txolops Chapter 37 Dividing the spoils on the spot, mortals transforming into immortals
Chapter 37 Dividing the spoils on the spot, mortals transforming into immortals
As the night deepened, the hustle and bustle of Changning County subsided.
Inside the paper-crafting shop, Gu Yan stared at the expressionless black-clad clone before him; aside from the different appearance, it was like looking in a mirror.
"Come back."
Gu Yan said softly.
The black-clad clone nodded, his body instantly softening and transforming back into a thin sheet of paper covered in runes. The Blood River Heart was then resealed by Gu Yan into a specially made box.
As the clone returned to its original position, the heavy storage bag landed on the table with a pleasant thud.
Gu Yan rubbed his hands together, a pure smile like that of an old farmer celebrating a bountiful harvest spreading across his face.
"Murderers and arsonists wear golden belts; the ancients were right."
He slowly untied the seal on the storage bag.
With the death of the original owner, the restriction on the storage bag became as fragile as a sheet of paper, easily broken.
"Splash!"
A pile of things was dumped on the table.
The first thing to be affected was the pile of spirit stones, which looked like small mountains.
Gu Yan roughly counted them and found there were more than five hundred.
This might not be considered a fortune for someone who has just completed a foundational cultivation project, but in the mortal world, it's enough to buy half of Changning County.
With these spirit stones, his "Asura Guard" and "Blood Swordsman" can operate for a long time and are no longer disposable items.
Besides spirit stones, there were also a few bottles of pills, mostly for healing and restoring energy. They weren't high-grade, but they were better than nothing.
Gu Yan's gaze finally fell on a black jade slip.
This must be the foundation-building experience that old ghost was talking about.
Gu Yan placed the jade slip on his forehead and probed it with his consciousness.
"boom!"
A flood of information rushed into my mind. This was not just personal insights, but also a cultivation technique called "Blood River Bone Transformation Scripture".
A moment later, Gu Yan put down the jade slip, his brows furrowed slightly.
"As expected, it's an evil cultivation method that requires devouring the marrow of living beings to cultivate. If someone practices this thing, they'll eventually turn themselves into a monster that's neither human nor ghost."
Without hesitation, he relegated this cultivation technique to oblivion.
He sought immortality and freedom, not to become a demon hated by everyone.
However, the techniques regarding blood control and bone refinement in this cultivation method can be used to improve the skeleton-making process of the paper-making technique.
"Take the essence and discard the dross. That's the attitude of a craftsman."
Gu Yan put away the jade slip, and then took out the brocade box containing the fragments of the Foundation Establishment Pill.
This is the main event of the night.
Although this fragment is only the size of a fingernail, it is, after all, a Foundation Establishment Pill, containing immense medicinal power sufficient to transform a mortal.
Gu Yan looked at his hands.
His fingers, though dexterous, were still mortal due to his long-term use of scissors and carving knives.
The meridians in his body were blocked, and the so-called spiritual power was nothing more than the power of heaven and earth forcibly borrowed through the supernatural power of "cutting paper into soldiers".
It is not only inefficient, but also puts a huge strain on the body.
If the issue of qualifications is not resolved, even if his paper-making skills reach the master level, his body will not be able to withstand several powerful attacks.
"Let's give it our all."
A resolute glint flashed in Gu Yan's eyes.
Instead of resting that night, he swallowed the fragment of the Foundation Establishment Pill directly.
It has no sweetness, only an explosive heat.
"boom!"
Gu Yan instinctively felt as if he had swallowed a piece of burning charcoal.
The violent medicinal power rushed down his throat into his stomach, then transformed into countless fire dragons, ruthlessly crashing into his limbs and bones.
"Hmm!"
Gu Yan grunted, biting the towel tightly in his mouth, veins bulging on his neck, his fingers clenched into a fist.
It was as if someone was taking a blunt knife and scraping open every bone in his body, tearing off his meridians one by one and then reconnecting them.
His skin began to turn red, and hot sweat mixed with the black filth expelled from his body instantly soaked his clothes.
If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have fainted from the pain by now, or even exploded and died.
But Gu Yan's spirit was exceptionally strong, a resilience honed through days of carving paper figures.
He maintained his last shred of clarity, guiding the violent medicinal power to repeatedly cleanse his meridians, which were like a dried-up riverbed.
Once, twice, ten times...
After some time, the sky outside the window began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
The excruciating pain finally began to subside, transforming into an unprecedented feeling of lightness.
Gu Yan slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, his body was covered with a thick layer of black scabs, which were the impurities accumulated in his body over the past twenty years.
He shuddered slightly as the black scab shattered and fell off, revealing the smooth, jade-like new skin beneath.
Gu Yan stretched out his hand and made a grasping motion in the air.
Even without using any supernatural powers, he could clearly sense the five elements of spiritual energy floating in the air.
If he used to view the world through thick glass, now that glass has been shattered.
Although his talent wasn't that of a genius, at most he was just a mixed spiritual root, compared to his former self, this was a world of difference.
[The host has completed the marrow cleansing and body tempering, and has officially entered the Qi Refining stage.]
[Current cultivation level: Qi Refining Level 2.]
Gu Yan felt the faint but truly personal spiritual energy vortex in his dantian, and a smile appeared on his lips.
From this day forward, he is no longer a simple mortal craftsman, but a true sorcerer who has stepped into the ranks of cultivation.
"Take a shower and open the door to welcome guests."
Gu Yan was in a great mood.
Half an hour later.
A completely refreshed Gu Yan opened the shop door.
After the rain, the puddles on the streets reflected the azure sky.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth; the carnage and bloodshed of last night, like a nightmare, had long since flowed into the sewers with the rainwater.
Neighbors opened their doors one after another, greeting each other and discussing the thunder from the previous night and the collapse of the City God Temple, speculating whether the City God had manifested his power to suppress some demons.
"Good morning, Boss Gu! Have you heard? The City God Temple has collapsed!"
Grandma Wang, who sells tofu next door, came over with a gossipy look on her face.
Gu Yan held a cup of hot tea in his hands, his face bearing his signature harmless smile, squinting at the rising sun:
"Really? That's a real shame. But out with the old, in with the new."
"Auntie, please save two pieces of tofu for me today, the soft kind."
"Okay!"
Watching Aunt Wang's departing figure, Gu Yan took a sip of tea, but his gaze passed over the bustling street and turned to the distant east.
That's the direction of Yunmengze.
Three years.
He wants to expand the paper offerings and accumulate more cards in the next three years.
When the so-called Ascension Ceremony begins, he will present a great gift to the cultivation world.
"Boss! Two pairs of young boys and girls, the best quality paper, please!"
"Here we go!"
Gu Yan put down his teacup, turned around and walked into the shop. The scissors twirled deftly between his fingers, making a crisp sound.
There's still a long way to go; the business is just getting started.