Chapter 84: Kidney Refining
By the time the meal was over, the sky had darkened, and everyone was dead drunk.
There was the joy of having survived the ordeal, but also a sense of helplessness about the current situation.
Even the Marquis of Jiuse was flushed red and had to be helped back to his room by Zhou Ren in the end.
Lu Yuan was also a little tipsy.
After bidding farewell to the others, he headed home.
As he entered Ice Valley Lane, moonlight spilled into the shadows, casting dappled silver patches on the ground.
The young couple in the courtyard where Xiao Hua and her mother used to live seemed to have moved away as well.
The courtyard gate was locked and covered in dust.
Lu Yuan paid it no mind and simply opened his own gate. He had been away on campaign for quite some time, and weeds had sprouted in his courtyard.
He went straight inside.
After opening the door, he tossed the armor and pack he’d brought back to one side, sat on his bed, took out a Cyan Wood Fruit, and swallowed it whole.
This was a Heavenly and Earthly Treasure meant to be consumed after one had completed the process of Refining the Liver.
Zhou Hongling had won two of them last time in a bet against Zhao Yu and the others.
’Since my Liver Refining is already at the Perfection stage, there’s no need to save this. I’ll just consume it and break through to Kidney Refining tonight.’
The moment he swallowed the Cyan Wood Fruit, Lu Yuan felt a rich Wood essence surge toward his liver, nourishing his body.
A large amount of impurities were expelled from his body.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yuan felt a wave of comfort wash over his entire body.
He knew it was time to begin Divine Containment, so he took out another Cyan Wood Fruit and popped it into his mouth.
If Lu Yuan could use Introspection to look inside himself now, he would see it.
His liver was completely enveloped in green energy, having fully nurtured its Divine Essence.
Having reached this stage, Lu Yuan was now practically immune to all poisons.
After all, the liver’s natural function is detoxification. Even a cultivator who had merely reached Minor Achievement in Liver Refining would gain resistance to common poisons.
Moreover, now that Lu Yuan had achieved Divine Containment, it was no exaggeration to say that no poison in the world could harm him.
VMMMM!
As a tremor coursed through his body, Lu Yuan knew he had officially broken through.
[Third-Grade Cultivation Skill: Tiger Subduing Posture - Kidney Refining (0/10,000 to Great Success)]
Just as he thought, he had reached the Great Success stage of Kidney Refining.
The fortification provided by the Golden Bell Shield was simply too powerful.
The Mixed Element Golden Bell Shield, in particular, was even capable of Refining the internal organs.
As a result, the strength of Lu Yuan’s five major organs was now far greater than that of an ordinary cultivator at the Fifth Level of Organ Refining.
Once he completed the Organ Refining stage and reached Blood Movement, his advantage would become fully apparent.
’Tomorrow, I’ll buy some elixirs for Kidney Refining. My cultivation is about to enter the fast lane.’
Lu Yuan muttered to himself, feeling the vast Life Essence Qi within his body.
Joy spread across his face.
It felt as though he had boundless energy.
He had now truly stepped into the Kidney Refining Realm.
’I’ve always heard that the Kidney Refining Stage is when most cultivators settle down and start families. There’s definitely some truth to that saying. And this is just the Great Success stage... if I reached Perfection, or Divine Containment, wouldn’t it be even more insane?’
Lu Yuan thought to himself, a wry smile touching his lips.
He then stood up, only to find that his clothes felt a little tight.
’I’ve grown again.’
He hadn’t expected this. He was already quite tall at nearly six-foot-three, but now he was probably about six-foot-five.
Yet he didn’t look lanky. Instead, his muscles were well-proportioned and powerfully built, with sharp definition.
He exuded a sense of immense power.
Standing there, he imagined he would look even more imposing in a suit of armor.
Moreover, his strength had also multiplied severalfold.
Lu Yuan was extremely satisfied with his current physique.
Seeing that it was still early after he finished cultivating, he went to rest.
The night passed without incident. Lu Yuan rose early the next morning. Since his clothes were now too small, he had to buy a new outfit.
After all, he had agreed to accompany the Marquis of Jiuse to Yan Province today and couldn’t afford any delays.
He found a clothing shop on the street, but it hadn’t opened yet. Lu Yuan had no choice but to pound on the door.
"Who’s there so early in the morning?"
The shopkeeper grumbled as he got dressed. A moment later, he opened the door with an aggrieved look on his face. When he saw it was Lu Yuan, his expression instantly transformed into a smile. "Ah, it’s General Lu! Greetings, General."
Lu Yuan might be a minor figure in the grand scheme of the Dayong Empire, but in Icefield City, he was a household name.
He already had countless military achievements to his name, and rumor had it he had fought his way back alongside the Marquis this time.
The Marquis of Jiuse himself had praised him in public; how could the shopkeeper not know who he was?
"Mm. Do you have any clothes that would fit me?" Lu Yuan asked.
In the past, Xiao Hua had made him several outfits, and they had always fit him well.
He had never actually gone out to buy them for himself.
The shopkeeper grinned. "With a build like yours, my shop is the only place you’ll find clothes that fit. Let me go get them for you."
He then went inside, returning a moment later with a black, cloud-patterned brocade robe.
"Please try this on."
"Mm." Lu Yuan nodded, taking the robe into the fitting room.
When he walked out, the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. "I’ve been a tailor for over twenty years, and this is the first time I’ve seen someone with such a perfect build."
"How much is it?"
"General Lu, this robe was originally custom-made for a nobleman from Yan Province. Since you’re in a hurry, I’ll let you have it first. The material is cloud brocade from the south, and it’s even woven with dark golden silk, so it has some minor defensive properties. Fifty taels of silver will be enough," the shopkeeper replied with a chuckle.
Although Lu Yuan knew the man was exaggerating—’What kind of shop could Yan Province possibly lack that a nobleman would eagerly come all the way here to order clothes?’—he didn’t argue.
The robe was indeed nice, and he was quite satisfied with it.
He handed the shopkeeper a fifty-tael silver note, dropped his old, packed clothes off at home, and then headed for the General’s Mansion.
This time, he didn’t bring his Crescent Saber, carrying only a Hundred Refinements Long Saber at his waist.
He cut a striking figure as he stood ramrod-straight before the gates of the General’s Mansion.
The Marquis of Jiuse, Zhou Ren, and Zhou Hongling, who were just walking out, all shot him appreciative glances. This was especially true for Zhou Hongling, in whose eyes a peculiar light seemed to shine.
Lu Yuan, for his part, also looked at Zhou Hongling differently today. As his eyes swept over her perfect and voluptuous figure, he couldn’t help but recall his wandering thoughts from the previous night.
He quickly lowered his head, a reaction that made the corners of Zhou Hongling’s lips curve into a smirk.
’This boy... he never used to look at me like that. There’s something different in his eyes today.’
Snapping out of his reverie, Lu Yuan dared not dawdle. He hurried forward and bowed. "Greetings, Marquis."
The Marquis waved his hand. "Dispense with the formalities. The road to Yan Province is long. Let’s set off immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, he mounted his warhorse.
Lu Yuan naturally followed suit.
And with that, the group set off toward Yan Province.
This was, in fact, Lu Yuan’s first time traveling to this provincial capital of the Northern Border.