"Miss, you've arrived."
Yun Shan, who had been waiting for a long time in the martial arts training room, spoke up as soon as Su Qiluo walked in through the door.
"Yun Auntie, sorry to have kept you waiting."
"No matter."
Yun Shan shook her head, then took out a jade box from her sleeve. The jade used for this box was of the highest quality. Even with the naked eye, one could see the box's smooth warmth, despite no carvings.
"Miss, your skin and flesh have fully matured. You should seal your body and hold your breath to cultivate your bones now."
As Yun Shan spoke, she opened the jade box in her hand.
"However, your father obtained two pill formulas recently. These two formulas can help people break through the limits of the acquired fourth stage and cultivate extreme achievements."
"Therefore, your father specifically allocated specialist alchemists to Langya Palace to refine pills of the extreme realm for you."
"Auntie, what is the extreme realm?"
Su Qiluo feigned innocence, though she pondered what Du Ke had told her earlier.
As expected, these pills Yun Shan took out were the ones Du Ke mentioned. Du Ke hadn't told her much about them, so she could only ask Yun Shan now.
"Miss, the so-called extreme of the fourth stage refers to the four major achievements of acquired skin, flesh, bones, organs and true qi."
"These four achievements are the Water and Fire Fairy Garment, Mercury Blood Silver Marrow, Five Shrines Divine Treasury, and Revolving Heaven Inhaling and Exhaling!"
"The Water and Fire Fairy Garment makes one knife and spear proof, immune to water and fire, and can achieve an indestructible body."
"Mercury Blood Silver Marrow has blood like quicksilver and bone marrow like silver, with vigor like a dragon."
"The Five Shrines Divine Treasury houses deities in the five viscera, granting exuberant vitality and endless life, and can enhance the five senses."
"Revolving Heaven Inhaling and Exhaling opens the bridge between heaven and earth. True qi becomes self-cycling, endlessly ebbing and flowing, and can swallow and disgorge the clear qi of heaven and earth to wash away the mortal body's impurities and achieve an innate spirit-like body."
"If one cultivates any single one of these four martial achievements to completion, they would be unmatched within their realm, and could even battle and kill across great boundaries."
"Also, the more extreme achievements one cultivates, the thicker their foundation will be. When one later returns to the innate from the acquired, with that accumulated thickness unleashing, it's likely they will directly enter the Dao."
"Is that so!"
Su Qiluo's eyes shone brightly. Yun Shan nodded and at the same time gestured to close the doors and windows.
"What I have now are pills for the extreme achievement of the Water and Fire Fairy Garment. Only those whose flesh has fully matured can take them."
"What happens if someone who hasn't fully matured takes them?"
Su Qiluo asked another question. Yun Shan wryly smiled and said, "At best, their skin ruptures and flesh splits, all cultivation lost. At worst, their flesh and blood scatters on the spot as they die a violent death."
Hearing this, Su Qiluo couldn't help but stick out her tongue.
These weren't medicines at all, they were clearly highly toxic!
"However, Miss, you have already fully matured your flesh and can take these pills now."
"Normally, nine pills are needed to cultivate it to completion, but with your outstanding talents, you may not need nine to succeed."
"How many are here?"
Su Qiluo craned her neck to peer into the jade box in Yun Shan's hand. Yun Shan heard the implication in Su Qiluo's words and forced a wry smile, "Miss, are you planning to share some with your general?"
"I will share what I have with him!"
"But..."
Yun Shan had just opened her mouth to speak when Su Qiluo firmly interrupted, "Aunt Yun, you're someone my mother left to me. I've treated you like family since I was young."
"Yet we shouldn't keep secrets in a family. The general and I share weal and woe, we can't be separated."
"I'll share what I have with him, of course."
"If you tell Father about this, I'll keep it in mind. When I grow up, I'll settle accounts."
Hearing Su Qiluo's deliberately dignified yet threatening words, Yun Shan shuddered inwardly. When did her young miss become like this?
She's threatening people now!
Feeling conflicted, Yun Shan forced a wry smile and reluctantly said, "Miss, the medicines your father provided are limited, and Alchemist Zhao's pill refining also has wastage. There are only enough herbs for you."
"Then have that alchemist waste more!"
Su Qiluo stared fixedly into Yun Shan's eyes, "Auntie, I treat you like family. You should care for our family members!"
Listening to Su Qiluo's contrived maturity and implied threat, Yun Shan sighed inwardly.
Ever since that cat came, she felt her status slipping lower and lower.
Yet despite thinking this, a faint gratification also welled up within her.
A servant's status depends on their master. The higher the master's status and strength, the more glory the servant can bask in.
Previously, Yun Shan had always worried her young miss was too gentle and would be bullied. But now it seemed her young miss had grown up.
"I understand. I'll find a way to prepare pills for the general."
Hearing Yun Shan's words, Su Qiluo immediately smiled and embraced her.
"I knew Auntie loves me the most!"
"You little monkey!"
Yun Shan helplessly shook her head, but soon said, "Alright Miss, prepare to start cultivating!"
"These extreme achievements are painfully difficult to cultivate. You must be prepared to endure the destruction that comes with their birth."
"I'm not afraid. Let me prepare a bit first, then let's start!"
"Yes Miss."
...
Inside the cat house, Du Ke lay draped over a cat tree, his tail hanging down and swaying back and forth. Meanwhile, Husky sat on the floor with his eyes fixed unwaveringly on Du Ke's swinging tail.
With a hint of drool at the corner of his mouth, Husky's head swayed left and right with Du Ke's tail. Before long, the dizzy Husky toppled over sideways onto the ground.
Du Ke paid the silly dog no mind, engrossed in sorting through the Immortal Martial Strategy's knowledge from those book pills he had just refined.
Rather than calling it a secret martial arts manual, it was more a technique treasure compendium with embedded tutorials.
It began by expounding on the fundamentals of martial arts, and meticulously detailed the divisions of each martial realm, explaining them clearly.
Just taking the four acquired realms of flesh, bones, organs and true qi for example, the Immortal Martial Strategy individually marked the differences and functions of each small and great achievement in these four realms.
It explained what the small completion was like, what the great completion was like, how to temper the body, how to circulate qi and blood, breathing techniques, and how to progress to the next stage of cultivation.
In other words, the Immortal Martial Strategy took everything about martial arts and chewed it up, feeding it mouthful by mouthful to the practitioner.
Not only that, it also contained records of paired combat methods for each realm, various techniques for exerting power, and details on foundational exercises.
Du Ke became utterly engrossed, losing himself within.
As time passed second by second, Du Ke also opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.
"So this is how you cultivate the acquired four realms!"
Du Ke muttered to himself while kneading his paws, "It seems I should temper my foundation again while I'm still below full maturation of flesh."
"Also, the Immortal Martial Strategy is likely incomplete, missing sections on combat."
"Those missing secret combat methods must be recorded in another book."
"If this Immortal Martial Strategy that records detailed theoretical knowledge is considered the first volume, then the one containing combat secrets is the second volume."
"I wonder when my girl will get access to the second volume."
As Du Ke muttered to himself, he also glanced at the remaining pill books.
He needed to accelerate his progress - both improving his own strength and finding more marvelous uses for the Black Cauldron.
"After refining these pill books and supplementing my knowledge, I'll try extracting the Essence of the Rising Sun tomorrow morning."
"There's more and more to do, and less and less time."