Remodeling of Meridians

Nightfall had descended, and Wang Quan lay curled up on the bed inside his straw hut, wracked with excruciating pain. His body was battered, his spiritual power scattered, and his meridians were nearly completely shattered after the intense battle with Li Cang. Even after swallowing the healing pills Li Cang had left behind, his internal injuries remained severe, only slightly alleviating the surface wounds.

"Meridians destroyed, spiritual power in disarray… I can't even maintain the Qi Refining stage anymore…"

Wang Quan felt the spiritual energy within him dry up, like a river that had run its course. What was once a body full of power had now deteriorated to the point where he was barely at the Body Tempering stage—a shell of his former self. A sense of deep despair washed over him, and for a moment, hopelessness flickered in his eyes.

"Could it be… that I've truly become a crippled mortal?"

Staring at the roof of his hut, Wang Quan was overwhelmed by a feeling of unprecedented defeat. The battle with Li Cang had made him realize the vast gap between himself and the true geniuses of the sect. No matter how powerful his Five Elements Secret Technique was, he had still been easily defeated by Li Cang, a true prodigy.

But just as he teetered on the brink of despair, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—a glimmer of hope.

"No, there's still a chance… the Crystal Secret Technique!"

Wang Quan suddenly remembered the Crystal Secret Technique he had acquired from the crystal cave. This ancient technique could transform a cultivator's bones into crystal, greatly enhancing both their defensive capabilities and recovery potential. More importantly, it promised to gradually restructure the meridians to better channel powerful spiritual energy.

He sat up with a surge of energy, hope rekindling in his heart.

"Even with my meridians destroyed and spiritual energy scattered, perhaps I can use the Crystal Secret Technique to reconstruct my body."

If the technique could crystallize his bones and strengthen his constitution, there was a chance it could also transform his meridians, giving him a sliver of hope. Without wasting any time, Wang Quan began to circulate the Crystal Secret Technique as recorded in his mind, attempting to crystallize his shattered meridians.

The first attempt quickly began. Wang Quan concentrated all his willpower, trying to guide a sliver of spiritual energy into his meridians to initiate the crystallization process. However, a wave of searing pain instantly coursed through him, as if countless blades were tearing through his body, shredding his meridians even further.

"Ahh—!"

A cry of agony escaped Wang Quan's lips as he nearly blacked out from the excruciating pain. Cold sweat poured down his face, and his body trembled violently. Despite the unbearable pain, he clenched his teeth and refused to give up.

"I can't stop! This is my only hope…"

With grim determination, he made another attempt to circulate the technique. Yet time after time, he failed, each attempt bringing more pain than the last. His meridians, already fragile, suffered further damage with each failure.

His body was rapidly deteriorating, and just as despair threatened to engulf him once more, a memory suddenly surfaced.

"The crystal plant…"

Wang Quan recalled the crystal plant he had brought back from the cave. The plant was brimming with spiritual energy and perfectly compatible with the Crystal Secret Technique. It could be the key to his recovery.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures!"

Without hesitation, he took out the plant and refined it into a potion. The liquid was crystal clear, radiating faint waves of spiritual energy. Without a second thought, Wang Quan drank it in one gulp.

As soon as the potion entered his body, it dissolved into a warm stream of spiritual energy that began to flow through his shattered meridians. The unbearable pain started to subside, and the spiritual energy from the plant slowly began to repair his damaged meridians, nourishing his body from within.

A wave of comfort spread through him, and his dormant meridians began to show signs of life once more. Elated, Wang Quan resumed the circulation of the Crystal Secret Technique, this time with the aid of the plant's spiritual energy to assist in the transformation.

Gradually, as he focused on the technique, his meridians started to undergo a wondrous change. The power of the potion fused with the technique, and the flow of spiritual energy became smoother. Wang Quan could feel his meridians being coated with a thin layer of crystal, and the crystallization process began to accelerate.

Time passed in quiet concentration. Wang Quan's meridians, once nearly destroyed, were now mostly crystallized. The flow of spiritual energy became incredibly smooth, and the crystallized meridians not only enhanced his capacity to store spiritual energy but also drastically increased its flow rate.

Simultaneously, the Five Elements Secret Technique's final missing component, Metal, naturally integrated into his meridians during the process. With this, Wang Quan had finally mastered all five elemental forces—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—of the Five Elements Secret Technique.

The five elemental energies circulated harmoniously within his body, completing the elemental cycle.

Metal nourishes Water, Water nourishes Earth, Earth nourishes Wood, Wood nourishes Fire, Fire nourishes Metal.

As the cycle continued, Wang Quan's spiritual energy surged, growing exponentially. He could clearly feel that not only had his meridians been fully restored, but his capacity for spiritual energy had increased significantly.

"I did it!"

Wang Quan was filled with overwhelming joy. With his meridians now crystallized and restored, his cultivation had unexpectedly surged to the sixth level of Qi Refining! The once-scattered spiritual energy was now solid and unwavering, and the amount of spiritual energy he commanded after fully mastering the Five Elements Secret Technique was astonishing.

Slowly rising to his feet, Wang Quan clenched his fists and relished the newfound strength coursing through his body. It felt incredible to regain his power after being on the verge of losing it all.

However, as he stood, a sobering thought crossed his mind—despite this breakthrough, Li Cang was still far too dangerous to confront directly. Wang Quan knew that he would need to bide his time, avoid reckless actions, and approach the future with utmost caution.