Blood Qi Like a Dragon

Blood Qi Like a Dragon

At Bailian County's largest inn, Laifu Inn, Lin Le spent three taels to rent a room for three days—and it was still the worst one available.

But expensive was expensive. Seeing that more than half the rooms were occupied, at least this place offered a certain measure of safety.

Sitting on the bed, Lin Le turned his Inner Vision Divine Ability inward. A Human Dao lotus seed on the lotus immediately evaporated.

One thought, one year. Lin Le cultivated the Wall-Walking Skill to perfection.

Then came the Qi Gathering Art.

This cultivation method was even harder than Lin Le had imagined—a textbook case of easy beginnings and difficult endings. The first lotus seed brought it to great mastery, but reaching perfection took two.

Lin Le glanced at the seven remaining lotus seeds, then used another one. He wanted to bring the Qi Gathering Art to grand perfection.

During cultivation, he had already sensed something extraordinary.

This was likely some supreme method used by a great sect to lay an unshakable foundation.

Entering a state of enlightenment, Lin Le sat with his five centers facing heaven and circulated the Qi Gathering Art. The yang qi within his body began moving on its own.

The memories in his mind continuously rolled backward, finally stopping at a scene of primal chaos. Within that chaos, there was only the sound of water.

Lin Le immersed himself in that sound. The yang qi within his body flowed like water, slowly washing open blocked meridians one by one.

When Lin Le came back to himself from enlightenment, his yang qi had already opened half of the twelve primary meridians, circulating endlessly on its own.

One had to know that the most troublesome thing in the Qi Guiding Realm was qi constantly leaking away. This problem could only improve after opening the lower Dantian, but that was already the third step of the Qi Guiding Realm—qi entering the Dantian, enough to open a secret realm.

Now that Lin Le's yang qi could circulate endlessly by itself, it meant that even without actively cultivating, he could steadily break through to the third step of the Qi Guiding Realm.

"Father, you really left me a grand gift," Lin Le sighed.

Then a trace of doubt rose in his heart. His father had merely been a schoolteacher—where had he obtained such a secret art from a great sect?

A fortuitous encounter? Lin Le recalled fragments of his past life and remembered that his father had only gradually risen to prominence around the age of twenty.

Before that, his father had merely been an attendant at a relay station.

Shaking his head, Lin Le did not dwell on it. He looked toward the lotus leaf, his gaze lingering briefly on the Sun Moon Spirit Nectar before moving away.

It still needed a few more days before that drop of Sun Moon Spirit Nectar would fully form.

After digesting the lotus root and allowing the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid to drip down, Lin Le began practicing the Wall-Walking Skill in the room.

A day passed. Feeling the sudden surge of blood qi within him, Lin Le could not help clenching his fist. He had grown stronger again.

When he sensed his inner qi again, eight of his primary meridians had already been opened.

Nourished by yang qi, his blood qi was also growing stronger without end. At this rate, it seemed he would break through to Blood Qi Like a Dragon in less than a month.

But there was no need to wait that month. Lin Le looked inward at the lotus leaf, where twelve drops of Blood Essence Pill Liquid still remained undigested.

The Blood Essence Pill Liquid fell. The blood qi within Lin Le's body began circulating on its own, rapidly digesting the medicinal power.

One drop, two drops, three drops... ten drops!

When the tenth drop fell, the vast blood qi within Lin Le's body began circulating according to the Qi Gathering Art. During the process, the blood qi continuously condensed.

Not only that, borrowing the blood qi's tyrannical force, the yang qi swept through meridians one after another with the momentum of splitting bamboo, sparing not even the tiniest channels.

Lin Le was stunned by this. During one thought, one year, his body had possessed only yang qi and no blood qi. He had never expected such a chain reaction.

An hour later, Lin Le circulated his blood qi. Dense, solid blood qi coiled around his forearm like Red Silk.

When he sensed his yang qi again, all twelve primary meridians had become unobstructed. The yang qi within his body had formed an initial cycle.

"Sure enough, farming monsters gives faster progress," Lin Le could not help remarking.

How could slowly developing in Baishan County compare to progress this fast?

Using battle to nourish battle was the path he ought to take. Lin Le confirmed it.

"So, who should I kill next?"

Lin Le licked his lips, searching through the information in his memories.

He was a native of Bailian County, so naturally he knew the distribution of power within the county. That was also why he had returned.

Why did violent crimes so often happen between acquaintances? Because they knew each other!

After thinking for a while, Lin Le chose his target.

The Concentric Society—a middling gang that secretly engaged in the business of mutilating children for begging and trafficking people.

Its president was a third-limit Martial Master at Blood Qi Like a Dragon. Earlier this year, there had even been word that he intended to assault the Spirit Platform and become a cultivator.

Naturally, Lin Le had no intention of setting his sights directly on the president.

However, the Concentric Society had a four-tier structure. At the first level was the president, the second level was hall masters, the third level was Red Sticks, and the fourth level was ordinary gang members.

Lin Le planned to start with the Red Sticks and kill his way upward, one by one.

Glancing at the sky, Lin Le began refining his soul. Blood qi and yang qi could cultivate automatically, but soul refinement could not, so Lin Le intended to devote most of his energy to it.

Only when night fell did Lin Le open his eyes. In the dim room, they actually gleamed faintly like Luminous Pearls.

Is it because essence and qi are nourishing it together?

Lin Le murmured inwardly. During this session of Third Zen, he had improved by another great stretch, nearly reaching a minute. Previously, his longest had only been twenty-six seconds.

Rising to move his body, Lin Le's bones crackled. His frame, originally less than five chi tall, suddenly shot up to six chi.

Since his clothes were dark brown-black and he had no night outfit beside him, Lin Le climbed out through the window just as he was.

Light on his feet, Lin Le made no sound along the way. Relying on his sharp senses, he evaded the sentries on night patrol and quickly arrived before a courtyard.

This was the only Concentric Society stronghold he knew of from his memories.

As for why he knew it, someone close to him had naturally once been abducted into it, though his father had later rescued them.

Yet this stronghold had never been struck and still operated normally. From this, it was clear that an even greater force stood behind the Concentric Society.

But would Lin Le, a lone man with nothing to lose, fear that?

He flipped over the wall into the courtyard. His luck was somewhat poor—there happened to be a gang member squatting guard beneath this wall.

Squelch!

The gang member's mouth gaped wide as something thick and hard was stuffed into it, liquid continuously pouring down his throat.

Sheathing his blade, Lin Le turned to look into the courtyard. Three more gang members were staring at him in stunned disbelief.

Oh. His luck was indeed somewhat poor.

"Enemy attack!" Seeing Lin Le turn toward him, one gang member immediately cried out in panic.

But in the next instant, a flash of cold light swept across his neck, and a head flew high into the air.

Still, that shout was enough to alert those inside the house.

Lin Le expressionlessly swung his blade again.

A few breaths later, corpses severed in two lay everywhere throughout the courtyard.

Kicking apart a hidden door, Lin Le saw four or five children curled up inside.

Lin Le examined the children, then smashed the wooden cage apart with a slash. "Come out."

His voice was rough.

The children trembled as they walked out.

"Where are your homes? Were you sold by your parents, or abducted?" Lin Le asked.

The children answered shakily.

After hearing them out, Lin Le nodded slightly. They had all been abducted. That made things much easier.

Then his blade fell, splitting one of the boys beside them in half.

That brat had lied. As far as Lin Le knew, Qingtian Street seemed to be where that president lived. Even a rabbit did not eat the grass around its own burrow—unless he was one of their own.

If Lin Le had sent him there, there was a ninety percent chance the boy had harbored ill intentions.

And the malice in his eyes had been glaringly obvious. Did he really think Lin Le could not sense it?

This boy was likely a trafficker the Concentric Society had trained since childhood. Keeping him locked up with these children was probably meant to make him an informant.

If he did not slaughter such a little beast quickly, was he supposed to let him grow up and harm others?

Lin Le did not care that he had killed a child, but the other four children were terrified out of their wits. He could even smell urine.

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