Taking advantage of the surging energy released by the beef jerky, Yang Heng immediately sat cross-legged and circulated the method from the Vajra Fist Manual for channeling, absorbing, and converting blood qi.
He closed his eyes and began to visualize.
As the cultivation method circulated, strands of blood qi seeped from the beef jerky and merged into the "red cord" above his dantian. The "red cord" gradually grew stronger, its color becoming deeper and more vivid, glowing crimson.
In the blink of an eye, the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed. Yang Heng slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flickered within them; without needing to say a word, it was clear that his cultivation had advanced greatly.
Yang Heng rose to his feet and stood ramrod straight. He felt strength filling his entire body, as though he could punch a cow to death with a single blow. His hunger had vanished completely.
He stood quietly, his deep eyes gazing into the distance as he carefully reflected on his recent cultivation.
The nutrients contained in the beef jerky, after undergoing a transformation through the Marrow Cleansing Pearl, had produced substances more conducive to his conversion into blood qi. The cultivation method operated with extraordinary ease and tremendous speed, like an engine filled with fuel and running beyond capacity. The "red cord" grew rapidly at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Had the energy not been exhausted, he could have continued cultivating.
With the Marrow Cleansing Pearl's help, ample time for cultivation, and sufficient money, Yang Heng believed that the day he broke through to the Blood Strengthening Realm and became a true martial artist was not far away.
At that thought, Yang Heng's lips curled upward, and he burst into laughter.
Once he became a martial artist, his ability to protect himself would rise greatly, bringing him one step closer to a happy and beautiful life.
If he continued cultivating and reached the pinnacle of the Martial Path, fulfilling every man's ultimate dream—"awake, grasping the power of the world; drunk, lying upon the knees of beauties"—would not be impossible either.
Yang Heng's face was full of longing as he awaited that day.
After indulging in that fantasy for a moment, he took a deep breath and reined in his emotions.
He knew full well that meals had to be eaten one bite at a time, and roads had to be walked one step at a time.
Having lofty goals was a good thing, but one also had to watch the road beneath one's feet. He absolutely could not let his imagination run wild and attempt to ascend to heaven in a single step.
Otherwise, he would only end up bedraggled and disgraced, accomplishing nothing.
Yang Heng understood that strength had to be accumulated bit by bit. Dreaming of ascending to heaven in one step was utterly impossible.
Only strength earned through sweat and time reassured him, and only then could he use it with peace of mind.
Although he had cultivated for only a short time, he was, after all, someone who had crossed over. He had lived through an age of information explosion and read countless novels, so he could be considered widely knowledgeable and possessed a certain understanding of Martial Arts Cultivation.
The most important thing in cultivating martial arts was not speed, but steadiness!
Only when one's foundation was solid would future cultivation become increasingly smooth, allowing one to walk farther along the Martial Path.
Yang Heng decided to become a martial artist who built up strength over time before bursting forth. He would not compete over fleeting gains and losses in cultivation; he would only strive for the flourishing of the Martial Path, pressing onward and walking farther.
In the end, he would overlook the world alone.
Of course, his cultivation progress was already extremely fast compared to other martial artists, but he would not lose himself in that or fixate on whether his progress was fast or slow.
Strengthening his foundation and laying an indestructible base were what he pursued.
At that moment, Yang Heng deeply contemplated the Martial Path he would walk in the future and came to understand the road he was about to take.
Martial Arts Cultivation was not about stubbornly plunging headfirst into cultivation methods and manuals until one could not pull free. One needed to reflect often: What were one's goals? What were one's advantages? How would one continue onward along the arduous road of martial arts?
To learn without thinking was to be lost. Martial cultivation likewise required frequent thought and self-reflection, examining what one had not done well enough, what remained incomplete, and what still needed improvement.
A martial artist who only cultivated without knowing how to think could not be considered a true martial artist. At most, he was merely a brute with great strength.
In Yang Heng's heart, a true martial artist was powerful and wise, possessed depth of thought, had his own insights into Martial Arts Cultivation, and though he stood low, could still see far.
Though an ant, he still harbored the ambition of a great swan.
That was a true martial artist!
The kind of martial artist Yang Heng longed to become!
The storm of thoughts in his mind thoroughly cleansed Yang Heng's heart. His gaze grew brighter, his head lifted high, and his posture became straight and upright. His face brimmed with confidence as he stared into the distance.
At that moment, Yang Heng suddenly felt as though his spirit had been cleansed. His mind was crystal clear, the world before him became sharper, and his body felt indescribably light.
Without realizing it, he began practicing the Vajra Fist.
At that moment, the Vajra Fist, which had originally progressed slowly and felt somewhat obscure, improved tremendously. Every punch and every stance contained immense power. When his fists struck the air, they produced booming sounds, as though they had struck not empty air, but solid objects.
At the same time, the bones throughout his body crackled without end, their crisp sounds shaking the heart.
There was no wind in the clearing, yet Yang Heng's hair fluttered and his robes billowed. After finishing the set of fist techniques, he stood where he was, carrying an almost otherworldly air.
He exhaled a mouthful of hot breath, then withdrew his power and stood still. His brows relaxed, and joy spread across his face.
Just now, he had felt as though divine aid was at work. Practicing the Vajra Fist had been incomparably smooth, like mountain floodwaters charging forward in a wild rush, pouring thousands of miles without encountering the slightest obstruction.
Fist shadows layered upon fist shadows, and the fist wind was fierce. Every punch was accompanied by a thunderous boom, earth-shaking and boundless in might.
Yang Heng guessed that his Vajra Fist had broken through to the realm of Minor Accomplishment.
Yet he was somewhat uneasy. To verify his guess, Yang Heng took out the Vajra Fist Manual and carefully flipped through it until he found the page describing the Minor Accomplishment realm of the Vajra Fist.
Sure enough, his situation was exactly the same as what had been recorded in the book.
Fist sounds like thunder and layered fist shadows—these were precisely the signs of Vajra Fist Minor Accomplishment.
At this moment, Yang Heng was completely certain that his Vajra Fist had broken through to Minor Accomplishment.
For a time, he was beside himself with joy.
It had only been two short days since he left the pharmacy, yet both his movement technique and fist technique had broken through. It was simply unbelievable.
With the chronic ailments removed from his body, his heart felt unburdened, and his Martial Arts Cultivation advanced a thousand miles in a day.
Could this be the legendary epiphany?
Yes, it was an epiphany!
Yang Heng was certain.
Only through an epiphany could his martial cultivation race forward like an unbridled wild horse, advancing a thousand miles in a day at an unimaginable speed.
After the Vajra Fist broke through to Minor Accomplishment, Yang Heng discovered that his body had also undergone a certain degree of tempering.
Thus, he closed his eyes and began to carefully experience the changes.
Through the perception of his mind, Yang Heng found that his bones seemed to have become more silvery white and much harder, like raw iron that had been hammered and refined a thousand times to remove its impurities.
Yang Heng abruptly raised his hand and threw a punch into the air. The air suddenly exploded, and the surrounding currents of air rose and fell like ocean waves.
As he calmed himself and sensed the change, Yang Heng found that his fists now carried even greater strength than before, and their power had naturally become even more formidable.
Not only that, but his punching speed had also risen by an entire level.
Even if an ordinary person widened his eyes and stared without blinking, they would find it difficult to clearly see the speed of his punches.
Besides changes to his bones and punching speed, Yang Heng also noticed that his skin and flesh seemed to have been tempered, becoming tough and dense enough to withstand sharper attacks.
After looking around, he spotted a sharp stone. Yang Heng picked it up, clenched his left hand into a fist, and his muscles instantly bulged. Holding the sharp stone in his right hand, he used all his strength to scrape it across his right arm.
Screech!
Screech!
Screech!
A burst of piercing sounds rang out. Aside from a white mark appearing on his right arm, there was no other damage!
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