Congealed Blood

Compared to the commotion in Wu Village, Xu Village was clearly much livelier. Just standing at the village entrance, there was a large crowd, and the air was filled with joy. By the time they reached the courtyard of Xu Tong's family, it was packed with people, three layers deep and then some.

Wu Ming and several distant relatives from Wu Village were also welcomed into the Xu family.

It was evident that

The entire Xu family courtyard had been renovated, with the central house newly built, presenting a completely different atmosphere.

Wu Ming toured the Xu family's courtyard and got a general sense of the Xu family members. The Xu family was quite amiable, with no haughty demeanor. However, Xu Tong's elder brother, Xu Hao, had yet to make an appearance.

When noon arrived for lunch, Xu Hao finally showed up.

Wu Ming had heard this name many times before. At this moment, he saw a burly and imposing strong man stride into the courtyard from outside. His physique was robust, clearly distinguishing him from the sallow and emaciated common folk.

"So this is Brother Hao. He's really built strong. Feels even stronger than our clan leader."

"I heard Brother Hao is close to achieving second stage Blood Condensation."

"Wouldn't that put him on par with our clan leader?"

"Brother Hao was always going to succeed Xu Village's clan leader, right? Look at all these people inside and out, they're all here to build connections under the guise of this joyous occasion."

The Wu Village relatives beside Wu Ming exclaimed in awe upon seeing Xu Hao appear.

"Second stage Blood Condensation..."

Wu Ming observed Xu Hao, murmuring to himself.

Nine Changes of Blood Condensation, Eternal Pure Yang!

The so-called martial arts cultivation is the process of refining pure Yang blood energy. Each refinement of blood energy is like a rebirth. For example, Wu Village's clan leader, Wu Qu, is a master who has condensed blood twice. This is why he can be the clan leader for over a hundred households in Wu Village, and even owns his own land and gardens outside the village, with a continuous harvest each year.

In contrast, due to heavy land taxes, ordinary people cannot be exempted from taxes and rarely own their own land. Most of them are tenant farmers for landlords and gentry in the city. After layers of exploitation on the cultivated land and grain, little is left, barely enough to make a living.

According to Wu Ming's understanding, achieving Blood Condensation twice already qualifies one as a skilled practitioner. Achieving it three times grants a certain status even within the city, and most such individuals would move into the city to settle. As for four times or more, he did not have the qualifications to know.

While he was contemplating this.

Xu Hao suddenly walked over.

"Wu Ming?"

Xu Hao called out to the crowd. The people beside him immediately parted, revealing Wu Ming behind them.

Xu Hao sized Wu Ming up and down, then nodded slightly. "I heard about your situation. It's good enough that you survived encountering a Malevolent Spirit without becoming a martial artist. Since our two families are now in-laws, I will naturally take care of you. Once you've recovered, follow your uncle and learn a trade. Then, come find me, and I'll arrange a place for you."

Xu Hao had also heard about the Wu family's situation, but he was too lazy to bother with village trivialities.

Currently, his focus was primarily on practicing martial arts. He was not far from achieving second stage Blood Condensation, and was already worlds apart from the ordinary villagers in the surrounding ten miles. In the future, he intended to establish himself in Jingye City.

It was only because of Xu Tong's relationship that he was casually looking after the Wu family.

After a brief exchange, Xu Hao did not speak further with Wu Ming and turned to leave.

As Xu Hao departed, many gazes in and out of the courtyard fell upon Wu Ming. Soon, hushed discussions began, and news of Wu Ming's situation quickly spread throughout the Xu family courtyard. The looks directed at Wu Ming carried a hint of peculiarity. Some marveled that Wu Ming had survived encountering a Malevolent Spirit, attributing it to ancestral blessings. Others lamented that Wu Ming's hard work in practicing martial arts had gone to waste, though this was the common fate for most families.

After all, in the surrounding ten miles outside the city, not everyone in every village could condense blood energy and become a martial artist.

Wu Ming, however, maintained a calm demeanor. Although with his current perception, he could clearly hear some of the hushed discussions in the courtyard, his heart remained undisturbed. After all, he knew his own situation best. He was confident that condensing blood energy and becoming a martial artist was only a matter of time, but he naturally wouldn't voice this.

The main purpose of this trip to accompany the wedding was to see the situation of the Xu family and the place where Wu Yu would live in the future. After this tour, Wu Ming found nothing to be dissatisfied with. Even Xu Hao, who was a martial artist with a proud and high self-regard, treated his younger brother Xu Tong and sister-in-law Wu Yu with a degree of kindness, rather than indifference.

Seeing this, Wu Ming felt relieved.

Marriages and celebrations in villages did not involve many elaborate rituals; they were generally kept simple. After eating, Wu Ming said a few final words to Wu Yu and then returned to Wu Village with his fellow villagers.

After Wu Yu's marriage, life quickly returned to its peaceful routine.

Wu Residence.

In the old, low-slung houses, everything remained as usual, except for one less person.

Wu Qi went out to work as usual. Although Wu Yu's marriage had brought back a substantial betrothal gift, totaling ten jin of dried meat and thirty jin of fine grain, these provisions were needed to nourish Wu Ming's body. Moreover, when spring arrived, it would be time for the imperial government to collect the head tax. Therefore, life continued to be arduous, requiring frugality and diligence.

Time flew by, And nearly a month passed.

One early morning, after preparing the porridge and attending to Liu Shi, Wu Ming went out into the courtyard.

After nearly a month's time, his physique had undergone significant changes. The previous weakness had completely vanished, and his previously gaunt body had visibly filled out.

"The effect is truly remarkable after starting to eat meat."

Wu Ming sensed the changes in his body and felt the abundant blood energy coursing through him, unable to help but feel a sense of wonder.

In this world, for poor families, if they don't produce martial artists, they remain mediocre for generations. However, wealthy families can endure for generations without decline. The reason for this is closely related to resources.

Fine grains and meat, for example, are everyday foods for children in wealthy families, making it incredibly easy to condense blood energy.

To avoid waste, Wu Ming, after careful consideration, limited his daily intake of the ten jin of dried meat to two liang. This was the most appropriate portion for his body's digestion and absorption capacity, maximizing its utilization and minimizing waste.

With the supplement of these two liang of meat, his recovery and accumulation had become much faster. Two days prior, he was confident in his ability to condense blood energy. However, since becoming a martial artist was a foregone conclusion, he was not in a hurry and instead rested for another two days, allowing his body to fully recover to its previous peak condition.

"It's time."

Wu Ming felt the abundant blood energy within him and took a deep breath.

His body's qi and blood had long since recovered to their previous peak state. With the replenishment of meat, he could even accumulate more qi and blood. Even before, he had a chance to condense his blood qi, but now it was a sure thing.

As Wu Ming's thoughts shifted, a moment of absolute silence descended. All distracting thoughts vanished from his mind, leaving it clear and empty.

"Pure Yang Blood Drawing."

He faced the rising sun and slowly assumed the most basic stance of martial arts, the Pure Yang Blood Drawing Stance.

A ray of golden morning light shone upon him, illuminating a vibrant, youthful boy with a tender yet handsome face. He stood with one foot on the ground, his posture as stable as an old tree. The qi and blood within his body responded to his will, stirred like a raging fire.

Thump, thump, thump.

With the powerful beat of his heart, blood flowed vigorously through his body. Guided by Wu Ming's intent, strands of invisible, formless blood qi gathered from all over his body. They flowed along his meridians, either rising from his legs or sinking from his head, all converging towards his Dantian.

The surging qi and blood gathered and were contained within his Dantian, below his navel. This gave Wu Ming a sensation of intense heat, as if he had swallowed a sun into his lower abdomen, burning hot.

"Condense blood, gather qi, embrace and return to one."

Wu Ming slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Then, he took a sudden deep inhale, drawing in a breath of new vitality. Simultaneously, the surging qi and blood brewing in his Dantian, under his guidance, condensed once more, as if finally breaking through something.

In that instant, everything changed dramatically. The surging qi and blood, which had been forcefully gathered and contained through the stance and his will, suddenly began to circulate on their own. Without the need for deliberate guidance or control, they naturally gathered in his Dantian, below his navel.

This pure blood qi continuously condensed and contracted, becoming hotter and hotter until, suddenly, it broke through a certain limit. In an instant, Wu Ming no longer felt the intense heat, but only an extreme and righteous sensation.

Pure Yang Blood Qi!

To condense blood qi and transform it into Pure Yang is to become a martial practitioner!

"It's done."

Wu Ming felt no joy or sorrow at this moment; no emotions surged within him. He simply observed the changes in his own body. He could feel that thread of Pure Yang Blood Qi, after being condensed, quietly gathered into a ball, residing within his Dantian.

Although it had become quiet, this thread of Pure Yang Blood Qi was still undergoing imperceptible tremors. Centered on his Dantian, these 'tremors' permeated his limbs and bones through the meridians, gradually tempering his body with minuscule fluctuations.

"Once blood qi is condensed, it is like an infant, naturally pulsing and nourishing all the meridians."

Wu Ming's gaze was clear.

Why were true blood-condensing martial practitioners so different from ordinary people? Why couldn't ordinary people, no matter how strong their muscles became, match the strength of a blood-condensing martial practitioner? Because once blood is condensed, Pure Yang Blood Qi resides in the Dantian, using it as a foundation to permeate all the meridians, causing the entire body to transform continuously between day and night.

At this very moment, having just condensed his blood qi, he was not much different from an ordinary person. However, after a period of tempering by the Pure Yang Blood Qi, allowing his body to fully complete its transformation, he would become entirely different.

With every movement, he could easily overturn a millstone weighing two to three hundred pounds!

Furthermore, All sorts of demonic creatures, malevolent spirits, and ghosts in this world often possess strange abilities, capable of bewitching the mind or being formless... All of these can only be restrained by Pure Yang Blood Qi.

For ghosts and malevolent spirits, ordinary people could strike them thousands of times without causing any harm. But with the guidance of Pure Yang Blood Qi, using blood to break evil, they could immediately inflict damage. There was a fundamental difference between the two.

Therefore, To condense blood qi and achieve the status of a martial practitioner is to immediately undergo a metamorphosis, like a fish entering the sea, no longer trapped in the mud.

Wu Ming slowly retracted his stance and exhaled a breath of turbid air. His gaze suddenly fell upon the fence outside the courtyard. He saw a drop of dew gently roll off the fence and land on a small, pale yellow wildflower below, causing its leaves to sway slightly.

Beyond the fence, the silver-white had faded.

The nearby mountains, not far from the village, quietly revealed a patch of green.

Spring had arrived.