Rebuilding meridians, although not requiring high-grade spirit herbs, is considered miraculous in the world of Shen Zhou, a technique reserved for the immortals.

Human beings are born with meridians that connect them to heaven and earth. When these meridians are shattered, the ability to commune with the world is lost, making further cultivation impossible.

Leaf had previously found a heretical cultivation method, forcibly drawing spiritual energy into his body. Initially, it seemed incredibly effective, but as time went on, he realized it offered no hope of forming a foundation. Worse, the longer he practiced it, the more the spiritual energy corroded his body, ultimately leading to a fate of soul annihilation. After all, spiritual energy is like a chariot, and meridians are like roads. If the energy travels through other parts of the body, it causes crushing damage.

The sixty-six types of spirit herbs, although not high-grade, collectively produced a magical effect.

Under Leaf's guidance, the medicinal power entered his body, forcibly dispersing the shattered and tangled meridians. This was the first step: the dispersed meridians would be expelled from his body through his pores.

Having endured the agony of the Abyss of Death and the pain of dispersing his cultivation, the pain of dispersing his meridians seemed relatively mild.

Three days later, the shattered meridians in Leaf's body were completely dispersed. It was time to reconstruct his meridians.

Leaf felt like worms were crawling under his skin, an unbearable itchiness as each meridian started to form.

The human body has ninety-nine meridians, which are completely closed at birth. Only through cultivation can they be slowly opened to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Some people are born with extraordinary meridians, known as celestial meridians, which absorb spiritual energy several times faster than ordinary meridians. This allows them to cultivate at a speed that leaves ordinary cultivators in the dust. However, celestial meridians are exceedingly rare, and any sect would scramble to recruit someone with them. This imbalance in resources makes strong sects stronger and weak sects weaker.

Leaf had known about this method of rebuilding meridians for a long time but had never had the chance to use it. This was his first time, making himself the guinea pig.

Ten days later, all ninety-nine meridians were fully formed, each one clear and twice as wide as normal meridians. Typically, it takes cultivators until they transform their spiritual energy into primordial energy at the Golden Core stage to fully open all their meridians. Wider meridians mean a greater capacity for spiritual energy, and the same spell, at the same level, would be far more powerful.

With a resounding "boom," the moment his ninety-nine meridians fully formed and connected with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the medicinal barrel exploded into pieces, and Leaf collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"You useless fools! Can't even manage a simple task like controlling the heat! Idiots, every one of you!" At that moment, a shrill female voice echoed from the spirit herb garden on Misty Moon Peak. Her angry tone made anyone who heard it tremble.

"Forgive us, Master Yeyue, but all the errand boys in the herb garden have already been used up," the steward said, his face contorted in misery. Why did he have to deal with such a tough job?

"Aren’t there any new ones? If not, go to the chief steward and get more!" Master Yeyue’s anger hadn’t subsided. She had been refining a batch of Smoke Spirit Pills, but thanks to those useless errand boys not controlling the heat properly, the furnace had exploded. Was she, the dignified master of Misty Moon Peak, supposed to watch the fire herself while refining pills?

In truth, it wasn’t entirely their fault. Among the seven peaks of the Yanxia Sect, only Hanye Yeyue didn't take in disciples. How could those errand boys compare to carefully selected and trained disciples? Assisting in alchemy required talent, and it was hard to find someone satisfactory among the errand boys.

The steward’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea. He remembered what Wang Tong, the top disciple of Mingyue Peak, had mentioned a few days ago. Maybe this was his chance to rely on Wang Tong and get out of the herb garden at Misty Moon Peak.

"Master Yeyue, a newcomer arrived a few days ago. He’s staying in that small courtyard behind the bamboo grove," the steward said, pointing in Leaf's direction.

Being a woman of action, Master Yeyue didn’t wait for the steward to fetch him. She flew straight to the courtyard in an instant.

"Hmm, a barrier spell? Not bad, but the quality of these artifacts is laughably poor," Yeyue said, genuinely surprised. She couldn't believe an ordinary errand boy could set up such a barrier.

With a flick of her wrist, a crane-shaped aura shot out, breaking the barrier instantly. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of an unconscious, stark-naked young man sprawled on the floor. She froze, utterly unprepared for this scene.

Unlike most women who might scream or flee, Yeyue remained calm. She gestured, and a robe from the nearby bed flew over, covering Leaf’s well-defined, mature body—something she had only read about in ancient texts.

Scanning the room, she dipped a finger into the thin layer of medicinal liquid on the floor and brought it to her nose. She frowned slightly. From what she observed, this strikingly handsome young man was no ordinary errand boy. The remnants of the liquid contained traces of rare, fifth-grade spirit herbs, which were beyond the capacity of the herb garden at Misty Moon Peak, limited as it was by environmental constraints to producing only fourth-grade herbs at best.

Yeyue extended her spiritual sense towards Leaf, but it was blocked by a strange, thin membrane inside his body. She couldn’t penetrate it, which was highly unusual.

"There are residual traces of spiritual energy in the room, but none within him. Could he have forcibly dispersed his cultivation?" As a Golden Core cultivator, Yeyue quickly deduced the situation. What she couldn’t imagine was that Leaf had not only dispersed his cultivation but had also rebuilt his meridians.

At that moment, Leaf's consciousness returned. He opened his eyes to find a beautiful woman with willow eyebrows and almond eyes, exuding an ethereal presence. His instincts kicked in, and he jumped up, ready to defend himself.

Yeyue’s gaze swept over him and fixed on his lower body. After a few moments, she turned her head away.

Looking down, Leaf realized his predicament. The bird in the nest was ready to take flight.

"Who are you, barging into Leaf’s room like this?" Leaf asked, maintaining an air of nonchalance as he dressed. He had a pretty good idea of who she was.

Without a word, Yeyue waved her hand, and a powerful force sent Leaf crashing into the wall. Barely conscious again, he struggled to stand.

Under the eaves of a house, one must lower their head! Leaf gritted his teeth and got up. Though he had successfully rebuilt his meridians, he was still just an ordinary person without a trace of spiritual energy. To a Golden Core master, killing him would be as easy as squashing an ant. Remembering what the guard disciple had said, he realized the truth in it—this Misty Moon Peak master was indeed beautiful but cruel.