Chapter 175: The Physique of Silver Essence

Since the great battle that day, Clear Wood Town not only completely freed itself from crisis, but also routed the Eastern family’s forces completely.

Ever since then, within a radius of hundreds of miles around Clear Wood Town, not a single cultivator from the Eastern family remained.

To a certain extent, that battle shifted the balance of power between the two opposing factions throughout Yellow Dragon Spirit City, marking the first time one side gained a clear and decisive advantage.

Following that conflict, Xu Xuan’s name spread far and wide across Yellow Dragon City, making him a god of slaughter on the battlefield.

Starting at the first level of Spirit Refining, he had repeatedly slain cultivators of the same realm, culminating in the consecutive defeat of three major masters of the Spirit Refining stage. Such a combat record was nothing short of miraculous.

And this youth, who continuously created miracles, was only sixteen or seventeen years old this year, quickly becoming an idol in the hearts of countless young cultivators in Yellow Dragon Spirit City.

Xu Xuan’s name even overshadowed Nie Han, who had previously burst onto the scene with astonishing prominence.

Body cultivation—a path once forgotten by the cultivation world—re-entered the minds of the younger generation of cultivators, creating a massive wave of shock throughout Yellow Dragon Spirit City. Of course, compared to the sprawling Fangtian Heavy City that ruled over the six great spirit cities, the vast Kunyun Kingdom, and the boundless Lesser Fish Realm, this was merely a tiny ripple in a vast ocean.

In the days that followed, Clear Wood Town, having fully restored its peace, saw many cultivators either pursuing remaining enemies, resting to recover, or sorting through the spoils of war.

Chu Dong was the first to emerge from seclusion. Firstly, even before joining the battle, he had already reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, and an Immortal Seer’s cultivation focused primarily on spiritual comprehension. Secondly, as he needed to oversee the overall strategy of the campaign, he had no time to consolidate his realm.

As for Xu Xuan, he had broken through to the second level of Spirit Refining within twenty days and did not emerge from seclusion immediately.

Upon breaking through to the second level of Spirit Refining, he had also practically stepped into the realm of the Silver Astral Body.

During the body-casting stage of body cultivation, the most superficial and crude first step was the Bronze-Forged Body, which granted respectable sturdiness and immunity to immortal arts.

The second step of body-casting was the "Silver Astral Body." This crossed over into a new dimension where the physical body was no longer limited to sheer strength, but was also capable of harboring innate divine abilities.

Such abilities stemmed from spontaneous changes within the body itself.

Sitting cross-legged in the secret chamber, Xu Xuan’s skin shimmered with a faint silver texture, his streamlined muscles radiating an elegant and mysterious aura.

If Xu Xuan stirred the vital blood within him, the faint silver patterns on his skin would burst with brilliance, automatically projecting a layer of transparent silver astral force. Viewed from afar, it looked as though he were wearing a thin, translucent suit of crystal-silver armor. If he were to step outside like this, he would undoubtedly look striking, dashing, and charismatic enough to captivate countless female cultivators.

In truth, however, this layer of transparent silver astral force was far from being a mere superficial decoration meant to catch the eye; it was the defensive divine ability inherent to the Silver Astral Body itself.

This layer of astral force gave Xu Xuan the capital to charge single-handedly into an army of thousands.

"Not bad. Even better than expected. Starting from the Silver Astral Body, a body cultivator’s strength will gradually evolve into divine abilities that connect heaven and earth."

The remnant soul from his past life praised approvingly in the depths of his mind.

Xu Xuan furrowed his brows slightly. "According to the memories of body casting from my past life, advancing to the Silver Astral Body awakens a unique divine ability depending on one's individual physique. Why do I not feel anything?"

"That ability is concealed within your bloodline. Since it is an awakening, it naturally cannot manifest all at once. It requires you to gradually explore it as you grow more proficient," the remnant soul replied indifferently.

"Concealed within my bloodline?" Xu Xuan was slightly startled. Did this mean——

"Correct! You now possess the equivalent of a thin, inherited bloodline, and you are the first generation—the pioneer of this bloodline heritage!" The remnant soul chuckled.

Hearing this, Xu Xuan felt his blood boil with excitement. An ordinary mortal like him could now possess a talent comparable to an inherited bloodline!

Take Eastern Ba, for instance. He was powerful and well-resourced, but all of that was inherited from his ancestors.

Xu Xuan, however, was acting as his own "ancestor," pioneering a brand-new bloodline heritage.

Of course, his current inherited bloodline was extremely thin, falling short even of Eastern Ba's.

After all, those bloodline inheritors at their peak were supreme beings of the primordial era who could shatter mountains and rivers with a wave of their hands, summon wind and rain, and in some cases, cover the skies with one hand while plucking the sun and moon, revered as ancient deities!

In other words, Xu Xuan’s physical body had transcended the category and limits of ordinary living beings, tracing back to those primordial innate entities.

Compared to the might of the Silver Astral Body, Xu Xuan’s advancement to the second level of Spirit Refining merely brought a moderate increase in primordial energy.

At the Spirit Refining stage, the difference in strength between each minor realm was roughly one-third.

One-third might seem small, but in battles between true experts, a one-tenth difference could mean the difference between life and death at a crucial moment.

Xu Xuan believed that slaying a fourth-level Spirit Refining expert would now be much easier for him, and if he fought with all his might, he could even threaten cultivators above the fifth level of Spirit Refining. The only ones who could truly pose a fatal threat to him were experts at or above the seventh level of Spirit Refining.

After consolidating his realm for several days, Xu Xuan entered the Sea of Memories to sort through his spoils of war.

During this defense of Clear Wood Town, Xu Xuan had acquired over a hundred thousand inferior-grade spirit stones, a dozen-plus spirit artifacts, one to two hundred bottles of various spirit elixirs, and mountains of other materials.

Xu Xuan categorized and processed the vast array of materials, setting aside those most useful to him—which were primarily items with fire attributes.

Swish! Swish!

The remnant soul flicked a hand, and from the mountain of materials, two objects flew out and landed in its palm: a Buddha jade and a jade slip.

"You need to pay attention to collecting soul-type treasures. If you gather enough of them, the next time you face the Condensing Core stage, I can lend you some prestige. More importantly, now that you have entered the Spirit Refining stage, you need to unlock the core body cultivation techniques left from my past life," the remnant soul admonished.

Xu Xuan looked at the Buddha jade and the jade slip in the remnant soul's hand. These two objects ought to contain pure spiritual energy.

As for that "core content," it was something the remnant soul had comprehended with its lifelong wisdom and heart based on ancient body cultivation memories before its fall.

That core content was related to another body cultivation method: "Meridian Unblocking."

Whether it was body casting or meridian unblocking, both were cultivation methods—or rather, stages—of ancient body cultivators. While these stages varied in depth and height, as long as one met the requirements, one could practice one or even multiple paths simultaneously.

"The reserves of these two soul-type material crystals are insufficient. We’ve only gathered a tenth, which is not enough to unlock the core content."

The remnant soul shook its head.

"When I have time, I'll look for them in Yellow Dragon Spirit City, or perhaps try my luck in the higher-tier 'Fangtian Heavy City.'"

Xu Xuan said expressionlessly. Unlocking the core content of his past life was undoubtedly an unquestionable goal.

Afterward, he sat within the Sea of Memories, absorbing and comprehending more of his past-life memories.

By now, the Sea of Memories had expanded to a radius of over a hundred miles.

This hundred-mile area was no longer small, encompassing dozens of star-stones and thousands of tiny star-sands. Each star-stone contained relatively important memories from his past life, though "satellite-class" celestial bodies, as mentioned in his past-life memories, had yet to appear.

This time, Xu Xuan comprehended a great deal of knowledge regarding artifact forging. Because of his advantage with flame power, he had developed a keen interest in this field.

Several days later, Xu Xuan emerged from seclusion without a sound.

He walked leisurely through the Tieling Ridge of Clear Wood Town, planning to visit his parents.

Along the way, numerous cultivators of the Zhang family took the initiative to greet him.

"Greetings, Guest Official Xu!"

"Look quickly, it's Immortal Master Xu!"

Many cultivators spotted Xu Xuan from afar with expressions of excitement.

A few youths at the Qi Refining stage approached him with eyes full of worship, asking to become his disciples.

"Apprentice?" Xu Xuan wore a peculiar expression, shaking his head expressionlessly. "I am not old yet, and I have no desire to take on disciples."

Most of the cultivators in Clear Wood Town actually recognized Xu Xuan. The older cultivators’ eyes were filled with awe and reverence, while the younger ones wore expressions of adoration and fanaticism.

"This... what on earth is going on?"

Xu Xuan’s heart trembled slightly. Even if he had made a name for himself in Yellow Dragon City, it shouldn't have been this exaggerated.

However, facts proved that things could always get even more exaggerated.

Female cultivators he occasionally brushed past on the path cast lingering glances at him or approached him with blushing faces, among whom quite a few possessed pleasant appearances.

Xu Xuan no longer had the mood to stroll. He immediately boarded his black flying carpet and sped directly toward his family's home on Tieling Ridge to check on his parents.

"Brother!"

A familiar voice rang out as his younger sister, Huilan, threw herself into his arms.

Not only had Xu Huilan rushed over, but Yu Qin was also standing nearby with a gentle smile, her pure and flawless eyes shimmering with pleasant surprise. The corners of her eyes were slightly damp, and after a brief glance at Xu Xuan, she lowered her head and blushed.

The family reunited and enjoyed a hearty meal together.

During the banquet, Xu Huilan smiled mischievously and said, "Sister Qin, just treat this as your own home and share a brother with me."

Yu Qin had never experienced such warmth before. Gradually letting go of her reserve, a sunrise-like smile bloomed on her delicate face, though whenever she accidentally met the gaze of Xu Xuan—her nominal brother—her heart would beat wildly like a frightened deer.

Xu’s father and mother occasionally glanced at Yu Qin, nodding inwardly. This girl was pure, kind, and as flawless as untainted snow, making her easy to dote on and cherish.

After this period of time, Yu Qin had indeed broken through to the Spirit Refining stage, while his sister had reached the eighth level of Spirit Refining.

Xu Xuan stayed at home to guide the two young women in immortal arts and array formation knowledge.

Much of the knowledge from his past-life memories could be copied directly into jade slips using his spiritual sense and handed over to the two of them for comprehension.

He did not linger at home for long before Zhang Feng came looking for him, claiming they needed to discuss matters regarding the campaign.

Xu Huilan angrily drove Zhang Feng out of the house with a pout, leaving the latter looking helpless. "Brother Xu, Nie Han has also been reassigned back to Clear Wood Town. There is a matter we need to discuss with you."

Nie Han?

Xu Xuan was slightly startled. Wasn't Nie Han stationed in another war zone of Yellow Dragon City?

Bidding farewell to his family shortly after, Xu Xuan departed alongside Zhang Feng.

Along the way, Zhang Feng secretly sized up Xu Xuan, sensing an indescribable oppressive aura emanating from the youth. This aura lacked its previous wild and untamed roughness, replaced instead by a noble and mysterious quality. Under a direct gaze, it even made one feel somewhat inferior by comparison.

It was a feeling akin to an ordinary living being standing before a noble entity of ancient heritage.

Of course, Zhang Feng couldn't quite put his finger on the situation; he simply felt that Xu Xuan had changed drastically.

"Brother Zhang, what is this matter you've come to find me for?"

Xu Xuan asked calmly.

"Recently, in the Yellow Dragon campaign, we have gradually begun our counteroffensive." Zhang Feng paused slightly before continuing, "Among them, 'Star Feather Mountain' holds a secret realm and is a contested strategic location. Both Brother Xu and Nie Han hail from that lineage. I wonder if you have any interest in retaking 'Star Feather Mountain'..."

*(Chapter One...)*