Zhao Zuo returned to the Earth Fire Forging Hall, where he was met with strange looks from those around him. They had obviously guessed he was back to consume the Pill Medicine he had bought with thirty-nine Spirit Stones.
'It's never wrong to be cautious. Even if it means earning less, at least I won't suffer a loss.'
He collected a key from the exchange counter and walked into an Earth Fire Chamber. Zhao Zuo took off his upper garment and immediately began forging Spirit Iron.
By finishing his daily tasks early, he would have time to get himself in the right condition. He wanted to be in a perfect state to attempt breaking through the bottleneck of the Golden Body Technique and achieve a great leap in physical strength.
In truth, the core area of the Market had Secluded Cave Mansions available for short-term rental. They offered a quiet environment and were even equipped with a Spirit Gathering Array, but this was just a Body Refining breakthrough, which had no particular requirement for the density of Spiritual Power.
The Secluded Cave Mansions were divided into three grades—A, B, and C—costing three, two, and one Spirit Stone per day, respectively.
'Every Spirit Stone saved is a Spirit Stone earned.'
At midnight, the light from the Earth Fire in the chamber was dim, and the surrounding sounds of smithing gradually died down.
His coworkers had all started their Cultivation or gone to rest. Now was the perfect time for Zhao Zuo to break through in his Body Refining Cultivation.
Zhao Zuo was already in peak condition. He started by swallowing the two and a half catties of Spirit Rice he had prepared. Without a moment's delay, he immediately stretched his limbs and assumed one of the strange stances of the Golden Body Technique.
As he shifted stances, his muscles seemed to awaken from a deep slumber. His blood flow quickened, delivering nutrients to every corner of his body.
Warm currents pulsed from his abdomen as the rice was digested and absorbed, transforming into nourishment that fed his muscles. His entire body trembled faintly, his bones letting out crisp cracks. It was as if every inch of his muscles had taken on a life of its own; his muscles and bones felt like they were reconfiguring themselves into a more perfect form.
At the same time, a faint golden light emanated from his skin. It constantly morphed, forming a fine veil that enveloped Zhao Zuo's entire body. Meanwhile, the rate of his energy consumption suddenly accelerated, and his stomach worked furiously to digest the Spirit Rice.
His body temperature rose at a visible rate, turning him into a human furnace that radiated intense heat. Sweat flew from his skin, splattering on the floor like raindrops.
Zhao Zuo finally felt the bottleneck. It was like wearing an ill-fitting vest—a distinct, uncomfortable feeling of constriction... He couldn't feel truly free in his own body.
The time had come. Zhao Zuo quickly pulled out a bright red Qi and Blood Pill and swallowed it. He resumed the peculiar stance of the Golden Body Technique, tensing and crossing his arms, his fingers lacing together to form a complex and arcane Dharma Seal.
This was the Vajra Seal, a Dharma Method within the Golden Body Technique used to stimulate one's Qi and Blood. It could provide a slight boost in combat power and could also be used when breaking through a bottleneck to increase the chance of success. The price was that once its effects faded, the user would be left in a weakened state.
Once the Qi and Blood Pill entered his stomach, a vast, searing energy immediately radiated outwards. It converted directly into pure Qi and Blood without needing to be digested, nourishing his muscles and blood. His muscles quivered rapidly and his bones cracked. Under the force of this energy, the bottleneck was successfully shaken.
As Zhao Zuo's body transformed, a faint, grayish filth was expelled from his countless pores. The amount was negligible... but this, too, was part of the Washing Marrow and Body Cleaning process.
At the same time, Zhao Zuo's aura grew stronger. With each cycle of breath, he exhaled a long plume of turbid air and then inhaled deeply, as if trying to devour every last bit of air in the Earth Fire Chamber. Even the faint golden light around him grew brighter. Everything was heading in a positive direction.
At that moment, Zhao Zuo's body was rapidly growing stronger. His muscles became denser and more explosive, and his skin, tempered by the vast amount of energy, grew tougher. A powerful aura began to rise from him.
In a daze, he felt the Qi and Blood within him surging like a mighty river. The energy from the Qi and Blood Pill in his abdomen was nearly depleted. Seizing a brief opening, Zhao Zuo swallowed the second Qi and Blood Pill. Aided by the ample Qi and Blood, his body's transformation pushed forward, his physical strength increasing with every passing second.
On the cot, Zhao Zuo's eyes snapped open. A bright, divine light flashed within them before quickly fading away.
It took two Qi and Blood Pills, but he had successfully cultivated the Second-Layer of the Golden Body Technique!
Zhao Zuo sat quietly on the cot for about ten minutes, carefully sensing the changes in his transformed body. This breakthrough had brought a small but noticeable improvement to both his strength and defense. From now on, forging Spirit Iron would be much easier.
Zhao Zuo stood up and casually took out a Cleaning Talisman. He infused it with Mana and pressed it against his skin. In the next instant, all the dead skin he had shed and the filth clinging to his body vanished, as if erased by some unknown energy.
"Truly amazing," Zhao Zuo marveled.
Thanks to the replenishing effects of the two Qi and Blood Pills, the side effects of the Vajra Seal never manifested. He felt no fatigue or weakness at all. On the contrary, he felt as if both his mind and body had ascended to a higher state.
With a wave of his hand, the Sky-Breaking Saber began to dance around him. He timed it mentally. Even in its lowest power-consumption mode, the Sky-Breaking Saber was still incredibly fast. It flew without a sound, like a venomous snake hunting silently in the dark.
As time ticked by, Zhao Zuo's Mana ran out. The Sky-Breaking Saber automatically flew back to the hidden clasp on his waist. The result was just as he'd perceived: the improvement in his Body Refining Cultivation had increased his maximum Mana reserves.
As of now, his Mana could sustain the Sky-Breaking Saber at its lowest power consumption for about two minutes. This meant that gaining experience would become much easier, and the time it took to repair Lower Grade Magical Artifacts would also be significantly reduced.
But the most pressing issue now was how to exchange the repaired Lower Grade Magical Artifacts for Spirit Stones he could use for his Cultivation, all without endangering himself. That was the problem that needed solving most urgently.
Zhao Zuo thought about it for a moment, and his head began to ache. 'All of these problems stem from my own lack of strength!'
The solutions were also mostly tied to strength. As he mulled it over, he unexpectedly started to feel drowsy.
Zhao Zuo lay down on the wooden cot. His breathing slowly evened out, and he fell asleep.
Before long, the sound of forging Spirit Iron came from the next chamber. The rhythmic clash of hammer against Refined Iron, like a war drum beating on a battlefield to rally the troops, completely shattered Zhao Zuo's drowsiness.
The coworker next door was already back on the grind.
It was just past 3:00 AM, around four in the morning...
'I guess this counts as my four a.m. wake-up call?'
Disturbed by the noise, Zhao Zuo tossed and turned, unable to fall back asleep. He finally gave up, got out of bed, lit the furnace fire, and picked up his hammer.
The CLANG CLANG CLANG of his hammering composed a cheerful tune, and the smile on his face grew warmer, more radiant.
"If you want a grind-off, you've got one! Nobody sleeps tonight!"
DONG! DONG! DONG! The heavy hammer struck the Refined Iron. The first thing Zhao Zuo noticed was that the hammer felt lighter in his hands. The second was that forging the Spirit Iron now felt effortless, and his efficiency had soared.
There were still four days until he could take his next Purifying Spirit Pill.
....
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