Chapter 14: Soul

Under Yaoyao's bright gaze, Zhou Yuan's figure moved again. He slowly and steadily performed the ninety-eight forms of the Dragon Forging Play, showing much greater proficiency. Combined with his breathing, his movements subtly began to flow like clouds and water.

As the last movement concluded, Zhou Yuan once again opened his mouth as if to inhale. A faint, almost imperceptible dragon's roar emanated from within him, and his body trembled. Immediately, Origin Qi from the surroundings converged, forming a white thread that Zhou Yuan swallowed whole.

Boom! With the Origin Qi entering his body, Zhou Yuan felt like a fiery furnace. With a thought, he guided the ingested Origin Qi, like surging waves, to repeatedly wash over his first meridian.

This cleansing process lasted for about half an incense stick's time. Zhou Yuan's body glowed faintly red and felt intensely hot, evaporating all his sweat. He felt his first meridian within him loosen slightly, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. After a brief rest, he continued to perform the ninety-eight forms of the Dragon Forging Play under Yaoyao's watchful eye.

In the time that followed, two more faint dragon roars sounded consecutively. This indicated that Zhou Yuan had performed two additional meridian cleansing sessions.

Adding the previous two, that made a total of four times! Four meridian cleansings! Typically, someone who hasn't opened a meridian can only perform one cleansing per day before their meridians struggle to cope. Yet, Zhou Yuan had done four. How resilient were his meridians?

Beside him, a ripple of surprise finally appeared in Yaoyao's eyes.

Zhou Yuan, however, was in no mood to notice Yaoyao's expression. He was scorching hot, sitting cross-legged on the ground. He could feel a slight stinging pain emanating from his meridians, indicating that after four cleansings, their endurance was nearing its limit.

As he sensed his first meridian, a hint of joy involuntarily appeared on his lips. His originally blocked first meridian had clearly loosened further after these rounds of cleansing.

“At this rate, I probably won't need a month; just ten days, and I'll be able to completely open this first meridian!”

The thought of such speed made Zhou Yuan, despite his usual composure, unable to suppress his excitement. Cang Yuan had originally told him that reopening his meridians would be harder for him than for others, preparing him for several months to open just one. But who would have thought that with the power of the Dragon Inhalation Technique and the resilience of his meridians, this time would be drastically shortened?

He recalled that back then, Su Youwei had opened her first meridian in a month, becoming the fastest person in the Great Zhou Prefecture to do so.

So, what level would his ten-day meridian opening achieve?

Of course, Zhou Yuan knew that Su Youwei's one-month feat was purely due to her talent and personal effort. After all, she didn't have advanced Qi guiding techniques, nor did she have Nine Beast Soup or Mysterious Crystal Rice.

Therefore, it was hard to say who was superior.

However, one thing was certain: because of his second meridian opening, Zhou Yuan's first meridian would undoubtedly be more powerful than Su Youwei's when he opened it. As for how much stronger, that could only be determined by testing it later.

“It seems even Old Hei underestimated your second meridian opening,” Yaoyao's light, surprised voice chimed in.

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, “Perhaps there aren't many people as miserable as me.”

Hearing this, Yaoyao nodded in agreement, a faint smile gracing her smooth, jade-like face. She said, “That's true. To be born with open meridians, only for eight of them to close later—that situation is very rare.”

“Chirp chirp.” On the ground nearby, Tun Tun also pointed at Zhou Yuan, its eyes surprisingly showing a hint of mockery.

Mocked by a small beast, Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth, grabbed a nearby stone, and threw it at Tun Tun.

However, Tun Tun simply opened its mouth and swallowed the thrown stone whole, then provocatively bared its teeth and clawed at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan laughed in exasperation, then changed his gaze, reaching into his pocket to pull out a piece of dried meat. This meat was meticulously roasted from Origin Beast meat, and he used it to replenish his energy.

Tun Tun's eyes fixed intently on the dried meat the moment it appeared, its pink tongue lolling out, drooling.

“Heh heh.” Zhou Yuan chuckled at it, then popped the meat into his mouth and ate it in two or three bites. “You little beast, try to outsmart me,” he thought.

Growl! Seeing this, Tun Tun immediately became enraged, emitting low growls.

Watching Zhou Yuan tease Tun Tun, Yaoyao suddenly spoke up, “If it gets angry, it really will swallow people. Do you want to see what its stomach looks like? I've never seen anything come out of Tun Tun's stomach alive.”

Zhou Yuan's chewing immediately ceased. He looked at Tun Tun, who was angrily staring at him with its tail raised, then forced a smile at Yaoyao and said, “You'll stop it, right?”

Yaoyao's red lips curved slightly into a half-smile as she said, “Perhaps.”

“You're ruthless!” Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth, then decisively pulled out all the Origin Beast dried meat from his pocket. With a smile, he offered it to Tun Tun, saying, “Here, eat as much as you like, until you're full!”

Tun Tun immediately pounced on Zhou Yuan, its tongue curling to sweep the stack of dried meat into its mouth. It chewed vigorously, evidently very pleased with the taste, as its tail wagged happily.

After eating the meat, Tun Tun seemed to view Zhou Yuan a little more favorably. It straightened up, placed a paw on Zhou Yuan's shoulder, and gently patted it, as if saying, “You did well…”

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched slightly. This little beast was practically a spirit.

“Sister Yaoyao, what grade of Origin Beast is Tun Tun, exactly?” Zhou Yuan asked Yaoyao, curious. He had never seen an Origin Beast with such high intelligence.

This dog-like Tun Tun must have an extraordinary origin.

Hearing the question, Yaoyao looked thoughtful, then finally shook her head and said, “I don't know either. Tun Tun has been by my side ever since I can remember. But Old Hei once said that if Tun Tun fully matures, there will likely be very few things in this world that it cannot swallow.”

Zhou Yuan secretly clicked his tongue. Cang Yuan had given Tun Tun such a high evaluation? It seemed this little beast truly was extraordinary…

“Sister Yaoyao, Master mentioned before that your attainments in Origin Runes are quite high, didn't he?” Zhou Yuan gently flicked Tun Tun's paw off his shoulder, then looked up and smiled at Yaoyao.

Yaoyao's delicate brows rose slightly. She said, “Do you want to learn Origin Runes?”

“I've always been learning Origin Runes. After all, if I can't open my meridians, that's my last hope,” Zhou Yuan replied honestly.

Yaoyao bent slightly, her slender, jade-like fingers picking up Tun Tun and cradling it in her arms, gently stroking it. Tun Tun comfortably nestled between the soft, fragrant contours, shifting slightly, which made Zhou Yuan's eye twitch. He secretly cursed the little beast for its good fortune.

Yaoyao moved with graceful steps into the stone pavilion, elegantly seating herself on a stone bench. Then, propping her chin on her hand, she gazed at Zhou Yuan with a hint of laziness and said, “Teaching is too tiring. I don't want to do it.”

Zhou Yuan also climbed onto another stone bench and sat down, immediately making an offer: “While Jade Brew is considered fine wine, there are many better ones. I can help you find them.”

At this, a smile immediately bloomed on Yaoyao's jade-like face. Her charm in that instant was so captivating that it made all the flowers in the garden seem to dim in comparison, and it even made Zhou Yuan's heart skip a beat.

She smiled faintly and said, “How sensible of you.”

Zhou Yuan also smiled, then added, “But you can still only drink one bottle a day.”

Yaoyao's smile faded, and she glared at him with a hint of annoyance.

But Zhou Yuan didn't back down this time. After all, while preferences were one thing, there couldn't be unrestrained indulgence. Cang Yuan had said that since Yaoyao couldn't use Origin Qi, excessive drinking would inevitably harm her health.

Seeing that Zhou Yuan wouldn't relent, Yaoyao lightly bit her lip, but ultimately could only give him a resentful glare.

“Since you've studied Origin Runes, you should naturally know what's most important in the path of Origin Runes, right?” Yaoyao calmed her annoyance, her tone becoming neutral as she asked.

“Spirit,” Zhou Yuan replied.

Yaoyao nodded slightly, then slowly said, “Then do you know the different realms of the Spirit?”