Chapter 256: Lightning Body Tempering
“Hm? Dragon Blood Stone!”
Ji Yuan immediately perked up.
After all, this was one of the materials needed to upgrade the Level 4 【Fish Pond】. Previously, he had been planning to seek out Real Person Many-Eyes on Tianmu Mountain to negotiate a trade.
Yet now, five Dragon Blood Stones had actually appeared at this auction...
Ji Yuan was eighty percent certain that they had most likely been put up for auction by that very Real Person Many-Eyes.
After all, throughout the Southern Merchant Region, there weren't many people capable of producing five Dragon Blood Stones at once.
That was even better.
If he truly had to seek out an unfamiliar Core Formation Cultivator for a trade, Ji Yuan would still have been somewhat worried.
What if the other party had a bad temperament, turned out to be an evil cultivator, and decided to rob him?
That would have been troublesome.
Even if he managed to escape, it would still cost him dearly.
Now that they had appeared at the auction, everything worked out perfectly.
At worst, he would simply spend a few more Spirit Stones, conveniently saving himself a great deal of trouble.
For the current Ji Yuan, anything that could be solved with Spirit Stones should be solved with Spirit Stones whenever possible.
Afterward, Ji Yuan looked through the other auction items.
The only things that truly interested him were the Third-Tier Demon Beast Cores.
Many buildings required those for upgrades.
Even if they weren't used for upgrading buildings, they could be kept in reserve for refining Third-Tier medicinal pills in the future.
Unfortunately, there weren't many of them.
Only two.
One Water-Attribute.
One Wood-Attribute.
Ji Yuan planned to see whether he could secure one of them.
Half a day later, he arrived at the South Sea Auction House.
Although they had already stopped accepting auction consignments, quite a number of cultivators still entered and exited the building.
Among them were no shortage of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Ji Yuan, having already altered his appearance into that of an elderly old man, naturally walked inside.
After entering, he glanced around before finding his target.
He walked over to the consignment room on the right.
Inside, two elderly Foundation Establishment cultivators—both veteran appraisers with decades of experience—were arguing over something.
The moment they saw Ji Yuan enter, both of them immediately fell silent before revealing courteous smiles.
“Fellow Daoist, this round of consignments has already ended. If you have any treasures, please return next time.”
One of them, an elderly man wearing a blue robe, cupped his hands politely.
Ji Yuan replied without any courtesy,
“That is only because Fellow Daoist hasn't seen the treasure I possess.”
“Oh?”
The blue-robed elder instinctively raised an eyebrow.
He exchanged a glance with the other appraiser.
Neither of them said anything like, “Rules are rules. We all have to follow them.”
Perhaps a newly appointed appraiser might say such things.
But people as experienced as they were...
Would never say something that only brought losses without any benefit.
Ji Yuan remained silent.
He simply raised his hand and closed the room's door.
The other appraiser, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator dressed in black robes, instinctively reached toward his Storage Pouch, as though already prepared to attack.
Ji Yuan behaved as though he hadn't noticed at all.
He calmly took out a treasure chest from his Storage Pouch.
With a lift of his right hand, he used the Object Manipulation Technique to flip open the lid, revealing its contents.
One Dragon Blood Stone.
One Venomous Flood Dragon Pearl.
One piece of Dragon Musk.
“This...”
The blue-robed elder who had spoken first immediately guessed what it was.
Ji Yuan then injected a trace of spiritual energy into the Dragon Blood Stone.
Instantly, the aura of a High-Grade Restriction Technique spread outward, startling both elders into retreating several steps.
Ji Yuan withdrew his hand, no longer channeling spiritual energy into it, before smiling and asking,
“Well, Fellow Daoists?”
Gone was their previous calmness.
Both veteran appraisers now wore extremely solemn expressions.
They first crouched beside the treasure chest to examine it carefully.
Then they looked at one another.
Neither spoke aloud, but it was obvious they were communicating through voice transmission.
Ji Yuan simply waited.
Only after some time did the blue-robed elder raise his head and softly ask,
“Fellow Daoist... Was this prepared for the egg-laying Thunderstorm Flood Dragon within the storm region?”
Ji Yuan raised a thumbs-up toward him and clicked his tongue in admiration.
“Fellow Daoist is truly knowledgeable.”
The blue-robed elder stood up, took a deep breath, and cupped his hands toward Ji Yuan before saying,
“This matter is of great importance. Would Fellow Daoist permit me to consult someone first?”
“Help yourself.”
Ji Yuan waved his hand casually.
The blue-robed elder nodded before leaving.
Meanwhile, the black-robed elder gently closed the treasure chest before smiling warmly.
“Fellow Daoist, please take a seat.”
Immediately afterward, he took out several spiritual fruits overflowing with spiritual energy from his Storage Pouch before brewing a pot of premium spiritual tea.
“Please enjoy some tea, Fellow Daoist.”
By the time Ji Yuan was pouring himself a second cup...
The blue-robed elder returned.
His face was filled with unconcealed delight.
“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. Congratulations indeed.”
“This treasure has been granted special permission to enter the auction three days from now.”
“And it will even appear as one of the grand finale items.”
“Oh?”
Ji Yuan raised an eyebrow, deliberately revealing several traces of joy before cupping his hands toward both men.
“Congratulations to you both as well.”
If this treasure sold for a high price...
The two of them would naturally receive commissions as well.
Everything afterward became simple.
They accepted the “Flood Dragon Hunting Three-Piece Set.”
In return, they handed Ji Yuan an entry token for the upcoming auction.
It even granted him an exclusive seat on the second floor.
After obtaining it, Ji Yuan left.
Over the next three days, he gathered information throughout South Sea City.
Having just returned from overseas, he focused on understanding the current situation at Merchant Mountain and throughout the Eastern Merchant Region.
The conclusion...
Was far from optimistic.
Extremely far from optimistic.
First was the situation at Merchant Mountain.
Over the past year, Merchant Mountain had been breached several times.
Although each breach had ultimately been repaired...
The defensive line had nonetheless suffered severe damage.
The Six Immortal Sects had repeatedly mobilized Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refinement disciples from their sects to reinforce it.
Even Medicine King Valley, located relatively close to Merchant Mountain, had issued recruitment orders, calling upon rogue cultivators within its territory to head toward Merchant Mountain.
As a result, countless rogue cultivators throughout Medicine King Valley's territory fled toward various regions of the Eastern Merchant Region.
During these two years of warfare...
Both the Eastern Merchant Region and the Western Merchant Region had suffered casualties among Core Formation Cultivators.
As for Foundation Establishment cultivators...
Their losses were naturally the greatest.
Rumor even claimed that some Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Eastern Merchant Region had begun merely showing up without truly fighting.
However...
Aside from the Nascent Soul clash that had occurred at the very beginning of the war...
No Nascent Soul cultivators had appeared publicly again during these past two years.
As for the internal situation of the Eastern Merchant Region...
It could be summarized in a single word.
Chaos!
On one hand, the invasion launched by the demonic cultivators from the Western Merchant Region had greatly encouraged the demonic cultivators within the Eastern Merchant Region.
Many of them responded by beginning campaigns of murder and arson throughout various locations.
There were also countless robber cultivators seizing the opportunity to amass wealth.
They were rather similar to the group Ji Yuan had encountered back in the Yunlin Mountain Range.
Even a city as distant from the battlefield as South Sea City had experienced several major rebellions over the past year.
One of them was Luo Sifu's betrayal, which resulted in the destruction of the entire Whale Patrol Ship.
Ji Yuan himself had personally experienced that incident.
Many pieces of information spread afterward.
Some claimed that Luo Sifu had fallen in love with a female demonic cultivator.
The Luo Family had strongly opposed the relationship.
That alone would have been one thing.
However, the rumors claimed that the Luo Family had deceived him.
They had initially pretended to agree, asking Luo Sifu to bring the demonic woman home.
Yet during the welcoming banquet...
They poisoned her to death.
It was because of that incident that Luo Sifu came to hate the Luo Family, eventually committing what he did.
Another major incident involved an organization known as the “Heaven-Shocking Infant Kidnapping Group.”
They had shifted into trafficking children throughout South Sea City.
The matter caused an enormous uproar.
It even prompted numerous righteous cultivators to take action.
Although many demonic cultivators were eliminated afterward...
The organization itself was never completely destroyed.
After learning about all these matters...
Ji Yuan immediately felt tremendous pressure.
If things continued developing at this pace...
There probably wouldn't be much time left for peaceful growth.
Truly...
Human plans could never surpass Heaven's arrangements.
If the sect found itself lacking Foundation Establishment disciples...
Then after returning this time, he probably wouldn't get much rest before receiving another mission.
Since that was the case...
He could only hope the Li Family's Alchemy Workshop had already been completed.
If so...
He might be able to cultivate there for another period.
Ji Yuan's greatest problem remained...
Time.
There simply wasn't enough of it.
Had he transmigrated just a little earlier...
Given a peaceful hundred years of cultivation...
He would at the very least have become a Core Formation Cultivator.
Unfortunately...
Even after cultivating with everything he had...
He remained only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Three days later...
Ji Yuan attended the auction as scheduled.
The outcome was that he spent 2,700 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to successfully obtain the five Dragon Blood Stones.
Afterward, he spent another 3,600 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to purchase the Wood-Attribute Third-Tier Demon Beast Core.
As for the “Flood Dragon Hunting Three-Piece Set” he had consigned...
It unexpectedly attracted competition from four or five Core Formation Cultivators.
In the end, it sold for the astonishing price of 6,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
Thus...
After the entire auction concluded...
Ji Yuan had effectively spent only 300 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to acquire five Dragon Blood Stones along with one Third-Tier Demon Beast Core.
Of course...
There was also the 300 Mid-Grade Spirit Stone commission fee.
Mm...
Once again, many thanks to the generous and magnanimous Crippled Taoist Mourner.
After the auction ended...
Ji Yuan collected his items without lingering.
He immediately headed northeast.
His destination this time...
Was Thunder Marsh.
Once he condensed another sword embryo there...
He could finally return to the sect.
“Thunder Marsh.”
High above the clouds, Ji Yuan sat cross-legged upon the Wind Locust Flying Boat, softly repeating the name.
Thunder Marsh, spanning a radius of eight hundred li, actually wasn't very far from the coastline.
There was even a natural harbor extending inland.
However, because it directly faced the southeastern winds...
Thunderstorms raged there all year round.
Over countless years...
It gradually transformed into the Thunder Marsh.
Of course...
That was merely one explanation.
More people believed that the deepest region of Thunder Marsh concealed a supreme treasure.
That treasure attracted the divine lightning.
Or perhaps...
The divine lightning itself was emitted by that treasure.
Unfortunately...
Throughout all these years...
No one had ever reached the deepest part of Thunder Marsh.
Ji Yuan knew he couldn't either.
According to historical records...
The divine lightning at the center of Thunder Marsh was capable of killing Core Formation Cultivators.
As for Nascent Soul Lords who had mastered teleportation...
As long as they weren't seeking death...
Even this natural divine lightning couldn't kill them.
Therefore...
Ji Yuan estimated that if he wished to enter the deepest part of Thunder Marsh...
He would at least have to cultivate the 《Nine Revolutions Mysterious Yang》 to the Third Revolution—
The Golden Body with Mysterious Bones realm.
The Li Family's connection near Thunder Marsh happened to be a Core Formation family bearing the surname Lou.
According to Li Changhe...
The Li Family had always maintained close ties with the Lou Family.
They had even intermarried several times.
Thus, when Ji Yuan arrived at the Lou Family, there was no need to stand on ceremony.
He could simply treat it as though he had returned to the Li Family.
Thinking about it...
That made perfect sense.
A Nascent Soul noble family intermarrying with a Core Formation noble family...
Naturally, the latter would take excellent care of members of the former.
However...
After some thought during the journey...
Ji Yuan ultimately decided not to waste time visiting the Lou Family.
Thunder Marsh differed from other places.
For instance...
The Blood River within the Ancient Battlefield required members of the Wei Family to guide one there.
Ice-Fire Pond was the same.
Without finding the Ice-Fire Elder...
One couldn't even hope to see it.
Thunder Marsh, spanning eight hundred li, was entirely different.
There was no need to find anyone.
Because Thunder Marsh had always been there.
No one could occupy it.
Nor did anyone dare.
Of course...
The primary reason was that occupying Thunder Marsh served little purpose.
Although some earthly treasures existed within...
Very few people were capable of entering to harvest them.
Whether for demon beasts or cultivators...
Lightning techniques were terrifying existences.
Since there was no need to trouble others...
Ji Yuan naturally intended to go by himself.
It saved everyone the inconvenience.
Of course...
That only applied to Ji Yuan.
If members of the Li Family came...
They would certainly visit the Lou Family first.
Why?
Because the Lou Family possessed a safe route leading deep into Thunder Marsh.
As long as members of the Li Family entered through that route...
They could safely condense their flying swords.
Thunder Marsh covered a radius of eight hundred li.
Meaning its radius measured roughly four hundred li.
The route controlled by the Lou Family extended approximately one hundred li into Thunder Marsh.
Meanwhile...
Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid only appeared at locations at least eighty li deep within Thunder Marsh.
Thus...
If Ji Yuan wished to condense the Thunder Punishment Flying Sword relying solely upon himself...
He would have to forcefully push eighty li into Thunder Marsh using nothing but his physical body.
And that...
Was merely the minimum requirement.
Thinking about this...
Ji Yuan felt both anticipation...
And a hint of fear.
After traveling northeast for roughly half a month...
Even while remaining high above the clouds...
Ji Yuan could already see dense black thunderclouds looming ahead.
The clouds rose far higher than ordinary white clouds.
Streaks of Electric Light flashed continuously within them.
Purple lightning rolled endlessly.
It even gave Ji Yuan the feeling that he had returned to the storm region.
After flying forward for another incense stick's worth of time...
As the thunderclouds drew ever closer...
Thunder boomed without end.
The deafening roars shook the heavens.
Ji Yuan could even feel stray lightning dancing through the surrounding air, crackling across the surface of his skin.
Yet such weak lightning...
Didn't even qualify as scratching an itch for him.
Since he had already arrived...
He might as well head down for a look.
Ji Yuan guided the flying boat downward.
It pierced through the thunderclouds before reaching the ground.
As far as the eye could see...
The landscape consisted entirely of muddy marshlands.
The earth was waterlogged and soft.
Even the wild grasses growing there were sparse.
Not a single tree could be seen.
Ji Yuan couldn't even find a suitable place to store the flying boat.
At present...
He stood along the southwestern edge of Thunder Marsh.
Squinting toward the depths of Thunder Marsh...
He watched endless streaks of purple lightning crash downward.
Each strike sent both water and lightning scattering into the air.
Yet the ground itself remained completely intact.
After enduring countless years of lightning strikes...
The earth had long since become incomparably sturdy.
Entirely unafraid of further bombardment.
‘Putting everything else aside...’
‘Even the soil and stones here are probably valuable treasures.’
Ji Yuan thought to himself.
As for advancing eighty li into Thunder Marsh...
The one fortunate thing was that the purple lightning here differed from the purple lightning within the storm region.
The storm region's lightning followed no pattern whatsoever.
The first strike might be so weak that even a Qi Refinement cultivator could withstand it.
The next...
Might be powerful enough to kill even a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Ji Yuan had been injured precisely because he had suffered that loss before.
The purple lightning within Thunder Marsh, however, was completely different.
Its strength increased progressively from the outer edge toward the center.
In other words...
The deeper one advanced...
The stronger the lightning became.
The farther outward one remained...
The weaker it became.
This arrangement perfectly suited Ji Yuan.
Not only would it make advancing easier...
It also made it ideal for...
Lightning Body Tempering!
Ji Yuan had come to Thunder Marsh for two purposes.
First...
To condense another flying sword embryo.
Second...
To temper his physical body.
He intended to fully master the Skin Tempering chapter here.
If he could even break through into the Second Revolution—
The Tendon Tempering chapter—
That would be even better!
The Second Revolution of the 《Nine Revolutions Mysterious Yang》 was practically equivalent to possessing Core Formation combat power.
A Core Formation-level body...
Combined with late Foundation Establishment spiritual energy...
Would at least provide sufficient strength for self-preservation.
Thinking of this...
Ji Yuan no longer wished to delay.
He wanted to head deeper into Thunder Marsh immediately.
Body Tempering!
With a thought...
The Wind Locust Flying Boat beneath his feet transformed into a streak of green light before flying back into his Storage Pouch.
Ji Yuan firmly stepped into the muddy swamp.
The instant both feet touched the water...
He felt the power of lightning coursing through it.
Almost immediately...
His entire body shuddered.
His mind became startlingly clear.
A tingling numbness spread through him.
Still bearable.
Not yet weak enough to count as merely scratching an itch.
He then released his Divine Sense.
After confirming no one else was nearby...
He finally proceeded deeper into Thunder Marsh with complete peace of mind.
Purple lightning descended.
It struck his body.
Yet nothing happened.
If outsiders witnessed such a scene...
They would likely regard him as some heaven-defying monster.
That would undoubtedly become another major source of trouble.
Since Ji Yuan possessed such abilities...
Naturally, he intended to prevent problems before they arose.
After advancing several dozen steps...
He finally reached the outermost boundary of Thunder Marsh.
Only here did purple lightning begin falling.
However...
These bolts remained exceptionally thin.
By the time they reached the ground...
They were no thicker than chopsticks.
Even so...
To remain cautious...
Ji Yuan first extended only his right hand into the lightning.
“Crack—”
Two weak streaks of purple lightning struck his palm.
The sensation...
Was no different from being bitten by a mosquito.
It hardly felt like anything.
Then he circulated his blood vitality.
Immediately afterward...
He felt nothing at all.
With large strides...
He walked straight inside.
Although the lightning along the outermost region possessed some Body Tempering effect...
Compared to the lightning deeper within...
Its effectiveness was simply too weak.
Ji Yuan had no desire to waste time lingering here.
Amid countless bolts of purple lightning crashing down...
He steadily walked toward the depths of Thunder Marsh.
Soon...
His figure disappeared entirely within the curtain of purple lightning.
After advancing one li...
The lightning striking his body felt little different from scratching an itch.
After five li...
It had already become somewhat painful.
Even so...
Ji Yuan still didn't circulate his blood vitality.
Instead...
He allowed the purple lightning to continuously strike his physical body.
By the time he reached ten li...
His entire body had already been scorched bright red by the endless lightning.
Only after reaching the ten-li mark...
Did Ji Yuan gradually slow his pace.
Although he still hadn't circulated his blood vitality...
He finally began...
Practicing the Walking Stance.
The Walking Stance tempered the body.
Lightning likewise tempered the body.
When the two were combined...
Their effect far surpassed the simple sum of both methods.
Ji Yuan had already realized this before arriving at Thunder Marsh.
The reason he hadn't tried it earlier...
Was because the outer lightning simply wasn't strong enough to produce any real Body Tempering effect.
Now...
To borrow a phrase from his previous life...
The stance technique opened every cell within his body.
Then...
The lightning surged into them all.
The tingling numbness...
The piercing pain...
At the same time, the power of lightning continuously strengthened every individual cell.
Although the process was painful...
The results were astonishingly gratifying.
This was because the stance technique not only strengthened his blood vitality...
It also blocked a portion of the lightning's might.
In turn...
That further increased Ji Yuan's resistance to lightning.
By the time he had advanced thirty li...
He suddenly felt his physical body rise to an entirely new level.
If his previous physical strength could be compared to the early Foundation Establishment stage...
Then his current body had already reached the strength of the mid Foundation Establishment stage.
And this...
Was after advancing only thirty li.