Casting immortality in the furnace

Chapter 67 Youth Knows No Bitterness

Fan Zhou returned home with a pile of things.

Because he was currently in a state of "injury from fighting the assassins", Lou Zhenqing told him to rest at home for a few days, to make it look convincing, and to return to the workshop to work after the Gumi tribe left.

Fan Zhou was happy to have a couple of days of peace and quiet.

The medicinal power of the Wood Essence Pill has not yet been fully refined, so this is a good opportunity to stabilize my cultivation level.

"Let's see what our master and the others have given us."

Fan Zhou placed everything he was carrying on the table and picked up the calamus that Master Lou had given him.

This sword has a green bamboo scabbard and a white jade hilt. It feels very light in the hand and carries a slight coolness.

Fan Zhou gripped the hilt of the sword, gently drew it from its sheath, and a cold light immediately shone into his eyes.

His eyes now have a focused and clear light, so he is no longer hurt by sword light as before.

With a clang, the calamus sword was fully drawn, its cold light as sharp as morning mist, and a green leaf unfurled within, emitting wisps of pure fragrance.

Fan Zhou exclaimed in admiration, "What a fine sword!"

The sword has a smooth shape, only two fingers wide, with both blades being frost-white, while the spine is a line of green that runs from the tip to the hilt.

With a flick of his wrist, the tip of his sword tapped three times in the air, producing a sharp, swishing sound.

"Such a fine sword, coupled with the enhancement of its sword aura, must be incredibly sharp."

Fan Zhou sheathed the sword, deciding to buy some professional sword-maintenance tools later, so as not to mistreat this fine sword.

He pulled out a chair, sat down, and picked up the smelting notebook that Shen Yusheng had given him. The cover of the book had the words "Wu Zhou Notes" written on it.

Fan Zhou read it carefully. The book recorded various spiritual objects of the five metals, including their characteristics, uses, and methods of smelting and extraction. It even included illustrations.

In addition, there are the proportions of five metals used in the forging of different objects, ranging from bells, tripods, axes, halberds, spears, swords, and so on, numbering in the dozens.

"Senior Brother Shen said this was just some experience in smelting metals, but it should actually be a book on weapon forging. It records everything from the initial smelting raw materials to the proportions of the five metals, and even the final casting method."

"If I could learn everything in this book, I could become a weapon refiner!"

Fan Zhou looked delighted and sincerely thanked Shen Yusheng.

He put down the "Wu Zhou Notes" and took out the "Nine Absolute Swords" that Huang Yi had left him to read.

He had heard Huang Yi mention this sword technique before. It not only allows one to cultivate nine types of qi, but also gives one the chance to comprehend a sword intent from it. It is truly profound and unfathomable.

Now that he has witnessed the true nature of the sword technique, Fan Zhou realizes that Huang Yi was absolutely right.

This Nine Absolute Sword technique cultivates both internal and external aspects, not only tempering the body but also strengthening internal energy, making it truly exquisite.

This sword technique has only nine forms, each corresponding to a type of energy: sword, wind, water, fire, mountain, cloud, thunder, rosy clouds, and shadow.

It is different from the basic Qi mechanisms such as cold, heat, hardness, and softness.

These nine types of Qi are special Qi formed by mixing and refining multiple types of Qi, combining various characteristics, making them extremely difficult to cultivate.

Even though Fan Zhou already had experience with two perfect sword techniques, he was still having a headache watching this.

"Without extraordinary talent, it would be difficult to master this sword technique in a lifetime."

Fan Zhou rubbed his temples, but a smile appeared on his lips.

With the aid of the Heavenly Craft Furnace, he was naturally able to master it, and not only did it take him shorter than others, but it was also more powerful.

"But the Heavenly Craft Furnace is still forging the third level of the Longevity Technique, so for now, I'll have to rely on my intelligence and ingenuity."

Fan Zhou had already seen that the first move of the Nine Absolute Swords, "Hidden Sword in Body," was not difficult and was most suitable for him to practice at the moment.

"Hidden sword within the body" is the foundation of the Nine Absolute Swords, containing thirty-six sword moves.

Its main function is to nurture the sword's energy and temper the sword's body.

The thirty-six sword techniques are all body-refining and energy-cultivating techniques, and cannot be used in actual combat.

According to the sword manual, when this sword technique is mastered to its final form, the body becomes like a sword sheath, with strong internal muscles and bones, and the whole body is filled with sword energy, making it impossible for external evils to enter or for axes and halberds to harm the user.

Fan Zhou has already mastered the sword aura and has experience with two perfected sword techniques, so practicing this body tempering move is not difficult for him and he can get the hang of it quickly.

He held the sword manual in one hand and made a sword shape with his fingers in the other, using it to practice sword moves while circulating his internal energy through his body along with the sword moves.

Unlike the gentle Longevity Technique, the Nine Absolute Sword tempers the body with sword energy. Wherever the energy passes, there is a tearing sensation, but it is immediately repaired by the residual medicinal power in the body, and the physique is improved slightly.

Fan Zhou found it increasingly enjoyable to practice, and his sword energy became more and more intense. Wherever it passed, his muscles, bones, and skin felt as if they were being pricked by needles or cut by knives.

But as a result, all the remaining medicinal power in his body was activated.

Strands of vital energy were continuously squeezed out from the muscles, bones, and acupoints, surging into the body almost frantically.

These were the medicinal effects of the various spiritual medicines he had taken so far, which had been deeply accumulated in his body. Now, under the pressure of his constantly damaged physical body, they were transformed into his cultivation, like the last drop of water being wrung out of a sponge.

The second level of the Longevity Technique saw his power soar from 70-80% to 100%, reaching the state of perfection, and he is still making progress.

His muscles kept popping and cracking, and his bones made popping sounds, as if he was undergoing a transformation.

Fan Zhou realized that this was a good opportunity for him to break through his bottleneck.

He has already reached the third level of the embryonic breathing stage, so why not take this opportunity to break through to the fourth level of the embryonic breathing stage and the marrow cleansing realm?

Fan Zhou immediately made up his mind and took out a porcelain bottle from a box under the bed. Inside were two Marrow Cleansing Pills that he had obtained a long time ago.

He tilted his head back, poured two Marrow Cleansing Pills into his mouth, chewed them twice, and swallowed them.

The fiery medicinal power instantly surged from the stomach, flowing through the body's meridians to the limbs and bones, but was blocked by an invisible membrane.

Damn it, you can't build something new without destroying it!

With a determined heart, Fan Zhou unleashed his sword energy, sending it deep into his bone marrow and directly piercing through the invisible barrier.

A sharp, needle-like pain immediately shot through Fan Zhou, who gritted his teeth and continued to exert all his internal energy.

With the support of internal energy, the medicinal power of the Marrow Cleansing Pill finally penetrated into the bone marrow!

The intense medicinal power surged like a heatwave, yet Fan Zhou could hear the sound of flowing stream water.

That's his blood and energy moving around.

Marrow is the source of blood and the mother of strong bones.

The fourth level of fetal breathing, the marrow cleansing realm, is a crucial juncture. This realm is about cleansing the bone marrow, strengthening the muscles and bones externally, and enhancing the bone marrow's ability to produce blood internally.

After achieving the Great Perfection of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, one's body is filled with abundant Qi and blood, making one not only agile and powerful, but also sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, with keen senses, representing a qualitative improvement over cultivators in the early stages of the Fetal Breathing Realm.

Of course, how much it improves is another matter.

Theoretically, after successfully cleansing the marrow, when practicing Qigong, the body's Qi and blood should flow like a stream, and one should hear a gurgling sound in their ears.

Fan Zhou has only just broken through, yet he can already hear the sound of flowing water, which shows how strong his blood and qi are and how profound his body tempering is.

This is why Hodo thought he was at the fourth level of fetal breathing.

Fan Zhou was unaware of the vast difference in their abilities; he focused solely on channeling his sword energy, imbuing it with medicinal power to cleanse his bones and marrow, while the spiritual energy of heaven and earth also penetrated deep within him.

After working diligently for an unknown period of time, a strange fragrance began to emanate from his body, smelling like grass and trees.

Fan Zhou was completely unaware, his entire being immersed in practicing swordsmanship.

He didn't emerge from this immersive state until the sky outside the window turned a dim yellow, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, his eyes exceptionally bright.

"In youth, one knows not the taste of sorrow, but loves to climb high, loves to climb high, and only when one has fully enjoyed the spring scenery will one be content!"