Technique

The two realms and three realms, Li Ye knew about them. Teachers at school and people online discussed them.

The second realm was the Breakthrough Realm, where one condensed Blood Essence to break through the mystic gate. The third realm was the Origin Opening Realm, where one stabilized the three origins to connect with the divine.

However, even the Martial Arts Teachers explaining these realms spoke with a sense of longing, let alone Li Ye, who was struggling to cultivate Blood Essence and aiming to break through the Dragon Gate at the time.

The Martial Arts Teachers were only at the Dragon Gate level. Discussing these things was like a few high school students talking about how to get a postdoctoral degree – completely unrealistic.

"All shortcuts will be repaid when facing the breakthrough. Only by practicing martial arts step by step can you break through the mystic gate."

Xu Yanwu didn't say much more to Li Ye, only stating, "This martial art, if possible in the future, it's best to condense it twelve times in one go. It will benefit you. Now I'll teach you the Foundation Building Technique. This is simpler, an upgraded version of the Guiding Method. Remember the circulation route."

Compared to the Twelve Golden Palaces Dragon Tiger Gate, the Foundation Building Technique was truly simple. Its circulation route was less complicated, starting from the perineum, circulating along the abdomen past the navel and chest, then to the area below the lips. Simultaneously, it traveled along the spine from the back, rising all the way to the back of the head, then completing a cycle and finally converging at the waist.

"The Ren and Du Meridians plus the Belt Meridian, thereby condensing Blood Essence to flow throughout the body, achieving the effect of increasing Blood Essence. You can feel it, right? Compared to our martial arts, the Foundation Building Technique is simpler, but it's still very effective in increasing Blood Essence."

In his opinion, since Li Ye could learn the Twelve Golden Palaces Dragon Tiger Gate, the Foundation Building Technique would be child's play. Even with mediocre talent, it could significantly increase Blood Essence.

As for Li Ye, he didn't really want to talk.

After one circulation, the increase in his Blood Essence was almost imperceptible, not even worth quantifying.

Although the Twelve Golden Palaces Dragon Tiger Gate had decreased, the increase was still significant. The Foundation Building Technique was normal; there was no decrease in Blood Essence, nor any discomfort. It was purely circulation, tempering the body and converting it into Blood Essence.

But it was just not very useful for Li Ye.

On one hand, he felt embarrassed by his talent. This normal martial art seemed to be less effective than his eating.

On the other hand, he was fortunate to have obtained a top-tier martial art. Although it seemed demanding, it wasn't that difficult for Li Ye to break through it.

After learning the Foundation Building Technique, it was time to learn the moves.

Xu Yanwu didn't say anything else. He picked up a controller and pressed a button. On the right side of the courtyard, twelve iron pillars of varying heights suddenly rose side by side.

The gaps between the iron pillars were very narrow, looking like they wouldn't allow a person to pass normally. The height between the pillars also seemed beyond normal jumping ability.

Xu Yanwu said, "Practice the movement technique first. Your goal today is to weave through the pillars, trying to do so without obstruction. Your body must not touch the pillars. That's considered mastery."

Li Ye twitched the corner of his mouth and stepped forward to measure. He confirmed that the gap was only wide enough for him to slide through sideways, and only by staying close to the iron pillars. Furthermore, many obstacles rose from below, requiring large movements to step over.

He looked at Xu Yanwu, but it was useless. His master looked like a stoic mask.

Li Ye gritted his teeth and rushed forward, sidestepping through the first row of iron pillars.

He didn't entirely squeeze against the pillars. He had practiced obstacle courses at school, so he had some experience, but avoiding contact with the pillars was unavoidable.

"Think about the feeling when you circulate your energy. Use it. Tuck your chest and abdomen in a bit more. Don't be so rigid with your steps. Be lighter."

Xu Yanwu watched Li Ye move and began to offer targeted adjustments.

"When I say lighter, I don't mean jump up. The obstacles below aren't meant to be jumped over like that. Maintain your center of gravity. Control your legs."

"Blood Essence, Blood Essence! Control your Blood Essence, don't rely on brute force. You are in the Dragon Gate Realm, not an ordinary person. Why are you still using ordinary methods!"

"Be smoother. It's okay to fall. It's just a collision, isn't it? Don't be afraid. If you don't fall, how can you understand the feeling of falling? Remember that feeling, so that when you fall again, you can slide close to the ground and then get up!"

"Don't be bound by the form of the movements. Dragons haven't seen snakes, but you have, right? Just swim. Make your body softer. I'll fix it even if you break your back. Bend your waist!"

"I'm not telling you to twist. I'm telling you to be lighter. Forget it, take a ten-minute break. I'll tell you the key points."

All morning, Xu Yanwu continuously corrected Li Ye's movements, having Li Ye adjust while weaving through the pillars and stepping over obstacles. He inevitably fell and hit his head on the pillars.

But progress was rapid. Li Ye was indeed a genius in this regard. At first, he was a bit clumsy, but after a few more attempts, he became proficient and gradually standardized his movements.

By noon, a group of people arrived with lunchboxes, filling the stone table with dishes, even more than in the morning.

"Eat it all. Eat until you're stuffed."

Xu Yanwu said, "Your appetite also needs to be trained. Otherwise, as you train further, your Blood Essence won't be able to support your energy circulation."

Li Ye had no complaints about this.

Training his appetite was great. He needed to train his appetite more, otherwise, how could he legitimately become a competitive eater? Especially with these high-quality ingredients, Li Ye would feel heartbroken if he ate less.

However, he was still careful about his method. To avoid trouble, he basically controlled his intake to the morning's amount and then, feigning difficulty, ate it little by little. For this, he even relaxed the limits of his Authority, allowing his stomach to truly distend, making his abdomen visibly bloated, clearly stuffed.

After lunch, Li Ye circulated his energy once more and then continued weaving through the pillars.

It wasn't until five in the afternoon that Xu Yanwu told Li Ye to stop.

"Come in," he said.

He walked into the house first, gesturing for Li Ye to follow.

This was Li Ye's first time seeing the interior of the house in the courtyard. From the outside, he could only see the glass sliding doors and the luxuriously decorated reception room. Only after passing the reception room could he see the living room.

Xu Yanwu led Li Ye past the living room to a bathroom. A large bathtub was filled with steaming green liquid.

"Immerse your entire body. Every single hair strand."

After saying this, Xu Yanwu walked out.

Li Ye was familiar with this. It was a medicinal bath.

He quickly stripped off his clothes, glanced at the bruises on his body, shook his head with a smile, and slid in.

So, the physical body still had to endure hardship.

As soon as he entered the medicinal bath, Li Ye let out a comfortable sigh. The bathwater was warm, but it felt invigorating. His exposed skin also felt cool. The bruises and injuries caused by constant training were greatly relieved at this moment.

The medicinal bath was more advanced than the ones at the martial arts hall.

Immediately after, Li Ye had a second thought.

Could this stuff be drunk?

A medicinal bath, essentially a 'broth' made from medicinal herbs mixed with hot water, should theoretically be within the scope of his Authority.

But the thought only crossed Li Ye's mind once before he discarded it.

He wouldn't go that far.

After soaking for half an hour, when Li Ye stood up, he felt refreshed all over. He raised his arm and saw that a bruise he'd gotten during the day had already disappeared.

"Amazing."

Li Ye exclaimed, walked out of the bathroom, and into the courtyard.

Food had been set out on the stone table again.

The portion this time wasn't as much as at noon, only ten dishes.

"Eat well in the morning, be full at noon, and eat lightly at night. But this 'light' meal still needs to be substantial."

Xu Yanwu sat on a stone stool and said to Li Ye, "Eat these."

Seeing only one set of bowls and chopsticks on the stone table, Li Ye asked, "Master, aren't you having any?"

"These are prepared for you. As an ordinary person, I can no longer benefit from ingredients of this caliber."

Xu Yanwu said expressionlessly, "Alright, eat up. Come back tomorrow, and I'll teach you the Lightness Skill."

"Master, I haven't even finished learning everything yet..."

"As long as the method is correct, it's fine. I don't have much time. If you don't understand anything, you can ask Pan Zhengyang."

"Is something important going on? I'm not in a hurry. If it's really necessary, I can defer my third year of high school's Martial Arts Major and focus on learning martial arts first. I heard Martial Arts Students have a lot of freedom." Li Ye said.

"No."

Xu Yanwu paused, looking directly at Li Ye, "I'm just dying."

Li Ye's eating paused. "Huh?"

"Yes, I'm dying. I have old, hidden injuries from years ago that can't be cured. It's a miracle I've lasted this long."

Xu Yanwu said calmly, "Before I die, I found a successor, and it's not bad."

Li Ye was silent for a moment, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating again. "Can I ask what's going on?"

His expression was also calm, without sadness or melancholy.

Xu Yanwu nodded and suddenly asked, "Do you know about Noble Families?"

"I just came into contact with them. I heard they're very famous in Ningjiang. Are Noble Families the kind I'm thinking of, families that secretly control the human world?" Li Ye said while eating.

"They're not as powerful as they were in ancient times, but they are families with accumulated resources and heritage, so they still have influence."

Xu Yanwu said, "Thirty years ago, I was too soft-hearted, which allowed them to find an opportunity for revenge. They shattered my Blood Essence, rendering me crippled."

"Did you get revenge?" Li Ye asked.

"They were utterly destroyed, but it doesn't matter anymore."

Xu Yanwu sighed, "When I encountered trouble, my first reaction was to reconcile. I only thought that years of martial arts training were hard-earned, and it was more important to use martial arts cultivation to deal with Demons. But just because I think this way doesn't mean others will. Pan Zhengyang is better than me in this regard. You should learn from him, not from me."

Hearing this, Li Ye's heart stirred. "What does Director Pan usually do?"

A smile appeared in Xu Yanwu's eyes. "He used to kill people. Now he kills their entire families."

"Did no one investigate?"

"As long as your stance is righteous enough. Besides, they're all dead, what can be investigated?"

"What realm is Director Pan in?" Li Ye asked again.

"Three realms."

"I understand." Li Ye said thoughtfully, "I won't learn from you."

"That's for the best."

Xu Yanwu said, "Eat your meal."

Soon, Li Ye finished his dinner, bid farewell to Xu Yanwu, and left on his electric scooter.

He didn't go home immediately. When he was close to home, he put down the scooter and called his family.

"Mom, I'm not coming home tonight. There's something happening at the bureau where I'm interning, and I'm going to learn from it. The bureau has arranged accommodation for the night."

After talking to his mother, he called a car and headed straight to his rental apartment.

There were still ten tons of rice to deal with. It was time to digest them.

As for Blood Essence, he now had a new idea.