First Cultivation

Sensing Qi and Blood, as the name suggests, is merely sensing Qi and Blood.

As for whether this Qi and Blood can be used by you, it depends on personal skill and talent.

For Martial Artists with good cultivation talent, after sensing Qi and Blood, it takes about one to two months to initially control Qi and Blood and enter the stage of Accumulating Qi and Blood.

If it takes more than two months to control Qi and Blood, it goes without saying that this person's cultivation talent is poor, and they will find it difficult to achieve great success on the path of martial arts.

Martial Artists in the Accumulating Qi and Blood stage only need to do one thing—accumulate Qi and Blood.

When Qi and Blood reach the thickness of a little finger, one can begin to break through to the Blood Strengthening Realm and become a true Martial Artist.

Martial Artists in this stage can lift between 350 to 500 jin with one hand and possess the strength to fight large beasts like tigers and brown bears. At critical moments, they can also burn Qi and Blood to enhance their strength and make a comeback from a desperate situation.

The strength of Martial Artists in the Accumulating Qi and Blood stage, apart from the martial arts they cultivate, depends entirely on the depth of their Qi and Blood.

Martial Artists who have just entered this realm are very likely not a match for those who have been in this realm for a long time.

However, when facing Martial Artists in the Sensing Qi and Blood stage, they can strike with full force and easily overpower them.

The biggest difference between Martial Artists in the Accumulating Qi and Blood and Sensing Qi and Blood stages lies in the application of Qi and Blood. Once Qi and Blood Power is initially controlled, punches will be harder and strength will be greater.

With the protection of Qi and Blood Power, even without any hand protection, a punch can be delivered to a hard rock without any injury, not even a scratch.

This is also the reason why Martial Artists in the Accumulating Qi and Blood stage can easily overpower Martial Artists in the Sensing stage.

After controlling Qi and Blood Power, one can easily take on three of their former selves in a one-on-one fight.

Earlier, when Yang Heng fought Zhang Meng, Zhang Meng's fists were as hard as rock and his strength was astonishing, precisely because he had mastered Qi and Blood.

If it weren't for the long chase that exhausted Zhang Meng's stamina, and his strength not reaching its peak after burning Qi and Blood, it's hard to say who would have won or lost.

The cultivation between the Beginner stage of martial arts and the Blood Strengthening Realm is recorded in great detail in the Vajra Fist Manual. It is easy to understand and can be easily comprehended even by those with no martial arts foundation, and it is difficult to make mistakes.

The Martial Artist who compiled this book was truly thoughtful. Unfortunately, it all benefited Yang Heng, while their own disciples could not enjoy its benefits.

After carefully reviewing and reading the Vajra Fist Manual over ten times, Yang Heng had a general understanding of the cultivation in the Beginner stage of martial arts.

He decided to begin his first martial arts cultivation by referring to the diagrams and textual explanations in the book.

The Vajra Fist Manual is divided into two parts.

The upper part records the methods for moving and transforming Qi and Blood, which Yang Heng cannot use at this stage.

Yang Heng is currently focusing on the lower part.

The lower part describes combat techniques, which are protective methods and killing skills. It is a set of fist techniques that can be used to kill enemies, called the Vajra Fist, and it is also the core of the entire cultivation method.

It also includes a special breathing technique. When cultivating the Vajra Fist, breathing according to this method helps in sensing Qi and Blood, thus stepping into the great door of martial arts.

Yang Heng began to cultivate, referring to the diagrams and text on the fist manual.

At first, he stumbled. A powerful and upright fist technique, when performed by Yang Heng, was soft and weak, his movements were disjointed, and his punching speed was extremely slow, like an old man practicing Tai Chi, leisurely and unhurried.

Yang Heng did not care about this. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Aren't all beginners like this? It will get better with more practice.

Moreover, he had no master to teach him and was exploring on his own. It was natural for progress to be slow in the early stages.

Yang Heng tried the breathing technique recorded in the book, imitating it superficially. He didn't know if it was because he practiced for too short a time or because he hadn't grasped the knack, but he didn't perceive any abnormality in his body.

As for what the book said about internal tremors and the sound of flowing water in his ears when sensing Qi and Blood, there was no trace of any of it.

Martial arts cultivation is not an easy task. It is difficult to start, and even more difficult later on.

Otherwise, in a large town like Qingyang Town, only three Martial Artists would have appeared in twenty years.

Yang Heng continued to cultivate.

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.

Hoo...

Haa...

After cultivating for an hour, Yang Heng was drenched in sweat, his body steaming, his cheeks flushed red, and he was panting heavily, looking utterly exhausted.

The physical exertion of practicing martial arts consumed far more energy than daily physical training.

Yang Heng immediately felt sore all over his muscles, like he had just run a marathon. He was ravenously hungry, sweat pouring down like rain, his stomach rumbling, and he felt an unspeakable fatigue, not even wanting to move.

But he still endured the pain, pushed himself up, and walked slowly.

It was evident that with every step Yang Heng took, his facial muscles twitched, as if he were enduring great pain.

As a sports enthusiast, Yang Heng knew very well that after strenuous exercise, one should never sit or lie down.

Otherwise, lactic acid would accumulate in the legs, and upon waking the next day, the thighs would be extremely painful and difficult to walk.

More seriously, it could impede blood circulation and lead to shock.

Slow walking, on the other hand, promotes blood circulation, soothes muscles, and aids recovery.

Yang Heng knew this, which is why he endured the pain and walked slowly.

As Yang Heng walked, he took out the preserved pork he carried with him and began to devour it.

With the help of the Marrow Cleansing Pearl, the pork strips were converted into energy needed by his body at an extremely fast rate for Yang Heng to absorb.

Yang Heng was like a parched traveler who had walked for days and nights in the desert, greedily absorbing every drop of sweet dew to nourish his heart.

Gradually, he felt his stamina was recovering.

Despite suffering so much during his first cultivation session, Yang Heng did not regret it.

He understood that effort yields reward.

To gain great power, one must endure hardship; there are no easy gains in this world.

He was confident in the strength gained through sweat.

Where there is effort, there is reward.

He had benefited greatly from this cultivation session.

He had memorized all the moves of the Vajra Fist, as well as methods like Qi and Blood circulation, all within his mind. He wasn't worried even if the manual were suddenly lost.

From now on, he just needed to follow the steps and cultivate diligently over the long term; reaching the beginner stage wouldn't be difficult.

As for how far he could cultivate, that would depend on his talent.

Talent!

Yang Heng wasn't worried about his own cultivation talent being poor.

With the Marrow Cleansing Pearl in hand, his talent could continuously transform, so he had no need to worry.

Slow cultivation now didn't mean cultivation would remain slow in the future.

Moreover, in another half a month, the Marrow Cleansing Pearl would be fully charged with energy.

At that time, his body would undergo a qualitative breakthrough in all aspects, a complete transformation, as if reborn.

Yang Heng looked forward to that day.

In the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, the two catties of dried pork strips had all been consumed by Yang Heng, their contained energy divided between him and the Marrow Cleansing Pearl.

At this point, Yang Heng's stamina had fully recovered. Apart from a slight muscle soreness, everything else was normal, and he could continue cultivating.

Yang Heng had intended to cultivate a bit longer, but looking up at the sky, he saw it gradually darkening. Knowing it was getting late, he had to return to the pharmacy.

Returning late for an extended period would likely arouse suspicion, and Yang Heng didn't want to take that risk.

Besides, cultivation wasn't a race against time; consistency was key.

Tomorrow was a rest day, providing ample time for cultivation.

With this thought, Yang Heng tidied up a little, hid the manual back in its place, and headed in the direction of the pharmacy.