Li Xuan redirected his gaze, regaining the stern demeanor of a teacher.
"Your analogy, though crude, gets the basic idea."
Xu Yan heaved a sigh of relief, silently admonishing himself, "I must not provide senseless analogies in the future. If I leave a poor impression on Master, it would be terrible!"
"Among thousands, only one can cultivate Golden Bones. Even if their initial cultivation speed is slower compared to the geniuses of the old times, if one can cultivate Golden Bones, they are no weaker than those geniuses!"
Li Xuan continued his improvised explanation: "To temper the Golden Bones, one must rely on tenacity, talent, and persistence. The vital energy and blood infiltrate the bones, tempering them down to the marrow, and trigger transformations in the vital energy. After nine cycles of this, the Golden Bones will form."
"The difficulty of forming Golden Bones is self-evident. Tenacity, natural talent, and persistence are all indispensable. Anyone capable of forming the Golden Bones will have a clear path ahead in Martial Arts."
Xu Yan felt a surge of emotion upon hearing this: "Master, I will definitely cultivate the Golden Bones!"
"I am comforted by your ambition, but do everything within your capabilities, there is no need to incessantly demand too much!"
Li Xuan nodded approvingly.
He muttered to himself: "It would be a miracle if you could cultivate Golden Bones!"
At this moment, Xu Yan couldn't wait to start practicing, striving to cultivate his bones into Golden Bones as soon as possible!
After hearing his Master's words, his blood boiled with determination!
"Master, what about Jade Bones? What are Jade Bones?"
Xu Yan didn't forget that in the hierarchy of bone cultivation, above the Golden Bones, there are Jade Bones!
"Jade Bones!"
Li Xuan paused before responding, "Originally, I didn't plan to tell you about Jade Bones. But now that you have asked, I will share what I know."
At this moment, he was quickly brainstorming an explanation for Jade Bones.
"The cultivator of Jade Bones would have flawless, translucent bones, as beautiful as jade. Those who can cultivate Jade Bones are one in a million throughout history."
Li Xuan stood up, one hand folded behind him, lifting his head slightly, displaying a grand demeanour.
He slowly began to speak, "My protégé, Jade Bones cannot be achieved purely through talent, perseverance, and determination. Anyone who can cultivate Jade Bones is blessed with great destiny, a favoured child of the heavens. Only those with extraordinary perception who can sense the great Dao can cultivate Jade Bones."
"You must remember not to overstretch your ambitions!"
Xu Yan was deeply moved in his heart. It was all so cryptic—the great destiny, the favored child of the heavens, the sense of the great Dao, it was very mysterious!
The more mysterious it seemed, the greater the power it promised once Jade Bones were cultivated.
"Master, what would happen if I managed to cultivate Jade Bones?"
Li Xuan glanced at him with meaningful eyes, saying, "Regarding Jade Bones, there's a saying: Pristine Jade Bones, eternal and undying!"
"Once Jade Bones are cultivated, even after death, they remain untouched by the passage of time for thousands of years, shining as treasured artifacts of heaven and earth. They would appear as if alive, forming a rare treasure in the world!"
Li Xuan started his baseless explanations, making the Jade Bones sound immensely mystical!
Xu Yan was overwhelmed with shock. Clenching his fists tightly, his blood boiled with passion, wishing he could immediately cultivate into Jade Bones.
Li Xuan patted him on the shoulder, saying, "As your Master, I do not expect you to cultivate Jade Bones. Just remember this belief in your heart and do your best."
Xu Yan fist-pumped with fervor, "Master, rest assured, I will definitely strive hard and not disappoint your expectations!"
Li Xuan had a gratified expression on his face, contemplating that since he had already mentioned bone cultivation, he might as well make up something about organ cultivation too.
Xu Yan's demeanor was akin to a shot of adrenaline, full of fighting spirit for the foreseeable future.
While he was feeling inspired, Li Xuan decided to tell Xu Yan about organ cultivation as well.
Hence, Li Xuan began, "Since I've explained the method of bone cultivation to you in detail, I might as well talk about organ cultivation. Let me explain the foundational realm thoroughly for you."
"Thank you, Master. Disciple is all ears."
Xu Yan respectfully replied.
"Internal organ cultivation involves tempering the organs to enhance vitality and resilience. Those who perfect this technique can even survive a serious injury to the heart, using their qi and blood to heal and regenerate. Of course, this only applies to ordinary injuries; if one is damaged by the power of qi and blood it would be a different story…"
Li Xuan said unhurriedly.
Listening to this, Xu Yan was shocked. How could one survive a heart injury and recover through the power of qi and blood?
The strength of martial arts truly exceeded the imagination of common men!
"The five organs correspond to the five elements; metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The circulation of qi and blood in the five organs forms a perfect unity. When the five elements merge as one, one has achieved perfection in organ cultivation. Then, by integrating the foundational realms into one, channeling it into your body, your bones will thunder and your qi and blood will surge like the firmament. That's when you've entered the door…"
Li Xuan elaborated on the theory of organ cultivation and some basic methods.
Not being a real cultivator himself and having no cultivation techniques, Li Xuan's teachings may not be accurate or detailed, but they provided a rough guideline.
This is why, after he finished explaining, Li Xuan added: "Disciple, you need to remember that the real practice is realization and intention. Only thus can you tread your own path."
"The methods I'm teaching you embody the true intentions of martial arts. You need to perceive and understand the 'intention' within on your own, not just sticking to the form. Do you understand?"
Xu Yan bowed respectfully, "Yes, master. I will commit your teachings to heart, always maintaining awareness and not getting stuck on the form!"
"You understanding brings me great comfort!"
Li Xuan looked satisfied.
"Get your chores done, feed the chickens or whatever, then start cultivating."
After dismissing Xu Yan, Li Xuan took out the millennium ginseng.
With a look of dilemma, he sighed, "This is such a rare treasure. Isn't it too much of a waste to stew it now?"
"With such a large piece, taking a bit to stew won't hurt. I've never tasted millennium ginseng in my two lifetimes."
After pinching off two long roots of ginseng, Li Xuan instructed Xu Yan to use it to stew a chicken the next day.
...
After finishing up his chores, Xu Yan began to cultivate, squatting with his legs spread wide, enhancing his skin. Meanwhile, he was carefully contemplating the methods that his master had taught him concerning organ and bone cultivation.
"I need to genuinely recognize the profundity in all this!"
Gradually, Xu Yan begun to grasp something, acquiring a clear direction for the specifics of organ and bone cultivation.
"If this is the way for skin cultivation, then the way for bone and organ cultivation can't be much different. It's all about the method and direction of circulating your qi and blood. I understand now!"
Xu Yan was extremely excited.
The next day.
After eating a meal of millennium ginseng chicken soup, Li Xuan discovered to his surprise, that he felt more energetic and had greater stamina. His body had actually become stronger.
"Does this world's millennium ginseng really have such miraculous effects?"
He immediately had Xu Yan bring out the whole ginseng and instructed him to stew a bit every day.
Even though ginseng was precious, his own body was more important.
But Xu Yan was so moved that he was almost in tears. "This was my initiation gift, but my master unwaveringly used it to help in my cultivation. I can't let him down!"
"After I enter the stage of bone cultivation, I'll go back home and definitely pick a fine initiation gift for my master!"
As Xu Yan cultivated, he felt his vitality becoming stronger, the tempering of his skin was speeding up. The power of the ginseng was being continuously refined, enhancing his vitality and the speed of skin tempering.
"At latest the day after tomorrow, I will have completed my skin cultivation!"
Feeling the progress of his skin cultivation, Xu Yan was overjoyed!