Lingxi Peak.
Inside the training room, fist wind howled without cease as Yang Jing's execution of the Mountain-Splitting Seal grew ever more fluid and seamless.
His fierce, powerful punches were no longer a simple accumulation of strength. He had woven his understanding of movement techniques into them, balancing strength with flexibility, equally at ease in motion and stillness.
With every punch, his internal qi gathered precisely at a single point, erupting with the force to collapse mountains and split rocks, then swiftly drawing back into stillness as he withdrew.
Sweat slid down his temples and dripped onto the bluestone floor, instantly evaporating into wisps of vapor.
The internal qi in his body surged like rivers. Every breath drew in and released vast quantities of origin energy, honing the fist intent of the Mountain-Splitting Seal to ever greater refinement.
At the height of his practice, Yang Jing halted his steps, withdrew his fists, and settled into a standing stance. The internal qi in his dantian slowly calmed.
He took a smooth, lustrous, mutton-fat-white porcelain bottle from inside his robes. Intricate cloud patterns adorned its surface; it was the vessel containing the Aperture-Nurturing Jade Marrow bestowed by the sect.
He pulled out the stopper, and a cool, rich wave of origin energy instantly spread through the room. Its mellow fragrance invigorated him with a single whiff.
Carefully, he poured out one drop of liquid, luminous and white as jade, and brought it to his mouth.
The jade marrow passed down his throat and instantly became a scorching warm current, surging through his meridians and spreading throughout his limbs and body.
The origin energy was several times purer than even the natural origin energy inside the Grade-A Training Room. Like sweet rain nourishing parched earth, it washed furiously through his meridians and apertures.