"Before reaching the Three Changes of Qi and Blood, Daliang's Blood Qi Martial Arts are all about thickening one's own blood qi. Such practitioners can be called Martial Disciples..."
"Once one reaches the peak of the Three Changes of Qi and Blood, one can comprehend the Divine Intent Diagram, integrate True Energy, and enter the realm of a True Energy Martial Artist!"
"This was also the limit of the vast majority of Martial Hall Masters!"
The rear courtyard of Fang Manor.
Fang Xi seized that hard-won flash of inspiration. The Blood Qi Power that had reached its peak within his body coursed through every limb and bone, faintly beginning to combine into an entirely new force.
He calmed his mind and focused on comprehending the two Divine Intent Diagrams. His Spiritual Awareness merged with the myriad transformations as he searched for that elusive opportunity.
Cultivators possess Spiritual Awareness. When comprehending the Divine Intent Diagram, they seem to have an advantage over ordinary Martial Artists...
A thought inexplicably surfaced in Fang Xi's heart.
In the next instant, twisted serpent shadows suddenly appeared in his mind.
The Red Snake Leg Divine Intent Diagram!
"I never expected... It would actually be Red Snake Leg that broke through first?"
"As expected, comprehending the Divine Intent Diagram is all about chance. It's ever-changing and impossible to predict..."
The mountains and rivers originally depicted in the diagram, along with the countless serpent shadows, now appeared in Fang Xi's eyes as the operating patterns of Blood Qi Power...
Even before he realized it, the violent blood qi within his body had begun circulating on its own along some mysterious route.
Countless strands of Blood Qi Power twisted and tangled... like countless threads condensing into steel cables.
Snap!
It was as though some kind of shackles had been broken!
Fang Xi looked inward and discovered that he possessed an entirely new force!
True Energy!
This power was completely different from the "inner breath" spoken of by mortals in the Cultivation World. Relying on every limb and bone, it flowed between the sinews and muscles, strengthening the internal organs.
Because it was true, it was called "True Energy"!
Once True Energy formed, the surging Blood Qi Power within Fang Xi's body rapidly transformed into True Energy.
Then he threw back his head and let out a hearty shout. He could feel the toughness of his skin, both hands, and main torso rising rapidly! The strengthening around his legs was especially far greater than that of the other parts.
After all, he had broken through by cultivating Red Snake Leg!
This was also the drawback of a third-rate martial art. It focused its attacks on one area. Although the other parts were strengthened as well, they were far weaker than those trained by secret true arts.
Snap!
Fang Xi stomped instinctively.
Boom!
The bluestone slab beneath his foot caved in as if struck by a heavy hammer. Countless deep cracks spread densely in every direction like a spiderweb.
Before this, Fang Xi absolutely could not have caused such devastating damage so effortlessly!
"As expected... There's a natural chasm between True Energy and ordinary Blood Qi Martial Disciples."
"No wonder Mu Canglong beat She Lei so easily before. I'd be no different."
Fang Xi estimated that his martial prowess had increased by at least two or three times. He could now defeat more than a dozen former versions of himself.
If it had been She Lei, killing him would have been no more than a single kick.
After a pause, he seemed to recall something. A flying sword as thin as a green leaf suddenly appeared in his hand!
—Green Grain Sword!
Fang Xi gripped the hilt and pointed the blade at his finger.
After thinking it over, he still rolled up his trouser leg and pressed the tip of the sword against his skin.
A faint resistance met him.
He continued applying force. The flying sword was obstructed for a moment, then smoothly pierced into his flesh, drawing a thread of blood...
"This defensive power is indeed comparable to a Body Refining First Level body cultivator..."
Fang Xi nodded.
A Body Refining First Level body cultivator was comparable to an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator!
But that did not mean their bodies could be harder than Low-grade Magic Tools!
Comparing flesh and blood to metal was foolish to begin with.
"To truly become immune to Low-grade Magic Tools, or for one's body to reach the toughness of a magic tool, one would probably need to reach Body Refining Fourth Layer or above—in other words, the level of a Foundation Establishment body cultivator. Only then could one claim that even if Low-grade and Mid-grade Magic Tools hacked at them, not a single hair on their body would fall..."
"When a Body Refining First Level body cultivator faces attacks from a Low-grade Magic Tool, they can offer a moment of resistance... Their muscles and bones are also sturdier, perhaps enough to jam a Low-grade Magic Tool. Their survivability and strength are greater... That's about it."
With these advantages, body cultivators could gain a huge upper hand against ordinary cultivators in close combat.
"That means my magic-tool flying sword poses a considerable threat to a Martial Hall Master, and even to that Commander Linghu!"
"And this is equivalent to getting dozens of spirit stones for free and reaching Body Refining First Level. Wonderful, wonderful..."
Fang Xi flicked the Green Grain Sword, making its blade hum like a dragon's cry.
"Today is a joyous breakthrough. I should kill a few people to clear my mind..."
He looked toward the Red Snake Martial Arts School.
Lu She and She Lei had always been on his little blacklist. He had merely held back and refrained from acting before.
After all, She Lei was one thing, but Lu She still posed some threat.
Now that he had broken through, the man was no longer worth mentioning.
Besides... killing Lu She and the others will make the mastermind behind Yuan He Mountain think that I've only discovered what they wanted me to discover. Heh... Didn't they want me to fall into a trap? I'll make them understand that the same trap can be completely different for different people.
That night.
The Red Snake Martial Arts School!
"I don't know what's been going on with the Hall Master lately. He often confers with several elders through the entire night."
A disciple responsible for patrolling late at night yawned as he gazed at the still brightly lit buildings and muttered to himself.
Even the boss is working this hard. I can't even slack off and go to sleep.
Just as he stood there bleary-eyed, something seemed to flash past.
"What was that?"
He hurriedly raised his lantern and rubbed his eyes, only to find the surroundings silent and still, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects.
"Could it have been a bat?"
The disciple muttered and continued his night patrol.
Inside the study.
Lu She stared at a map, his expression extremely grim. "This demon-hunting expedition... Everything was supposedly going smoothly at first, but then Old Feng and the others suddenly got wiped out. I heard they vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead. This is troublesome..."
Only the several Great Elders and instructors of the Red Snake Martial Arts School stood before Lu She. All of them had reached the Three Changes of Qi and Blood, and She Lei was among them.
"Hall Master... Could it be that Yuan He Mountain didn't discover anything either?" She Lei asked.
"Hmph, Linghu Yang of Yuan He Mountain is a blockhead!" Lu She cursed angrily.
Yet after cursing, he sank into thought.
Although Yuan He Mountain's Commander in Black Stone City was ruthless, he was not stupid.
His behavior at the time had indeed been somewhat strange.
Could he... have discovered some clue?
"If it really was that... I'm afraid we can't stay in Black Stone City any longer."
Lu She held the candleholder and paced back and forth while studying the map, deep in thought.
Puff! Puff!
At that moment, several soft sounds suddenly came from the void.
"Enemy—"
Before one of the Red Snake Martial Arts School's elders could finish speaking, an Invisible Sword Qi sliced through his throat. He could only clutch at it and collapse into a pool of blood, unable to make a sound.
"What kind of martial art is this?"
Lu She was shocked and furious!
This art of Invisible Sword Qi was already close to the stuff of myth and legend.
Perhaps only a Grandmaster-level expert from the rumors could accomplish it.
But if the attacker truly was a Grandmaster, why bother with a sneak attack?
With a casual order, the entire Red Snake Martial Arts School could be razed to the ground.
Boom!
While he was still shocked and enraged, a figure charged into the room, kicking shadows flying in all directions.
"Urgh!"
Amid several muffled groans, the few elders who were still more or less uninjured flew out at the same time, as though every bone in their bodies had gone soft.
She Lei in particular had his sternum caved in. He was clearly dead.
"This is..."
"Red Snake Leg!"
Lu She's eyelid twitched as he recognized the leg technique of the attacker.
That leg technique, soft as boneless flesh in midair and changing without pattern, was something he could never mistake!
"A True Energy Martial Artist. Who exactly are you?" Lu She shouted.
"Annoying!"
Fang Xi was dressed in black and wore a face covering. His right leg moved, True Energy flooding into his thigh and making each muscle bulge until it was as hard as iron. He swept his leg across with overwhelming force.
Boom!
Lu She was likewise at the Martial Hall Master realm. He stood on one leg and kicked out.
The two leg shadows tangled like pythons, then rapidly separated.
Only wave after wave of muffled impacts echoed through the air.
"What a pity..."
Fang Xi stood with his hands behind his back and suddenly sighed, full of melancholy.
"What is a pity?" Lu She asked, his gaze imperceptibly dropping toward his lower leg. A numbing sensation had already begun spreading from the point where their legs had clashed.
Although deeply unwilling, he had to admit that youth had the advantage!
Moreover, the ferocity of his opponent's blood qi far exceeded his expectations, leaving even this Martial Hall Master at a disadvantage.
"It's a pity that Red Snake Leg has no road forward."
Fang Xi answered honestly.
This Red Snake Hall Master possessed only this level of strength. He did not even have a secret technique—he was pathetically weak.
From this, it was clear that after reaching the Martial Hall Master realm, Red Snake Leg truly had no other method of cultivation.
Fang Xi felt helpless about this.
He still wanted to raise his martial realm faster!
After all, the Martial Hall Master realm was equivalent to Body Refining First Level. If he broke through another major realm, would that make him a Body Refining Second Level body cultivator?
One had to know that in the Green Bamboo Mountain Market, reaching Body Refining First Level cost dozens of spirit stones, while reaching Body Refining Second Level cost at least over a hundred!
Once successful, one could absolutely rival a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator!
If he reached that realm, Fang Xi would dare to loosen his reins a little in the Cultivation World.
"You were once an apprentice of this school and came for the continuation of Red Snake Leg?"
Lu She's pupils shrank to pinpoints. He then shouted, "Unfortunately... reaching True Energy is the limit of Red Snake Leg. It cannot temper the entire body, nor can it transform True Energy into True Energy Force and let one enter the higher realm of a Martial Master!"
"Oh? After the Martial Hall Master realm, one tempers the entire body and transforms True Energy?" Fang Xi's eyes lit up.
"Heh heh... You possess extraordinary talent, but unfortunately you've already gone astray. Once Red Snake Leg reaches mastery, your blood qi will inevitably conflict with other martial arts, making it impossible to practice true arts. Your future achievements are limited. Hahaha!"
Lu She laughed heartily.
But after laughing, he sensed that something was wrong.
His laughter gradually faded, and his expression grew increasingly puzzled.
"Are you wondering why you deliberately shouted so loudly, yet the people outside are acting as though they're dead and haven't come to rescue you?" Fang Xi's eyes glinted with mockery. "Unfortunately... I simply won't tell you!"
Outside the door, a talisman was quietly stuck in a corner.
No matter how thunderously the battle raged inside, the outside world remained utterly silent...
Before you continue