Chapter 677 632: Secret Room, Staying Up Late is the Body's Greatest Enemy

But these things were hard to predict. Following his usual habit, he set up a Magic Array in the secret chamber, since he would have to do it later anyway.

In time, he would also search for a better Magic Array within the Merak Sacred Land, one more suited for Concealing Breath.

As his Cultivation level increased, this Magic Array was becoming less and less helpful. He needed a better one.

But that wasn't particularly urgent.

'Devour!'

Once everything was in place, Yang Chan gradually lifted the restrictions on his Innate Tai Chi Longevity Body.

Absorbing Spiritual Qi was the only way to unleash the true power of this Physique.

Innate Physiques had once shone with dazzling brilliance before the Divine Veins were destroyed—a fact he had learned from the Black Dragon. That was why, upon discovering that Yang Chan possessed a special Innate Physique, the Black Dragon had considered it a great pity. It had urged him to find a Cross-Realm Teleportation Array and leave the Taiyu Divine Continent.

According to the Black Dragon, the Taiyu Divine Continent was limiting Yang Chan's potential. If he traveled to a Cultivation World with Divine Veins, he could surely break through to the Divine Acupoint Realm. He would have a chance to advance even further on the path of Martial Arts, perhaps even glimpsing the legendary True God Realm. No master of that level had ever been born on the Taiyu Divine Continent; otherwise, its Divine Veins would never have been destroyed.

Yang Chan, of course, understood the Black Dragon's intentions.

Just then, Yang Chan released the restrictions on his Innate Tai Chi Longevity Body. His body instantly became like a black hole, frantically devouring the surrounding Spiritual Qi. Countless mist-like wisps of energy surged into him.

His courtyard was in one of the best locations on Chiyu Peak, so the concentration of Spiritual Qi was extremely high. This was true even underground, where the energy had condensed into a mist.

Feeling the powerful suction, Yang Chan frowned and reapplied some of his restrictions. The absorption rate was still a bit too fast; a small tornado of energy was beginning to form around him. And this was with the restrictions only partially lifted. If he let go completely, the commotion would be far greater.

Of course, he didn't want to cause a huge stir and attract too much attention. That wouldn't be good for him. Otherwise, he would have done this the moment he first entered the Profound Void Grotto Heaven.

Since Yang Chan always wanted to keep a card up his sleeve, it was only natural to impose some limits now.

He was in the secret chamber he had personally dug, so he could absorb the Spiritual Qi over a long period. There was no need for his Innate Tai Chi Longevity Body to gorge itself all at once. Instead, he could take a slow and steady approach.

There was no shortage of Spiritual Qi here, as it was a convergence point for Spirit Veins. By proceeding slowly, the disturbance would be minimal, and no one would notice anything unusual. This approach was far more in line with Yang Chan's preferences.

The smaller the disturbance, the less likely he was to be discovered.

With Yang Chan in control, his body's rate of Spiritual Qi absorption slowed. Even as the Innate Tai Chi Longevity Body yearned to accelerate, he forcefully restrained it.

Maintaining control was what mattered most to him. Unrestricted absorption, on the other hand, could have dire consequences. It wasn't impossible for his body to simply explode.

Everyone has a capacity limit. This was true even for him, despite his Physique far surpassing others and his incredibly powerful Recovery Power.

By going slowly, everything remained within his control, leaving no room for major unexpected changes. If he felt something was wrong, he could stop immediately. With unrestricted absorption, however, he could easily lose control.

Yang Chan sat cross-legged, his body having become like a Spirit-Sucking Treasure, continuously absorbing the Spiritual Qi from deep underground.

Just as Yang Chan had expected, his body prioritized absorbing Spiritual Qi from underground—from within the great mountain beneath him—before drawing it from the air above. The difference in proportion between the two sources was vast.

Yang Chan sent his Soul Body out to inspect the effects of the Spiritual Qi absorption. There was a slight disturbance, but it was minimal overall. Unless someone was exceptionally sensitive to Spiritual Qi, they wouldn't notice a thing.

Furthermore, the effect was confined to his courtyard. Currently, only he, Han Bingyu, and Princess Lan Yue were present. Neither Han Bingyu nor Princess Lan Yue could perceive changes in Spiritual Qi, let alone one this subtle.

Farther out, there was hardly any change. The overall disturbance was much smaller than Yang Chan had anticipated, which suited him perfectly.

After sitting in meditation for a long time, Yang Chan discovered something else interesting happening as his body absorbed the Spiritual Qi.

His Talent and Lifespan had increased again. It seemed that after absorbing Spiritual Qi, the Innate Tai Chi Longevity Body could feed that power back into his physical form, with the ultimate benefits accruing to him. This was an unexpected development.

As Yang Chan felt his body's absorption rate gradually slowing, his Talent increased by one point, rising from 54 to 55. The change wasn't huge, but Yang Chan hadn't done anything to earn it; he had simply let his Innate Tai Chi Longevity Body absorb Spiritual Qi, and the benefits had come to him.

'If all Innate Physiques have this effect, then they're even more powerful than I imagined.' He then considered the worlds with Divine Veins that the Black Dragon had described. With the amplification from that special atmosphere, just how immense would the benefits be when those Innate Physiques fed power back into the body? The thought sent Yang Chan into deep contemplation.

His Lifespan had increased by five years, going from 777 to 782. The number wasn't huge, but it was a benefit gained just from sitting in meditation, with no effort on his part. How many people paid exorbitant prices to extend their lives, only to gain a short amount of time in the end? This was especially true the older one became, as the effects of such methods diminished, as if one had reached a natural limit.

If anyone knew Yang Chan could extend his Lifespan just by sitting in meditation, they would probably die of envy.

Five years wasn't much compared to Yang Chan's current Lifespan, but an increase was still an increase. It was a good thing. No one ever complained about having too much life to live.

There were other gains not visible on his panel. Most noticeably, he could feel that his strength, speed, and Spirit had all improved. His Soul Body had also seen a slight enhancement.

Even though he could improve every day just by allocating his points, he would never turn down these extra gains. Improving one's power was a process of gradual accumulation. Once a qualitative change was reached, his strength would undergo a world-altering transformation.

He was getting closer and closer to his Second Bone Marrow Cleansing. When that time came, his strength would increase immensely again, which would also serve as preparation for his future breakthrough to the rank of Blood Exchange Martial Saint.

An unknown amount of time passed before Yang Chan's body stopped absorbing Spiritual Qi. The Innate Tai Chi Longevity Body within him seemed to be satiated, and that restless, eager feeling was gone.

Yang Chan knew. 'It's finally had its fill.'

He glanced at his panel. The number of Potential Points had refreshed, which meant it was past midnight. The absorption process had taken much longer than he'd anticipated. However, he had already used his Soul Body to scan the area and confirmed that no strangers had approached. This meant no one had detected anything amiss, just as he'd hoped.

He certainly hadn't wanted anyone to detect a problem. His Soul Body had also observed that the sky outside was pitch-black. It was clearly very late, and dawn was likely not far off.

"I pulled an all-nighter."

"But the gains were definitely worth it."

Yang Chan's Soul Body flew back into his physical form, and he uttered the words with a wry smile.

Ever since his status had begun to rise, he had been staying up late less and less.

And now, on his very first day in the Merak Sacred Land, he was already pulling an all-nighter. This wasn't for some mission from the Merak Sacred Land, but because of his own body.

Although the final rewards were great, Yang Chan still engaged in a bit of self-criticism.

'I shouldn't get cocky and pull all-nighters just because I'm young. It'd be just my luck to drop dead from exhaustion like I did in my past life.'

'Even though Martial Artists are powerful and the Tempering of my own body is far beyond most, that's not a license to recklessly stay up all night. I have to keep reminding myself not to do it.'

'After all, you only get one life. You have to treasure it. Besides yourself, not many people will care once you're dead. At most, you just become a cautionary tale for others.'

'I just got promoted to a Third Level Alchemist in the Pill Pavilion. I have no desire to become that kind of example. Dying young is not a good look.'

With these thoughts in mind, Yang Chan quickly left the secret chamber and went to his bedroom. He flopped onto the already-made bed and, performing the incredible feat of falling asleep in a single second, plunged into a deep slumber.