Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1407 - 1403: Ingenious Uses

He patiently pondered.

Unconsciously, he thought of the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Talisman.

The Heaven-Reaching Spirit Talisman is lodged in the mind, and with a slight concentration, it can be activated, transforming into a capability to connect with all things.

But the Heavenly Marrow Talisman is different.

Mere concentration is useless; it disregards such efforts and requires one’s heart and spirit to be in harmony with the world for it to have any effect.

This requirement is too demanding; even a Spirit Venerable cannot achieve it.

Then why did it appear initially? Who crafted this Heavenly Marrow Talisman?

Who understands a particular piece of heaven and earth the most?

And which piece of heaven and earth do I understand the most?

Aside from the Jade Sea and Sky within the Lao Gong Acupoint, which piece of heaven and earth do I understand the most?

His heart and spirit stirred slightly.

He immediately vanished.

In the next moment, he appeared in his courtyard at the Prince Qing Mansion.

In earlier times, no matter how busy, he would return to the mansion to sleep, have breakfast together.

Lately, this habit has been disrupted.

Sometimes he would join Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue in cultivation, often for a day and night, even two days and nights, leaving no time to return to the Prince Qing Mansion.

Whenever he returned, the heart and spirit of the Eternal Spirit Divine Tree would come over to play.

As time slipped by, the spiritual nature of the Eternal Spirit Divine Tree grew stronger, yet it still had the innocence of a child, enjoying playtime.

It usually only had Chu Yi to play with, so naturally when it saw Chu Zhiyuan, it was delighted.

After playing with it for a while, Chu Zhiyuan suddenly had a brainstorm.

He opened up his heart and spirit fully, merging with the Eternal Spirit Divine Tree, and experienced its understanding of heaven and earth.

Then, he retrieved the Heavenly Marrow Talisman from the Lao Gong Acupoint.

As soon as it appeared in his palm, it reverted to its original Black Iron Token appearance.

He concentrated to sense it but was met with silence.

Chu Zhiyuan pondered, then suddenly vanished from the mansion, appearing atop a mountain peak.

There was a forest on the mountaintop; he touched a tree trunk, activated the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Talisman, merging with the tree’s heart and spirit, feeling its perception of heaven and earth.

After letting go, underfoot he found a boulder; his heart and spirit merged with the boulder, experiencing the wear and tear of wind and rain, the quiet passage of time.

He appeared beside a rushing giant river, squatted down, and reaching into the surging river water, felt the cold and the onslaught, opened his heart and spirit, activated the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Talisman, sensing the surge and life emerging from the water.

He saw a lightning-induced wildfire, floated close, and felt the ferocity of the flames.

Throughout the subsequent half-day, from east to west, from south to north, through mountains and vast rivers, seas, dense forests, his presence was everywhere, always in connection and resonance with heaven and earth and all things.

He observed the sky and explored the earth, appreciating the sun, admiring the moon, counting stars.

The second morning dawned, and as he opened his eyes from the bed at the Prince Qing Mansion, he concentrated again on the Heavenly Marrow Talisman in his palm, noticing its change.

It began changing color, the black faded, transforming into a crystalline transparency.

Inside, crystal-clear spring water flowed.

This spring water burrowed into his palm and entered his body in the blink of an eye, reaching his mind.

At once, he felt a cool spring water soaking into his brain, an indescribable chill and comfort.

His mind was clearer than ever, his thoughts more agile and alive.

His spirit light flashed, concentrating on the Jade Sea and Sky of the Lao Gong Acupoint.

In the sky of the Jade Sea and Sky, the red sun suddenly shot radiant beams.

The initially warm and bright glow now became scorching.

Originally situated between the exact east and center, now it began moving toward the center.

As it moved, the emitted light grew fiercer.

Chu Zhiyuan felt his spirit growing stronger, his thoughts faster and more nimble.

When the clear spring within the Jade Pendant vanished, the sun within the Jade Sea and Sky had already moved a considerable distance, much closer to the center.

He grinned.

This was the exponential growth of the second layer of the Heavenly Yuan Technique, increasingly approaching perfection.

He lowered his gaze to the Heavenly Marrow Talisman, nodded in satisfaction, and stored it within the Lao Gong Acupoint.

Immediately a bright moon soared back into the sky of the Jade Sea and Sky, hanging alongside the much brighter sun.

A moment later, he retrieved it once more.

The Black Iron Token began fading again, becoming crystal clear, with its originally empty interior now containing a meager spring, just a few drops.

He smiled.

This is the Heavenly Marrow.

It seems it doesn’t recover all at once, but accumulates little by little.

He didn’t store it in the Lao Gong Acupoint again, instead placing it directly inside a Purple Lacquer Box in his bedroom.

A moment later, he retrieved it once more, placing it inside his robe before vanishing.

He appeared at the Heavenly Sword Peak in Biyuan Heaven, taking out the Heavenly Marrow Talisman from his robe, in its Black Iron Token guise.

Following previous steps, he utilized the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Talisman to sense the heavens, merging with them as one.

Mountains and rivers, dense forests and grasslands, snowy peaks and rocky abysses, left nothing unfelt.

After a day passed, he concentrated again on the Heavenly Marrow Talisman, only to find it unchanged.

This understanding didn’t enable him to truly comprehend and realize Biyuan Heaven, failing to activate the Heavenly Marrow Talisman.

Standing in his small courtyard at the Heavenly Sword Peak, he shook his head helplessly.

Indeed, it was as he expected.

Little Heaven Beyond is the first heaven he descended upon; this isn’t the reason, the key is that his body was born in Little Heaven Beyond, having the deepest affinity with it.

Merging oneself with heaven and earth is not just about heart, spirit, and understanding, but also the physical body.

Only then can the Heavenly Marrow Talisman be activated.

Spirit Venerables often leave their native heavens, roaming far and wide, comprehending heaven and earth deeply, but if not in their original heaven, it’s also useless.

...

When he reappeared at the Profound Yin Palace, it was already evening of the second day.

The two women were in the small courtyard, enveloped by a layer of luminous shield.

The shield was a vibrant green, full of vitality, making the women’s skin appear even colder and pale.

Seeing Chu Zhiyuan there, Xiao Ruoling withdrew the shield, smiling.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Already refined?"

"This Bihua Bell is rather easy to refine," Xiao Ruoling smiled, "yet its power is remarkable."

Shen Hanyue said, "I use a sword, senior sister uses a sword, our alternating attacks couldn’t break its defense."

They had tested before; both attacked the shield together, exerting all their strength, yet couldn’t budge it.

There was no sign of it collapsing, instead, it seemed abundantly capable.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "It can withstand a Spirit Venerable’s strike, crucial for saving lives in emergencies, let’s practice."

"Master has reported to the Palace Master," Xiao Ruoling said softly, "Master said, the Palace Master didn’t mention borrowing a spiritual artifact from the Heaven-Reaching Sect, just acknowledged it, unsure what will be done."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "We’ve done our best, what remains is diligent practice."

"Ah..." Shen Hanyue said, "If I were the Palace Master, I would’ve gone to the Heaven-Reaching Sect now."

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, "Heaven-Reaching Sect isn’t so easy to enter."

The location of the Heaven-Reaching Sect is peculiar, independent of any particular piece of heaven and earth, even considered a Grotto Heaven.

Outsiders can hardly find it, the Palace Master of Profound Yin Palace would need to communicate through him to go to the Heaven-Reaching Sect.

Not contacting him implies it’s unlikely they’ll borrow the Black Tortoise Shield.

This imparts a sense of helplessness; everyone has their own choices, their own reasons.

Not in the position, not to strategize.

Feeling that disciples’ lives are most vital, but he isn’t the Palace Master of Profound Yin Palace.

Perhaps the Palace Master of Profound Yin Palace assesses that borrowing the Black Tortoise Shield would cost far more than the lives of some disciples.

He sighed, "Let’s practice."

"Practice!" Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue also felt heavy-hearted, nodding slowly.

They sat cross-legged, just began to activate the Taoye Marrow Cleansing Technique, then sensed something unusual.

The activation speed of the Taoye Marrow Cleansing Technique had increased again, doubling in speed once more.

Having already increased by several times, now doubling again rapidly made them anxious.

Chu Zhiyuan sensed the strength of his spiritual power, with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

It’s precisely the Taoye Marrow Cleansing Technique, being supremely yin and gentle, even at rapid speeds, their bodies withstood it, with cultivation advancing swiftly.

By the next evening, Xiao Ruoling’s clothes suddenly billowed, advancing another layer, already Nine Transitions.