Killing Sword Technique, Qi Body Refining

"Hahaha, alright."

Meng Tian patted Zhao Cheng on the shoulder. "With your martial prowess, if you didn't hold back, I wouldn't be able to withstand a single strike. Such sword techniques are useless to you; you should continue down your own path of a single strike to the throat, exploring your Killing Sword Technique."

"I watched you practice just now; it has already taken shape. As long as you fight a few more battles, you will be able to establish your own style."

Zhao Cheng nodded. "I think so too."

He thought to himself that tomorrow, upon rushing to Ye County, he must truly master the Killing Sword Technique.

The two chatted for a few more moments before Meng Tian said, "I came here to help you get familiar with your subordinates. You are now an Assault Cavalry Commandant, leading three thousand light cavalry. Under your command are three lieutenants: one is myself, one is He Ping, and the other is Ying Nian. The two of them are waiting outside right now."

"Let them in."

He Ping and Ying Nian stepped into the tent and bowed respectfully to Zhao Cheng. "Commandant."

He Ping had already met Zhao Cheng and understood him somewhat, so he was naturally filled with admiration.

Ying Nian, however, had only heard rumors. Although he knew military achievements could not be faked, the tales sounded truly exaggerated, and he could not help but feel some hesitation. At this moment, he was sizing Zhao Cheng up.

Seeing the eagle-like gaze and the wolf-like demeanor, with a murderous Sha aura that seemed to erupt like a sharp blade from time to time, he could not help but feel secretly shocked.

He had seen many fierce warriors in the military, but if one hadn't personally slaughtered hundreds of men, how could they possess such a blood-soaked Sha aura?

At this point, he already believed eighty percent of the rumors in the army.

Zhao Cheng did not mind Ying Nian's scrutiny; he spoke with both men, considering them acquainted.

After they dispersed, Zhao Cheng looked at the three thousand six hundred years of lifespan in his system and decided to continue deducing and practicing the Basic Body Refining Technique.

This time, he had plenty of time and was in no rush, deciding to practice in hundred-year increments, adjusting as he progressed.

"Invest one hundred years of lifespan to practice the Basic Body Refining Technique."

[Beginning to invest lifespan to practice the Basic Body Refining Technique.]

[In the first year, your skin refining progress has reached great success. Through skin respiration, you sense a certain energy existing between heaven and earth, appearing like the legendary Essence of Heaven and Earth. You find it exceptionally profound and wish to grasp this energy...]

[In the tenth year, through constant attempts, you occasionally manage to grasp that faint, elusive essence and absorb it into your body.

You feel that as this essence merges into your body, the strength of the parts of your body containing the essence rises sharply, but before long, that feeling vanishes. You feel puzzled by this.]

[In the thirtieth year, through continuous attempts, you are finally able to absorb the Essence of Heaven and Earth from time to time. Your body seems to contain an energy far exceeding the strength of your blood and Qi, but it is consumed very quickly; as it is absorbed through the respiration of your skin, it also flows away with every breath.]

[In the seventieth year, you persistently absorb the essence, and the essence persistently leaves you.

But in this process, you gradually discover that beneath your skin, some subtle corners are being tempered by the essence, becoming increasingly tough.]

[In the ninetieth year, you persistently use the essence to refine your skin. Many flaws that blood and Qi could not reach are tempered to perfection by the essence, and your skin becomes increasingly flawless and integrated.]

[In the one hundredth year, you discover that the essence has infinite wonders, yet you still have no way to keep it within your body.

Fortunately, the persistent essence skin-refining has made you gradually familiar with this feeling. Every time you breathe with your whole body, you can absorb more of the Essence of Heaven and Earth.

Your recovery ability has increased significantly, your physical strength has increased significantly, and you have broken through the skin-refining barrier, stepping into the realm of Qi Body Refining!]

As the deduction ended, a tingling itch suddenly spread from beneath the skin all over Zhao Cheng's body.

His pores opened rapidly, and with each breath, a faint, indescribable energy flowed back and forth, carrying away things that felt like stagnation or obstruction.

It was the Essence of Heaven and Earth entering his body with his breath, rapidly healing the injuries on Zhao Cheng's body.

At this moment, he felt his entire body becoming lighter; every breath seemed to extract endless power from the void.

When he took a deep breath and kept that trace of Essence of Heaven and Earth within his body, he could unleash nearly twice his previous power.

However, after the burst, that trace of essence was consumed.

"Is this the Essence of Heaven and Earth?"

Zhao Cheng closed his eyes and felt it carefully. Compared to the blood and Qi in his body, the amount of this essence was so weak and thin it was almost imperceptible, like the difference between an iron rod and a strand of hair.

Yet, such a weak essence could have such wonderful effects, not only significantly increasing strength but also rapidly repairing injuries.

"No wonder the Essence Gathering Pill is so expensive in the system; it turns out the Essence of Heaven and Earth contains such powerful energy."

"And the reason skin refining was so difficult was to force me to condense my skin to the extreme, so that through this method of breathing, I could perceive and utilize the Essence of Heaven and Earth."

"It is a pity that this essence cannot be stored in the body for long; just like normal breathing, it can only be temporarily utilized as breath, and it is consumed as one exhales."

"How can I retain the essence?"

Zhao Cheng pondered deeply, but found no answer.

After a hundred years of lifespan deduction, he had only just figured out how to absorb and utilize a trace of the Essence of Heaven and Earth; he could not find a breakthrough for the time being.

"I fear the method to retain the Essence of Heaven and Earth exists in the subsequent stages of Qi Body Refining."

"Judging by the current situation, the Qi Body Refining stage should be about gradually making the physical body compatible with the Essence of Heaven and Earth, eventually reaching the point of carrying or even merging with it."

"The next major direction for cultivation is to absorb and store Qi within the body; that is when the Essence Gathering Pill will become useful."

"As for me right now, even if I were to refine an Essence Gathering Pill, it would be useless. I would consume it and it would simply dissipate, unable to be stored at all. Fortunately, I did not waste my lifespan refining one."

"It is a good thing I still have over three thousand five hundred years of lifespan to use; I shall continue to deduce the Qi Body Refining."

In the long, drawn-out night, Zhao Cheng was not in a hurry, and he once again invested one hundred years into it.

[Beginning to invest lifespan to cultivate Basic Body Refining Technique.]

[The first year, you continuously capture the Heaven and Earth Qi you perceive, then attempt to guide it through your pores into the muscles beneath your skin. However, this guidance is extremely difficult; that Heaven and Earth Qi does not listen to you at all and often dissipates very quickly.]

[The tenth year, you are still unable to guide the Heaven and Earth Qi...]

[The thirtieth year, you are still unable to guide the Heaven and Earth Qi...]

[The seventieth year, after another forty years of painstaking effort, you are still unable to guide the Heaven and Earth Qi. But through long-term whole-body breathing, the Heaven and Earth Qi naturally flows into the depths beneath your skin, achieving the effect of refining the surface muscles.]

[The one-hundredth year, you are surprised to discover that with a century of persistent Qi Body Refining, the amount of Heaven and Earth Qi you can absorb in a single breath has increased. Moreover, your skin and the muscles that have been refined for a long time can now bear more Qi. As of now, the Heaven and Earth Qi you can carry in a single breath is several times more than it was a hundred years ago!]

Zhao Cheng opened his eyes, a look of astonishment flashing across his face.

In a hundred years, his gains were minimal; the Qi Body Refining could not even be considered at the introductory level.

Yet, this tiny gain proved that his line of thinking was correct.

"Qi Body Refining is indeed meant to make my body more compatible with Heaven and Earth Qi, to bear more of it through constant refinement, until I can store and even smelt Heaven and Earth Qi long-term!"

Even at his current progress, Zhao Cheng could already feel the extraordinary nature of this Qi.

He stood up, and with a deep breath, several times more Heaven and Earth Qi than before flowed through his pores and deep into his flesh.

It was as if some kind of power had been added to the surface of his body; the strength of his skin, bolstered by the Qi, surged, and his muscular power exploded!

He threw a casual punch, and it whistled with a sharp, explosive sound.

Zhao Cheng picked up his Bronze Sword, took a deep breath, infused his flesh with Qi, and swung the blade down.

Clang!

The long sword slid off, leaving no mark on his skin.

It was as if it had been blocked by that very energy; his skin had not suffered any physical damage at all.

"If I could store a large amount of this Qi within my body, what level would my body reach?"

Thinking this, Zhao Cheng simply invested one thousand years of lifespan.

[Investing one thousand years of lifespan to cultivate Basic Body Refining Technique.]

[The first year, you no longer force the guidance of Heaven and Earth Qi, but instead use breathing to let the Heaven and Earth Qi flow naturally within your body, constantly refining your physique.]

[The one-hundredth year, with every breath you take, you absorb more Heaven and Earth Qi, which begins to fill your skin and merge into your flesh and blood.]

[The three-hundredth year, now with every breath, a great deal of Heaven and Earth Qi enters your body, flowing between your skin and flesh, filling your body with endless power, but the Qi still continues to dissipate.]

[The five-hundredth year, you discover that the amount of Heaven and Earth Qi you can absorb in a single breath has reached a certain limit. Fortunately, most of your muscles have become incredibly compatible with Qi and can bear more of it.]

[The eight-hundredth year, through three hundred years of grinding effort, the Heaven and Earth Qi has begun to flow deep within your body, refining your deepest muscles, tendons, and bones, but a large amount of Qi is still constantly dissipating.]

[The one-thousandth year, your body seems to be soaked in Heaven and Earth Qi, both inside and out. Even your internal organs are being constantly refined by the Qi. Whether it is body strength, power, or recovery ability, it is worlds apart from before. Yet, to your annoyance, the Qi within your body is still constantly dissipating...]

Zhao Cheng opened his eyes, frowning deeply, feeling his heart ache.

One thousand years, and the Qi was still dissipating!?

Just as he felt the sting of regret, his body, as if by instinct, took a deep breath. A massive amount of Heaven and Earth Qi instantly filled his entire body, flowing deep into his muscles and the gaps between his tendons and bones. A wave of comfort surged from within, and his internal organs felt as if they were soaking in a hot spring.

An indescribable sense of mystery made Zhao Cheng's soul tremble.

"Hiss... that feels good!"

[Your lifespan has increased by fifty years. Current remaining lifespan: 2525]

"Eh?"

Zhao Cheng was a bit bewildered.

His lifespan had increased for no reason?

Wait, it seems that because of Qi Body Refining, my lifespan has increased!

"Is it because the Qi has started to temper my internal organs?"

"I've heard that human aging is caused by the constant decline of organ function, and since my previous body tempering never reached the internal organs, my lifespan never increased despite my cultivation."

"But now that the Qi has just begun to temper my internal organs, my lifespan has increased immediately."

"If that's the case, even if I had an endless lifespan, my organs might still continue to decay."

"This is not good; living while young and living while aged are two completely different things."

"Moreover, this sense of power is indescribably wonderful..."

At this very moment, he could feel the Heaven and Earth Qi within his body providing an inexhaustible amount of strength.

It was as if there were a nuclear fusion energy ring inside him, continuously supplying power.

His current physical state was so excellent that he felt he could punch through a city wall!

Even if he were to charge and slaughter through enemy lines for three days and three nights, he would not run out of strength!

If he were to punch the city wall of Ye County to pieces in a few days, wouldn't the enemy garrison be scared out of their wits?