Chapter 337

Chapter 337: Anticipation Before the Draw

Ever since advancing to Foundation Establishment, the Bear Body Refinement Technique had become nearly ineffective for him.

Moreover, body refinement techniques suitable for the Foundation Establishment realm were exceptionally rare on the market.

After all, once cultivators reached that level, they could typically slay foes from miles away, preventing anyone from getting close—so why bother with body refinement?

Additionally, body refinement demanded considerable time, energy, and financial resources.

Thus, most Foundation Establishment cultivators refrained from pursuing it.

Of course, some viewed the physical body as crucial, believing it delivered unexpected advantages during combat, and thus opted for body refinement.

As for Zhou Luo, he held no particular views on body refinement.

He simply wanted a more robust physique to avoid setbacks from his affairs with women.

Thanks to his dual cultivation technique, he suffered almost no loss only when cultivating with Yao Wu.

But with others, even with his yang-constraining essence-binding method, he couldn’t stop the physical toll.

This explained why highly advanced righteous cultivators increasingly shunned feminine temptations.

They clearly understood that without dual cultivation, such affairs harmed their own bodies.

In the Immortal City, people often discussed Zhou Luo’s constant marriages, concubines, and children.

Still, they reasoned that with his Ninth Grade spiritual root seizing such opportunities, he likely knew he couldn’t improve further in this life and had simply embraced decadence.

So no suspicions ever deepened.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhou Luo fixed his eyes on the red roulette.

Begin the draw!

As his mind stirred subtly, the golden sphere of light spun rapidly.

Moments later, the golden sphere halted in the technique section.

"Could it really be a Body Refinement Technique?" Zhou Luo wondered inwardly.

He felt a flicker of hope yet feared disappointment.

After all, the techniques obtained in previous draws had been utterly ordinary.

[Congratulations, host! You’ve acquired the Ten Thousand Refining Spirit Body Technique!]

[Reward automatically delivered to your backpack. Please check!]

The system’s voice rang out abruptly.

That crystal-clear mechanical tone jolted Zhou Luo’s entire frame.

"Ten Thousand Refining Spirit Body Technique?"

"This truly is a body refinement technique!"

Riding a surge of emotion, Zhou Luo realized he’d somehow manifested this desire.

Given this red roulette’s nature, this body refinement technique was likely a Foundation Establishment-level method.

Zhou Luo immediately turned to peer at the jade book icon in his backpack.

In the next second, information about the cultivation technique appeared before his eyes.

[Technique: Ten Thousand Refining Spirit Body Technique]

[Grade: Highest Quality Foundation Establishment]

[Description: An ancient inheritance technique from the Golden Spirit Sect. Forges the physical body using heavenly treasures until it resembles a spiritual artifact—indestructible as diamond and imbued with various spiritual weapon abilities.]

Hiss!

It was actually a Highest Quality Foundation Establishment technique.

Upon reading the description of the Body Refinement Technique, Zhou Luo drew a sharp breath.

Forging the physical body with heavenly treasures until it resembles a spiritual artifact, possessing spiritual weapon abilities.

Spiritual artifacts were advanced versions of magical artifacts.

They emphasized ‘spirit,’ meaning such artifacts usually possessed sentience.

For example, if an object concealed an ultimate technique or a special spiritual array, it could be deemed a spiritual artifact.

Typically, Foundation Establishment cultivators might occasionally encounter spiritual artifacts; only after becoming a Golden Core master would they become commonplace.

If he could refine his body into a spiritual artifact, it would render him nearly invincible within Foundation Establishment—even facing a Golden Core master’s strike, he’d likely survive a direct hit.

"But if my body becomes a forged object… can I still father children?" Zhou Luo wondered involuntarily.

According to the description, this essentially transformed his flesh into a vessel for consciousness—unwaveringly durable like spiritual energy, yet potentially stripping away human characteristics.

If so, he absolutely couldn’t cultivate this.

Of course, this was merely a passing thought. Being a Highest Quality Foundation Establishment technique, such severe side effects likely wouldn’t exist.

Presumably, once the body transformed into a spiritual artifact, one could switch forms freely.

Without hesitation, he chose to learn it immediately.

Instantly, every detail of the Ten Thousand Refining Spirit Body Technique—its secrets, cultivation methods, and insights—flooded Zhou Luo’s mind like a divine revelation.

Only after a while did he open his eyes and exhale deeply.

Truly worthy of its highest quality rank.

This Body Refinement Technique proved incredibly profound.

Had the system not directly imprinted it into his mind—granting him perfect comprehension—even obtaining it wouldn’t have guaranteed mastery in less than a decade or two.

And even upon understanding it, practicing without guidance would inevitably breed critical errors.

Unlike the Bear Body Refinement Technique, which only required tempering the body with heavenly treasures, this technique required refining every body part—flesh, meridians, bones—into spiritual artifacts, much like a weapon refiner forging artifacts.

This could be done all at once or gradually over time.

Regardless, this was no ordinary Body Refinement Technique.

What stunned him further: if perfected—once the entire body attained the properties and powers of a spiritual artifact—the physical form would rival a high-quality spiritual artifact.

High-quality spiritual artifacts matched those wielded by late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

If he truly cultivated his body to that level, clashing with a Golden Core master during Foundation Establishment wouldn’t be impossible.

So long as he closed the distance, he might even uproot an early-stage Golden Core cultivator from their advantage.

However, though powerful, this technique demanded immense resources and arduous effort.

From the very start, one had to nourish the body using heavenly treasures—thankfully, having already practiced the Bear Body Refinement Technique, fewer resources were needed initially.

Once accustomed, higher-grade treasures must be applied to reshape the flesh, ascending step by step from a magical artifact to a spiritual artifact.

Though described as two stages, the resources, energy, and time consumed along this path were beyond measure.

The gap between magical artifact and spiritual artifact spanned eight entire tiers.

Any impatience or slight mistake risked bodily collapse and permanent disintegration during refinement.

Refining the body into a spiritual artifact defied nature itself—its perils needed no explanation.

"With my extended lifespan and three centuries before reaching Golden Core, I can reconstruct my body slowly."

Zhou Luo’s mind remained placid, unhurried.

He recalled, too: this technique possessed a secret method.

One could fuse an existing spiritual artifact within oneself, using its spiritual energy to nourish and temper the body.

An extravagance indeed—only Golden Core masters possessed spiritual artifacts, while mere Foundation Establishment cultivators could at best afford magical artifacts.

No spiritual artifacts circulated openly in markets.

But Zhou Luo contemplated his system: if his next reward draw yielded one, he could swiftly grasp the technique’s foundations and advance further through the Ten Thousand Refining Spirit Body Technique.

His eyes glinted faintly—anticipation now stirred within him.

Softly, he spoke:

"I can finally utilize all those magical artifacts."