C13 The Changes of the Nine Dragons Sky Mandate

Gu Feng continued to harness the wakan from the soulstone, fortifying the sinews and bones of his right arm. Employing the Gu family's Body Tempering Secret Technique, he pushed the wakan to its limits, concentrating it in his palm. He began by infusing every cell of his skin and flesh with the wakan, filling and compressing it. The process moved from the skin cells to the veins, and then into the bones...

At that moment, his palm was tightly enveloped in a layer of white wakan, resembling a silken cocoon. Gu Feng felt a sensation as if his skin and bones were being permeated by the wakan, transforming them into a crystalline substance as clear and sparkling as diamond, as though his entire palm had become an extension of the spirit energy itself.

When his palm could no longer absorb any more wakan, Gu Feng methodically began to extend the tempering process up his arm. The wakan that had cocooned his palm unraveled, threading its way into his arm and leaving behind a translucent hand that quickly regained its normal appearance.

"Hehe..." With a chuckle, Gu Feng activated his power, and his palm once again took on a crystalline appearance. When he released his power, it returned to its original state. He casually picked up a pebble and, with a firm grip, crushed it into dust.

"Is this the tenfold strength of Body Tempering? It's truly extraordinary. All those soulstones weren't wasted after all."

It's worth noting that others, having absorbed as many soulstones, would have already reached the second or third level of Body Tempering. Yet, Gu Feng remained at the second level, and only in one arm.

Turning his attention to the remaining two soulstones, Gu Feng set out to refine his left hand. It wouldn't do to rely solely on one arm. After all, his right arm had already achieved the third level of Body Tempering, and additional wakan would serve little purpose. It made more sense to temper the second arm, then move on to his torso, and eventually make a breakthrough to the third level of Body Tempering, ascending to the ranks of a superior martial artist.

Now, let's return to the enchanting young woman by the riverbank.

Emerging from the river, the girl resembled a natural masterpiece, a vision of a maiden emerging from her bath. The moist, ethereal aura she exuded was dreamlike and surreal. Post-bathing, her city-beautifying face was graced with a contented smile, her damp hair and pristine skin glistening without a single imperfection, adorned with droplets of water.

Harnessing her strength, she evaporated the droplets of water from her body. Her wet hair, now smooth and flowing like silk, was a subtle shade of brown and cascaded down to her waist in a display of perfection that seemed almost inhuman. Her eyes, bright and captivating, held a mysterious allure with a faint blue luminescence emanating from the depths of her pitch-black pupils.

As she donned her dress and slung the bag over her shoulder, her stunning features, which could rival the beauty of a city, tensed. She hastily grabbed the bag, peered inside, and found the soulstones and pills missing. She could hunt for those again, but the tens of thousands of silver notes had vanished. The thought of her family's journey ahead soured her expression further.

"Could it be..."

A memory flashed through her mind. She glanced at the river, then at the forest, as an invisible aura of malice radiated from her. Her dress billowed as if caught in a breeze, and she donned her veil. With the bag in hand, she darted into the forest like a swift sparrow. A formidable aura of menace spread from her, sending animals scurrying in a hundred-meter radius.

Gu Feng, it seemed, had some sense. Aware that this woman was no ordinary person, he had fled more than ten miles away, knowing that capture by her would mean a fate worse than death.

"Come out, come out..." Her furious cries resonated through the forest for miles, sending animals scattering in panic from their nests at the sound of her voice.

With a thunderous roar, her sword qi slashed through the trees like a scythe, felling them in swathes to the ground.

"You despicable creature, if I find you, I'll make you wish for death!" No one would have guessed that such a beautiful woman could harbor such intense killing intent, or that she was so young yet so powerful—far more so than Gu Mong.

Indeed, this woman was fearsome. Trees lay toppled within a mile radius, the area scarred with the remnants of her sword's passage.

"Curse that thief. If you end up in my hands, your fate will be as grim as the fate of these trees!"

After she finished speaking, the long rainbow sword in her hand blazed with light. A rainbow streak sliced across the ground, leaving a sword mark over five hundred meters long and more than ten meters deep. The faint, lingering glow was utterly terrifying.

Gu Feng, who was meditating in a cave miles away, inexplicably felt a chill. He awoke from his trance and scanned his surroundings. Once he confirmed everything was in order, he resumed absorbing the soulstone in his palm.

The following day, after Gu Feng had absorbed three soulstones, he didn't leave the area. Instead, he pulled a jade bottle from his pocket and inspected its contents. Inside, there was just one red pill. He sniffed it and, aside from a medicinal fragrance, detected no harsh scent. Unsure of the pill's nature, Gu Feng hesitated to consume it. After all, what if it was a sedative? And he couldn't forget the identity of the beautiful young woman beside him.

"Mother, do you recognize this pill?" Gu Feng inquired.

"Let me see," Xianyue replied, taking the pill and sniffing it. "I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem to be poison."

"Oh," Gu Feng said, a touch of disappointment in his voice.

Deciding to test the pill, he caught an ant and used a blade of grass to apply a bit of the powdered pill outside an ant hill. Soon, several ants emerged, quickly devouring the powder. They moved at an increased speed, but ultimately, Gu Feng ended their lives with a swift palm strike.

"It doesn't seem to be a sedative or poison. It appears to be related to energy," Gu Feng observed after watching the ants. He then poured the red pill onto his palm and said, "I hope it's a divine pill that will make me an unparalleled master in an instant!"

"What is energy?" Xianyue asked, puzzled by Gu Feng's comment.

"Oh, energy is internal power," Gu Feng explained.

With that, he opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. It dissolved instantly, leaving a sweet, delicate fruit-like flavor. As the liquid traveled down his throat and into his stomach, Gu Feng felt warmth spreading from his lower abdomen to his limbs and organs. He realized that this warmth was infused with an immense wakan, which began to cleanse his marrow. Left with no choice, he activated his Body Tempering heart sutra to harness this powerful force, refining every inch of his body, which felt nourished as if by a gentle spring rain.

Xianyue, seated beside him, watched as debris was expelled from Gu Feng's skin. Being a member of the Gu family, she recognized the pill Gu Feng had taken: a Marrow Cleansing Pill, a rare and coveted item among cultivators, nearly worth its weight in gold and close to the fifth level in potency.

For an average martial artist, consuming such a pill could propel them from the first to the second or even third level of Body Tempering—a dream for any novice warrior.

In this world, pill grades ranged from one to nine. In Pan City, pill masters could only craft up to the third level. Had a Marrow Cleansing Pill been readily available, Gu Mong would have surely secured one for Gu Feng by now.

Gu Feng, meanwhile, felt no discomfort; rather, he reveled in a newfound sense of ease. He then sensed a droplet falling into his Mindscape, sending ripples across its surface before vanishing. Grasping this sensation, he surmised it might be the Mindscape mentioned in ancient texts, a realm beyond his current reach due to his nascent power.

"Is this what the second level of Body Tempering feels like? Hmm, not bad at all. My skin and muscles feel incredibly robust," Gu Feng mused, sensing a powerful warmth within his flesh. "If only I could have a few more of these pills, hehe!"

Xianyue, having watched her son's transformation, chuckled at his smugness. "Feng, you've just taken a Marrow Cleansing Pill. Such a pill should only be taken twice; a third time would be ineffective. Of course, there are pills of other levels. I remember your father mentioning some that could elevate one's realm upon consumption."

"Let it be. Relying too much on external aids isn't wise. There's an old saying: 'Most medicines carry a touch of poison.' But honestly, if those pills truly exist, I wouldn't mind enduring a bit of poison," Gu Feng said with a grin.

Silence followed, words failing to capture the moment.

Having fully assimilated the pilfered items, Gu Feng knew it was time to move on. He discarded the jade bottle in the cave but kept the exquisite silk pouch close to his chest. It wasn't out of a penchant for keepsakes; rather, he found it beautiful and thought it might charm a woman he fancied someday. However, he'd only reveal such a gift once he grew stronger, or if she was the type of woman who truly captivated him.

"Mother, didn't you say that at the second level of Body Tempering, I'd be able to discern the mysteries of the Bronze Mandate? Why can't I feel anything?" Gu Feng pulled out the Nine Dragons Sky Mandate he had been carrying and examined it closely, but to no avail.

"I'm not sure, dear. Your father never mentioned it; he only said to entrust it to you once you reached the second level of Body Tempering," Xianyue replied with a shake of her head.

"Could it be a Divine Weapon that requires a blood offering to acknowledge its master?" Gu Feng mused, recalling such weapons from his readings.

"Why not give it a try?" Xianyue encouraged.

"Alright, here goes nothing!" Gu Feng declared. Without hesitation, he used his weapon to make a small cut on his finger, squeezing out a drop of blood onto the ancient Bronze Mandate.

The blood quickly soaked into the Bronze Mandate, absorbed by its enigmatic surface, yet there was no response. Gu Feng began to wonder if it truly was a Divine Weapon or if perhaps a single drop of blood was insufficient.

"Fine, have your fill then!" Seeing no reaction, Gu Feng pressed his bleeding finger against the Nine Dragons relief. To his astonishment, the Bronze Mandate greedily drew the blood from his wound, as if it were a ravenous specter. Gu Feng could feel his blood draining towards his finger.

"Easy there, don't bleed me dry. If you do, who's going to wield you in the future? Right? Just take a little, that's enough, just a little—don't leave me anemic," he pleaded.

But the Bronze Mandate was unyielding, clinging to his wound like superglue, relentlessly siphoning his blood until Gu Feng's complexion grew ashen. His body began to shake, and had it not been for the faint green glow starting to emanate from the Mandate, he would have severed his finger to escape being drained completely.

"Feng, you can't keep this up, you'll die," Xianyue warned, her voice laced with concern. She had been ready to intervene and cut off his finger herself, knowing full well that losing a finger was akin to losing a life.

"Mother, I'm alright. It feels as if it's alive, and I sense no ill will from it!" Gu Feng remarked, sensing the ancient presence emanating from the Bronze Mandate on his finger. "Right, pass me the third-level Soul Beast blood from the water bag. I need to replenish my own blood!"

Gu Feng hadn't anticipated that the lifeblood from the heart of the third-level Soul Beast, collected earlier, would be needed so soon. He opened the water bag and, undeterred by the scent of blood, drank it down. The blood, rich with wakan and protein, warmed his stomach. Gu Feng's complexion improved, and he no longer looked as pale as before.