Chapter 1040: Bone Like Steel, Veins Like Pure Gold

Yun Che was still unconscious, but his complexion was no longer pale, and his breathing rapidly calmed down. Mu Xuanyin waved her arm, and a burst of cold air immediately lifted Yun Che from the pool and threw him onto the cold ground.

At that moment, a wave of cold energy rapidly approached the Sacred Hall. There was only one person in the entire Snow Song Realm who dared to enter the Sacred Hall so directly.

A snowy figure flashed, and Mu Bingyun appeared beside Mu Xuanyin. Usually as serene as a wisp of cloud, she now clearly showed a hint of urgency: "Sister, are you going into seclusion? I sensed the seal on the Buddha Heart Lotus has been lifted."

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the glowing snow lotus in the pool. The surrounding seal had indeed been removed, and a faint, subtle fragrance, accompanied by a strange spiritual energy, silently permeated the hall.

The eighty-one petals of the Buddha Heart Lotus were missing one.

The missing aura, however, was faintly coming from another direction... remarkably, from Yun Che, who lay unconscious on the ground.

"You used the Buddha Heart Lotus... on Yun Che?" Her eyes flickered, and her voice carried deep bewilderment.

Yun Che's body was still, but beneath his powerful Dragon God Soul, his consciousness slowly awakened. He just couldn't control his body's aura.

"His bones are extremely strong, and his flesh is far superior to that of mortals. Only his meridians are remarkably fragile," Mu Xuanyin said. "Since that's the case, he might as well benefit from it."

Mu Xuanyin spoke with extreme nonchalance, but Mu Bingyun knew very well what this implied. She gently shook her head, her voice like a whisper: "This Nine-Revolving Buddha Heart Lotus, you waited and carefully nurtured for a full nine thousand years until it reached its perfect state. It was certain to help you advance further in the Divine Master Realm. Not only is it a relic from the gods, with virtually no possibility of a second one appearing in this world, but you also poured half of your life's effort into it... Are you truly giving it all to Yun Che?"

Mu Xuanyin nodded slightly, her eyes like cold stars, completely undisturbed. Once she made a decision, there would be no more ripples in her heart.

"..." Mu Bingyun stared at Mu Xuanyin for a long time before softly speaking: "Sister, ever since you took him as your disciple, you've been exceptionally good to him. I originally thought you were grateful he saved my life, but... it turns out it's far more than that."

"Whether by accident or divine will, since he became my disciple, I should do what a master ought to do. As a master, no one doesn't wish for their disciple to surpass themselves. However, Ke'er and Hanyan are destined not to achieve that, but he might... if he can live long enough. Yun Che possesses many extraordinary and peculiar aspects, along with many secrets that even I don't know, or even understand. If he doesn't die prematurely, his future will certainly be extraordinary. His previous master, that Heavenly Slaughter Star God, was ultimately just a little girl who received her inheritance early and understood nothing. The potential within his body is astonishing, yet that little girl didn't train him at all."

"The Heavenly Slaughter Star God was less than ten years old when she received her inheritance. By calculation, she was only thirteen or fourteen when she met Yun Che. Inheriting the power and memories of the Heavenly Slaughter Star God makes her killing ability paramount among the Twelve Star Gods, but when it comes to teaching... given her age and temperament, it was too difficult for her," Mu Bingyun said.

"The only person in this world possessing the inheritance of a Creation God, no matter whose hands he falls into, they would either want to seize his power or want to personally witness how high that power can reach. Bingyun," Mu Xuanyin said coldly, "don't you think personally training a little monster is a very interesting thing?"

Yun Che: "..."

Mu Bingyun sighed softly and gazed deeply at the Nine-Revolving Buddha Heart Lotus, which was missing a petal: "Sister's decision cannot be changed by anyone. I hope Yun Che's future achievements will be as you wish. However, the eighty-one petals of the Buddha Heart Lotus can complete eighty-one meridian tempering sessions. As his meridians gradually transform, each time they are completely shattered, the pain will far exceed the last, and after dozens of times, it might become unbearable for a human..."

"Hmph! It's not up to him. He'll endure it whether he can or not, whether he likes it or not!"

Yun Che's hazy consciousness gradually cleared amidst his struggle. With a slight twitch of his fingers, he finally woke up completely.

Mu Xuanyin and Mu Bingyun both glanced sideways at that moment.

Yun Che stood up from the ground, then quickly bowed again: "Master, Palace Master Bingyun... where is this?"

"No need to ask," Mu Xuanyin said coldly. "Since you're awake, quickly return to the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake to cultivate on your own. You are not to leave without permission, nor are you to be even slightly negligent. Tomorrow at noon, you will spar with me again... Go!"

"Yes," Yun Che could only comply.

Back at the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, he stood by the edge of the pool, his mind continuously replaying the strange snow lotus he had glimpsed and the words he had heard while his consciousness was hazy.

"Nine-Revolving Buddha Heart Lotus..." Yun Che murmured, his expression incredibly complex.

He closed his eyes and looked inward. Although he had been prepared, his heart still trembled violently.

Before falling unconscious, he had clearly felt all his meridians completely shattered. Yet now, all his meridians were perfectly intact. Even with his monstrous self-healing ability, combined with fully circulating the Great Way of the Buddha, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve such rapid and complete recovery.

But this wasn't the main reason for his shock. Rather, he clearly perceived that all his meridians had thickened by a full circle, and they subtly shimmered with an unusual ice-crystal-like glow.

Opening his eyes, he extended his palm. With a slight thought from Yun Che, a cluster of Golden Crow flame instantly ignited... The speed of its combustion was nearly ten percent faster than before.

From the words of Mu Xuanyin and Mu Bingyun, Mu Xuanyin would use the Nine-Revolving Buddha Heart Lotus to temper his meridians eighty-one times... And today was only the first time, yet it had already brought such astonishing changes to his meridians. After eighty-one times, it was simply unimaginable.

Perhaps by then, he would only need a few breaths to directly release World-Extinguishing Ash... Perhaps even forcefully activating Heaven Smiting beyond ten breaths wouldn't cause his meridians to rupture...

If that were truly the case, even if his profound energy didn't increase at all, his combat power would skyrocket immensely. Power could be rapidly condensed, released, and withdrawn; Star God Broken Shadow could allow for faster instantaneous movement; and Illusory Lightning Flash could reach another realm of extreme speed...

The flames extinguished, but there wasn't much joy on Yun Che's face. Instead, he sighed lightly, feeling a heaviness throughout his body.

When he first decided to become Mu Xuanyin's disciple, his sole reason was to rely on her power and status to see Jasmine.

But from initial simple awe, he gradually discovered that she was not like what was known and rumored about her. She obtained the Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World for him, sought the Dragon's Heart for him, prepared the Five-Jaded Divine Pills of Heaven and Earth regardless of cost, and even secretly followed him to the Ice Wind Empire for fear of something happening to him...

Unknowingly, his initial fear of Mu Xuanyin had long since vanished... because she truly wasn't as terrifying as outsiders believed, or perhaps... she only acted this way towards those she cared about, reserving absolute ruthlessness and coldness for others?

And the Nine-Revolving Buddha Heart Lotus... after his consciousness fully awakened, he clearly heard Mu Bingyun's words. This Nine-Revolving Buddha Heart Lotus was something Mu Xuanyin had waited for and poured nine thousand years of effort into, something that could allow her to break through further even in the Divine Profound Realm...

Yet it was being used to temper his meridians.

This was naturally a huge blessing... but for Yun Che, it was also an enormous burden.

Because he didn't know how to repay her – he had come to the God Realm not to gain power, nor to see a wider world, but truly just to see Jasmine again. After fulfilling that wish, he had never even entertained the thought of staying.

"Ah, forget it. Just cultivate in peace. Thinking about these things is useless. From now on, just listen to Master... Cultivate in peace."

Murmuring to himself, Yun Che sat down, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Silently, the cold energy of the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake subtly gathered, rapidly surging into Yun Che's body. His consciousness quickly immersed itself in the world of profound arts.

For Vanishing Moon God Speed, "vanish" should be the core: severing one's body from one's aura. The body flees far away, while the aura remains stationary; this is the grand accomplishment stage of Vanishing Moon God Speed.

As profound energy entered the Divine Path, spiritual perception naturally followed to a new realm. Ordinary afterimage techniques could no longer affect enemies, as they could only deceive vision, not the spiritual perception that locked onto auras.

The reason Star God Broken Shadow is a top-tier movement profound art in the God Realm is that it can deceive both vision and confuse spiritual perception. The grand accomplishment stage of Vanishing Moon God Speed is similar... but generally inferior to Star God Broken Shadow.

However, the state of "Hidden Shadow" at grand perfection was unheard of.

Since I can cultivate Star God Broken Shadow... there's no reason I can't cultivate Vanishing Moon God Speed.

Master has such great expectations for me and is investing so much effort. At the least, I can't disappoint her too much...

The next day at noon, in front of the Sacred Hall.

Yun Che adjusted himself to a perfect state and arrived slightly early. Thinking of yesterday, he took a deep breath.

Mu Xuanyin's profound energy was indeed suppressed to the Divine Soul Realm. Otherwise, she wouldn't even need to touch him with profound energy; she could extinguish him from hundreds of miles away, yet he was still utterly defenseless.

Consciousness... tactile perception...

He understood consciousness, but tactile perception... what exactly was it?

Mu Xuanyin emphasized it but didn't explain, clearly intending for him to comprehend it himself.

After waiting for a long time, the world remained silent. Yun Che hesitated for a moment, then finally tried saying, "Master, I'm here."

"I'm behind you."

A soft, gentle voice came from behind him, like someone just rousing from a deep sleep. Yun Che's entire body went limp and numb. He quickly turned around and saw Mu Xuanyin standing ten steps away. Her charming, enchanting, peerlessly icy face made Yun Che dizzy, and he stared blankly for a good while before quickly bowing: "Disciple greets Master."

"Today, it's... *that* Master..." he groaned inwardly.

When she was imposing, she made people cower in fear, not daring to breathe. But when she was alluring... she made him tremble with fright, not daring to look at her for long.

He sometimes deeply suspected that two souls coexisted within her.

Her bright eyes held no trace of coldness; instead, they were veiled with a misty haziness. Her cherry-blossom lips were gently pursed: "Get up. Be a good boy and attack me. Be careful now."

Her voice was languid, as if her entire body lacked strength. Yun Che, who possessed the Dragon God Soul, still felt his heart and soul waver, unable to control himself.

He bit his tongue hard, let out a low growl, and leaped into the air. This time, he didn't draw the Heaven Smiting Sword but charged directly at Mu Xuanyin. As he neared her, his figure suddenly flickered. With a light brush of cold air, he instantly repositioned himself to Mu Xuanyin's right side, executing Vanishing Moon God Speed, immediately followed by Star God Broken Shadow in the next instant...

Instantly, several afterimages appeared around Mu Xuanyin, but his true body had already appeared behind her like a ghost.

With a soft sound, like breaking ice crystals, Yun Che, who had perfectly executed two instant movements in a flash, suddenly let out a miserable shriek. He tumbled far through the air, and upon landing, immediately dropped to his knees, unable to stand for a long time.

He hadn't seen at all how or when Mu Xuanyin had attacked, but he felt with absolute clarity that in the very first instant after his instantaneous movement, a burst of cold energy had suddenly invaded his legs, mercilessly shattering his meridians.

He had a feeling this wasn't merely an extremely fast reaction; it was more like... Mu Xuanyin had already known where he would appear even before he moved.

The agonizing pain of shattered meridians spread from his legs throughout his body, making him tremble uncontrollably in immense suffering, his clenched teeth nearly shattering. Mu Xuanyin slowly walked over and stood before Yun Che. Yun Che subconsciously looked up, and the high-rising chest beneath her pure white snowy robes almost filled his entire vision.

"Oh, you haven't made any progress at all," she said, her lips curling slightly, glancing at him with a sweetly alluring charm that made one's mind drift. Her words sounded disappointed, but her tone was soft and crisp, like the tempting whisper of a succubus.

"Since you've disappointed your Master so much, then be a good boy and accept your punishment."

Her hand, soft as cream, gently touched Yun Che's chest... and in an instant, ruthlessly shattered all the meridians in his entire body.

"Ah————!!!"

Yun Che let out a shrill scream and curled up on the ground, every muscle in his body convulsing wildly in extreme agony. But after that single scream, he immediately clenched his teeth tightly, refusing to utter another cry of pain. Only cold sweat poured down him like rain.

Watching Yun Che's suffering, Mu Xuanyin showed no trace of pity. Her beautiful eyes were slightly unfocused, and a faint smile played on her lips: "Remember Master's words. Properly, use your consciousness and your body to remember this pain. Although Master feels so much heartache, apart from this, Master truly doesn't know how else to quickly cultivate your tactile perception."

"..." Yun Che was drenched in cold sweat, but no words could escape his bleeding lips. Gradually, his consciousness began to blur... until he was tortured into unconsciousness.