Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 294 - 171: Body Forging · Auction · A Gentleman Fulfills Another’s Wish

Elemental Magnetic Peak.

Xiao Chen had deliberately risen at 5:00 AM to come out to the courtyard, striking various poses to greet the breaking dawn.

It was said that doing so was more beneficial for Body Forging. The specific principle was unknown, and the actual effects varied from person to person.

’All in all, it sounds pretty unreliable.’

But Elder Tie Xin’s family had trained this way for generations; it was an ancestral technique.

So, Xiao Chen simply followed suit, mimicking the motions.

This was the sixth day of him cultivating the Nine Strengths Mountain Shifting Technique, and he had already reached the Sixth Strength.

His progress couldn’t be described as fast—it was more like a thousand miles in a single day.

If he could maintain this pace, he would reach the Ninth Strength in just a few days.

The problem was, Xiao Chen’s rapid progress through the initial strengths was heavily dependent on his pre-existing Body Refining Cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Now that ninety percent of his existing potential had been tapped, his cultivation speed had started to slow down.

At this point, it meant he needed to seek external supplements for his Qi Blood.

"It’s been stewing for three days and three nights. It should be ready by now."

A Large Bronze Cauldron, which Xiao Chen had borrowed, now stood in the courtyard. It was over ten feet tall and glowed red from the heat.

Inside, Tiger Bone was simmering, all of it cut into inch-long pieces.

Floating alongside them were a good hundred pounds of beef, emitting a rich, meaty aroma.

According to Elder Tie Xin’s experience, it was fine to add spices like scallions, ginger, and garlic.

There was just one rule to follow: no matter what you put in, you had to consume every last bit of it, broth and all.

If you added spices, you had to swallow and absorb them too.

For that reason, Xiao Chen had deliberately left out the ginger slices. He didn’t like the taste.

After four straight hours of circulating his Qi Blood, his stomach was long since empty.

He grabbed a piece of beef directly from the cauldron and swallowed it in two bites.

This was no ordinary beef, of course. It came from a Spiritual Ox specially raised by the Du Family, which had a Cultivation at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

Saturated with broth, the meat instantly transformed into a surging torrent of heat upon reaching his stomach.

Guided by his Cultivation Technique, the energy scrambled to merge into his limbs and bones, rapidly boosting his Qi Blood.

For the next two days, Xiao Chen barely stopped for a moment.

He was either using his Cultivation Technique for the Refinement of his Qi Blood or devouring meat and gulping down broth.

He forced every last bit of beef, bone, broth, and even the seasonings into his stomach.

Consuming such a massive amount of nourishing substances in one go made his skin flush red, his cheeks burn, and his eyes feel fiery. Wisps of white steam even rose from the back of his head.

If Elder Tie Xin had seen this, his jaw would have hit the floor.

While the path of Body Refining required nourishment, binge eating was a huge taboo.

Eating so much in a single session had long since exceeded the limits of the Nine Strengths Mountain Shifting Technique.

However, under the effect of his Augment, Xiao Chen’s speed of Qi Blood Refinement had increased tenfold, and he even felt like he had energy to spare.

He casually retrieved a bottle of Tiger-Subduing Spirit Water from his Storage Bag and, GLUG GLUG GLUG, drained it in three large gulps.

He then dropped into a horse stance on the spot and began to circulate his Qi Blood, driving it through his flesh and bones.

If an outsider had been present, they would have seen fist-sized muscles constantly bulging under Xiao Chen’s skin, even merging and rapidly expanding.

It looked utterly horrifying at first glance, and in reality, it was not the least bit safe.

If not managed in time, these points of stagnant Qi Blood would continue to swell until they burst with a POP.

When that happened, not only would a large amount of Qi Blood be lost through the rupture, but it could also easily leave behind permanent complications.

But then again, cultivating slowly and methodically would be a complete waste of the Augment’s effect.

Besides, Xiao Chen still had the Gilded Thousand Threads Honey as a safety net.

If he were accidentally injured, a timely application would effectively control the damage.

A night passed, and fortunately, though there had been danger, he had come through unscathed.

As the new morning light shone down, Xiao Chen’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within his dark pupils.

He brought his hands together, slowly raised them up, then pressed them down evenly from both sides to once again hold them loosely before his Dantian.

With just this simple movement, a series of CRACKLES and POPS echoed from his body.

It was as if every bone was cheering.

He took a slow, deep breath of fresh air and exhaled forcefully.

THUD!

The wave of air crashed against the Large Bronze Cauldron in front of him, causing it to shake three times.

KRAK!

The leg closest to Xiao Chen snapped on the spot.

The ten-foot-tall Large Bronze Cauldron tipped over toward him.

He quickly raised a hand to catch it, but unexpectedly, his fingers pierced right through the two-inch-thick surface of the cauldron, leaving two large holes.

BANG!

The Large Bronze Cauldron collapsed to the ground, trapping him within its frame.

"Wait, I wasn’t even trying."

Xiao Chen looked at his hands. Other than his skin seeming a bit firmer, they didn’t look much different from before.

Even his physique had barely changed.

Once his robes covered the formidable lines of his muscles, he looked just like a frail scholar.

Yet when he reached out and broke off a piece of the bronze, squeezing it in his hand, the once-solid Secret Forged Bronze felt like a soft lump of clay.

"This... this isn’t what the book described."

Xiao Chen frowned slightly. ’If I rule out any problems with the quality of the Secret Forged Bronze, then it means my strength has grown too quickly, and my control hasn’t caught up yet.’

Normally, a situation like this shouldn’t occur.

The Nine Strengths Mountain Shifting Technique contained corresponding methods for regulating each level of Power, allowing for control as natural as moving one’s own limbs.

But clearly, the creator of this Cultivation Technique had not considered the problem of an Augment’s boost.

That was why, even though Xiao Chen had cultivated the Heart Method, he was still unable to precisely control his own strength.

His Qi Blood Power was simply too immense, far surpassing that of Cultivators at the same level.