Chapter 476 - 166: Root Bone Enhanced, Taking the Peak Master as Master
But strangely, he felt no discomfort at all. Instead, his body grew increasingly nimble, as if a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt a hazy, ethereal sensation, almost as if he were ascending to immortality.
Just as Yang Jing was basking in this pleasant, transformative sensation, a voice as cold and clear as striking jade suddenly reached his ears, shattering the tranquility of the hall.
It was Bai Bing’s voice.
"Stand up and practice the Mountain-Breaking Seal."
Bai Bing’s tone remained even. "Combine the internal and external. Internally, circulate the Heart Method of the Mountain-Breaking Seal. Externally, execute its forms. Drive the medicinal power of the Bone Jade Pill to fully integrate into your bones and sinews."
Upon hearing her words, Yang Jing didn’t dare hesitate. He immediately opened his eyes and, with a single fluid motion, rose from the meditation mat.
He took a deep breath, and the Inner Qi in his Dantian stirred in response, coursing rapidly through his meridians along the pathways prescribed by the Mountain-Breaking Seal’s Heart Method.
The next moment, Yang Jing sank into a low stance, clenched his fists, and began to practice the Mountain-Breaking Seal in the spacious center of Lingxi Hall.
He threw a punch, and the edge of his fist cut through the air with a WHOOSH, carrying an incomparably fierce momentum.
His opening stance was as steady as a mountain. His fists struck out alternately, sometimes crashing down like boulders, other times smashing forward like waves against a cliff. Each and every move was executed with ferocious power, fully showcasing the domineering and incisive nature of the Mountain-Breaking Seal.
As he executed the fist forms, the air around Yang Jing churned, and his robes whipped about. Faint afterimages of his fists even flickered across the green jade slabs beneath his feet.
His movements became faster and more fluid. The slight sluggishness he’d felt in his previous practice had completely vanished, as if this Cultivation Technique had long been ingrained in his very flesh and blood.
With every rise and fall of his fists, Yang Jing could clearly feel that the vigorous movement of his entire body was causing the remaining medicinal power of the Bone Jade Pill to be absorbed and refined at a pace far exceeding what he had experienced before.
The gentle energy no longer seeped in slowly. Instead, it was like a rushing stream, surging through his meridians into the very marrow of his bones, nourishing every fiber.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Yang Jing executed the final form, "Mountain Collapse," slamming his fists into the air before him with a muffled BOOM, he suddenly realized that the faint, sweet fragrance of the elixir in his mouth had completely disappeared.
The longan-sized Bone Jade Pill had been fully and completely absorbed.
At this moment, however, Yang Jing was covered from head to toe in a thick layer of greasy, grayish-black impurities. He gave off a heavy, foul stench and looked utterly wretched.
But his eyes were astonishingly bright.
Yang Jing slowly retracted his fists, straightened his posture, and let out a long, turbid breath.
He closed his eyes, silently feeling the changes inside his body, and a look of joyous surprise slowly spread across his face.
In that instant, Yang Jing clearly felt that his entire body’s meridians—and especially his bones—had undergone a world-altering transformation.
His meridians, once somewhat narrow, were now wide and clear. His Inner Qi flowed through them without the slightest hint of obstruction.
And his bones, once coarse and fragile, were now dense and resilient. Just by making a light fist, he could feel an immense, unstoppable power surging through them.
He felt as if he had broken free from heavy shackles. It was also like he was a bloated man who’d had all his excess fat scraped away, returning him to his most perfect, purest form.
After a long moment, Yang Jing slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them before vanishing.
He subconsciously clenched his fists, feeling the power surging through his body, and a wave of ecstasy washed over his heart.
He had an incredibly clear sensation. ’My cultivation efficiency now... it has to be at least fifty percent higher than it was before I took the Bone Jade Pill!’
Yang Jing clenched his fists, feeling the power surging within him, and couldn’t help but wonder to what extent his Root Bone had improved.
’Before I took the Bone Jade Pill, my Root Bone was only rated as Eighth-Grade, placing me at the very bottom among all the disciples of the Xuanzhen Sect.’
’But now, with the Bone Jade Pill’s power completely refined and my body tempered by practicing the Mountain-Breaking Seal, I can clearly feel a new sense of clarity and resilience deep in my bones.’
Considering the increase in his cultivation efficiency, Yang Jing guessed that his Root Bone had likely risen to the Seventh-Grade, perhaps even approaching the cusp of the Sixth-Grade.
This speculation made Yang Jing secretly rejoice.
A Seventh-Grade Root Bone was far superior to that of most ordinary Martial Artists. Of course, among the Inner Sect Disciples of the Xuanzhen Sect, it was still in the lower echelons, but at least it wasn’t as abysmal as an Eighth-Grade Root Bone.
Although there was still a gap to a Sixth-Grade genius’s Root Bone, he was now on the cusp of that threshold. He was no longer the waste of talent everyone had looked down on.
In the past, his Eighth-Grade Root Bone had been a constant source of criticism. Even when he managed to eke out some strength through painstaking cultivation, people would just mock him as a "hardworking mediocrity," remarkably average even among those with Lower-Grade Root Bones.
But now, no one would ever look at him that way again.
Just as Yang Jing’s heart swelled with excitement and joy, Bai Bing, seated on the White Jade Meditation Mat at the front of the hall, slowly spoke. Her cool gaze fell upon him as she asked softly, "How do you feel now?"
Yang Jing quickly composed himself, bowed to Bai Bing, and replied respectfully, "Peak Master, I feel wonderful. My bones feel light, my mind is clear and lucid, and the speed at which my Inner Qi circulates during cultivation is much faster than before!"
Bai Bing nodded slightly upon hearing his words.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke again, asking a question that caught Yang Jing completely off guard. "Are you willing to take me as your master?"
Hearing Bai Bing’s words, Yang Jing froze in place, stunned for a full three breaths.
His eyes widened as he stared at the coolly beautiful figure at the front of the hall. A tempestuous wave crashed through his mind. ’The Peak Master... wants to take me as her Direct Disciple?’
In that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Yang Jing’s mind.
’Becoming the Peak Master’s disciple means I’ll go from being an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple to the Direct Disciple of Peak Master Lingxi in a single bound.’
’From now on, with such a powerful backer, everything will be easier. My Cultivation Resources, my status in the sect... everything will change dramatically.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, he dropped to his knees with a heavy THUD on the green jade slabs. He kowtowed deeply to Bai Bing, his voice trembling with irrepressible excitement. "I am willing! Disciple Yang Jing pays his respects to Master!"
’Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing, is one of the most powerful experts in the entire Xuanzhen Sect—a true pillar of support.’
’To latch onto a backer like her is an absolutely heaven-sent opportunity, one with endless benefits and no downsides whatsoever.’
Bai Bing hadn’t expected Yang Jing’s reaction to be so swift and decisive. She seemed momentarily taken aback, and then a rare, faint smile graced her cool features.
She gave a slight nod, her voice holding an almost imperceptible hint of softness. "Good."
When Yang Jing heard that single word, his heart leaped with joy, and he quickly looked up.
He looked up just in time to meet the rare smile on Bai Bing’s face. Her cool, exquisite features seemed to be instantly illuminated by the first light of spring melting winter’s ice, blooming with a soul-stirring beauty.
In that moment, Yang Jing felt as if something had struck his heart. It began to race, THUMP-THUMP-THUMP, and he hastily lowered his head.