Mortal Bones

"Sister Ling Yue, all the herbs have been added to the furnace."

Xu Taiping turned his head toward Ling Yue, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Very good. Now, just keep the furnace temperature steady. After half an hour, the pills will be ready."

Ling Yue immediately focused her attention, smiling at Xu Taiping with approval.

"Not able to take on a disciple, but having a well-behaved little brother is not bad either."

As she watched Xu Taiping, who was carefully tending to the furnace, she couldn't help but smile warmly.

Half an hour later.

"Boom…"

Xu Taiping stood on tiptoe, carefully lifting the lid of the furnace. A wave of heat rushed out, turning into a cloud of white mist that spread through the courtyard.

"Sister Ling Yue, two pills have been made!"

By the moonlight, Xu Taiping was overjoyed to find that nestled among the black herb remnants, two warm, jade-like crimson pills lay quietly.

"Two pills?"

Ling Yue was equally surprised.

Though she rarely refined low-level pills, based on her experience and the quality of the materials Xu Taiping had bought, getting even one pill was already impressive.

"It seems the little guy really does have a talent for pill refining. I can't pass on the sect's secret methods to him for now, but giving him some pill formulas should be fine. Besides, if I want to restore my own cultivation, I'll need the help of a pill master."

Ling Yue silently made a decision in her heart to cultivate Xu Taiping in the direction of becoming a pill master.

"Sister Ling Yue, are you alright?"

Seeing Ling Yue lost in thought, Xu Taiping immediately called her out.

"Oh, I was just thinking. You can keep the remaining Qi Gathering Pill for dealing with that tiger demon."

Ling Yue glanced at the two pills Xu Taiping was holding.

"Can the Qi Gathering Pill really be used to deal with the tiger demon?"

Xu Taiping was a little surprised.

"The Qi Gathering Pill can provide you with a massive surge of spiritual power in a short period of time. When it is transformed into true qi, it's as if you have an additional dantian. This will allow you to use techniques beyond your current realm, such as…"

Ling Yue paused, looking up at the moon as she tried to recall. After a moment, she looked down at Xu Taiping again.

"For example, you could use the Ice Breath Technique, which normally only cultivators at the Peak of Opening Realm can perform. With the Qi Gathering Pill, even with your current cultivation, you can freeze a 30-foot radius of space in an instant."

"Even the tiger demon?"

Xu Taiping asked excitedly.

"The Ice Breath Technique may not be an ancient secret technique, but in your cultivation world, it can still catch a higher-level opponent off guard if they are not prepared."

Ling Yue nodded confidently.

"Sister Ling Yue, once I break through to the Opening Realm, please definitely teach me the Ice Breath Technique!"

Xu Taiping's eyes were full of excitement as he made his request.

"If you're willing to learn, I'd be happy to teach you. Don't forget, we're partners now."

Ling Yue smiled faintly, patting Xu Taiping's little head.

The Ice Breath Technique was considered a low-level mystic art in her original world. It was popular among rogue cultivators, while disciples of sects generally had better techniques to choose from, so she wasn't concerned about it revealing her identity.

Later.

Xu Taiping returned to his room, preparing to break through to the Opening Realm.

Ling Yue's soul, now lingering in the room, was also present.

"Little Taiping, relax a little. You have two Qi Gathering Pills now. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to break through."

Seeing Xu Taiping's tense expression, Ling Yue smiled and signaled him to calm down.

"Alright."

Xu Taiping nodded heavily, then closed his eyes, letting out a long breath to expel the stagnant energy in his chest.

"Sister Ling Yue, I'm ready."

Xu Taiping opened his eyes and looked at Ling Yue.

"Then take the Qi Gathering Pill and break through."

Ling Yue nodded.

Seeing Xu Taiping's expression visibly relax, she felt reassured.

"Gulp…"

Without hesitation, Xu Taiping swallowed the Qi Gathering Pill. It dissolved instantly in his mouth, and before he could even taste it, he felt a faint fragrance spread through his body, rising out of his nostrils.

"Buzz… Buzz…"

As Xu Taiping began to circulate the Remnant Sunset Skill, he heard a buzzing sound in his ears. The power of the Qi Gathering Pill quickly took effect. Waves of spiritual energy surged through him, rapidly transforming into true qi, following the guidance of the Remnant Sunset Skill. Like a rushing river, it poured into his body's meridians, violently impacting every acupoint.

What normally required a tremendous amount of effort to break through was accomplished in just a few breaths.

"The first step of breaking through to the Opening Realm is to open all the acupoints in your body. The second step is to circulate the Remnant Sunset Skill, guiding the world's spiritual energy into your body through your acupoints, eventually gathering it in the dantian, and breaking open the dantian wall, turning the dantian into a Qi Sea."

Xu Taiping silently recited the teachings of the True Yang True Monarch in his mind, focusing on how to turn his small dantian into a vast Qi Sea.

If he couldn't achieve this, the greatest accomplishment he would ever reach would be a martial artist who only knew how to fight with fists and feet.

"Boom!"

With that thought, Xu Taiping did not hesitate. He used the true qi from his acupoints to strike his small dantian for the first time. The Remnant Sunset protective true qi erupted around him unexpectedly.

"Ugh!"

But then, an excruciating pain struck. Xu Taiping felt as if his scalp were being peeled off, piece by piece, the pain far worse than the torture of the Bone Cleansing Soup.

Even someone as strong-willed as him could not endure this agony. The massive true qi he had gathered scattered like smoke, vanishing into nothing.

"Xu Taiping, this is the cost of cultivating with the Common Bone. If you can't endure this pain, I suggest you give up now!"

Ling Yue's voice deliberately pierced through his thoughts.

She knew exactly what Xu Taiping was experiencing.

But she also understood how cruel the path of cultivation was for one with Common Bone. Once you embark on the road of cultivation, even the slightest slackness or hesitation will bring far more pain than this.

She wanted Xu Taiping to know that even if he failed, he could never let this pain defeat him.

However, her worries were needless.

After his first failed attempt, Xu Taiping immediately began his second try.

He endured the lingering pain, continuing to draw true qi from his acupoints. Calm and practiced, he was no longer the child he appeared to be just moments ago.