Chapter 46: Source-Devouring Bead

Those four words were not conjured by his own mind; rather, along with that surge of information, they were directly branded into the deepest recesses of his soul.

Hidden within this stone bead was actually a corresponding cultivation technique!

His previous attempts were nothing more than blind luck that barely met the minimum requirements to unlock it.

A storm of tumultuous waves surged within Chu Xing's heart, refusing to settle for a long time.

Subconsciously, his mind sank into his dantian once more, gazing fixedly at the black stone bead quietly floating there.

What on earth... is the origin of this thing?

It could devour medicinal toxins, absorb medicinal potency, and even swallow the power within that mysterious black stone. It took all chaotic and杂乱 (impure) elements of creation, refining them entirely into the most primal and pure energy, and even used the residual medicinal mist to temper his body.

Devouring the source of all things and transforming it to serve oneself...

Origin-Devouring Bead.

Perhaps, this was its true name.

Chu Xing silently recited the name in his heart, an unprecedented sensation welling up within him.

Yet such a heaven-defying treasure, how could it have been left behind in the sect's back mountain, left for him to pick up like an ordinary stone?

Was it a coincidence? Or... was there some other arrangement?

Regardless of its origins, right now, it belonged to him!

Slowly spreading open his palm, he began to circulate his energy according to the demands of the technique.

A raw, unfamiliar aura emerged, followed immediately by a wisp of primordial energy floating in his palm.

That wisp of primordial energy had its radiance restrained, looking completely unremarkable on the surface, yet it gave off a solid, substantial texture!

Goodness gracious! This primordial energy was at least thirty percent more condensed than before!

And this was just him starting out, operating it with clumsy stumbles, much like a toddler learning to walk, unsteady and listing to the side. If he could thoroughly master this set of techniques, the sheer power...

Chu Xing simply did not dare to imagine it further.

Suppressing the wild euphoria in his heart that threatened to make him leap up, he closed his eyes once again, his consciousness sinking into his dantian. The intricate arcane arts carved deep within his soul began to flow smoothly through his meridians once more.

"Hiss!"

The moment it began to circulate, a sharp, piercing pain flared from every corner of his meridians, making him bare his teeth and grimace.

The circulation path of the Myriad Transformations Unity Art was completely different from what he had previously figured out on his own, and even entirely distinct from the foundational techniques issued by the sect. It was overwhelmingly tyrannical, forcibly carving out a brand-new, more exquisite hidden channel within his meridians.

This process was no different from using a rusted iron awl to forcefully drill a new path through a body of flesh and blood!

"Damn it, it hurts this much?"

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Chu Xing's temples, but instead of stopping, he gritted his teeth and accelerated the circulation of his primordial energy!

Fortune favors the bold; how could one grow stronger without suffering hardships?

He threw caution to the wind, forcibly driving the circulation over and over again.

At first, the primordial energy was like an unruly wild boy, colliding everywhere and crashing about blindly. Every single cycle was accompanied by a tearing, agonizing pain.

However, as time passed, under the repeated scouring, that forcibly carved hidden channel gradually grew smoother and more resilient.

The tearing pain began to gradually diminish.

Replaced by it was an indescribable, supreme smoothness!

If the previous primordial energy was like a wild stream rushing over a bed of jagged rocks—stumbling and bumping, wasting countless forces in vain—then right now, the riverbed beneath that wild stream was being polished and widened bit by bit by him, reconstructed into a smooth and sturdy jade channel!

When the morning light outside the window cast a streak of brightness onto the ground through the gaps, Chu Xing finally completed the circulation of the final major heavenly cycle.

Hum!

All the primordial energy within his body, like a subdued fierce tiger, traversed that brand-new hidden meridian channel with docility and brimming power, completing a flawless cycle before finally settling deep within his dantian.

Chu Xing slowly opened his eyes, letting out a long breath of turbid air that carried a faint metallic taint.

Standing up and casually stretching his joints, his entire body was brimming with a substantial sense of power.

Having not slept all night, he felt not the slightest bit of fatigue; instead, he was brimming with energy and feeling completely refreshed!

A slight shift in his intent.

A devouring force arose naturally at his command, as obedient as his own hands and feet, without the slightest bit of stiffness remaining. This sensation was profoundly mysterious, as though his connection with the stone bead was growing increasingly intimate, making it feel as if this ability to devour all things was an innate divine power belonging to him from birth!

Flipping his hand, Chu Xing took out a lower-grade spirit stone obtained from Lu Mingchuan and weighed it in his hand.

For a Body Tempering realm disciple, fully absorbing a single lower-grade spirit stone took at least a day. Moreover, due to crude cultivation techniques and severe leakage of primordial energy, being able to absorb seventy percent of its energy was already considered quite exceptional.

"Seventy percent? Now that I have this technique, how much can I absorb?"

Suppressing the anticipation in his heart, he closed his eyes slightly, and the Myriad Transformations Unity Art erupted into motion!

Within his palm, the primordial energy seemed to form an invisible whirlpool! That crystal-clear spirit stone rapidly dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye!

wisps of supremely pure heaven and earth vital energy were savagely extracted from the spirit stone, transforming into a torrent that rushed frantically up his arm and poured into his body!

The moment these energies entered his body, they were instantly digested by the Myriad Transformations Unity Art, entirely incorporated into that brand-new hidden meridian channel, and transformed into the most docile primordial energy that blended into every part of his physique without a single shred going to waste!

It took no more than a dozen breaths of time from start to finish.

"Crack."

With a soft sound, Chu Xing spread open his palm. The originally crystalline spirit stone had already turned into a pile of lusterless white powder, cascading down from between his fingers.

"This... this is way too fast!"

Chu Xing's heart hammered wildly as he stared blankly at the powder in his hand, unable to recover his senses for a long time.

A lower-grade spirit stone had been sucked dry just like that!

Conducting a careful inward inspection and feeling the surge of primordial energy that had grown a full section within his body, tumultuous waves rose in his heart once again.

This was far beyond merely fast! The efficiency was terrifyingly high!

"Ninety percent... No, at least ninety-five percent!"

Chu Xing clenched his fists fiercely, a blazing radiance bursting forth from his eyes.

If this kind of cultivation speed were to leak out, it would likely drop the jaws of an entire sect's elders!

With sufficient spirit stones, he even had the confidence to push his cultivation to the peak of the ninth stage of Body Tempering within a few days, attempting to break through to the coveted Qi Gathering realm!

"Zhou Yuan..."

Within Chu Xing's mind, that lofty figure involuntarily surfaced.

Just wait. It won't be long before I personally come knocking on your door, and return everything you inflicted upon me a hundredfold!

Suppressing the agitation in his heart, Chu Xing cast his gaze toward the three medicinal pills Mu Wanqing had given him.

If spirit stones were already like this, what kind of surprises would these three pills—personally refined by the Pill Heart Holy Body and of a quality far surpassing ordinary ones—bring?

He opened the jade bottle and poured out a pill emitting a rich medicinal fragrance.

The pill was completely round, with faint flowing lights lingering on its surface. At a single glance, one could tell it was no ordinary item.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Xing swallowed the pill straight into his stomach.

Boom!

A torrent of medicinal potency, several times more massive than when he absorbed the spirit stone, erupted within his stomach like a volcanic explosion!

That majestic energy was pure and boundless, rushing wildly through his meridians like a breached river!