Chapter 75

That night, Xu Yan walked for a long time on the tree-lined path in the campus. He was feeling dejected, and all sorts of disturbing thoughts flooded his mind. Although he had drunk a lot of alcohol, he didn't feel drunk at all. His mood fluctuated between anger and dejection. That night, Xu Yan wandered around the campus until midnight, and was questioned and driven away by the night security guards twice before he finally went home.

That night, Xu Yan was sleepless, tossing and turning in bed, suffering through the night. The next morning, as soon as the sky began to brighten, Xu Yan hurriedly got up, finished washing up, and waited in the living room.

Around eight in the morning, Zhu Youxiang finally came out of the guest room. Seeing Xu Yan sitting respectfully on the sofa in the living room, Zhu Youxiang was slightly surprised. At this time, Xu Yan would usually have already left for class.

"Hey? Young Master, are you not going to class today?"

Xu Yan shook his head. After the shock of Gong Xueting giving him a "good person card" the previous night, he had reflected on his actions over the past period. He realized that he had made a huge mistake: now, with over two million yuan in his pocket and a promising future in cultivation taught by Zhu Youxiang, it would be the most foolish thing to waste time on those useless courses.

Looking at Zhu Youxiang, Xu Yan clearly said, "Xuan Yun, I want to learn the art of cultivation."

Xu Yan's request did not surprise Zhu Youxiang. She calmly approached and sat down on the sofa. "Young Master, please sit. Let me first check your pulse."

The two sat side by side on the sofa. Zhu Youxiang extended her hand and placed it on Xu Yan's wrist, applying a slight pressure.

Feeling Zhu Youxiang's warm fingers, Xu Yan experienced his first physical contact with a girl, and he felt a bit excited, his body trembling slightly.

Noticing Xu Yan's nervousness, Zhu Youxiang smiled easily. "Young Master, relax, relax your whole body, let your meridians be loose, and don't be tense."

Although Zhu Youxiang said this, Xu Yan didn't know how to relax his body. He could only let his shoulders drop and his arms hang naturally.

"Young Master is still a bit tense—when checking the pulse, you might feel some unusual sensations, but don't be nervous, it won't hurt much."

Just as Xu Yan was about to ask what kind of unusual sensations, he suddenly felt a warm sensation at his wrist. A warm current flowed from Zhu Youxiang's fingers into his wrist, piercing into the flesh. Xu Yan felt pain and instinctively tried to struggle, but Zhu Youxiang's fingers held him firmly, like a steel clamp, preventing him from moving. He couldn't help but groan in pain, "Ouch! Xuan Yun, it hurts so much!"

"Young Master!" Zhu Youxiang's expression was unusually serious. "Young Master, if you seek the Great Way, can you not endure this small pain? On the path of cultivation, the hardships and pains can be much worse than this. If you don't have the willpower, you might not be suited for the Great Way!"

Hearing this, Xu Yan was startled and quickly said, "No, no, I just got a bit surprised. I can endure it! Xuan Yun, just continue checking my pulse, I'll let you know if I can't handle it."

"Alright, if Young Master really can't bear it, you can tell me."

"Sure, sure!"

After being given a "good person card" by Gong Xueting the previous night and being mocked by Zhu Youxiang about his willpower that morning, Xu Yan felt that he had failed in life. He was determined: for the sake of his dignity as a man, he would endure even if he fainted from the pain!

However, after making up his mind to endure, Xu Yan found that the pain was not as severe as he had imagined. It was like getting an injection; the initial piercing of the warm current into the wrist was painful, but once it entered, the pain gradually lessened. His arm felt warm, and there was a tingling, numb, and swollen sensation, which was not painful but rather comfortable.

He happily told Zhu Youxiang, "Xuan Yun, I don't feel pain anymore! My arm feels warm and comfortable, as if it's full of strength—what does this mean? Does it mean I have a natural talent for cultivation?"

Zhu Youxiang closed her eyes slightly. Hearing Xu Yan's voice, she didn't look up but said, "Young Master, it's good that you have this confidence. Next, please be strong!"

"Hehe, Xuan Yun, just go ahead, it's a small matter, I won't..."

Before he could finish, the warm current in his arm suddenly spread, rushing to his upper arm and shoulder. The sensation was intense, like being pricked by many small needles. Xu Yan involuntarily let out a low "ah" of pain.

Zhu Youxiang sternly said, "Young Master, endure it!"

Before Zhu Youxiang finished speaking, Xu Yan's body suddenly trembled. The warm current had quickly spread from his right shoulder, chest, and neck, rapidly covering his entire body. The sensation was indescribable; his whole body felt as if it were immersed in hot water, with pain, tingling, numbness, and swelling. The pain in his arms had been localized, but now it spread throughout his body, especially in sensitive areas like his spleen and intestines. Xu Yan felt as if he were dying, dizzy, and nauseous.

Fortunately, although Xu Yan was gentle, he was very determined. Thinking about the difficulty of the path of cultivation and his promise to Zhu Youxiang, he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound, even though his body was trembling, his teeth were chattering, and his face was pale. He was breathing heavily, and within moments, his clothes were soaked with sweat.

Zhu Youxiang claimed to be checking Xu Yan's pulse, but in reality, she was helping him cleanse his bones and meridians, using her deep spiritual energy to flow through his entire body, clearing blockages and impurities to prepare him for future cultivation.

As someone who had gone through this process, she knew that for an ordinary person who had never cultivated, Xu Yan's meridians were almost completely blocked. Using external spiritual energy to open up the meridians was like threading a wire through the body, causing intense pain.

Cleansing the bones and meridians is the most difficult part of the initial stages of cultivation. Even the descendants of cultivation families often can't endure this pain and need to use pills or divide the process into several sessions. However, like how artificial herbs often can't match the effectiveness of wild herbs, such methods often result in less solid and smooth meridians, leading to slower progress in cultivation.

Therefore, the various sects in the cultivation world believe that if not absolutely necessary, the first cleansing of bones and meridians should be done in one go without external assistance, which is the most effective and beneficial for future cultivation and development.

However, there was no need to explain this complex matter to Xu Yan. Zhu Youxiang continued to infuse spiritual energy into Xu Yan's body, helping him clear blockages and open meridians, while carefully monitoring his pulse and heart rate to prevent him from suddenly fainting, which would render the entire process futile.

Fortunately, although Xu Yan was breathing heavily, Zhu Youxiang thought he was about to faint several times, but he was surprisingly strong and managed to endure the pain until her true energy completed a full cycle in his body. He was still sitting steadily on the sofa with his eyes closed, which made Zhu Youxiang a bit worried—had he fainted while sitting?

In the past, this was not uncommon during the initial stages of cultivation.

"Young Master, Young Master, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Xu Yan opened his eyes. His clothes were drenched in sweat, and sweat was dripping from his forehead. He weakly replied, "I can hear you, Xuan Yun, just continue, I can endure it."

Xu Yan not only didn't faint but also continued to endure, which made Zhu Youxiang respect his willpower—this Young Master looked weak but had a strong spirit. She praised him, "Young Master is truly strong, to still be able to endure. Remember, cleansing the bones and meridians is not easy—now that it's done, Young Master can rest and feel any changes in your body."

Xu Yan sat up straight, overjoyed. To him, Zhu Youxiang's announcement that the cleansing was complete was like a heavenly sound. Being freed from this hellish ordeal made even the air he breathed feel sweet.

Taking a few deep breaths, Xu Yan stretched comfortably, feeling pain all over his body. But compared to the intense pain he had just experienced, this was minor.

At this moment, Xu Yan noticed something strange. "Xuan Yun, you didn't say it would be like this. You said you were just checking my pulse... how did it suddenly turn into cleansing the bones and meridians?"

As he spoke, Xu Yan shivered—cleansing the bones and meridians sounded like one of the ten cruel punishments in the Qing Dynasty, making him feel uneasy. From his experience, it lived up to its terrifying name.

"Is that so?" Zhu Youxiang turned her head and said nonchalantly, "I don't remember."

After a moment, as if a bit embarrassed, she explained, "I was originally going to check your pulse, but since I was there, I decided to cleanse your bones and meridians as well. You don't need to thank me."

Xu Yan was speechless—he wanted to say that this wasn't about gratitude. She had said she was checking his pulse but almost killed him with one of the ten cruel punishments. Even if she really wanted to use it, she should have warned him. Otherwise, he would have been caught off guard and might have lost a layer of skin.

Seeing Xu Yan's miserable expression, Zhu Youxiang couldn't help but smile—she had done this on purpose. If she had told Xu Yan beforehand, he would have been afraid, and the pain would have been magnified several times. She hadn't studied psychology, but she knew from experience that the best way to break a suspect's resistance was to use their fear of punishment to break their psychological defenses. Even if the suspect was unharmed, their fear could be worse than the actual pain.

Now, Zhu Youxiang had cleverly applied this principle. If she had told Xu Yan beforehand that he would experience intense pain and hardship, his fear would have magnified the pain, and he might not have been able to endure it. But by telling him it would be a minor pain, he believed it and, to save face, he would have endured it. As she had expected, Xu Yan did indeed endure it.

With the cleansing complete, Xu Yan stood up and walked around the sofa. Although his body still ached, he felt refreshed. He asked Zhu Youxiang, "Xuan Yun, what's next?"

"Next?" Zhu Youxiang glanced at him and smiled. "Young Master, you should change into clean clothes and take a shower to avoid catching a cold."

Xu Yan realized his clothes were drenched in sweat and emitted a faint, unpleasant odor. He laughed awkwardly, apologized, and hurried back to his room to change and take a shower. While showering, he felt his body still sweating, with black, greasy, and oily sweat. It took him half a bottle of shower gel to clean it off.

After washing off the grime, Xu Yan felt refreshed, as if a burden had been lifted from his body, making him feel light and energetic.

He quickly dried his hair, changed into clean clothes, and ran out. Zhu Youxiang was still in the living room, watching TV.

Xu Yan approached, "Xuan Yun, I've washed up! What's our next step in cultivation?"

Zhu Youxiang turned and looked at Xu Yan, smiling. She said, "Young Master, there's no need to rush. Cultivation requires persistence, but not immediate results. After cleansing the bones and meridians, your body and meridians need time to reconnect and clear impurities. You need to adjust, which takes time. Once your body and meridians are stable, you can begin cultivation."

Xu Yan disappointedly said, "Oh," but he couldn't do anything about it.

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After Zhu Youxiang forcibly cleansed his bones and meridians, Xu Yan didn't leave the house for three or four days. It wasn't because he was heartbroken and wanted to live like a hermit; the real reason was that the aftereffects of the cleansing were too strong.

During these days, Xu Yan felt as if he were in hell. When the cleansing was happening, he thought he was already in hell, but he thought the pain would quickly subside once it was over. However, he underestimated the difficulty of the path of cultivation and Zhu Youxiang's deviousness. She had told him he needed a few days to "slightly adjust his body and meridians," but after this, Xu Yan vowed never to believe anything she said again. This wasn't a "slight adjustment"; it was like being skinned and having his intestines and organs cleaned out.

The most uncomfortable part for Xu Yan was the constant strange sweating. For several days, whether day or night, he was always sweating. The sweat wasn't ordinary; it was a greasy, colored, and foul-smelling sticky substance. No matter if he was sitting still, sleeping, or not moving, this strange sweat kept coming out, as if there was a constant source of impurities in his body. The sweat quickly formed a layer of grime on his skin.

Every morning, Xu Yan woke up feeling sticky, as if he had just crawled out of a mud pit. His skin was covered with the grime from the sweat, making him very uncomfortable. When he washed up in the morning, he looked at himself in the mirror and felt a sense of horror—was this dirty, black, and unrecognizable person really him?

Xu Yan had seen