"Jiang Hao, you truly exceeded your master's expectations. You purified Ten Percent Blood Qi, and the force born from it could double in power... Do you know what that meant?"
Jiang Hao shook his head.
He had merely followed Zhao Heita's advice and purified as much Blood Qi as possible.
He had never expected his mind to be so powerful that he could directly purify Ten Percent Blood Qi.
"Jiang Hao, there were matters your master had not explained to you in detail before. But now, it seemed I needed to make them clear to you."
"Whether in any aspect, sect martial artists and Rogue Cultivators were as far apart as heaven and earth. The gap between them truly began at Ming Jin. In the Blood Qi Realm, everyone was actually about the same."
"Upon reaching the Manifest Force Level, the force generated was different to begin with. Sect disciples deliberately hoped for force to arise naturally, because such force received a boost in power. But that was not the most important part. The most important part was which techniques one could cultivate at the Manifest Force Level."
"The reason Purify Blood Qi was so important was that the more Blood Qi one purified, the more Ming Jin Techniques one could cultivate after breaking through to Ming Jin. The more forces one could stack together, the more terrifying their power became."
"For example, if you purified thirty percent of your Blood Qi, you could cultivate three Ming Jin Techniques and gain the enhancement of three kinds of force. By the same logic, you purified Ten Percent Blood Qi. In theory, you could cultivate ten Ming Jin Techniques and gain the enhancement of ten kinds of force. At the Ming Jin level, who could compare with you then? And such formidable Ming Jin would be of tremendous help when you entered Hidden Force and Transforming Force in the future!"
Jiang Hao understood.
He had never imagined that purifying Blood Qi involved so much.
He felt somewhat fortunate that he had used his mental power to forcibly suppress his Blood Qi back then, purifying Ten Percent Blood Qi before breaking through.
Otherwise, his limit would actually have been only thirty percent.
"Master, if one used a technique to break through, would one only be able to possess a single kind of force?"
"Correct. If you broke through using a technique, you could only cultivate one kind of force. If you cultivated other forces, conflicts would arise. Naturally generated force was different. It could embrace and contain many kinds of force without conflict."
After hearing his master's explanation, Jiang Hao completely understood.
No wonder his master had said that any Huangtian Sect disciple with even a shred of ambition would purify their Blood Qi and allow force to arise naturally.
The disparity between using a technique to break through to Ming Jin and naturally generating force was simply too great.
They were utterly incomparable.
"Jiang Hao, since you possessed such talent, you could not waste it."
"You could cultivate ten Ming Jin Techniques and fuse ten kinds of force. Then, as far as possible, choose a Top-tier Technique for every kind."
"Ming Jin Techniques were divided into Ordinary Techniques, Superior Techniques, and Top-tier Techniques. The difference lay in the amount of power added by the force they cultivated."
"The force cultivated from an Ordinary Technique could only add ten percent power. A Superior Technique added twenty percent, while a Top-tier Technique added thirty percent. There were also some Divine Skill Manuals that could even add forty or fifty percent power, but such manuals were exceedingly rare—something one could encounter but not seek."
"If you chose Top-tier Techniques for all ten, you could gain a threefold enhancement in power. Add the onefold enhancement from your original force, and your force could be amplified fourfold at most! At the Ming Jin level, who could be your opponent then? And with such a foundation, you would have enormous advantages when entering Hidden Force and Transforming Force in the future."
This was a math problem.
Jiang Hao calculated it carefully, and it really was so.
Purifying Ten Percent Blood Qi could grant him unparalleled advantages.
Naturally, he had to make proper use of those advantages.
Zhao Heita gazed deeply at Jiang Hao.
Yet his expression was somewhat complicated.
He let out a long sigh and said, "Jiang Hao, it seemed your master could not keep you for much longer."
"Hm? What did you mean, Master? Were you sending your disciple away?"
Jiang Hao was slightly startled.
He did not know what Zhao Heita meant.
They had been talking perfectly well, so why did he suddenly want to send him away?
"Why would your master send you away? But Cang City was too small; shallow waters could not raise dragons."
"Originally, your master had intended for you to cultivate to the Transforming Force level before going to Huangtian Sect, where you could become an Inner Disciple directly and soar into the sky with a single leap."
"But now, it seemed you had to go to Huangtian Sect while still at the Ming Jin level."
Zhao Heita spoke slowly.
"Master, didn't you say that only Huangtian Sect Inner Disciples were true disciples? And only those at Transforming Force could become Huangtian Sect Inner Disciples. This disciple only has Ming Jin cultivation. Even if I went to Huangtian Sect, I could not enter the Inner Gate."
Jiang Hao asked in confusion.
When he had wanted to join Huangtian Sect before, Zhao Heita had talked him out of it.
Why was he now encouraging him to go to Huangtian Sect?
"Jiang Hao, times had changed. Back then, your master had not expected your talent to reach such a height. Even if I wished to keep you, I could not."
"Your master truly intended to proceed steadily back then, letting you enter Huangtian Sect after reaching Transforming Force. But now that you purified Ten Percent Blood Qi and entered Ming Jin, you needed ten Top-tier Techniques. Where was I supposed to find ten Top-tier Techniques for you?"
"If I only gave you Superior Techniques, I would merely delay you. Only by going to Huangtian Sect could you gather ten Top-tier Techniques. You might even have a sliver of hope of coming into contact with those Peerless Divine Skill Manuals."
"However, you need not worry that you could only remain in the Outer Gate after going to Huangtian Sect. One could also become an Inner Disciple at the Ming Jin level, but the requirements were extremely high. You had to challenge the Desolate Heaven Tower. As long as you passed the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower, you could be directly promoted to the Inner Gate and become an Inner Disciple."
"This was specially prepared by Huangtian Sect for the truly most exceptional geniuses. But one had to be among the very greatest geniuses. Otherwise, it was simply impossible to pass the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower."
Jiang Hao understood.
Huangtian Sect Inner Disciples had to possess Transforming Force cultivation. That was a hard rule.
But if one was a top-tier genius, they certainly would not be stopped by such rigid rules.
There was also a special path, one belonging only to top-tier geniuses.
Ordinary geniuses could never pass the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower.
"Master, passing the Ninth Floor of the Desolate Heaven Tower should be very difficult, right?"
"Yes, very difficult. With your current strength, you definitely could not do it, but you also had a great chance."
"Huangtian Sect's geniuses generally purified thirty percent of their Blood Qi, gaining a thirty percent power enhancement. If they then cultivated three Top-tier Techniques, that added ninety percent. Together with the original thirty percent enhancement, that was a total increase of one hundred and twenty percent—roughly more than double."
"You naturally had to be stronger than that. You had currently purified Ten Percent Blood Qi, granting a onefold enhancement. I have two Top-tier Techniques. If you mastered them, your total enhancement would reach one hundred and sixty percent! That already surpassed many Huangtian Sect geniuses."
"But that still was not enough. To ensure nothing went wrong, your master would try to find you another one or two techniques, perhaps enough to make up three or four Top-tier Techniques."
Jiang Hao also calculated silently.
If he truly had three or four Top-tier Techniques, then his total Ming Jin enhancement would be one hundred and ninety percent or two hundred and twenty percent, roughly a twofold increase.
"The enhancement from three or four Top-tier Techniques still could not guarantee success. Your master truly had no further means regarding techniques, so we could only think of a way through Martial Skills."
"When the Fierce Tiger Fist reached Minor Accomplishment, it could increase power by ten percent. At Major Accomplishment, it could increase power by twenty percent, while at perfection, it could increase power by fifty percent. This enhancement was applied atop all your forces. In other words, the more kinds of force you cultivated, the more terrifying the burst of power when you used the Fierce Tiger Fist."
"A perfected Fierce Tiger Fist was very difficult, so let us not speak of that for now. But Minor Accomplishment, or even Major Accomplishment, was something you could strive for."
"How about this? Come with your master on a trip. I will give you a grand gift and lend you a helping hand! But whether your Fierce Tiger Fist could reach Minor Accomplishment would depend on your own fortune."
Zhao Heita said with a smile.
Jiang Hao hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, Master."
Yet he was also somewhat puzzled.
His Fierce Tiger Fist had encountered a bottleneck. It had remained stuck at the "proficient" level, and he had no clue how to advance.
What method could his master have to improve his Fierce Tiger Fist?
As if seeing Jiang Hao's doubts, Zhao Heita smiled and said, "For the Fierce Tiger Fist to reach Minor Accomplishment, you must comprehend the Tiger Form. Jiang Hao, you had never even seen a real fierce tiger. How could you 'comprehend its form'?"
"Today, your master will take you to see a real fierce tiger!"
With that, Zhao Heita carried Jiang Hao onto a horse. They spurred it onward at full speed, leaving the city and galloping toward the northwest.
Before you continue