Conjecture

Smiling faintly, Ren Qingying revealed dimples in her cheeks, giving off a feeling as refreshing as a spring breeze. She raised her wine cup graciously and said, "Young Master Lin is too polite. Even without me, Young Master Lin surely would have enjoyed heaven's favor as a good man." "No wonder you were staring at my sister the moment you came over! Here I thought you took a liking to her, but it was for that reason after all!" Ren Qingfeng said in sudden realization. "Qingfeng, don't talk nonsense," Ren Qingying said in a low voice. "How am I talking nonsense? Brother Lin, don't you think my sister is beautiful? Any interest in becoming my brother-in-law?" Ren Qingfeng chuckled, shooting a provocative look toward Xu Yuxiang. He felt this girl was truly unappreciative; how could she look down on someone like Brother Lin, who was accomplished in both the literary and martial arts? In Ren Qingfeng's eyes, Lin Zheyu was far better than the young scions of the prominent families in the city. Bringing him into the Ren Manor as a son-in-law would be a fine choice as well. "Ahem." Xu Qinyi cleared his throat and glared fiercely at Ren Qingfeng. He had known all along that this rascal had brought his sister Ren Qingying over with ulterior motives. "Young Master Ren jests. Miss Qingying is as kindhearted as she is beautiful; I fear I am unworthy of reaching so high," Lin Zheyu tactfully declined. "Besides, marriage is a momentous event in life, governed by the command of parents and the words of matchmakers. Currently, my parents and kinsmen are no longer with me, and I have no heart to dwell on thoughts of marriage." "Qingfeng, didn't you say you wanted to take Miss Qingying to admire the sights? Xiao Xuan, take Young Master Ren and Miss Ren over to view them," Xu Qinyi quickly intervened, seeing that Ren Qingfeng wanted to say more. Ren Qingying couldn't help letting out a giggle. She knew Xu Qinyi wanted to bring Yuxiang and Young Master Lin together, so she had no intention of standing in the way. "That's right, Qingfeng, come with me to see the sights." Ren Qingying stood up and pulled Ren Qingfeng to his feet. "Brother Lin, let's meet up again next time! Next time I'll ask my sister out by herself, hehe," Ren Qingfeng chuckled back at Lin Zheyu as he turned, leaving Lin Zheyu not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Yuxiang, Brother Lin is visiting Funing Garden for the first time. Why don't you show him around?" Having sent that rascal Ren Qingfeng away, Xu Qinyi spoke up, creating an opportunity for Lin Zheyu and Xu Yuxiang to spend time together. "Yes, Older Cousin," Xu Yuxiang replied somewhat reluctantly. She stood up, looked at Lin Zheyu, and said, "Let's go, I'll show you around." Lin Zheyu had no objection, naturally, and strolled through Funing Garden alongside Xu Yuxiang. "Brother Xu, I don't think there's any hope for those two," Chen Xihong remarked once they had left; he had been watching the show from the side the entire time. "Sigh, I feel there's no hope either. If Yujun hadn't married yet, her temperament would have been much better suited," Xu Qinyi sighed. "Drink, drink! This sort of thing depends entirely on their own fortune," Chen Xihong said with a smile. *** Strolling through Funing Garden with Xu Yuxiang, the scenery was quite pleasant. Each courtyard had been meticulously laid out, possessing its own unique charm. Xu Yuxiang remained expressionless throughout, walking ahead in silence. Lin Zheyu didn't mind, treating it as if he were taking a leisurely stroll on his own. After a long while, Xu Yuxiang finally spoke. "I'm not interested in you, so give up on that idea," Xu Yuxiang said. "What a coincidence. Neither am I," Lin Zheyu responded with a smile. "Hmph, that's for the best!" Xu Yuxiang huffed coldly, seemingly even more annoyed. The two strolled for about an hour before returning to the pavilion. Seeing Xu Yuxiang's cold, sour expression, Xu Qinyi couldn't help sighing. Once he got back, he would have to speak to Fifth Uncle about curbing this girl's temper. When Lin Zheyu returned home, the sky was somewhat dim. Along the way, the popping of firecrackers sounded incessantly, and children chased and played with each other in high spirits. As usual, Lin Zheyu practiced his martial arts for over an hour, then fully circulated the Turtle Breathing Art before drifting into slumber. Early morning. He woke from a deep sleep. He had to admit that the Turtle Breathing Art was remarkably miraculous. When circulated with full strength, Lin Zheyu felt as if he had entered the hibernation state of an animal. His metabolism and heartbeat dropped to extremely faint levels, while his mind sank into profound slumber. Sleep in such a state offered extraordinary quality. Lin Zheyu stretched lazily and stepped out of the hidden space within the kitchen firewood pile. In that state of deep sleep, his awareness and responsiveness to the outside world diminished. To be safe, he had returned to sleeping here at night. After getting up and washing up simply, he began working out vigorously in the courtyard. After several days of recuperation, his essence, qi, and spirit had returned to their peak; he could push past his limits once more. The medicinal aroma of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction drifted across the courtyard. Lin Zheyu sweated profusely. After exercising continuously for over an hour, his face turned somewhat pale; he was nearing his limit. Another half hour passed, and he once again experienced his essence, qi, and spirit twisting together into a single cord, as though his entire being were undergoing sublimation. "Phew..." He exhaled a long breath of turbid air. "Huh, this time it increased by two units of Origin Power." Looking at the data in his consciousness, Lin Zheyu was pleasantly surprised. This time, Origin Power had actually increased by two units. [Heaven Rewards Diligence] Name: Lin Zheyu Origin Power: 2 Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Perfection) Golden Goose Skill (Fourth Level 67%) Turtle Breathing Art (Third Level 1%) Six Harmonies Saber (Proficiency 88%) "Four limit breaks. The first three times each granted one unit, and the fourth granted two units of Origin Power." "In other words, an average of 1.25 units of Origin Power each time." Lin Zheyu ran the numbers and calculated the approximate amount of Origin Power gained after each limit break. However, this was only for the present. As his strength grew, the Origin Power gained with each limit break would only increase. He estimated that once his strength rose to Qi and Blood Three Transformations or even Four Transformations, he would obtain two units every time he pushed past his limits. Lin Zheyu conjectured that the strength of one's essence, qi, and spirit when breaking limits was directly correlated with the amount of Origin Power obtained. Once before, when utterly exhausted, he had attempted to break his limits but gained no Origin Power. That had been because his essence, qi, and spirit were too weak, yielding less than one unit. And anything less than one unit would not be displayed. Lin Zheyu lay on the ground panting heavily, unwilling to move. After pushing past his limits, his body felt incomparably weak and fatigued. Staring blankly at the sky, his thoughts drifted. 'What exactly is Origin Power? Why can I obtain Origin Power just by breaking my body's limits?' 'Is it truly an energy qualitatively produced when essence, qi, and spirit condense into one?' Lin Zheyu pondered. He often wondered about this question. He truly found it hard to believe that the energy of essence, qi, and spirit, once twisted together, could give birth to such a miraculous high-level energy as Origin Power. 'Could it be that some mysterious object is hidden inside my body, storing this wondrous energy called Origin Power?' 'And every time I push past my limits and my essence, qi, and spirit twist into one, entering that state resembling spiritual sublimation, does my mind breach that object and draw out the Origin Power within?' Lin Zheyu let his imagination run wild for a while until some strength returned to his body. He struggled to sit up, walked slowly into the house, and brought out another three packets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction medicinal ingredients from inside. When using Origin Power to advance the Golden Goose Skill, one unit of Origin Power required the potency of three doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction to satisfy the energy demands. Now that it had increased by two units, he needed the potency of six doses. Earlier, assuming that pushing past his limits would yield only one unit of Origin Power as usual, he had brewed only three doses' worth of herbs. 'Two units of Origin Power will be enough for me to break through to the fifth level of the Golden Goose Skill,' Lin Zheyu thought to himself. During his earlier advancements, each unit of Origin Power had increased his progress in the fourth level by roughly eighteen percent; two more units would be more than enough. He placed the medicinal herbs into the medicine pot and began decocting them. After adjusting the flame, Lin Zheyu finally sat cross-legged on the ground to refine qi and blood. Although breaking his physical limits had exhausted his body's energy, by squeezing and straining, he could still wring out a bit of qi and blood energy. Wisps of qi and blood force were extracted under his effort. The effects of qi and blood were extraordinarily wondrous: they could rapidly alleviate physical fatigue and wounds, and unleash even greater strength. With the aid of qi and blood energy, muscle soreness and exhaustion were quickly relieved. Lin Zheyu refined continuously for half an hour, yet managed to wring out only a meager amount of qi and blood. He had expended too much when pushing past his limits just now; no matter how hard he squeezed, he could only extract faint wisps of qi and blood power. Still, that was enough. With these wisps of qi and blood energy, the aching in Lin Zheyu's body eased considerably. Following the flow of blood, the qi and blood energy coursed through all the limbs and bones of his body, diffusing into his cells and dispelling physical fatigue. With the help of qi and blood energy, his body recovered somewhat, though his spirit remained exceedingly weary. Pushing past limits took the heaviest toll on one's spirit. Time slipped by slowly. The Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction finished simmering. Pouring the decoction from the pot, he combined it with the earlier batch. Lifting the large bowl of medicinal soup, he gulped it all down. As the medicinal potency diffused, Lin Zheyu felt a wave of dry heat rising from his lower abdomen. Under the influence of the immense medicinal power, qi and blood energy arose naturally in his body without him needing to refine it deliberately. 'Use two units of Origin Power to improve Golden Goose Skill.' Lin Zheyu sent forth the command. In an instant, mysterious energy surged from his cells, channeling the medicinal power in his belly to nourish and strengthen his physique. His consciousness entered that wondrous spiritual space, where he threw himself into frenzied training. Amid endless cultivation, Lin Zheyu's comprehension of the Golden Goose Skill advanced by leaps and bounds, his strength climbing steadily. Stimulated by the mysterious energy and the medicinal power, the qi and blood within his body began to surge wildly. An endless stream of qi and blood energy overflowed from his blood, instantly flooding every vessel in his body. His proficiency in the Golden Goose Skill skyrocketed, hitting 100% in the blink of an eye. Every vessel in Lin Zheyu's body was engorged with an incomparably dense force of qi and blood—so dense that it could hold no more, reaching the physical limit of his body. Once qi and blood reached the body's limit, they could no longer be increased in quantity. To continue raising one's strength, one had to purify qi and blood, purging impurities to make it purer and more potent. This was Qi and Blood Qualitative Change! Lin Zheyu's chest rose and fell. Drastic changes were taking place within his body. Inexhaustible qi and blood surged forth, coursing through his vessels along with the bloodstream, producing rumbling reverberations. With each circulation of blood, qi and blood diffused outward, strengthening his physical frame. Upon reaching the fifth level of the Golden Goose Skill, the qi and blood throughout his entire body reached their limit, yet a steady stream continued to gush out. Under the operation of the mysterious energy, this qi and blood began to optimize and purify, growing purer and carrying far greater power. Yet only a tiny sliver was purified before it came to a halt. The effects of Origin Power had ended. Lin Zheyu emerged from the spiritual state and opened his eyes. A glint of crimson light flashed in his gaze. This was caused by the overflow of excessive qi and blood energy. [Heaven Rewards Diligence] Name: Lin Zheyu Origin Power: 0 Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Perfection) Golden Goose Skill (Fifth Level 1%) Turtle Breathing Art (Third Level 1%) Six Harmonies Saber (Proficiency 88%) Fifth level of the Golden Goose Skill! Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his consciousness. The Golden Goose Skill had advanced to the fifth level, marking the official beginning of his first Qi and Blood Qualitative Change.