Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation

Seven days later, the morning sunlight shone brightly in the small courtyard outside Wang Shuo's residence.

Wang Yue sat cross-legged beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, his eyes slightly closed as the Blood Qi within him slowly circulated with the Breathing Method.

After seven days of bitter cultivation, he had mastered the second form of the Blood Dragon Secret Method. Its control over and enhancement of Blood Qi had become increasingly pronounced. At that moment, his consciousness was like invisible threads, guiding seven streams of Blood Qi through his meridians. With every circuit, minute traces of energy merged into the Blood Qi, making it ever more condensed.

Suddenly, behind the seventh stream of Blood Qi, a faint warm ripple emerged. A new force of Blood Qi was slowly gathering along his meridians, like streams flowing into a great river, gradually forming the outline of a new stream of Blood Qi.

"It's here!" Wang Yue rejoiced inwardly. He did not deliberately urge it onward, merely allowing his Blood Qi to circulate as his heart willed. This eighth stream of Blood Qi was the natural upper limit his body had reached after mastering the second form of the Blood Dragon Secret Method. Its condensation was even smoother than that of the seventh.

In less than half an incense stick's time, that embryonic stream of Blood Qi completely stabilized. It stood alongside the other seven within his body, forming the sight of eight streams of Blood Qi surrounding him.

Wang Yue slowly opened his eyes and raised a hand to clench it into a fist, feeling the abundant power within him. The corners of his mouth could not help but rise. "The Blood Dragon Secret Method truly is extraordinary. Not only can it improve the quality of Blood Qi, it can also rapidly expand its upper limit. With this eighth stream of Blood Qi, my martial path has advanced another step!"

He had just risen to stretch his limbs and practice the Harmonious Flow Fist once when Wang Shuo's footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

"Wang Yue!" Wang Shuo strode into the small courtyard, his expression far more solemn than usual and his voice cold. "Something major has happened within the clan. Come with me!"

Wang Yue froze, utterly at a loss. Something important enough to make Wang Shuo this grave was certainly no trivial matter. He did not dare delay and hurried after Wang Shuo toward the training ground.

The closer they drew to the training ground, the more people gathered around them. Not only were disciples from the Martial Academy present, but even the disciples of other surnames who had previously remained in the rear courtyard had assembled here. Every face bore confusion and curiosity.

When Wang Yue followed Wang Shuo into the training ground, every gaze instantly focused on him. The rear-courtyard disciples looked at him with eyes full of amazement and envy. Though they remained in the rear courtyard, they had heard of Wang Yue's exploits: he had emerged from the rear courtyard, become Wang Shuo's disciple, defeated Wang Daoling, and become the foremost among the younger generation.

"If only I could soar into the heavens in a single leap like Senior Brother Wang Yue during the next martial examination."

"He's far stronger than the likes of us!"

The whispers reached Wang Yue's ears, but he had no mind to spare them. The sight on the training ground was simply too abnormal.

Dozens of black wooden boxes had been neatly arranged below the platform. Their lids stood open, revealing stone slabs the size of palms inside.

Wang Hezheng stood atop the high platform at the center of the training ground, his expression grave and entirely unlike his usual composure.

Wang Yue glanced sideways at Wang Hezheng on the platform, his heart filled with doubt. What exactly were they going to do? Why did they need to mobilize every disciple?

Before long, all the disciples had arrived, and the training ground fell completely silent.

Wang Hezheng took a stone slab from the box beside him and raised it above his head. The slab was bluish gray, its surface carved with densely packed symbols. The symbols were twisted and strange, resembling neither writing nor patterns, and they exuded a mysterious aura.

"The clan has issued an order. Today, every disciple must take action."

Wang Hezheng's voice was low, carrying a trace of barely perceptible weariness. "Each person will take ten stone slabs from the boxes and bury them throughout the county city. Remember: one slab must be buried within every thirty-meter radius. None may be missed."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across every disciple present as his tone grew increasingly stern. "No matter where the burial site is—whether it is the grounds of a county-city gang, the residence of another family, or within the county government offices—you need show no concern!"

"The relevant powers throughout the county have already been dealt with in advance. No one will stop you. Begin at once!"

Once he had finished speaking, Wang Hezheng did not utter another word. He did not even explain why the stone slabs were to be buried. He simply placed the slab back into the box, turned, and descended from the platform. His figure appeared somewhat dejected as he quickly vanished through the entrance to the training ground.

At that moment, Wang Shanhai came to the boxes carrying a thick ledger and began distributing stone slabs to each disciple. "Come collect your slabs. Afterward, register with me. I'll tell you which area you're responsible for."

Though the disciples were full of doubts, none dared ask. They stepped forward one after another to collect the slabs. The Wang Clan's rules were strict, and the clan leader's orders could not be questioned.

Wang Yue also stepped forward and accepted the cloth bag Wang Shanhai handed him. Ten weighty stone slabs lay inside. They felt icy cold in his hand, and the strange symbols on their surfaces seemed to possess an eerie pull that made him frown instinctively.

"Your assigned area is River Gang territory. From the gang's headquarters to the three surrounding streets, all of it must be filled with buried stone slabs. Understand?" Wang Shanhai's tone remained cold and hard, without the slightest superfluous explanation, as though he were merely assigning an ordinary task.

"Understood." Wang Yue nodded without asking further. He knew that even if he asked, Wang Shanhai would not tell him the reason. Rather than waste time, he might as well finish the task first and investigate later.

Carrying the cloth bag of stone slabs, he turned and left the training ground, heading toward the River Gang headquarters on the western side of the county city.

As Wang Yue carried the slabs out of the training ground, an oppressive atmosphere hung over an ancient residence behind the Wang Clan ancestral hall.

This residence was Wang Hezheng's private home. Few people ever set foot there in ordinary times. Moss grew between the blue bricks in the courtyard, and though the wood carvings on the doors and windows had long become mottled, they still conveyed a deep, weighty heritage.

The doors to the main hall were tightly shut. Inside, Wang Hezheng sat in a grandmaster's chair, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water. The tea in front of him had long gone cold, yet he had not touched it.

A man dressed in black sat in the pearwood chair opposite him. It was Xu Weiwu, who had previously drunk tea with Wang Hezheng in the small tower.

He had lost his usual composure. His fingers clenched tightly around his teacup, his knuckles white, and his voice carried suppressed fury. "Xu Weiwu, tell me—what exactly is the Dragon Transformation Sect thinking?! Burying those stone slabs and setting up this so-called 'Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation'—what exactly are you trying to do?"

Xu Weiwu raised his eyes and met Wang Hezheng's gaze without changing expression. His tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable hardness. "He Zhi, this is not something we should concern ourselves with. The sect has given its orders. What we must do is carry them out, not question them."

He paused, set down his teacup, and continued, "Besides, this Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation will bring immense benefits to your Wang Clan. Once the formation operates, it can gather the essence of the county city and nourish the Blood Qi of the clan's disciples. Are you still not satisfied with such benefits?"

"Benefits?" Wang Hezheng suddenly slammed the table and rose. The teacups on the table jumped from the impact, spilling tea across the floor. "The 'benefits' bought with the vitality of all Changyun City are more than the Wang Clan can bear! I would rather have none of these benefits than become a sinner who brings calamity upon the county city!"

His voice trembled slightly. Clearly, he knew something of the formation's true nature and even understood the terrifying consequences hidden behind it.

Xu Weiwu watched his agitation and sighed softly, his tone easing somewhat. "He Zhi, do you still not understand? In these times, change means life; refusal to change means death."

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice further. "I can only tell you this: although this Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation originated in the Zhao Kingdom, it has been improved by the sect elders. It will absolutely not turn into the Zhao Kingdom's miserable scene of 'Hell lies empty, while wicked ghosts roam the human world.' You need not worry so much."

Wang Hezheng demanded, "Xu Weiwu, you should tell me the truth."

As though recalling something, Xu Weiwu suddenly became emotional. He abruptly rose, braced both hands against the table, and a trace of scarlet flashed through his eyes. "If blame must be cast, then do not blame my Dragon Transformation Sect! Blame those august lords crowding the imperial court, and blame those enormous sects that believe themselves above the mortal world!"

Those words seemed to drain all his strength. Xu Weiwu slowly sat back down, closed his eyes, and took several deep breaths before recovering his calm.

Looking at Wang Hezheng, whose face remained icy, he changed the subject, his voice carrying a measure of concern. "Enough of that, He Zhi. How far have you come on the road to the Grandmaster Realm? Back when you and I traveled together, your talent was no weaker than mine. If you had possessed a suitable cultivation method, you should have broken through long ago."

At this, Wang Hezheng's gaze flickered, but his expression remained blank and he did not answer. The Grandmaster Realm was a chasm for martial artists. Countless martial artists at the peak of the Energy Refining Realm could not take that step even after exhausting their entire lives.

Xu Weiwu did not press him. He took a brand-new secret manual from his robes and placed it on the table. Four large words had been embroidered on its cover in golden thread: "Nine Revolutions Dragon Transformation Force."

"Though your Wang Clan is a great family in this county city, its foundation is still too shallow." Xu Weiwu's tone carried a trace of sentiment. "When you and I traveled together in those days, you obtained quite a few decent force cultivation methods. Yet you lacked a supreme art capable of commanding the force throughout your entire body and pointing directly toward the Grandmaster Realm.

"This Nine Revolutions Dragon Transformation Force is a secret cultivation method of my sect. It can transform inner force into 'Dragon Force.' Not only is it more powerful, it can also nourish the meridians and lay a deep foundation for breaking through to Grandmaster. Take it."

He paused before adding, "Rest assured, I already asked my master beforehand. His elder self also believes you are a talent worth cultivating and agreed to let me give this secret manual to you."

Wang Hezheng remained expressionless.

Watching him like this, Xu Weiwu's patience gradually vanished, and his tone turned cold. "I truly am beginning not to recognize you. Where has the high-spirited Wang Hezheng gone, the one who once swore to become a Grandmaster? I thought we walked the same road, but now you care only for this so-called 'righteousness.' You refuse to strive forward and hold yourself above all others!"

He pushed the secret manual forward, his voice carrying a warning. "I'll leave this secret manual here. Whether you take it is your own decision. Next spring, the Dragon Transformation Sect will open its gates wide to accept disciples. By then, if you still have not entered the Grandmaster Realm, you will understand just how enticing this Changyun City is to the people of the world."

With that, Xu Weiwu rose to his feet. Without looking at Wang Hezheng again, he walked straight toward the door.

The door opened and shut. Wang Hezheng was the only one left in the room.

A gentle breeze drifted through, flipping open the secret manual. The jet-black characters seemed to mock his hesitation and indecision.