39: Chapter 39 Seclusion

On the second day after becoming a Guest Elder of the Demon Emperor's Palace, Chen Yuanji entered the seclusion chamber. The seclusion chambers of the Demon Emperor's Palace were located underground, dozens of zhang deep into the heart of the mountain. The surrounding rock walls were covered with Yuan Gathering Arrays and Soundproofing Arrays. The concentration of elemental energy was ten times that of the surface, and outside sounds could not penetrate at all. The seclusion chamber was not large, only about three zhang in radius, but it was enough for one person to Cultivate.

Granny Hu had given him a command medallion that allowed him to use all the resources of the Demon Emperor's Palace at will. Chen Yuanji did not stand on ceremony; for his first batch, he requested ten Grade Four qi and blood pills, five Grade Four medicinal herbs, and a handwritten copy of a Yao Race Body Refining Cultivation Technique.

"What do you need so many qi and blood pills for?" The Yao Race steward responsible for distributing resources stared wide-eyed at the list. A single Grade Four qi and blood pill was worth tens of thousands of taels of silver; ten would be hundreds of thousands. Even for an Elder of the Demon Emperor's Palace, this was an entire year's quota.

"Cultivation," Chen Yuanji said flatly.

The steward looked at the Elder's medallion in his hand and asked no more, obediently preparing the items. The door to the seclusion chamber was locked from the inside. Chen Yuanji sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, placing the martial god's heart and the ancient jade before him. The two martial god's remains emitted a faint glow, resonating with each other like two bright lamps in the dim seclusion chamber.

"Moving from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage of Gang Energy requires condensing Protective Aura from 'gas' into 'Gang'," he recalled the Legacy from the martial god's remains. "Protective Aura is scattered, while Gang is concentrated. Only by condensing the scattered Protective Aura into a physical substance can its true power be unleashed."

He took out a qi and blood pill and swallowed it. The medicinal power of a Grade Four qi and blood pill was several times stronger than a Grade Three one. The moment it entered his stomach, a hot current spread through his limbs and bones like a volcanic eruption. Chen Yuanji activated his inner core to absorb this medicinal power. The inner core rotated slowly in his Dantian, converting the medicinal power into Protective Aura. The Protective Aura surged from the inner core, flowing along his Meridians and forming a thin white light shield on the surface of his body. The light shield was more solid than before, but it wasn't enough; the Protective Aura was still 'gas', not 'Gang'.

"It needs to be compressed." Chen Yuanji took a deep breath and forced the Protective Aura to contract inward. The white light shield slowly shrank until it was only an inch away from his skin. The density of the Protective Aura increased significantly, and its color changed from white to pale gold.

"Still not enough."

He continued to compress it. The pale gold light shield shrank to within half a point of his skin, and its color changed from pale gold to pure gold. The density of the Protective Aura had reached its limit; any further compression would injure his skin. Chen Yuanji opened his eyes and extended his right hand. The golden Protective Aura in his palm condensed into a small knife, its blade incredibly sharp and flashing with a cold light in the dimness. Protective Aura manifestation—and in a physical form.

"Gang Energy Middle Stage," he whispered.

Only seven days had passed since he began his seclusion. Chen Yuanji was in no hurry to leave; he continued taking the qi and blood pills to consolidate his Realm. After finishing all ten qi and blood pills and refining all five Grade Four medicinal herbs, the inner core in his Dantian had turned from white to gold. Its size had grown by a circle, and his Gang Energy Middle Stage was now stable.

"Still a long way to go." He stood up and stretched his muscles. Gang Energy Middle Stage was equivalent to the Middle to Late Stage of the Faxiang Realm. To defeat Zhou Xuanji, who was at the Middle Stage of the Void-Piercing Realm, he would need to be at least at the Gang Energy Late Stage or even the Peak.

"Continue."

He picked up the handwritten copy of the Yao Race Body Refining technique and flipped to the first page. The technique was titled the "Heavenly Demon Body Refining Art." It was a supreme treasure of the Demon Emperor's Palace, accessible only to those of Elder rank. The content was written in Yao script, which Chen Yuanji did not recognize, so Granny Hu had specifically ordered it translated into Human Race script.

The core of the "Heavenly Demon Body Refining Art" was "tempering the body with Yao power," strengthening the Physical Body by absorbing the inner cores of Yao Beasts. The Yao Race was born with powerful physical bodies, and this technique pushed that natural advantage to the extreme.

Chen Yuanji did not Cultivate Yao power, but the methods for physical tempering in the "Heavenly Demon Body Refining Art" were valuable references for him. He read the technique from beginning to end, highlighting the "Fascia Chapter" and the "bone chapter." The "Fascia Chapter" explained how to improve the body's flexibility and explosive power through fascia vibration. This shared similarities with the cultivation methods of Hidden Jin in Guoshu but was more systematic and profound. The "bone chapter" explained how to increase bone density and strength through compression. The higher the bone density, the heavier the body and the greater the strength. It was said that the great experts of the Yao Race had bone densities a hundred times that of ordinary humans; their weight was like a mountain, and a single punch could shatter a city.

"I can try this," Chen Yuanji calculated in his mind.

His bone density was already several times that of an ordinary person, but it was still far from that of a Yao Race expert. If he could increase his bone density to more than ten times that of an ordinary person, his strength would at least double.

Following the method in the "bone chapter," he channeled his Protective Aura into his bones, compressing them from the inside out. Under the pressure of the Protective Aura, his bones emitted faint "cracking" sounds as if in protest. Pain radiated from deep within his bones, as if thousands of needles were stabbing him simultaneously. Chen Yuanji gritted his teeth and continued to compress. One day, two days, three days... his bone density increased by thirty percent.

Chen Yuanji stood up, feeling his body become significantly heavier. He walked to the wall of the seclusion chamber and threw a punch at the rock wall. *Boom!* A pit three feet deep was blasted into the rock, sending fragments flying. The Soundproofing Array of the seclusion chamber flickered violently, nearly failing to withstand the impact of the punch.

"My strength has doubled." Chen Yuanji nodded in satisfaction. At this rate, in another month, his bone density could reach ten times that of an ordinary person. By then, the Gang Energy Late Stage would be within reach.

Just as he was about to continue cultivating, the door to the seclusion chamber was suddenly knocked on from the outside. "Elder Chen, Granny Hu requests your presence."

Chen Yuanji frowned. He had given instructions before his seclusion not to be disturbed unless it was important. "What is it?"

"Zhou Xuanji has arrived. He is in the main hall of the Demon Emperor's Palace and wishes to see you."

Chen Yuanji's eyes narrowed. He put away the martial god's heart and the ancient jade and walked out of the seclusion chamber.

In the main hall of the Demon Emperor's Palace, Zhou Xuanji sat in a guest seat, his face calm, showing no emotion. Behind him stood two men in black, both at the Peak of the Faxiang Realm. Granny Hu sat in the main seat, her expression indifferent.

When Chen Yuanji entered the hall, everyone's eyes fell on him. Zhou Xuanji looked at him, his eyes narrowing slightly. Chen Yuanji stood in the center of the hall and met Zhou Xuanji's gaze. "Elder Zhou, to what do I owe the honor of your personal visit?"

"Two things." Zhou Xuanji held up two fingers. "First, hand over the martial god's heart. Second, return to the Tiandao Sect with me. If you do both, the Tiandao Sect can spare your life."

"And if I don't?"

"Then even the Demon Emperor's Palace won't be able to protect you."

Granny Hu snorted coldly. "Zhou Xuanji, this is the Demon Emperor's Palace, not your Tiandao Sect. It is not your place to act presumptuously here."

Zhou Xuanji glanced at her and said calmly, "Granny Hu, though the Demon Emperor's Palace is strong, it is not worth going to war with the Tiandao Sect for the sake of a single human youth."

"Whether it is worth it or not is for the Demon Emperor's Palace to decide, not you."

Zhou Xuanji was silent for a moment before standing up. "Chen Yuanji, I will give you three months to consider. Three months from now, if you still haven't handed it over, the Tiandao Sect will mobilize its entire strength to hunt you down. When that time comes, not just you, but everyone around you—that Yao girl Su Xiaohu, that Deer Clan girl Lu Yao, and that old thing Shen Wuchang—will all die."

He turned and led the two men in black out of the main hall. Chen Yuanji stood where he was, his fists clenching until they cracked.

Granny Hu looked at him and sighed. "Three months. Are you confident?"

"I am!"

Chen Yuanji turned and walked out of the hall, returning to the seclusion chamber. Three months. He had to break through to the Peak of Gang Energy, not for himself, but for those around him.