System crash? I prove it with my control panel!

Seeing that Chen Wen's expression did not seem fake, and especially since his breathing had not changed, Liang Jiu sighed inwardly, thinking that it seemed that he had truly been ruined.

Then he said regretfully:

"The inheritance I received says that cultivating this technique will yield three Taotie patterns on low-grade mustard stones, nine on mid-grade stones, and twenty-four on high-grade stones. As for the highest grade, I don't know. It seems that even the creator did not find such a treasure, but I imagine there should be at least forty-eight."

"Now that this mustard stone is gone, I used all the connections in my clan to obtain a mid-grade mustard stone. The inheritance says that only the highest grade mustard stone can reveal the profound mysteries of a first-grade cultivation technique, but unfortunately, I will never have the chance to see it..."

He looked up to the sky and sighed, regretting that he hadn't stopped Jingwen from destroying the jade slip back then.

"really."

Chen Wen also sighed in lamentation, without revealing the slightest flaw, and then comforted him:

"Brother Liang, don't be sad. Although that mustard stone is good, it is ultimately beyond our reach. Obtaining such a legacy is already a great fortune that I have longed for but could not obtain."

"Now that you've entered the path, while I've had no chance to see it, Brother Liang seems like a favored child of heaven, making me incredibly envious!"

"Hey~ Don't say that. I'm not some kind of darling of the heavens. Those who are born with a spiritual spoon in their mouths are the ones who are."

Although Liang Jiu denied it, his expression improved.

People are afraid of not having comparisons. Once you compare yourself to others and see that they are worse off than you, you feel much better.

Then Chen Wen asked, seemingly out of curiosity:

"By the way, Brother Liang, could you tell me about the mysteries of the Gluttonous Blood Body Technique, so that I can broaden my horizons?"

Liang Jiu smiled slightly. He had been living in fear ever since he obtained the opportunity, afraid of leaking the news. Especially after he succeeded in his cultivation, he was even more cautious and extremely frustrated.

Now there is someone who needs to vent, and he readily agrees.

"Since you, Brother Jingwen, are so sincere in your request, then I shall show off a few words."

Chen Wen, knowing his intentions, quickly poured him tea and said with a smile, "Brother Liang, please have some tea. Jingwen is all ears!"

Liang Jiu's face grew even more smug. He had been extremely humble in order to enter the Dao, but now the tables had turned.

He took the tea, sipped it, and said:

"After I mastered the Gluttonous Blood Body Technique, I have nine Gluttonous Patterns in my body. These nine Gluttonous Patterns can increase my speed of devouring spiritual objects by nine times and make my devouring power nine times stronger. Although I am only at the first level of body refinement now, I can still devour mid-grade first-level spiritual objects, and my stomach has a space of ninety cubic meters, enough to swallow rivers and waterfalls..."

Liang Jiu seemed to have not spoken to anyone for a long time, and once he started talking, he went on and on.

However, they did not notice that although the people next to them were verbally praising and admiring them, their eyes held a strange look.

At this moment, Chen Wen's heart was already churning with turbulent waves, but the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique kept him calm.

Does one Taotie pattern mean double the devouring power and digestion speed?

Is a single Taotie pattern the space within the stomach of the ten directions?

One side is roughly the same as the space used for one ton of water in Chen Wen's previous life, about one cubic meter.

Ninety cubic meters—drinking from the river and swallowing the waterfall is an exaggeration, but it's still enough to hold a small pool.

But how much is in Chen Wen's body?

The clear stream behind the mountain, once inside the body, is nothing more than a puddle of water.

He probed his spiritual sense into his body and began to count.

He had tried to count them before, but there were just too many, and they were all connected, making it difficult to sort them out.

According to Liang Jiu, the Taotie pattern should be located on the stomach.

But Chen Wen's condition wasn't limited to his stomach; it spread throughout his entire body.

If someone could peel off Chen Wen's skin, they would see that the flesh and blood were covered with dense Taotie patterns.

Chen Wen's failure to count was also due to this reason; it was simply too bizarre.

However, he does need to count them carefully now. Liang Jiu won't finish in a short time, and since he's free anyway, he might as well count them.

While talking to Liang Jiu, Chen Wen counted using his spiritual sense.

One, two, three... twenty... fifty... one hundred...

Three hundred and sixty-five!

Chen Wen finally came to an unexpected answer.

He couldn't help but panic a little. Even if the best quality mustard stone had the best effect, it shouldn't have so many gluttonous patterns!

What is going wrong?

Chen Wen pondered to himself.

However, the reason for the rapid cultivation speed has been found.

With a 365-fold increase in digestive capacity, and the fact that he eats so much spirit rice every day.

How could the cultivation speed not be fast!

And he also has 3,650 cubic meters of space in his stomach!

To put it simply, he had about two acres of land and a warehouse with a three-meter-high ceiling.

It's not suitable for living in, but it can be used to store things.

Gradually, their conversation came to an end.

Liang Jiu lamented again, "What a pity to waste such a large piece of top-grade mustard stone. If we had used it, the two of us could have gained an incredibly solid foundation, and our cultivation would have progressed by leaps and bounds in the future. What a pity..."

He does not mean that.

Chen Wen's heart skipped a beat, but he calmly asked in return:

"Size? Brother Liang, are the mustard stones you used very small?"

"Hehe, it's more than just small."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiu's gaze darkened. "Our family clearly possesses a top-grade mustard stone the size of a fingernail, yet this despicable person blocked our path and only gave us a mid-grade mustard stone the size of a fingernail. This is outrageous!"

"However, I didn't experience the extreme pain mentioned in the technique. I only felt pain for a moment before I successfully entered the beginner's stage."

"Who knows, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise, Brother Liang, try to take it easy!"

Chen Wen mentally filtered out the useless information in his mouth and keenly grasped the key point: the size of a fingernail.

Recalling the records of the mustard stone, it is extremely precious and hard to find, and contains the power of space.

He immediately understood that the blood-stained marks all over his body were caused by that piece of mustard stone.

Even that excruciating pain was caused by this piece of mustard stone.

Moreover, if we follow Liang Jiu's line of reasoning, what does it mean that I've been in pain for so long?

So, you think I can handle it?

Normally, this top-grade mustard stone is about half the size of my palm, enough for at least ten beginners to use.

Chen Wen felt a pang of heartache; how many spirit stones was this worth!

But then I thought, the wind blows the eggshell away, and wealth goes but people are at peace.

The treasure has already been consumed; there's no use in regretting it now.

Although I don't know if there are any drawbacks to using such precious mustard stones as a beginner, I think it should be good.

This space is so big, it's worth it even if it can only be used for storage!

At this moment, Liang Jiu stood up and said, "Brother Jingwen, I came here today just to catch up. Now that it is getting late, I shall take my leave."

Chen Wen immediately stood up and saw him to the door: "Alright, Brother Liang, take care. I'll see you out."

When they reached the door, Liang Jiu turned back and asked with feigned concern:

"By the way, Brother Jingwen, I've heard you have a peculiar trait: an astonishing appetite. I never noticed it when we lived in the same courtyard before. Is there any reason for this? Can you help me with that?"

"Well, we're very close friends, so it's no trouble for me to tell you about it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen immediately realized that this was still a test of his will, a final attempt to prove himself!

However, he remained calm, waving his hand to indicate that everything was alright, and chuckled lightly:

"This is a method of cultivating the mind that my family elders prepared for me. When I first entered the Dao, I was unaware of its depth, so I took it directly from my storage bag to study it."

"I never imagined that my cultivation level was insufficient at that time. Although I had entered the sect, I was greatly depleted and could only sustain myself with spirit rice."

Even now, we're barely managing to maintain our energy reserves.

Chen Wen sighed repeatedly as he spoke, his words revealing a hint of bitterness.

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiu was taken aback. He thought back carefully and realized that he had indeed often not eaten in the courtyard during the period when he entered the Daoist path. He had thought that something had delayed him, but he did not expect it to be for this reason.

He had intended to test him, but he hadn't expected Chen Wen to be so frank. That was a method for refining the mind, an extremely precious cultivation technique that even Foundation Establishment cultivators would fight to seize.

Purple Mansion cultivators don't need it, because Foundation Establishment lackeys will come to their door.

It could be said that if he had any bad intentions, he could send people to his family to exterminate them, search their souls, and seize the magic method.

He couldn't help but feel touched. He never expected that Brother Jingwen would be so open with him, and he had even doubted him. He was really not human!

Thinking of this, he quickly warned, "Brother Jingwen, be careful with your words. Never mention this matter in front of outsiders in the future."

"It's alright. We are close friends, that's why I'm telling you. No one else would know."

Chen Wen, with an air of deep affection, said, "It's a pity that my method, like yours, was sworn not to be passed on. Otherwise, if Brother Liang had heard of this method, I would certainly have reciprocated with it!"

Liang Jiu was deeply moved and quickly said, "Brother Jingwen, there's no need for that. I am from the Zifu family, and I naturally have methods for refining the mind."

"What happened today is something I may hear about, but I will not speak of; you can rest assured!"

Liang Jiu had originally planned to leave, but seeing how sincere Chen Wen was, he felt a little embarrassed.

After arriving, he didn't say anything, just put on a show and tested the other party.

The news was just too significant...

Liang Jiu was somewhat conflicted, but seeing Jing Wen's sincere gaze, he decided to speak up.

Brother Jingwen treated me with sincerity; how could I betray him!

He went back inside, and under Chen Wen's questioning gaze, opened the window to observe carefully before closing it again.

Only then did he feel relieved and return to his seat at the table.

Chen Wen looked at his strange behavior and wondered if he had seen through him.

He remained calm, quietly clenching one fist while preparing to form a hand seal with the other, ready to strike at any moment and strive to kill him in one fell swoop.

Although his physical strength is already terrifying, his opponent has also cultivated the same technique. Although his foundation is not as good as his, he should not be underestimated.

Just as Chen Wen and the others were getting impatient and wanted to strike first,

Liang Jiu suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Brother Jingwen, are you aware of the assessment at the end of the year?"

Chen Wen was slightly taken aback, but then realized that he had misunderstood. It turned out that he was going to give him some practical advice.

He immediately withdrew his fist and pretended to listen attentively. "I have never heard of this before. I would appreciate it if Brother Liang could enlighten me."

Liang Jiu knew that he didn't know, and he himself had just learned about this from his family; he was just trying to start a conversation.

His face was solemn as he spoke earnestly:

"Brother Jingwen, this matter is of utmost importance. I'm telling you this today, but you must not divulge it in the future, or it could easily lead to disaster."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen also stopped smiling and nodded solemnly, "Brother Liang, rest assured, I know my limits."

"That's good."

Having witnessed the previous incident, Liang Jiu trusted him implicitly and did not ask him to swear any oaths. Instead, he spoke directly:

"Brother Jingwen, are you aware that the Qingming Sect recruited nine talented disciples this year?"

"Of course I know, and that I'm connected to these people?"

"It is related. The sect has changed the rules specifically for them. You know, after the disciples' year of intensive instruction, they would go their separate ways. Some would go to farm, and some would go to find a master."

Once Liang Jiu started talking, he gradually opened up and began to speak at length.

"Although there were rankings in previous years, it is said that all outer disciples could receive a third-tier cultivation technique inheritance, while only the top 100 outer disciples could receive a fourth-tier cultivation technique inheritance along with the inner disciples."

"But this year is different..."

As the sun set and the moon rose, the two talked for quite some time without realizing it.

Chen Wencai watched him leave just before dinner was almost over.

They only breathed a sigh of relief when they could no longer see any spiritual senses.

The information Liang Jiu gave him today was too important, making him somewhat uneasy.

Fortunately, the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique helped him quickly calm his mind.

Then he remembered how he had squandered such a large piece of mustard stone, and felt a pang of heartache.

Why did I act so impulsively and eat it without investigating properly?!

And one more thing.

What magical abilities or supernatural powers will Liang Jiu awaken after successfully entering the path, which he never mentioned earlier?

What about his Taotie transformation?

Is it something that only I possess?

Chen Wen couldn't help but secretly warn himself that he must never use this method, otherwise he would be unable to explain himself if he were exposed.

However, once we become stronger in the future, we can naturally use it openly and legitimately.

As for what Liang Jiu just mentioned, there's still some time. If I work hard and push myself during this period, I'm sure I can succeed.

Thinking of this, Chen Wen immediately sat down cross-legged on the futon and began to cultivate.

Now that the hidden dangers of the Gluttonous Blood Body Technique have been resolved.

Then Chen Wen doesn't need to deliberately suppress its cultivation; he just needs to prevent it from surpassing the realm of his own Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique.

He realized that his Mind Refining Technique was about to reach its peak, so he immediately decided to start there.

"Distracting thoughts are the fuel..."

As he actively circulated his cultivation technique.

My mind was completely clear.

The emotions that emerge, such as "fame and fortune, love and hate, fear and loss," are all actively thrown into the Xuanhuang Heart-Refining Hammer.

What Chen Wen had to do was endure the psychological discomfort that came with the tempering of his emotions.

As night fell, the slow-moving Heart Refining Technique finally revealed its power—as long as there was enough firewood, everything else was in vain!

Chen Polang's tricks were revealed: fragments of memory, like cow's hair, kept entering his soul from Niwan (the center of his head), and then began to struggle under the absorption of the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Hammer.

But in the end, it could not escape the shackles of the hammer and eventually turned into strands of pure divine soul energy, merging into Chen Wen's divine soul.

Chen Wen felt a jolt of energy, as if he had just had an extremely sweet and long sleep.

He's now even abandoning those refined insights, and who knows if he might miss some techniques because of his low level of understanding?

He was already satisfied.

Chen Polang has already helped him a lot; let his insights return to dust.

After consuming the powerful tonic, the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique unleashed its full potential, like a wild horse galloping ahead at breakneck speed.

[Ding! Mysterious Yellow Heart Refining Technique: Proficiency +1!]

The closer you get to a breakthrough, the more difficult it becomes.

Chen Wen was not in a hurry; he simply proceeded step by step according to his usual practice.

Finally, on the night of three days later.

[Ding! Mysterious Yellow Heart Refining Technique: Proficiency +1!]

[The Profound Yellow Heart Refining Technique: Great Success (1/100)]

........