The martial artists in the county had ultimately formed a standoff with the Wei Mansion, something Lu Qing had not anticipated.
He had thought that the two sides would start fighting very soon.
However, this also indicated that his previous speculation had some merit.
The death of the Innate Realm elder from the Wei Family was indeed suspicious.
The current situation in the county had surely been manipulated by someone behind the scenes.
It was just unknown how long this strange peace would last.
In this way, Lu Qing led his peaceful life on the sidelines, eating melon seeds quietly.
Every day he studied medical skills, practiced cultivation, and taught the two little ones how to read; life couldn't be more rich and fulfilling.
What he didn't expect was that after half a month had passed, the situation in the county still hadn't exploded.
But Lu Qing had no time to pay attention to these matters anymore.
Because after half a month's grinding and brewing, he felt the signs of a breakthrough.
In the bamboo forest behind the mountain.
Lu Qing was sitting cross-legged, a picture of calm, yet his body exuded intense heat. His Qi-Blood coursed through him, reaching a limit.
He was attempting to break through the Qi Blood Realm and step into the second realm of Martial Arts, the Muscle Bone Realm.
The key to breaking through from the Qi Blood Realm to the Muscle Bone Realm was to push the Qi and Blood Power past its limits and permeate into the bones and tendons, repeatedly nurturing and tempering them until one's tendons, membranes, and bones gradually became stronger.
This required martial artists to have an extremely high level of control over their own Qi-Blood.
Only by perfectly manipulating the Qi and Blood Power to nurture and temper the bones and tendons without injuring oneself would suffice.
Otherwise, if one's control was inadequate and they forcibly tempered, they could easily damage their own bone marrow.
This could result in mild bone marrow fractures or, in severe cases, completely burned out bone marrow.
This was why Lu Qing, despite having already achieved perfection in the Qi Blood Realm and being able to fully control his own Qi-Blood, still chose to grind for half a month before attempting to break through.
Advancing through Martial Arts Realms was not to be taken lightly; one must not act rashly and impatiently, nor could they shrink back in fear.
Everything had to be honed just right before making a breakthrough; that was the safest way.
At this moment, the Qi-Blood in Lu Qing's body had been pushed to an extreme, forming a thread of incredibly potent Qi and Blood Power.
Then, with great caution, he controlled this thread of Qi and Blood Power, breaking its original path, and permeated deeper into his body.
This step, although it appeared perilous, was like using a steel wire to lead a fierce beast.
The slightest carelessness could result in a Qi-Blood explosion and could gravely injure or cripple him.
However, Lu Qing's face remained tranquil.
Having reached his current realm, he was already adept at controlling his Qi-Blood.
Despite the dangers, everything was under his command.
Quickly, the powerful thread of Qi and Blood Power began to break through the limitations, soaking into the bones.
Under Lu Qing's strong control, it slowly circulated around the skeleton.
With this step, Lu Qing had successfully broken the boundary between the Qi Blood Realm and the Muscle Bone Realm.
But this alone was not enough.
Lu Qing stood up, assumed the boxing stance, and began to practice slowly.
Starting from the first move of Nourishing Body Boxing, he rapidly progressed to the Ninth Move.
According to his usual cultivation habits, Lu Qing should have started anew from the first move.
However, this time, he did not do so but continued to practice, performing a brand-new move.
It was the Nourishing Body Boxing's Tenth Move.
The Nourishing Body Boxing passed down by his master consisted of thirty-six moves.
The initial nine moves were the Cultivation Method for the Qi Blood Realm, and from the Tenth Move onward, it entered the level of the Muscle Bone Realm.
Previously, whenever Lu Qing tried to practice the Tenth Move, his bones and tendons would ache, preventing him from continuing.
But this time was different.
As he performed the moves, the thread of Qi and Blood Power he had condensed also rapidly traveled through the bones and tendons throughout his body, nourishing them and alleviating fatigue.
This allowed Lu Qing to keep practicing with vigor.
With the help of this powerful thread of Qi and Blood Power, Lu Qing smoothly completed the entire Tenth Move.
He did not stop there but continued to practice the Eleventh Move.
The first to ninth moves of Nourishing Body Boxing were for the Qi Blood Realm, while the tenth to eighteenth moves were for the Muscle Bone Realm.
Lu Qing quickly went through the Eighteenth Move, and after completing it, he slowly ended his routine and stood still, sensing the condition inside his body.
At this moment, he felt extremely well inside.
His Qi-Blood surged lively, and his bones and tendrils throughout his body felt as if they were soaking in warm water, comfortably warm.
He couldn't help but recall a saying his master had told him when teaching him Nourishing Body Boxing.
If practicing Nourishing Body Boxing became more comfortable, it proved he was doing it correctly; if it became more painful, then surely he had practiced something wrong.
Now, his condition clearly showed that he was practicing correctly.
"Finally stepped into the Muscle Bone Realm," Lu Qing said joyfully.
From now on, he too was a martial artist in the Muscle Bone Realm, on the same level as Ma Gu.
Of course, only in realm.
Now, compared to Ma Gu, there was definitely still a gap.
He had just stepped into this level, while Ma Gu had been immersed for many years, having tempered his bones and tendons to the limits of his realm.
In terms of pure physical strength, Lu Qing feared he still wasn't a match for him.
But Lu Qing wasn't worried.
Now that he had entered the Muscle Bone Realm, his strength was set to experience a period of rapid growth.