NOVEL WEB Chapter 9: Purge Complete
Inside a dimly lit cave, Xiao Ning sat cross-legged, meditating in silence. "Although the paradox meridians have stabilized the Nascent Soul, this body's foundation remains woefully inadequate," he murmured softly. If anyone else heard those words, they would be astonished. After all, Li Fang—whose body Xiao Ning now inhabited—had been no ordinary expert. It took an ambush by several late-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivators to bring him down, and even then, he fought until the bitter end.
Yet here Xiao Ning sat, dissatisfied, for him be it Li Fang's Nascent Soul or powerful physical body on the fourth stage, they were full of loopholes.
While a fourth-stage body refiner is typically no weaker than a nascent soul realm expert, Li Fang cultivated both, a testament to his talent. Indeed, it was his powerful physique that preserved his nascent soul even after it was shattered.
With a thought, his status panel materialized before him.
Host Designation: Xiao Ning (Li Feng Shell)
Lifespan: 465/567 years (Critical)
System Masking: Core Formation Realm (False)
True Power: Nascent Soul (Late)
Soul Integrity: 29% (Critical)
Reflecting on his lifespan and the integrity of his soul, a dark shadow crossed his face. Both aspects were critical; any damage to them would jeopardize his existence.
"Strange... where are the other statuses?"
[Extend: Y/N]
He thought, Yes.
[Spirit Roots]:
- Dark Yin Root (Damaged, 37% purity)
- Earth Vein Root (Fractured, 29% circulation)
[Meridians]:
- 12 Heavenly Gates: 8 blocked (Soul Occupation Backlash)
- 36 Lesser Pathways: 24 corrupted (Qi Deviation Scars)
[Dao Foundation]:
- Dantian Sea: Cracked Jade Lake (Leaking 23% qi/hour)
- Soul Palace: Fractured Ivory Pagoda (Soul Light Flickering)
[Notable Afflictions]:
- Nine Serpents of Heavenly Blight (Manifesting as black veins across heart meridian)
- Ghost Moon Brand (Left palm—remnant of soul posession backlash)
"What?" Xiao Ning's eyes widened. He had already noticed the damage in his meridians and Dao Foundation, but what were the Notable Afflictions? Nine Serpents of what? He had never heard of this before.
To make matters worse, he was afflicted with the troublesome Ghost Moon Brand!
"I thought I would at least possess an ordinary body, even as a mortal, but... this is a total mess," he cursed loudly. "Fixing all of this will take time, let alone addressing the Ghost Moon Brand."
Xiao Ning's consciousness plunged into the quantum sea of his paradox meridians, where Li Feng's cultivation now exists. The Shadow Leaf True Scripture coiled like a wounded serpent, its corrupted pathways leaking murky qi. The body refinement methods fared worse; fourth-stage Ironbone Fortification resembled a crumbling citadel, its foundation riddled with unstable shortcuts taken during Li Feng's desperate rise to power.
[CODEX ALERT]
"Host's current cultivation body contain 1,743 critical flaws."
[Purge Protocol Available]
Eradicate all traces of host's prior cultivation methodologies (Shadow Leaf True Scripture, Ironbone Fortification).
Cost: 3% Soul Integrity (temporary) + 15 years lifespan (accelerated decay).
Risk: Temporary cultivation collapse (72% chance of dropping to Core Formation realm).
"What a stingy codex—nothing comes easy," Xiao Ning spat. Whether it was life span or soul integrity, he had no desire to gamble with either.
The cave's shadows deepened as he weighed the numbers. Leaving even a wisp of Li Feng's techniques in his meridians was a liability, just fixing all these flows will take years let alone the other issues—But the price…
"Worse than a loan shark," he muttered, yet his fingers were already curling into the activation seal. Monsters didn't survive by clinging to sentiment.
The Codex didn't ask for confirmation. It flooded him.
First, his bones cracked—like stepping on a pile of dry twigs. The Ironbone Fortification technique, the one that made his body tough as steel, melted away. Muscles sagged. Xiao Ning bit back a scream as his strength leaked out like water from a broken jug. Next, the Shadow Leaf Scripture—Li Feng's prized cultivation method—fought back. Black vines burst from his skin, rotting midair into ash.
[Soul Integrity: 26]
[Lifespan: 473/567 years ]
The Nine Serpents curse saw its chance. Poisonous energy clawed up his throat, bitter as burnt charcoal. Xiao Ning's vision blurred. He could feel the curse digging deeper, feeding on his weakness.
"Do it," he choked.
Silver fire exploded inside him. Every last scrap of Li Feng's power burned away—his bones, his techniques, even the stale qi in his veins. The cave walls glowed red where the flames touched. When it was done, Xiao Ning lay in a smoking pit, his body trembling.
Current Realm: Nascent Soul Realm (Early)
System Masking: Core Formation (Early)
Xiao Ning laughed weakly. "At least every thing is over."
Host Designation: Xiao Ning (Li Feng Shell)
Lifespan: 473/567 years (Stabilizing)
System Masking: Core Formation Realm (Early) [True Power: Nascent Soul (Early)]
Soul Integrity: 26% (Critical)
[Spirit Roots]:
- Dark Yin Root: Extinguished (Purity 0%—reduced to ash during purge)
- Earth Vein Root: Dormant Core (29% circulation—now inert, severed from meridians)
[Meridians]:
- 12 Heavenly Gates: All unblocked (Soul Occupation Backlash erased)
- 36 Lesser Pathways: Pristine (Qi Deviation Scars vaporized)
[Dao Foundation]:
- Dantian Sea: Voidwell (A bottomless pit; qi neither leaks nor accumulates empty)
- Soul Palace: Smooth Oblivion (No fractures, no pagoda—a featureless plain)
[Notable Afflictions]:
- Nine Serpents of Heavenly Blight: Purged (Ash residue detected in bone marrow) - Host has acquired the power to detect the Heavenly Blight.
- Ghost Moon Brand: Erased (Left palm now bears a faint silver crescent—moon mark)
[Cultivation Methods]:
- None (All prior methodologies, flaws, and curses incinerated. No active techniques.)
[CODEX ALERT]
"Absolute Purge Complete. Host's body and soul now resemble Primordial Clay—no flaws, no foundation, no destiny. All 1,743 critical flaws eradicated. Warning: Voidshell status might imposes penalties—"
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS - (RECOMMENDED)]
Voidborne Ascension Pact
- Become the Codex's Vessel: Let the system rewrite your body.
- Cost: Autonomy (Codex gains 51% control over cultivation choices).
- Reward: Eternal Paradox Body (Flawless meridians, adaptable spirit roots, lifespan frozen).
[Y/N]
Xiao Ning let out a cold snort. "Become a vessel? Control my cultivation choices?"
He wanted to laugh, but no sound escaped.
"No!"
"Trying to outsmart me?" With a smirk, he activated the paradox meridians to their maximum capacity.
His cultivation began a strange transformation; his nascent soul started to dissolve, turning into a core. The core gradually dissolved, forming a sea, which then vaporized into mist.
The Paradox Meridians' main effect allowed his cultivation to simultaneously exist and not exist. At full power, he appeared as an ordinary mortal.
[ Name: Li Fang]
[ Life Span: 25/120]
[Cultivation: Mortal]
[Spirit Root: Dark and Earth Dual Spirit Root (disabled]
"Well, that looks pleasantly ordinary," Xiao Ning chuckled. The Paradox Meridians were truly marvelous; they technically shut down the codex.
"Now, let's get down to business.