Inner Vision

He had no idea how much time had passed.

Wu Ming's consciousness gradually returned. The first sensation he experienced was weakness—utter weakness throughout his body. The Qi and Blood he had painstakingly accumulated all this time seemed to have been completely drained away, to the point that even lifting his eyelids was tremendously difficult.

My body is so weak.

I can't mobilize even a shred of Qi and Blood. Every drop of blood in my body seems listless and drained.

As Wu Ming sensed the state of his body, his heart first sank, for he could feel the indescribable weakness of his current physique. The Qi and Blood he had cultivated through a year and a half of hardship had all been consumed, leaving nothing behind.

He knew that the sinister black qi that had invaded his consciousness must have been suppressed and slain by the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram in his mind. Yet the price he had paid seemed far too great—his Qi and Blood from tireless day-and-night cultivation had been destroyed in a single stroke.

Just as Wu Ming's heart was gradually sinking, he suddenly noticed something strange.

Wait.

What was going on?

At this moment, Wu Ming was incredibly weak and lying in bed. He had not assumed the posture of the Pure Yang Blood-Drawing Stance at all, yet for some reason, his perception of the Blood Qi within his body was incomparably clear. Once he noticed this, he was finally a little astonished.

When Wu Ming focused his thoughts, he was stunned to discover that he could even "see" every part of his body. He could clearly make out blood vessels, meridians, and even the movements of his internal organs!

Inner Vision?

Wu Ming was astonished.

The path of Pure Yang Martial Path cultivation was a process of tempering Blood Qi. The most important part of that process was guiding, mobilizing, and circulating one's own Qi and Blood to regulate the entire body.

Yet even an orthodox martial artist like clan head Wu Qu could not achieve Inner Vision. At most, his perception of the inside of his body was clear enough for him to wield it as easily as an arm or finger. It was impossible for him to directly see through every part of his body simply by concentrating his thoughts as Wu Ming could.

At this moment,

Wu Ming could feel that although his body was incomparably weak, his mind was clearer than ever before. In the past, he needed to stand in stance for a long time before he could gradually suppress distracting thoughts. Now, however, every thought flowed crystal-clear, like the waters of a tranquil lake.

A realization suddenly dawned upon Wu Ming.

Although that sinister black qi had entered his body, causing great damage and drawing away a vast amount of his Blood Qi, the evil entity had ultimately been slain. Thus, the Blood Qi it had extracted had not been lost, but had instead nourished his soul!

So this was the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram's true purpose?

Though his Qi and Blood had been depleted, and the accumulations of a year and a half had been completely lost, the strengthening of his soul was a genuine gain. Leaving aside that he had never heard of Martial Path cultivation being able to transform Blood Qi into soul power, merely the enhancement to his perception and control of his body after his soul had grown stronger was enormous.

If he returned to his previous state now, then with his current ability, condensing Blood Qi would be as easy as turning over his hand!

I'm too weak. I can barely even open my eyes, but...

After murmuring to himself, Wu Ming concentrated his thoughts. He no longer peered inside his body, but instead tentatively turned his perception outward. Though his eyes remained closed, countless images from the outside world instantly entered his senses.

Clearly, the strengthening of his soul had not only allowed him to achieve Inner Vision, but also enabled him to directly sense the conditions outside!

Though he had not opened his eyes, he could "see" that he was currently lying in a room at home. Beside his bed were many people, some sitting and some standing. Among them were his restless mother, Liu Shi, and his elder sister, Wu Yu. Clan head Wu Qu sat at his bedside, taking his pulse. His father, Wu Qi, who had not returned for a long time before this, also stood behind them with a face full of worry.

Inside the room.

Wu Qu lowered the hand he had used to take Wu Ming's pulse.

"Clan Head, how is he?"

Seeing this, Liu Shi, who was sitting on edge, immediately asked in a trembling voice.

Wu Qu shook his head. "I arrived in time. Although the evil entity had already entered his body, I dispersed it with Pure Yang Blood Qi. His life should be saved, but..."

"But what?"

Wu Yu looked somewhat nervous.

Wu Qu sighed. "But the Blood Qi he accumulated through a year and a half of cultivation has all gone down the drain. Moreover, after this ordeal, his soul may also have been damaged. He will need at least several months of rest to recover. As for becoming a martial artist, he no longer has any chance."

Upon hearing this,

Wu Qi, standing at the rear, immediately dimmed somewhat and let out a sigh.

Yet Liu Shi, who stood closer to the bed, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief instead. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Wu Ming on the bed. "It's good that he survived. It's good that he survived... Whether he can cultivate successfully or not isn't all that important..."

Wu Yu pressed her lips together, sorrow and pity showing in her eyes. She knew how much Wu Ming yearned to become a martial artist. In his daily martial practice and cultivation, he was likely more diligent than any young person in the village. Now, more than a year of effort had been swept away in a single day. When Wu Ming woke, he would probably feel worse than dead.

At this moment.

Wu Qi walked over. He first looked at Wu Ming, who lay unconscious on the bed with a pale face, then turned to Wu Qu and asked softly, "Clan Head, if we can give this child some meat to replenish his Blood Qi and help him recover sooner, would there still be a chance...?"

"Difficult."

Wu Qu rose to his feet, shook his head, and said, "Ming'er's aptitude is neither good nor bad. Without this unexpected mishap, he might have had a slight chance of succeeding. But after this ordeal, his Qi and Blood have been utterly depleted. To nurture them again from the beginning will be as difficult as climbing to the heavens."

"Even if he eats meat at every meal to replenish his Qi and Blood, it will likely take over a month just to recover his body. To make up for the lost progress of nourishing and cultivating Blood Qi will likely take several more months. Given your family's circumstances, I fear you cannot afford such provisions. And even if you can, it is hard to say. After all, the evil entity entering his body may have damaged his soul. If distracting thoughts surge forth and he cannot focus his will, then there will be no way to guide his Qi and Blood."

Wu Qu did not state it outright, but Wu Qi and the others all understood what he meant: Wu Ming's hopes of becoming a martial artist were already exceedingly slim. It would be best not to waste more effort struggling over it, especially since Wu Ming's family was not well-off.

Upon hearing this,

After a brief silence, Wu Qi took a deep breath and suppressed the sigh in his heart. "Then I must thank the Clan Head for saving him. Without you, my entire family might have perished at the hands of that evil entity."

"What are you saying? We are all distant relatives and neighbors. As clan head, it is my duty to protect all of Wu Village. I only discovered it a little too late. Ming'er survived, but it is a pity about that child Zhong'er..."

Wu Qu stood up and sighed.

Wu Zhong was dead.

Wu Qu felt deep pain in his heart, pain even greater than what he felt over Wu Ming.

On one hand, Wu Ming was still alive. On the other, Wu Zhong was Wu Qu's own nephew, and among the young people of this generation in Wu Village, his talent and aptitude had been nearly the best. He was far superior to Wu Ming and had a great chance of condensing Blood Qi to become a martial artist.

The aptitudes of Wu Qu's several sons were all quite ordinary. Forcing them into becoming martial artists would require a great deal of money, and it would be difficult for them to advance further afterward. Thus, he had wanted to cultivate Wu Zhong into his right-hand man, so that in the future Wu Zhong could look after one another with his sons. But after this incident, the young man was gone for good.

"Zhong'er has not left the village recently. An evil entity could not have simply appeared in the village for no reason. There must be a cause behind this."

A chill flashed through Wu Qu's eyes.

He now suspected that he might have carelessly fallen into someone else's trap. Wu Village did not have particularly good relations with several nearby villages, and there had been conflicts before. He also had some old enemies.

However, Wu Qu did not voice these thoughts. If the matter had truly been aimed at him, then Wu Zhong and Wu Ming had merely suffered an undeserved calamity. The favor of saving Wu Ming would no longer count for much.

Though that favor would probably not be of much use anyway, there was indeed no need to say more.

Wu Qu bade Wu Ming's family farewell. Wu Qi escorted Wu Qu outside and stood at the doorway, watching him depart into the distance.

"What a pity."

As Wu Qu walked away, he could not help sighing inwardly again.

In truth, although Wu Ming's aptitude was rather ordinary compared with Wu Zhong's, his temperament was good, and he was somewhat more intelligent. If he truly could have become a martial artist, perhaps he might have accomplished something. In this world, strength might come first, but brains were indispensable as well.

If Wu Qu had offered some "support" back then, perhaps Wu Ming would already have condensed Blood Qi and become a martial artist. Then this time, his painstaking cultivation would not have been destroyed in a single day.

But the aptitudes of Wu Qu's sons were even more ordinary. The resources required for them to become martial artists were considerable, and he truly could not bear to support other families. Besides, if he supported Wu Ming, how was he supposed to treat the other distant relatives and neighbors?

In the end, everyone had their own difficulties.