragon Pearl and was able to impact the Third Level, which was truly a talent.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled when he saw this.
If Feng Zhihao had the opportunity, he would definitely want to challenge him, to wipe away his previous shame. Should he give him the opportunity?
After practicing the second level of the Dragon Transformation Art and then using the Imperial Heaven Earth Scripture to repair it, he frowned, finding that it couldn't restore the weakness of his internal organs.
The Imperial Heaven Earth Scripture was indeed limited; it could accelerate healing, but it couldn't replenish vitality.
Then he could only rely on external objects, rely on Dragon Blood Stones?
… …
As soon as he returned to the Bright Martial Hall, he noticed something was wrong.
A stranger had come to the training ground of the Bright Martial Hall.
This was the first time.
It was a middle-aged man, tall, burly, and strong, about the same build as Chu Zhiyuan, with powerful features.
Chu Zhiyuan recognized him as a Grandmaster at a glance.
As Super-Sense saw it, a white ape was squatting three feet above the middle-aged man's head in the void.
Unlike a normal white ape, it wasn't restless, but sat there motionless, as if in a daze.
Chu Zhiyuan had seen Grandmasters with the same White Ape Dharma Form.
It was one of the Grandmasters guarding the South Palace Gate.
That Grandmaster's white ape scratched its ears and cheeks, never idle, constantly reaching out to its brow to look into the distance, and jumping up and down in place, turning around and around.
Chu Zhiyuan judged that the Grandmaster in front of him should be of medium level, four to six levels.
The Grandmaster Realm has nine heavens; from one to three levels, the Dharma Form is unclear; from four to six levels, the Dharma Form is clear; from seven to nine levels, it is vivid and divine.
Seeing him come over, Chu Qingfeng waved: "Fourth."
Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward, cupped his fist, and smiled: "Uncle, who is this gentleman…?"
"He's here to find you," Chu Qingfeng said.
Chu Zhiyuan was puzzled, looking at him, then at the burly middle-aged man.
The burly middle-aged man grinned, cupped his fist, and said nothing.
Chu Qingfeng snorted: "Didn't you want Grandmaster experts to be guards for the Qing Prince's Mansion? It depends on whether you can beat Little Gao."
Chu Zhiyuan blinked.
Chu Qingfeng said: "If you can beat Little Gao, your Qing Prince's Mansion will have two more Grandmaster guards. If you can't beat him, then forget about everything."
Chu Zhiyuan suddenly understood.
"Thirteenth Uncle, isn't this deliberately making things difficult for Fourth?" Chu Mingxuan hurriedly said: "No matter how powerful he is, he's still at the Acquired Realm. How could he possibly beat this Mr. Gao!"
"What are you messing around for!" Chu Qingfeng scolded: "You're everywhere!"
Chu Mingxuan chuckled: "Thirteenth Uncle, I just can't stand it."
"What you can't do, Fourth might be able to do!" Chu Qingfeng snorted: "Do you also want to try, to challenge him?"
Chu Mingxuan touched the back of his head sheepishly, closed his mouth, and gave Chu Zhiyuan a helpless expression.
Chu Zhiyuan nodded with a smile.
