Ordinary Bone

Chapter 15: Brew the Medicinal Soup, Endure the Excruciating Pain to Cultivate the Essence

"After Soaking in the Medicinal Soup, One Must Use Breath Control to Stimulate the Medicinal Power."

After adjusting to the temperature of the medicinal soup, Xu Taiping began using the breathing method taught in the Canyang Gong technique. Soon, he felt his lower abdomen heating up.

The steps of breath control were taught by Ziyang Zhenjun during his lectures. Although Xu Taiping had been trying for several days, he had not yet managed to refine the spiritual energy into his body, but the steps were now second nature to him.

"Hiss..."

As Xu Taiping wondered why the medicinal power hadn’t taken effect yet, a sharp, drilling pain suddenly erupted from his back, like a nail slowly being hammered into him.

"If this pain is like this, I think I can still... Ugh!"

Just as he was about to say he could endure it, an identical pain erupted in his chest, leaving him unable to speak.

What was even more terrifying was that this was just the beginning.

After the pain in these two areas began, other pressure points throughout his body started to ache intensely, leaving no chance to catch his breath.

Normally, under such intense pain, a person would faint, but for some unknown reason, Xu Taiping, immersed in the medicinal bath, could not faint no matter how much pain he felt. He could only endure it.

The pain lasted for a full hour.

During this time, Xu Taiping thought many times about crawling out of the bath, but whenever the thought arose, the image of his grandfather on his deathbed would appear in his mind, with his grandfather's wide-eyed face saying:

"Struggle, Taiping, struggle! Struggle for yourself, and for all the common folk of this world!"

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Breathing heavily, Xu Taiping rested on the edge of the bath. Once his breathing steadied, he proudly whispered to himself:

"Grandfather, did I bring you shame?"

Though the excruciating pain had eased somewhat, a dull ache remained in his body.

At that moment, he felt like his body had been torn open by countless cuts. Even the slightest movement could tear open these wounds, causing agonizing pain.

"Seven days make a week. This Washing Bone and Severing Marrow Soup requires six more immersions, and not a single day can be missed in between, or all will be in vain."

Thinking about enduring this kind of pain six more times, even with his determined will, Xu Taiping couldn't help but doubt whether he could persist.

......

Six days later.

"Just one more time."

As she saw pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth flooding into the small courtyard like a tide, Lingyue Immortal showed an expression of disbelief.

This was the sign that the Washing Bone and Severing Marrow process had succeeded.

Having previously hesitated to look into the house, she now couldn’t resist peeking through the window.

Inside the room, Xu Taiping had already fainted and was half-submerged in the bath. The medicinal soup, once white, had turned black, stained by the impurities continuously seeping from his body.

At the same time, streams of spiritual energy, visible only to Lingyue, seemed like gentle hands caressing Xu Taiping’s body, then entering him.

Lingyue Immortal looked at Xu Taiping, then at the freshly tended medicinal garden in the backyard. She smiled and said:

"I originally only hoped for a gamble, but now it seems, I wasn’t wrong."

After saying that, her figure vanished, leaving behind one last sentence that echoed faintly in the courtyard:

"Little one, I must focus on refining spirit crystals to extend my life. We will meet again in due time."

......

The next morning.

As the first light of dawn streamed through the window, Xu Taiping, still submerged in the bath, slowly opened his eyes.

He had just had the most restful sleep of his life.

"Did I... succeed?"

Noticing the black, foul-smelling liquid in the bath, Xu Taiping, instead of being frightened, smiled with joy.

According to the instructions of the Severing Marrow Soup, this was the sign of success, meaning his body had expelled all the impurities and was now truly ready for cultivation.

"Whoosh..."

Excited, Xu Taiping stood up from the bath, not even bothering to put on clothes. He ran naked to the well in the backyard.

He drew a bucket of water to wash off the impurities from his body, then sat down cross-legged and immediately began circulating the Canyang Gong energy techniques.

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