C43 Breaking Elemental Beads

Ye Xiao was utterly immersed in the enchanting world of pill refining. One by one, the medicinal liquid took shape, forming pills as large as longan fruits until there were many.

Once the pills were fully formed, Ye Xiao remained seated, eyes closed, hands subtly moving as he engaged the Qianyuan Spell.

If one could peer within, they would be astonished to see his once misty origin energy now transformed into dense, droplet-like beads, all converging towards his dantian to merge.

Ye Xiao had previously attempted to compress all the Essence Qi in his meridians into his dantian. Despite several efforts, his meridians could only handle two-thirds of the Qi before they reached their limit and could go no further.

This time, however, the origin energy formed into droplets, gathering into miniature cyclones that meandered towards the dantian.

Inside Ye Xiao's meridians, the origin energy droplets and the small whirlpools they created linked together like threads, weaving into his dantian and encircling it to form large, Yuan Dan-like origin energy beads. These beads then began to attract each other, slowly engulfing and merging.

Eventually, all the Essence Qi from his meridians had entered his dantian, where the whirlpools and Essence Water Beads continued to condense and compress.

The beads then converged, fusing into one. This remaining bead expanded and contracted repeatedly, each time becoming slightly smaller than before.

After countless cycles, the process slowed until, with a resounding "peng," a muffled sound echoed from within Ye Xiao's body, and the bead ceased its fluctuating size. The longan-sized bead began to spin steadily.

Wisps of vitality were drawn from the outside, seeping slowly through the bead, nurturing Ye Xiao's dantian world.

This bead, shrouded in a dense mist, spun of its own accord, marking the ascension to Yuan Master—the Elemental Bead!

Ye Xiao's actions ceased as his consciousness slowly returned. But upon fully awakening, he discovered that his surroundings were no longer the familiar scene of pill refining, but instead, he found himself amidst a wondrous new vista.

The entire scene was obscured, shrouded in a dense fog that seemed to swallow everything. Ye Xiao reached out, but his hand grasped at emptiness.

Where had he ended up? A flicker of doubt crossed Ye Xiao's mind. Had he somehow teleported again?

Suddenly, two beams of light pierced the misty veil nearby. With caution, Ye Xiao advanced toward them. As he drew closer, his eyes widened in astonishment—it was a massive, spinning pearl. And there, floating beside it, was a blood-red longsword, suspended in thin air.

Wait a second! Ye Xiao's jaw dropped. Wasn't this the Qian Yuan Sword? Could it be that he had somehow entered his own body?

"Qian Yuan Sword?" Ye Xiao called out tentatively.

"Hehe, congratulations! You've finally broken through to the Yuan Master realm," came the familiar voice of the Qian Yuan Sword.

"What's happening here? Is this inside me?" Ye Xiao was bewildered. "And when did I advance to the Yuan Master realm?"

Ye Xiao's consciousness was still lingering on the moment he had been refining pills, utterly unaware that, in his dazed state, he had achieved what had eluded him for days—advancement!

"This is your Dantian world, and this pearl is the mark of a Yuan Master—the Elemental Bead! While refining pills, you had an epiphany and broke through directly to the Yuan Master realm. Impressive, isn't it?" explained the Qian Yuan Sword.

Then, the sword began to quiver and transformed into the figure of a young man.

Dressed in a black robe, the figure smiled gently at Ye Xiao, a simple curve playing at the corner of his mouth. His long black hair cascaded down his back, and his deep, dark eyes seemed to draw one in.

Ye Xiao observed the Qian Yuan Sword's new form, his lips twitching into a reluctant smile. Gritting his teeth, he said, "So you're Master Sword!" This cursed Qian Yuan Sword, with such a guise, had fooled him into calling it 'grandpa' countless times! "Hehe!" The Qian Yuan Sword chuckled sheepishly, yet unabashedly affirmed, "Indeed, I am Master Sword!"

"Enough with your Master Sword! Mention it one more time, and I'll start calling you 'little cheat'!" Ye Xiao threatened.

"Alright, alright! You can call me Brother Jian, okay?" chuckled the Qian Yuan Sword.

Ye Xiao shot the Qian Yuan Sword a glare. "Fine, 'Lowly Brother' it is then!"

With the nickname settled, Ye Xiao's attention turned to the massive Elemental Bead beside him. "So, Lowly Brother, just how big is this Elemental Bead?" It was Ye Xiao's first time in the Dantian world, and he was unfamiliar with the scale of things, prompting his question to the Qian Yuan Sword.

"Hmm, roughly the size of a longan," replied the Qian Yuan Sword.

"What? That small?" Ye Xiao circled the Elemental Bead, dumbfounded. Given the vast amount of vitality within his meridians, he was surprised it had only condensed into a bead the size of a longan.

Scratching its head, the Qian Yuan Sword mumbled, "Well, I'm not too sure myself, but it should be similar to others. However, as you continue your cultivation, the Elemental Bead is bound to get bigger."

It was a good thing no one overheard their exchange; otherwise, the pair might have been metaphorically drowned in spit by eavesdroppers.

For most who had just stepped into the realm of Yuan Master, their newly formed Elemental Bead would barely be half the size of a soybean. Even after diligent cultivation, reaching the peak of the first level of Yuan Master, the bead would only grow to match a soybean in size.

Yet, Ye Xiao's Elemental Bead, freshly formed, was already several times larger than those of others. Oblivious to their exceptional size, the duo still thought it too small, a notion that would be unbearable to their peers.

The larger the Elemental Bead, the more substantial the quality of Yuan Qi it contained. Considering the immense consumption of Yuan Qi by any spell, this meant that for the same technique, where an average person might manage only two uses, Ye Xiao could potentially execute it ten times. The disparity was enormous.

"Once you've become a Yuan Master, your Elemental Bead will grow with continued cultivation. When it reaches its peak size, it will spawn another bead, signaling your advancement to the second level of Yuan Master," the Qian Yuan Sword explained. "And when you have nine Elemental Beads in your dantian, you will have achieved the complete mastery of a Yuan Master."

Watching Ye Xiao's bewildered expression, the Qian Yuan Sword couldn't help but be at a loss for words. Mentoring a novice in the art of cultivation was certainly no easy task.

"Alright, it's time for your consciousness to exit the Dantian world. You've just made a breakthrough, and your consciousness is extremely fragile. Staying too long could harm it," the sword advised.

With the Qian Yuan Sword's guidance, Ye Xiao carefully retracted his consciousness from the Dantian world, step by step.

Seated in meditation, Ye Xiao's eyes fluttered and then snapped open, revealing the pill furnace before him.

"Qian Yuan Sword? Have my pills been successfully concocted?" Ye Xiao suddenly recalled that he had been in the midst of pill-making, preoccupied with his excitement.

The Qian Yuan Sword, exasperated, retorted, "Just look inside the pill furnace!"

Heeding the advice, Ye Xiao peered into the furnace. Where once there were herbs, now lay a collection of smooth, creamy-white pills.