Chapter 18: Increasing Strength . . .
Observing Ye Yuan's acupuncture technique, flowing as naturally as water, Tang Yu's confidence in him grew. In this moment, he realized that Ye Yuan was far from the worthless figure the rumors painted.
"Father, how are you feeling? Do you feel better?" Tang Yu anxiously inquired after the acupuncture session concluded.
Tang Zonghuai's complexion had noticeably improved, and his coughing was less severe. "Mister Ye is truly skilled. Right now, I feel much more relaxed."
Although he still struggled to catch his breath while speaking, it was a significant improvement from before.
Ye Yuan's needle technique was far from ordinary; it was a pinnacle skill he had created himself—the 72 Paths Great Cycle Acupuncture. Once renowned in the Divine Realm, this technique possessed profound capabilities.
Of course, given Ye Yuan's current cultivation level, he could only utilize a fraction of its power. Currently, it could only offer some control over Tang Zonghuai's condition.
"This acupuncture can alleviate the symptoms but cannot address the root cause. Tomorrow, I will deliver the medicinal pill. Time is of the essence. I will take my leave now," Ye Yuan stated, bidding farewell and leaving promptly.
Ye Yuan proceeded to the Fragrant Medicine Pavilion, retrieved the herbs for the Exploding Yuan Pill, and entered the pill refinement room along with the three stalks of Six Leaf Grass.
The Exploding Yuan Pill was a low-level Tier 1 medicinal pill in the Divine Realm, well-suited for Ye Yuan's current refining capabilities. Although he possessed higher-tier pills for strength enhancement, he couldn't refine them at the moment. With increased strength, he would eventually be able to refine higher-tier pills of the same level.
To Ye Yuan, the process of refining the Exploding Yuan Pill was straightforward. After six hours, he emerged from the pill refinement room with several medicine bottles.
The next step involved seclusion training. He found a quiet chamber, instructed the servants not to disturb him, and immersed himself in meditation.
Examining the row of pill bottles before him, Ye Yuan frowned. He wasn't satisfied with this round of refinement. Despite using three sets of ingredients, he only managed to refine 26 Exploding Yuan Pills. Among them, 15 were middle-grade, eight were high-grade, and only three were superior-grade.
Medicinal pills were categorized into different grades: low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, superior-grade, and transcendent-grade. In the past, Ye Yuan would have considered even the lowest-grade Exploding Yuan Pill to be at least of superior-grade quality. Yet today, he felt dissatisfied with the results. This, obviously, was a deviation from his accustomed standards.
If the Alchemy Grandmasters in the State of Qin heard Ye Yuan's sentiments, they would likely find a hole to hide in. For them, refining the Exploding Yuan Pill and obtaining even one superior-grade pill would be a cause for gratitude. Yet here was Ye Yuan, discontent with refining three. Superior-grade pills were considered rare treasures, obtained only through luck and not through intentional refining.
Ye Yuan sighed, recognizing that this was a situation beyond his control. This body had never refined pills before, and his skills were still lacking. Moreover, his current strength was insufficient; dividing one portion of essence energy into three for use made refining high-level pills impossible.
Holding a bottle containing the superior-grade Exploding Yuan Pills, Ye Yuan took one and swallowed it. As the pill reached his abdomen, it transformed into waves of essence energy surging outward. Ye Yuan, not daring to procrastinate, immediately cultivated the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art to guide the chaotic essence energy along the meridians. The initially turbulent essence energy became exceptionally obedient under the guidance of the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art. After circulating through Ye Yuan's body, it finally converged within his dantian. Through tempering with the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art, the once disorderly essence energy became remarkably stable.
The Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art, a profound cultivation technique, comprised three chapters: Mortal, Earth, and Heaven. Currently, Ye Yuan immersed himself in the early stages of the Mortal chapter, which was further divided into three sections, each accompanied by a unique martial technique. This was a distinctive feature of the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art—the incorporation of potent martial techniques specific to the art.
The renowned Spirit Bristle Divine King achieved invincibility in the Divine Realm by mastering the ultimate martial technique in the Heaven Chapter—the Nine Suns Burning Heaven. When unleashed, this technique could obliterate a radius of several thousand miles, a truly terrifying power.
The martial technique linked to the first section of the Mortal chapter was the Absolute Yang Finger. It involved releasing essence energy from the fingertips, and when mastered to the large success stage, it could shatter rocks and metal, boasting formidable attacking prowess.
After four hours of cultivation with the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art, Ye Yuan fully absorbed the medicinal efficacy. Sensing that he was on the verge of stepping into the Second Level Essence Qi Realm, he promptly ingested the second superior-grade Exploding Yuan Pill to continue tempering the essence energy in his dantian. Another four hours passed before he consumed the third pill.
Ye Yuan proceeded to ingest the remaining superior-grade and high-grade Exploding Yuan Pills, though their effects were less pronounced. As the consumption increased, the medicinal efficacy diminished. By the time dawn approached, Ye Yuan felt a slight swelling and pain in his meridians and dantian, indicating that the maximum amount of essence energy absorption had been reached. He had reached the peak of the Third Level Essence Qi Realm, only a step away from entering the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm. Despite the expenditure of three superior-grade Exploding Yuan Pills and six high-grade Exploding Yuan Pills, the results were far from extravagant.
Transitioning from the Third Level to the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm posed a small bottleneck for many in mortal countries like the State of Qin. Some individuals might even struggle with this obstacle throughout their lifetime. However, for Ye Yuan, this bottleneck was virtually nonexistent. With his past-life cultivation experience, overcoming this hurdle was a matter of accumulating sufficient essence energy. Nevertheless, he recognized the importance of maintaining a stable foundation after the abrupt surge in strength and aimed to strengthen the Initial Stage Essence Qi Realm before contemplating the next advancement.
Ye Yuan's essence energy, thanks to the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art, was notably thicker and purer than the average Third Level Essence Qi Realm. If someone else were to consume the Exploding Yuan Pill, a single superior-grade and two high-grade pills would suffice to elevate them from the First Level to the Third Level Essence Qi Realm.
In essence, Ye Yuan's essence energy was three times denser than that of the average Third Level Essence Qi Realm. This explained the Spirit Bristle Divine King's formidable power. Cultivating the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art to an advanced realm allowed the user to expend essence energy strategically, potentially outlasting opponents.
Realizing this, even with his current strength inadequacies, Ye Yuan's essence energy was abundant enough to refine a middle-level Tier 1 medicinal pill from the Divine Realm.
"It's late. Time to assist Uncle Tang in refining the Ink Jade Heart Returning Pill," Ye Yuan declared, standing up and pushing the door open.
As he stepped out, he encountered Lu-er, swaying gracefully. She greeted him with a smile, "Young Master, have you finished your closed-door seclusion?"
"Yes. Oh? You've reached the First Level Essence Qi Realm already?" Ye Yuan replied, surprised as he unintentionally examined Lu-er's body. He discovered that Lu-er, who lacked essence energy just a day ago, had now attained the First Level Essence Qi Realm.
Lu-er nodded timidly and asked, "Young Master, am I cultivating too slowly?"
Ye Yuan chuckled, "You little lass. Don't say such things outside; you'll make others envious. Your cultivation speed is exceptional, making everyone else feel inadequate."
Ecstatic with her young master's praise, Lu-er blushed and asked, "Really? Does that mean I'll be able to assist Young Master in the future?"
"Haha, of course. Our dear Lu-er is extraordinary. Come, follow me to handle some matters. Tomorrow, we depart for the Dan Wu Academy, and I'll recommend you for admission," Ye Yuan declared with a laugh.