Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 204 The Flawless Body
The moonlight filled the sky.

Inside the Zhaixing Villa, which was specially reserved for receiving immortals from various sects, the lights were on full display.

In the waterside pavilion, Song Yan sat at the table, holding a cup of spiritual tea in his hands, and leisurely took a sip.

The spiritual tea was piping hot, but that was nothing to cultivators.

He placed his teacup on the table and casually asked, "Where are you planning to go next?"

Ju Luyi sat somewhat reservedly in front of Song Yan. She had been lost in thought and silent until she heard Senior Song ask her a question, at which point she came back to her senses.

"I……"

To be honest, she didn't know where to go.

She used to do everything she could to earn spirit stones and gold and silver, all to cure her mother's illness.

After her mother passed away, she was all alone and had no more attachments.

where to?
do not know.

Or let's ask a different question: what will she do as she lives on, until she grows old and dies?

There is no reasonable answer.

If she were to let loose and indulge in daydreams, she would want to build a foundation for her Dao and then fly into the sky.

Unfortunately, that's impossible.

The girl remained silent. Song Yan looked at her and slowly spoke, "If you have nowhere to go, how about becoming a worshipper here in Yunxi City?"

Because of the tiger demon, the entire Yunxi County City is now missing three or four worshippers.

Besides Qinggu and another village offerings being killed by the tiger demon, Su Li of the Xuan Yuan Sect has already been killed by Xiao He.

Song Yan has now gotten used to killing people from the Xuan Yuan Sect.

From Wang Xi to Shen Huai of Changping later, it's never a bad thing to have many enemies. Killing a treacherous person like Su Li is truly without any burden.

Song Yan didn't care how the Xuan Yuan Sect handled the matter.

Liu Xincheng, a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect, was also dismissed from his post for concealing or delaying the reporting of relevant information.

The place for worship in Yunxi City is currently vacant. If Ju Luyi is interested, Song Yan only needs to inform the fellow disciples sent by the sect to handle the aftermath.

For the sect, it really doesn't matter who holds such a position.

Even though Xiao Ju was not a disciple of Dongyuan Sect before, no one would say a word if a disciple of Bamo Peak recommended her.

Xiao Ju's cultivation at the third level of Qi Refining is so-so.

Even if he couldn't be a worshipper in the prefectural capital, he would be more than qualified to be a worshipper in surrounding counties like Qinggu and Linxi.

Upon hearing Song Yan's inquiry, Xiao Ju slightly raised her head.

worship?

Can someone like myself be worshipped?

This was something she could never have imagined before.

In the mortal world, the status of worship is extremely high, and they are revered by everyone. Even officials such as city lords and county magistrates have to show them respect.

After all, this represents not just one cultivator, but the entire sect behind him.

Becoming a worshipper also means that she is no longer just a rogue cultivator attached to the Dongyuan Sect.

Instead, they were cultivators belonging to the Dongyuan Sect.

This was an incredible surprise for her.

The help Senior Song gave me is something I can never repay in a lifetime.

She wanted to say yes and then express her gratitude.

however……

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but something seemed to block them out, and he didn't say them.

Offering sacrifices is indeed a good thing, but is it really what you want to do?

Her thoughts drifted: "What do I really want..."

Little Ju, you should be content.

You don't even know what you want, so are you going to refuse Senior Song and miss out on such an opportunity for a lifetime of wealth and honor?
That's incredibly ungrateful!

Tell me quickly.

Quickly agree to Senior Song's request, and then express your sincere gratitude.

But the more I tried to convince myself of this, the more I suppressed my vision, and that thought became like a spark falling into a pile of dry tinder.

"Do not."

Xiao Ju refused.

She lowered her head slightly, not daring to look into Song Yan's eyes and expression: "Xiao Ju doesn't want to be a retainer."

Song Yan was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a reply.

He looked at the girl in front of him thoughtfully, quietly waiting for her to tell him the reason.

As if she had made a decision in her heart, Xiao Ju suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with determination.

"Senior Song, I would like to become your disciple."

So she said.

From a young age, her whole family was criticized because of her, and her father even left her and her mother because of it.

Having ascended to the immortal mountain, he found himself unable to enter the Taoist path due to his lack of talent. Yet, he still wanted to find miraculous medicines to cure his mother's illness. He could only rely on his sewing skills to barely make a living in the Lingyuanze market.

When my mother passed away, there was nothing I could do; I could only watch her die.

If someone wants to go back to their hometown, they will be regarded as a calamity and an omen of misfortune by their fellow villagers, who will despise and drive them away; some may even want to kill them.

Perhaps I will achieve nothing in this life and live like a joke.

Therefore, she didn't want to continue living such a muddled life.

Seeing Song Yan's stunned expression, Xiao Ju was not uneasy. She knew that her aptitude was very poor, otherwise she wouldn't have been unable to even enter the outer sect.

It's perfectly normal for Senior Song to refuse him.

However, that doesn't matter.

Xiao Ju has already made up her mind that once Senior Song leaves, she will also use her own two feet to measure the land and see the scenery of this world.

As expected, Song Yan shook his head.

The girl's somber expression appeared only for a moment before it was quickly concealed.

"You overestimate me. I'm not qualified to take on any disciples."

Song Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly: "In the eyes of those true immortal cultivators in this world, you and I are both Qi Refining cultivators, and there is no difference between us."

He wasn't being modest when he said that.

The cultivation level of the eighth level of Qi Refining is, in essence, just the Qi Refining stage.

How can he be qualified to accept disciples and mislead others?

As for the Sword Sect's traditions, he himself couldn't comprehend much of them, so he simply didn't have the nerve to teach them to others.

Xiao Ju is simple-minded and serious in her work. If my cultivation level is high enough, then there is nothing wrong with taking her as a disciple.

"Let's not talk about taking on apprentices anymore."

"However, I am going down the mountain to travel this time and will not be returning to the sect for a while. If you also want to travel far, then come with me."

Song Yan said gently, "If you have any questions about cultivation... I wouldn't call it guidance, but we can discuss and exchange ideas. I will certainly answer all your questions to the best of my ability."

Taking her on as a disciple is really inappropriate, but it's acceptable to answer her questions and resolve her doubts during our travels.

This doesn't waste any time, and besides, as the saying goes, reviewing the old helps one understand the new, so one can also benefit from it.

Xiao Ju stood there, staring at Song Yan in disbelief.

Her little heart was pounding in her chest.

"Does Senior Song mean that Xiao Ju can... travel with you to all corners of the world?"

What's this?

It's not like I'm taking on an apprentice.

Song Yan nodded: "However, I can't say for sure when I will return to the sect."

"If it takes too long, you can come with me to Dragon Pool Mountain to observe the Nine Meridians Gathering, or you can return to your sect on your own. It's up to you."

Xiao Ju suppressed her heart, which was about to leap out of her chest, and knelt down properly.

Place your hands together quietly on your knees.

"Xiao Ju will definitely not cause you any trouble."...

If it weren't for the Qinggu incident, Song Yan would probably be preparing to leave Yunxi City by now.

The sect will need several days to handle and coordinate this matter.

He could simply leave, but he would still have many things to deal with.

So he simply informed Lord Zhao that he would be staying a few more days.

Zhao Huaizhen was naturally more than happy to have the immortal stay a few more days.

On this day, Song Yan sat upright in the main house, holding a Qiankun bag in his hand.

This was left in the dilapidated house by Senior Bai Tao. Apart from a few scattered spirit stones, there was nothing inside, not even any pills.

It seems that he distributed them to his disciples one by one before he passed away.

However, besides that, there was an old map. Based on the scene I remembered at the time, it should be the location of Senior Bai Tao's sect.

This sect should be located near the border between Jiang Kingdom and Zhongyu.

It was too far from the State of Chu.

Song Yan has not yet established his foundation and cannot fly, so there is no reason for him to go to such a far place.

Moreover, according to my memory, this sect has long been deserted.

Perhaps among the disciples of Senior Bai Tao, the more promising ones will think of returning to their roots and rebuilding the sect.

These things have nothing to do with Song Yan.

I'll go see it again when I have the chance.

Xiao He has also brought back the Qiankun bag belonging to Su Li from the Xuan Yuan Sect. It doesn't contain much, only some commonly used array equipment.

This person must have some knowledge of formations.

After sorting through all the gains and categorizing them, Song Yan took out the demon core.

If this demon core were sold, it would naturally fetch a good price.

Demon cores have a wide range of uses, but the most common use that Song Yan knows of is for making talismans.

In the world of cultivation, the topic of what spiritual objects can be used for is always unavoidable.

Among these, alchemy, talisman, array, and artifact are the most widespread.

Demon cores are rarely used for alchemy because they are essentially the crystallization of demonic power and the essence of demons.

When used in medicine, cultivators who consume it are easily tainted with demonic and malevolent energy.

Without effective secret techniques or spiritual objects to help dispel it, it is not a good thing for one's path to immortality.

Therefore, only a very small number of elixirs can be refined using demon cores.

Right now, Song Yan's demon core is something that feels neither appealing nor worth discarding.

Second-tier demonic beasts, which are equivalent to the Foundation Establishment stage in humans, have extremely valuable demonic cores, and selling them directly can bring in a large amount of spirit stones.

However, this young mountain lord only has the cultivation level of the late stage of the first rank, so he wouldn't sell for many spirit stones.

I keep it in my hands, but I don't know what to do with it.

"..."

As he was pondering, he saw Xiao He, now in human form, sneaking around and peeking out from the side.

"Ok?"

A thought crossed Song Yan's mind. He waved the demon core in front of her and said, "Xiao He, do you want this?"

"hold head high."

Xiao He nodded vigorously.

Song Yan was puzzled.

Xiao He is a snake demon, and Shao Shan Jun is a tiger demon. They are different types of demons. Could Shao Shan Jun's demon core help Xiao He's cultivation?

Xiao He's demonic power is currently at the mid-stage of the first tier, and it is full of power. She may soon break through to the late stage of the first tier.

If she could use this demon core, that would be wonderful.

"Give it to you."

With a flick of his finger, the tiger demon's core transformed into an arc.

Unexpectedly, Xiao He opened her mouth wide, took a big bite, chewed for a while, and then swallowed it.

Does this work too?
Song Yan felt her eyes had been opened. Could she just eat it directly?

What a convenience.

He didn't know much about monsters, but Xiao He would handle it herself.

Xiao He touched her little belly, and the Xuan Chi Transformation Dragon Chapter naturally began to operate.

At the same time, she felt a warm current slowly welling up from her body and began to feel sleepy.

"what……"

She yawned and crawled into bed to sleep.

Song Yan disposed of Shao Shan Jun's demon corpse in a simple manner.

They collected the essence and blood for later use, and also took some of the tiger demon's flesh and bones.

Neither he nor Xiao He, nor Xiao Ju who would be traveling with them, were able to abstain from grains.

This is considered top-quality spiritual and physical food.

The tiger skin was tattered and worthless.

After tidying up the rest of his things, Song Yan followed the steps he had taken before when refining his body with the blood of the Qilin demon, and took out the bronze cauldron from his Qiankun bag, preparing to refine his body again.

Compared to the golden and red Qilin blood, the tiger demon blood has a much simpler color, a deep red with a hint of dark red.

Although it lacks the intense aura of Qilin blood, it possesses a different kind of bloody and malevolent smell that hits you when it is taken out.

"After all, it's just the essence blood of a tiger demon, so its effects are probably only two or three tenths as good as the blood of a unicorn."

He picked up a pinch of elixir powder and sprinkled it into the cauldron, instantly dispersing some of the demonic blood and medicinal fragrance.

The amount of medicinal herbs prepared this time is not much, since tiger blood is far less potent than qilin blood.

Furthermore, Song Yan's physique is now many times stronger than it was during his first body-refining session.

When he stepped naked into the cauldron, his skin felt a stinging pain, but it was much milder than last time.

As the nameless mantra was activated, the blood beads seeping from his pores emitted a faint golden glow.

Upon internal observation, the golden-red glow within the body's meridians continuously devoured the demonic power within the tiger's blood.

The flesh and blood, along with the meridians, were greedily absorbing the nutrients.

The liquid in the cauldron became turbid at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Three hours later, the medicinal liquid in the cauldron had completely turned into a pool of wastewater.

Song Yan opened his eyes and slowly stood up.

A golden-red glow appeared faintly beneath her originally radiant skin, then quickly disappeared.

"This nameless incantation is indeed profound."

After cleaning up a bit, he tried to activate the sword energy, but his meridians were not significantly widened during this body tempering.

However, the strength of the flesh and blood has been greatly improved.

What surprised Song Yan the most was that, upon internal inspection, the surface of his internal organs was already reflecting that golden-red glow, and it had even faintly condensed into a thin film that looked almost solid.

"A spiritual light illuminates the body, transforming internal organs into gold and jade..."

This is precisely the "leak-free" state that many Qi Refining stage body cultivators dream of.

Reaching this level means that even without protective spiritual energy, without using any cultivation techniques, and without taking any defensive measures, all ordinary martial arts, internal martial arts techniques, and common poisons will find it difficult to harm the cultivator's fundamental nature.

It was only at this moment that he truly understood the preciousness of the Qilin demon blood.

His previous body refinement had almost brought his physical strength to the limit at the Qi Refining stage.

That is why he was able to lose by only a slight margin in his decisive battle with Li Yi.

Although the tiger demon's blood essence is not of high grade, it can still fill the gaps in the bones and muscles that the qilin demon blood failed to temper.

At this moment, the aura flowed, and the sounds of tigers and leopards could be faintly heard in every gesture.

This is exactly the state of "perfect Qi cultivation, primordial chaos without leakage" recorded in the nameless mantra!

(End of this chapter)