Chapter Thirteen: Seventeen

"Li Ming and his son are dead?"

"Why did you think I'd actually gone to the Inner Qingshan?"

"Alas!"

A heavy sigh, laden with complicated emotions, rang out. Chen Yuxu looked at his son, his heart tangled with conflicting feelings.

So his son had been through something so dangerous today.

He had indeed planned to go to the Inner Qingshan when he got up that morning. Driven to this point by life, Chen Yuxu couldn't find any hope elsewhere.

But he'd forgotten to fool his son, and he hadn't expected to be almost at the mountain when news came that his daughter had been in a car accident.

With one thing happening after another, Chen Yuxu realized he had nearly lost both his children that day.

At that moment, even though his son had brought back snake meat worth a hundred thousand yuan and a Red-haired Ganoderma, Chen Yuxu couldn't feel happy at all. His heart was filled only with lingering fear.

If only he were stronger. If only he could be like Zhang Ge, his family wouldn't have been driven into such a desperate situation.

Beside Chen Yan, Chen Yu nervously clutched her older brother's sleeve, as though she were afraid of losing him.

Her watery eyes shimmered with worry and admiration.

"Big brother, you're amazing."

Chen Yu spoke softly. Chen Yan had made it sound easy, but she could imagine so much more.

In Chen Yu's Consciousness World, the Red-dressed Woman folded her arms, her eyes shining with surprise and emotion.

She really had misunderstood her disciple's brother. If he were selfish, why would he risk entering the dangerous Inner Qingshan for his father?

More importantly, she could tell that the snake Chen Yan had dealt with was a First Order Qingju Snake. Under normal circumstances, it would take a Two-Pattern Extreme Forging Realm Hardening Martial Artist or an Initial Five Viscera Realm Blood Qi Martial Artist to stand against one.

This young man hadn't awakened his Qi and Blood, nor had he embarked on the path of Extreme Forging, yet he had survived against a Qingju Snake. That alone was extraordinary.

Especially in such a backward village.

The oppressive atmosphere gradually faded, and Chen Yan was the first to bring up how to divide the Qingju Snake Meat and Red-haired Ganoderma.

Chen Yuxu pressed his lips together. When he saw the bag of snake meat in the Living Room and the Red-haired Ganoderma on the table, the door to his heart, shut tight for so long, burst open, and he finally felt at ease.

"The Red-haired Ganoderma is the main ingredient for the Medicinal Bath. I don't think we should sell it."

Chen Yuxu stroked his chin as he spoke.

"The older generation used to say that Qingju Snake Meat strengthened the bones and sinews, and was the beast meat most favored by people on the Body Tempering Path. I'll take half of it to the county tomorrow and sell it. We can pay off our debt and buy the rest of the ingredients for the Medicinal Bath.

"As for what's left, we'll dry it into jerky for you two."

Chen Yan listened quietly. His teacher had explained the Martial Dao path of this world to him long ago.

For most people, there were two paths in the Martial Dao.

The first was the Blood Qi Martial Artist path, like Zhang Qingsi's. In its early stages, it had the Five Viscera Realm, Hundred Meridians Realm, Golden Body Realm, and Origin Realm.

The heart circulated Qi and Blood, which then spilled out of the body.

That was Awaken Blood Qi. It meant you had embarked on the path of Qi and Blood.

The director of the Town Martial Hall in town was a genuine Five Viscera Realm Blood Qi Martial Artist.

The second path was Body Tempering Martial Arts.

Martial Artists on this path focused on tempering the body and treated Qi and Blood as secondary, or even did without it altogether.

They focused on the body's strength, defense, and resilience.

Powerful experts in Body Tempering Martial Arts could shatter a building with one punch. Even if they collided with a train on its tracks, the train would be the one destroyed.

Chen Yan didn't know much about the realms of Body Tempering Martial Arts. He only knew the first realm was...

The Seventy-two Patterns Extreme Forging Realm.

The body sensed its own strengths and condensed seventy-two Flesh Patterns.

For ordinary people, awakening Qi and Blood might be difficult, but following the path of Body Tempering Martial Arts might be even harder.

Although Chen Yan's physical strength was already formidable, he hadn't condensed even a single Pattern Line. That meant he still had a long way to go.

But his strength had surged, and he had also consumed a [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit. He felt he wasn't any weaker than students like Zhang Qingsi and Wang Yu.

Once they had decided how to handle everything, it was already nine at night.

The Chen family's home was filled with relief. The unexpected windfall had even improved Chen Yuxu's complexion considerably.

At nine o'clock, a sudden, grief-stricken wail rose from next door.

News of Li Xuan and his father's deaths had come through, and the Li Family's home was instantly thrown into an uproar.

Chen Yuxu sat in the courtyard smoking his dry tobacco, his expression calm.

He suddenly wondered whether he would have met with the same danger as Li Xuan and his father if he had really gone to the Inner Qingshan that day.

Chen Yan naturally hadn't told his family what had happened between him and Li Xuan and his father, but when he heard Old Master Li's wailing, the gruesome scene of their deaths still flashed through his mind.

In the face of overwhelming force, life was truly fragile.

After a while, Chen Yuxu went next door to help the neighbors. Though the two families had a poor relationship, helping with funeral arrangements was sometimes just for the sake of appearances.

In his room, Chen Yan opened the piece of paper Li Wusi had given him.

Luo Puxin had written it.

The handwriting on the page was messy, and Chen Yan studied it carefully.

Luo Puxin had already returned to Luoshan County to organize everything for the Town Martial Class.

Chen Yan's eyes flickered. Luo Puxin had said that one hundred and forty-three students would be chosen for the Town Martial Class from the county's three high schools and the high schools in twenty-three nearby towns.

The Town Martial Class would have the best teachers in the county and the best Martial Dao resources.

And the requirement for admission to the Town Martial Class...

"Is winning the Town Martial Bonus!" Chen Yan clenched his fist, his yearning for the bonus growing stronger.

In the following section, Luo Puxin explained the types of Qi and Blood Awakening.

The first, and by far the most common, was the path taken by eighty percent of Blood Qi Martial Artists.

External Awakening!

They used a Qi and Blood Potion or other Spirit Medicine to stimulate their Five Viscera and meet the requirements for awakening.

Chen Yan's gaze was calm. Zhang Qingsi had probably achieved External Awakening. He had once bragged about often drinking Qi and Blood Potions.

The second was True Origin Awakening!

It relied entirely on breaking through one's own limits again and again to awaken. After awakening, the quality and potential of one's Qi and Blood were far superior to those of someone who had undergone External Awakening.

The third was Bloodline Awakening!

If a Martial Artist's ancestors had possessed a powerful bloodline, it could be passed down through their lineage, resulting in an awakening beyond imagination.

"The Chiyang Palace Family!" Chen Yan murmured. Luo Puxin had used them as an example. Their Chiyang Bloodline was incredibly powerful!

As for the fourth, Chen Yan's eyes trembled.

Luo Puxin had deduced that Chen Yan was the fourth type.

Limit Breaking Awakening!

In each of the Eighteen Prefectures of Summer Country, an ancient deity had once fallen. The remnants of these Ancient Gods' intellect became the prefectural deities.

The deity of each prefecture.

At certain intervals, a prefectural deity would grant several, or even more than a dozen, people in its prefecture the same kind of special constitution. These constitutions were unique, granting their bearers the possibility of Limit Breaking Awakening.

But among these people, only one could awaken.

They had to break through their limits again and again, reaching heights no one else could, until they became the new limit.

That was Limit Breaking Awakening!

Once someone awakened, the awakening would be given a name, and they would be granted a talent.

But Luo Puxin had advised Chen Yan to give up.

Chen Yan's expression grew solemn.

Luo Puxin said that Limit Breaking Awakening might seem fair, but for the poor, it only brought greater despair.

Chen Yan had clearly broken through his limit today, yet his awakening had failed because someone stood in his way.

The wealthier someone was, the more they prepared for awakening from the moment they were born. Chen Yan was far behind.

"Phew..."

Chen Yan exhaled a mouthful of stale air.

So that was why.

His talent for Qi and Blood was both high and not high after all.

"Give up?" he murmured. Luo Puxin thought highly of his Body Tempering talent and advised him not to waste his energy on Qi and Blood Awakening.

"But if I give up, I'll be letting you down."

Chen Yan spoke, his consciousness shifting to the Saint Breaking Realm.

The verdant Small Tree growing in endless darkness had always been forging upward with unyielding determination.

How could a rootless tree survive?

And yet, there it stood before him.

Chen Yan walked into the courtyard, stopped dwelling on it, and began practicing his punches.

Within the Saint Breaking Realm, threads of golden and Orange Light began to gather.

After consuming a [Skill] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, Chen Yan had gained many insights into the art of punching. Even his muscle memory was clear, so he no longer needed to study the Bronze Statue.

His body had finally settled down, but as soon as he made this movement, sweat quickly began to bead on his skin.

Surging Internal Force poured into his right arm like a river. Chen Yan's entire body sprang into motion like a twisted steel bar.

His punch shot out, and a faint sonic boom cracked through the air.

Chen Yan frowned and drew back his fist. The instant he punched, golden light had appeared in the Saint Breaking Realm, but afterward, it had diminished.

It was different from when he had struck the Qingju Snake that day.

Why?

A trace of puzzlement flickered through Chen Yan's mind. He tried several more times, but still couldn't recreate what had happened.

It was like solving a math problem: you might have figured out the answer in no time before, but afterward, you could never solve it again.

It felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling inside his body. In the end, Chen Yan had no choice but to give in and keep practicing that one punch, obediently.

Inside Chen Yu's room.

Chen Yu sat cross-legged on her bed, her hair slowly floating as though stirred by a breeze.

"Can you feel it?" the Red-dressed Woman asked.

"Feel your consciousness flowing through your body like the wind..."

The Red-dressed Woman continued explaining, and Chen Yu's state grew more and more immersed in cultivation.

"Good. This is your first time sensing Psionic Power, and you've already gone this deep. You're not only exceptionally talented, but you work hard too."

The Red-dressed Woman folded her arms and praised her. Her disciple really was diligent. Meditation might look like nothing more than sitting still, but Chen Yu's current experience was agonizing.

It was like running a four-hundred-meter race without oxygen, her mind balanced on the brink of its limits.

Time passed slowly, and the Red-dressed Woman smiled.

"You don't need to do it for too long the first time. Being able to hold on for two hours is already very good. Go get some rest."

"Phew..."

Chen Yu opened her eyes and let out a long breath. A hint of delight appeared in them.

"Teacher, I think I've touched Psionic Power. It's soft, like water."

The Red-dressed Woman's eyes narrowed.

"You touched it?"

Then a smile crept onto her lips.

"Not bad, indeed. Though you were still a little behind me when I was your age."

"Then, Teacher, I'll keep going!" Chen Yu said.

"No need. I can tell you're already exhausted. Tomorrow, try meditating near a pool. It'll work better."

"Okay, Teacher. I'll go wash up." Chen Yu nodded and walked into the courtyard, then suddenly cried out in surprise.

"Big brother, why aren't you resting yet?"

Chen Yan was sitting in the courtyard, panting heavily. A large patch of sweat on the ground shimmered silver in the moonlight.

It was obvious he'd been working out and had only just stopped to rest.

"Rest? Not yet."

Chen Yan spoke, the sobs and wails from next door reaching his ears. He raised his head and looked up.

Sparse stars and a pale moon; broken clouds drifted lightly across the sky.

Inside Chen Yu's Consciousness World, the Red-dressed Woman watched in silence.

The older brother was even more hardworking than his younger sister, but too much effort could wear down his body and backfire.

She simply didn't say it aloud.

Chen Yan's performance had surprised her quite a bit today, but she had seen countless other extraordinary talents, not to mention someone like him.

If not for Chen Yu, Chen Yan's family would have had nothing to do with her.

Just as Chen Yu was about to get up and practice, she gave a dry cough. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she spoke in a clear, sweet voice.

"Big brother, I need to wash up."

"Oh."

Chen Yan returned to his room, and only then did Chen Yu wash up in the courtyard.

Chen Yan kept training until two-thirty, when he finally ran out of strength.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (2/15)]

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Power: (25/100)

Blood: (13/100)

Technique: (75/100)]

Compared to daytime, his efficiency had clearly dropped at night.

Still, it was much better than the results he'd gotten from training blindly before.

It was only a gesture, but Chen Yan couldn't help feeling a little hopeful.

Who exactly was that Bronze Statue, and what would happen after this gesture?

If he could find out, it would be a huge gain.

A glimmer of hope surfaced in Chen Yan's mind. He took a cold shower, and noticed Chen Yu's Backpack just happened to be in the living room.

After thinking it over, Chen Yan quietly opened Chen Yu's Backpack and slipped the bottle of Qi and Blood Drink inside.

After all, he was in the Saint Breaking Realm and would still have to take a Medicinal Bath every day from now on, while his younger sister had to keep living at school. That bottle of Qi and Blood Drink was something Chen Yan could take or leave.

The next morning.

Chen Yan was woken by the noise.

The Li family's house had been brightly lit since the night before, with sobs ringing out without pause. It was still the same now.

A band from the village had been playing funeral music for hours.

Chen Yan realized Chen Yu had already left.

"Why'd you leave so early today?" Chen Yan asked as he chewed on a steamed bun.

"Your sister said the teacher assigned some extracurricular work, so she needed to get an early start." In the kitchen, Chen Yuxu was chopping meat. He was going to the county seat later, planning to sell half the Qingju Snake Meat.

Chen Yan opened his mouth. He and his sister were supposed to take a Medicinal Bath together today, but now...

Back in the living room, Chen Yan suddenly spotted something on the table. He hadn't noticed it when he got up, but now he saw it.

A bottle of Qi and Blood Drink lay on the round table. Chen Yan picked it up and noticed a note tucked between the bottle and its label.

[Happy birthday, big brother.]

Chen Yan froze. Was it his birthday today?

No, it had been yesterday.

Dad had probably been too busy to remember. Even Chen Yan himself had forgotten, but his sister still remembered. No wonder she'd scrimped and saved to buy him a bottle of Qi and Blood Drink.

Dad had always told people Chen Yan was seventeen, but yesterday was when Chen Yan had actually turned seventeen.

Stepping outside, Chen Yan stood in the packed-earth courtyard.

White clouds stretched across the sky, beneath an endless blue. A locust tree laden with white blossoms leaned in over the wall, filling the whole courtyard with a sweet fragrance.

The mournful blare of a suona, accompanied by a woman's wails, drifted over from next door.

In the breath between each inhale and exhale, summer's quiet solitude lingered. Chen Yan gazed at the sky, his eyes shining.

"Seventeen, huh."