Fivefold Power Burst

In the courtyard.

Three large bowls of medicinal soup sat on the stone table.

Each bowl was dark brown. The fragrance of the herbs wafted up, and just smelling it was enough to tell that it tasted bitter as hell.

Lin Zheyu braced himself, picked up a bowl, frowned, and gulped it down in one go.

The medicinal power spread through his body as soon as the soup reached his stomach.

Its potency made Lin Zheyu feel feverish.

Without Source Power to strengthen his body and burn through the medicinal power, he would soon suffer from taking more tonic than he could handle, damaging his kidneys and internal organs.

He put down the bowl and took a moment to recover, then picked up the second bowl and gulped it down too. Then came the third.

The three bowls contained the combined medicinal power of eight doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup.

Lin Zheyu planned to raise his strength to the Blood Energy Realm in one go. That way, even if things turned against him, he would have what it took to make his way outside the city.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and sent out a thought.

"Use four units of Source Power to improve the Golden Goose Technique!"

Mysterious energy welled up from deep within his cells, drawing the medicinal power of the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup into his body to nourish it.

Lin Zheyu's mind went hazy for an instant, and he entered that familiar state.

He began a long stretch of martial training, endless and unceasing.

As he trained like a madman, insights into the Golden Goose Technique flooded into his mind, and his movements grew lighter and more agile.

Every kick he threw was swift and terrifyingly powerful, as fast as lightning.

In the courtyard.

Lin Zheyu's chest rose and fell.

He used the Golden Goose Technique's breathing method, and his breaths grew deeper and more measured.

Drawn by the mysterious energy, the medicinal power of the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup rapidly strengthened his body and internal organs, making them stronger and stronger.

With every breath, he could draw in a great deal of air and a tremendous amount of oxygen, unleashing even fiercer attacks.

His Golden Goose Technique proficiency rose rapidly, jumping from the third layer at 3% to 20%... 50%... 80%... 100%, then advancing to the fourth layer.

It continued climbing until it reached 13%, then stopped.

The blood in Lin Zheyu's body raced through his veins. Traces of vital essence seeped out of his cells, mingled with his blood, and flowed throughout his body.

As the vital essence circulated with his blood, the two grew ever more closely intertwined, gradually merging together.

The energy contained in his blood grew stronger and stronger. Wisps of reddish energy seeped from it and rose into the air.

This was Blood Energy.

Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes. He looked utterly exhausted, and even his mind was still hazy.

He shook his head and took a moment to recover.

"Looks like I can't use too much Source Power at once. Otherwise, my mind won't be able to take it," Lin Zheyu thought.

Using four units of Source Power at once had left him in that state for a long time, and it had taken a severe toll on his mind.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skills:

Bull Fist (Proficient 5%)

Golden Goose Technique (Fourth Layer 13%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Third Layer 0%)

Six Harmonies Saber Technique (Beginner 18%)

Lin Zheyu adjusted to his new state, feeling that it was utterly wondrous.

As the blood raced through his body, wisps of reddish energy began to form.

This was the power of Blood Energy.

Blood Energy—vital essence and blood energy, blended by the mind into reddish energy. It was the foundation of martial arts and the source of a martial artist's strength.

Only when one's essence, energy, and spirit reached their peak, with full muscles, strong bones, and a body fortified inside and out, could Blood Energy quickly form within the body.

Many martial artists were stuck at the peak of Organ Refining because their minds were not strong enough. They couldn't sense their vital essence and blood energy, much less blend the two into Blood Energy.

Senior Brother Han Mo, for example, had been stuck at the peak of Organ Refining for several years, yet still couldn't break through to the Blood Energy Realm. His mind wasn't strong enough, and his perception wasn't keen enough.

Only in battle, when his essence, energy, and spirit focused into a single point, could he sense his blood energy and vital essence.

But Lin Zheyu had broken through his physical limits several times, giving his body and mind greater resilience than most.

With the help of Source Power, he had easily broken through to the Blood Energy Realm in that special state.

"The Golden Goose Technique's fourth layer. The Blood Energy Realm."

"So this is the Blood Energy Realm!"

Lin Zheyu found it utterly wondrous.

He couldn't wait to get up and move to the center of the courtyard, where he assumed a stance and began to train.

He wanted to see just how strong he had become after breaking through to the Blood Energy Realm.

He darted around the courtyard, kicking up gusts of wind. His speed had increased by at least twofold.

He leaped into the air and whipped a leg through empty space. His trouser leg snapped and cracked with a series of sharp pops.

Blood Energy was a wondrous force. With its help, the muscles could unleash attacks far beyond the body's physical limits.

Lin Zheyu channeled Blood Energy into his right leg and whipped it toward a wooden post from a distance. A gust of wind howled out and struck the post.

With a sharp crack, the post exploded into splinters.

The small amount of Blood Energy he had just built up was completely spent.

"Powerful!"

Lin Zheyu stared at the shattered post, secretly astonished.

That strike had unleashed five times the force of his body's normal strength. The gust of wind it sent out had blasted the post apart.

No wonder Master Liang had said that there was an enormous gap between the Blood Energy Realm and Organ Refining. Before someone in the Blood Energy Realm, even a martial artist at the peak of Organ Refining was like a child.

Muscle Refining, Bone Forging, and Organ Refining were merely the three realms used to lay the foundation of martial arts.

Only after entering the Blood Energy Realm had one truly embarked on the path of martial arts.

With Blood Energy bolstering the body, a martial artist gained something like an extra source of power, allowing them to unleash attacks beyond their physical limits.

"If someone hasn't gone through Muscle Refining, Bone Forging, and Organ Refining, building full muscles, bones hard as iron, and a body strong inside and out, then their body simply can't withstand the explosive force of Blood Energy."

Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged. New Blood Energy slowly seeped into his blood, forming at an extremely sluggish pace.

He carefully studied the Blood Energy he had just gained, examining its properties.

An hour later.

Lin Zheyu opened his eyes and activated the Turtle Breathing Technique.

In an instant, every trace of Blood Energy in his body vanished.

The sharp edge in his eyes faded along with the power he had gained, and his strength once again seemed to be around the Bone Forging Realm.

"This Turtle Breathing Technique really is impressive. It locks my Blood Energy firmly inside my blood without letting even a trace escape."

"And I can still train in this state. The Blood Energy I build up this way is even purer than what I build up in my normal state."

"What an extraordinary technique!"

Lin Zheyu sighed.

He had no idea where Master Liang had gotten this technique, but it was worth far more than the Golden Goose Technique.

He suspected that Master Liang hadn't even mastered the Turtle Breathing Technique's third layer. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told Lin Zheyu not to devote too much attention to it.

Now that he had reached the Blood Energy Realm, Lin Zheyu finally understood the mystery of the Turtle Breathing Technique's third layer.

The third layer involved Blood Energy. Back when he was only at the Bone Forging Realm, no amount of training had been enough to master it.

Now that he had reached the Blood Energy Realm, he could keep training in the third layer.

Then Lin Zheyu discovered that the Turtle Breathing Technique's method of controlling Blood Energy could actually purify it!

After all, the transformation of Blood Energy depended on its purity.

In other words, mastering the Turtle Breathing Technique's third layer could increase the chances of successfully transforming one's Blood Energy!