Chapter 138, The Bottomless Spirit Marrow Refinement

Translator: StarReader

 

Su Chen flipped through the spirit marrow book he bought from the night market.

 

It detailed the classification and grade divisions of spirit marrow.

 

Qi Refining Stage spirit marrow was the first segment of spiritual bone marrow along the neck and spine of a Qi Refining Stage cultivator, used to transform the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth into essence that the cultivator’s spirit could absorb, and pour it into the Muddy Grain Palace.

 

The most common were the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth spirit marrow, and rarer ones like ice, wind, and thunder. Spirit marrow could be a single attribute or multi-attribute.

 

There were also rarer, exceptional spirit marrows, but it was difficult to find even one among a thousand cultivators. It was not that exceptional spirit marrow was powerful, but rather that its function was special and beyond comprehension.

 

The power of spirit marrow primarily depended on its grade, roughly divided into superior, average, and inferior.

 

If a more precise classification were to be made, it would be a potential ranging from one to one hundred points.

 

One to nine points were considered defective spirit marrow. If lucky, one could become a Qi Refining cultivator but would likely only remain at the first or second layer of the Qi Refining Stage, with little hope of reaching mid Qi Refining.

 

Ten to twenty-nine points were considered inferior spirit marrow. It was lackluster, and the hope for this lifetime lies in rising to prominence among mid Qi Refining cultivators.

 

Thirty to fifty-nine points was the average spirit marrow. Whether one could rise above depended entirely on desperate effort and a stroke of luck.

 

Sixty to seventy-nine points were superior. Cultivators who possess superior spirit marrow cultivate faster and, under normal circumstances, could cultivate to the late Qi Refining Stage. Whether one could reach Foundation Establishment depended on luck.

 

Eighty points or higher were exceptional and were exceedingly rare among cultivators. Within Immortal City Zhaoge, it was commonplace to not see even one in a generation of cultivators.

 

The grade of spirit marrow directly limited the efficiency with which a cultivator converts spiritual energy into essence, so it was also referred to as the spirit marrow bottleneck.

 

Those who possessed superior spirit marrow would even be directly accepted as disciples by the five major immortal sects of the Divine Province, even if they were only in the Qi Refining Stage.

 

This was merely the first spirit marrow of a cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage.

 

After becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the second cervical vertebra would also break through and transform into spirit marrow… The higher the cultivation, the more marrow that would transform into spirit marrow.

 

There were ancient legends in the immortal cultivation world, which said that those who ascended could transform the entire spine’s thirty-three vertebrae into spirit marrow together, a power beyond belief.

 

Master Lu’s previous description of spirit marrow being divided into superior, average, and inferior was overly general and crude. Perhaps he hadn’t elaborated further because his spirit marrow was average.

 

The identification of spirit marrow potential required special spiritual art to determine it.

 

If there was no method of identification, there was a simple way to know the good or bad quality of one’s own spirit marrow. That was to see how many bowls of spirit grain rice one could eat and how high the absorption efficiency was, immediately revealing the quality of the spirit marrow.

 

A Qi Refining cultivator, with spirit marrow thirty points as a starting point, could digest a bowl of spirit grain rice a day.

 

Subsequently, every increase of five points would allow absorption of one extra bowl. A large-bellied man eating seven bowls of spirit grain rice for three meals a day had superior spirit marrow qualifications above sixty points.

 

The only way to change the potential of spirit marrow was to take a Marrow Cleansing Pill.

 

It was a secret method researched by ancient cultivators, refined from deep-mountain spiritual herbs, to cleanse the spirit marrow and refine the bones, with the effect of enlightenment, capable of changing the bottlenecks of a cultivator’s spirit marrow.

 

…

 

Su Chen finished reading the book on spirit marrow and was quite astonished, roughly understanding the situation of spirit marrow.

 

“So, a Qi Refining cultivator only has one spirit marrow! And after Foundation Establishment, a second spirit marrow will also be transformed… If the entire spine’s thirty-three vertebrae were all transformed into spirit marrow, how incredibly powerful would that be! With a mere breath, spiritual energy like the surging waters of a river could instantly transform into essence.”

 

Su Chen sighed in admiration.

 

He settled into a cross-legged position, meditating briefly to adjust his state, and then opened his mouth to swallow the shimmering, crystal-clear Marrow Cleansing Pill.

 

Not long after, the Marrow Cleansing Pill dissolved within his abdomen, transforming into a force of golden medicinal energy that flowed through his body, finally being completely absorbed into the first cervical vertebra. The spirit marrow revealed itself.

 

Su Chen finally saw it clearly.

 

This was the spirit marrow of a Qi Refining cultivator, and currently, the only one he possessed.

 

He was a wood-attribute cultivator.

 

Beneath the surging power of the Marrow Cleansing Pill, the spirit marrow began to cleanse impurities, improving its efficiency in absorbing and transforming spiritual energy.

 

The process of cultivating was excruciating.

 

It felt like countless insects gnawing on his bones, slowly and methodically consuming the impurities within the spirit marrow, refining it to be even more pure.

 

Su Chen closed his eyes and meditated, his body alternating between burning heat and icy tremors, a relentless cycle of hot and cold.

 

After a full hour, the medicinal power of the Marrow Cleansing Pill was completely exhausted.

 

Finally, the cultivating was complete.

 

Su Chen was already so exhausted he felt weary, his body drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked and soiled, and a thin layer of dark residue coating his skin.

 

The spirit marrow seemed to have lost a touch of its impurities, appearing slightly cleaner.

 

He rested for another hour, recovering from the ordeal, and then let out a long sigh as he stepped out of the room.

 

Ah Nu saw Su Chen emerge from his cultivating, his body covered in sweat and grime, and quickly brought a large basin of hot water.

 

Su Chen quickly heated water in a wooden basin and washed, cleansing the grime from his body, before changing into a clean and refreshing set of clothes.

 

He then began his evening meal, a portion of spirit grain rice.

 

Su Chen ate slowly, chewing deliberately, observing how his absorption of spirit grain had improved after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

 

It took nearly an hour to finish this meal, allowing it to digest slowly.

 

His heart was trembling, a silent sob caught in his throat.

 

Today, he had only managed to digest a half-bowl of spirit rice.

 

This meant that the effect of the Marrow Cleansing Pill, which he had purchased for nine hundred and fifty spirit stones, had only improved his spirit marrow by roughly two points.

 

It took five points to increase the amount of spirit rice by one bowl.

 

He would need to undergo the Marrow Cleansing process at least two or three times to increase the amount of spirit rice he could consume by one bowl.

 

It was clearly not as straightforward as Master Lu had described.

 

He had accumulated two thousand spirit stones over half a year, spending half of them on this Marrow Cleansing Pill, and it had only resulted in a two-point improvement.

 

“Once one enters the path of marrow cleansing, it’s a bottomless abyss!”

 

Su Chen couldn’t mask the sorrow etched on his face.

 

No wonder those grey-robed cultivator disciples of the Bi Clan hadn’t considered using it themselves, only selling it instead.

 

The Marrow Cleansing Pill was indeed a valuable commodity, but the cleansing effect of a single pill was hardly noticeable. How many times would one need to undergo the process to cleanse a superior spirit marrow with a score of over sixty points?

 

Su Chen attempted a Marrow Cleansing Pill refinement, experiencing some disappointment, yet harboring a profound unwillingness to accept it.

 

He tasted the essence of spirit marrow…experiencing a slight improvement in its effect. It had increased from a single bowl of spirit grain to a bowl and a half.

 

But allowing that to deter him from continuing the refinement was not an option.

 

Without the refinement, his cultivating speed was far too slow. It would take him three or four decades to become a late Qi Refining cultivator—an intolerably protracted timeline.

 

A single Marrow Cleansing Pill was insufficient; then two, three…five…ten. Gradually, he would improve.

 

Su Chen clenched his jaw, resolving himself.

 

Currently, he lacked spirit grain, though he was not severely short on spirit stones. This spirit marrow bottleneck rigidly limited his absorption of spiritual energy; he absolutely had to overcome this difficulty.

 

…

 

The night market of Immortal City Zhaoge offered no vendors still peddling Marrow Cleansing Pills.

 

Su Chen had no choice but to return to the largest Pill Pavilion in the city.

 

To procure more Marrow Cleansing Pills, only a major Pill Pavilion within Zhaoge City could provide them.

 

The largest in the city was Zhou Pill Pavilion, boasting a complete selection of Qi Refining Stage spirit pills with ample supply. Even for rare spirit pills, there was no immediate availability, but channels existed for procurement.

 

“Fellow Daoist, have you made up your mind to order a single Marrow Cleansing Pill?”

 

A shopkeeper of the Zhou Clan smiled.

 

This was a family industry belonging to the Zhou Clan, and this shopkeeper was naturally a member of the Zhou Clan’s lineage.

 

Yesterday evening, Su Chen had visited his Pill Pavilion, desiring a Marrow Cleansing Pill.

 

But the Marrow Cleansing Pill had few buyers, and the pavilion currently had no stock. If one wished to order, it would require waiting for two or three months, importing it from the five great immortal sects.

 

Su Chen had been unable to wait yesterday and had not ordered. He encountered a grey-robed cultivator in the Zhaoge night market and purchased a single Marrow Cleansing Pill directly from him.

 

“Shopkeeper, can you offer it at a lower price?”

 

“I’m afraid it’s impossible. This Marrow Cleansing Pill comes from the immortal sects, and the price of one thousand spirit stones is set by the five great immortal sects themselves. Our Pill Pavilion only earns dozens of spirit stones in profit for each one sold. You may first pay the deposit of two hundred spirit stones, and I will help you order one.”

 

The Zhou Clan shopkeeper shook his head.

 

Su Chen found it difficult to decide.

 

He only possessed one thousand spirit stones. Although he earned spirit stones quickly, it had been through half a year of diligent effort, selling spirit grain and herbs each day.

 

Purchasing a single Marrow Cleansing Pill would render several months of labor worthless. Purchasing ten would render two years worthless.

 

Inadvertently, Su Chen saw, within a cabinet in the corner of the hall, several aged alchemy jade slips and some spirit pill medicinal formulas.

 

Alchemy!

 

Su Chen was momentarily startled.

 

He suddenly recalled something. It was not necessarily required to buy ready-made spirit pills; perhaps he could learn, cultivating an alchemy.

 

Whether using alchemy personally or selling spirit pills afterward, it would be a lucrative business. The profit of spirit pills exceeded that of spirit grain and spiritual herbs by a considerable margin.

 

“Shopkeeper, let me see these volumes on alchemy!”

 

“Little brother is likely a new arrival to the immortal city, a rogue cultivator. This book on alchemy won’t be of much use to you. You don’t have any spiritual herbs, you don’t have a pill furnace, and you haven’t learned alchemy under an alchemist… Newcomers buying a book on alchemy is purely a waste of spirit stones.”

 

The shopkeeper smiled, advising.

 

But he still took out the alchemy jade slip from behind the counter for Su Chen to look at.

 

These few alchemy jade slips were not particularly valuable on their own.

 

What was truly valuable was the decades, or even centuries, spent cultivating expensive spiritual herbs and the precious, real-world alchemy experience passed down through alchemist master and apprentice. That wasn’t something any cultivator could achieve simply by buying a book on alchemy and becoming an alchemist.

 

Su Chen held the alchemy jade slip and swept his Divine Sense over it, noting some alchemy recorded within.

 

There were also several recipes for alchemy behind the counter.

 

Su Chen pondered, and his thoughts began to stir.

 

[After all, I can grow spiritual herbs myself from seeds.]

 

[I can refine myself. If I can’t finish it, I can sell it, and make a lot of spirit stones.]

 

[Why not learn a bit of alchemy myself?]

 

That way, the cost of spirit pills could be minimized, likely to just a third of the cost, and I could refine spirit pills.

 

Very profitable!

 

“I want this alchemy jade slip and these three low-grade Spirit Dew Pill, Lingzhi Pill, and Clear Wind Jade Dew Pill alchemy recipes. Shopkeeper, do you have a Marrow Cleansing Pill recipe?”

 

Su Chen prepared to obtain these low-grade spirit pills to practice his craft and change professions from a grain merchant to an alchemist.

 

“This alchemy jade slip costs four hundred stones, and each of the three low-grade spirit pill recipes costs one hundred and fifty stones. I don’t have a Marrow Cleansing Pill recipe. Very few alchemists would attempt to refine such a difficult spirit pill. However, I know of an alchemist in Immortal City Zhaoge who once studied a Marrow Cleansing Pill recipe. If you want to buy it, I can inquire for you. Let’s see if he is willing to sell the recipe to you; the price will probably be quite high.”