Chapter 15 Soak in medicinal soup, endure severe pain and easily cut the marrow

"After soaking in the medicinal soup, you must use the breathing method to activate the medicinal power."

Once he got used to the temperature of the soup, Xu Taiping began practicing the breathing technique taught by Ziyang Zhenjun during his lecture. In no time, he felt a heat surge in his dantian.

The steps of breathing were something Xu Taiping had practiced many times over the past few days. Though he hadn't been able to absorb spiritual energy into his body, he had become very familiar with the technique.

"Hiss..."

Just as Xu Taiping wondered why the medicinal power hadn't manifested, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the center of his back, as though a nail was being hammered into his flesh.

"Such pain... I think I can still... Ah!"

Xu Taiping had just intended to say he could bear it, but another similar pain suddenly pierced his chest, rendering him speechless.

The worst part was that this was only the beginning.

After the pain spread through his back and chest, the various acupoints in his body began to ache intensely, without offering him any respite.

Under normal circumstances, this kind of pain would cause someone to faint, but for some reason, despite the excruciating torment, Xu Taiping couldn't lose consciousness. He could only endure.

The pain lasted for a full hour.

Several times, Xu Taiping thought about crawling out of the bathtub. But each time he had such thoughts, the image of his grandfather's final moments would appear in his mind. He saw his grandfather staring at him with wide eyes, saying:

"Fight on, Taiping. Fight on—for yourself, and for all the ordinary people in this world."

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Gasping for air, Xu Taiping leaned wearily against the side of the bathtub. After a while, he raised the corner of his mouth and muttered, "Grandfather, did I make you proud?"

Though the intense pain had receded, he could still feel some lingering aches. His body felt as if it were covered in countless open wounds, and even the slightest movement caused agonizing pain.

"Seven days. This bone-cleansing soup needs to be taken for six more times without interruption, or it will all be in vain."

The thought of enduring six more sessions of such pain made Xu Taiping, even with his strong resolve, start to doubt whether he could truly make it to the end.

...

Six days later.

"Just one more time."

As Xu Taiping looked at the steaming medicinal soup in front of him, he suddenly felt as though he had lived through a lifetime.

The six days that had just passed felt longer than any decade of his life.

The first day of soaking in the medicinal soup had been almost painless. But by the second day, the pain had become unbearable—he had screamed, cried, and even called out for his parents and grandfather.

Xu Taiping had never thought of himself as so fragile.

That showed just how intense the pain from the medicinal bath was.

But despite everything—despite crying and screaming—Xu Taiping had made it to the seventh day.

In fact, during these seven days, he had even managed to plow his three-acre medicinal field and planted all the seeds of Nine-Leaf Purple Basil.

"Fight on, Xu Taiping. Fight on."

Standing in front of the bathtub, Xu Taiping kept repeating these words to himself.

At that moment, his face was as pale as a ghost, and his body was as thin as a twig. In just six days, he had lost at least twenty pounds. His body was on the brink of collapse.

Slap!

Finally, Xu Taiping stepped into the bathtub, his body quickly submerged by the thick white liquid.

"Ugh...!"

Despite his desire to endure, the sharp pain still caused him to scream. If not for the fact that there was no one around for miles, it might have attracted unwanted attention.

However, his screams were not unheard.

For instance, at that moment, the Lingyue Fairy was floating like a wisp of smoke outside Xu Taiping's window.

"Little Taiping, it's the last day. Hold on. Whether you step onto the path to heaven or drift through life like a fallen leaf, it all depends on your will."

Lingyue Fairy murmured to herself as she listened to Xu Taiping's agonized groans from inside.

"Those words are easy to say. The pain from this bone-cleansing soup is seven times worse on the seventh day than it was on the first. Without another prescription, who can endure this?"

After saying this, she let out a self-deprecating laugh, feeling guilty for having hastily given Xu Taiping the prescription in the first place.

...

An hour later.

"Could it be... that he really made it?"

When Lingyue Fairy saw the pure spiritual energy gathering in the small courtyard like a tidal wave, she couldn't help but express disbelief.

This was the sign that the bone-cleansing and marrow-washing process had succeeded.

She had been avoiding looking inside, but now she couldn't resist peeking through a crack in the window.

Inside, Xu Taiping, who had fainted, was half-lying in the bathtub. The once clear medicinal liquid had turned black, stained by the filth seeping out of Xu Taiping's body.

At the same time, the spiritual energy, visible only to Lingyue Fairy, was gently brushing against Xu Taiping's body before flowing into him.

Lingyue Fairy looked at Xu Taiping inside, then at the newly plowed medicinal field in the back yard, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"It was a gamble, but it looks like my judgment wasn't wrong after all."

After saying this, her figure dissipated into thin air, leaving behind a single, lingering sentence:

"Little one, I need to focus on refining the spiritual crystal to extend my life. I'll see you again after a few days."

...

The next morning.

As the first light of dawn streamed through the window, Xu Taiping, still submerged in the bathtub, slowly opened his eyes.

He had just woken up from the most refreshing sleep of his life.

"Did I... succeed?"

When he noticed the black, foul-smelling liquid in the bathtub, Xu Taiping wasn't scared. Instead, his face lit up with joy.

According to the description of the marrow-washing soup, this was the sign of success, meaning that the impurities in his body had been expelled, and he had truly gained the qualifications for cultivation.

"Splash!"

Excited, Xu Taiping jumped out of the bathtub, completely naked, and ran to the well in the backyard.

He drew a bucket of water, washed away all the impurities from his body, then sat down cross-legged and immediately began circulating the Remaining Twilight Technique to refine his qi.