Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Minor Achievement in Marrow Washing

As the young Daoist spoke, he suddenly started coughing. It turned out he’d been choked by the steam rising from the barrel of Black Tortoise Marrow Cleansing Soup. The Turtle Shell Fragments floating within it were unmistakably emitting the oppressive aura of a powerful Demon Beast.

Demon Flesh and Blood!

This was all incredible stuff!! 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Xu Yunfan finally understood why so many people yearned to join the Six Top Sects, even if it meant becoming a mere servant disciple.

’Look at this,’ he thought. ’If this were the Celestial Craft Cave, using these resources just once or twice would probably bankrupt us.’

Qing Song covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, embarrassed by his coughing. He smiled and said, "Please don’t mind, Senior Brother Xu. As the Sect Leader’s second-ranked True Disciple, this is all we could hastily put together for now. In a few days, there will be more supplements specifically tailored to the Martial Arts you practice."

Xu Yunfan was rooted to the spot. After Qing Song brought the medicine box and barrel into the courtyard, two women dressed in cyan gauze suddenly emerged, strolling gracefully from under a covered walkway.

The woman on the left was tall and slender, her skin as white as snow. Her almond-shaped eyes were full of charm, and her lips were like dabs of crimson. Beneath her light, smoky silk gown, a slender waist that could be encircled in a single grasp was faintly visible. She moved with the grace of a willow in the wind, yet there was an undercurrent of Strength flowing through her movements, revealing her to be a martial artist.

Furthermore, her Martial Arts Realm was not to be underestimated; she had at least reached the Great Success stage of tempering her muscles, bones, and skin. It was just unclear what kind of Martial Arts she practiced that allowed her to maintain such a figure without a hint of visible muscle.

The woman on the right had a more voluptuous figure. A hairpin was set askew in her cloud-like coiffure, and her phoenix eyes shimmered with a radiant smile. Beneath the light gauze, her ample bosom was half-concealed. Golden Bells on her wrist tinkled with her every move, accentuating her smooth, white arms and her fingertips, which were as lustrous as carved jade.

Both women possessed city-toppling beauty, but their temperaments were polar opposites—one cool and aloof, the other coquettish and charming. Standing on either side, they were like a winter plum set against a peony, each enhancing the other’s beauty.

"This is..."

"These two senior sisters are here specifically to assist you with the medicinal bath."

Xu Yunfan frowned slightly, about to politely refuse, but Qing Song smiled and said, "Senior Brother Xu, please don’t decline. Senior Sisters ’Cyan Simurgh’ and ’Chi Shao’ specialize in managing the medicinal baths for True Disciples. They are well-versed in meridians and acupoints. Without their help, I’m afraid most of the potency of this Black Tortoise Marrow Cleansing Soup will be wasted."

He then winked and added, "Rest assured, Senior Brother. The two senior sisters’ ’Nine Revolutions Palace-Advancing Hand’ can help you absorb most of the medicinal power into your body almost perfectly."

’This disciple the Sect Leader just accepted has been placed directly in the second-highest seat, just half a step behind the Chief True Disciple.’

’But in terms of true importance, there’s no doubt that this young and exceptionally powerful Xu Yunfan is more crucial.’

’Qing Song had never seen Bi Yuan treat anyone with such deference, even allowing one person to hold dual sect membership.’

’This was unprecedented in the history of the Taoist Sect.’

Xu Yunfan glanced at the Turtle Shell Fragments in the medicinal soup, which were absorbing and releasing Blood Qi. Knowing how potent this substance was, he finally nodded in silent agreement.

Seeing this, the two women stepped forward gracefully. A delicate fragrance wafted from their sleeves as they raised their fair hands. One picked up a jade ladle to stir the medicinal soup, while the other said in a soft, gentle voice, "Senior Brother, please remove your outer robes. After you enter the barrel, you will need to guide the medicinal power through your limbs and body with your qi..."

Before her voice had faded, Xu Yunfan’s expression became a little unnatural. He saw that Qing Song had already taken the hint and retreated outside the courtyard, pulling the red-lacquered gate shut behind him.

「Three Hours later.」

Xu Yunfan was wreathed in medicinal steam. The Black Tortoise Marrow Cleansing Soup had turned from crimson to completely clear, and the Turtle Shell Fragments at the bottom of the barrel had disintegrated into a grayish-white powder.

He snapped his eyes open, a golden light flashing within them like lightning. His vertebrae cracked one by one with a sound like a dragon’s roar, and his pores expelled a faint golden Blood Qi mixed with blackish-purple impurities. This was the sign that his Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill had reached Minor Achievement.

He glanced at the dozens of notifications that had popped up on his Attribute Panel. From this single session with the Black Tortoise Marrow Cleansing Soup, he had gained over one hundred points of Skill Level for his Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill in just three Hours.

’Your pores have dilated, absorbing the medicinal Blood Qi from the Black Tortoise Marrow Cleansing Soup. As the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill circulates, your Skill Level has been greatly increased.’

’...’

With the constant stream of Skill Level notifications, just three Hours had been enough for his Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill to break through to the Minor Achievement Realm.

Jade-colored patterns were now faintly visible beneath his skin, and when his bones knocked together, they produced the crisp sound of gold striking jade.

All the minor strains accumulated from practicing the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique were completely healed. His muscle fibers re-knitted and reorganized themselves like cables of hundred-forged Profound Steel. The simple act of clenching his fist sent a tremor through the medicinal barrel, covering it in a dense web of cracks.

Within his sea of marrow, mercury paste-like Golden Marrow surged endlessly. The previously scattered Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength had spontaneously condensed into nine spiraling streams of Qi Force, which circulated from the ’great dragon’ of his spine throughout his limbs and body, forming a grand cycle.

When he channeled his Strength slightly, a three-inch-long, seemingly tangible crimson glow shot from his fingertips. The air itself was scorched wherever the Qi Force passed.

This was "Externalized Strength," a phenomenon unique to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm. If he were to take it a step further and condense his Powerful Qi to its absolute limit, he could form a Qi Gang. A single strand of Qi Gang could easily pierce through metal and stone.

The most astonishing change was in the ’great dragon’ of his spine. The once-obstructed nodes for the flow of Strength had been blasted open by the berserk medicinal power, allowing the Golden Marrow to pour into all the bones in his body like molten lava.

This was also a hallmark of the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill reaching Minor Achievement. The Golden Marrow, originating from the ’great dragon’ of his spine, began to seep into all his bones. From now on, he just needed to slowly temper it, and he could gradually replace all of his Bone Marrow Power, raising his strength to a whole new level.

Xu Yunfan stood up, stepping over the floor littered with fragments. Each step he took left an inch-deep footprint in the bluestone slabs.

Nearby, Cyan Simurgh and Chi Shao stared at Xu Yunfan’s completely naked body, their eyes shining with a peculiar light. They gazed at him intently, showing no intention of looking away.

Xu Yunfan instantly noticed their gazes. He paused the movement he was about to make to test his strength and, with a grasping motion of one hand, summoned the Dragon Scale Armor from nearby. It flew towards him, its components like countless leaves rushing to cover his body.

The dark gold Armor Leaves trembled and hummed as if alive, each one gleaming with a cold metallic light, their edges as sharp as blades.

They spun through the air, emitting the crisp clang of metal on metal as they interlocked. In the blink of an eye, the scattered pieces assembled into the streamlined silhouette of a suit of Armor.

The Armor Leaves first covered his arms, stacking layer upon layer like snake scales. A retractable, gill-like structure automatically formed at the elbow joints. They then spread up his shoulders and neck to his torso. On the core chest and abdomen plates, the blood-red patterns of the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength faintly appeared, resonating with the golden marrow mercury paste in Xu Yunfan’s body after his Marrow Washing.

The Armor Leaves below his waist cascaded down like a waterfall. When the final Dragon Scale clicked into place at his throat, the entire suit of Armor abruptly tightened, sharply delineating the powerful lines of his muscles.

Wisps of crimson light seeped from the seams of the armor. At this moment, the Dragon Scale Armor was no longer a simple piece of protection; it was more like a second layer of muscle and bone that had grown from his very skin. Even when he breathed, the Armor Leaves could be seen rising and falling gently, like the belly of a dragon.

After equipping the Profound Steel Mechanism Box containing the Ginseng Child and shouldering his Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace, Xu Yunfan cupped his fists and said, "Senior Sisters, thank you for your help. If not for you stimulating my blood flow with your technique and guiding me on how to take the medicine, I’m afraid I would have wasted much of its potency."

Cyan Simurgh and Chi Shao covered their mouths and chuckled. Chi Shao said, "You have an excellent foundation, Senior Brother..."

At this, her eyes grew sultry as she continued, "Senior Brother, we sisters are experts in the Daoist Sect’s Bedroom Techniques. If you’re interested in studying them, we can lend you a hand."

Hearing this, a faint pink blush crept up the neck of Cyan Simurgh, who stood to the side.