I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 242: Chapter 138: Directly Enter the Marrow Cleansing Realm?

Seated at the center, Yang Wenqing looked as divine as a god or a saint. After a moment of silence, he took a jade vial from his Storage Bag. When he pulled out the stopper, a cool and deeply refreshing, peculiar fragrance filled the air. Inside the vial was "Aperture Opening Dew," a supplement for the Eighth Refinement. This dew was refined from the essence of various rare Spirit Grasses known to stimulate one’s acupoints, using morning dew and moonlight as catalysts. A single gram cost three thousand yuan.

Yang Wenqing squeezed out three drops and held them under his tongue. He didn’t swallow them, instead allowing the medicinal power to dissolve on its own, seeping into his body along with his saliva and breath.

The moment the Aperture Opening Dew entered his body, it was immediately captured and guided by the Starry Cycle Acupoint-Guiding Array. Yang Wenqing felt as if three hundred and sixty-five tiny points inside him were heating up simultaneously. A pleasant sensation came from the nodes of meridians he had already cleared, while a faint, throbbing ache emanated from the remote, unopened acupoints.

He gathered his focus and operated the Eighth Refinement Spell with all his might, guiding the combined energy of the Array and the potion to concentrate on the Jianjing Acupoint.

This acupoint belonged to the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. Located in the hollow of the shoulder, it was like a deep well connected to a spring. It wasn’t the most difficult passage to clear, but it was a crucial hub connecting the flow of qi, blood, and Spiritual Qi between the upper limbs and the torso.

Opening this acupoint would further connect the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian and the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, making the circulation of Spiritual Power in his arms more fluid and swift. This would directly benefit the casting of all his Spells.

With the aid of the Starry Cycle Acupoint-Guiding Array, the energy was precisely guided to his right shoulder, where the Jianjing Acupoint was located. Yang Wenqing focused his mind and began Introspection, his consciousness sinking into the increasingly clear and solid projection of his Golden Core World.

At this moment, his Inner Scene was no longer the hazy view it once was. The three hundred and twenty opened acupoints were like three hundred and twenty stars already lit in the night sky, outlining a complex yet orderly stellar map of the human body according to their respective meridians.

The forty-five unopened acupoints, however, were like dim, empty places on this stellar map. Under the stimulation of the Array and the Aperture Opening Dew, most of them appeared as grayish structures, obstructing the flow of Spiritual Qi.

Among them, the empty space corresponding to the Jianjing Acupoint was trembling slightly. The blockage rippled under the impact of the energy, faintly revealing the void and potential that lay behind it.

Yang Wenqing gazed at the blockage, perfectly calm. He controlled the gathered, pure energy, shaping it into an intangible yet resilient spiritual awl. He aimed it at the center of the Jianjing Acupoint’s obstruction, striking continuously and steadily at a specific frequency and angle.

THUD... THUD... THUD...

It was the reverberation in his Divine Sense caused by the oscillating Spiritual Qi. With each impact, a tiny bit of the obstruction was worn away, revealing a sliver of light. The throbbing pain from the assault was clearly transmitted to Yang Wenqing’s senses, but it was completely manageable, even partially neutralized by the vitality and warmth emanating from the Array.

The assault continued for about half an hour, and the obstruction grew extremely thin. The void behind it became clearly visible, like a spring on the verge of gushing forth.

Yang Wenqing knew the time had come. He took a deep breath, abruptly surged the Spiritual Qi in his Qi Sea, and, in coordination with the Array, instantly increased the energy output directed at the Jianjing Acupoint!

POP!

A more tangible sound of shattering echoed within the projection of his Golden Core World as the final layer of obstruction at the Jianjing Acupoint broke apart.

In an instant, a point of light as brilliant as a diamond erupted from the void, quickly becoming the three hundred and twenty-first illuminated star. The newborn star’s light flickered at first, but it soon stabilized under a constant infusion of nourishing energy from the Array, forming a stable, miniature vortex of Spiritual Qi.

At the same time, Yang Wenqing felt an indescribable clarity and lightness in his right shoulder, as if an invisible shackle had been removed.

The flow of Spiritual Qi through this area, whether from his torso to his arm or back again, suddenly became much smoother, even gaining a hint of nimbleness. Through Introspection, he saw that with the newly opened Jianjing Acupoint as a node, the Spiritual Qi exchange between the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian and the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian had become significantly more active, forming a more stable, secondary circulatory loop.

The three hundred and twenty-first acupoint, the Jianjing Acupoint, was successfully opened!

Feeling neither joy nor sorrow, Yang Wenqing immediately entered the consolidation phase. He slowed the energy assault, instead guiding the gentle starlight and the Five Elements’ vital energy from the Array to seep into the newly opened Jianjing Acupoint like a steady spring rain. This helped stabilize its vortex, reinforce its inner walls, and integrate it more quickly into his body’s main circulatory system.

While consolidating the acupoint, he also devoted a sliver of his consciousness to examining the changes within his Golden Core World projection.

He was still forty-four acupoints away from the perfection of opening all three hundred and sixty-five. The remaining ones were progressively more remote and stubborn, or were critically important, making the risk of opening them higher. However, the improvement brought by opening each one was also tangible and real.

The consolidation lasted for about an hour. Once the Jianjing Acupoint was completely stable and its connection with the other acupoints flowed smoothly, Yang Wenqing slowly withdrew his power. The light from the Array gradually dimmed, eventually vanishing into the walls and floor of the Quiet Chamber, leaving only the faint glow of the Spirit Gathering Array and the Spirit Calming Wood incense burner.

He opened his eyes. A river of stars seemed to flow within their depths before vanishing into profound tranquility. A successful acupoint breakthrough not only increased his Spiritual Power but also deepened his understanding of the inner world of his body. He gently moved his right shoulder, savoring its newfound nimbleness.

’Only the last forty-four acupoints to go...’

Yang Wenqing felt a surge of anticipation.

A short while later, he withdrew from his Introspection and opened his eyes. The fragrance of Spirit Calming Wood drifted through the Quiet Chamber, and the light from the Spirit Gathering Array was soft.

After breaking through one acupoint, he didn’t rush to continue. Instead, he calmed his mind and qi, using a ’Spirit Nurturing Spell’ to harmonize the subtle fluctuations caused by the breakthrough. He meticulously perceived every subtle change the newly opened Jianjing Acupoint brought to his body.

He sat in meditation until six-thirty in the morning, rising only as the sky began to lighten. After a brief stretch, he cast a Dust Clearing Skill on himself and walked toward the training grounds on the east side of the inner residence.

First, he practiced the Jingzhe Sword Formulas. His short sword transformed into a line of fire that danced around his body, the wind from the blade whistling with a contained, scorching heat. Then, he put the sword away and took out several sheets of blank Rune paper.

Today, he planned to try inscribing a new offensive Dharma Seal: the Sharp Gold Spell.

This was a Metal Element Dharma Seal. The spell refined the "sharpness" and "piercing" characteristics of Metal Element Spiritual Qi to their absolute limit. Once activated, it could form a bolt of sharp metal qi as solid as a needle, designed specifically to break through protective Spiritual Light and defensive robes. It was an effective tool for dealing with opponents who had superior defenses.

The key to inscribing this seal was the high-level condensation of Metal Element Spiritual Qi. Since he didn’t have a Five Elements Spiritual Vein, he had to borrow power from his five major organs. The slightest mistake could cause the condensed sharp metal qi to lose control and dissipate, or even backlash and harm him.

Yang Wenqing regulated his breath and focused his mind, then extended his right index finger. A mote of pale golden Spiritual Light appeared at his fingertip, possessing a restrained sense of weight and sharpness. He recalled every detail of the Dharma Seal diagram in his mind and began to guide the Metal Element Spiritual Qi within his body.

The Metal Element Spiritual Qi felt cold and hard. He carefully drew it out from his Qi Sea, guiding it along specific meridians to his fingertip while simultaneously using his powerful Divine Sense to meticulously compress and shape it.

On the Rune paper, an intricate, three-dimensional rune that was simultaneously simple and complex began to appear. Its core was a sharp, pyramid-shaped symbol, surrounded by layers of inwardly contracting auxiliary runes that enhanced its stability and focus.

Yang Wenqing was completely focused, the Spiritual Light from his fingertip flowing out in a steady stream. He could feel the wisp of Metal Element Spiritual Qi, compressed to its absolute limit, circulating within the rune like a caged blade, straining to be unleashed.

After about two minutes, a golden light flashed on the Rune paper before quickly receding. All that remained on the paper’s surface was a three-dimensional, pale-gold mark that was as cold as metal to the touch.

Success!

Yang Wenqing didn’t pause. While the feeling was still fresh, he immediately inscribed four more.

He failed on the very next attempt, but his overall success rate was still quite good. Out of six tries, only one had failed. The failure occurred during the final step, when a slight instability in his Spiritual Power output caused the rune’s structure to collapse, making the Rune paper spontaneously combust into ash. However, thanks to the perception of his Golden Core World, he detected the failure the instant it happened and severed the flow of Spiritual Qi from his Qi Sea, avoiding any harm to himself.

Looking at the five Dharma Seals, each one filled with sharp qi, Yang Wenqing felt a touch of satisfaction. This type of Dharma Seal could be used to enchant bullets. When used with special ammunition, it could even threaten rogue Cultivators at the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

He then carefully put the five Dharma Seals away and regulated his breath for a moment to partially recover his depleted Spiritual Power and Divine Sense.

By now, the sky was fully lit. The sounds of voices and activity began to stir within the Yang’s Residence. Yang Wenqing finished his morning practice and returned to the inner residence.