Chapter 203 - Refining the Origin Crystal
Ye Qingyu had only casually conversed with Mother Wu, but Mother Wu was already deeply grateful. She felt that her impulsive decision to look for work in the market was really too correct.
Thinking back, that day she did not know just what kind of urge took her. After she finished her midday meal, she went to the marketplace to find something to do. This was her first time going to the marketplace, so she was somewhat nervous. She waited in a cranny somewhere, not daring to bawl[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] and shout to advertise herself like other people. She was just about to return with a dejected face when she met Master Ye. At that time, she felt Master Ye was still somewhat too young and not reliable. Who would have guessed…
This had really made their family[8] hold their heads up high.
In these days, she and her man had nearly been beaten alive by the supply department over the soldiers pay incident and was wrongly accused. However, because of this incident, nearly the majority of Youyan Pass knew that Marquis Ye would protect and aid them, not even caring about offending the leaders of the supply department. With such a powerful and glorious Marquis protecting them, who would dare bully them anymore?
Mother Wu knew that to extend such good times, she must think of a way to remain within White Horse tower.
Marquis Ye liked the food she made.
To make the Marquis even more satisfied, apart from cleaning and tidying the White Horse tower these days, Mother Wu would go and polish her repertoire of dishes.
She even went to the nearby restaurants to secretly learn. Afterwards, when she was recognized, and they knew that she was one of the people of the Marquis Ye that was in the current spotlight, they did not dare to do anything to her. There were even several owners of the restaurants that passed on the order for them to allow Mother Wu to learn from the kitchens. Of course, they hoped that they could be able to connect to Ye Qingyu, the new noble of Youyan Pass through the link of Mother Wu.
After a while, the culinary skills of Mother Wu really became greater and greater.
Today, Ye Qingyu had casually asked her a few questions. This already made Mother Wu feel that she had received a great reward for the sacrifices she had made in these days.
After Ye Qingyu had finished, she carefully stowed away the dishes and left, shutting the door after her. She did not dare to disturb him any further.
In the room.
Ye Qingyu smiled slightly, thinking that he had really hired the right person.
At least until right now, Mother Wu's performance had exceeded his initial expectations. Under the management of Mother Wu, everything was neat and orderly in White Horse tower. It was numerous times better compared to when Bai Yuanxing was managing and tidying it. Furthermore, Bai Yuanxing could spend even more time cultivating. Although he had average talent, but his status was still the White Horse sword slave. He needed a certain level of martial strength to support this, so he needed to put even more efforts in training.
After finishing his evening meal and having a wash, his entire body felt comfortable.
Ye Qingyu went to the quiet room on the fourth floor, beginning to cultivate.
After the experiences today, Ye Qingyu felt particularly relaxed in terms of his spirit and mentality.
He very quickly entered into a blank state of mind, practicing in the nameless breathing technique his father had passed on, and entering into a state of blankness like an old monk. Moonlight shone from the window, causing his white robes to be like jade, his face like frost. It was as if everything was within a painting.
This nameless breathing technique had a crucial part to play on Ye Qingyu's martial path.
Ninety nine percent of Ye Qingyu’s yuan qi cultivation was established on the foundation of this mysterious breathing technique.
In the cemetery of the Snow Dragons, the mysterious illusory figure that had slumbered for millions of years had spoken about the secrets behind this technique. This breathing technique seemed as if it had been created for Ye Qingyu— apart from him, it was suitable for no one to cultivate in. Apart from making Ye Qingyu greatly shocked, it also raised his evaluation and expectation of the nameless breathing technique to a whole new level. The same as before, he would spend even more time cultivating in the nameless breathing technique.
The effect of an inner yuan breathing technique was to increase the yuan qi of the martial artist.
This was the origin of the yuan qi of a martial artist. For people under the Bitter Sea stage, fundamentally, one relied on absorbing the yuan qi within Heaven and Earth into one’s body, refining it for your own use. The profoundness of a martial breathing technique determined the speed and quality at which a martial artist absorbed yuan qi. On some perspective, the nameless breathing technique was definitely a divine class cultivation technique. At least from Ye Qingyu's perspective, there was a type of power where it simplified the great Dao into something easily grasped.
After long years of cultivating in the nameless breathing technique, it had already become instinct for Ye Qingyu's body. Breathing in and out became as natural as drinking water or sleeping. His entire person entered into a blank state of mind where he forgot himself. His body was like an intricate formation array that functioned automatically.
The three to six billion pores on his body all completely opened, absorbing the yuan qi of Heaven and Earth.
Miniscule little yuan qi vortexes that only top class experts could sense constantly began appearing on the surface layer of Ye Qingyu's body like scales on a dragon's body. These miniscule vortexes gathered, ultimately completely surrounding Ye Qingyu's body, forming an invisible forcefield vortex. Air began distorting visibly around Ye Qingyu's figure.
Also encircling around his body at the same time were twenty illusory figures of the Snow Dragons.
Ever since Ye Qingyu had absorbed the aura of the Snow Dragon King and grasped how to control ice yuan qi, there would be silver illusory figures of Snow Dragons appearing, bringing with it a faint draconic pressure. Before even exchanging blows with opponents far below his strength, this ice qi and dragon race pressure was already enough to make his enemy crumble.
These twenty Snow Dragon illusions, through Ye Qingyu's training, became more and more solid and lifelike. It was as if there really were divine dragons protecting his body, traversing through his body, through his limbs and bones, through his meridians.
Gradually, Ye Qingyu's entire body was covered by silver and ice qi.
Every time each Snow Dragon projection travelled throughout his body, this was a cycle.
Once the twenty Snow Dragon illusions had all travelled throughout his body, this was a great cycle.
This was a process that refined and transformed yuan qi from Heaven and Earth into his own personal yuan qi for his own use. This was also a process where it changed the foundation of a body. Every time a martial artist broke through a realm, their longevity would also increase similarly. It was through such a long and arduous process of refining one's physical body that ultimately caused a qualitative change in one’s body.
Time passed minute by second.
Two hours later.
Ye Qingyu gradually opened his eyes.
He felt his entire person was refreshed and clear.
His time to practice his breathing technique had already ended.
Sensing the increased yuan qi in his body, Ye Qingyu lightly nodded his head.
Perhaps it was due to his mood being entirely free from worry, the effects of training was even greater than usual. At this time, the yuan qi in his body was like a roiling great river, already reaching the peak of the twenty Spirit springs. As long as he took a little step forward, this was the realm of the twenty one Spirit springs.
But such a rate of progress could no longer make Ye Qingyu satisfied.
He knew that his cultivation speed was already universally astonishing. He also knew that the martial path needed to be slowly built from the ground up, and one could not hasten things. That would often lead to twice the effort for half the result, and could also lead to a state of qi disruption, causing all his efforts to be wasted. But today, seeing the strength of Song Xiaojun as well as the battle between Yan Buhui and Lu Zhaoge, he had really been stimulated.
The battle that occurred between true top level experts was like a scenic painting of a fight between Fiendgods. The aura as if they could rule over all caused Ye Qingyu’s heart to yearn towards this.
This was the realm and power that martial artists truly yearned towards.
The Ye Qingyu right now could be said to be able to fight against ten thousand people, flying through the skies and burrowing through the earth. But the distance between him and the realms of Yan Buhui and the others was still too far.
Not able to possess the strength of a top level expert, it would be difficult for one to truly control one's own fates.
The things that happened during the day had caused too great a stimulation to Ye Qingyu.
He thought it over, making his decision.
Ye Qingyu took a white crystal that was the size of a fist from the [Cloud Top Cauldron] immersed within a Spirit spring in his dantian world. Its surface was like jade, pure and without imperfections, without the slightest impurity. In his hands, under the light of the quiet room, it emitted a faint radiance.
Origin crystal.
A true cultivation treasure of a martial artist.
Martial artists under the Bitter Sea stage could rely on absorbing the yuan qi of Heaven and Earth through their cultivation techniques. But once they were above the Bitter Sea stage, to want to absorb the yuan qi in Heaven and Earth and turn it into yuan qi in their body, this was somewhat hard to fulfill their needs to increase their cultivation level.
Because every little stage of the Bitter Sea stage needed a vast quantity of Heaven and Earth yuan qi. Only relying on the cultivation technique to absorb this would expend far too great a length of time. The length of time needed was so long that even if you expended the large majority of your life, it was possible that you may not be able to absorb enough natural yuan qi for the need to level up.
Under such preexisting conditions, to want to go against Heaven and succeed, one needed to change their methods.
In this world, there were many problems, but there were even more ways of solving problem.
From ancient times, there were a few people of the Human Race with intellect far surpassing and shocking their peers. Through luck and hardship, they finally managed to discover the path of cultivation. They opened a path of light step by step for the later generation amidst the thorny darkness. To want to solve the issue of cultivation after the Bitter Sea stage, there were largely four typical methods.
One of them was to borrow an external force. In this world, there was not a lack of the natural treasures of the world, holding the essence of Heaven and Earth, of the sun and moon, with great energy contained within. Those who were able to possess these treasures could take a further step in their path of cultivation. The second method was to create and use a formation array to gather and collect yuan qi of Heaven and Earth at its heart. The third was to find some places of fortune, locations with naturally formed formations that caused the gathering of yuan qi, this would cause twice the results with half the effort. The fourth was to use the medicinal pill arts, harnessing the essences of spirit herbs for your own use…
Apart from these fourth standard righteous methods, there were many other sinister methods. Stealing the yuan qi of someone, blood sacrifice, borrowing force etc. However, these methods were not righteous after all, and shunned by the martial world.
And right now the Origin crystal held in Ye Qingyu's hands was namely one of the treasures of Heaven and Earth.
The so called Origin crystal was a strange material made from solidified natural yuan qi. Under some sort of special natural law and energy, they were formed, the same as many natural minerals, and extracted by intelligent life forms. They had extremely beneficial effects in terms of cultivation. The Origin crystal was originally the accumulation of natural yuan qi. One only needed to refine and absorb it, and they could transform it into yuan qi in their own body.
This type of treasure was extremely rare and was therefore an extremely precious cultivation resource.
Normally speaking, the Origin crystal mines were occupied and monopolized by countries, sects and other great forces.
In the past, even Chen Moyun, with his status as the [Pill King of Azure Phoenix], had only managed to collect several pounds of Origin crystal after spending his entire life. In the process to refine Ye Qingyu, everything was used up, but it conversely caused Ye Qingyu's strength to exponentially increase. And right now, the Origin crystal Ye Qingyu held was one of the rewards of the Empire when he was bestowed with the title of Marquis.
"This is a consumable item, it will be gone after using it. I originally wanted to save it for a crucial moment, but right now…"
Ye Qingyu thought it over, and then determinedly activated his yuan qi, refining the yuan qi in this piece and absorbing the energy within.
Under the activation of his inner yuan, this Origin crystal that was the size of a fist was like an incense that had been lit, emitting strand after strand of pure mist. Ye Qingyu utilized his nameless breathing technique, absorbing strand after strand of mist and absorbing into the body.