Chapter 142 Refining Blood and Transforming Marrow

After waiting for a long time for the aroma to drift out, the Blood Taisui and the Marrow-Cleansing Soup were finally ready and taken off the stove.

The Blood Taisui only yielded a small lump.

After all, the meat Shang Lu had obtained from the Blood Age Deity was only a small piece, and he still needed to keep some for cultivation, having to wait for it to "grow" before he could have more meat to eat.

Despite the small quantity, its appearance was quite impressive.

It was a vibrant red, complemented by the thick gravy cooked along with it, looking much like braised pork belly. With both color and aroma complete, it was extremely enticing.

The Marrow-Cleansing Soup, on the other hand, was a large, golden bowl.

Although ingredients like loaches, chickens, and ducks, alongside blood-nourishing medicinal herbs and grains, were added during the simmering process, the resulting broth was remarkably clear. Not a single drop of oil could be seen, nor did it have the milky-white color of ordinary fish soup.

Had it not been for the enticing aroma and golden hue radiating from the bowl, one might have mistaken it for a bowl of plain water.

Seeing that Shang Lu was scooping not just the soup, but the vegetables as well into his bowl, Sanniang hurriedly stopped him. She told him that there were strict rules to eating the Marrow-Cleansing Soup: one should only drink the broth and not eat the solid ingredients.

This was because the medicinal herbs and ingredients used to make the soup had been entirely drained of their nutrients, and even their flavor was gone, leaving behind only a useless "shell."

It was much like offerings that had already been enjoyed by ghosts.

Refusing to believe it, Shang Lu picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of duck meat, and spat it out the moment he tasted it.

Not only was the duck meat completely devoid of flavor, but its texture was also horrendous. The moment it entered his mouth, it dissolved into a mushy sludge, truly feeling like chewing on wax.

Shang Lu then tried a piece of blood ginseng, but its texture and taste were equally terrible.

This time, however, Shang Lu managed to swallow the blood ginseng, and immediately used his inner vision to check the condition of his Five Viscera Temple.

As it turned out, once swallowed, the blood ginseng was not sent into the Five Viscera Temple.

This proved that Sanniang's words were true: the ingredients and herbs used to brew the Marrow-Cleansing Soup had all turned into "medicinal dregs" devoid of any nutrition, making the Spleen Deity dismissive of them.

"Sanniang, come, let's share this."

Though the aroma of the two spiritual dishes had made his mouth water continuously, Shang Lu did not rush to eat. Instead, after scooping the food, he invited Sanniang to enjoy it with him.

Sanniang gently shook her head. "No need, you eat."

Shang Lu, however, would not hear of it, insisting on sharing the good things with her.

"You and I are husband and wife, so naturally we share both blessings and hardships. Wherever there is a bowl of rice for me, there will be half a bowl for you. If you don't eat, I won't eat either."

Unable to win against his persistence, Sanniang finally allowed him to portion out a small piece of the Blood Taisui meat and a small bowl of the Marrow-Cleansing Soup for her.

Even then, she still spooned some from her own bowl back into Shang Lu's.

"My appetite is small, I don't need much. Just a tiny bit is enough."

With that, Sanniang held her small bowl, brought her red bridal veil close to the rim, and took tiny, gentle breaths.

The flavors of the two spiritual dishes, as well as the effects they contained, were thus drawn away by Sanniang.

However, Sanniang did not absorb all of them. She left a single bite, pouring it at the base of the old locust tree in the courtyard so that Uncle Huai could also taste a fresh delicacy.

Uncle Huai was very polite, shaking his branches and leaves to express his gratitude to Sanniang, while not forgetting to thank Shang Lu as well.

Only then did his roots emerge from the soil. First, he absorbed the broth of the Marrow-Cleansing Soup, and then rolled the meat of the Blood Taisui underground, storing it as fertilizer to slowly absorb.

Shang Lu did not share any with Shang Mingqiu and Wu Guizhi. It was not that he didn't want to, but rather that he feared his parents could not handle such potent nourishment.

These two spiritual dishes were meant for refining blood and transforming marrow. To say nothing of his elderly parents, who had never practiced cultivation, even a martial artist of the Bone-Forging Realm like Du Feng would not be able to withstand their medicinal potency.

If Shang Mingqiu and Wu Guizhi were to eat them, it would not only yield no benefits, but it would easily cause complications and injure the elderly couple.

Therefore, Shang Lu's plan was to first get some ordinary tonic medicine for his parents to nourish their bodies.

Once their bodies were in decent shape, he would find them a set of longevity-nurturing cultivation techniques and then obtain some spiritual-Qi-infused medicine for them to consume.

Given his parents' advanced age, it was clearly unrealistic to make them start cultivating now.

Practicing longevity exercises and consuming blood-enriching and Qi-boosting items to improve their physical health and prolong their lives was a much more reliable approach.

After watching Sanniang finish her meat and soup, Shang Lu officially began his meal.

He started with the meat of the Blood Taisui.

While it looked like braised pork belly, its taste and sensation upon consumption were completely different from braised pork.

The texture was remarkably springy, giving the feeling of eating fruit jelly, and the flavor was quite refreshing without any of the greasiness of braised pork.

The moment the Blood Taisui meat entered his stomach, it was immediately delivered to the Five Viscera Temple, where the Spleen Deity rapidly transformed it. Not only did it generate a massive surge of blood-Qi, but it also produced a grease-like substance that adhered to the blood-Qi.

The piece of Blood Taisui meat was small, and Shang Lu swallowed it in a single bite, even licking the leftover gravy clean. He then picked up the Marrow-Cleansing Soup, taking a small sip first to savor the taste.

The flavor of the Marrow-Cleansing Soup was quite novel, presenting a taste that was sweet with a hint of spice, making it quite delicious.

This was the enchanting flavor produced by the combination of medicinal herbs and ingredients under the influence of heat.

As soon as the Blood Taisui meat and the Marrow-Cleansing Soup entered his stomach, Shang Lu instantly felt as if a fire had ignited inside his body!

At that moment, his body transformed into a furnace cauldron.

Roaring flames burned within the furnace cauldron, refining his blood-Qi.

Shang Lu knew that the two spiritual dishes were taking effect.

He quickly collected his breath and calmed his mind, following the method recorded in the cultivation notes of the Qi-Condensing Realm senior. He drove his blood-Qi to circulate through his meridians, subjecting it to the refining of his fleshly body acting as a furnace.

At the same time, he adjusted his respiration, visualizing the sun to further fan the "fire" of his internal organs, making the "blaze" burning inside his physical furnace even more intense.

This blood-refining method was something Shang Lu had consulted both the Wu Zhu and Feng Boyuan about. Having confirmed it had no flaws, it was a method of blood-refining and marrow-transformation taught in the military, which was far fiercer and more violent than techniques circulated among the common folk.

For someone with insufficient blood-Qi, using this method to refine blood and transform marrow would easily lead to problems.

However, blood-Qi was the very thing Shang Lu lacked the least!

For him, this blood-refining technique was exceptionally fitting.

Yet, Shang Lu's first attempt failed to refine his blood-Qi into marrow.

The "fire" was too ferocious, directly "burning" the refined blood-Qi until not a trace remained.

However, Shang Lu did not give up because of this failure. He quickly summarized the lessons learned and corrected several issues.

Then, taking advantage of the fact that the effects of the two spiritual dishes had not yet dissipated, he made a second attempt.

This time, the blood-Qi was refined and condensed within the furnace formed by his physical body, finally taking shape and transforming into a paste-like substance that flowed through his meridians into the ulna of his right arm.

There are three types of marrow: brain marrow, spinal marrow, and bone marrow.

The Marrow-Cleansing Realm is about cleansing and replacing these three types of marrow.

Starting from the bone marrow, moving to the spinal marrow, and finally the brain marrow. Using blood-Qi to refine new innate marrow to replace the polluted old marrow.

The bone marrow among the three refers to the marrow contained within the bones of the limbs.

Once the marrow within the bones of a single limb is fully refined and cleansed, one has crossed the threshold into the Marrow-Cleansing Realm.

When the bone marrow of all four limbs is completely cleansed, the cultivation reaches the minor accomplishment of Marrow-Cleansing, and the explosive power of the limbs will be multiplied, increasing several-fold!

As the new marrow entered the ulna of his right arm, an equivalent amount of old marrow was immediately displaced and squeezed out.

Without even needing to look closely, Shang Lu could immediately tell the difference between the new marrow and the old marrow.