Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 176 Bone Cutting Pill

After a moment of fear, Du Fan was suddenly overjoyed. If he could master these Buddhist and Taoist techniques, wouldn't his combat strength increase dramatically? Even if he encountered a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he was confident he could put up a fight!

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Du Fan's eyes dimmed and he sighed.

These Buddhist and Taoist cultivation methods are indeed powerful, but the conditions for practicing them are also extremely demanding. This has nothing to do with factors such as comprehension, but rather with the strength of one's muscles, bones, and physical body.

According to Du Fan's conservative estimate, given his current physical condition, if he wanted to cultivate these techniques, he would at least need to master the Body Strengthening Technique and the Savage Technique to the third level and reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, a glimmer of hope arose in Du Fan's heart, because he found a method for improving one's physique in a jade slip belonging to the monk Huiguang, which involved consuming body-tempering pills, and the Muscle-Cleansing Pill was undoubtedly one of them.

Du Fan took a deep breath and continued reading. It turned out that although taking the Cleansing Muscle Pill alone had some effect on improving physical fitness, it would not achieve the best results.

Because the Cleansing Muscle Pill is a combination pill, it needs to be taken together with another pill called the Bone-Breaking Pill. Only by complementing each other can the medicinal effects be maximized.

"Bone-Cleansing Pill?" Du Fan shook his head. This was yet another pill he had never heard of before.

Then a thought suddenly struck him, and he couldn't help but think:

"If I take both the Cleansing Tendon Pill and the Bone-Strengthening Pill for a period of time, and my entire body's muscles and bones are tempered, will I be able to cultivate those powerful physical techniques with the Qi Refining Realm cultivation, just like Monk Huiguang...?"

However, for Du Fan at this moment, this matter was just a thought, as the Bone-Cleansing Pill was not something he could obtain simply by having spirit stones.

Next, Du Fan took the various cultivation techniques and a bowl-shaped magical weapon from Huiguang's storage bag and carefully placed them into his Qiankun Ring. Then, he began to examine Huineng's storage bag.

In Huineng's storage bag, apart from a few cultivation manuals, there was nothing else that Du Fan cared too much about.

Du Fan first focused his attention on a set of bamboo slips called "Copper and Iron Arm Forging Technique". After studying it for a while, Du Fan confirmed his thoughts. This technique was the same powerful method that Huineng used to make his fists bigger when he fought Huineng.

A moment later, Du Fan could not hide his joy. The restrictions on cultivating this "Copper and Iron Arm Forging Technique" were relatively small, and given his current situation, he could barely manage to cultivate it.

Suppressing his excitement, Du Fan continued to study other cultivation techniques. Several hours later, he put away all the bamboo slips containing the techniques and fell into deep thought.

"'Copper and Iron Forged Arm Technique', 'Arhat Shield', 'Golden Bell Cover'..." After a while, Du Fan's eyes suddenly flashed.

"Of the more than ten Buddhist and Taoist cultivation methods, I can only cultivate these three at present. I can forget about the 'Arhat Shield,' as it is basically the same as the Weak Water Shield that I cultivate. As for the other two, I can try to cultivate them when I have time."

Du Fan let out a soft breath and made his decision.

Although the Golden Bell Shield is also a defensive spell, it is clearly superior to the Weak Water Shield in terms of practicality.

This is easy to understand. In battle, shield-type defensive spells can only block attacks from one direction, while the Golden Bell Shield can protect the entire body, wrapping oneself up completely.

Based on this judgment, the superiority of these two spells becomes immediately apparent.

Another point is that the Golden Bell Shield is not a pure magic spell, but a fusion of magic and physical techniques.

In this way, while this method has a powerful defensive capability, it also presents two prerequisites for cultivators to cultivate: first, they must possess a golden spiritual root, and second, they must have a strong physique.

However, what is a hurdle for most cultivators is not a problem for Du Fan.

He does not possess the Golden Spiritual Root, but with the Golden Source Pearl in hand, it is the same. And his physique, although not a legendary spiritual body, is definitely not bad.

Therefore, Du Fan met all the conditions for cultivating the Golden Bell Shield; this technique was practically tailor-made for him.

After Du Fan finished dealing with the spirit stones, pills, and cultivation techniques of these people, he perked up and turned his attention to the only remaining piece of shiny black stone and a jade slip that was clearly of extraordinary material.

These two items were found in Huiguang's storage bag. The black stone was similar in size and shape to the spirit stone.

Du Fan swept his divine sense across the area and immediately sensed a sinister and eerie aura. This aura seemed capable of corrupting his divine consciousness through his divine sense.

With a start, Du Fan instantly severed his divine sense. When he looked at the stone again, he couldn't help but gasp. This thing was undoubtedly very evil, but this eerie aura was not unfamiliar to Du Fan.

"This aura is contained within Gui Yuan's body; this is... an item of the Ghost Path..."

In an instant, Du Fan recalled the Ghost Burial Sect disciple, Gui Yuan, whom he had encountered in the scattered lands of the Kongsang Sect.

This person exuded a chilling, ghostly aura, which seemed to be related to the aura contained within the stone, suggesting they belonged to the same path.

Du Fan glanced at the black stone, but still felt a lingering fear, so he ignored it and turned his gaze to the jade slip beside him.

The jade slip was grayish-white, resembling a skeleton, and was clearly not a righteous object. However, it was impossible to give up the investigation.

After a moment's hesitation, Du Fan took a deep breath, separated a wisp of his divine sense, and carefully probed into the jade slip.

To Du Fan's slight relief, the jade slip was not strange at all; it was just like any other jade slip, containing some textual information and a map.

After a short while, Du Fan withdrew his divine sense and began to ponder.

"The Trial at Dongshi Mountain..."

This jade slip, whether it contains text or a map, describes one thing: the trial at Dongshi Mountain!

This trial was jointly organized by the Youming Sect, a large sect in Jizhou, and several other medium-sized sects.

The East Beginning Mountain Trial was originally held only once every ten years or so, but in recent years, for some reason, it has been held frequently, with the shortest cycle being once a year.

The location of the trial was, coincidentally, a place called Dongshi Mountain within the territory of Donglin Kingdom. Moreover, this mountain was not far from where Du Fan was now, and at his speed, he could reach it within seven days.

The credentials for participating in the trial were the grayish-white jade slip and the jet-black stone that terrified Du Fan.

That black stone, named the Nether Stone, originated from the Netherworld Sect and was indeed a true artifact of the Ghost Path.

Every year, the Netherworld Sect distributes a certain number of Nether Stones and qualification jade slips to the outside world through various means. Cultivators who receive Nether Stones and jade slips and whose cultivation level is below the Foundation Establishment stage can participate in the East Beginning Mountain Trial.

According to the contents of the jade slip, the trial at Dongshi Mountain was not aimed at disciples of sects and families, but at all independent cultivators in Jizhou.

Upon completion of the trial, outstanding cultivators will receive generous rewards and may even be noticed by large and medium-sized sects, who may directly accept them as disciples. This is truly a great opportunity for independent cultivators.

Of course, the trials at Dongshi Mountain only recognize Nether Stones, Jade Slips, and cultivation levels, but not people.

If one is a member of a sect or a prestigious family and has the ability to obtain these two items, one can participate in the trial. However, special rewards like joining a sect are naturally not available.

"The next Dongshi Mountain Trial will begin in ten days. I imagine many cultivators will be heading there. If we're lucky, we might find clues about Ruoxi and Xiaohu." Du Fan's eyes flashed, and he made a decision.

"Moreover, among the sects that organized the Dongshi Mountain Trial, there is the Hanshan Sect. If I participate in this trial and achieve excellent results, I may obtain the Bone-Cleansing Pill."

In any case, this opportunity is extremely rare, and I must go.

Du Fan took a deep breath, his resolve growing stronger.

"However, this so-called Eastern Beginning Mountain Trial, I hope it's not dangerous at all..."

Forget it, where in the cultivation world is there a completely safe place? If an opportunity is presented to me and I don't seize it, what kind of cultivation is that, and what kind of enlightenment am I gaining?

Vice Alliance Leader Xiao once said, "Cultivation is all about cultivating self-confidence!"

Du Fan's brows furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed again, and at the same time, a decisive look appeared in his eyes.

Two days later, Du Fan bid farewell to Uncle Ding's family and left the fishing village alone, heading east towards Shishan Mountain according to the map in the jade slip.

Along the way, Du Fan saw many independent cultivators heading in the same direction as him, all heading towards the trial grounds. It seemed that most of these people were planning to participate in the East Beginning Mountain Trial.

Du Fan maintained a respectful distance from these rogue cultivators, showing no intention of engaging them in conversation.

However, someone did try to speak to him, but Du Fan's indifferent expression, coupled with his considerable cultivation level, made those who had intended to take advantage of him wisely back down.

With Du Fan focused on his journey, he arrived at the place marked on the map on the sixth day.

This is a valley where many cultivators already reside, some gathered in small groups, others meditating quietly alone, totaling more than two hundred people.

To the south of the valley stand three towering, dark peaks. The peaks are not very high, only about a thousand feet high, but they are exceptionally wide. Their area is probably no less than that of a secondary peak of the Qixia Sect.

Amidst the mountain peaks, a faint black mist swirled, occasionally accompanied by the sound of ghostly wails, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.