Chapter 499: Changing Tendons and Forging Bones, A Dream of Lovesickness

Chapter 499: Sinew Transformation and Bone Forging, a Dream of Longing

It really worked!

For a moment, Zhao Changhe even had an absurd thought... if he cut off something and let it regrow, could it become three to five times thicker?

He quickly dismissed this bizarre idea; he had just cut his arm, and it hadn’t gotten thicker.

The significance of this meridian reconstruction was simply that his original inferior meridians no longer matched his current cultivation. Rebuilding them was like melting down an old weapon and recasting it into a new mold, growing to match his present physical state.

It relied on the immense life energy of this place, which could not be wasted in the slightest, or else it might not be enough.

Come to think of it, his “younger brother” had long been unmatched in the world—was there any need to replace it? Redundant.

Zhao Changhe gasped a few deep breaths, feeling a surge of joy as he experienced his brand-new meridians. The pain was excruciating, but the psychological elation was something outsiders could never understand.

Perhaps many thought Zhao Changhe was already overwhelmingly formidable, advancing faster than anyone else, as if having slightly inferior meridians didn’t matter at all and didn’t hinder his awesomeness.

Only a few understood how long Zhao Changhe had been plagued by this problem since falling into this world—it had nearly become a nightmare.

If not for his poor meridians... originally bearing a miraculous art like the Six Harmonies Divine Skill, he could have made it his main cultivation foundation, progressing swiftly with numerous special effects, paired with the Sword Emperor’s legacy or the Tang Family Sword Art, even Xia Longyuan’s personal teachings—both stylish and powerful, with no drawbacks.

Why else would he have clung bitterly to the Blood Fiend Art, which hardly matched the opportunities offered by any senior he encountered, with various cultivation thresholds, requiring rare medicines that were hell to find, and enduring periodic backlash of killing intent that was agonizing? If not for other chances, he could never have reached this point with the Blood Fiend Art—just look at Sect Leader Xue.

Even with fortunate achievements, he still had to endure Longque’s mockery of being like a brain-damaged child.

And every time he broke through, from the Xuan Pass stage all the way to now, it was often his internal energy that held him back, causing bottlenecks.

Fortunately, the transformation effect of the Zhenwu Sword Stone in the Xuanwu Secret Realm had somewhat alleviated this issue, allowing his Xuan Pass levels eight and nine up to the Secret Treasury to no longer be hindered. For a long time, even Zhao Changhe himself stopped worrying about it, since the Blood Fiend Art had become deeply ingrained as his main cultivation, and he no longer wanted to change it.

But before long, the same problem arose again. Yue Hongling’s experience clearly indicated that if the meridian issue wasn’t resolved, internal and external would be uncoordinated, and he couldn’t break through the second level of the Secret Treasury... In other words, the old bottleneck that had held him back was once again looming before him, an urgent problem demanding a solution.

If he didn’t thoroughly fix this meridian mess, who knew how many more troubles would arise in the future.

Now the solution was right before him!

Though it was extremely painful, and no one was there to help divert the pain... so what?

Along this journey, he had already endured enough self-torture; one more time wouldn’t matter!

With a soft “crack,” the Small Intestine Meridian of the Hand Taiyang began to shatter from the little finger upward, reconstructing inch by inch.

Beads of sweat as large as beans dripped into the blood pool, dissolving without a trace.

The Blind Girl stood quietly by the side, feeling a hint of admiration for this fellow for the first time.

The pain of shattering and reconstructing meridians was even more intense than the previous flaying.

And the human body’s meridians covered the entire body—was this just one?

Truly a man of iron.

Others would never know the layers of meaning she had embedded in the nightmare of slaughter she set for candidates... one of which was to test their grit.

The sensation of dying and reviving, over and over, was not a mere dream but entirely consistent with real pain. She had tested many people; some went mad, some jumped off buildings... She healed the mad ones and caught the jumpers, so no real harm was done, but very few passed.

And this guy had endured for over ten days, longer than even Xia Longyuan back then.

This tough-guy trait manifested everywhere in his life after crossing over. It was said that a man driven by bloodlust was like that, but often he wasn’t actually driven by bloodlust. On the contrary, he was somewhat clever, deliberately using the state of “Heaven and Earth Without Self” to dull the pain, like secretly administering anesthesia.

But killing intent wasn’t real anesthesia; the sensations remained, and he couldn’t afford to lose all perception, or how could he perform such delicate meridian shaping? The so-called anesthesia only slightly reduced the pain. The Blind Girl admitted to herself that she couldn’t endure it, and didn’t even dare to imagine.

She wondered if Zhao Changhe could hold out to the end, or if he would faint from the pain... Come to think of it, Zhao Changhe himself didn’t know what this meant. If he could truly endure it, it would be more than just improving his meridians.

There was a technical term for this: Sinew Transformation and Bone Forging.

The reconstructed meridians would be utterly inhuman—the precursor to a divine-demonic body.

This was the stairway to heaven, the path to godhood.

There were many paths, but this was undoubtedly the hardest. Yet he had inadvertently set foot on it... Once he crossed it, the road ahead would be smooth.

“Crack...”

The Blind Girl snapped back to attention and sensed.

Zhao Changhe’s Small Intestine Meridian of Hand Taiyang had been completely reconstructed.

It hadn’t actually taken that long... but in Zhao Changhe’s own experience, it might have felt like years.

He breathed heavily, trembling as he fumbled for a pill and swallowed it to regain some vitality. After a brief rest, he started on another meridian.

He went straight for the Conception Vessel. The so-called Conception and Governor Vessels were the core meridians; the nine levels of Xuan Pass were mainly opened along these two. For such important meridians, he naturally wanted to handle them while his spirit was still good.

A tough guy, yet also rational—the Blind Girl sighed. If such a man didn’t succeed, it would truly be against heaven’s will.

She watched silently as sweat covered his twitching face. After a moment of hesitation, she discreetly flicked her finger.

A peculiar energy quietly shielded Zhao Changhe’s spiritual platform.

If such a feat failed because he fainted from pain, it would be too regrettable...

This act had already violated her stance of never actively helping anyone in the world... but it was a gray area. Was this help? He did everything himself, never even asked for a plan. Through the passive presentation of the Heavenly Book, he had combined the Blood Shura Body, the Undying Blood Demon Body, the Return to Spring Art, and the Blood Turtle to form a plan—in a sense, it could be considered his own creation.

Time passed, and the moon hung high in the sky.

Zhao Changhe’s consciousness was growing hazy. He had only one meridian left—the Spleen Meridian of Foot Taiyin—but he had no strength left.

Enduring pain not only dulled the mind but also drained his strength.

Even medicine couldn’t replenish him; he had absorbed too much energy and medicine in a short time, and more was useless.

He was so groggy that he didn’t even notice the blood pool’s energy had been drained dry, leaving a clear pool... pure water, all impurities and filth assimilated by the vast life energy, now completely absorbed by his body, leaving the pool cleaner than water purified by modern methods.

Without the life energy supply, Zhao Changhe grew weaker, leaning dazedly against the pool’s edge. A lazy thought whispered that missing just one meridian probably wouldn’t affect the overall situation—at worst, he’d be a bit lame?

Too tired, he really didn’t want to move...

But... how unwilling he was...

In his daze, Zhao Changhe still slowly circulated the reconstruction technique, trying to continue, but he couldn’t even shatter the meridian anymore.

The Blind Girl hesitated, wondering if she should give another push... Was this heaven’s will?

But this heaven was without the Way—what was heaven’s will?

Just then, the Blind Girl’s expression shifted as she sensed someone approaching.

Faint voices could be heard asking: “The Holy Envoy cut the Blood Turtle’s flesh and went to the Turtle Pool on the mountain?”

“Yes... he’s been in the mountain for a long time. Everyone really heard screams from inside, intermittent... We were afraid something happened and had to inform Your Majesty, disturbing your rest.”

“You reported well; all of you will be richly rewarded. Now, guard the foot of the mountain and allow no one up.”

“Yes.”

Under the hazy moonlight, Sisi came stepping on the moon. From afar, she saw the clear pool water and was startled. Then she saw Zhao Changhe leaning against the pool’s edge like a dead man. Sisi, forgetting her surprise at the pool’s change, swiftly flew to his side and made a brief examination.

“Exhaustion?” The result puzzled her: “Exhaustion to the point of semi-consciousness? Who was he fighting to the death with here? The Turtle Pool’s blood? No... his meridians...”

Sisi opened her eyes in shock: “He’s undergoing Sinew Transformation and Bone Forging!”

She examined carefully and confirmed that he was indeed undergoing Sinew Transformation and Bone Forging, and it was almost complete. Only one meridian remained weak, standing out starkly against the surrounding radiant, thick meridians.

And within Zhao Changhe, energy was still surging through that meridian, as if in a final, unwilling struggle. But he had no strength left; he couldn’t push through...

Sisi tried to stuff a pill into his mouth, but found his body could no longer absorb it... Had he taken too much in a short time, and his body was rejecting it?

Sisi stared blankly at Zhao Changhe’s face, biting her lower lip lightly.

There was another way to replenish energy and restore strength besides medicine... Sisi had once played the role of the Maitreya Heavenly Maiden and was no stranger to the Ultimate Bliss Art.

He truly meant it, but what about him?

Just as he hesitated, Zhao Changhe's eyelids twitched slightly, as if about to open.

Sisi was startled and instinctively hid behind the rock behind her. Then she tapped her head with self-mockery, what was she afraid of...

Afraid that if he saw it was her, he would refuse?

But I really do like you...

Sisi leaned against the rock, lost in thought for a long time, smiled wryly to herself, and slowly pulled out a set of red clothes from her ring, along with disguise medicines she hadn't used in ages, applying them to her face.

Zhao Changhe had just sensed someone probing him, forced his eyes open but saw nothing for a moment, and was still dazed when he saw Yue Hongling emerge from behind the rock.

"Hongling..." Zhao Changhe murmured groggily, "I can't hold on... help me out, just a little more..."

Yue Hongling slowly undressed and entered the water, saying softly, "I've already probed, I know... it's fine, I'm here."

Zhao Changhe completely relaxed, and soon felt a warm softness on his lips, as he was gently kissed.

The aura of the Extreme Bliss Technique seeped into his body, gradually stirring his withered dantian, stirring the heat in his lower abdomen.

A heretical demonic art—even if you've been drained dry, it can make you a man again.

"Yue Hongling" held his neck and slowly sat down.

Energy cycled, yin gave birth to yang.

Before long, Zhao Changhe felt energy growing again, regaining strength.

He mustered the last of his willpower and viciously shattered the remaining meridians.

The hazy moonlight hid among the swaying shadows of the trees.

"Crack..." After who knows how long, the last of the Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian was fully formed, and the Sinew-Transforming Bone-Forging Art was complete.

Zhao Changhe opened his eyes; the fragrant breeze still lingered, but "Yue Hongling" had vanished.

The sky was showing the pale light of dawn. The events of the previous night, no matter how he thought about them, felt unreal, like a dream.

(The cause and effect of Sisi's fake Heavenly Maiden and fake Hongling are fully resolved in this chapter, completing a foreshadowing laid nearly four hundred chapters ago. Writing this chapter, I recall the controversy when Sisi first appeared, and when she reappeared, countless brothers still said she was the least likable character. I want to say: for a multi-heroine story, if every character's introduction is likable and the process is gradual mutual understanding and love, that would be repetitive and dull. There need to be characters who change and grow, with love-hate entanglements and contrasts before and after—all kinds of characters. Whether they end up likable or not doesn't matter; that's what makes a vivid ensemble, each a unique individual memory. So really, don't judge the future based on how a character first appears; it's truly meaningless.)