Chapter 40 - 38: An Even Wilder Move!

Chapter 40: Chapter 38: An Even Wilder Move!

Su Tan was slightly startled. To think there was an unexpected harvest! Did that mean his operation had succeeded? He had created something entirely new! If he were to kick the bucket in the future and the system found a new host, and that person also had the idea to merge all the Secret Manuals, would the system no longer view it as a foreign concept? Pah, pah, pah... How could he curse himself like that?

"Ding~! The rewards have been sent to the host’s mailbox. Please check it!"

Su Tan opened his mailbox.

"Ding. Congratulations on obtaining 18,888 Energy Points."

Now, Su Tan was absolutely thrilled. Over ten thousand Energy Points. That was equivalent to more than half a year’s worth of daily sign-ins. What a profit! As for the achievement title, he didn’t know what he could exchange it for, so he had no choice but to display it on his host profile.

He checked the system interface again. After confirming there was nothing else, Su Tan exited the system.

Returning to reality without any delay, Su Tan began to practice the movements of the Body Refining Technique, as eager as if he were trying out a brand-new video game. Just like holding a horse stance or doing frog leaps, it was a form of physical conditioning to temper the flesh. However, practicing with the Body Refining Technique provided a much stronger tempering effect on the human body with far less risk of injury—or rather, no risk at all—while simultaneously strengthening the physique.

After about an hour of exercise, Su Tan felt a sore ache in his body. A wave of heat coursed through him, and ultimately... his physical strength had noticeably improved.

He flexed his fists.

CRACK CRACK CRACK.

His bones popped crisply.

"As expected of a Top Grade Body Refining Technique. The effects are astonishing!" Su Tan marveled. "If the grade of the Body Refining Technique were even higher, what kind of effects would it have?"

He was already very satisfied with his current Secret Manual. However, this Cultivation Technique could definitely be even better.

"Once the Xu Family gradually sends over the other Cultivation Techniques, I can merge them again, and the Body Refining Technique will be able to upgrade. It’s just a pity... there’s a shortage of Body Refining Techniques right now," Su Tan mused with slight regret. He could only blame the fact that the Secret Manuals he could get his hands on were simply too few.

He sat down at the table to rest and drink some water. Habitually, he pulled the Little White Wolf into his arms and stroked its soft, smooth fur.

GLUG GLUG GLUG.

Body Refinement. The optimal method of Body Refinement was not merely about tempering the flesh; it also required nourishment. Nourishment from Elixirs. In this world, Alchemists were considered rare even among cultivators, which made Elixirs all the more precious. Even the simplest Body Refining Pill was extremely difficult to obtain.

In his mind, Su Tan had indeed learned some knowledge about Elixirs. Among the three basic Pill Formulas he had acquired, one of them just so happened to be for the Body Refining Pill. His mind had mastered the theory, but as for whether his hands could actually concoct it... Su Tan had no idea.

Alchemy was an esoteric discipline. Heat control, medicinal essence extraction, pill condensation... Every single step was crucial. The slightest mistake would mean all his previous efforts were wasted. Since Su Tan was blind, he couldn’t visually observe the state of the fire or the medicinal ingredients. Therefore, he found it somewhat hard to believe that he could successfully refine Elixirs.

However, he still wanted to give it a try. Who knows, maybe it was just like cooking a stir-fry—toss it all in, SIZZLE, and it’s done?

"Body Refinement... Alchemy... Cultivation... it’s all so troublesome. I wonder when the Xu Family will be able to get their hands on more Secret Manuals," Su Tan said out loud. He decided that after tonight, he would urge the Xu Family to hurry up. The more Perfect the Cultivation Technique, the more Perfect his physical body would become.

"Cultivation cannot be rushed. Otherwise, things can easily go wrong, and you might suffer qi deviation," the Little White Wolf in his arms remarked casually, noticing Su Tan’s impatience.

Su Tan stroked the little wolf dog’s back. "You’re right. Nothing can be rushed. I have plenty of time anyway, so what’s the hurry?" Su Tan realized that he had indeed been too impatient this time. The little wolf dog was right. Haste makes waste. You can’t get fat from a single bite.

The Little White Wolf nodded, looking as if to say, "The boy is teachable."

Lowering his head, Su Tan stroked the little wolf dog’s back again. Then, he suddenly stopped!

The little wolf dog was stunned. It cast a glance at Su Tan. It felt as if it was being stared at by a pair of burning eyes. These eyes belonged to Su Tan. Even though Su Tan didn’t actually have any eyes, the little wolf dog just felt like it was being stared down.

This feeling was very strange. The little wolf dog felt a bit spooked. Its pure white fur unconsciously stood on end, hair by hair. It had a bad premonition.

"What... what are you trying to do?"

Su Tan smiled. "Haha... nothing. What could I possibly do? You’re a wolf dog, and a pup at that. It’s not like I can do anything to you, right?"

Although Su Tan said that, it only made the little wolf dog feel even more uncomfortable.

"Then... let go of me first..."

"Oh my... why so tense? You sound like you don’t believe me..." Su Tan spread his hands. "Seriously though, I want to discuss something with you."

"What is it? Can I refuse?" the little wolf dog asked.

Sure enough... This guy was truly a scoundrel; he was already showing his true colors.

"Of course you can!" Su Tan nodded.

You could... but whether that refusal would be accepted was another story. The little wolf dog knew that it actually couldn’t refuse.

"Actually, I just wanted to ask—since your cultivation realm is so high and your strength is so great, you must know a lot of Body Refinement methods, right? How about you tell me all the Body Refinement methods you know?" Su Tan proposed. After all, there had to be some common ground between Demon Beast Body Refinement and human Body Refinement.

"Do you want to die?" the little wolf dog snapped in displeasure. "Although all paths eventually lead to the same destination and there is indeed common ground between human and Demon Beast Body Refinement methods, there is a fundamental difference between our bodies. A Demon Beast’s physique is innately stronger than a human’s—whether in terms of muscle density, recovery rate, or vitality. Demon Beast Body Refinement is about breaking down to rebuild; it is tyrannical and volatile. Humans, on the other hand, focus on nourishing the body. It’s not like humans haven’t tried practicing Demon Beast Body Refinement before, but those who succeeded are few and far between. An ordinary person... would probably be killed by the ’breaking down’ phase long before their body ever got stronger."

A human practicing a Demon Beast’s Technique? It was tantamount to courting death! Demon Beasts, the Nether Race, the Divine Race, and humans all had their own specific methods of cultivation. It wasn’t completely impossible to succeed in cross-species cultivation, but the number of people who actually succeeded was astronomically small. Since ancient times, how many astonishingly brilliant geniuses had attempted it, only to end in dismal failure?

The Little White Wolf didn’t have much faith in this human whose physical body was absolute trash. Even if this human was its master, it still looked down on him.

"You don’t need to worry about that," Su Tan said. He had dared to mess around with the Ten Thousand Dao Furnace; a mere Demon Beast Body Refining Technique was nothing. Besides, through system fusion, who knew? There might be even more miraculous effects.

The Little White Wolf was reluctant in every possible way. Because its life was linked to Su Tan, if something went wrong during his cultivation, the Little White Wolf wouldn’t meet a good end either. But it simply couldn’t overcome Su Tan’s sheer stubbornness. Under Su Tan’s coercion and bribery, he finally coaxed numerous cultivation methods out of the Little White Wolf’s mouth.

Although they were all of the Demon Beast Dao, Su Tan suddenly realized something: had he been completely stupid in the past? He had been holding a trump card this whole time yet had turned a blind eye to it. When it came to Secret Manuals, he could have just asked the Little White Wolf. Why did he insist on looking for human Secret Manuals?

"Stupid, I was too stupid!" Su Tan evaluated himself as such.

Then, with tears in his eyes, he threw over a dozen Demon Beast Body Refining Techniques into the system.

"Merge..."

What kind of overpowered Technique would be merged this time? Undoubtedly, an even more outrageous operation was about to begin.