A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch-Chapter 167 - 138: Training While Sleeping—Idle Is Active

"The Human Soul Pearl! Younger Brother Li is truly generous!"

Lao Dao, waiting in the front yard, saw Bai Qi coming out and raised his hand to take out a small black sandalwood box.

The box had intricate carvings, like floating clouds, lifelike and vivid, full of spirit.

"It's a hundred-year one! It's said that jade nourishes a person for a lifetime, and this Human Soul Pearl has been nurtured for a full hundred years. Its efficacy is unimaginable."

Bai Qi took it over and examined it carefully.

He was not solely focused on martial arts; in fact, he usually spent his time reading at the Dezhen Tower, mostly travelogues from various regions.

The reason ancient books before the fall of the Dao were rarely explored was that... there were hardly any collected.

Even though Tongwen Hall had extraordinary resources, with no shortage of martial arts secrets, the ancient paper piles that have been passed down for millennia only exist in noble families superior to the high families of Yihai Prefecture and in the major Daoist temples acting on the Dragon Court's decrees, not available in the market.

Unless one spent a lot of time deliberately collecting them, even someone as capable as Ninghai Zen could hardly acquire many.

"The Human Soul Pearl, a treasure of the Martial Dao! I had glimpsed a few words about it in the 'Record of Rare Treasures,' never expected to hold it myself one day, to be able to afford it."

Bai Qi took the intricately crafted black sandalwood box, opened it, and saw a thumb-sized jade pendant wrapped in well-cut brocade fabric.

Shaped like a ring with a gap, it was often used as an ornament and a token, as well as a burial accompaniment in grand tombs.

"Huh, it's not a smooth pearl, but a rare Dragon-shaped Jade Pendant, curled into the shape of a dragon, mouth open with teeth exposed, with ridges on its back, decorated with cloud and thunder patterns.

Just based on craftsmanship, it would at least be worth one thousand taels of silver, not to mention the rare attribute as a martial treasure, it's truly hard to appraise."

Bai Qi clicked his tongue, thinking about how many treasure fishes he had to catch and how much money he had to earn for him to be willing to buy it?

Black River County's poor households might not even spend thirty taels a year on their needs.

Old Li offered a treasure close to ten thousand taels as a gift for accepting a disciple.

The financial disparity between different classes was indeed stark.

"The Human Soul Pearl is a rare mountain jade, capable of absorbing a person's Qi and blood, and over time, memorizing the various routes of your energy circulation, forming beautiful channels to assist in cultivation and enhance progress.

It's often made into pendants, and this one is especially good, meticulously polished by a skillful craftsman, placed in Yihai Prefecture, all the high houses would compete to acquire it."

Lao Dao said with a cheerful laugh:

"Young Master Qi, wear it with you, and in about one night, this hundred-year Human Soul Pearl will recognize you."

Bai Qi removed the treasure steel ring with ice crack patterns and replaced it with the Dragon-shaped Jade Pendant made from the Human Soul Pearl.

He focused his gaze, observing the surface as if it had blood and flesh-like lines, slender and moving, shining with a luminous glow under the sunlight.

"A hundred years, I wonder how it was nurtured."

Lao Dao, with hands inside his sleeves, spoke softly:

"The Guan Family, one of the Thirteen, specializes in the jade business.

It's said that every year they buy young maidens to wear high-grade jade day and night, nurturing it with their body warmth."

What a perfumed marketing tale, akin to using a virgin's fragrant lips to pick tea!

Bai Qi curled his lip, having grown weary of similar nonsense stories in his previous life.

Using a virgin's fragrant lips to pick fresh buds and store them on her chest for "initial drying," selling it with spicy anecdotes to inflate the price.

"This is the Inner Pill of that Fox Demon, Young Master Qi, keep it. When you step into the Bone Barrier, you can boil it into a tonic to supplement."

Lao Dao, skillful in his craft, had already handled the Little Demon that occupied the Fox King Temple while Bai Qi entered and exited the Dezhen Tower.

"Alright! Many thanks to Uncle Dao!"

Bai Qi accepted the demon's Inner Pill with mountain patterns, exchanged a few pleasantries, and left Tongwen Hall.

Moments later, he returned to the old house at Erxian Bridge, where Old Xu took care of feeding horses, chopping wood, and cleaning, generally keeping it tidy.

"It's still comfortable at home."

After having dinner with his younger brother, Bai Ming, Bai Qi took a hot bath, wore light silk inner garments, and sat inside the room.

The benefits of a Perfect Tendon Barrier quickly manifested, with Qi and blood securely stored without leakage, and the cold unable to invade the body.

Even lying on several feet of cold snow, he could maintain body heat for two days and nights.

Following the Body Technique of the Dragon Palm and the footsteps of the Arhat Hand, abundant Qi and blood surged throughout his body, making the inner garment crackle.

Whether gentle or fierce, the force flowed from hand to foot and from foot back to hand, seamlessly connected!

His spine rose, waist and hips merged, gradually perfecting the posture of the Dragon and Horse as one.

Even though the room space was limited, Bai Qi still performed with a graceful agility, exuding a formidable sense of flight.

Then, he changed his moves, his fists and feet moving extremely slowly, as if his whole body was tied with hundreds of pounds of great stones, and the surrounding airflow was stirred like thick waves, creating loud "splashing" sounds.

Underneath his skin, muscle fascia kept trembling, inch by inch of force hidden without a trace, and should anyone approach and touch him, lacking sufficient skill, they would be directly flung away.

When training reaches fruition, it is like this.

A full hour later, he completed four superior martial arts styles, Bai Qi exhaled long and deep, his inner breath settling and gradually gathering the boiling Qi and blood back into his limbs and bones.

"Each punch and kick of mine now is worth 'twenty years of hard work'! Even ten Xiaotou's wouldn't be enough for one hand!"

He sipped hot tea, rubbed the Dragon-shaped Jade Pendant, which was crafted into a ring from the Human Soul Pearl, truly extravagant, as most were turned into beads or bracelets, worn regularly.

Thanks to the recent intense energy circulation exercise, the blood and flesh-like lines on the Jade Pendant's surface became more recognizable, even showing intertwined channels, quite mysterious.

After a short rest, Bai Qi sat cross-legged on the bed, assumed the posture of 'Five Hearts Facing the Sky,' and continued deciphering secret texts, advancing his skill progress.

"Ah Di has talent for the Dao, staying in Black River County would be wasted, I'll inquire with Xia He, or Old Li another day to find some pathways."

While pondering, he concentrated his spirit, simultaneously the Dragon-shaped Jade Pendant he wore on his right thumb had its delicate Qi and blood lines pulsating like water, nurturing and nourishing his body.

Energy naturally circulated, like continuously refining the physical form.

"No wonder it's said to be a treasure of the Martial Dao, with this item, it's equivalent to practicing even while sleeping, saving several years of mundane stance training and sparring, taking a significant lead over others."

Bai Qi thought for a while, feeling like the Human Soul Pearl was like background auto-training, the only regret was that it could only 'hang' one martial art.

Because he ended his practice with the Silk Binding Strength, and in his mind, the inkling glowed repeatedly—

[You practice day and night, Qi and blood circulates, comprehending the Silk Binding Strength...]

Similar text messages continually surfaced, proving the outstanding effect of the Human Soul Pearl.

"If I wore ten rings made from Human Soul Pearls on both hands, and hung ten around my neck, wouldn't I gain progress just by lying down every day?"

Bai Qi couldn't help his thoughts from wandering, he was worried about a lack of time, unable to balance basic skills with fist and foot martial arts, the Human Soul Pearl perfectly solved this problem.

There's no turning it off once started.

Always on, always satisfying!