She was now at level eight of the Qi Refining stage. In her usual cultivation, aside from the Ren and Du Meridians, she had already used spirit energy and star power to temper the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming, the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming, the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin, the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin, the Small Intestine Meridian of Hand-Taiyang, and the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang.
Combined with the half-tempered Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin, she had already tempered eight of the twelve primary meridians in her body.
The remaining four primary meridians would only unlock as she made subsequent breakthroughs, according to her cultivation technique.
After the rushing lightning entered the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, it followed the established order through these eight meridians. Finally, it returned from the Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin to the Huiyin point, re-entering the Ren Meridian to begin a new cycle.
Just as spirit energy and star power were gathered into the dantian during cultivation, the lightning also flowed steadily into her dantian during its orbit.
However, unlike spirit energy and star power, the lightning did not remain stored within the dantian.
Instead, just as it had in her meridians, it crackled and surged against the inner walls of the dantian, where it was tempered and absorbed.
Beyond the dantian, as the lightning power circulated through these eight primary meridians, it flowed out from their two hundred and nineteen acupoints.
Following the same paths that spirit energy and star power took during her usual body refining, it meticulously tempered her internal organs, bones, flesh, and skin.
She did not dare to temper the remaining four primary meridians prematurely.
According to the 《Xiaoyao Wind Records》, a cultivator's twelve primary meridians were meant to be opened one by one as they progressed through the twelve levels of Qi Refining.
Because she had consumed spirit spring water and undergone cleansing the marrow, all the meridians in her body were already unobstructed, meaning she didn't need to spend time opening them.
But having clear meridians was one thing; being at level eight of Qi Refining rather than level twelve was quite another.
The 《Xiaoyao Wind Records》 had not yet unlocked the subsequent content. She didn't know which acupoints made up the remaining ninety points of those four meridians.
She didn't know which acupoint the spirit energy should enter for each meridian, the internal sequence of the points, or which point it should exit from.
She also didn't know which meridian should follow after another.
Cultivation was no trivial matter. Every cultivation technique had its own specific operational path and unique spells.
Without the unlocked content, any reckless experimentation could lead to disaster. At best, her spirit energy would become chaotic and her cultivation would be damaged; at worst, her meridians would shatter and her dantian would be destroyed.
Therefore, despite a slight sense of regret, Gu Ningyun did not touch the remaining four primary meridians.
She didn't know how much time had passed—it felt like both an eternity and a fleeting moment—but the lightning had already surged through seven Minor Orbit cycles within her.
The lightning from the Shocking Thunder Platform seemed endless, continuing to pour into her body.
As she felt the state of her dantian and meridians, Gu Ningyun began to feel that this level of lightning was no longer sufficient.
She stood up from the jade platform and stepped into the second zone.
Stronger and more violent lightning entered her body through the soles of her feet. Gu Ningyun nodded inwardly; it was as she expected.
Her previous feeling was because her body had already adapted to the level seven Qi Refining intensity, making further improvement impossible.
The current intensity was no longer enough, so it was time to move to the next area.
Since her body-refining cultivation was already at level eight, the outermost zone was merely a transition for her.
As time passed and the intensity of the tempering lightning gradually increased, Gu Ningyun's green outer robe transformed from tattered strips into mere shreds.
Eventually, it turned to black ash, falling away along her path on the Shocking Thunder Platform and revealing the lustrous white inner robes and trousers beneath.
These were actually the inner layers of the disciple robes issued by Xiaoyao when they joined.
The inner layers weren't visible under the green outer robes. When the five of them were at the Xiaoyao Chamber of Commerce, they had only bought the outer robes for disguise and borrowed a room from the clerk to change into them.
Now, they were perfect for her to wear while body tempering.
As she stood up to move to the next zone, Gu Ningyun rubbed her nose. Why was there a burnt smell?
Could those green outer robes really have been that low-quality?
Lightning equivalent to level twelve Qi Refining surged through her. Gu Ningyun cast aside all other thoughts and focused on refining it.
By now, her body-refining cultivation had far surpassed her magical cultivation, reaching the level twelve Qi Refining stage.
As the violent, rampaging lightning surged through her, Gu Ningyun kept her back straight, though her crossed legs trembled slightly.
The current intensity of the lightning was at the absolute limit of what her body could endure.
She only needed to draw the lightning of this zone for eighteen Minor Orbit cycles—two times nine—to stabilize her level twelve body-refining cultivation and complete this session on the Shocking Thunder Platform.
To her surprise, just as she finished the final cycle and her body-refining cultivation fully stabilized, the 《Xiaoyao Wind Records》 and 《Record of Primordial Stars》 within her sea of consciousness began to flip on their own.
As layers of spiritual light flashed, the techniques for level nine, level ten... all the way to level twelve Qi Refining unlocked simultaneously.
The cultivation techniques began to circulate automatically. Wind spirit energy and star power, carrying the lightning with them, entered through the Tianchi point of the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin.
The energy flowed through Tianquan, Quze, Ximen, Jianshi, Neiguan, Daling, and Laogong, finally exiting through the Zhongchong point.
Unlike the Ren and Du Meridians or the first eight primary meridians, the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin had never been tempered before.
As the three powers surged in, Gu Ningyun felt an intense, swelling pain in the Tianchi point, as if it were about to be torn apart.
Before she could stop it, the 《Record of Primordial Stars》 triggered the star power to temper the Tianchi point. Silvery-white threads interlaced, stabilizing the point.
The tiny cracks on the Tianchi point were repaired one by one.
Following that came more star power and wind spirit energy, and finally, the lightning.
As if propelled by a massive force, the Tianchi point was rapidly tempered by the three powers. Its strength quickly began to close the gap with the previous eight primary meridians.
After the Tianchi point, the remaining eight points of the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin and the entire meridian itself began to undergo the same process.
After flowing through the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin, the techniques did not stop, guiding the three powers toward the Triple Burner Meridian of Hand-Shaoyang.
Step by step, the techniques continued. After the Triple Burner Meridian of Hand-Shaoyang came the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang, and finally, the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin.
Once the three powers washed through the Qimen point, the final point of the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin, all twelve primary meridians in Gu Ningyun's body—totaling three hundred and nine acupoints—were completely clear.
As the cultivation techniques operated, all of them were tempered together.
Countless streams of wind spirit energy, star power, and lightning washed through these four meridians and flowed out through the ninety acupoints, tempering every part of her body.
Gu Ningyun tried her best to remain calm. Gu Ningyun steadily checked her cultivation technique. Gu Ningyun—she was actually stunned!
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