"Wait!"

Seeing that Xu Yunfan was completely unmoved, the shriek from Nether Spring inside the Purple Gold Pill nearly pierced his eardrums. Wisps of True Essence churned frantically within the pill, terrified that Xu Yunfan would refine it with a single thought.

"Since you obtained the Primordial Order from that Jiaang Xu, you must be aware of the profundities of the Heart Sutra of Nirvana Dust he carried!"

Xu Yunfan’s expression shifted slightly. "So you knew Jiaang Xu?"

"Of course I knew him. The man was incredibly narcissistic, a True Disciple of Microdust Peak..."

Nether Spring’s voice was laced with schadenfreude. "To think he’d fall in the Divine Martial Realm. Excellent, just excellent."

Noticing the impatience on Xu Yunfan’s face, Nether Spring quickly fell silent.

Countless intricate meridian-like patterns suddenly appeared on the surface of the Purple Gold Pill. "The people of this realm are naturally born missing the Twelve Main Meridians, whereas I..."

The demonic voice suddenly lowered, carrying a bewitching tremor. "...happen to be able to reconstruct your meridians!"

Xu Yunfan’s fingers stilled. The roiling Ten Extremes True Qi receded layer by layer, like an ebbing tide.

The Purple Gold Pill hovered three inches above Xu Yunfan’s palm. Nether Spring’s True Essence churned violently inside, suddenly coalescing into a precise, illusory diagram of the human meridian system.

Three main meridians, glowing with an eerie purple light, stood out in the illusion, pulsing faintly like riverbeds soaked in blood.

"Do you see it clearly?"

Nether Spring’s voice held an irrepressible smugness. "You people of the Divine Martial Realm are naturally born without three Spirit Veins—the Taiyin, the Shaoyang, and the Xuanshu. This is the crucial reason why the Heart Sutra of Nirvana Dust has always been impossible to operate!"

Nether Spring’s tone became deliberate and self-important. "The Primordial Sect’s secret transmission, the Hundred Bone Profundity Technique, can reshape one’s Innate meridian structure. If it’s supplemented by a Meridian Opening Pill..."

Xu Yunfan’s eyes narrowed.

He had indeed studied the Heart Sutra of Nirvana Dust for a very long time. Back when he was testing mortal bodies, he had discovered a fundamental discrepancy between the meridian systems of this realm’s people and the description in the Cultivation Technique.

It was a case of a clever housewife being unable to cook without rice. His True Qi was as vast as a mountain range, yet it could only circulate through his flesh and blood.

But a Mortal Body had its limits. To progress further, he needed to unify the internal with the external, and for that, he needed the body’s meridian network to serve as a foundation.

The meridian chart Nether Spring was now displaying was, astonishingly, a perfect match for the Spirit Vein pathways recorded in the "Three Voids Return to Truth" Chapter of the Heart Sutra.

Xu Yunfan said quietly, "You’re certainly well-informed. A disciple from Hundred Desires Peak who even knows the Cultivation Scripture of Microdust Peak."

Nether Spring fell silent, then let out a dry chuckle. "My lord jests. The peaks are rivals, after all, so it’s natural for me to know a little. What’s more, given the state of your meridians, you would need to reconstruct them even if you were to practice one of Hundred Desires Peak’s Cultivation Techniques."

Seeing Xu Yunfan’s expression darken, the True Essence inside the pill suddenly contracted, and Nether Spring began speaking faster. "My lord, since you’ve read the Heart Sutra, you must know the dictum: ’Circulating qi through the Xuanshu is like a boat rowing against a waterfall.’ Without these three Spirit Veins, no matter how boundless your True Qi is..."

Before it could finish speaking, the Purple Gold Pill was suddenly caught in Xu Yunfan’s grasp. Nether Spring immediately fell deathly silent.

A golden light erupted from Xu Yunfan’s fingertips as his Ten Extremes True Qi surged forth like a Furious Tide, wrapping the Purple Gold Pill in layer after layer.

Although the True Essence contained within the Purple Gold Pill was far superior in quality to True Qi, it was being dissolved inch by inch in the vast torrent of True Qi, like ice and snow under a blazing sun.

The face Nether Spring had manifested from Demon Qi contorted violently, letting out a piercing shriek.

It had truly, absolutely never expected that this Martial Artist, who had appeared from who knows where, could actually trigger a qualitative change through sheer quantity—using a massive volume of True Qi to forcibly wear down High-tier True Essence.

"You seem to be quite accustomed to this sort of thing?"

Xu Yunfan’s tone was indifferent, but his mind was probing. ’That so-called Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm might be vast.’

Nether Spring’s aura wavered as if it were weighing its words. But under the pressure of Xu Yunfan’s gaze, which felt as heavy as the air before a tempest, it answered, "The Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm is vast and inhabited by many peoples. Though they all fall under the Human Race, there are often subtle differences in their physical makeup. The Primordial Sect specializes in studying this, which is why they created the Hundred Bone Profundity Technique. Supplemented with the Meridian Opening Pill, it can reshape the meridians, allowing those of different bloodlines to adapt to the Sect’s Cultivation Techniques."

"How is the Meridian Opening Pill acquired?"

Xu Yunfan cut straight to the core of the issue.

At this, Nether Spring’s Demon Core trembled, and it couldn’t stop itself from letting out a few harsh, cackling laughs. But it quickly recalled the ruthless methods of the being before it. The laughter died abruptly, and its Demon Qi even receded a little as it said sullenly, "The Meridian Opening Pill is specially produced by the Primordial Sect for the purpose of opening meridians in mortals. When combined with the Hundred Bone Profundity Technique, it can reconstruct the body’s internal meridian network. Though it can’t improve one’s fundamental aptitude, it can slightly enhance one’s affinity for Spiritual Qi, making Cultivation much more efficient."

It paused, a hint of helplessness tinging its demonic aura. "Outside, this pill can simply be redeemed with Sect Contribution Points. But in this realm..."

The Purple Gold Pill flickered faintly as Nether Spring seemed to gauge Xu Yunfan’s reaction. "I’m afraid there really is no way."

Xu Yunfan’s gaze darkened. The Demon Qi held within his grasp suddenly constricted, and Nether Spring instantly let out a piercing shriek.

"It seems you’ve forgotten your place."

Xu Yunfan said coldly, "If the Meridian Opening Pill is unobtainable, then the Hundred Bone Profundity Technique is worth far less. And as for you..."

A golden glint appeared at his fingertips, and his Ten Extremes True Qi sliced into the Demon Core like a razor’s edge. "To me, that means your only remaining value is to be refined."

Nether Spring’s Demon Qi roiled frantically as it blurted out, "Wait! There may be no ready-made Meridian Opening Pills, but... but this realm is rich in Dragon Vein Xuanhuang Qi! If its essence can be extracted and refined, it might not be impossible to create a substitute!"

It spoke at a rapid pace, terrified that Xu Yunfan would lose patience. "The main ingredient for the Primordial Sect’s Meridian Opening Pill comes from the condensed essence of a World Heaven Spirit Vein! And you can absorb this realm’s Heavenly Profound Yellow Qi. As long as you can find a suitable alchemy method..."

A golden light flashed in Xu Yunfan’s eyes as he silently loosened his grip. ’Of course I don’t believe a word of that. Nether Spring is speaking half-truths, which means I can only half-listen. This "suitable alchemy method" it mentioned is, at the very least, not something I’ll find in the Divine Martial Realm.’

"Recite the Hundred Bone Profundity Technique."

His voice was as cold as a tempered blade. If Nether Spring hesitated for even a moment, it would face a fatal Thunderbolt.

Nether Spring’s Demon Qi churned violently as it hastily explained, "This technique requires using Spiritual Qi as a catalyst to meld flesh and blood within the body, forming a ’profound seed’..."

As it rattled off the mnemonic chant, Xu Yunfan remained expressionless, listening with quiet intensity.

But deep down, the Attribute Panel that only he could see remained as still as dead water, not displaying even the slightest prompt.

When Nether Spring got to the phrase, "...one must gather the essence of moonlight to nourish the Yin Qiao Meridian," Xu Yunfan suddenly pointed his fingers like a sword. His Pure Yang True Qi transformed into a golden thread as fine as a hair and stabbed into the core of the Demon Qi.

"AHH!!"

Nether Spring let out an inhuman howl of agony. Dozens of holes were seared through the palm-sized Purple Gold Pill by the golden thread.

"My lord, why did you do that?"

"You recited a false scripture. What do you think?"

Xu Yunfan watched with cold eyes. The Attribute Panel remained utterly silent.