Chapter 45: Condensing Blood and Qi

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"This is..." Xu Yuan stared at the bubbling medicinal liquid inside the wooden barrel, astonished by the immense energy it contained.

"This is a medicinal bath from the Body Sect, specifically designed to help disciples like you—who haven't fully matured yet—condense blood and qi," Mu Ye explained briefly. Then, he gave Xu Yuan careful instructions: "Remember this—when absorbing the medicinal power, don't refine it using soul power. Only use soul power to guide it. Follow the acupoints I've pointed out, and compress the medicinal energy into these points."

As he spoke, Mu Ye continued to tap on various acupoints on Xu Yuan's body with pinpoint accuracy.

Xu Yuan memorized the acupoints and nodded.

"Zhen Hua told me about your idea of creating a blood and qi martial soul. I agree with his approach—you shouldn't rush."

"You're still young. Although I've controlled the dosage of the medicinal bath, there will likely be some excess. After condensing your blood and qi, if you feel you can't absorb any more medicinal power, stop. Don't try to forcefully complete the blood and qi contract using the leftover energy." Mu Ye emphasized this point.

Xu Yuan scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly.

What Teacher said sounds just like something out of a novel.

"Don't worry, Teacher. I'm very cautious. Besides, the contract isn't ready yet, and Uncle Zhen Hua already warned me to attempt it under his supervision."

Mu Ye didn't believe Xu Yuan's claim of being cautious and rolled his eyes.

"Just remember what I said. Don't act impulsively. If you attempt the contract under Zhen Hua's supervision, even if there are issues with the contract, he'll be able to correct them afterward—it's a safety net. Plus, as long as you don't rush things, your safety will be guaranteed under his watch." Mu Ye elaborated further, helping Xu Yuan understand why they insisted on him attempting the process under Zhen Hua's guidance.

"Your uncle is a divine craftsman who constantly works with the essence of metals. His understanding of 'spirit' is among the deepest on the continent, and spirit souls are also a type of spirit."

During the Spirit Forging stage, blacksmiths awaken the essence within rare metals, giving them life. During Soul Forging, they merge with the metal, granting it a soul inheritance—a development of the metal's intelligence. The subsequent Heavenly Forging stage represents an evolution of its life form.

From the Spirit Forging stage onward, rare metals already share similar traits with spirit souls, though they correspond to the century or millennium level. By the Soul Forging stage, they correspond to ten-thousand-year spirit souls. And during Heavenly Forging, the spirit souls can reach levels equivalent to hundred-thousand years or higher.

Zhen Hua, having spent years forging, held significant authority in this area. This was why—whether it was Zhen Hua himself, Xu Shengqun, or Mu Ye—they all insisted that Xu Yuan attempt the process under Zhen Hua's supervision.

"Teacher, couldn't we just go directly to Uncle Zhen Hua's place to condense my blood and qi?" Xu Yuan suggested.

Go there directly, then use the remaining medicinal power to complete the blood and qi contract in one fell swoop.

Mu Ye smacked Xu Yuan on the forehead.

"What are you thinking? Do you think your contract can rely solely on theoretical preparation? First, condense your blood and qi, then adjust the contract based on your understanding of it."

Xu Yuan winced in pain.

He had to admit—his teacher had a point.

Resigned, he climbed into the wooden barrel. Immediately, he felt the scorching medicinal water seeping aggressively into his body.

His skin burned, but at the same time, he felt a deep sense of comfort.

The medicinal power permeated through his skin and entered his body.

"If you don't want to end up as one of those muscle-bound brutes you despise, don't let the medicinal power linger too long in your flesh," Mu Ye's voice echoed in Xu Yuan's mind.

Xu Yuan shuddered.

Having muscles was fine, but becoming overly bulky was not something he desired.

Hastily, he circulated his soul power, guiding the medicinal energy and directing it along the meridians to each acupoint in sequence.

His blood boiled.

As the medicinal power integrated into his body, Xu Yuan felt as though his blood was being set ablaze. His heart thudded powerfully, each beat stronger than the last.

Most of the acupoints Mu Ye had pointed out were located around the chest area, centered on the heart. As the medicinal power took effect, Xu Yuan's heart was continuously tempered, and the blood passing through it began to boil as well.

The speed of his blood circulation increased.

The surging blood flowed through his veins like mighty rivers coursing through his body.

This sensation far surpassed the weak flow of soul power through the meridians—it was exhilarating.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Xu Yuan felt the energy within his blood reach its peak.

"Circulate your soul power and restrain this energy within your blood," Mu Ye's voice came just in time.

At the same time, Mu Ye extended his fingers, channeling his powerful soul power to assist Xu Yuan in compressing the energy within his blood.

Boom!

In an instant, Xu Yuan felt as though all the energy in his body had been unified.

At that moment, his entire body felt crystal clear.

Blood and qi condensed.

Though the clarity lasted only a fleeting moment, it left Xu Yuan deeply shaken, sending a tingling sensation from his spine to the top of his head.

Is this what blood and qi cultivation feels like?

Amidst his awe, Xu Yuan suddenly felt a powerful force grip the back of his neck, immobilizing him, before lifting him abruptly.

"I told you not to absorb too much. What were you spacing out for?" Mu Ye scolded, though without real anger. Clearly, he understood the overwhelming sensation of condensing blood and qi.

It was an indescribable, instinctual stimulation that resonated deeply with life itself.

Xu Yuan was tossed onto the bed.

Without hesitation, he immediately sat cross-legged.

While condensing his blood and qi, he had also sensed the opportunity to break through in his soul power.

He had only broken through to level eighteen four months ago. A month later, driven by the advancement of his spirit soul to the thousand-year level, he had reached level nineteen. Over the past three months, he had already cultivated to the peak of level nineteen.

Soul power accumulated gradually, and each level could be divided into early, middle, and late stages. However, only reaching the peak of a level truly mattered, as it signified the transition to the next stage.

Now, stimulated by the condensation of blood and qi, the small bottleneck at level twenty was effortlessly shattered.

With his soul power breaking through to level twenty, Xu Yuan restrained the Five-Element Spear Spirit and did not add a second soul ring to his martial soul.

Through the condensation of blood and qi, Xu Yuan's physical conditioning received a qualitative boost from the medicinal bath. Coupled with his soul power breakthrough, his spiritual power also experienced a small surge.

Though he hadn't tested it, Xu Yuan felt certain that his spiritual power had surpassed 300 points.

Moreover, the previously constrained feeling in his spiritual power had temporarily disappeared. He estimated that his spiritual power would increase rapidly in the coming period.

"I wonder if I can break through to the Spirit Sea Realm," Xu Yuan thought hopefully.

If he could quickly reach the Spirit Sea Realm, he could fuse a spirit soul with his brain martial soul. Afterward, his soul power cultivation could continue as usual.

Most importantly, once his brain martial soul gained a soul ring, its growth would further enhance Xu Yuan's learning abilities, making the pressure of mastering his four secondary professions much lighter.

Advancing from level two to level three wasn't stressful for Xu Yuan, but he knew that when all four secondary professions reached the level-four threshold, the pressure would mount. Strengthening his brain martial soul beforehand would alleviate those concerns.

Additionally, there was another benefit.

Cultivating his brain martial soul for a while would also facilitate further research, smoothing out the path toward creating his blood and qi martial soul.

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