Inner Vision

It's unclear how much time has passed.

Wu Ming's consciousness gradually returned. The first direct sensation he could perceive was weakness, an overwhelming fatigue throughout his body. The vital energy and blood he had painstakingly accumulated seemed to have been completely depleted, making it difficult even to lift his eyelids.

"My body is so weak."

"I can't mobilize even a trace of vital energy and blood. Every drop of blood in my body feels listless."

Wu Ming felt his physical condition, and his heart sank. He could sense the unspeakable weakness of his body. The vital energy and blood he had cultivated through arduous effort for a year and a half were all gone, lost without a trace.

He knew that the malevolent spirit's dark energy that had invaded his consciousness had been suppressed by the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram in his mind. However, the price he paid seemed too great; his vital energy and blood, cultivated day and night, were ruined.

Just as Wu Ming's heart was sinking, he suddenly discovered something peculiar.

Wait.

What's going on?

At this moment, Wu Ming was incredibly weak, lying on the bed. He wasn't even in the posture of the Pure Yang Blood-Drawing Stance, yet for some reason, he could perceive the vital energy and blood within his body with unparalleled clarity. Upon realizing this, a trace of astonishment finally appeared on his face.

And when Wu Ming focused his intent, he discovered that he could even "see" the various parts of his body. He could clearly see the blood vessels, the meridians, and even the movements of his internal organs!

"Inner Vision?"

Wu Ming was astonished.

The path of Pure Yang martial arts cultivation was a process of refining vital energy and blood. The most crucial aspect of this process was guiding, mobilizing, and circulating one's vital energy and blood to regulate the entire body.

However, even a traditional martial artist like the clan leader, Wu Qu, couldn't achieve Inner Vision. At most, they could only have a clear perception of their internal body and control it as if it were an extension of their limbs. They couldn't do what he was doing now, directly perceiving every part of their body with focused intent.

At this moment, Wu Ming could feel that although his body was incredibly weak, his spirit was clearer than ever before. Previously, he needed to maintain long periods of stance training to gradually suppress distracting thoughts. Now, his entire consciousness flowed clearly, like a tranquil lake.

Wu Ming suddenly had an epiphany.

Although the malevolent spirit's dark energy entering his body had caused significant damage to his body and drained a large amount of his vital energy and blood, because the spirit was ultimately suppressed, this drained vital energy and blood was not lost. Instead, it nourished his soul!

"So this is the true purpose of the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram?"

Although his vital energy and blood were depleted, and his year and a half of accumulation was lost, the strengthening of his soul was a tangible gain. Not to mention that he had never heard of martial arts cultivation being able to convert vital energy and blood into soul power, the enhancement of his soul alone had greatly improved his perception and control over his body.

If he were to return to his previous state now, with his current abilities, condensing vital energy and blood would be as easy as flipping a hand!

"Too weak, I can barely open my eyelids, but..."

Wu Ming murmured to himself, then focused his intent, no longer peering inward, but tentatively looking outward. He hadn't opened his eyes, yet in an instant, many scenes from the outside world appeared in his perception.

Clearly, the strengthening of his soul allowed him not only to achieve Inner Vision but also to directly perceive the external situation!

Though he hadn't opened his eyes, he "saw" that he was lying in his home. Beside the bed, many people were either sitting or standing. Among them were his anxious mother, Liu Shi, and his sister, Wu Yu. Clan leader Wu Qu was also sitting by his bedside, taking his pulse. Furthermore, his father, Wu Qi, who hadn't returned for a long time, stood behind them with a worried expression.

Inside the room.

Wu Qu lowered the hand that had been taking the pulse.

"Clan leader, how is he?"

Liu Shi, who had been sitting anxiously, immediately asked tremblingly.

Wu Qu shook his head and said, "I arrived in time. Although the malevolent spirit had entered his body, I dispelled it with my Pure Yang vital energy. His life should be saved, but..."

"But what?"

Wu Yu's expression was somewhat tense.

Wu Qu sighed and said, "His vital energy and blood accumulated over the past year and a half have all been wasted. Moreover, after this ordeal, his soul might also be damaged. It will take at least several months of recuperation to recover. He has no chance of becoming a martial artist anymore."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qi, who was standing behind them, his gaze immediately dimmed, and he sighed.

However, Liu Shi, who was closer to the bed, seemed relieved. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Wu Ming on the bed and said, "It's good that he's alive, it's good that he's alive... Whether he can cultivate or not isn't that important..."

Wu Yu pursed her lips, her eyes showing pain and sadness. She knew how much Wu Ming yearned to become a martial artist. He probably trained harder than any young person in the village. Now, over a year of effort was wasted in an instant. When Wu Ming woke up, he would likely feel worse than if he had died.

At this moment.

Wu Qi walked closer. He first looked at Wu Ming on the bed, who was pale and unconscious, then looked at Wu Qu and asked in a low voice, "Clan leader, if we could give this child some meat to supplement his vital energy and blood and help him recover sooner, would there still be a chance...?"

"Difficult."

Wu Qu stood up and shook his head. "Ming'er's aptitude is neither good nor bad. If it weren't for this accident, he would have had a small chance to succeed. But after this ordeal, with his vital energy and blood completely depleted, it's incredibly difficult to start cultivating again."

"Even with meat at every meal to supplement his vital energy and blood, it would probably take over a month to recover his body. And to catch up on the progress of nurturing his vital energy and blood would likely take several more months of effort. Given your family's circumstances, it's probably difficult to afford. And even if you could afford it, it's uncertain. After all, the malevolent spirit entering his body might have damaged his soul, leading to distracting thoughts and an inability to concentrate his will, making it impossible to guide his vital energy and blood."

Wu Qu didn't state things definitively, but to Wu Qi and the others, his words conveyed one meaning: Wu Ming's hope of becoming a martial artist was slim. It was best not to waste any more effort on him, especially since Wu Ming's family wasn't well-off.

Wu Qi heard this and, after a brief silence, took a deep breath, suppressing the sigh in his heart. "Thank you for your intervention this time, Clan leader. Without you, my entire family would likely have perished at the hands of the malevolent spirit."

"Don't mention it. We are distant relatives and close neighbors. As the clan leader, I must protect all of Wu Village. It's just that I discovered it a bit too late. Although Ming'er survived, it's a pity about that child, Zhong'er..."

Wu Qu stood up and said with a sigh.

Wu Zhong was dead.

For Wu Qu, his heart was filled with immense pain, even greater than what Wu Ming was experiencing.

On one hand, Wu Ming was still alive. On the other hand, Wu Zhong was his own nephew, and his talent and aptitude were nearly the best among the younger generation in Wu Village, far surpassing Wu Ming. He had a significant chance of condensing blood qi and becoming a martial artist.

His own sons had mediocre talent. Forcing their cultivation into martial artists would require significant financial investment, and even then, advancing further would be difficult. Therefore, he had intended to cultivate Wu Zhong to become his right-hand man, and also to look after his own sons in the future. But after this incident, the boy was completely gone.

"Zhong'er hasn't left the village recently. Malevolent Spirits couldn't have appeared out of nowhere in the village; there must be a reason for this."

A cold glint flashed in Wu Qu's eyes.

He suspected that he might have been careless and fallen into someone else's trap. After all, Wu Village did not have good relations with several neighboring villages, and there had been conflicts in the past. He also had some old enemies.

However, Wu Qu did not voice these thoughts. If the incident was indeed aimed at him, then Wu Zhong and Wu Ming had suffered undeserved disaster. The favor he had shown Wu Ming would then count for nothing.

While that favor might not have been very useful, there was no need to dwell on it.

Wu Qu bid farewell to Wu Ming's family. Wu Qi escorted Wu Qu outside and watched him leave from the doorway.

"What a pity."

As Wu Qu walked away, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Actually, compared to Wu Zhong, Wu Ming's aptitude was rather ordinary. However, his temperament was good, and he was more intelligent. If he had truly become a martial artist, perhaps he could have achieved something. After all, in this world, while strength was paramount, a sharp mind was also indispensable.

If he had provided some "support" back then, perhaps Wu Ming would have already condensed blood qi and become a martial artist, and wouldn't have had to endure such arduous cultivation this time, only to have it all destroyed in an instant.

It was just that his own sons had even more ordinary talent. To become martial artists, they would require considerable resources. He truly couldn't bear to support other families. Moreover, if he supported Wu Ming, how would he treat other distant and close relatives?

Ultimately, everyone had their own difficulties.