The Future Holds Promise, Longevity Holds Promise, Invincibility Holds Promise

"Why not?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

He looked calmly at Yan Cheng. He too wished he had broken through to the Qi and Blood Realm, but unfortunately, he had not.

"That makes sense. You can't use Qi and Blood Power, so you must still be in the Divine Valor Realm. But what's with that defense of yours?" Yan Cheng could not understand it. Ordinary Body Hardening Cultivation Techniques could not possibly provide such defense.

Chen Mo merely smiled faintly.

"I just happened to make a breakthrough by luck. No need to pay it too much mind."

"Your breakthroughs always seem to happen by luck."

Yan Cheng naturally did not believe such obvious perfunctory words.

However, he could also see that Chen Mo would not tell him the real reason.

Everyone had secrets that belonged to them alone. Yan Cheng had his own as well, things that could not be spoken of to outsiders. He understood that pressing further would be impolite, so he did not ask anything more.

The stronger Chen Mo became, the greater the benefits Yan Cheng would gain in the future.

There was no conflict in that.

As for thoughts of probing Chen Mo's secrets, Yan Cheng had indeed entertained them. Reaching such a level at fifteen, and in a place like Hequ County at that—relying on talent alone was clearly unrealistic. There had to be other reasons.

But he quickly abandoned any thought of investigating further, much less making a move against Chen Mo.

Because he did not want to gamble!

When they could plainly coexist peacefully and achieve mutual benefit, creating a monstrously talented enemy for himself out of greed was hardly a wise thing to do.

Setting those thoughts aside, Yan Cheng looked at Chen Mo with unconcealed anticipation.

"Have you sensed the Qi and Blood within your body, like streams of air?"

Given the strength and speed Chen Mo had displayed just now, he had most likely already reached Perfect Accomplishment in the Divine Valor Realm. Even if he had not, he could not be far from it.

Every martial artist had different talent, and their upper limits differed as well. Based on the talent and potential Chen Mo had currently displayed, his upper limit was absolutely at the genius level. Ten thousand jin was not his limit.

That explained how Chen Mo, while still in the Divine Valor Realm, possessed strength, agility, and defense that ordinary martial artists could only gain in the Qi and Blood Realm after using Qi and Blood Power.

"Qi and Blood like streams of air..." Chen Mo's eyes lit up.

So those stream-like things were the Qi and Blood Power within his body.

Chen Mo had originally not intended to tell Yan Cheng about this right away, but since Yan Cheng had directly exposed it, he immediately nodded.

"I sensed it, but I can't control or use it. It was only when I sparred with you just now that those streams began circulating on their own."

"That's it, then."

Yan Cheng wore an enlightened expression. "No wonder you could withstand my Qi and Blood Power for so long. It wasn't just because of your Body Hardening Cultivation Technique, but because you're already a Quasi Qi and Blood Realm Martial Artist."

"A Quasi Qi and Blood Realm Martial Artist?" Chen Mo asked in confusion.

"A Divine Valor Realm martial artist who has sensed Qi and Blood but has yet to control Qi and Blood Power is collectively called a Quasi Qi and Blood Realm Martial Artist," Yan Cheng explained.

"Then how can I control and use the Qi and Blood Power in my body?"

This was something Chen Mo urgently wanted to accomplish.

"There are no tricks to controlling Qi and Blood Power. What matters is comprehension and constant attempts. You might gain control tomorrow, or perhaps even by next year, you still won't have gained control. There's no telling."

Seeing that Chen Mo's expression remained unchanged, and that he even nodded to show he understood without revealing the slightest impatience, Yan Cheng asked in surprise.

"You don't seem worried?"

"I have great confidence in my comprehension. Besides, I feel that I haven't yet reached the limit of Body Tempering, so there's no need to rush. I can take it slowly."

He could gain one opportunity for Epiphany every day. Once the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique was "cultivated" to the Perfection Realm, he should naturally be able to control Qi and Blood Power. If not, then Chen Mo's combat strength would likely be far beyond what ordinary Qi and Blood Realm martial artists could compare to.

At the very least, Yan Cheng standing before him definitely would not be able to defeat him by then.

Even without considering the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique, Chen Mo still had more than two hundred years of lifespan remaining and tens of thousands of opportunities for Epiphany. There was truly nothing to worry about. The future held promise, longevity held promise, and invincibility held promise.

"You have a very good mindset."

Growing increasingly satisfied with Chen Mo, Yan Cheng seemed to have made some difficult decision as he spoke.

"From now on, come here once every three days. I'll spar with you. Constant exposure to the stimulation of Qi and Blood Power will help you gain control over it sooner."

Yan Cheng would not dare do this with other martial artists. It would be easy to beat them into cripples.

But Chen Mo's defense was astonishing, so there was no need to worry about that. He could use this unconventional method to stimulate Chen Mo's Qi and Blood Power.

"I can actually come every day," Chen Mo suggested.

With his physical condition, even if he were beaten every day, he could completely recover by the next day.

The pain he had felt during their spar just now, along with his skin-flushed fists, had already recovered completely.

Once every three days was nowhere near enough. He wanted once a day—preferably several times a day.

A man had to endure! He had to be strong!

"Stimulating it too frequently is also detrimental to your control over Qi and Blood Power. A martial artist breaking through a major realm is like rowing upstream—one must never become impatient!" Yan Cheng said solemnly.

Yet inwardly, he was secretly suffering. Chen Mo had already surpassed him in basic combat strength. The only reason he could still suppress Chen Mo by a margin was the boost from Qi and Blood Power, but that came with no small expenditure.

It took a certain amount of time for him to fully recover.

A battle every day? His old arms and legs truly could not take it.

On top of that, he had to handle the affairs of the Martial Arts School every day, teach his disciples, and sometimes go out for social engagements. One battle every three days was already his limit.

Seeing Yan Cheng's resolute attitude, and with things already having been said to this extent, Chen Mo did not say anything more. Feeling the uncontrollable Qi and Blood Power within his body, anticipation filled his heart even more.

"Before the Mountain Entry Grand Competition, I wonder how many transformations of the Qi and Blood Realm I'll reach."

The Qi and Blood Realm had twelve transformations in total, with every three transformations forming one stage. The gap in strength between each stage was enormous, with bottlenecks difficult to break through. Hequ County's Number One Expert, the County Lieutenant—Cao Hong—was currently at the Qi and Blood Four Transformations.

The masters of the two great Martial Arts Schools, Yan Cheng and Lei Ming, had been trapped at the Qi and Blood Realm Third Change for a long time, unable to break through.

As for the three Qi and Blood Realm martial artists of the Three Great Families, perhaps only the Fan Family's martial artist had reached the Qi and Blood Realm Third Change. The others were merely at the Qi and Blood Realm Second Change.

With the combat strength Chen Mo currently displayed, once he broke through to the Qi and Blood Realm and gained the boost of Qi and Blood Power, no one in Hequ County besides Cao Hong would be capable of matching him.

"I can't get carried away. I still need to lie low a while longer," Chen Mo secretly warned himself.

It would not take long before he could completely ensure his own safety in Hequ County. There was absolutely no need to go out looking for trouble.

Wasn't the True Martial Arts School, which provided food, lodging, and instruction, wonderful enough?

Unfortunately, most of the school was full of men. Even the few female disciples were big and strong, and there were no maidservants or anything.

Full and warm, then think of... ah, ptooey!

Shaking his head and throwing those stirring fantasies from his mind, Chen Mo, who had already parted from Yan Cheng and returned to the small courtyard where he lived, decided to begin secluded cultivation in cycles of three days.

Why three days?

Very simple.

Because every three days, he had to spar with Yan Cheng once.

Since the number of times had decreased, the duration naturally had to be extended. Chen Mo thought that unless they fought for a full two hours, he definitely could not let Yan Cheng off.

Three days quickly passed. After using Epiphany on the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique three more times and still failing to break through to the Proficient realm, Chen Mo did not mind. Eagerly, he headed to the Training Hall in the backyard. With his strength having clearly improved again, he prepared to have a good fight with Yan Cheng.

Not wanting to be too high-profile, Chen Mo kept his strength restricted to its previous level. Thanks to the improvement in his cultivation technique's realm, when Yan Cheng's Qi and Blood Power struck his bones, flesh, and meridians this time, the pain it caused was somewhat less than before.

Once the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique reaches the Proficient realm, Yan Cheng probably won't be able to hurt me anymore, right? Chen Mo estimated inwardly.

On the other side, Yan Cheng, old and shrewd as a demon, did not notice anything unusual at first. But as the spar continued, more than an hour had already passed, yet Chen Mo's expression remained as normal as ever. Every time Chen Mo seemed about to be defeated, he always managed to hold on.

Moreover, Chen Mo's fists were truly hard. Even with the enhancement of Qi and Blood Power, after their repeated collisions, Yan Cheng's fists began to faintly ache. This had never happened before. Once he realized it, his heart jolted in shock.

"Only three days have passed. Don't tell me this kid got lucky and... broke through again?!"