Time flew by.
Before he knew it, eight days had passed.
Name: Chen Mu Age: 16 Martial Strength: Strength of Two Horses Soulmind: Initial Spirit lv9 (+) Soul Points: 3
Five days ago, Chen Mu had effortlessly reached the first rank of martial arts—the Ninth Rank!
His martial strength was no longer merely enough to truss a chicken, either. It had been replaced by a whole new description.
Reaching a rank in martial arts—even the lowest Ninth Rank—meant entering a realm utterly different from that of ordinary people.
That was because martial artists who reached the Ninth Rank would nurture a stream of blood qi within their bodies. As long as they possessed this blood qi, they would all be capable of Blood Qi Burst.
In other words, they could forcefully draw out a stream of blood qi and erupt with astonishing strength in an instant.
When ordinary people became extremely furious, they could sometimes suddenly burst out with strength beyond their usual limits. But this was exceedingly rare. Only martial artists could truly grasp this state.
A Ninth Rank martial artist's physique and constitution were already at least two or three times those of a man in his prime. Once they forcefully drew out a stream of blood qi, they could increase their strength severalfold again in a brief burst!
As the saying went, when a martial artist grew angry, blood would splash five paces!
Even if there were ten armed men in their prime, as long as none of them had reached the Ninth Rank, a single Ninth Rank martial artist could slaughter all ten within the few brief breaths that Blood Qi Burst lasted!
Of course.
A blood qi burst also placed a tremendous burden on the body, so it usually could not be maintained for long—at most ten breaths. Most of the time, martial artists kept this blood qi hidden within their bodies.
As for the higher realms of martial arts, the Eighth Rank and Seventh Rank, the changes were also quite simple. One stream of blood qi becoming two meant reaching the Eighth Rank. When two streams transformed into three, that meant reaching the Seventh Rank.
An Eighth Rank martial artist's physique was already stronger than a Ninth Rank martial artist's. On top of Blood Qi Burst, they could also achieve a second burst, unleashing even more terrifying strength in an instant.
The Seventh Rank was three bursts stacked together.
When Black Water Gang's leader, Zhang Hai, had tried to kill Chen Mu, he had erupted with three streams of blood qi stacked together in an instant. This had caused his fat body to explode with dreadful, demon-like power, and his speed had been so fast that almost no one present could react before he closed in on Chen Mu!
But no matter how fast it was, it still could not outrun a flying sword!
"In two more days at most, I should be able to reach the Eighth Rank."
Chen Mu maintained his cultivation posture.
He could clearly feel his body changing with every passing moment. The stream of blood qi inside him had gradually approached saturation.
As soon as this stream of blood qi reached complete saturation, continuing to raise it would cause it to divide. When one stream split into two, he would reach the level of an Eighth Rank martial artist.
"The strength of martial artists is rather interesting."
Although Chen Mu had possessed a Spellmaster's abilities from the beginning and knew that Spellmasters held an exalted position, he had never looked down on martial artists. It was just that he had been busy with too many things before and had never tried it.
The abundant, vigorous qi and blood in his body, the solid strength of his sinews and bones, and the grounded sensation they brought were completely different from the powerful Soulmind.
Now, he possessed both.
Chen Mu even felt that his Soulmind had become much more at ease.
His originally fragile body had been carrying a Soulmind that was too powerful, forcing him to act cautiously at all times. But now, that discomfort had faded considerably, and his Soulmind and body had become more harmonious.
Knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the door.
"Second Master, it's time for lunch."
Xiao Mei's voice drifted softly from outside the door.
Chen Mu gently took a breath, dispersed the spiritual energy he had gathered, and then calmed the blood qi in his body before saying, "Come in."
Ever since he had begun practicing martial arts, his appetite had increased dramatically. He ate at least three times as much as before, and his body absorbed all those nutrients completely.
After lunch,
just as Chen Mu had nothing else to do and was about to continue cultivating, he suddenly looked up toward the courtyard outside.
At that very moment, a crisp laugh rang out.
"Hehe, Second Brother, are you practicing?"
Chen Yao stood outside the courtyard, but Xiao Mei had stopped her. She could of course force her way in, but she merely giggled and did not enter Chen Mu's courtyard.
She had originally thought Chen Mu would soon run into some difficulties and come to her for answers. But after waiting seven or eight days, she still had not seen him come knocking.
She was an Eighth Rank martial artist, so she naturally knew all sorts of tricks about the practice method. If one's posture was inaccurate, one would get half the result for twice the effort. Although she did not practice the Golden Jade Art, she could still help Chen Mu make some adjustments.
"Come in."
Chen Mu's voice came from the inner courtyard.
Xiao Mei gave Chen Yao a slight curtsy, then stepped aside.
Chen Yao walked briskly straight inside. When she reached the door of Chen Mu's bedroom and pushed it open, she looked at Chen Mu with some surprise and said, "Oh? Second Brother, it looks like you've gotten very effective results from your practice."
When a martial artist did not unleash their blood qi, their appearance was not much different from an ordinary person's. But Chen Mu had reached the Ninth Rank in a mere seven or eight days, and was even only a step away from the Eighth Rank. Compared with several days ago, the enormous change could indeed be seen at a glance.
It was obvious that Chen Mu's figure had become fuller, his complexion rosier, and his eyes bright and spirited. Even the white mist he exhaled seemed more vigorous.
"It has had some effect."
Chen Mu smiled amiably.
Chen Yao blinked, then suddenly reached out toward Chen Mu.
It looked like a simple motion, but her entire body abruptly closed in on Chen Mu. With that movement, she was about to seize him directly.
Chen Mu instinctively intended to restrain her with a thought, but his thought reacted faster. At the last moment, it transformed into a physical movement, and he took a step backward.
He happened to evade Chen Yao's grab.
Chen Yao's grab met empty air, and she froze in that posture.
She was an Eighth Rank martial artist, after all. Although she had not unleashed her blood qi, that grab had been anything but simple. In both speed and precision, even a genuine Ninth Rank martial artist might not have been able to dodge it!
"Eh? Eh, eh?!"
Chen Yao said "eh" three times in succession, her face filling with astonishment and disbelief. Then she suddenly lunged forward, extended her small hand, and reached for Chen Mu's shoulder again.
Chen Mu first shifted to the left, then retreated, consecutively dodging Chen Yao's three attempts to seize him. It was only on the final attempt that Chen Yao's speed proved slightly faster, and her fingers touched Chen Mu's shoulder.
Even so, Chen Mu still slipped free.
"Second Brother, you... you reached the Ninth Rank?"
Chen Yao stopped, opened her mouth wide, and stared at Chen Mu.
She had not sensed it during the first probe, but after the second, she could practically confirm it. Chen Mu had completely reached a martial rank. This was the reaction speed and agility that only martial artists possessed!
The problem was—
how many days had it been?
Hadn't it been less than ten days?
She stared blankly at Chen Mu, disbelief filling her large eyes. Slowly lowering her hand, she said somewhat foolishly, "Second Brother, did you... you know...?"
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