Breakthrough to Inner Qi

At school, inside the training room.

Jiang Ding held his sword and danced, with two bottles of pills placed before him.

One was the Essence Qi Marrow Refining Pill, suited for the Bone Refining Realm—mild in nature, easy to absorb, and with a high success rate in pill refinement. The other was the Hundred Essence Qi Transforming Pill, suited for the Inner Qi Realm.

Both were classic pills from the Immortal Sect whose patents had long expired. The former came six pills to a bottle, the latter twelve.

They were produced by Hehe Great Pharmacy, with the production date and the alchemist's name engraved on the bottom of each bottle.

Most of the Essence Qi Marrow Refining Pills had already been used. He took one every day, and each pill transformed into a great mass of nourishing primordial qi in his stomach, feeding his body. A moment of carelessness could even lead to being too weak to bear such nourishment.

Naturally, Jiang Ding had no such problem.

The Eagle's Takeoff Sword Art at the Minor Accomplishment level circulated. Amid flashing sword light, it greedily devoured the primordial qi erupting from his stomach, frantically strengthening his body and marrow.

On the little figure beneath the pale blue screen, the few spinal segments that had not yet reached 100% visibly leaped upward from 90%.

98%

99%

100%!

After completing a set of Sword Moves, he sheathed his sword. Jiang Ding felt his joints crackle as a warm current arose from every limb and bone, flowing like a hundred rivers returning to the sea. It formed a strand of Inner Qi as thin as fishing line and surged into his dantian, then began circulating through the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian with the dantian as its starting point.

Jiang Ding drew his sword. The dantian and meridians instinctively began to circulate, advancing along the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian before finally pouring into the longsword in a hazy, somewhat scattered white glow.

Whoosh!

With a light swing, the blade cut through the wind. Its destructive power had increased by who knew how many times compared with before.

He looked at the panel projected by the formation spirit.

[Name: Jiang Ding]

[Student ID: 1246215]

[Realm: Initial Inner Qi Realm]

[Previous Training Subject: Sixty-eighth Set of Eagle's Takeoff Sword Art (Minor Accomplishment 5%)]

Below the panel was still a pale blue little figure, but the faintly visible structures within were no longer muscles, bones, and skin, but meridians.

They ran throughout the entire body, based on the Twelve Meridians and oriented by the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, extending in every direction. There were a total of one hundred and eight thousand, two hundred and twenty-two meridians!

This was the foundation of the Immortal Sect—the terror of cultivation methods capable of cultivating a Dao Body Prototype through acquired effort!

For ordinary martial arts manuals, such as those cultivated by Gong Caiyu and people like the so-called Heaven-Overturning Divine Monkey of Dragon Tiger Martial Hall, having a thousand meridians would already count as a supreme cultivation method.

This surpassed the limits of martial artists' understanding of the human body's meridians!

It also surpassed the limits of what a martial artist could accomplish alone, without assistance to temper and nourish the meridians!

Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, 1st Branch Meridian (1%)

Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, 9th Branch Meridian (2%)

Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, 3654th Branch Meridian (0%)

Fine meridians were marked one after another across the pale blue figure, tangled together like dragons and snakes, densely packed enough to make one's head spin at a glance.

Below the little figure, rows of collapsed text labeled the information for every fine meridian, totaling one hundred and eight thousand, two hundred and twenty-two.

For most people, the number of fine meridians fluctuated around one hundred and eight thousand.

At the same time, under the formation spirit's guidance, the little figure began to wield its sword.

Exhibiting Sword Style!

The sword left its sheath and drew an arc through the air. Jiang Ding clearly saw that, atop the previous Sword Moves, there were now changes involving meridian circulation and the mobilization of Inner Qi. While the Sword Moves' power soared, the Inner Qi also nourished the fine meridian clusters along its path, allowing them to circulate Inner Qi and refine essence into qi more efficiently.

"The method of mobilizing Inner Qi and nourishing the meridians seems to contain traces of formation theory. The principles of meridians and cultivation methods from language class..."

Jiang Ding's eyes lit up. At last, he understood the true meaning of the teachers' repeated assertion that 'the immortal path is a discipline where study and practice are closely integrated.'

As he recalled the knowledge from language, mathematics, geography, biology, and other subjects that he had once memorized by rote and forced himself to understand, he suddenly felt as though clouds had parted and the moon had appeared.

Clang!

Sword light flashed. Jiang Ding could not help drawing his sword and rising to his feet. Following the pale blue figure's posture, he mobilized the Inner Qi in his dantian to slash diagonally and cut horizontally. His sword shot forth like lightning, and he felt incomparably free and smooth in every movement.

At first, his Sword Moves were still somewhat scattered, and he could not fully control his newly born strength. After several moves, the sword light condensed into unity once more.

Three minutes.

After completing one and a half sets of Sword Moves, his Inner Qi dried up and shrank back into his dantian, reduced to the size of a broad bean. Jiang Ding sheathed his sword and panted lightly.

"Inner Qi is too weak. It can only last three minutes..."

Jiang Ding recalled the Inner Qi section of the Eagle's Takeoff Sword Art.

Meridians did not exist independently. Beginning with the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, once the ten largest main and branch meridians of all Twelve Meridians, such as the Hand Taiyang Triple Burner Meridian, were fully tempered, they formed a 'Minor Celestial Circuit' cycle, and the Inner Qi Realm would initially stabilize.

Afterward, once a thousand fine branch meridians of the Twelve Meridians, such as the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and Hand Taiyang Triple Burner Meridian, were nourished and tempered, one could enter Lesser Celestial Circuit circulation. The speed and quality of Inner Qi would rise by a great margin, reaching Minor Accomplishment.

On that basis, one would further temper and nourish a thousand main and branch meridians among the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, such as the Conception and Governing Meridians, achieving the Greater Celestial Circuit. Inner Qi would then circulate without end—this was Major Accomplishment.

The final stage of completion required tempering and nourishing more than eighty-eight thousand meridians!

After swallowing the last Essence Qi Marrow Refining Pill, Jiang Ding continued practicing his sword. He no longer mobilized Inner Qi, relying only on his fully tempered flesh, skin, and bones to train his body.

Refining essence into qi.

The immense essence qi within his limbs and bones had nowhere to go, so it automatically transformed into Inner Qi, slowly replenishing the Inner Qi within his meridians and dantian.

He repeated this cycle, using the Essence Qi Marrow Refining Pill to practice three times, then practiced the Inner Qi Sword Art once to temper and nourish the still-fragile Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.

Once the Essence Qi Marrow Refining Pills were used up, he switched to Hundred Essence Qi Transforming Pills. Their medicinal effect was more than ten times stronger, and vast quantities of essence qi continuously arose from his stomach, comparable to swallowing an entire cow, yet with few impurities and easy digestion.

Thus the cycle repeated, and the sword light never ceased.

Two hours later, as the dismissal bell rang, Jiang Ding was soaked from head to toe. Sweat dripped steadily to the floor, leaving a footprint with every step. His face was pale, and his meridians ached faintly.

"My body really is fragile. This is already the limit..."

Jiang Ding's eyes were bright, without the slightest trace of exhaustion. He sheathed his sword, went to the bathroom for a shower, changed clothes, and walked back to the classroom.

After two hours of training, six of the largest meridians in his Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian had reached 20% tempering progress.

"It will take about two weeks to achieve the Minor Celestial Circuit, provided I don't stop taking pills like ginseng that greatly replenish primordial qi. Otherwise, even a month won't be enough."

Jiang Ding calculated silently.

Along the way, he unconsciously used a trace of Inner Qi in his eyes and around his ears. It felt as though heaven and earth had been washed clean with water, clearer than ever before. He could even hear the conversations of classmates returning from drills at the school gate.

When he entered the classroom, Class Leader Hua Bing, Wu Tianli, and a few others gave Jiang Ding slightly surprised looks.

The others noticed nothing at all.

Even though he had only just entered the realm, his level of control over Inner Qi was not something others could easily detect.

Apart from the routine firearm maintenance and slogan shouting, Class Leader Hua Bing reminded them, "The midterm exam is tomorrow. Don't forget, everyone."

"Got it."

The students' expressions turned solemn, and they felt somewhat nervous.

Many who remained in the Body Refining Realm and were not outstanding in their academic courses faintly revealed looks of despair. The gap was simply too great; they had no hope whatsoever of entering the Cultivation Department.

They could only consider which ordinary department at which university to enter. Most of them could still enroll in key institutions.

"Class dismissed!"

On the bus, he was fortunate enough to grab a seat.

Jiang Ding laid his longsword diagonally across his knees, closed his eyes to rest, and mobilized the Inner Qi that had somewhat recovered in his dantian through the ten largest meridians of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. Amid faint stinging pain, he used Inner Qi to soothe them and promote healing.

For healthy humans, meridians were generally not blocked. They were simply too fragile and narrow to accommodate the entry of Inner Qi.

What martial artists had to do was continuously temper and nourish them until they ran through the entire body and formed a great Celestial Circuit.

This kind of 'still practice' was a cultivation secret from the Eagle's Takeoff Sword Art taught by the formation spirit. Its efficiency was one-tenth that of moving practice, but correspondingly, it did not consume too much energy. Its strength lay in being unceasing, accumulating little by little until it became much.

It was simply too difficult. A moment of inattention could damage the meridians, making the gains not worth the losses.

Jiang Ding's cultivation method had already reached Minor Accomplishment, so it was not much of a problem. Still, he only tried it slightly. Otherwise, an unexpected situation could likewise damage his meridians. It was best practiced in a safe, quiet room.

To cultivate Inner Qi naturally while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—even automatically while asleep—required at least the Mastered Level of the Fledgling Eagle Takes Flight Art.

Even many Innate Martial Artists found that difficult to achieve.

Ding!

He opened his eyes and took out his phone.

'Rainbow Cloud Pharmaceutical Finance Department has transferred 3,000 mortal currency to your savings card...5247. After deducting 5% tax, balance: 3,052 mortal currency.'

Joy rose in Jiang Ding's heart.

The money from Rainbow Cloud Pharmaceutical's purchase of Purple Jade Grass had arrived. This was only preliminary research and testing. Once they confirmed that a certain component in Purple Jade Grass had value, they would further purchase authorization for its patent.

That was a large sum of money!

The key was that it was completely explainable. It was perfectly reasonable to get lucky and find an unknown mutated plant in a roadside flowerbed, right?

After getting off the bus, Jiang Ding found an ATM and withdrew thirty bright red hundred-denomination bills. He happily counted them once.

And he counted them while walking.

Before he knew it, he had reached the bottom of his residential building. Just as he was about to enter the elevator—

"Ding Ding, long time no see. How has your studying been lately?" A middle-aged man stopped before him and asked warmly.

Jiang Ding put the money into his pocket and glanced at him.

He was over 1.8 meters tall, with slightly bronzed skin, sharp facial features, and a handsome, masculine appearance. Not to mention women his own age—even young girls might not be able to withstand that charm. He was a rare sort of handsome middle-aged man.

His name was also pleasant: Jiang Chaoyang.

Jiang Ding did not answer. He went around him, entered the elevator, and pressed the close-door button.

"Ding Ding!"

Jiang Chaoyang hurriedly stepped inside, guilt on his face. "I know you've resented me all these years. Back then, I fought hard for custody of you too, but your mother refused, and in the end the court awarded you to her."

He then chattered on endlessly about many things: how he had no choice, how he wanted to see Jiang Ding but had no time, how he had sent money and gifts many times but Lin Wanqiu had refused them and thrown them out directly, and so on.

Yet he received no response whatsoever.

Jiang Chaoyang glanced at him and found that from beginning to end, Jiang Ding had remained quiet. It was as if no one stood beside him speaking, as if there was only a mass of air.

"You brat..."

Jiang Chaoyang grew a little angry.

Ding-dong!

The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Ding walked out on his own.

The elevator and the residential complex were public areas. Any citizen could use them. What did that have to do with him?

At the door to his home, he used one hand to shield the keypad and the other to enter the password. He pressed his thumb to the fingerprint scanner, and the door opened with a click. He walked inside with his backpack on his back.

Jiang Chaoyang frowned slightly but said nothing.

He followed him in, his right foot crossing the boundary between the doorway and the room—

Clang!

A flash of cold light that made his scalp explode flickered past. A sharp sword tip wrapped in highly condensed Inner Qi pressed against his throat, less than a millimeter away.

Jiang Ding looked at him quietly.

Jiang Chaoyang was probably at Inner Qi Great Accomplishment, and he still cultivated the Fledgling Eagle Takes Flight Art rather than switching to another Inner Qi cultivation method. It seemed that, even nearing fifty, he had not given up hope of becoming an immortal cultivator.

His combat experience was extremely poor, and his cultivation level was also very low.

"What are you doing?!"

Jiang Chaoyang's body stiffened. Enraged, he said, "Is this how your mother taught you? Is this something you can play around with? I think you've gone wild for too long. You need a beating!"

As he spoke, he reached out to slap Jiang Ding's sword aside.

Sizzle—

As he moved, the Inner Qi protection around his throat was easily sliced apart. The sword tip truly touched his skin, cold to the touch and faintly painful.

Jiang Chaoyang's body stiffened again. He stared incredulously at the youth before him and at that sword, steady beyond belief.

Is he really not afraid of killing me?

"Strangers are not allowed to enter my home without permission," Jiang Ding said slowly.