Chapter 217: 217

After their experience with the Blackwind Bandits, everyone in the party was wary .

Liang Yijie carefully inspected all the food provided by the inn . It was only after ensuring that there were no problems did everyone start to dig in . Although they were in the Hui Clan Gathering, Liang Yijie still deployed a group of guards to keep watch at top of the ring of walls outside the Hui Clan Gathering . He also assigned a few people to be on night duty outside the inn, just in case the Blackwind Bandits snuck in here to surround them when they were all asleep .

As Sun Bingchen had expected, no one actually came to inquire Yan Liqiang about his powerful cultivation in archery . Everyone including Liang Yijie thought Sun Bingchen had known about it since the beginning, and that him concealing his strength was tacitly approved by Sun Bingchen . That saved Yan Liqiang the trouble of making up any explanations . Everyone pretty much recognized Yan Liqiang as the best archer by Sun Bingchen’s side .

The burning sensation and soreness he felt in his muscles and tendons were getting more and more intense . Toward the end of his meal, Yan Liqiang even felt that it was difficult to lift his arm . Hence, after simply eating a bit of the food that the inn had prepared, Yan Liqiang figured he should retire to his room, knowing that he didn’t need to be on night duty and that someone else was looking after Ye Tiancheng .

“Guard Yan…”

… . . .

“Guard Yan…”

. . .

“Guard Yan…”

All of Sun Bingchen’s guards would stop and step aside to respectfully greet Yan Liqiang as he passed by them in the corridors and passages at the inn .

It seemed like Yan Liqiang’s position by Sun Bingchen’s side had suddenly been established .

When Yan Liqiang returned to his own room, he closed the door and carefully inspected the room . After ensuring that there weren’t any problems, Yan Liqiang calmed his mind down and stood in his room . He slowed his breathing and started cultivating Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing .

Lately, Yan Liqiang had less and less personal time to himself . There were a few days when Yan Liqiang couldn’t even practice Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing . Hence, he wanted to seize the opportunity to practice two more rounds before he rested for the night .

The movements which always felt easy before became difficult today, especially when it came to lifting his arms or stretching his hands out . Yan Liqiang felt as though there were two big rocks hanging from his arms . The piercing pain with every slight movement was enough to make Yan Liqiang grimace in pain . Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and broke into eight petals when they hit the ground . . .

Yan Liqiang clenched his teeth and persisted . Halfway through the Upright Body Diagrams, he felt the powerful wave of the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth pouring into his body once again .

The difference between today and before was the moment the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth poured into his body . It was akin to flies that were attracted to dog sh*t . . . ahem, ahem, it was akin to bees that were attracted to the scent of flowers . It made a beeline for every aching muscle and tendon in his body, enveloping all of them .

In just a split moment, Yan Liqiang’s aching muscles and tendons felt as though they had just come out from a hot sauna and immediately jumped into a cold pool for a dip . That sensation felt so good that it almost made him moan in pleasure .

The waves of the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth felt like raindrops and dew drops that flowed into an arid landscape . While it enveloped all the aching parts of his body, his muscles and tendons were absorbing it like crazy . The stunning absorption rate shocked Yan Liqiang . While the absorption rate increased, the rate of the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth pouring into his body also increased simultaneously . He never thought that apart from cleansing his body and being absorbed by his five viscera and six bowels, the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth could also be directly absorbed by his muscles and tendons . This was simply too ridiculous!

As the muscles, tendons, and meridians throughout his entire body absorbed the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth endlessly, the discomforts like soreness, burning pain, and weakness he felt in those areas rapidly vanished like extinguished flames . A powerful wave of energy gradually returned to Yan Liqiang’s body .

By the time Yan Liqiang finished a round of Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing, he no longer felt any discomfort in his muscles, tendons, or meridians . Not only that, he felt even better than before . He could still sense his muscles, tendons, and meridians absorbing the energy and Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth that was pouring forth into his body . Yan Liqiang didn’t stop as he continued cultivating instead .

The energy and Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth continued pouring forth into Yan Liqiang’s body and were then continuously absorbed by his muscles, tendons, and meridians . Yan Liqiang carried on with his cultivation and the absorption went on without stopping also . Nearly four hours later when Yan Liqiang was halfway through his third round of Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing, he finally felt the muscles, tendons, and meridians in his body slowly stop absorbing before it eventually stopped altogether . The energy and Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth just coursed inside his body for two rounds before finally returning to his internal organs, just like before .

By the time he opened his eyes again, it was already late into the night . The entire inn and the Hui Clan Gathering had quieted down all of the sudden, and the noises from before had completely died down .

Yan Liqiang clenched and unclenched his fists while he tried to get a feel for things . He then realized that his physical condition was currently at its peak . He could feel an even more powerful wave of energy being nurtured from within his muscles, tendons, and meridians . Things suddenly felt different compared to before, and his strength was significantly enhanced after a few brief rounds of Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing .

At the same time, Yan Liqiang realized that unbeknownst to him, the clothes he was wearing were soaked . It clung closely to his skin and the stickiness was indescribably uncomfortable .

He stripped his clothes off to take a look at them . He really had no idea when his sweat had completely drenched his clothes . It also seemed like some waste and nasty stuff inside his body were also discharged with his sweat, making it slightly murky and sticky .

In the pitch black room, Yan Liqiang looked at his balled up fist as his eyes gleamed . —Could this be the most proper way to activate the Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing? If he persisted in cultivating when his body was completely worn out, would the energy and Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth that poured forth into his body be directly absorbed by his muscles, tendons, and meridians, hence rapidly improving his physical strength?

Thinking up to this point, Yan Liqiang was extremely excited . He didn’t expect that the intense battle he had fought so dauntlessly from a few hours ago would actually lead him to such a wonderful discovery about the Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing . . .

… . . .

Just then, the grim signal of a whistling arrow was suddenly heard . . .