Primal Chaos Unity Art

After all the essence, blood, and qi within his body had transformed into True Essence, Ye Zhen focused slightly on his dantian. His consciousness followed the movement of the True Essence, and every minute change within his dantian and meridians appeared clearly before his eyes.

Inner Vision!

Ye Zhen immediately understood that this was the first highly practical ability gained when a martial artist's cultivation broke through from the Blood Refining Realm into the True Essence Realm. Through the movement of True Essence, one could clearly sense changes in any part of one's body.

True Essence Realm martial artists could continuously adjust their cultivation methods through Inner Vision and discover their own shortcomings. In this respect alone, True Essence Realm martial artists were stronger than those of the Blood Refining Realm.

The usefulness of Inner Vision was especially great after sustaining injuries. It allowed one to heal with precision and understand every change in one's meridians, five viscera, and six bowels as clearly as the palm of one's hand.

Some elderly True Essence Realm martial artists would one day suddenly tell their descendants, "My lifespan is nearly exhausted; my final day is approaching." That, in truth, was also the effect of Inner Vision.

However, the changes brought by breaking through into the True Essence Realm were far more than merely Inner Vision.

The meridians were the foundation of a martial artist. A martial artist's meridians constantly generated boundless blood and qi for their use, while True Essence also traveled through the meridians when used for attacks, cultivation, and healing.

Before his breakthrough, when Ye Zhen activated his True Essence, essence, blood, qi, and True Essence coexisted within his meridians. This greatly increased both the resistance to True Essence moving through his meridians and the depletion incurred during circulation.

To a certain extent, once a martial artist's cultivation broke through to the Blood Refining Fifth Level, essence, blood, and qi became an obstacle to the circulation of True Essence through the meridians.

But the instant the True Essence Vortex formed in his dantian, every trace of new blood and qi generated in Ye Zhen's meridians was transformed by the True Essence Vortex, at the very moment it appeared, into greater or lesser amounts of True Essence—amounts so small they could barely be measured.

Under such circumstances, with the obstruction of blood and qi gone, Ye Zhen's meridians immediately became a broad road.

Ye Zhen lightly swung his fist. With a thought, the True Essence lying dormant in his dantian immediately shot out, surged through specific meridians, and instantly condensed into a thick layer of True Essence over the surface of his fist.

As True Essence passed through his meridians, it roared like thunder and surged like a flood.

After breaking through to the True Essence Realm, both the speed and quantity of True Essence circulating through the meridians increased severalfold. Naturally, its power also soared severalfold.

Boom!

Ye Zhen activated his True Essence and slammed his fists together. When two waves of pure cyan True Essence collided, they gave off a sound like thunder. The resulting shockwave stung his cheeks with pain.

"If I fought Hong Bao again now, with Snake Springing Grass at the pinnacle of mastery working alongside the Fist Qi of the Five Peaks Divine Fist, and with my incomparably pure True Essence tempered by the Mirage Dragon Pearl, I should be able to defeat Hong Bao beneath my palm within a few punches, shouldn't I?"

Unparalleled confidence filled Ye Zhen's face. Among those at the same cultivation level, he possessed an absolute advantage in True Essence.

Under equal circumstances, which was stronger, iron or steel? The answer was obvious at a glance!

Although he had exceeded the three-month deadline set by Instructor Liao Feibai by one day, Ye Zhen still gathered his courage and came to Instructor Liao's Instruction Hall.

He had broken through. Taking one extra day shouldn't matter, right?

Ye Zhen carefully stepped into Instructor Liao's Instruction Hall. Looking at the stone stele inscribed with "To seek the Way, first forge courage," he called out, "Instructor Liao, Ye Zhen has come to pay his respects to you."

Whoosh!

Just as expected, as always, an Ice Sword Light suddenly shot out from the inner hall like lightning and slashed down at Ye Zhen's head. This time, however, it came with an angry rebuke.

"How old am I that you have to call me old?"

The chill contained within that Ice Sword Light seemed capable of freezing Ye Zhen's meridians solid. The True Essence in his body began circulating madly to resist the cold.

Ye Zhen's expression instantly stiffened, yet his eyes reflexively rolled upward. That Ice Sword Light should stop now, right? She pulled this trick every time. Was Instructor Liao really that bored...

Whoosh!

At the very instant Ye Zhen grumbled inwardly, the Ice Sword Light tearing through the air suddenly accelerated and slashed down at his head.

"You're serious?"

Seeing the Ice Sword Light cleaving toward his head, Ye Zhen was scared out of his wits. Almost instinctively, he crouched and sprang, using Snake Springing Grass to flash nearly thirty meters away.

Bang!

Liao Feibai's Ice Sword Light crashed brutally into the ground, carving a sword scar several meters long into the hard blue-brick pavement. The sight sent cold sweat pouring from Ye Zhen's body.

When he touched his head, he found that the hair which had only just grown back had been shredded into short fragments. Worse, the Ice Sword Light had cut several shallow bloody gashes into his forehead, and blood immediately streamed down his face.

Wiping the blood from his forehead, Ye Zhen was still shaken with lingering fear. Had his reaction been even a little slower, wouldn't that Ice Sword Light have split him in two?

Whoosh!

Before Ye Zhen could recover his senses, Liao Feibai's Ice Sword Light attacked again like a soul-reaping messenger.

After a frantic scramble, Ye Zhen once more avoided the attack with Snake Springing Grass. But though Ye Zhen dodged quickly, the Ice Sword Light pursued even faster. Before long, it had slashed him all over, and several times it had barely grazed past his vital points.

Once, the Ice Sword Light circled around his neck and nearly beheaded him.

After escaping death several times, Ye Zhen discovered that the power contained within the Ice Sword Light seemed limited. He could barely contend with it.

Without panicking, he unleashed the Five Peaks Divine Fist in conjunction with Snake-Wandering Steps, and he was actually able to knock back the Ice Sword Light from time to time.

Spotting an opening, Ye Zhen crouched and sprang, shooting five or six meters into the air. In the instant the Ice Sword Light was gathering force, he launched Five Peaks Unite at it.

The True Essence Vortex in his dantian spun wildly. A vast quantity of True Essence poured out through Ye Zhen's Five Peaks Divine Fist, condensing into a pure cyan fist of True Essence that smashed viciously into the Ice Sword Light.

Puff!

With a soft sound, Ye Zhen's pure cyan fist of True Essence and Liao Feibai's Ice Sword Light dissipated in the air at the same time.

"I can actually contend with Instructor Liao's Ice Sword Light?" Ye Zhen looked at his fists, both delighted and bewildered.

This wasn't scientific!

"Get your ass in here!"

Ye Zhen hurried inside. A white silk handkerchief flew at his face, startling him into thinking it was another sudden attack. Only after another flustered scramble did Ye Zhen catch a faint, delicate fragrance from the white handkerchief.

"Hmph, timid as a mouse!" With a cold snort, Liao Feibai raised her sword willow brow. "Wipe yourself clean. I don't like looking at that ugly face of yours, splattered with filthy blood!"

Ye Zhen's face reddened slightly as he began grumbling inwardly again. This handsome face had been made like this by you. No wonder no Outer Disciples dared come here for instruction. Every Outer Disciple who came got hacked at wildly with sword light. Wouldn't that drive them mad?

"Ye Zhen, are you feeling quite proud of yourself for shattering my sword light?"

At Liao Feibai's question, a trace of pride welled up within him. A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth without even this little bit of genuine temperament—that would be strange.

"What the hell are you so smug about? I used less than one percent of my strength, and even went to the trouble of suppressing my cultivation to the True Essence Realm just to test you with a few moves. Yet you got hacked into this miserable state. Several times, you nearly had your stomach cut open or your head chopped off by me. What do you have to be proud of?"

Ye Zhen was stunned. No wonder!

That trace of pride which had just appeared on his face immediately turned into endless embarrassment.

"The three-month deadline has passed. What are you here for? Don't tell me you think my sword light isn't sharp enough and want to try the sword again? How about I use ten percent of my strength and let you have a good time?"

"No, no, no!"

Liao Feibai's words frightened Ye Zhen into retreating several steps. What a joke. Less than one percent of her strength had already left him in such a sorry state. If she used ten percent, she would probably kill him in minutes.

"Instructor Liao, I wanted to..."

"Enough. You don't need to explain. Since your True Essence is fairly pure after your breakthrough, and you still showed some ability to adapt beneath my Ice Sword Light, I'll let you off this time." Just as Ye Zhen was worrying, Liao Feibai suddenly waved her hand.

"Thank you, Instructor Liao. Then, the cultivation art?" Ye Zhen did not know whether the reward still remained, which was why he asked.

"Look at that pathetic ambition of yours!" Liao Feibai sneered. "I, Liao Feibai, travel the world with a promise worth a thousand gold. Let alone a Human-tier High Grade cultivation art—so long as I've promised it, even if it were an Earth Grade cultivation art, I'd snatch one for you."

"Here, take it!"

As she spoke, a secret manual flew from Liao Feibai's hand. Ye Zhen caught it with a flick of his wrist, and the five large characters Primal Chaos Unity Art appeared before his eyes on its cover.

"Read it when you get back. Inside the manual is a set of cultivation insights written by my own hand, which you can study alongside it. Remember: whether it is the Blood Refining Realm or the True Essence Realm, both are really about laying foundations for the future. You must never become impatient."

At those words, an indescribable feeling of gratitude flashed through Ye Zhen's heart.

Though Instructor Liao Feibai was somewhat violent, she had truly treated him very well.

Without Liao Feibai's cultivation art and guidance, how could Ye Zhen have become what he was today? It could be said that without Liao Feibai, Ye Zhen absolutely could not have defeated Hong Bao in such a short time and risen to second place on the Earth Ranking.

Nor could he have broken through to the True Essence Realm in so short a time.

Yet Ye Zhen was very curious. Why did Liao Feibai regard him with such special favor?

"What, are you deeply moved?" Liao Feibai's slender, beautiful eyes seemed able to see through people's hearts as she immediately voiced the faint stirrings in Ye Zhen's mind.

"Don't get excited yet. Though I let you pass after putting you in danger, while death may be spared, living punishment cannot be forgiven. I have an extremely important matter that requires you to make a trip for me personally," Liao Feibai said.

"What matter?" Ye Zhen's heart tightened. An important matter in the eyes of someone like Instructor Liao was probably no easy task.

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PS: I racked my brains from yesterday until this afternoon, and now my thoughts have finally flowed freely.

Youngsters, throw those recommendation votes over here! Pig Three's thoughts are flowing freely now, so you'll be able to read even more enjoyably!