Chapter 198: The Flawless Body
Moonlight filled the sky. Within the Star-Plucking Manor, reserved for receiving the sect’s immortals, lanterns blazed brightly.
Amid the waterside pavilions and terraces, Song Yan sat at a table, cradling a cup of spirit tea in his hands, and took a leisurely sip.
The spirit tea was scalding, though for a cultivator, it was hardly a matter of note.
He set the cup upon the table and asked offhandedly, “Where do you intend to go from here?”
Ju Luyi sat somewhat stiffly before Song Yan. She had been lost in thought, and only when Senior Song Yan spoke did he return to herself.
“I…”
Truthfully, she did not know where to go.
In the past, she had scraped together spirit stones and silver by every means she could, all to pay for her mother’s medicine.
After her mother passed, she was utterly alone, with nothing left to bind her.
Go where?
She did not know.
Or perhaps the question should be rephrased: what would she do with the rest of her life, from this day until she withered and died?
There was no reasonable answer.
If she allowed herself to dream, to indulge in idle fantasy, then she wished to establish her Foundation and soar into the sky.
Alas, that was impossible.
The young woman remained silent. Song Yan regarded her and spoke slowly. “If you have nowhere to go, would you like to serve as a guardian here in Cloud Creek City?”
Due to the tiger demon, Cloud Creek City was now short three or four guardians.
Besides the guardians of Qing Valley and another rural settlement who had been slain by the tiger demon, Su Li of the Profound Abyss Sect had been cut down by Xiao He.
Song Yan had grown quite accustomed to killing people from the Profound Abyss Sect.
From Wang Xi to Shen Huai of Changping, grudges were no burden. A human traitor like Su Li posed no moral weight to eliminate.
How the Profound Abyss Sect chose to handle this matter was of no concern to Song Yan whatsoever.
Liu Xincheng, the guardian from the Eastern Abyss Sect, had also been stripped of his position for concealing and delaying his report of the situation.
Now the position of guardian in Cloud Creek City lay vacant. If Ju Luyi was interested, Song Yan need only send word to whichever senior or junior brother the sect sent to handle the aftermath.
The position of guardian was, to the sect, of no great consequence whatsoever.
Even though Ju Luyi had not been a disciple of the Eastern Abyss Sect, a recommendation from a disciple of the Demon Subjugation Peak would draw no objections from anyone.
Ju Luyi’s cultivation at the third layer of Qi Refining was passable.
She could not serve as guardian of a prefecture city, but in the rural areas like Qing Valley or the county town of Linxi, it would be more than sufficient.
Hearing Song Yan’s proposal, Ju Luyi raised his head slightly.
Guardian?
Could someone like her truly become a guardian?
In the past, this was something she could never have imagined.
In the mortal world, a guardian held exalted status, revered by all. Even officials like city lords and county magistrates showed them deference.
After all, a guardian represented not merely a cultivator, but the entire sect behind them.
To become a guardian meant she was no longer merely a rogue cultivator clinging to the Eastern Abyss Sect.
She would be a cultivator officially affiliated with the Eastern Abyss Sect.
For her, this was an unimaginably joyous surprise.
The kindness Senior Song Yan had shown her was a debt he could never repay in a lifetime.
She wanted to accept at once, and to offer further words of gratitude.
Yet…
The words reached her lips but were blocked by some thought, and she did not speak them.
Becoming a guardian was truly a fine opportunity, but was it truly what she wanted?
Her thoughts drifted. “What do I truly want?”
Ju Luyi, Ju Luyi—be content.
You do not even know what you want. Would you truly refuse Senior Song Yan and forfeit such a chance at a lifetime of honor and prosperity?
That would be terribly ungrateful!
Speak quickly.
Accept Senior Song Yan’s offer, and thank him profusely.
Yet the more she urged herself, the more she suppressed the vision in her heart. That thought was like a single spark falling upon a heap of dry kindling.
“No.”
Ju Luyi refused.
She lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet Song Yan’s eyes. “Ju Luyi does not wish to be a guardian.”
Song Yan was somewhat startled, seemingly not having anticipated such an answer.
He regarded the young woman before him with a thoughtful gaze, waiting quietly for her to explain.
It seemed she had made some decision within her heart, for Ju Luyi suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with resolve.
“Senior Song Yan, Ju Luyi wishes to take you as her master.”
She said thus.
From childhood, because of her, the entire family had been subjected to ridicule. Her father had even abandoned mother and daughter because of it.
Upon ascending the immortal mountain, her lack of talent barred her from the Dao Gate. Yet she still wished to find spirit pills and medicines to heal her mother, and could only rely upon her skill in sewing garments to eke out a living at the Spirit Source Marsh Market.
When her mother passed, she could do nothing but watch her die.
She wished to return to her hometown, but the villagers regarded her as an omen of disaster and misfortune, reviling and driving her away. Some even wished to slay her.
Perhaps her entire life would amount to nothing, lived as a joke.
And so, she refused to continue drifting through existence in such a muddled fashion.
Looking upon Song Yan’s stunned expression, Ju Luyi felt no anxiety. Her talent was truly poor—otherwise she would not have been barred even from the outer sect.
For Senior Song Yan to refuse her was entirely to be expected.
But that was of no consequence.
Ju Luyi had already made up her mind. Once Senior Song Yan departed, he would set out on her own two feet to measure the breadth of the world and behold its sights.
As expected, Song Yan shook his head.
The young woman’s brief look of disappointment vanished as quickly as it appeared, concealed beneath composure.
“You think too highly of me. I am not qualified to take a disciple.”
Song Yan smiled self-deprecatingly. “In the eyes of those true cultivation seniors in this world, you and I are both mere Qi Refining cultivators. There is no difference between us.”
He spoke not out of humility.
Eight-layer Qi Refining cultivation was, in the end, still the Qi Refining Stage.
What qualification had he to accept a disciple and lead them astray?
As for the inheritances of the Sword Sect, he himself had barely begun to comprehend them. To teach them to another—he simply had not the face for it.
Ju Luyi’s mind was earnest and her diligence genuine. If his cultivation had been sufficient, accepting her as a disciple would have posed no impropriety.
“Let us not speak of taking disciples again.”
“However, I am currently traveling beyond the mountains and will not return to the sect for some time. If you also wish to roam, then travel with me.”
Song Yan spoke in gentle tones. “If you have any questions regarding cultivation… guidance is too strong a word, but we may discuss and explore the matters together. I will certainly share whatever I know.”
Taking a disciple was truly inappropriate, but while traveling, to answer her questions and clarify her doubts—that was permissible enough.
It cost little time, and moreover, as the saying went, reviewing the old brings understanding of the new. He himself could benefit from the exchange.
Ju Luyi sat frozen, looking at Song Yan with disbelief.
Within her chest, her heart was pounding furiously.
“Senior Song Yan’s meaning is that Ju Luyi may… follow you as you travel the four directions?”
What of it?
It was not the same as taking a disciple.
Song Yan nodded. “However, I cannot say when I will return to the sect.”
“If it is too long, you may accompany me to Dragon Pool Mountain to observe the Nine Veins Grand Competition, or return to the sect on your own. It is your choice.”
Ju Luyi restrained the heart that seemed ready to leap from her chest. She straightened into a proper kneeling posture.
Her hands rested quietly, one clasped over the other, upon her knees.
“Ju Luyi will certainly not cause you any trouble.”
…
Had it not been for the matter in Qing Valley, Song Yan would likely have already been preparing to depart from Cloud Creek City.
The sect’s handling and dispatch regarding this matter required several days.
He could have left at once, but there were many affairs to settle regardless.
Thus he informed City Lord Zhao that he would remain a few more days.
That the immortal chose to stay longer was naturally something Zhao Huaizhen could only welcome.
This day, Song Yan sat in the main hall, holding a cosmos bag in his hand.
This was the one Senior Bai Tao had left in the ruined dwelling. Within it, besides a few scattered spirit stones, there was nothing of note—not even a single pill.
He supposed that before dismissing his disciples at the end, the senior had distributed everything individually.
But besides this, there was an ancient map. Based on the images lingering in his memory, this should mark the location of Senior Bai Tao’s sect.
This sect must have been situated near the border between the Kingdom of Jiang and the Central Domain.
It was far too distant from the Kingdom of Chu.
Song Yan had not yet established his Foundation and could not fly. There was no reason to travel so far.
Moreover, according to what he had seen in the memories, this sect had long since been abandoned.
Perhaps among Senior Bai Tao’s disciples, some who had proven worthy might one day wish to return to their roots and rebuild the sect.
None of this concerned Song Yan any longer.
If the chance arose in the future, he would go see.
The cosmos bag of Su Li from the Profound Abyss Sect had also been retrieved by Xiao He. It held nothing of substance—only some common formation materials.
This man had apparently dabbled in the Dao of Formations.
Song Yan sorted through every item of his harvest, categorizing them methodically, then produced the demon core.
This demon core, if taken to market, would certainly fetch some price.
Demon cores had wide-ranging uses. The greatest use Song Yan currently knew of was in crafting talismans.
In the cultivation world, when people spoke of spiritual materials and what they could be used for, it was a topic that could never be exhausted.
Among these, the four paths of pills, talismans, formations, and artifacts were the most widespread.
Demon cores were rarely used in pill refinement, for they were essentially crystallizations of demonic energy and the vital blood of demon beasts.
Used as medicinal ingredients, they easily tainted cultivators with demonic qi and baleful energy upon ingestion.
Without superior secret arts or spiritual materials to counteract the effects, such consumption was detrimental to one’s immortal path.
Thus only a very few pills could be refined using demon cores.
The demon core in Song Yan’s hand at present held a somewhat unsatisfying quality—neither particularly useful nor worth discarding.
A second-rank demon beast, equivalent to a human cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, possessed a demon core of immense value. Selling it directly would yield a substantial sum of spirit stones.
Yet this Young Master Shaoshan was only at the late first rank. Sold, it would not fetch many spirit stones.
Kept in hand, its purpose remained uncertain.
“…”
He was mulling this over when he noticed Xiao He, currently in human form, sneaking about and peeping curiously from the side.
“Hm?”
With a thought, Song Yan dangled the demon core before her. “Xiao He, do you want this?”
“Mm.”
Xiao He nodded vigorously.
Song Yan felt a twinge of puzzlement.
Xiao He was a serpent demon, while Young Master Shaoshan was a tiger demon—entirely different species. Could the tiger demon’s demon core truly aid Xiao He’s cultivation?
Xiao He’s demonic energy had already reached the mid-first rank, and her power was brimming, suggesting she might soon break through to the late first rank.
If she could make use of this demon core, that would be for the best.
“It’s yours.”
With a flick of his finger, the tiger demon’s demon core arced through the air.
Unexpectedly, Xiao He simply opened her mouth wide, caught it in a single gulp, chewed it with great enthusiasm, then swallowed.
That was acceptable?
Song Yan’s eyes were opened to something new. Could one simply eat it directly?
How convenient.
He knew little of demon beast matters. As long as Xiao He could handle it herself, that sufficed.
Xiao He patted her little belly, and the Xuan Chi Dragon Transformation Art began to circulate of its own accord.
At the same time, she felt a warm current slowly welling up within her body, and drowsiness overtook her.
“Ha…”
She yawned, crawled beneath the covers, and fell asleep.
Song Yan dealt with the tiger demon’s carcass in a cursory fashion.
He collected the vital blood for later use and set aside some of the tiger demon’s flesh and bone.
Neither he nor Xiao He, nor the young woman who would soon travel with them, had yet reached the point of cessation of grain.
This was, after all, premium spirit meat.
The tiger’s pelt was ruined beyond salvage, holding no value.
After sorting the remaining items, Song Yan retrieved the bronze medicine cauldron from the cosmos bag, following the same steps he had used when refining his body with the Qilin demon blood. He prepared to undertake body refinement once more.
Compared to the gold-and-crimson splendor of the Qilin’s precious blood, the tiger demon’s blood was far simpler in color—a deep crimson shot through with dark undertones.
Though it lacked the fierce, raging aura of the Qilin blood, it carried its own putrid, violent scent that struck him in the face the moment it was produced.
“After all, this is only the vital blood of a tiger demon. Its effect will likely not reach even two or three tenths of the Qilin blood.”
He pinched a measure of medicinal herb powder and scattered it into the cauldron, and the demonic blood’s baleful energy was somewhat tempered by the fragrance of the herbs.
He had prepared fewer herbs this time, for the tiger blood was far less violent than the Qilin blood.
Moreover, Song Yan’s physique had grown incomparably stronger than it had been during his first body refinement.
When he stepped naked into the cauldron, the skin received a prickling, burning pain, but it was far gentler than the last time.
The unnamed incantation circulated, and the blood droplets seeping from his pores carried a faint golden luminescence.
Through inner inspection, the golden-red radiance within his meridians devoured the demonic energy of the tiger blood with relentless hunger.
Flesh and sinew drank greedily of the nourishment.
The liquid within the cauldron grew turbid at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Three shi chen later, the medicinal liquid within had entirely transformed into a pool of waste.
Song Yan opened his eyes and slowly rose to his feet.
Beneath his originally luminous skin, faint streams of golden-red light surfaced before quickly fading.
“This unnamed incantation is truly profound.”
After a brief cleansing, he tested his sword qi. This body refinement had not noticeably widened his meridians.
But the strength of his flesh and blood had improved considerably.
What surprised Song Yan most of all was that through inner inspection, the surfaces of his five viscera and six bowels now bore that same golden-red luminescence. A membrane, nearly tangible in its solidity, had already faintly coalesced over them.
“Spirit light illuminating the body, golden jade within the viscera…”
This was precisely the “flawless” realm that countless body cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage dreamed of attaining.
Reaching this realm meant that even without a protective spiritual shield, without circulating any technique, without any defense at all, mortal martial arts, internal palm strikes, and common poisons could no longer wound the cultivator’s fundamental vitality.
It was only at this moment that he truly understood the preciousness of the Qilin demon blood.
The previous body refinement had already pushed his physical strength at the Qi Refining Stage close to its bottleneck.
And it was for this reason that in his decisive battle with Li Yi, he had lost only by a narrow margin.
Though the tiger demon’s vital blood was of modest rank, it could fill in the blind spots of bone and sinew that the Qilin blood had failed to temper.
Now, as his energy circulated, each movement of his limbs carried a faint rumbling like the growl of tiger and leopard amid thunder.
This was precisely the sign described in the unnamed incantation: “Qi Refining perfection, primordial unity, flawless without.”