Iron Head crouched before the Profound Gold Tripod with a solemn, dignified expression. This Tier One Lower Grade Alchemy Cauldron was already straining to refine a Tier One Upper Grade elixir like the Bone Marrow Transformation Pill.
It had to be exceptionally careful in controlling the heat to prevent the Spiritual Qi inside the Alchemy Cauldron from running rampant and destroying the cauldron.
Wisps of green smoke billowed out from the holes of the Profound Gold Tripod; these were useless impurities incinerated by the Spiritual Fire. After a long while, a fragrant pill aroma began to emerge.
The medicinal liquid inside the Alchemy Cauldron had condensed into pills.
Iron Head opened the Alchemy Cauldron and saw five Bone Marrow Transformation Pills, shimmering with golden patterns, lying quietly at the bottom.
[Mica Refining Technique: Master (95%)]
Its Master Level Mica Refining Technique, combined with the Bright Qi Talent, allowed Iron Head to achieve the astonishing record of five formed pills on its very first attempt at refining the Bone Marrow Transformation Pill. An ordinary Alchemist, even after years of practicing with the same elixir, might not necessarily achieve such a high success rate.
With the Bright Qi Talent, the changes in the Spiritual Mechanism inside the Alchemy Cauldron became extremely intuitive, greatly reducing the difficulty.
Yang Jing gave Iron Head two pills and kept the remaining three for himself. He sat cross-legged and swallowed a still-warm Bone Marrow Transformation Pill.
As the Bone Marrow Transformation Pill entered his stomach, an astonishing heat surged from his abdomen. It felt like a red-hot iron wire piercing into his bone marrow and spreading throughout his entire body.
Yang Jing grunted, forcing himself to endure the bone-piercing agony. After a long time, the excruciating pain slowly subsided. He stood up, feeling the wisps of qi and blood emerging within him.
He estimated that the increase in qi and blood from three Bone Marrow Transformation Pills was roughly equivalent to the increase he experienced when he broke through the Shenque Acupoint.
This overjoyed Yang Jing. The stronger a Body Cultivator's foundation, the greater the rewards when opening Acupoints. For those with different foundations, even if they opened the same number of Acupoints, their power could be worlds apart.
Therefore, far-sighted Body Cultivators would only attempt to open their next Acupoint after their qi and blood had risen to a certain level.
Unfortunately, taking Bone Marrow Transformation Pills consecutively in a short period would not only waste their medicinal efficacy but also lead to an accumulation of Elixir Poison, which wasn't worth the cost. Taking one pill a week was a more appropriate approach.
With the Pill Formula for the Bone Marrow Transformation Pill, Yang Jing resumed his regular cultivation routine. Every seven days, he would take a Bone Marrow Transformation Pill to accumulate Celestial True Yang, and spend the rest of his time honing his body with the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Swordsmanship and the Tiger Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.
It was only because he had Iron Head's help that he could focus solely on cultivation like this. An ordinary Independent Cultivator, even with the perseverance for arduous training, wouldn't have enough Spirit Stones in their pocket to support such a lifestyle.
That very night, a tragic incident occurred in San Yuanli, making Yang Jing's heart tighten with anxiety.
The residents on the west side of San Yuanli, Qian Xian and his wife, were brutally murdered by Tribulation Cultivators. The Array they had set up in their Cave Mansion was broken silently, their valuables were plundered, and even the unripe crops in their Spirit Field were harvested and taken.
The two victims' bodies were left exposed in the Spirit Field, bearing marks of torture, likely inflicted by the murderers to extract information about their wealth.
Yang Jing felt a pang of pity. Although San Yuanli was designated as a single village, the distribution of Spirit Fields meant the Cave Mansions were spaced at varying distances. His Cave Mansion, like the Qian couple's, was located rather far from the others—over two *li* away.
And although the Array the Qian couple used to protect their Cave Mansion was a far cry from his Five Elements Lock Jade Formation, the fact that it could be broken so silently still set off alarm bells in Yang Jing's mind.
'The Tribulation Cultivators have an Array Master or an Array-Breaking Talisman!'
After the Law Enforcement Team from Huangyuan Marketplace arrived, they merely recorded the various clues from the crime scene in their files and did nothing further.
A Cultivator's great power is their own, and they resent being controlled above all else. Therefore, throughout the entire Chen Kingdom, outside of the Marketplaces, the Law Enforcement Team turns a blind eye to magical combat and murder between Cultivators. Only when there is clear evidence proving they are Tribulation Cultivators will they issue a warrant and take action to apprehend them.
Village Chief Li Yuanqing sighed and, along with the other Independent Cultivators of San Yuanli, collected the bodies of Qian Xian and his wife. The entire Cave Mansion had been ransacked by the Tribulation Cultivators, leaving no valuables behind. The crowd dispersed after cremating the bodies.
For the Spirit Fields allocated by the Six Sects, Cultivators only have usage rights. Now that Qian Xian and his wife were dead, it wouldn't be long before the Six Sects assigned another Independent Cultivator who had received a Pioneer Order to take over.
Back in his Cave Mansion, Yang Jing tossed and turned. He knew Tribulation Cultivators all too well. 'When it comes to being a Tribulation Cultivator, who could be more professional than a player?'
These locusts of the Cultivation Realm would gather when there was profit and disperse when there was none, mostly operating in small groups of two to seven. Any more, and the risks would increase dramatically, while the profits from hunting Cultivators, after being divided, would actually decrease.
Their typical modus operandi was to tail and select targets within a Marketplace, then ambush them outside. They rarely attacked Cave Mansions protected by Arrays directly.
The risks were simply too high. Unexpected problems could easily arise while breaking an Array, giving the prey inside too much time to defend and wait for reinforcements. In desperation, they might even destroy all their valuables. Even if the Array was successfully broken, it would require a large investment of Talismans and Magical Power, often making the entire effort for naught.
Furthermore, as Qian Xian was a moderately well-known Array Master, the difficulty of attacking his Cave Mansion far exceeded that of the other households in San Yuanli. It would require at least three cultivators at the Late Stage Qi Cultivation with the aid of Upper Grade Spiritual Artifacts to succeed.
'The ones who killed Qian Xian and his wife were definitely not simple Tribulation Cultivators. They had another objective.'
Yang Jing pondered for a long time. There was too little information right now; he couldn't deduce anything.
Qian Xian and his wife were just ordinary Independent Cultivators. Although they were wealthier than average, they were definitely not worth such a massive effort. The only noteworthy thing was Qian Xian's status as an Array Master. When he moved into San Yuanli, he had surveyed the area's feng shui and chosen the Cave Mansion with the most abundant Spiritual Mechanism in all of San Yuanli.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he suppressed the speculation in his heart.
With his True Yang Body now showing some results, his combat power could be considered impressive among those in the Middle Stage Qi Cultivation. Adding Iron Head and the Five Elements Lock Jade Formation to the mix, he wouldn't even fear a siege by a dozen or more Cultivators.
This gave him the confidence to sit back and watch things unfold.
Nevertheless, Yang Jing still focused most of his time on cultivating his True Yang Body.
After opening the Acupoints in his palms, the True Yang Body would allow him to practice the Great Capturing Technique.
This was a combat technique from the Pure Yang Dharma Body. By tempering his hands with True Yang using a special method, he could directly catch an opponent's Magical Artifact with his bare palms during Magical Combat. At a profound level of mastery, he could even seize Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts. An ordinary Cultivator, having lost their Magical Artifact, would see their combat power drastically reduced, leaving them helpless and waiting to be captured. Even when facing a Demon with a powerful physique, he could tear it apart with his bare hands.
Supplemented by the Tiger Roar Iron Cloth Shirt, he would be virtually unrivaled in the Qi Cultivation Stage.
However, to reach that realm, he needed to open all the major Acupoints in his palms. Hastily breaking open Acupoints just for a short-term boost in combat power would not only likely fail but could also result in severe internal injuries. Even if he succeeded by a fluke, it would overdraw on his future potential—not the action of a wise person.