Chapter 374: Dou Saint Bone Marrow

The intangible soul expanded outward, sending ripples of perception through the surroundings. In an instant, the external situation became clear in Xiao Ming's mind.

He could feel the anticipation of Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa waiting outside the secret room, the disappointment of the alchemists on the streets, Cao Ying's smile, and Xuan Kong Zi's admiration within the Pill Tower. Every emotion and reaction found its way to him, painting a vivid picture of the world around him.

Among the numerous powerful individuals, only Xuan Kong Zi sensed Xiao Ming's soul gaze.

"So, this is the Heaven Realm..." Xiao Ming murmured softly, experiencing the distinct difference between his current state and the past. If his previous soul had been akin to that of a child, his soul now was undoubtedly that of a vibrant and energetic youth.

The strength of his soul bestowed upon him extraordinary soul control. Xiao Ming could sense that his alchemy skills were poised to take a significant leap forward, possibly reaching the eight-colored or even nine-colored eighth tier.

Xiao Ming retracted his soul power after carefully savoring his newfound power within.

While retracting it, he communicated to the two women waiting outside, informing them that he would not emerge from seclusion for another two days. He needed that time to refine the Dou Saint Skeleton.

Upon hearing Xiao Ming's words, Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa exchanged a glance and swiftly departed to attend to their own matters.

Inside the secret room, Xiao Ming slowly opened his eyes, withdrawing his soul power. A faint brilliance flickered within his pitch-black eyes before returning to a state of tranquility.

A large pile of Dou Saint bone fragments appeared before him with a gentle rub of his fingers on his ring, which included three jade bones intricately engraved with inscriptions.

"Low Tian Dou Technique, Great Heaven Creation Palm..."

Xiao Ming knew which Dou Technique was contained within those jade bones. After careful consideration, he decided to store them back in his ring for the time being.

It was more important to extract the Dou Saint Bone Marrow in front of him. As for the Dou Technique, he could delay exploring it for some time. He didn't particularly lack Dou Techniques anyway.

After storing the three jade rib bones in his ring, Xiao Ming emanated a surge of Dou Qi from his body, causing the scattered bones to levitate mid-air.

Without hesitation, he waved his hand, summoning a pale white flame that engulfed the bone fragments. The temperature within the room skyrocketed instantly, exuding a formidable heat.

If it were not for the assistance of the immensely powerful White Glazed Heart Flame, even with the knowledge that the Dou Saint Bone Marrow was hidden within the bones, Xiao Ming would have been helpless to extract it.

Nevertheless, extracting the Dou Saint Bone Marrow was not a task that could be accomplished swiftly. Xiao Ming had anticipated this and was not impatient when he saw the bones unaffected by the burning flames. Instead, he steadily increased the temperature, slowly roasting the bones.

Under Xiao Ming's slow and meticulous incineration, two days swiftly passed.

On the morning of the third day, as Xiao Ming emerged from his cultivation state, he gazed at the bones now turning gray within the flames. A smile formed on his lips. He extended his hand into the flames and gently tapped.

Plop!

Upon contact, the gray bones instantly crumbled, disintegrating into a shower of fine ash that gracefully descended. As the ash settled, dozens of thumb-sized droplets of milky white, gel-like substance caught Xiao Ming's gaze.

These tiny droplets possessed a gelatinous surface, allowing a glimpse of the slowly flowing liquid within. Extraordinary energy radiated from them, eliciting a sense of excitement within Xiao Ming's eyes.

The amount of Dou Saint Bone Marrow he obtained from the intact Dou Saint Skeleton exceeded his expectations. With these gel-like substances, Xiao Ming could foresee a rapid improvement in his strength.

Xiao Ming retrieved several jade bottles from his ring and carefully placed all of the Dou Saint Bone Marrow droplets inside, resisting the urge to refine one droplet right away.

A wave of regret washed over him as he filled each bottle. Aside from Saint Zhao Hua, there were two other Dou Saint skeletons in the Dou Saint Remains: the Ancient Void Dragon and the Ancient Heaven Phoenix. Those two skeletons, however, had long lost their extraordinary properties due to the necessity of nurturing the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit. Aside from their incredible hardness, they contained very little residual energy.

...

Outside, in the living room.

Xin Lan and Ye Zhong sat quietly on either side, but their expressions suggested that they were both anxious.

Ye Zhong, unable to contain his restlessness, turned to a nearby maid and inquired, "Cough... is Elder Xiao Ming still in seclusion?"

"Apologies, this servant doesn't know," the maid replied.

"If it's not too much trouble..." Just as Ye Zhong was about to ask the maid to inquire with Xiao Yi Xian, a voice interrupted him.

"Elder Ye Zhong, you've waited a long time!"

Hearing the voice, Ye Zhong's face lit up with joy as he turned towards the entrance.

Xin Lan shared the same reaction, and soon, Xiao Ming's figure came into view.

"Elder Xiao Ming, you've emerged from seclusion. Today is the day of our Five Great Clans' assessment," Ye Zhong stood up and exclaimed.

"Do not worry, I haven't forgotten. It's still early in the day, isn't it? You seem a bit too anxious," Xiao Ming smiled and replied.

Ye Zhong glanced at the sky and realized that it was indeed early. He couldn't help but give a wry smile. "You're right, we were too eager. But this matter concerns our Ye Clan, so please forgive us."

"It is only natural to be eager. However, starting a bit early is also acceptable," Xiao Ming chuckled and gestured for the two of them to proceed to the assessment hall.

The assessment location for the Five Great Clans was a dedicated hall within the inner region of Holy Pill City. This hall had been exclusively designated for assessments throughout the generations. This showed how important the Pill Tower regarded the assessment of the Five Great Clans.

The assessment was semi-public in nature, with influential forces of certain qualifications congregating at the start. Many people desired the positions of the Five Great Clans because they knew it was a shortcut to the Pill Tower's upper echelons. Attaching oneself to the Pill Tower resulted in an instant increase in influence and reputation.

As they made their way to the assessment, they encountered many alchemists heading in the same direction.

Some alchemists who knew Xiao Ming would approach him, greeting him and expressing their gratitude for the benefits they had gained from his breakthrough in soul cultivation.

Among them, some astute individuals noticed Ye Zhong by Xiao Ming's side and, given Ye Clan's recent struggles, deduced the purpose of Xiao Ming's presence. Their expressions revealed astonishment one after the other.

Their amazement was not unwarranted. Xiao Ming's alchemy skills had been recognized in the past two years. Even among the Eight Great Elders, he was among the top, so for him to participate in this Five Great Clans' assessment, wasn't it just child's play?

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A/N:

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I'm off to the dentist after this, so I'm posting today's chapter a little early to make an announcement.

But first, some news I want to share with you about this story:

The main storyline (BTTH) in the RAW of this fanfiction has already concluded.

However, the original author has somewhat surprisingly decided to continue on to the Great Thousand World, so this is the confirmation that some readers were looking for.

Specifically, the next confirmed worlds are WDQK and TGR!

As we move further into the story I'll be giving you more details.

Now it's time for the announcement:

I am excited to announce that I have already decided on my next main project, along with its publication date!

It will be a One Piece fanfiction titled "The Pirate Princess Becomes King" Genre: Action/Adventure with comedic undertones.

Cover Here

At first, I had estimated that this project would take me 4 months of preparation before its release, but in the end, I'll be able to have it ready in 3 months.

I have already been working on it for a month and a half. So, the expected release date for the first chapters on both WN and SH is Sunday, September 3rd!

As part of the benefit for my patrons, I will be uploading their advanced chapters in anticipation during August. A total of 30 chapters will be released, with 20 of them added to existing Tiers and the remaining 10 reserved for a future Tier.

If you have a question, write it in the comments and I'll answer it when I get back.

That's all for now. See you in the next chapter!