Guided by the mysterious energy, the medicinal potency of the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction rapidly strengthened his body and internal organs, making his viscera sturdier with every passing moment.
With each breath, he drew in massive gulps of air, carrying enormous amounts of oxygen that allowed him to unleash even more ferocious attacks.
The cultivation progress of the Golden Goose Skill shot up rapidly, leaping from the third layer at 3% to 20%... 50%... 80%... 100%, breaking through into the fourth layer.
And it kept rising, only halting once it reached 13%.
Inside Lin Zheyu's body, blood surged through his veins. Wisps of essence seeped out from his cells, blending into his bloodstream and circulating through his entire body.
As the essence circulated with the blood, the two bonded ever more closely, gradually fusing together.
The energy contained within his blood grew increasingly potent, and wisps of blood-colored gaseous energy began to emanate and rise from it.
This was qi and blood.
Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes, his gaze brimming with exhaustion, his mind slightly dazed.
He shook his head and took a while to recover.
"It seems I can't use too much Origin Power at once, or my mind won't be able to bear it," Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
Using four units of Origin Power in one go and remaining in that mental state for an extended period had drained an immense amount of mental energy.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence]
Name: Lin Zheyu
Origin Power: 2
Skills:
Wild Bull Fist (Mastery 5%)
Golden Goose Skill (Fourth Layer 13%)
Turtle Breathing Art (Third Layer 0%)
Six Harmonies Saber (Entry 18%)
Lin Zheyu adjusted to his current state, feeling that it was utterly miraculous.
As the blood rushed through his body, wisps of blood-colored energy continuously welled up.
This was the power of qi and blood.
Qi and blood: it was the crimson energy born when essence and blood-qi were blended together by one's spirit. It was the foundation of the martial path and the wellspring of a martial artist's strength.
Only when essence, qi, and spirit reached their peak—with full muscles, robust bones, and internal strength matching external might—could qi and blood energy rapidly burgeon within the body.
Many martial artists were stuck at the peak of the Viscera Tempering Realm because their spirits were not strong enough, preventing them from sensing essence and blood-qi to blend them into qi and blood energy. Senior Brother Han Mo, for instance, had been trapped at peak Viscera Tempering for years, still unable to break through to the Qi and Blood Realm because his spirit lacked strength and his spiritual perception was not sharp enough.
Only in combat, when his essence, qi, and spirit were focused into a single beam, could he sense blood-qi and essence.
Lin Zheyu, however, had pushed past his physical limits multiple times, giving him physical and mental resilience far beyond ordinary men.
With the aid of Origin Power and while immersed in that special state, he had broken through to the Qi and Blood Realm with ease.
"Golden Goose Skill, fourth layer—the Qi and Blood Realm."
"So this is the Qi and Blood Realm!"
Lin Zheyu felt an overwhelming sense of wonder.
Unable to wait, he rose, walked to the center of the courtyard, assumed a stance, and began to exercise.
He wanted to test just how far his strength had reached after breaking through to the Qi and Blood Realm.
His figure darted across the courtyard, kicking up gusts of fierce wind, his speed at least twice as fast as before.
Leaping into the air, he snapped a vicious whip kick toward empty space. His pant legs whipped furiously, producing crackling pops.
Qi and blood was a wondrous energy. Under its influence, muscles could unleash attacks far exceeding the body's physical limits.
Channeling the qi and blood energy into his right leg, Lin Zheyu lashed out with a whip kick toward the wooden post from a distance. A howling gale blasted forth and slammed into the post.
With a sharp crack, the post shattered into splinters.
The small amount of qi and blood energy he had just accumulated was instantly exhausted.
"So strong!"
Looking at the shattered post, Lin Zheyu was secretly astonished.
That single strike had unleashed five times his body's normal striking force, the resulting gust of force blasting the wooden post apart.
No wonder Master Liang had said there was a vast gulf between the Qi and Blood Realm and the Viscera Tempering Realm—before someone in the Qi and Blood Realm, a martial artist at peak Viscera Tempering was like a mere child.
The three realms of Flesh Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Viscera Tempering were merely meant to forge the foundation of martial arts.
Only upon stepping into the Qi and Blood Realm did one truly embark upon the martial path.
With the empowerment of qi and blood, it was as if a martial artist had gained an internal power source, allowing them to unleash attacks beyond their physical limits.
"Without passing through Flesh Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Viscera Tempering to temper the body until the muscles are full, the bones hard as iron, and the inside as strong as the outside, one's body wouldn't be able to endure the eruption of qi and blood energy at all."
Lin Zheyu sat down cross-legged. New qi and blood energy slowly seeped from his blood at an agonizingly sluggish pace.
He quietly experienced the newly gained qi and blood energy, analyzing its properties.
An hour later.
Lin Zheyu opened his eyes and circulated the Turtle Breathing Art.
In an instant, the fluctuations of qi and blood upon him vanished without a trace.
With his strength concealed, the sharp edge in his eyes was also tucked away, and his entire demeanor reverted to around the level of the Bone Tempering Realm.
"This Turtle Breathing Art truly is remarkable. The qi and blood in my body is locked firmly within my blood, without letting even a single wisp leak out.
"Moreover, I can even cultivate in this state, and the qi and blood cultivated here is noticeably purer than what is cultivated under normal conditions.
"What an extraordinary art!" Lin Zheyu sighed in admiration.
He had no idea where Master Liang had obtained this art, but its value certainly far surpassed that of the Golden Goose Skill.
He suspected that Master Liang might not have even trained the Turtle Breathing Art to the third layer; otherwise, he wouldn't have told Lin Zheyu not to spend too much effort on it.
Now that his strength had reached the Qi and Blood Realm, Lin Zheyu finally grasped the wonders of the third layer of the Turtle Breathing Art.
The third layer involved qi and blood. Back when he was only in the Bone Tempering Realm, no matter how hard he practiced, he couldn't master it.
Now that he had reached the Qi and Blood Realm, he could continue cultivating the third layer.
And then Lin Zheyu discovered that the technique used by the Turtle Breathing Art to control qi and blood could actually purify it!
After all, the qualitative change of qi and blood was linked to its purity.
In other words, mastering the third layer of the Turtle Breathing Art could improve the success rate of achieving a qualitative change in qi and blood!
……
Chapter 42