"What Brother Bai said is exactly what I had in mind. These days, we've been wandering around, and Junior Brother Lv and I discovered the extraordinary terrain a hundred miles outside the county town. It might align with the Wu Earth aspect, so we plan to take our chances there."

Qi Yan clapped his hands in approval. Unlike most heterodox loose cultivators like him, who often fight alone, rarely forming alliances with others.

The reason lies in none other.

The human heart is hidden beneath the belly; there are too many sinister ghosts around, making it difficult to truly entrust one's life. If one stumbles upon an uncommon opportunity, it's easy to get backstabbed.

In Jianghu, for a single True Skill Root Diagram, some people can forsake even their parents and children, let alone minor friendships.

However, after battling the Alien Evil Monarch and helping with the underwater qi gathering, coupled with the recent period of interactions.

Both Qi Yan and Master Lv Nan from Wild Grass Mountain believe Bai Qi to be upright and generous, acting with a heroic spirit, deserving of trust.

Therefore, they are happy to draw closer to him.

"Team formed. Judging by the goodwill level, it should rise from 'mere acquaintances' to 'sworn friends,' and further to the point of seeing truth in adversity as true confidants."

Bai Qi secretly thought, nodded, agreeing to depart at 3:00 PM.

After sending off Qi Yan and Lv Nan, he gave a brief instruction to Ah Di, then stepped through the winding corridor into the spacious main room of the resting quarters to begin sorting the bits and pieces on his person.

Among the rather valuable and practical items are a thousand-forged-tier treasure weapon, the Golden Python Bow, and seven or eight bottles of various elixirs obtained from looting the corpses of Hidden Pavilion Assassins and the Evil Demon Alien Monarch, for healing, restoring qi, and enhancing skills, among others.

Including the dog treasure for neutralizing the poison of mountain miasma and the Dragon Scale Armor gifted by Sister Jiao...

Altogether around eight or nine items.

"A substantial home base, worthy of the word 'rich.'

Just lacking handy weapons for close combat, and poisons or lime powder for crucial moments.

Unfortunately, Uncle Qiu's unfortunate luck couldn't be preserved, or it would be essential for setting traps!"

Bai Qi methodically filled the arrow quiver, holding the large bow in his right hand, slung over his shoulder.

He thought if he added a long saber that cuts iron like mud, or a disguise mask, then he would be fully equipped.

"According to the battle records I know, Master seems to fight enemies bare-handed...

I wonder when I will be able to forge my flesh to the extreme, to withstand divine soldiers without a scratch?"

He heard from Uncle Dao that Ninghai Zen practices three major true skills at Tongwen Hall alone.

Among them, the "Ten Dragons and Ten Elephants Prison-Suppression Skill," cultivates the "Divine Elephant Qi."

When achieved in great perfection, the body's qi and blood are boiling without limit; muscles, bones, skin, and membranes are all strong, comparable to top-tier treasure weapons refined over a thousand cycles.

"For me, it seems to align more with the 'Dragon Roar Qi,' but Uncle Dao mentioned that my body nurtures a treasure bone, allowing me to achieve the convergence of dragon form and elephant body, thus able to condense the 'Dharmic Body.'

Bai Qi mused while casually retrieving a round, smooth elixir the size of a dragon's eye, chewing and swallowing it.

After ten blood replacements, the vitality essence contained within his physical shell has already grown to an astonishingly frightening level, no longer worrying about the so-called 'elixir toxicity' or 'medicine toxicity' accumulating in the body.

In a few breaths, the energy traveled throughout his body, circulating around, expelling all impurities and foul qi, maintaining pure and clean flesh and blood.

That solid elixir entered the stomach like a mill stone, grinding it finely.

Blazing and hot threads of qi and blood weave into clusters of gold and red flames, instantly absorbing the medicinal strength completely.

This training efficiency is hundreds of times better than before.

"The power after ten blood replacements immediately reveals itself."

Bai Qi's eyes held a tranquil gaze. His pores opened and closed, following the rhythm of inhaling and exhaling, as a "Hundred Herbs Pill," which previously took several hours to digest fully, was absorbed cleanly in less than half a stick of incense.

The surging and incredibly thick qi and blood power once again coagulated a bit, like shimmering mercurial pulp wrapping each bone, incessantly refining and polishing.

Beyond the blood replacement barrier, the next step is refining silver marrow.

This step requires relentless day and night, circulating qi and blood like refining true gold through fire, grinding each bone until it's as bright as jade and as hard as steel.

Many martial artists who achieve second training perfection, even if their flesh decays, their skeletons remain intact for a hundred years,

due to this reason.

The second bone training barrier's perfection, once Mercury Blood Silver Marrow is completed, the flesh is immaculate, immune to evil, gloom, killing, poison, miasma, and other chaotic and foul contamination.

Physical stamina can remain at its peak for extended periods. Even when subjected to extremely severe mortal wounds, one can still hold on to a breath unless decapitated, otherwise death is highly unlikely.

To summarize, resistance dramatically improves, the health bar becomes thicker, and damage tolerance increases.

Hence, second bone training barrier, Mercury Blood Silver Marrow in great perfection, is dubbed "one who can defeat a hundred" on the battlefield.

"Nurturing treasure bones is a long-term task."

Bai Qi expends the last trace of medicinal strength, exhales a long breath, eyes brimming with brilliance like two flashes of lightning, then quickly withdrawn and unseen.

He got up and went out, instructing Groom Old Xu to bring out Chasing Wind, heading straight out of the county town.

Qi Yan and Lv Nan were already waiting; the two were sticking the Divine Armor Horse to their shins, chanting and casting the spell, exhaling, and suddenly they were like riding clouds and mist, able to travel a thousand miles a day.

However, the talisman has one drawback; when using it, one must eat vegetarian food and avoid drinking alcohol. If broken, its effects vanish.

Bai Qi had heard Qi Yan and Lv Nan mention this before.

"Listen carefully, Six Ding and Six Jia Deities, White Cloud Crane Feather Flying Wandering Deity, inherently spiritual yet consuming, its feet produce clouds swiftly like the wind, casting me flying into the air. I obey the command of the Three Mountains and Nine Marquis, arrest!"

Qi Yan and Lv Nan took out the Armored Horse Divine Travel Talisman, written with cinnabar, with the words "White Cloud Ascending" on it, sticking it to their feet bindings, then burning the flying talisman, summoning the divine talisman, sacrificing it under the Six Jia Altar.