Internal Breath

Late at night, the Hidden Valley was utterly silent.

The Zhou family didn't dare defy Fang Yuan in the slightest. Even when he drove them out of the valley, they took it as some eccentricity of a famous physician and were perfectly happy to comply, actually setting up a few temporary thatched huts outside the valley and making them their home.

They had no idea that Fang Yuan had done this simply to avoid trouble.

Otherwise, if they found out that every meal they ate was made with Red Jade Spirit Rice and that they were drinking spirit tea, wouldn't they pester him to death later?

After eating and drinking his fill, Fang Yuan sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed and examined the wound on his chest.

"Good grief... it's already starting to heal..."

His Physical Quality had already been astonishingly high. After a hearty meal of Red Jade Rice that evening, he discovered that even the Sword Qi wound on his chest was slowly healing.

At the same time, more and more warmth gathered in his chest, making the injured area hurt less.

"If it can heal quickly, all the better. Otherwise, it could still be used against me!"

With his Medical Skill, even this minor injury could have been quickly healed with the help of medicinal herbs. Now that he had discovered another benefit of Red Jade Rice, he was even more delighted.

Thinking back over what he had gained this time, Fang Yuan's lips curled slightly.

Though he hadn't had time to ransack the mansion, Song Yujie and Song Zhigao had still brought him plenty of good things.

Leaving aside the gold, silver, jade ornaments, and banknotes, he had also found a secret manual of the Gui Ling Heart Method among Song Yujie's belongings!

It was clearly a profound internal cultivation technique of the Gui Ling Sect. Fang Yuan had promptly and unceremoniously claimed it as his own, then memorized it before destroying the original.

"The Gui Ling Sect sure doesn't play fair!"

Now that he was silently reciting the internal cultivation technique, Fang Yuan's face had turned black as the bottom of a pot.

Several crucial sections of the manual were incomplete. Clearly, there were certain bottlenecks that could only be overcome through oral instruction from a master or someone similar. It was a way of safeguarding profound internal cultivation techniques.

Song Yujie could have gone to Song Zhong with any questions.

But what about him? Even if he saved Old Master Zhou, would the old man become so devoted to him that he'd betray the Gui Ling Sect's greatest secret? Dream on!

"Phew... It seems that unless you join one of those sects—or render outstanding service—you've no hope of obtaining their true teachings. What a pipe dream..."

Fang Yuan shook his head and glanced at his attributes:

Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 1.8

Qi: 1.6

Spirit: 1.5

Age: 18

Cultivation: Third Martial Arts Gate

Skill: Black Sand Palm [Third Layer]

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level One], Planting Skill [Level Three]

At that moment, the Level One symbol after Medical Skill flickered, then changed to Level Two. The description changed along with it:

Medical Skill [Level Two]—You are now a skilled physician in the mundane world, capable of treating most illnesses. Through the use of ordinary medicinal herbs, you can achieve the greatest enhancement.

"Ordinary medicinal herbs. So spirit herbs and the like don't work..."

Fang Yuan shook his head, then felt he was being greedy.

Of course, the improvement to his Medical Skill was merely a bonus surprise.

What truly delighted him was that his Black Sand Palm proficiency had suddenly reached its limit after today's bloody battle, especially after killing Song Yujie. He felt as though he could break through at any moment.

"The Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower. The first eight are Open, Rest, Life, Du, Jing, Harm, Alarm, and Death... Going from the Three Auspicious Gates to the Central Balance Gate is a major leap. In the martial world, it's the threshold between rudimentary martial arts and getting your feet through the door..."

Fang Yuan looked at his hands and understood.

Experts of the first three gates weren't exactly everywhere in the martial world, but they were as plentiful as carp crossing a river. Those skilled enough to reach the fourth or fifth gate, however, could be called elites—especially among young martial artists.

Even Song Yujie, praised as having the youthful bearing of Elder Song and the potential to surpass his master, was only a fourth-gate martial artist. That said it all.

"Starting from the fourth gate, it seems that even when your proficiency is full, you have to initiate the breakthrough yourself?"

Fang Yuan looked at the full progress bar and didn't hesitate. "Improve Black Sand Palm!"

Ding!

With a crisp chime, he saw the words "Third Layer" beside Black Sand Palm flicker and suddenly change to "Fourth Layer"!

Fourth-layer Black Sand Palm!

"Mm!"

Fang Yuan gritted his teeth. His palms suddenly turned pitch-black, and the veins bulged like earthworms, spreading all the way up his arms.

Two streams of heavy heat formed in his palms, surged up his arms, broke through barrier after barrier, reached his chest, then sank downward.

The warmth felt different from before. After settling in his lower abdomen, it didn't dissipate. Instead, it seemed to grow more condensed as time passed.

"This is... Internal Breath?!"

Fang Yuan's face lit up.

"Fourth-layer Black Sand Palm has turned inward and generated Internal Breath?!"

Internal Breath was the essence of a martial artist's Qi and Blood. It was also the foundation of all profound martial techniques. The Sword Qi Song Yujie had used was, in fact, a way of wielding Internal Breath.

Fang Yuan's response to that Sword Qi had been like an egg meeting a rock. Without the unexpected poisonous effect of Black Sand Palm, he would probably have died without a burial place.

"Still, the inner power of Black Sand Palm is crude. It can't compare to the internal cultivation techniques of a true great sect... The fifth gate is its limit..."

Fang Yuan was certain that his mastery of Black Sand Palm was now only one step away from that of its founder, Kou Feng.

He looked at its description:

Black Sand Palm [Fourth Layer]—An external skill. When mastered, the bare palms will be harder than steel, with enough power to shatter gold and split jade. It has five layers in total and is currently at the fourth-layer stage. Includes poison enhancement and Internal Breath enhancement.

"With Internal Breath, I can break through another gate!"

Fang Yuan took a deep breath, gathered the power in his lower abdomen, and began forcing his way toward the fourth gate, Du Gate.

Crack!

With a soft sound, the breakthrough came as naturally as water flowing into its course. The warmth in his lower abdomen abruptly grew stronger, and it seemed to circulate through his body more freely.

"The level of a martial skill and the realm of martial arts are two different things!"

Fang Yuan mused quietly.

He was now a bona fide fourth-gate martial arts expert. If he practiced Hard Qi Skill, he could quickly bring it to the fourth layer, but it would no longer let him break through another martial arts gate or gain an enhancement.

Besides, breaking through to the fifth gate depended on which martial skill first reached the fifth layer. The number of martial arts one had learned made no difference. That was why martial artists most dreaded learning too many skills without mastering any of them.

"Fourth-gate martial arts all require Internal Breath. Without a corresponding cultivation technique, Eagle Claw Skill can only reach the first three gates at most... But once it's paired with a cultivation technique, progress is explosive, and it has the potential to break through to the Three Dangerous Gates!"

Fang Yuan's expression turned solemn.

Black Sand Palm had the same potential as Hard Qi Skill: both topped out at the fifth gate.

If he wanted to break through the Harm Gate, he would have to find a higher-level martial art to practice.

"But this incomplete version of the Gui Ling Heart Method? I wouldn't dare use it even if I had eight guts. I wonder whether my attribute panel will be able to fill in the missing parts eventually, or even derive the rest of Black Sand Palm..."

Fang Yuan rubbed his chin, then let out a wry laugh. He knew he was being greedy.

He withdrew his Internal Breath, and his hands promptly returned to normal. He looked like an ordinary young man on the verge of adulthood, someone no one could possibly associate with the ferocious brute he had been moments ago.

"Is the enhancement complete too?"

A little while later, the warmth from the breakthrough faded. Fang Yuan checked his attribute panel and saw that it had changed dramatically:

Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 2.2

Qi: 2.0

Spirit: 1.5

Age: 18

Cultivation: Fourth Martial Arts Gate

Skill: Black Sand Palm [Fourth Layer]

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level Two], Planting Skill [Level Three]

"The greater the danger, the greater the opportunity. The higher you climb in martial arts, the harder it is to break through. The Three Dangerous Gates in particular are perilous: fail to break through, and you can go berserk—or even die. But the rewards are sure to be the richest!"

Looking at how much his Essence Yuan and Qi Yuan had increased, Fang Yuan's smile grew wider and wider.

By now, the eastern sky had begun to brighten. Morning light streamed through the window and fell across the floor.

"I didn't realize half the night had already passed!"

Fang Yuan rose with a sigh and stretched his legs, but found no trace of blocked Qi and Blood. Instead, he felt more energetic than ever. The wound on his chest had even begun to scab over.

At this rate, it would heal completely before long, perhaps without even leaving a scar.

"Good news really does lift the spirits!"

He chuckled and stepped outside, ready to fetch some spring water and make tea.

Then he frowned. At the valley entrance, Lin Benchu and the Zhou siblings were supporting someone as they waited.

"I'm Zhou Tong. My thanks to you, young layman, for saving my life!"

Old Master Zhou didn't look very old. He seemed in good spirits, and the moment he saw Fang Yuan, he shook off Zhou Wenxin's hands and began to bow unsteadily.

"Old Master, you've only just recovered from a serious illness. You should get plenty of rest."

Fang Yuan dismissed him casually.

"Mm. You two, go on ahead. I have something to discuss with the young layman!"

Zhou Tong turned to Zhou Wenwu and Zhou Wenxin, his voice stern. Then he clasped his hands toward Steward Lin. "I'm deeply grateful for your help this time, Brother Lin!"

"Haha, Brother Zhou, you're too kind, far too kind!"

Steward Lin was a worldly man. He could tell at once that Old Master Zhou had private matters to discuss with Fang Yuan. "As it happens, I have a few things to take care of, so I'll be on my way!"

He immediately led the Zhou siblings away from the valley entrance.

"Please, Old Master Zhou. What did you want to discuss?"

A little while later, Fang Yuan had brewed a pot of tea and asked quietly.

"This tea..."

Old Master Zhou lifted his cup and took a sip. His expression changed at once. "It's truly excellent!"

Since there were outsiders present, Fang Yuan had naturally served ordinary tea, not spirit tea. But the tea leaves had still been carefully cultivated by his own hand, and his tea-making skill had enhanced them further. Zhou Tong was astonished by the taste.

"Anyone who can brew tea like this is no ordinary man. I'll speak plainly, then..."

After finishing a cup of tea, Old Master Zhou gave a desolate sigh. "Alas! My family has fallen into disgrace. I've embarrassed myself before you, young layman!"

It seemed he wasn't entirely unaware of his own situation.