A life of leisure is worse than a life of flowers and splendour

After the birthday party, Wushuang returned to his own courtyard. Thinking that he had nothing to do these days, he wondered what he should do.

While looking through the contents of his space, he found the Ice Skin and Jade Bones technique. It was a body-building technique he'd wanted to practice before, but after the sect gave him a body-building technique, he didn't practice it. The two techniques didn't conflict, but thinking about that jade-like skeleton, Wushuang didn't feel scared at all, and even a little fond of it. He wondered if practicing it would make him more beautiful.

Wushuang took a deep breath and carefully followed the instructions, meticulously preparing a bath. This was no ordinary bath, but rather a crucial introductory step to practicing this mysterious technique. Using the Biyun Ding, she refined and purified each spiritual plant into a medicinal liquid, which she then mixed with the hot water in the tub. She also kept aside several other herbs that needed to be added periodically, stored in jade bottles.

She gently stepped into the tub filled with hot water mixed with a rich medicinal liquid. Despite her previous training, the moment her skin came into contact with the warm water, Wushuang could still clearly feel a faint yet sharp energy rushing towards her like a tidal wave. This energy seemed to have life, frantically impacting every inch of her delicate skin.

At first, it was just a slight tingling sensation, like being pricked gently by countless fine ox-hair needles. However, as time went on, the tingling gradually intensified, becoming more and more intense, and finally it was like fine steel needles piercing deep into the bone marrow, bringing waves of piercing pain.

Wushuang bit her lip, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. She gripped the edge of the tub so tightly with both hands that her nails practically dug into the wood. But she knew that to successfully embark on this path of cultivation, she had to endure this painful test. So, she endured the pain, striving to remain calm, regulating her breathing and guiding the energy rushing into her body to flow slowly along specific meridians. She was in the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm and had even trained herself, yet she felt this pain. How could someone who hadn't yet begun cultivation, or was just beginning, endure this kind of pain? In reality, the pain endured remained the same regardless of one's level of cultivation, unless one lacked pain perception, requiring the medicinal power to penetrate deeply into the bones to achieve its desired effect.

Wushuang kept taking deep breaths, trying to slow the pain. Fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking his hair. Luckily, he wasn't crying at the first sign of pain, or else his eyes would swell up again.

Half an hour later, Wushuang carefully poured the prepared medicinal liquids from several spiritual herbs into the tub. Suddenly, a burning sensation overwhelmed him, as if he were engulfed in a blazing fire. The excruciating pain, like millions of ants gnawing at every inch of his skin, was unbearable.

However, after only a quarter of an hour, a strange change occurred. A pale yellow substance began to ooze out of the body, flowing continuously from the pores along with the rolling sweat. This pale yellow substance exuded a strange odor, not as unpleasant as the impurities expelled before.

As these impurities were expelled, my body suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief and ease. The burning pain that had been burning at first miraculously eased a bit, like the earth, which had been dry for a long time, finally regaining its vitality after a downpour.

This time, a full hour passed. Finally, it was the crucial moment, the time to slowly add the last few precious spiritual plant liquids one by one. Each drop seemed to contain the purest spiritual energy and vitality in the universe, emitting a captivating luster and fragrance.

As the medicinal liquids from these spiritual plants merged with the original solution, miraculous changes began to occur. The previously calm surface of the water gradually began to ripple, as gentle and graceful as a breeze blowing across the lake.

Surprisingly, this time, there was no excruciating pain like before. Instead, an extremely pleasant coolness quickly spread from the point of contact, like the gentle flow of a stream, flowing deep into my heart. This refreshing and soothing feeling was intoxicating, as if all the fatigue and stress in my body had been instantly released.

Two full hours passed as Wushuang soaked in the tub, thick with medicinal fragrance. At first, the pain was unbearable, nearly causing her to faint. Eventually, it was replaced by an indescribable sense of comfort.

Finally, Wushuang slowly emerged from the tub. She was like a lotus emerging from the water, her complexion remarkably fairer. Her skin was as smooth and delicate as mutton-fat jade, without a single blemish. Yet, it wasn't a sickly paleness; instead, it felt luminous, as if radiating a soft, almost luminous glow. Furthermore, after this medicinal bath, Wushuang's entire aura had subtly transformed. Her once delicate and charming form now possessed a hint of holiness, like a fairy from the heavens descending to earth, inspiring awe in everyone.

In addition, she could feel that her skin and bones had been slightly strengthened.

The Ice Skin and Jade Bone Exercise involves various medicinal baths from beginning to end. It doesn't require lifting large rocks or exercising to strengthen the body, so you won't develop a lot of muscle or become very strong. Furthermore, it primarily affects the skin and bones, with other areas only affecting them incidentally, so it won't have a significant impact.

Although he feels very good and comfortable now, the pain from before is still fresh in his memory. So for the next medicinal bath, Wushuang plans to wait until after this day and then take a bath at night. He always has to give himself some buffer time.

During this long day, Wushuang poured all her energy into practicing the coordination of her swordsmanship and body movements. Ever since her icy, jade-like medicinal bath, she had clearly felt a miraculous change in her body. She had become much lighter. Furthermore, her speed and reflexes had greatly improved. These changes made her realize that now was the perfect time to hone her swordsmanship and coordination.

Her figure was elusive, ghostly and unpredictable. Sometimes she charged with the swiftness of a hurricane, the flashes of her sword dazzling the eyes; other times she drifted slowly like a wisp of smoke, seemingly at ease yet harboring murderous intent. Each of her movements was fluid and natural, without a trace of hesitation. Although she hadn't yet reached the supreme realm where even spiritual consciousness couldn't capture her figure, simply pinpointing her position had become a truly challenging task.

After several arduous training sessions, Wushuang finally succeeded in performing the second move of the Flourishing Flower Sword Technique—Flourishing Flowers! At first glance, this move resembled a sky filled with colorful flowers of various shapes, appearing and disappearing, dazzling the eyes and intoxicating the heart. However, the mystery behind it was far more complex than it appeared.

The seemingly intricate flower is actually a result of a masterful fusion of various formations. The placement of each petal holds endless variations and profound meaning, interwoven and interwoven to form exquisite formations. Beneath these fluttering petals lies hidden danger, plunging anyone into a desperate situation.

Furthermore, this move perfectly combines the psychedelic array with the killing and defensive array. The psychedelic array makes it difficult for the enemy to predict the true direction of attack, even causing hallucinations; the killing array strikes directly at the opponent's vital points with fierce force, leaving them with no escape; and the defensive array effectively resists enemy counterattacks, ensuring one's own safety.

The entire scene appears vibrant and magnificent, like a fairyland, yet within it lies a danger lurking on the verge of breaking out. Every step you take could trigger a deadly trap, and every breath you take could lead to a sudden, lethal attack. It's truly thrilling, filled with danger at every turn!

While these formations weren't profound or incredibly powerful, they were easily used against those completely ignorant of them. As the saying goes, "One force can break all laws," even a moment of being misled by these formations could very well cost one's life. Therefore, even against cultivators of a higher realm, this technique allowed one to still fight, and even achieve a desperate counterattack, slaying the opponent within the formation.

If you happen to encounter a Formation Cultivator, there's no need to fear. Formation Cultivators typically focus on studying the intricacies of formations, and their combat abilities are relatively weak. Even if they know they're in front of a formation, they may not have the ability or opportunity to break it. Of course, unless they're a top-tier expert, not only highly skilled in combat but also profoundly skilled in formations. In that case, both sides will have to compete in a real-world showdown to determine their true strength!

The third move of the Flower Sword Technique is called "Flying Flowers," and it visually depicts a dazzling display of colorful flowers dancing across the sky. These flowers are not static, but rather, they freely shuttle and dance through the air like nimble spirits, creating a dazzling spectacle.

This third form is a miraculous transformation formation. It can adapt to changing circumstances, as if possessing life and intelligence. Furthermore, the swordsman can adapt the formation's form and direction at any time based on the opponent's reactions, allowing for unexpected attacks or clever defenses.

As the sword strikes, the flowers appear fragile and incorporeal, yet they possess immense power. They sway gracefully in the wind, yet conceal a hidden, elusive threat. Each flower is a trap, and the falling of a petal could be the prelude to a fatal blow.

Such exquisite swordsmanship requires not only superb swordsmanship skills, but also keen insight and adaptability. Only by perfectly combining the two can the power of the third style of the Fanhua Sword Technique, "Flying Flowers", be truly unleashed.

This move is so difficult that even someone who knows how to set up formations would find it difficult to escape unscathed if they fall into it. After all, who knows how the formation will change in the next moment? Before they can break the formation, it will have undergone new changes.

However, learning this move was difficult, too difficult! It required one to mobilize the energy of heaven and earth to bring about changes in the formation. She was still far from this state and needed to comprehend the Dao and gain a deeper understanding of the Dao.