Chapter 54

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Chapter 54: Second Body Refinement

Having experienced the first body refinement, Lou Yun felt no nervousness this time. He first used internal vision to carefully examine his body. He discovered that the meridians he had previously thickened were now clearly insufficient to accommodate the ever-increasing flow of spiritual energy. However, this time, Lou Yun did not plan to continue expanding his meridians. Instead, he turned his attention to his blood vessels.

Blood vessels are the series of channels that carry blood throughout the body, spreading to every part. This was precisely why Lou Yun focused on them. If he could expand the capacity of his blood vessels, the amount of spiritual energy his body could hold would effectively double.

Once his mind was made up, Lou Yun began the process of modifying his own blood vessels.

Since blood vessels were similar in shape to meridians, Lou Yun again started by forcing spiritual energy segment by segment into the vessels, stretching them wider. He then maintained a continuous, unbroken influx of spiritual energy to hold the vessels in their expanded shape. Only after forcibly enlarging a section and completely fixing its new size would he move on to transform the next segment.

After the vessels were stretched, the influx of spiritual energy felt like ten thousand ants viciously gnawing at his veins. It was a tormenting mix of pain and itch, impossible to scratch. Sweat poured down Lou Yun’s forehead. He gritted his teeth so hard they felt close to shattering, stubbornly enduring the agony.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared not far from Lou Yun. Dressed in flowing white robes, she possessed a beauty like a celestial being, yet her demeanor was as cold as frost. It was Liu Ruyan.

She had come here casually for a stroll, having nothing better to do. Spotting Lou Yun’s back, she initially intended to turn and leave. However, she noticed his whole body was trembling violently, as if enduring some intense suffering.

A thought struck Liu Ruyan: Had Lou Yun suffered a Qi deviation?

Cultivators were highly susceptible to Qi deviation during their training. It could cause their spiritual energy to run wild, leading to extremely dangerous consequences—ranging from severe injury to death. During a deviation, the cultivator was at their most vulnerable; even the slightest external force could cause unimaginable harm.

Although Liu Ruyan was usually aloof and proud, she harbored an indescribable feeling towards Lou Yun. Moreover, her grandfather, uncle, and others had, to some extent, hinted at the idea of Lou Yun becoming her future husband. Seeing him in this state, she simply couldn’t bring herself to walk away. After a brief moment of hesitation, she walked towards him.

Reaching his side, a closer look revealed Lou Yun’s features twisted in agony, his body shaking uncontrollably, and cold sweat pouring from his forehead. All these symptoms confirmed he was indeed experiencing a Qi deviation!

Liu Ruyan didn’t hesitate any longer. Gathering her own spiritual energy and activating her spiritual sense, she swiftly placed both hands firmly on Lou Yun’s back. Her intention was to use her own energy to help guide and stabilize the chaotic flow within him.

However, the moment her spiritual energy entered Lou Yun’s body, her heart sank heavily. The sheer amount of spiritual energy inside him was immense, and it was clearly in a state of violent frenzy. Trying to bring order to it was incredibly difficult. Worse, if she wasn’t careful, her own energy could easily become entangled and thrown into disarray.

Liu Ruyan was inwardly shocked. She had never imagined the quantity of spiritual energy within Lou Yun could be so vast, far exceeding even her own. But wasn’t his cultivation level supposed to be, at best, equal to hers?

As a magical weapons master, she naturally didn’t consider that this was spiritual energy absorbed specifically for body refinement. In other words, half of this immense energy was actually destined for his physical body.

Should she risk saving him, or should she let go and leave him to his fate?

Liu Ruyan wasn’t a particularly benevolent person. If the person suffering Qi deviation before her wasn’t Lou Yun, she wouldn’t have even spared a glance. But attempting a rescue now could easily plunge both of them into danger. She hesitated.

Gazing at Lou Yun’s pain-wracked face, Liu Ruyan took a deep breath and made her decision. She would save him.

Though resolved to act, Liu Ruyan wasn’t sure how to proceed. Firstly, she had never assisted anyone experiencing Qi deviation before. Secondly, the spiritual energy within Lou Yun was utterly chaotic; every strand was rampaging wildly in unpredictable patterns.

Start from the dantian, she thought. After all, that’s where the magical weapon resides!

Just as Liu Ruyan prepared to channel her energy into Lou Yun, a man’s voice suddenly echoed within her mind: "Stay your hand!"

The unexpected voice startled her. Instinctively, she asked, "Who are you?"

The voice ignored her question, instead countering, "Do you think this lad has suffered a Qi deviation?"

Anyone, even someone without a magical weapon, could see these were the classic signs of Qi deviation! Why was this voice questioning it?

However, the voice continued, "He hasn’t suffered a Qi deviation. He is merely cultivating a unique technique. If you interfere now, you won’t be helping him; you will harm him!"

Liu Ruyan was confused. She asked again, "Who are you?"

"Consider me his elder brother. Rest assured, I mean him no harm. The process of cultivating this technique is excruciating, but he will be fine once he endures it. This is his second time experiencing such pain; he can endure it."

"Second time?"

Coming from the prestigious Spirit Weapon Sect, Liu Ruyan was familiar with various cultivation schools, though not an expert. Yet, she had never heard of any technique that induced symptoms mimicking Qi deviation during practice.

The voice spoke again, "You are Liu Ruyan, correct? I’ve seen you. If you truly wish to help this lad, stand guard for him instead. This foolish boy never thinks to find a safe place during such critical moments."

Liu Ruyan was shocked that the voice knew her name. Fear pricked her. She couldn’t help but ask, "How do you know me? Where are you? How are you speaking in my mind? Why can’t I see you?"

The speaker was naturally Chang Xiang. When Liu Ruyan appeared, he had noticed, yet he didn’t reveal himself, curious about what the Liu family of the Spirit Weapon Sect intended with Lou Yun. Only when he saw Liu Ruyan place her hand on Lou Yun’s back, clearly preparing to assist him, did he urgently speak up to dissuade her.

Hearing Liu Ruyan’s barrage of questions, Chang Xiang chuckled, "My situation is rather complicated, so I won’t explain it to you. Rest assured, I mean you no harm, and certainly not Lou Yun. Alright, Lou Yun has reached a critical moment. We’ll talk again if we get the chance!"

After saying this, Chang Xiang’s voice fell silent. Liu Ruyan hesitated briefly before deciding to trust this mysterious person once. She withdrew her palm and fixed her gaze intently on Lou Yun.

Lou Yun remained completely unaware of the events unfolding around him. He was locked in a fierce struggle with the blood vessels within his own body!

Finally, Lou Yun succeeded in expanding all his blood vessels by twofold, allowing the spiritual energy inside him to flow unimpeded once more. He exhaled a mouthful of stale air and slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing Liu Ruyan standing right before him, her eyes filled with unmistakable concern, startled Lou Yun. He scrambled upright in an instant.

"Miss… Miss Liu, how… how are you here?"

Though he had encountered Liu Ruyan a few times before, this was Lou Yun’s first time speaking to her.

Seeing that Lou Yun had indeed returned to normal, and seemed even stronger than before, Liu Ruyan finally believed the mysterious person had spoken the truth.

However, at Lou Yun’s question, Liu Ruyan’s face instantly reverted to its icy demeanor. She cast a cold glance at him and wordlessly turned to leave.

Watching her retreating figure, Lou Yun was utterly bewildered, unable to fathom what had transpired during his cultivation session.

After pondering fruitlessly for a while, he simply gave up. He quickly turned his focus inward to inspect his own condition.

The thickened blood vessels allowed his body to hold over twice as much spiritual energy. His physique also seemed tougher than before. In short, the results of the second body refinement left Lou Yun thoroughly satisfied.

"Brother Chang, tonight we begin forging weapons. Then I’ll attempt to cultivate ‘Devour Weapons’!"

Lou Yun had been eager to raise his magical weapon level for a long time. His only worry had been insufficient spiritual energy preventing him from completing the Devour Weapons process. Now, finally, his spiritual energy reserves had doubled.

"Hmm, you can give it a try now. By the way, that Liu family girl earlier seemed quite interested in you, haha!"

Lou Yun was taken aback. "Interested in me?"

Chang Xiang then briefly recounted the earlier events. "Think about it. That girl is usually so proud, dismissive of everyone. Yet, believing you were suffering qi deviation, she was willing to risk her own cultivation to help you. If that doesn’t mean she’s interested, what does?"

Chang Xiang’s words surprised Lou Yun once more. He truly hadn’t realized Liu Ruyan’s presence was meant to save him.

Lou Yun rubbed his nose, silent. Matters of the heart rarely crossed his mind. Aside from a fleeting sensation during a brief physical encounter with Xia Zhilan once, his thoughts were perpetually consumed by one goal: swiftly increasing his cultivation, repairing his father’s magical weapon, and avenging him.

Soon, Lou Yun pushed the matter aside. He drew out the Stone Sword, his enthusiasm reignited. "Now that my body has completed the second refinement, I can finally try that low-tier moon-grade technique ‘Fierce Sword’!"

‘Fierce Sword’ was the weapon technique inherent to the Stone Sword, a low-tier moon-grade skill. While Chang Xiang considered it insignificant, to Lou Yun it was excellent. Previously, lacking both sufficient spiritual energy and fine control over it, he hadn’t been able to execute it.

Chang Xiang offered no objection. "Practicing it is fine. But I wonder if I should teach you other weapon techniques, not just those limited to the sword."

"But my magical weapon is a sword. If I don’t learn sword techniques, can I learn other weapon skills?"

"You blockhead! I’ve told you before. First, the form of a magical weapon can change. Second, you can wield the sword as another weapon! Besides, you’ll discover later that true masters can execute any weapon technique in the world, even empty-handed!"

Lou Yun slapped his forehead in realization. So-called saber techniques could indeed be performed using a sword as if it were a saber! However, the idea of executing all weapon techniques barehanded still baffled him.

Lou Yun shrugged. He was merely taking his first steps on the path of cultivation. Many mysteries would have to wait until he grew stronger.

Centering his qi and focusing his spirit, Lou Yun channeled his spiritual energy along a specific pathway. His expression turned stern. Raising the Stone Sword skyward, he roared, "Low-tier moon-grade technique, ‘Fierce Sword’ – Human Fierce Sword!"

"Whoosh!" A sharp sword energy pierced through the air, cleanly cleaving the massive rock—three meters tall and two meters wide—where Lou Yun had been seated moments before, splitting it neatly into two halves!