Blood Exchange Was Like Being Burned Alive

And as he trained, he even improved the Ox Demon Fist in a better direction.

Zhang Zhi was thrilled. Being able to teach a genius was absolutely an honor. Given Lu Yuan's talent, he might even have a chance of achieving Blood Qi Like an Elephant.

Blood Qi Like an Elephant—that was a height he could only look up to!

He pulled a sheet of paper from his robe. "Xiaoyuan, Blood Exchange cannot be done with ordinary methods. You need Medicinal Materials to assist in simmering a Medicinal Bath that reaches the Bone Marrow. This is the prescription for Blood Exchange. Gather the Medicinal Materials."

Lu Yuan accepted the prescription and gave it a quick look. There were more than a dozen kinds of Medicinal Materials listed on it, with special notes on dosage, heat, and simmering time. He was slightly moved. "Uncle Zhang, this prescription must be very valuable, right?"

Zhang Zhi said smugly, "Of course it's valuable! No matter whose household it is in, a Blood Exchange prescription is the most core secret. My grandfather passed this down to me. I can say with certainty that in Lingbao County, this Blood Exchange prescription is absolutely priceless and unavailable on the market. But I watched you grow up, so there's no harm in giving it to you."

Zhang Zhi had been with the Lu Family for nearly twenty years and was also Lu Longjing's trusted confidant. Nominally, he was the head of the guards, but in truth, he was no different from Lu Yuan's uncle.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang." Lu Yuan spoke solemnly.

"What are you thanking me for? If you complete Blood Exchange as soon as possible, that'll be the greatest repayment for me." Zhang Zhi waved it off, then continued:

"As the saying goes, the poor study literature while the rich practice martial arts. If you don't have money, it's best not to practice martial arts, or you'll definitely ruin your body. And Blood Exchange consumes the most Medicinal Materials. Fortunately, the Lu Family deals in medicine, so we don't lack Medicinal Materials."

"When I underwent Blood Exchange back then, I used more than a hundred portions of Medicinal Materials before succeeding. It nearly emptied my family's coffers."

"As for you, you definitely won't need that many."

Zhang Zhi patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder. "Go on."

Half an hour later, Lu Cheng came out of the family shop with an arm around Lu Yuan's shoulders. Smiling, he said, "Go home first. I'll immediately have the clerks gather the Medicinal Materials you need and deliver them to the house. Uncle Zhang told me you have quite a talent for martial arts. I definitely don't have talent in that regard. If the family can produce a Martial Dao Master, then as your older brother, I'll get to bask in the glory too."

"I'll have to trouble you to take better care of the family business, Big Brother."

"It's fine. Your martial arts training is far more important than the family business."

Lu Cheng's face was full of emotion.

He was three years older than Lu Yuan and had gotten involved in the family business much earlier. He had suffered the humiliation caused by the Lu Family's insufficient strength against Iron Dragon Stockade more than once as well.

But the Lu Family was ultimately only a medicine merchant. Even Zhang Zhi, their strongest fighter, was merely at the Second Blood Change.

What else could they do?

They could only swallow their broken teeth along with their blood.

That was why he understood the importance of strength so clearly.

Lu Cheng did not ask for much. As long as the Lu Family had a Martial Artist with Blood Qi Like an Ox, much of their humiliation could be avoided.

Less than ten minutes after he returned home, two clerks delivered the thirty portions of Medicinal Materials he needed.

Following the notes on the prescription, they heated the water, set up the pot, and simmered the Medicinal Materials. Zhang Zhi watched over the entire process from beginning to end.

An hour and a half later, the simmered Medicinal Materials were poured into a large barrel.

Once the temperature dropped to a level the human body could endure, Lu Yuan stripped naked and jumped into the barrel.

"Begin Blood Exchange..."

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and emptied his mind. According to Uncle Zhang, the most important part of Blood Exchange is letting the essence of the Medicinal Liquid seep into the Bone Marrow as thoroughly as possible...

Whoosh—

Half an hour later, Lu Yuan stepped out of the murky Medicinal Liquid, which had already cooled. He swung his fists and legs, feeling his abundant vitality.

"It seems Blood Exchange is much easier for me than it was for Uncle Zhang. At this pace, no more than ten Medicinal Baths will be enough for me to complete Blood Exchange. Thirty portions of Medicinal Materials was far too great an underestimate of me."

Lu Yuan thought to himself.

"Superior aptitude truly is extraordinary."

Over the next several days, Lu Yuan followed the routine and soaked in a Medicinal Bath every morning. As his Blood Exchange neared completion, he could clearly feel his physique growing stronger and stronger.

"Six times now. At most one or two more times, and I'll successfully complete Blood Exchange..."

After jumping into the wooden barrel, about half an incense stick's time passed before a warm current suddenly exploded throughout his body, racing into every limb and bone. At the same time, a scorching, anxious pain spread across his entire body.

His five viscera and six bowels, tendons, bones, skin, and flesh all erupted in unbearable pain almost at once. Lu Yuan groaned in agony.

In an instant, all the blood in his body seemed to boil.

It swelled.

It was ready to burst forth!

At that moment, Lu Yuan felt blood surging even in his eyeballs, as though his eyes would spray blood the next moment.

"Endure it! Uncle Zhang said Blood Exchange is like being burned alive! No! I can't endure it anymore!!"

Lu Yuan suddenly leaped out of the wooden barrel and wildly threw punches and kicks around the room like a madman.

At this moment, he needed an outlet!

Only after at least half an hour did the sensation of bursting forth within him slowly fade. Lu Yuan flopped onto the floor without a care, heat steaming from his entire body. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his whole body was red like a boiled shrimp.

Lu Yuan was overjoyed.

He had finally succeeded in Blood Exchange!

Just then, footsteps sounded. He hurriedly climbed up and threw on his clothes.

Lu Longjing approached with a wooden box in his hands, followed by Lu Cheng and Zhang Zhi.

The moment Lu Cheng saw Lu Yuan, he could barely look away. He quickly strode over, his expression wavering between surprise and doubt. "You're... about to succeed already? So fast?"

Lu Yuan had changed enormously compared to more than a month ago. His build was sturdier, he was taller, and his body was covered in lean, powerful muscles. His entire person brimmed with Masculine Aura.

Even Zhang Zhi, who saw Lu Yuan every day, was astonished, much less Lu Longjing and Lu Cheng, who were busy with business every day.

Lu Cheng circled around Lu Yuan, examining him nonstop and clicking his tongue in amazement. He touched and prodded him from top to bottom, too shocked for words.

He had also successfully undergone Blood Exchange. Lu Yuan's current condition meant either that he had succeeded in Blood Exchange or that he was only one step away from it.

But how many days had it been since he started Blood Exchange?

Lu Cheng clearly remembered that it had only been six or seven days since Lu Yuan came to collect the Medicinal Materials.

He had actually done it this fast?

How was that possible?

When he underwent Blood Exchange at the beginning of the year, it took nearly three months before he finally succeeded. So he understood that, for the rest of his life, Blood Qi Like an Ox would be the absolute limit of his aptitude.

And that was only possible if he devoted himself wholeheartedly to it.

Therefore, after successfully completing Blood Exchange, he had poured most of his energy into the family business.

Zhang Zhi smiled. "Xiaocheng, you've got it wrong. Xiaoyuan has already successfully completed Blood Exchange."

"He really succeeded in Blood Exchange?"

Lu Cheng's voice rose sharply, his face covered in shock. "Uncle Zhang, is Little Brother some kind of monster?"

He knew Lu Yuan had progressed at an astonishing rate recently, but going from beginning Blood Exchange to completing it in less than ten days was simply a fantasy beyond imagination.

Didn't Blood Exchange usually take three to five months, or even a year?

"The gap between people can truly be this great."

Zhang Zhi gazed deeply at Lu Yuan. "There really are monsters like this in the world. When I was young, I once heard of someone completing Blood Exchange in three days."

Lu Cheng: "..."

For a moment, he had nothing to say.

Yet he could not refute it.