Accumulating Qi and Blood

Night fell.

After cleaning up, Yang Heng sat cross-legged on the rosewood bed, his expression solemn, circulating his cultivation method and moving his Blood Essence.

A pile of beef jerky was placed beside him, ready for any eventuality.

Under the combined power of the cultivation method and the Marrow Cleansing Pearl, the beef jerky quickly transformed into wisps of red silk, rising up and merging into the crystal-red thread above his Dantian.

The 'red thread,' as thick as a chopstick, greedily absorbed the Blood Essence, growing bit by bit. It expanded like building blocks, its color becoming more vibrant, crystal clear, and as bright as red agate.

From the outside, Yang Heng's face was serene, his brows relaxed, and his demeanor natural. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to be savoring something, his lips occasionally curling into a smile, appearing extremely pleased.

One piece of beef jerky after another entered Yang Heng's mouth. He was like a Taotie, with a colossal appetite, capable of consuming countless foods without any apparent concern for digestion.

In less than half an hour, Yang Heng had already consumed five catties of beef jerky, and he had no intention of stopping. He opened his mouth wide and continued to chew the jerky.

He only stopped cultivating near the end of the midnight hour.

The reason he stopped was not because the beef jerky had run out, but because his mental energy could no longer sustain it.

Moving and transforming Blood Essence required mental energy. Yang Heng had cultivated continuously for two full hours, bringing his mental energy to the brink of exhaustion, forcing him to stop.

Otherwise, it would damage his body, potentially leaving behind serious after-effects.

In one night, he had eaten over twenty catties of beef jerky. Towards the end, chewing the jerky was no different from chewing wood; he couldn't taste its flavor at all.

It was as bland as chewing wax.

But to improve his cultivation, Yang Heng had no choice but to endure it.

Although the process was a bit painful, the rewards were immense.

During this cultivation session, the 'red thread' expanded by another ring, nearing the thickness of a little finger.

Yang Heng estimated that at this rate, he would reach the standard for breaking through to the Blood Strengthening Realm in half a month.

Of course, this standard was merely the lowest threshold for breakthrough. Reaching it meant having the qualification to attempt the breakthrough, but whether the breakthrough would be successful depended on fate, personal accumulation, and the quality of the cultivation method.

The vast majority of Martial Artists, whose Blood Essence reached the thickness of a little finger and measured two inches in length, did not immediately attempt to break through to the Blood Strengthening Realm.

Instead, they continued to accumulate Blood Essence until they reached their physical limit before considering a breakthrough.

Rashly attempting to break through as soon as the threshold was reached would result in failure nine times out of ten; this was a lesson learned through bloodshed from previous generations.

The Vajra Fist Manual also recorded that it was safest to attempt a breakthrough after accumulating a more substantial amount of Blood Essence.

The deeper the Blood Essence accumulated, the greater the benefits gained after the breakthrough.

Upon breaking through to the Blood Strengthening Realm, one's own Blood Essence would double, becoming twice its original amount.

For example, if one's Blood Essence was previously the thickness of a little finger, after the breakthrough, the total amount of Blood Essence would become the size of two little fingers.

Because of this, many Martial Artists, upon reaching the breakthrough threshold, were in no hurry to break through. They continued to hone their foundation, striving for a meteoric rise in cultivation after the breakthrough.

It was important to note that the difficulty of cultivating in the Blood Strengthening Realm was far greater than in the Blood Brave Realm.

Blood Strengthening, as the name suggested, also focused on accumulating Blood Essence, but from this realm onwards, accumulating Blood Essence became extremely difficult.

In the Blood Brave Realm, one could absorb energy from meat and convert it into Blood Essence, and the amount of Blood Essence at that stage was considerable.

However, in the Blood Strengthening Realm, relying solely on meat to obtain Blood Essence was like trying to quench a burning cart with a handful of mud; it was insufficient to meet the daily cultivation needs.

At this stage, ordinary meat could no longer satisfy the cultivation needs of Martial Artists. They required special meats, such as tiger meat or bear meat from large beasts, to barely sustain the daily cultivation needs of Blood Strengthening Martial Artists.

Better cultivation resources included potent medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, exotic white lotuses, and so on.

And even more superior martial path sustenance was, naturally, pills that enhanced cultivation.

However, pills were difficult for ordinary Martial Artists to obtain, being controlled by major powers.

Even if they appeared on the market, they were scarce and expensive, and ordinary Blood Strengthening Martial Artists could not afford them.

Upon reaching the Blood Strengthening Realm, cultivation advancements were often measured in months; a single day of cultivation rarely showed any perceptible progress.

Most Martial Artists, with mentors and elders, knew the difficulty of cultivating in the Blood Strengthening Realm. Therefore, they remained at the breakthrough threshold, diligently accumulating Blood Essence until they could no longer increase it by even a single bit before considering a breakthrough.

The Vajra Fist Manual was Li Kui's family cultivation method, containing records of cultivation secrets from the Martial Path beginner stage to the Iron Bone Realm, making it invaluable.

Therefore, Yang Heng was also aware of these 'common knowledge' points.

This aligned perfectly with his consistent martial path philosophy: solidifying the foundation and building an indestructible base.

After cultivating for a day, Yang Heng felt incredibly exhausted and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he lay on the bed.

The night passed without incident.

The next day was the sixteenth day of gathering herbs on the mountain.

If nothing unexpected happened, the apothecaries who had gone out to gather herbs would return to Qingyang Town by evening.

Yang Heng kept this matter firmly in mind.

He had not forgotten Master Zhang's 'kindness' to his previous self.

Now that he had finally revealed his true colors as a spy for the apothecary shop, betraying its interests, he would face severe consequences if the shop discovered this.

Yang Heng decided to spend some time at the apothecary shop each day from now on, monitoring its activities. Once Master Zhang began transporting medicinal herbs to Qinghe City, and after he had been gone for a day, Yang Heng would reveal to the apothecary shop that Master Zhang was a traitor.

If he fled in advance, then Yang Heng would personally take his life.

If he hadn't left within a day, the apothecary shop would have received the secret letter and would be secretly monitoring his actions. By then, he wouldn't be able to escape even if he wanted to.

When the news of the stolen medicinal ingredients returned to the apothecary shop, it went without saying that Master Zhang would wish he were dead.

This was more satisfying than him going out himself.

No matter what, he was doomed.

If Lei Xiong were killed by the Black Wind Stronghold during the transport of medicinal ingredients, then Yang Heng would have to find another way to join the Medicine King Gang, or join other major powers.

Yang Heng wasn't set on relying solely on the Medicine King Gang; other major powers of similar standing were also within his consideration.

At that time, he would join as a Martial Artist in the Blood Strengthening Realm, and he believed no force would turn him away.

Martial Artists in the Blood Strengthening Realm were not common in Qinghe City, a hub for martial arts practitioners; they were considered the backbone of a force, holding a certain status.

He wouldn't be at the top, but he'd be better off than many.

Of course, joining the Medicine King Gang would be the best outcome.

After all, the Medicine King Gang had started with medicinal ingredients, and their main business was selling them.

Since ancient times, pills and medicine had gone hand in hand, and the Medicine King Gang also sold pills to outsiders.

By joining the Medicine King Gang and becoming a disciple, the difficulty of obtaining pills would be greatly reduced, and his cultivation progress wouldn't be delayed.

Furthermore, forces that dealt in medicinal ingredients, pills, and ran medical clinics often valued their reputation and didn't act as erratically as other factions. The dangers they faced would also be fewer, without constant fighting and killing.

This way, he would have more time for cultivation.

The Medicine King Gang was Yang Heng's ideal destination.