Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The maid led Chen Yuan to the left wing room to stay in. The room was just like the main room, with elegant furnishings. The tables, chairs and beds were made of very solid materials, and they were obviously very valuable.

The maidservant instructed, "Rest here. There are guards patrolling the manor from time to time, so remember not to wander off."

Chen Yuan replied, "Thank you for reminding me, Sister."

The maid smiled, touched Chen Yuan's cheek, and sighed softly, "What a pity..."

She didn't say anything more, only gave some instructions on how to use the toilet oil lamp, and then left on her own.

Chen Yuan waited for a while, then got up and went to the door, only to see two strong men walking towards him, taking out an iron lock and locking the door.

One of them peeked through the crack in the door and saw Chen Yuan. He shouted, "Kid, go back and stay put!"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he dared not argue with him. He mumbled a reply and retreated back into the house.

Through the crack in the door, he saw the two men standing there. The one who had been scolding them muttered angrily, "Coming here in the middle of the night to feed the mosquitoes..."

Another person whispered, "Say less. You dare disobey the young master's orders?"

The man dared not say another word and focused on standing guard outside the door.

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, he blew out the oil lamp, and returned to bed.

The fact that Young Master Liu was so eager but didn't touch him puzzled him greatly.

Could it be that this person adopts a page as if he were taking a wife or concubine, and needs to choose an auspicious day and hold some kind of ceremony?
However, it was better that Young Master Liu didn't use force immediately. There were two guards outside the door, so he couldn't escape. He decided to wait patiently and see how the illusion would develop.

At this moment, Chen Yuan was finally alone. He sat cross-legged, with his five palms facing the sky, and silently began to circulate the "Eternal Spring Technique".

He has no cultivation level, so he cannot detect whether there is a spiritual root in his body, nor is there any need to detect it. He can simply meditate and cultivate.

For an inexperienced mortal, it would take an unknown amount of time to sense spiritual energy.

However, Chen Yuan has been cultivating immortality for over four hundred years, and cultivation has become second nature to him. As long as there is spiritual energy in the illusion, he can immediately absorb it into his body.

However, after circulating the "Eternal Spring Technique" for a quarter of an hour, he still couldn't sense a trace of wood-elemental spiritual energy, so he had to switch to the "Crimson Flame Technique".

This was the basic technique he cultivated in his previous life, but he couldn't sense a trace of fire elemental energy.

Chen Yuan frowned and switched to the "Earth Element Technique" again, but still couldn't sense a trace of earth element spiritual energy.

Could it be that this body has no spiritual root, and the illusion has given him the identity of a mortal, making him suffer the hardships of the human world and wear down his Dao heart?

Left with no other choice, Chen Yuan switched to the "Sharp Metal Technique".

As soon as he circulated his cultivation technique, he felt strands of golden spiritual energy surging into his body, as if it were impatiently waiting.

Chen Yuan was overjoyed. Judging from the speed at which spiritual energy entered the body, this body was at least of the Earth Spiritual Root aptitude, and it was even very likely to be of the Heaven Spiritual Root aptitude.

No wonder he couldn't sense any spiritual energy even after trying three different basic techniques.

Who would have thought that a beggar would have such exceptional talent?
Chen Yuan felt somewhat relieved. Although his Dao heart was firm, he did not want to be humiliated, even in the illusion.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this illusion is abundant, and the aptitude of this body is so extraordinary.

With his rich cultivation experience, he will not take any detours and will be able to enter the first level of Qi Refining within three months.

With Chen Yuan's abilities, even the most outstanding innate martial artists in the mortal realm would be no match for him.

I just hope that the auspicious day chosen by Young Master Liu will come a little later, so that he can have the ability to protect himself before then.

Chen Yuan manipulated the metal element spiritual energy to flow slowly through his meridians. After completing one cycle, it converged into his dantian, and he finally refined his first strand of magical power.

He was about to continue his cultivation when a noise came from the doorway.

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately stopped cultivating, lay down on the bed, turned his body inward, closed his eyes, and pretended to fall asleep.

Yesterday, the maid carried a food box into the room, woke Chen Yuan up, tidied him up, and served him breakfast.

He was so engrossed in his cultivation that the night passed by in a flash, and he was completely unaware of it.

It is because of his rich cultivation experience that he can stop at any time without causing spiritual energy conflict or going into qi deviation.

After Chen Yuan finished eating, a handsome young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old walked in, dressed as a pageboy, with a delicate and effeminate air.

He taught Chen Yuan how to read people's expressions and how to serve others. Even his every move was carefully observed, and he could not be the slightest bit impolite.

Chen Yuan assumed that Young Master Liu had sent this person to train him, so he pretended to be a timid beggar and learned haltingly, occasionally making mistakes, so as not to be too successful and arouse Young Master Liu's suspicion.

At noon, Steward Chai led in a servant carrying a food box.

The handsome man had been talking non-stop all morning and was already hoarse. When he saw Manager Chai, he quickly turned around and bowed.

Manager Chai was cold and unfriendly to the servants, but he was kind and gentle to the pageboy, saying a few words with a smile before letting him leave.

Chen Yuan stepped forward and bowed. Steward Chai's expression became even more amiable as he smiled and said, "Li Xuan, the young master ordered me to bring you food."

"This is a five-flavor almond milk lamb dish that the young master specially ordered the chefs in his mansion to prepare. It is a famous dish of Huixianlou."

"The young master has treated you very well; you must remember his kindness."

Chen Yuan quickly bowed and said, "I will be forever grateful for your kindness, young master!"

Manager Chai laughed and told the servants to open the food box, take out a large bowl of meat and a pair of wooden chopsticks, and place them in front of Chen Yuan.

A rich aroma wafted out, filling the entire room.

Chen Yuan was taken aback. Steward Chai urged him from the side, "What are you waiting for? Eat this bowl of meat quickly so I can go and report back to the young master."

Chen Yuan picked up the wooden chopsticks, his face showing hesitation, and looked up at Steward Chai: "Without rice and steamed buns, how can we eat our fill?"

Steward Chai stroked his beard and smiled: "Just eat. After you finish this bowl of meat, you'll be stuffed, let alone full!"

Chen Yuan lowered his head, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

He detected a faint, demonic aura in the aroma of the meat.

Even for someone else, including a cultivator, it would be extremely difficult to distinguish the demonic aura from the aroma of cooked meat.

However, Chen Yuan was highly skilled in cultivation and had entered the Demon Burning Realm before, so he was extremely familiar with the demon race and recognized them immediately.

This body was extremely weak and had no foundation in body cultivation. Logically speaking, it would not be able to withstand the enormous blood energy contained in the flesh of a demon beast.

However, Chen Yuan knew more than a hundred different cultivation techniques, including many that combined physical and magical cultivation, making it easy for him to refine the blood essence from a piece of demon beast meat.

According to Steward Chai, it was Young Master Liu who ordered him to deliver this piece of monster meat and to report back afterwards, showing no regard for the life of this body.

Chen Yuan picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

This Five-Flavor Almond Milk Lamb might be a famous dish in Qingyang City, but compared to the delicacies Chen Yuan had eaten in the Burning Demon Realm, it tasted like chewing wax.

Only the few pieces of monster meat mixed in were somewhat flavorful.

But now he was a beggar, so he could only pretend to wolf down his food, prompting Steward Chai to repeatedly remind him, "Eat slowly, what's the rush..."

After finishing a bowl of meat, Steward Chai's smile deepened. He told Chen Yuan to rest well and then led the servants out.

Chen Yuan peeked through the crack in the door and saw that two new guards had been put on duty outside, but he still couldn't escape.

He sneered, returned to bed, lowered the beaded curtain, and sat cross-legged.

He pondered silently, recalling the many cultivation techniques he had seen, and chose the "Mysterious Armor Melting Gold Body" from the Yuling Sect, which directly led to the late Nascent Soul stage, and began to cultivate it.

Chen Yuan originally only wanted to cultivate basic techniques, which were the most balanced and peaceful way to improve his cultivation.

However, the "Sharp Metal Technique" is a purely magical cultivation method, and its speed in refining the blood essence of demonic beasts is too slow.

A small amount of demon beast meat wouldn't have a significant effect on a mortal's body tempering, so Steward Chai will probably continue to send more demon beast meat.

The "Mysterious Armor Melting Gold Body" is a dual cultivation of body and mind, which can refine the body and uses metal-elemental spiritual energy as the main element, making it particularly suitable for this body.

The Nine Revolutions of True Spirit has too high requirements for the physical body, and since Chen Yuan is in an illusion, he may not be able to cultivate it successfully.

……

An hour later, Chen Yuan opened his eyes, looked down at his hands, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The bowl of Five Flavor Almond Milk Lamb contained only about an ounce of demonic beast meat. According to his estimate, even with the "Mysterious Armor Melting Gold Body" technique, it would take about five or six hours to fully refine it.

This body is considered weak even among mortals. No matter how exquisite Chen Yuan's secret technique is, it cannot be used too hastily, otherwise it will damage the body's foundation.

But to Chen Yuan's surprise, this body devoured the few wisps of demonic beast blood energy in just one hour, without even needing to remove the impurities.

Her previously dry skin now had a slight sheen, and her thin arms had become slightly thicker.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to tell, but Chen Yuan's control over his physical body was so exquisite that it couldn't be hidden from his eyes at all.

This body even gave him a feeling of insatiable desire, as if it craved more demonic beast blood essence.

It seems that the illusionary realm did not arrange this body for him arbitrarily.

Chen Yuan closed his eyes again and continued meditating, absorbing strands of golden spiritual energy into his body.

If it were an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, let alone cultivating the "Mysterious Armor Melting Gold Body," even the most basic "Sharp Gold Technique" would not dare to be so reckless.

One careless mistake in practicing the exercises can lead to qi deviation and demonic possession.

This is also why Qi Refining cultivators can only practice basic techniques, and only after Foundation Establishment can they choose to truly cultivate advanced techniques.

Their control over spiritual energy was too crude, making it impossible for them to cultivate profound and mysterious techniques.

Only by first nourishing the meridians with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and through countless cycles of internal energy cultivation, can one's control over the spiritual energy become increasingly refined, and one's magical power liquefy into true essence, thus laying the foundation for one's path and truly embarking on the path of cultivation.

Chen Yuan, however, could skip this step and directly cultivate advanced techniques by relying on his exquisite control over spiritual energy.

This is the huge difference between a Nascent Soul cultivator and a Qi Refining cultivator. It is Chen Yuan's greatest gain after hundreds of years of hard work. Even if he loses all his cultivation, he cannot erase this cultivation experience.

……

Chen Yuan spent the next few days cultivating.

Young Master Liu seemed to have forgotten him; although they lived in the same courtyard, he never showed up again.

Every morning, the handsome page would come to teach Chen Yuan etiquette and how to read people's expressions, but he never mentioned the methods of serving someone in bed. This made Chen Yuan secretly relieved, knowing that not all methods of serving someone in bed would leave traces.

At noon, Steward Chai personally delivered another ounce of demon beast meat and watched Chen Yuan eat it.

Two guards take turns standing watch at the gate, working day and night, and the guard remains tight.

However, Chen Yuan had no intention of running away. Staying in the Liu residence allowed him to cultivate peacefully, and he also received one or two pieces of demon beast meat every day to temper his body, making his cultivation speed much faster than outside.

This body can completely absorb the blood and demonic power contained in the flesh of demonic beasts, and since it had no foundation in body cultivation before, the effect is extremely remarkable.

In just a few days, Chen Yuan's meridians widened, and the spiritual energy he absorbed from heaven and earth increased day by day. He could even reach the first level of Qi Refining in less than three months.

He had been eating monster meat for days, and his body was nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. His originally thin body became plump, his skin began to glow, and he even grew a little taller, gradually revealing a heroic and martial aura.

The changes in Chen Yuan were too obvious to be hidden from Steward Chai's eyes.

At noon that day, Steward Chai brought over a large bowl of meat. He watched as Chen Yuan ate it down in a few bites, still seeming somewhat unsatisfied. Seeing his current state, Steward Chai was amazed.

The monster meat had such miraculous effects that it transformed a beggar boy into a pampered young master, exuding an air of nobility within just a few days.

But he also knew that the flesh of the demon beast was not a panacea. Chen Yuan only appeared to be strong and healthy on the surface, but in reality, his health had been compromised, and he was afraid that he would not live much longer.

Otherwise, why wouldn't the master and young master eat the monster meat, but instead sell it to those martial artists?

That evening, Steward Chai reported the matter to Young Master Liu, who was quite surprised and ordered his maid to bring Chen Yuan over for a look.

He hasn't summoned Chen Yuan these past few days, in case he loses control and ruins everything.

Before long, the maid brought Chen Yuan over, and Young Master Liu looked him over from left to right.

He asked a few questions, and Chen Yuan answered them all according to the handsome page's instructions.

His every move was polite and his words were proper. Dressed in a well-fitting silk robe, he showed no trace of being a beggar.

Young Master Liu nodded and then asked, "Did you feel unwell after lunch?"

Chen Yuan replied, "I am fine, but there is one thing: there is not enough meat in that bowl. I am not full. Could you please add more meat, young master?"

"Especially those few pieces of meat that made the little man feel warm all over after eating them."

Young Master Liu raised an eyebrow and immediately instructed Steward Chai, "Give Li Xuan an extra tael of silver tomorrow at noon!"

Chen Yuan bowed and said, "Thank you, young master. But after eating this kind of meat, I don't know why, my appetite has increased. I can't get enough to eat, even in the morning or evening."

"Could we also add this type of meat to these two meals?"

Young Master Liu stared at Chen Yuan, scrutinizing him from head to toe for a while. Chen Yuan simply lowered his head slightly, maintaining the posture of bowing, his expression respectful, and remained silent.

Since the illusionary realm has given him such an extraordinary body, he should make good use of it and see how the illusionary realm will develop after his cultivation improves.

"Old Chai, do as Li Xuan said, add an ounce of meat to your meals morning and evening!"

Young Master Liu was worried that Chen Yuan wouldn't be able to withstand the immense blood energy from the demon beast's flesh, but unexpectedly, Chen Yuan even asked for more, so naturally he wouldn't refuse.

"Thank you, young master!" Chen Yuan bowed again and expressed his gratitude.

Young Master Liu waved his hand, signaling the maid to take Chen Yuan away, and watched his departing figure with reluctance.

Even the most handsome young man is nothing more than a plaything, far less valuable than a trade route that can earn tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Moreover, I've heard that the imperial court intends to strongly support the Shawu barbarians. With this trade route in hand, the money earned will only increase in the future, enough to buy ten or a hundred pageboys. I'll just have to put up with it for now.

Young Master Liu sighed inwardly.
But then I realized that he was the same way.

After all, can a young man who looks like he's been through a lot still be called a young man?

Thinking of this, Young Master Liu was no longer annoyed and took out paper and pen to write a letter.

The Liu family's warehouse was heavily guarded, and he didn't want to bother with it, so he told Steward Chai to go and get the monster meat himself.

Steward Chai leaned closer and whispered, "Young Master, even a strong young man would find it hard to keep up with eating an ounce or two of demon beast meat every day."

"Li Xuan is still young. Isn't it a bit too much for him to eat four ounces of demon beast meat a day?"

As Young Master Liu wrote furiously, he casually remarked, "You don't know, if you really eat too much demon beast meat, it won't look like this."

"His blood and qi were out of control, and his face turned bright red, like a boiled shrimp."

"Li Xuan's face was as white as jade, clearly indicating that he could easily withstand the blood essence of that small amount of demonic beast meat; even more wouldn't be a problem."

Manager Chai frowned: "Young Master, I sent people to investigate Weishui Street these past few days, and Li Xuan is indeed a beggar."

“In the past, he covered his face with a cloth, and no one had ever seen his true face. What Zhang San said was true.”

"But he's just a beggar, yet he's so handsome, and he can even easily withstand the blood and energy of demonic beast flesh. He must have some kind of background..."

Young Master Liu put down his pen, picked up his seal, dipped it in ink, stamped it on the paper, and laughed, "What are you afraid of? If he really had some background, how could he have been begging on the streets for eight or nine years?"

"They're either the family members of some corrupt official or the children of some chivalrous hero whose entire family was wiped out. Who would stand up for him?"

"Besides, he won't live more than two or three years after falling into Yin Ziming's hands, so what's there to worry about?"

He picked up the paper, blew on it, and handed it to Steward Chai: "Go on, I'm tired. This Li Xuan is getting more and more handsome, he's really got the fire in my heart. Go and call Qing-ge here!"

……

After Chen Yuan returned, he cultivated all night. The next morning, Steward Chai personally brought him breakfast, which included an extra bowl of meat soup mixed with a small amount of demon beast meat.

The monster meat in Liu's mansion was only from a low-level first-grade monster, something Chen Yuan would never have given a second glance to in the past, but to mortals it was a miraculous elixir.

For the next two weeks, Chen Yuan ate four ounces of demon beast meat every day, refining the demonic power and blood energy contained within. The body tempering effect was remarkable, and his physical body was now comparable to that of a Bone Forging Realm martial artist.

Although he had not accumulated much magical power and his cultivation level was not yet at the first level of Qi Refining, he could deal with the most ordinary first-level low-grade demon beasts with just his physical strength.

To Chen Yuan's surprise, Young Master Liu never summoned him again, nor did he mention making him a page. Instead, he had the handsome page teach him etiquette every day and had Steward Chai deliver three meals a day.

On this day, Chen Yuan took the opportunity during the meal to subtly probe Steward Chai.

But Steward Chai made no attempt to hide anything and told Chen Yuan directly that Young Master Liu was going to give him to a nobleman.

A cold glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. He had handled countless treasures, but he never imagined that one day he would become a commodity to be resold.

He then asked, "May I ask, steward, when does the young master plan to send me away?"

When Steward Chai saw that the beggar boy had become more refined in his speech after studying with the handsome young scholar for half a month, he was very pleased and said with a smile, "What, you can't bear to part with him?"

Chen Yuan held up the meat soup he was holding: "I'm afraid I won't be able to eat such delicious meat soup again."

Seeing that he treated the poison like a treasure, Steward Chai shook his head inwardly, but did not hide anything: "In another half month, the young master will give you away."

"Before you leave, I'll have the kitchen make that... meat taste better, so you can enjoy it too."

He didn't say directly that it was monster meat, because Qingyang City is located on the border and monsters often appear there.

Some knowledgeable people know that although the meat of demon beasts is precious, only martial artists can eat it; it would be harmful to ordinary people.

Li Xuan had been begging on the streets for many years, so he had seen a lot of the world.

If he finds out about this and refuses to eat, that would be a problem.

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he thanked him repeatedly before focusing on his meal.

That evening, he asked Steward Chai to add a few more ounces of demon beast meat, but Steward Chai did not agree, saying that he would have to ask Young Master Liu for permission first.

The next morning, Steward Chai brought over a meat soup containing an extra ounce of demonic beast meat.

He looked at Chen Yuan with pity and said, "Eat up. This kind of meat is not cheap. One tael of meat costs ten taels of silver."

"When you go to that nobleman's mansion, don't forget the young master's kindness."

Chen Yuan thanked him and wolfed down the bowl of meat soup.

Chen Yuan also ate an extra ounce of monster meat at noon and in the evening, totaling seven ounces of monster meat. He ate seventy ounces of silver in one day.

Nearly half a month passed in this way. Chen Yuan cultivated every day, constantly refining blood qi and demonic power. With spiritual energy nourishing his physical body, his physical body was already comparable to a martial artist in the Marrow Refining Realm, and could barely be compared to the most ordinary first-level low-grade demonic beast.

His cultivation has also improved considerably, thanks to the expansion of his meridians. In another month, he should be able to raise his cultivation to the first level of Qi Refining.

Chen Yuan is not yet a true cultivator, but with his rich combat experience and exquisite use of spiritual energy, he is not afraid of even a mid-level demonic beast of the next level.

Late that night, Chen Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes, quietly got out of bed, and went to the door.

In two days, Young Master Liu will hand him over to that "nobleman," and Chen Yuan will naturally not sit idly by and wait for his doom.

He came to the door, raised his hand, and secretly circulated his magic power. A golden needle condensed in his palm, slowly lengthening and transforming into a thin golden blade.

With a thought, Chen Yuan inserted the thin golden blade into the crack in the door, and with a gentle touch, silently cleaved the iron lock in two, then gently pushed the door open.

The two guards, with their backs to the door, were whispering and laughing about Lianyun, the most beautiful courtesan at the Shuyu Pavilion in Qingyang City, completely unaware of the commotion behind them.

Chen Yuan stepped forward quietly, reached out with both hands, grabbed the two men by the throats, and squeezed them hard, killing them instantly!

He quietly placed the two bodies on the ground, turned around, closed the door, and walked along the wall towards the courtyard.

Although this body has not yet developed divine consciousness, it has become much more sensitive after being nourished by spiritual energy and refined by blood energy and demonic power.

Chen Yuan could see ten zhang away at night, and any movement within ten zhang was even more impossible to miss from his ears.

Chen Yuan was extremely careful along the way, avoiding the patrolling guards, and successfully arrived at the side gate through which the servants of the Liu family entered and exited.

For the past month, he has stayed indoors and only knows this one path.

He quietly climbed over the courtyard wall, jumped over, and just as he landed, a hoarse voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Interesting, when did children become immortals? Let this humble Taoist taste what it's like!"

Chen Yuan was startled and retreated rapidly, but at that moment, a powerful pressure descended upon him, mixed with intense demonic energy, rendering him unable to move.

The next moment, a huge, black mouth suddenly appeared and swallowed Chen Yuan whole, leaving no trace.

A middle-aged Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom emerged from the darkness, patted his belly, grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth: "Tender skin and flesh... the taste is indeed quite good."

He took a step forward, and his figure disappeared back into the darkness. (End of Chapter)