Chapter 349 - 348: Bodhi Pill

Chapter 349: Chapter 348: Bodhi Pill

Spread out on the ground before Xia Wuyang lay an ancient, dark-colored scroll tanned from some sort of tough beast hide. It was clearly aged.

It was covered in a dense mix of ancient Sanskrit and a Central Plains script, detailing Heart Method Mantras and Qi and Blood Flow Charts. Alongside these were numerous strangely posed Cultivation Diagrams, making for a peculiar sight.

The edges of the Scroll were severely frayed, a clear sign of its great age. This was the Vajra Unbreakable Techniques, a Body Refining Spiritual Technique plundered from the core secret chamber of the Vajra Sect’s Scripture Pavilion. It was also a Low Level Spiritual Technique.

This wasn’t the first time Xia Wuyang had perused this Scroll, but with each immersion and careful study, he discovered new subtleties. They were distinct from his own Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body, yet seemed to complement it in some hidden way.

The Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body was a High Level Body Refining Spiritual Technique he had created by fusing the Dragon Tiger Fist and the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield. It could be cultivated all the way to the High Level True Monarch Level.

It emphasized combining the fluid movements of a "Soaring Dragon and Leaping Tiger" with the ultimate defense of a Golden Bell Shielding Body. It aimed for a perfect balance of hard and soft, integrating offense and defense. Its Qi and Blood flowed like a surging river, balancing explosive power with resilience. The result was astonishingly powerful.

The Vajra Unbreakable Techniques, on the other hand, was a classic Buddhist Sect Body Refining Technique—or more accurately, the Vajra Sect’s interpretation of one.

It followed a different, more extreme path: one of absolute rigidity, absolute hardness, and absolute invulnerability... culminating in a state of being Vajra Indestructible.

Its core principle involved repeatedly tempering, compressing, and solidifying one’s Qi and Blood through an exceptionally unique, slow, and painful process. Like forging Refined Steel, the ultimate goal was to forge a Vajra Indestructible body, impervious to myriad tribulations, capable of even reaching the Extraordinary Body Refining Realm.

Cultivating this technique was a slow and arduous process that demanded immense talent and willpower. However, once one achieved a certain level of mastery, its defensive capabilities were considered top-tier among Body Refining Techniques of the same Level. It also provided formidable resistance against evil spirits, Spiritual Shocks, and even deadly poisons, making it highly effective against Ghost Spirits and Anomalies.

’The Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body is fluid and versatile, skilled in both offense and defense, while the Vajra Unbreakable Techniques is an impregnable fortress that specializes purely in defense... Each has its own merits.’

Xia Wuyang’s Spiritual Power acted like the finest scalpel, meticulously dissecting every subtlety of the two techniques, leaving no detail unexamined. ’The Vajra Unbreakable Techniques’ method of solidifying and crystallizing Qi and Blood... if I can draw from it, absorb its essence, and merge it into the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body, I can significantly enhance the hardness and resilience of my Golden Bell Gang Qi. It could even make my Dragon and Tiger Spirit Blood more refined and potent, raising the ceiling of my explosive power. In turn, the fluidity and versatility from the Dragon and Tiger Imagery within my own technique could perhaps compensate for the Vajra Unbreakable Techniques’ excessive rigidity and lack of adaptability, creating a synergistic effect.’

This wasn’t simple addition. It was a higher-level fusion and sublimation, far surpassing the power of a mere combination.

It would be like embedding the hardness of Refined Steel into the resilience of a thousand-times-forged blade, creating a unique alloy with both supreme defense and fluid adaptability—a result that would surpass the standard power of its Level.

His Comprehension working at its peak, his Spiritual Power blazed like a furnace fire. He placed the essences of both techniques into this mental forge, repeatedly firing, hammering, and melding them together...

Countless simulations flashed through his mind like a spinning lantern.

He considered every detail: how to adjust the circulation paths of his Spirit Blood, how to combine the Dragon and Tiger Imagery with the Vajra Meaning, how to optimize the structure of his Golden Bell Gang Qi to incorporate the quality of indestructibility...

It was a massive and intricate undertaking, one that required time and patience. It couldn’t be accomplished overnight.

But with every small insight, every bit of progress, Xia Wuyang felt himself take another firm step forward on the Body Refining Dao, drawing ever closer to success.

He had a premonition that once the essence of the Vajra Unbreakable Techniques was fully integrated into the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body, his own technique’s quality and power would ascend to a new height, perhaps even touching upon a realm beyond that of Spiritual Techniques.

Aside from fusing the techniques, another matter occupied much of his Heart Spirit: a Pill Formula, also obtained from the Vajra Sect’s secret treasury.

The Pill Formula was recorded on a peculiar medium, thin as a cicada’s wing and cool to the touch, resembling a leaf made of jade. Its material was neither gold, nor jade, nor paper, and it had endured through the ages without decay, a testament to its value.

Upon it, silver runes that seemed to possess a life of their own, flowing gently, recorded the method for refining a pill called the Bodhi Pill. It was an exceedingly rare Spiritual Elixir—and a Spirit Pill, no less.

Its astonishing effect was to nourish the Soul and enhance the Spirit. Xia Wuyang had acquired very few similar Pill Formulas before, and all of them had been at the Mortal Level.

In the Fallen Dragon Land, the mainstream paths of Cultivation were Qi Refining and Body Refining. Refining God Methods were inherently scarce and valuable, but elixirs that could directly increase Spiritual Power were even rarer—like a phoenix’s feather or a qilin’s horn—and considered priceless treasures. This was especially true for Spirit Elixirs and Medicines capable of enhancing a True Monarch’s Spiritual Power.

A Pill Formula for a Middle Level Spirit Pill for Refining God could be even more valuable than the formulas for most Top Level Spirit Elixirs and Medicines.

Xia Wuyang studied every rune on the Pill Formula, not daring to overlook a single detail.

The primary ingredient was the Thousand-year-old Bodhi Heart, the heartwood essence of a rare Spirit Tree.

Other ingredients included Soul Nourishing Jade Marrow, Dawn Dew Essence, and Yin Reishi... There were thirty-seven supplementary ingredients in total, many of which were bizarre Spirit Materials like the Ghost Mushroom and Nightmare Flower. These grew only in Lands of Extreme Yin or were connected to the Spiritual Domain, and were all exceedingly rare.

The refining process itself was incredibly complex and demanding. The requirements for heat control, timing, and the infusion of Spiritual Power were absurdly strict. The slightest misstep would not only result in failure but could also trigger a backlash of Spiritual Energy from the Pill Furnace, severely wounding the Alchemy Master’s soul. The process was fraught with danger.

’As expected of a Middle Level Spirit Pill, and a rare one for Refining God at that...’

Yet, a glint of excitement flashed in Xia Wuyang’s eyes. He felt an urge to try his hand at it.

’The high difficulty only proves its immense value. I have Extraordinary Comprehension from my Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent, unparalleled mastery over the Alchemy Dao from my Alchemy Genius Companion Talent, and powerful Spiritual Power and fine-tuned control from the Enchanting Heart Scripture. Furthermore, my Alchemy Skill has already reached the Level of a Spirit Pill Master.’

’This Pill Formula is practically a tailor-made accelerator for me. I can already handle its effects, since my Cultivation Foundation is three times stronger than that of other True Monarchs at my level.’

Once he successfully refined the Bodhi Pill, the steady, single point of Spiritual Power he gained each day would receive a substantial additional boost, far surpassing his current rate of growth.

This would allow him to accumulate Spiritual Power more quickly, hasten his next epiphany, advance the Level of his Enchanting Heart Scripture, and even refine his Cultivation and Combat Techniques or develop more powerful Secret Techniques at an accelerated rate.

’As for the main ingredient, the Thousand-year-old Bodhi Heart, the Vajra Sect’s Secret Vault happens to have a small piece, enough to refine dozens of batches. There’s also a small supply of Soul Nourishing Jade Marrow, so I don’t need to go looking for it right away... Only the Dawn Dew Essence requires specific conditions to collect. However, I can have Zheng Zhicang or Sun Wuyang keep an eye out for it, or I can try to find another way to acquire it.’

Xia Wuyang calculated inwardly, making the refining of the Bodhi Pill one of his most important short-term goals. Before that, however, he would need to modify the formula while continuing to improve his Alchemy Skill. After all, he was currently just a Low Level Spirit Pill Master. Attempting to refine a pill so far above his Level would be extremely difficult, with a minuscule chance of success.

The only exception would be if he could modify the Bodhi Pill formula, tailoring it to his specific needs. Not only would this increase the pill’s potency, but it would also lower the refining requirements, allowing him to create it much sooner.

That was certainly an option worth considering. After all, the effects of the Bodhi Pill were extraordinary, and it would serve him well for a very long time to come.