Chapter 683 - 635: 2nd Bone Marrow Cleansing, Embracing Pain

Furthermore, he had switched his digging tool. This one was a Sharp Weapon Level tool. Even though the ground here was as hard as iron, he could still dig through it without the tool’s edge curling after just a short while.

As Yang Chan consumed the refreshed Potential Points, the Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture on his panel began to change, advancing from Tier Three Mastery at 99% to Tier Four Masterful at 1%. His body, too, began to undergo a metamorphosis.

The numerical change on the panel was instantaneous, but the bones in Yang Chan’s body were now being continuously purified. Unlike the usual tempering, this was a high-speed purification that seemed to make his bones and marrow glow.

Yang Chan could even feel flashes of lightning appear inside his body, constantly stimulating his bone marrow and causing it to transform.

A Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster undergoes three cleansings, with each breakthrough being a new purification.

When Yang Chan had previously broken through to become a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, his accumulation had been so substantial that he had completed the First Bone Marrow Cleansing directly. His marrow had been ceaselessly purified then, and the entire process had been excruciating. Now, that same process was intensifying. The pain was so great that even Yang Chan furrowed his brow.

It was worth noting that Yang Chan’s recovery ability was exceptionally powerful. Under normal circumstances, his potent healing would have mitigated much of the pain. Moreover, his spirit had been tempered countless times, making it far more resilient than that of most people.

Even so, he still felt immense pain.

The lightning flashes within his marrow purified his bones before spreading throughout his entire body. It coursed through every bone, ultimately stimulating his brain and causing Yang Chan to feel endless agony.

Yang Chan clenched his jaw, refusing to make a sound. Releasing a cry of pain would create a significant disturbance.

The circumstances of this breakthrough also exceeded Yang Chan’s expectations.

The breakthrough process itself was extremely smooth, but the physical feedback—the pain—was far greater than before.

"Master, you can let your soul emerge. This breakthrough’s tempering is a process of strengthening the physical body. It will be extremely painful, and the faster you recover, the more intense the pain will become."

"However, your current physical body will have no problem enduring it. There will be no issues if you undergo Soul Emergence!"

The Black Dragon, hovering nearby, saw Yang Chan’s state and quickly reminded him.

This transformation was a physical one, so his Soul Body would not be affected even if it left his body. It would also allow him to temporarily block out the pain.

After all, this pain was both spiritual and physical. Soul Emergence could temporarily insulate him from both.

"Tem...per...my...spirit!"

Yang Chan shook his head. His words were slow, but his meaning was clear.

This pain was incredibly agonizing, but its effects were also obvious: it could temper his spirit.

The more painful the situation, the more his spirit would be tempered.

Some people, under conditions of extreme pain, could make their bodies display all sorts of incredible abilities, even awakening special powers. All of this was tied to the spirit, and such changes were triggered by extreme agony.

Right now, Yang Chan was using the breakthrough for his Second Bone Marrow Cleansing to temper his spirit and simultaneously enhance the power of his Soul Body. This kind of tempering was an effect unique to breakthroughs, different from his usual tempering methods.

It is said that one only appreciates the magnificence of the harvest after experiencing hardship. This was exactly Yang Chan’s state at the moment. He wanted to reap the final fruit.

Using points to advance allowed his Martial Arts Cultivation to progress rapidly with a solid foundation, but the changes in his mentality were something he still had to comprehend on his own. This pain let him know the hardship of a breakthrough, making it faster and easier to master the changes that came after.

Undergoing Soul Emergence would spare him the pain, but he would miss the chance to feel this transformation and temper his spirit. He would then need to spend a lot of time later to complete this step of tempering and to master the changes in his body.

Therefore, Yang Chan chose to embrace the pain, to endure it!

Although Yang Chan had a great deal of time, he didn’t want to waste it on things like this. He would rather feel the pain of his body’s transformation brought on by the breakthrough right now, to familiarize himself with this change, experience the process, and gain a clearer understanding of the shifts in his body.

One could see the Qi and Blood in Yang Chan’s physical body growing stronger and stronger, almost to the point of turning into a pillar of smoke. However, it had not yet solidified, and since he was inside a Concealing Breath Magic Array, it could not rise into the sky.

If his aura were to form a pillar of smoke that shot into the clouds, it would signify that Yang Chan had broken through to become a Blood Exchange Martial Saint. That was the final step of body tempering, just one step away from shattering the Human-God Boundary.

Yang Chan was still one step away from this, but he wasn’t far.

The Qi and Blood in Yang Chan’s body surged, continuously battering the Concealing Breath Magic Array.

The Black Dragon watched from the side. Seeing no signs of it breaking through, he paid it no mind and returned his focus to Yang Chan’s pained face.

Yang Chan’s progress in Martial Arts Cultivation far exceeded the Black Dragon’s predictions. According to the Black Dragon’s estimates, even with the Cultivation Resources from the Purple Void Secret Realm, it should have taken Yang Chan several years to break through again.

And that was assuming Yang Chan took an Elixir every day.

He had seen Yang Chan take Elixirs daily, but his body showed no signs of resistance to their medicinal properties. He knew this was an effect of Yang Chan’s special physique, but even so, it should have taken much longer.

But seeing Yang Chan break through again shattered the Black Dragon’s understanding of both Yang Chan and the Human Race once more.

It seemed as though Yang Chan not only completely absorbed the medicinal effects of every Elixir but also amplified those effects several times over.

’What in the world is this physique? How have I never heard of it!’ the Black Dragon thought to himself.

Previously, he had seen that Yang Chan’s special physique contained an extremely powerful life force, which greatly increased his lifespan and recovery ability.

The ability to absorb Elixir Poison, allowing him to take Elixirs every day, was already heaven-defying. But now he realized he had still underestimated Yang Chan’s special physique.

’Could it be a special Innate Physique that has never appeared before?’

The Black Dragon recalled how Yang Chan had absorbed Spiritual Qi in the Purple Void Secret Realm. He had his suspicions then, but now he understood less and less.

He knew that Yang Chan was hiding many secrets. Sometimes, Yang Chan would put him into the Profound Yin Hanging Bead precisely so he wouldn’t learn those secrets.

He hadn’t cared before, but now it seemed these secrets were even more important than he had imagined.

’Should I try to take a look?’

The thought flashed through the Black Dragon’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

If Yang Chan discovered he was trying to pry into his secrets, given his cautious personality, he would likely find a way to obliterate his Soul Body’s consciousness and have the Profound Yin Hanging Bead birth a new one.

External methods could not destroy his Soul Body; as long as the Profound Yin Hanging Bead was not destroyed, he was indestructible. But that didn’t mean Yang Chan, the master of the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, was without options.

Destroying his consciousness to reforge a new Artifact Spirit would weaken the Profound Yin Hanging Bead. Furthermore, its chances of advancing into a Divine Weapon would become nigh impossible.

Most people would find it difficult to forsake such a possibility, but if his bottom line was crossed, Yang Chan would certainly have the Profound Yin Hanging Bead create a new Artifact Spirit. This would be true even though he possessed a wealth of hidden knowledge that could help Yang Chan improve and broaden his experience.

The longer he spent with Yang Chan, the better he understood him, and he naturally knew what kind of choice Yang Chan would make. This was a major reason the Black Dragon abandoned the thought.

Yang Chan’s hidden secrets might be precious, but they didn’t conflict with the path he wanted to take. It was better to stick to his original plan.

The stronger Yang Chan’s cultivation became, the greater the help he would be, and the more likely they were to find a Cross-Realm Teleportation Array.

Besides, when Yang Chan’s cultivation reached the Peak of Body Tempering, he would be the one getting anxious, even without any prompting. The Black Dragon knew that it was impossible to break through to the Divine Acupoint Realm on the Taiyu Divine Continent.

Therefore, the more of a genius Yang Chan showed himself to be, the more boundless his potential, the less anxious the Black Dragon felt. When the time came that he couldn’t break through to the Divine Acupoint Realm, Yang Chan would naturally become desperate. He would surely search for a way to leave the Taiyu Divine Continent and go to a world more suitable for cultivation. With this in mind, the Black Dragon became much calmer!