Shen Lin carried a bottle of fine liquor and a bag of fragrant roast chicken into the back courtyard of the County Office.
"Master Yuan, I've come to see you."
As soon as Shen Lin spoke, the old man who had been lying on a bamboo chair basking in the sun shot to his side at a speed that didn't match his head of white hair at all.
"Furong Brew?" Completely disregarding his appearance, he pressed his nose to the wine jar in Shen Lin's hand and sniffed, looking quite intoxicated. "Thirty-year-old vintage, too... Boy! What windfall did you come into that you'd buy such fine wine for an old man like me?"
As he spoke, he looked up at Shen Lin, surprise in his eyes.
The old man had been sent by the prefectural government to instruct the constables of Qiulin County in martial arts. Everyone in the County Office knew only that his surname was Yuan and that his strength was unfathomable, so they respectfully called him Master Yuan.
But even Master Yuan couldn't see Shen Lin's current martial cultivation realm.
After all, with the system's help, Shen Lin had spent nearly a century studying Qi and Blood Force, and his control over it had reached perfection.
Neither Prefect Hu nor Master Yuan here could tell that Shen Lin was no ordinary martial artist, but a warrior in the Opening Meridians Realm who had opened three meridians.
Shen Lin smiled faintly and let a little of the Qi and Blood Force within him show.
"Good heavens..."
The old man was so startled that even his hometown dialect slipped out.
His eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, "I knew you had good talent, but how long have you been formally training? You've already become a martial artist?"
"Just luck." Shen Lin sighed. "I was facing a life-or-death crisis at the time, and somehow broke through."
At those words, Master Yuan seemed to recall something. His eyes dimmed slightly as he nodded. "There really are great opportunities between life and death. Come, sit! Have a drink with this old man."
He led Shen Lin to a stone stool nearby. The old man rubbed his hands together and solemnly opened the fine liquor. First, he drew in a deep breath of its aroma, then lifted the jar and took a long swig.
"Ha! That hits the spot. Here!"
Shen Lin took the jar and sipped. Watching the old man unwrap the chicken and eat, he had meant to ask a question, but in the end, he held his tongue and passed the jar back.
The old man said nothing, just drank and ate. Before long, all that remained on the stone table was a pile of chicken bones and an empty wine jar.
"Burp!" He let out a satisfied yawn. The old man, his face shining with grease, looked a little dazed. "You came to see me about the next step in your cultivation, didn't you?"
Shen Lin smiled. "Master Yuan, you see right through me!"
"You little rascal, you're crafty as they come. If you didn't need something, why would you bring me fine wine and meat?" After teasing him, he wiped his mouth with a dirty sleeve and said solemnly, "Fine. I'll tell you about the path of cultivation after becoming a martial artist."
Shen Lin's expression grew more serious. He cupped his fists. "Master Yuan, for enlightening me, I..."
"Hey, hey, stop right there! Enough with the empty words. If you mean it, bring me more wine next time."
He waved off Shen Lin's performance, thought for a moment, then said gravely, "Martial cultivation begins with the birth of Qi and Blood Force and becoming a martial artist. That's only the beginning. Don't get too complacent! The road ahead only gets harder."
"After becoming a martial artist, have you continued practicing the Blood Battle Saber Technique?"
When Shen Lin nodded, the old man continued at once, "Then you should have felt it too: when you practice martial arts, the Qi and Blood Force in your body is stirred and begins to flow naturally. That's the key to reaching the next step, the Opening Meridians Realm!"
"Seek the meridians, fix the meridians, and finally break through them!"
"Every meridian you open doubles your Qi and Blood Force."
Shen Lin thought of the three meridians he had opened and asked, "Master Yuan, do you know how many meridians there are in the human body?"
"Twelve in all!"
At those words, Shen Lin felt his head grow heavy.
He had spent over a hundred years of lifespan opening three. How much demonic lifespan would it take to open them all?
He had to get to slaying demons as soon as possible.
Thinking this, he asked, "So I just need to keep practicing the Blood Battle Saber Technique?"
"That would certainly work. But..." The old man shook his head. "I don't recommend it!"
"The earliest martial artists did exactly that: they used martial arts to stir the Qi and Blood Force in their bodies and open their meridians naturally. But it takes exceptional talent, and the process takes a long time."
"With a low-level martial art like the Blood Battle Saber Technique, even someone as talented as you would probably need over ten years to break through to the Opening Meridians Realm."
You give me far too much credit.
Shen Lin couldn't help sighing inwardly. Even with the system's help, it had taken him twenty-eight years to advance from martial artist to the Opening Meridians Realm.
"Then if I found a martial art of a higher grade, could I..."
Before Shen Lin could finish his question, the old man interrupted, "That's right! Higher-grade martial arts involve more meridians, making it easier to sense their locations. But the time needed to open them is still the same."
Seeing Shen Lin look even more confused, the old man stopped teasing him and explained outright, "For martial artists today to reach the Opening Meridians Realm as quickly as possible, they need two things."
"First, an Opening Meridians martial art! Such arts have no killing power. They exist only to stir the Qi and Blood Force within the body, making it easier for martial artists to sense their meridians."
"Second, a spiritual medicine like the Meridian Unblocking Pill, which can greatly speed up the process of opening meridians."
At that, the old man shook his head regretfully. "Unfortunately, both are in the hands of powerful clans, sects, and the Demon Suppression Bureau. Outsiders can't get them easily."
Shen Lin asked hesitantly, "But didn't you previously..."
"You mean the Meridian Unblocking Pill I had before?" The old man chuckled. "I spent nearly twenty years in Qiulin County before I could exchange merit points at the Demon Suppression Bureau for it. You think I have that much pull? Look at Sun Zhi. He's been slaying demons for years, and only now has he earned enough to exchange at the Demon Suppression Bureau for the most basic Opening Meridians secret art and a Meridian Unblocking Pill."
Shen Lin's eyes lit up. "Squad Leader Sun... got a Meridian Unblocking Pill?"
"It should arrive in the next few days. That fellow has escaped death so many times; only now does he have a chance to take another step forward."
The old man sighed, looked at Shen Lin, then shook his head. "I swore an oath not to pass on anything I've learned. Otherwise, I'd have an Opening Meridians secret art I could give you."
As he spoke, he took an old book from his robes and tossed it over.
"I got this martial art from an enemy I killed back in the day. Take a look. It's better than the Blood Battle Saber Technique, at least."
Shen Lin caught the book, his face full of delight.
To be honest, he didn't care much about that Opening Meridians secret art.
With the system, he believed that as long as he had enough demonic lifespan, he could figure out where the meridians in his body were.
What he needed most now was martial arts, and...
A Meridian Unblocking Pill!
Before you continue