These two techniques were almost two sides of the same coin.
Furthermore, he had finalized his long-term cultivation plan. His calculations and even consulting with Bai Qingxian showed that a standard Golden Core cultivation base was too risky to safely execute the surgery. Reconstructing a complex meridian network required a massive, continuous volume of Qi and a divine sense. Only a Nascent Soul expert can handle that much extensive stress.
'I should try to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm before the surgery, but if it doesn't happen....,' Su Ming decided, keeping his plan strictly to himself. He realised he must look for alternative options as well.
In the afternoons, Su Ming sat in the herb garden with Elder Bai Zhen and Bai Qingxian, studying the basic alchemical manuals and recipe books he had purchased from the Vermilion Flame Peak. Gaining a solid grasp of basic heating and reactant behaviors, he coordinated with Elder Bai Zhen to calibrate the cauldron setup.
