"Rest assured, Master. How could this disciple be someone short-sighted? The reason I could complete the body refining so quickly was thanks to this treasure."
As Zhong Lin spoke, he pulled out a jade box from his chest. When he opened it, the Five Poison Beast was still lying inside, lazily sleeping.
Yin Daoyan raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "The Five Poison Beast?"
"Master’s eyesight is sharp as ever."
"You cheeky boy, you’ve even learned how to flatter me," Yin Daoyan quipped with a smile and continued, "How did you obtain this treasure?"
"The disciple was fortunate. On my way to Wuyun City, I missed the timing and ended up spending the night in an abandoned temple. To my surprise, I encountered two groups fighting fiercely for this treasure. Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, it finally fell into my hands. Mei Weixuan also has a share in it. Along the way, we used this Five Poison Liquid to complete the body refining. We are just about to hand it over to you, Master, so you can negotiate the distribution with the Mei family," Zhong Lin explained.
Yin Daoyan waved his hand and said, "Leave it to Old Deng to handle. While the Five Poison Beast is precious, it is only useful in the Fifth Grade Inner Strengthening Realm. For me, it’s without any real use but a pity to discard."
Zhong Lin nodded. The Five Poison Beast’s function was merely to accelerate body refining, essentially a version 2.0 of the Five Spirit Pills. Its usefulness was indeed not as great as imagined.
"Then let’s give it to Senior Sister Gu first!"
Gu Yourong is currently also in the Fifth Grade Inner Strengthening Realm, just right to use the Five Poison Beast to quickly refine the body.
Yin Daoyan took out a porcelain bottle and placed it on the table.
"The Bone Marrow and Blood Changing Pill, made with the Celestial Replenishing Pearl as the main ingredient. It’s a Fourth Grade pill that can help someone change their marrow and blood to achieve the Divine Power Realm. If the opportunity is sufficient, it can even help you grasp Qi Sensing and step directly into the Upper Third Grades of Qi Refinement Realm."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Lin was overjoyed, as he had been expecting this for a long time.
Originally, he planned to cultivate steadily and patiently, confident that with the system in hand, he would eventually reach the top.
However, Wu Jingguang’s pursuit made Zhong Lin realize that to venture out into the world, he must possess sufficient power. Otherwise, it would be too easy to meet one’s end.
Yin Daoyan smiled and said, "Don’t be in such a rush to consume it. Calm your mind and temper your spirit. This elixir changes your marrow and blood, achieving the Divine Power Realm is but a trivial matter. What you must do is seize that opportunity, see if you can leap directly into the Upper Third Grades of Qi Refinement; otherwise, it would be wasted."
"Master, could you explain the three realms of the Upper Third Grades in detail, so this disciple can be prepared?"
Zhong Lin looked eagerly expectant.
Yin Daoyan pondered for a moment, then said, "Martial Arts has nine grades: the Lower Third Grades focus on body refining, the Middle Third Grades on blood coagulation, and the Upper Third Grades on Qi Refinement. If coagulation marks the beginning of transcendence, then Qi Refinement is beyond the human realm. Every move of a martial artist in the Upper Third Grades holds immense power, capable of harming others from a distance and shaping Qi into forms, akin to myths for ordinary people."
"Third Grade is the Inner Breath Realm, where one refines essence into Qi, condensing a strand of innate inner breath in the dantian. This inner breath circulates throughout the body and can injure enemies even from a distance.
"Second Grade is the Meridian Passage Realm, where one uses inner breath to open all meridians in the body, from the dantian to the crown of the head and back again, ensuring no obstruction throughout the skeleton, allowing the creation of phantoms with enhanced power."
"First Grade is the Pure Essence Realm, the foundation of Martial Arts. At this stage, inner breath reaches perfection and disperses into the flesh, forging the foundation of Martial Arts."
"These realms can only be truly understood, not explained in words. Only by personally venturing into them can one comprehend their mysteries."
"In the coming days, focus on your cultivation. Once you’ve fully absorbed the Bone Marrow and Blood Changing Pill, I will take you back to the Sword Cauldron Sect."
Zhong Lin stood up respectfully and said, "Yes, Master."
The two conversed for a while longer before Zhong Lin took his leave.
As he stepped out of the courtyard and looked up at the sky, it was clearly midday, but the overcast clouds hung gloomily, and the air carried a faint, chilly dampness.
Suddenly, a flurry of snow drifted down from the sky, the snowflakes melting instantly as they touched the ground.
Zhong Lin reached out his palm to catch the falling snowflakes, murmuring softly to himself.
When he first arrived in this world, it was merely the onset of autumn. Now, it was snowflakes swirling as winter descended.
Back then, Zhong Lin was just a mountain village hunter, living precariously due to natural disasters. Now, he was the Young Master of Hundred Herbs Hall, a disciple to an elder of the Sword Cauldron Sect, and a Fifth Grade Inner Strengthening Realm expert in Martial Arts.
And all of this had been achieved in a short span of four months.
Snowflakes gently wafted down like poetic verses from the sky, decorating the earth in a pristine white tapestry.
Zhong Lin strode through the scene, heat emanating from his body. The snowflakes evaporated into wisps of steam before they even got close.
Shitou, just returning from school, spotted a familiar figure in the courtyard and showed a look of delight. Dropping his bag, he ran over excitedly.
"When did you return?"
Zhong Lin smiled and squatted down, lifting the little Shitou up.
Having spent a whole month with the round trip to Wuyun City, the two brothers had long missed each other.
Zhong Lin playfully pinched the rosy and chubby cheeks of Shitou, who, after a few months, had been well-fed to the point of looking healthy and plump, no longer resembling the skinny little monkey from Lower River Village.
"Haha, I missed you too, Second Brother! Let’s go have some hotpot."
The best pair with snowy weather is a hotpot meal, with a stove at the bottom and a porcelain clay pot on top.
Beef tallow, chili peppers, lamb bone broth...
The surroundings were filled with various side dishes, each bite filled with lingering flavors that made one sweat profusely.
Outside, the wind howled, and snowflakes fluttered.
Such a stark contrast only enhanced the hotpot experience’s atmosphere.
The brothers hid in the room, eating heartily and sharing the words saved up over the past month, their laughter resounding throughout the courtyard.
The maid and servants outside, passing by the room, instinctively lightened their footsteps, wary of disturbing the two brothers.
Zhong Lin sat cross-legged in the secret chamber and, after a long moment, suddenly opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. His stomach rumbled audibly nine times, and he exhaled a cloud of turbid air, feeling refreshingly clean all over, as comfortable as leaves washed by water.
This was "expelling the stale and taking in the fresh."
After reaching the Fifth Grade Inner Strengthening Realm, one’s breath connects directly to the viscera, expelling stale air and inhaling fresh air, keeping the lungs clean year-round with sustained, deep vitality, thus ensuring the whole body remains fresh and lively. This process nourishes Qi from within, enhancing and rejuvenating the body’s muscles, bones, and flesh, furthering physical strength.
Martial Arts consists of Upper, Middle, and Lower Three Grades, but within each Great Grade, each small realm has its own milestones and turning points.
The Fifth Grade Inner Strengthening Realm represents a watershed, a turning point in martial cultivation from the external to the internal.
After refining the organs, practicing boxing techniques can engage the internal organs and the power of the stomach and intestines, emitting a powerful force even without mobilizing Qi-Blood power.