Chapter 9: The True Essence of the Nine Tribulations

The Golden Blood Ginseng contained ginseng liquid; the older it was, the more liquid it contained, and the better its effects. Only this liquid was truly effective. If one did not know how to dig it up, even a slight scratch would cause all the liquid to instantly flow out. At that point, even if one swallowed the entire Golden Blood Ginseng, it would be nothing more than a piece of root.

Standing against the stone wall, he waited until his breathing was completely calm before placing the Golden Blood Ginseng in his mouth and gently biting through the skin. Immediately, a cool, spicy liquid rushed down his throat. The liquid was actually golden, shining brightly.

The name Golden Blood Ginseng came from this. This was the Golden Blood!

As soon as the Golden Blood Ginseng liquid entered his body, it automatically flowed smoothly through his entire meridian system. At that moment, the soul of the Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian suddenly emitted a wave of excitement, becoming agitated, and then transformed into a bolt of lightning, rushing out of the dantian and quickly approaching. It carried a sense of joy...

The ginseng liquid that had not yet been absorbed by the meridians turned into a stream of light and was completely absorbed by the Nine Tribulations Sword!

Chu Yang actually felt the Nine Tribulations Sword seem to let out a satisfied burp before slowly returning to the dantian, as if taking a leisurely walk after a satisfying meal, swaying its head and tail, exuding a sense of grandeur...

Although he was on a cliff, Chu Yang almost laughed. This thing was too human!

Then, a faint golden light flashed on the sword, much brighter than before. The light disappeared, and from the illusory hilt of the Nine Tribulations Sword, a cool, dark golden stream of energy flowed out, instantly merging into Chu Yang's entire meridian system. Chu Yang watched as the exposed skin on his body flashed with golden light and then disappeared. His entire meridian system swelled like a balloon, then contracted, and then swelled again...

It was like a balloon being blown up and then deflated, and then blown up again...

This happened nine times in succession, and finally, the sensation ceased.

The medicinal power of the Golden Blood Ginseng liquid, transformed by the Nine Tribulations Sword, was finally completely integrated into Chu Yang's meridian system...

Chu Yang clearly felt that although his strength had not increased, the speed at which it operated had significantly improved. In his meridians, a layer of golden, flexible light was slowly disappearing, merging into the inner walls of his meridians...

He tried to expand his meridians and felt the extreme elasticity and flexibility within, like an unbreakable ball, which made Chu Yang overjoyed!

This harvest would lay the foundation for his entire life! The gains were enormous... Although his strength did not increase, it opened a direct path for his meridians to develop smoothly!

If others' meridians were like a small pond, his meridians had undoubtedly become a deep well. This was a qualitative difference!

This foundation would allow him to advance to the Martial Ancestor level without worrying about the capacity and endurance of his meridians.

Before he could fully rejoice, he felt the Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian suddenly glow brightly, making him feel as if his entire body was being illuminated. Then, a pain in his dantian, and the light disappeared instantly, but Chu Yang knew that something mysterious was happening...

Suddenly, a few words appeared in his mind:

"Heaven's Way is无情, all things are destroyed; Heaven's Way is有情, all things are born. Sword Way is无情, slaughters the world; Sword Way is有情, cares for all beings. Whether无情or有情, it depends on the heart. The Nine Tribulations have nine levels, whether无情or有情. Whether有情or无情;

Having experienced the vast sea, seeing through the world,有情is无情,无情is有情; whether有情or无情, the deepest is Heaven's Way. Where there is the human world, there is the Martial Way; where there is the Martial Way, there is Heaven's Way; in the end, it is transcendence.

In the secular world, the secrets of Heaven's Way are all contained within, the seven emotions and six desires, the beginning of Heaven's Way..."

Chu Yang's body trembled violently, feeling a fierce agitation in his heart, dizziness, and almost falling off the stone wall.

On this cliff where no one could see, Chu Yang's body shook uncontrollably.

In his previous life, his cultivation was difficult, and he finally resorted to evil methods to promote his progress, entering the Sword Way through slaughter, but he could never fully understand it, let alone reach the peak of the Martial Way. Now, Chu Yang finally knew where he had gone wrong!

It turned out that his lifelong cultivation of the无情Sword Way in his previous life was wrong! Terribly wrong!

This was the true essence of the Nine Tribulations' Nine Levels!

Whether无情or有情, it all depended on the heart. If the heart was无情, it was the无情Sword Way. If the heart was有情, it was the有情Sword Way!

Cultivating deeply, it was Heaven's Way!

In his previous life, his heart was clearly有情, but he insisted on cutting off all emotions. How could he succeed?!

The essence of the Nine Tribulations' Nine Levels was two paths. One led to sainthood, the other to demonhood. How one cultivated depended on the heart...

Ling Wu, it was my mistake! From the beginning, I took the wrong path, leading to our lifelong tragedy.

Chu Yang looked up to the sky, his heart aching, indescribable...

Nine Tribulations Sword, Nine Tribulations Sword, you played a big joke on me, making me ruin my life for a wrong method, and then giving me a true rebirth after the destruction!

Should I hate you? Or should I thank you?

In the midst of his agitation, Chu Yang did not notice that at the tip of the illusory Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian, there was a tiny bit of blackness... so small it was almost imperceptible, but it was real!

As the sun rose, two people arrived outside the Purple Bamboo Garden. A young man and a young woman, both in white robes, their clothes fluttering in the wind, standing out in the sea of purple bamboo.

The young man had arched eyebrows and star-like eyes, handsome and graceful, but his face carried a suppressed arrogance. The young woman was about seventeen or eighteen, with a beautiful face and a tall, slender figure, her expression serene, giving people the impression of gentleness.

Even without knowing her usual character, one would have the impression of gentleness.

She seemed delicate but had a heroic demeanor; she seemed strong and bold but gave a sense of grace and gentleness.

"Li Jianyin of Lock Cloud Peak and Wu Qianqian of Gather Cloud Peak, disciples, have been sent by our masters to seek an audience with Uncle Meng. Please inform the senior disciples inside," the young man in white called out. His voice carried far, clear and resonant, displaying his profound inner strength.

Lock Cloud Peak was one of the two peaks where the top ten disciples resided, connected to Gather Cloud Peak.

In the several rooms of the Purple Bamboo Garden, there was no response.

At this time, Shi Qianshan and Tan Tan should be deep in the bamboo forest practicing, unable to hear the commotion. And Meng Chaoran was nowhere to be found, so naturally, there was no one.

The young man in white, Li Jianyin, called out again, but still received no response. He frowned, dissatisfied, and said, "Is this Purple Bamboo Garden still asleep? Why is there not even a breath?"

The young woman frowned and said softly, "Master Li, be careful with your words. This is the Purple Bamboo Forest. Don't let someone hear and upset Uncle Meng."

"Uncle Meng? Ha ha..." The young man laughed lightly but lowered his voice, "This Uncle Meng, I hear, wouldn't get angry even if someone rode on his head... Such a coward, I can't imagine how he ever became one of the top ten disciples!"

The young woman was startled and quickly said, "Master Li, what did Father tell us before we left? He told us to be very careful with our words. Why are you..."

Before she could finish, a cold snort came from behind them.

A cold voice said, "How your master became one of the top ten is none of your business, you don't have the qualifications to ask! I want to ask, how did such a disrespectful and arrogant person become a disciple of Lock Cloud Peak? Is it because your family is rich? Or do you have a good father?"

The voice was icy, but the sharpness of the rebuke and the force of the counterattack were shocking. The gaze from behind felt like needles piercing their backs, causing a slight pain.

The voice came from behind them.

Startled, they quickly turned around and saw a young man, covered in dust, looking somewhat dirty, but with sharp eyes that coldly stared at them.

This young man was slightly thin, tall, with arched eyebrows and thin lips. At first glance, he didn't seem very handsome, but the more you looked, the more appealing he became. His pursed lips formed a downward curve, giving him a distant and proud look, and a hint of cruelty and wildness. But the light in his eyes was like two sharp swords, piercing and overwhelming, making it hard to look directly at him!

It was Chu Yang!