Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 197 Perfection of Soul and Body

Lin Yan figured that since he couldn't go to school immediately, he might as well cultivate. His Divine Demon Visualization Technique and the Great Zhou Heavenly Star Body Refining Technique were both stuck at the second stage, sixth level. After wasting so much time, it was time to improve. With his mind made up, Lin Yan didn't delay any longer. He took Xiao Qi and Lin Gang with him, and in a flash, they entered the self-contained spatial courtyard. The noise of the outside world was completely shut out, and the courtyard was filled with spiritual energy, quiet and peaceful.

Lin Yan walked straight to the quiet room on one side of the courtyard, which was specially set up for body tempering. In the center was a huge bath tub. He looked at Lin Gang and instructed, "Prepare a medicinal bath. This time, double the amount, and the medicinal power must reach the 'Boiling Spirit' level."

"Yes, young master," Lin Gang replied in a deep voice, his face expressionless, as if he were merely preparing an ordinary item. With practiced ease, he took out dozens of pre-processed spiritual herbs and minerals from his storage ring, and even a few drops of demonic beast blood that shimmered with an unusual light. He strictly followed the order and proportions of the ancient method, placing the materials one by one into the bathtub, and then drew upon the spiritual spring within the space to pour it into the tub.

After the final main ingredient, "Jade Marrow Fungus," was added, Lin Gang formed hand seals and released a beam of spiritual light. The originally clear spring water in the bucket instantly began to churn, turning a deep, dark green. Fine bubbles continuously rose to the surface, emitting a strong, pungent yet subtly fragrant medicinal aroma. The temperature in the entire meditation room suddenly rose, and the spiritual energy became turbulent. This was the "Boiling Spirit" state that Lin Yan had requested, signifying that the medicinal power had been fully activated, reaching the limit that could be tolerated at this stage.

Lin Yan removed his clothes, took a deep breath, and stepped into the scalding medicinal bath. Even with his three layers of copper skin, the moment his skin touched the liquid, he felt a dense stinging sensation, as if countless fine needles were pricking him simultaneously. He sat cross-legged, the water level reaching his chest, and silently practiced the second stage of the "Great Zhou Celestial Body Refining Technique".

As soon as the cultivation technique was activated, the pain intensified dramatically. His pores were forced open by the technique and the medicinal power, frantically absorbing the immense energy contained in the dark green liquid. His skin turned a visibly red, as if scorched by fire, and veins bulged slightly, showing the immense pressure he was enduring. Little Seven lay quietly in the corner of the quiet room, its large, dark eyes fixed on Lin Yan; it could sense the pain its brother was experiencing.

When Lin Yan's skin was completely soaked in the medicine, turning an abnormal dark red, and began to tremble slightly, he knew the time had come.

"Lin Gang, begin!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Gang unhesitatingly took out the specially made magical artifact—a striking artifact about five feet long, as wide and thick as a boat oar, with a dark gold color and countless fine runes engraved on its surface. He infused it with his true essence, and the artifact glowed faintly, emitting an aura as heavy as a mountain.

"Snapped!"

The first slap landed on Lin Yan's back with a dull thud. The immense force caused the medicinal liquid in the bath to vibrate. An indescribable pain exploded instantly, far exceeding the stinging sensation from the previous medicinal bath, as if it would shatter his flesh and bones.

Lin Yan gritted his teeth, letting out a suppressed groan, but his body remained as steady as a rock. His internal energy continued to circulate, guiding the violent external force to combine with the medicinal power within his body, forcibly squeezing and penetrating deeper into his skin.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Lin Gang remained expressionless, his arms moving steadily and powerfully, the magical artifact raining down on Lin Yan's entire body—limbs, chest, abdomen, back, leaving no spot untouched. Each strike brought extreme pain, leaving a brief white mark on the skin, which was then covered and repaired by the dark green medicinal power, becoming even more resilient.

This is a cycle of destruction and reconstruction. Lin Yan's skin greedily absorbs the medicinal power and removes impurities as it constantly cracks and heals. His consciousness is sometimes clear and sometimes blurred under the onslaught of excruciating pain, relying entirely on his strong willpower and the "Divine and Demonic Visualization Method" to stabilize his mind, visualizing himself as a god or demon standing tall and enduring countless trials.

Time passed silently within the space. One day, two days... one month, two months...

Lin Yan endured countless slaps. The medicinal liquid in the bath gradually changed from dark green to clear, meaning that its essence had been completely absorbed by him. After countless changes of the medicinal liquid, the color of his skin slowly changed from the initial dark red to bronze, and then from bronze to a warm, lustrous sheen.

As the final strike landed, Lin Gang put away his magical artifact and silently stepped aside.

Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly filled with the fading of stars. He looked down at his body, his skin smooth and firm, possessing a texture like the finest mutton-fat jade—delicate, warm, and faintly radiant with a delicate luster. Touching it, he felt no roughness, but rather a cool, smooth sensation, as if he were touching real jade rather than skin.

With a slight thought, the flesh beneath his skin trembled gently.

"Buzz!"

A soft, melodious sound, like the tinkling of metal and jade, echoed in the quiet room. The jade-like luster on the skin's surface flashed and disappeared, then subsided, returning to a seemingly normal fair complexion. However, the astonishing resilience, defensive capabilities, and affinity for the spiritual energy of heaven and earth contained within it were no longer comparable to before.

The second stage of the "Great Zhou Celestial Body Refining Technique" - the Skin Refining Stage, with three layers of jade skin, is now complete!

Lin Yan stood up from the bathtub, water dripping down his body. He walked to the huge crystal mirror and looked at his reflection—his tall, muscular physique and excessively fair and delicate skin—and his lips twitched involuntarily.

"This... why does he look like a weakling who can't even kill a chicken?" he muttered to himself helplessly. This appearance was far from the imposing figure he had imagined someone who had mastered body tempering; he looked more like a pampered young master from some noble family.

However, when he joined his fingers like a knife and lightly sliced ​​across his arm, he felt a resistance as if he were cutting through refined steel, without even leaving a white mark on his skin. He nodded in satisfaction; true strength ultimately comes from within.

Judging by the time, only a few days had probably passed in the outside world. He changed into clean clothes, feeling the surging blood and energy within his body and his more resilient physique, and mentally prepared himself for the upcoming soul refining.

After resting for a few days, Lin Yan once again immersed his mind in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Gazing at the illusory image of the Divine Demon Millstone (second stage, sixth level), which was almost solidified, slowly rotating on its own, and exuding an aura of annihilation, Lin Yan knew that an even more arduous journey lay ahead. From the sixth level to the ninth level of perfection, it seemed like only three minor realms, but each advancement required a massive accumulation of soul power and a deeper level of control and integration with the millstone. The pain and danger involved far exceeded what he had experienced before.

"I'll reach perfection in one go!" Lin Yan's will was as firm as iron. He placed the top-grade Soul Nourishing Pill, which was enough to make even Golden Core cultivators envious, within easy reach and swallowed another one.

The power of the elixir dissipated, causing his sea of ​​consciousness to churn. Lin Yan activated his technique with all his might, and the illusory millstone suddenly accelerated its rotation!

However, unlike before, this time when the millstone crushed the soul power, it brought not only a simple tearing sensation, but also an extreme pain that seemed to be "grinding" the very essence of the soul into powder. It was as if the previous grinding was aimed at the "shape," while now it was aimed at the "constituting matter" itself.

His main soul disintegrated time and again beneath the millstone, only to be rebuilt time and again by the power of the Soul-Nourishing Pill. But with each rebuild, his soul power became more condensed and pure, and his perception of the "texture" of the millstone became increasingly clear. He needed to guide this purer soul power, meticulously integrating it into the illusory image of the millstone, like adding bricks to a building, making it more substantial and real, and the ancient patterns on it becoming increasingly clear and discernible.

This process was extremely slow, yet the pain intensified constantly. Lin Yan often had to keep his mind focused, fighting against the grinding pain that almost drove his consciousness to the brink of collapse, while also having to concentrate on precisely controlling the injection of soul power. There could be no mistakes, otherwise the millstone would easily vibrate and backfire on him.

Five years passed in this extreme internal conflict. When the illusory millstone solidified to a certain degree, seemingly gaining weight and texture, and the vortex of soul power it generated during rotation faintly emitted the sounds of wind and thunder—

"Buzz!"

With a soft hum, the millstone's radiance subsided, its form stabilized, and it officially stepped into the seventh level! Its spiritual sense strength steadily reached the threshold of the late Golden Core stage!

Upon reaching the seventh level, Lin Yan did not stop and continued to cultivate by consuming pills. At this stage, in addition to purifying soul power on its own, the millstone began to exhibit the terrifying "devouring" characteristic.

Lin Yan attempted to actively guide the deeper distracting thoughts, subtle mental imprints from past memories, and even some potential malevolent energy generated by killing into the millstone.

"laugh--!"

The millstone turned, swallowing and grinding these "impurities." A sharper pain, as if the soul were being burned and corroded, came from within! This was not just crushing, but more like forcibly "decomposing" and "purifying" these negative spiritual energies.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. In the process of absorbing and refining these negative spiritual energies, some hidden fragments of inner demons were also stirred up.

Illusions began to appear: the resentful eyes when the Brown family was destroyed, the scenes of deceit and treachery on Wall Street in his past life, and even the fear of unknown dangers on the path of cultivation in the future... These inner demons did not attack him directly, but were mixed in with intense pain, trying to shake his will and make him doubt the "path" he had chosen.

"A mere inner demon dares to obstruct my path? My path is one of unfettered freedom, shattering all shackles! Annihilate it!"

Lin Yan's will was as strong as steel, firmly adhering to the essence of the "Way of Freedom." The illusory figure representing his Dao suddenly moved, opening its tightly closed eyes and embracing itself. Lin Yan felt an invisible, unwavering will supporting him. While enduring the excruciating pain of being devoured and ravaged, he used the visualization method to guide the millstone to devour and crush these fragments of inner demons as well!

Seven years of arduous struggle felt like walking through purgatory. When the last trace of inner demons was crushed and purified by the millstone, feeding back incomparably pure soul power, Lin Yan felt as if his soul had been thoroughly cleansed, becoming clear and resilient.

On the millstone, there was a faint, indescribable aura of "purification," and its devouring power was significantly enhanced.

Eighth level, achieved! Divine sense strength has reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage!

The final step, and also the most dangerous, was when Lin Yan swallowed the last top-grade Soul-Nourishing Pill. He needed to fuse his main soul with the millstone at a deeper level, reaching the initial stage of harmony where "man is the millstone, and the millstone is man," making it a complete part of his soul, as easy to control as an extension of his own arm.

This process is no longer a simple injection and control of soul power, but requires carefully integrating a wisp of one's own natal soul source into the core of the millstone.

"melt!"

Lin Yan separated a wisp of his purest natal soul essence and slowly approached the millstone that emanated a terrifying aura. The instant the soul essence touched the millstone—

"boom!!!"

It was as if the world had turned upside down and the universe had just begun! An indescribable, terrifying suction force emanated from the millstone, and it seemed that not only his separated wisp of soul source, but even his main soul was about to be completely sucked in and crushed!

This is the millstone's instinctive backlash! It has acquired sentience and is unwilling to be completely controlled!

The intense pain reached an unprecedented peak. Lin Yan felt as if his consciousness was being torn into countless pieces, twisted and spun under the suction of the millstone, about to be completely annihilated. This was a danger of his soul being scattered!

At the critical moment, the unwavering will forged through twenty years of arduous training came into play. With one hand pressed against the millstone, suppressing its restless movement, and with the other, a finger touched the soul's brow, forcefully consolidating the fading consciousness. Using the Dao as an anchor, it guided that wisp of natal soul essence, like navigating a small boat through raging waves, steadfastly heading towards the core imprint of the millstone!

This is not a contest of strength, but a battle of wills, a firm belief in one's own way!

One year, two years... eight years!

In the seemingly endless tug-of-war between pain and will, Lin Yan's wisp of natal soul source finally and painstakingly merged into the core of the millstone's spiritual light.

"Contract!"

It was as if some kind of shackle had been broken, or as if the final certification had been completed.

The moment the fusion was complete, all the pain receded like a tide. The millstone no longer emitted a terrifying aura, but became gentle and ancient, intimately connected to his mind, as if it had become another organ extending from him.

It floated quietly in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness, slowly rotating on its own. Without any deliberate prompting, it constantly purified and strengthened his soul power. A vast and boundless divine power, far surpassing anything he had ever felt before, filled his sea of ​​consciousness like mercury spilling onto the ground, and naturally expanded outwards.

The second stage of the "Divine and Demonic Visualization Method," the ninth level, is complete!

Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were as deep as the ancient starry sky, and deep within his pupils, the tiny, illusory image of a millstone was clear and solid, slowly rotating, radiating a Daoist charm that could obliterate all laws yet contained vitality.

The strength of his divine sense had reached the level of the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage! He was only one opportunity away from breaking through the Core and forming the Nascent Soul, allowing his divine sense to undergo a qualitative leap! The range of his divine sense easily exceeded 150 miles, with minute and detailed perception!

With a slight thought, a stubborn rock not far away silently turned into dust. It was not destroyed by force, but its internal structure was instantly disintegrated by the "grinding" at the level of divine consciousness.

With another wave of his hand, dozens of talismans flew out into the air, forming a temporary small illusion array. The array operated flawlessly, yet consumed very little soul power.

"Twenty years... it's finally done." Lin Yan let out a long breath, a tired but extremely satisfied smile on his face.

Feeling the earth-shattering changes at the level of his soul, and the complete control he had over the divine and demonic millstone, he knew that this arduous training had been worthwhile. He had gained another incredibly powerful and bizarre weapon of the soul as a trump card.

Judging by the time, it's been almost a month in the outside world, right?

"Time to go out. High school life... Heh, I'm actually kind of 'looking forward to' it." Lin Yan stood up, stretched his body, and suppressed the slightly ethereal aura caused by deep cultivation, returning to his simple and unadorned state.