Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, Third Level

Splash!

Ning Xiaochuan jumped into the great river again, vanishing into the icy waters.

Xiao Li stood on the bank, staring at the pitch-black surface. He snorted coldly. "Let's see how long you can stay underwater."

Although martial artists possessed powerful bodies, they still could not achieve complete fetal breathing. Especially for a Profound Qi Ninth Level martial artist, being able to remain underwater for ten minutes was already extremely impressive.

Ning Xiaochuan's body sank to the riverbed. He moved swiftly along the bottom, but after roughly ten minutes, breathing became increasingly difficult. His movements grew slower and slower, and his mind became more and more sluggish.

"Since my mouth can't breathe, then I'll use my Martial Heart Palace to breathe. I'll breathe through my pores."

Ning Xiaochuan sat cross-legged on the riverbed and cultivated "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."

Profound Qi was everywhere.

There was certainly Profound Qi in the water as well.

The core principle of cultivating "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" was to absorb the Profound Qi between heaven and earth and transform it into one's own Martial Dao Profound Qi.

Boom!

Under the immense water pressure and the oppression of life and death, Ning Xiaochuan's speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Profound Qi suddenly doubled. He reached the third level of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."

Each time "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" rose by one level, the speed of absorbing Profound Qi doubled.

The first level of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" was the normal absorption speed.

The second level of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" was twice the normal absorption speed.

The third level of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" was four times the normal absorption speed.

The fourth level of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" was eight times the normal absorption speed.

Upon reaching the seventh level of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi," the absorption speed would be sixty-four times normal.

If one cultivated "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" to the seventh level, it would already surpass many top-tier cultivation manuals.

One had to know that the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's foremost divine canon, the "Heart Furnace Divine Canon," only reached sixty times the normal absorption speed at its sixth level. In the entire Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, there were likely no more than five people who had cultivated the "Heart Furnace Divine Canon" to the sixth level.

Moreover, "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" did not end at the seventh level. According to legend, someone in the Yulan Empire had once cultivated "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" to the eleventh level. Their speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Profound Qi was over a thousand times the normal rate, and their cultivation surpassed the Earth Venerable Realm, reaching an even higher, mysterious and unfathomable realm.

Of course, those were only legends.

The "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" manuals circulating on the market only recorded cultivation methods for the first four levels.

Even the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion possessed only the methods for the first six levels.

The early stages of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" were simply too difficult to cultivate, and there were no recorded manuals for the later methods. That was why no one chose to cultivate "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi," causing it to become a cultivation manual found everywhere on the streets.

Having reached the third level of "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi," Ning Xiaochuan now possessed four times the speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, finally allowing him to barely maintain his body's condition. Even if he remained underwater for three days and three nights, he would not die from suspended breath.

Ning Xiaochuan began assaulting his hidden meridians again, determined to open the first hidden meridian in the shortest possible time.

Perhaps he could even break through three hidden meridians and reach the Divine Body Realm.

Xiao Li waited by the water for two consecutive days, yet Ning Xiaochuan never emerged. A trace of foreboding rose in his heart.

He entered the riverbed three times in succession to search for Ning Xiaochuan, but failed to find even a trace of him.

"Could he have already escaped?" Xiao Li could no longer sit still, wondering whether he should continue waiting.

If Ning Xiaochuan had already escaped, would he not be wasting his time by keeping vigil here?

Splash!

Ripples spread across the water's surface.

A massive boulder slowly rose from the water. It probably weighed ten thousand jin, yet it floated to the surface like foam.

Then, a human hand appeared beneath the enormous stone, carrying it as someone emerged from the great river step by step. First his head rose above the surface, then his entire body.

Ning Xiaochuan carried a ten-thousand-jin boulder in one hand as he walked from the riverbed onto the bank, one step at a time.

Xiao Li was both shocked and delighted.

He was shocked that a Profound Qi Ninth Level Heart Nourisher could actually lift a ten-thousand-jin boulder with one hand. He was delighted that Ning Xiaochuan had finally emerged from the water.

Since Ning Xiaochuan had come out, Xiao Li would absolutely not let him flee into the water again.

"Impressive! You've actually improved again. I truly underestimated you before." Xiao Li stood on the bank, dense Profound Qi gathering in his palm. The moment Ning Xiaochuan showed any sign of fleeing back into the water, Xiao Li could immediately unleash his strongest strike and kill him.

Ning Xiaochuan gave a cold laugh and took a deep breath. Profound Qi crackled within his body as he suddenly hurled the ten-thousand-jin boulder in his hand.

Xiao Li knew Ning Xiaochuan was difficult to handle. His expression turned grave as he stretched out his hand. Countless streams of Profound Qi swirled around his palm, condensing into a three-meter-long beast claw.

Roar!

The claw was razor-sharp, its scales clearly visible.

Bang!

The claw crushed the ten-thousand-jin boulder into stone powder.

This was the Martial Dao Divine Power born within him after he reached the Divine Body First Level: the "Gluttonous Maw Claw."

By unleashing this Martial Dao Divine Power, he could strike with the force of a Gluttonous Maw's claw, enough to rip even a steel war chariot apart.

At the instant the boulder exploded, Ning Xiaochuan charged forward. "Profound Qi Sword Sevenfold Slash!"

Ning Xiaochuan had completely opened his first hidden meridian, forming a complete cycle. His arms erupted with powerful waves of Profound Qi. With a kick of his legs, he could leap six zhang into the air.

His current speed was no slower than that of a Divine Body First Level martial artist.

Waves upon waves of Profound Qi Sword intent surged toward Xiao Li, nearly drowning him beneath them.

By the time Ning Xiaochuan struck with the sixth sword, even with Xiao Li's cultivation, he was starting to be unable to withstand it and could only retreat.

When the seventh Profound Qi Sword slashed out, it directly tore through Xiao Li's Profound Fortification Protective Shield, carving a foot-long bloody wound across his chest as fine beads of blood welled forth.

"You actually wounded me!" Xiao Li flew into a rage. His Profound Fortification Protective Shield had been broken by a mere Profound Qi Ninth Level Heart Nourisher—what humiliation!

"Die for me! Gluttonous Maw Claw!"

A beastly roar came from Xiao Li's heart. His body was completely enveloped in Profound Qi as his palm transformed into the claw of a gigantic Ferocious Beast. The claw was even larger than Ning Xiaochuan's body, as though it could smash him into a pulp of blood with one strike.

Ning Xiaochuan was covered in mud, his hair hanging over his head like strands of waterweed. A faint crimson glimmer surfaced in his eyes, making them more terrifying than a beast's. Between his ghastly white teeth, he squeezed out two words: "Demon Sword!"

Ning Xiaochuan extended his palm and struck the enormous beast claw. A sinister red light burst from his hand.

Boom!

The water around Ning Xiaochuan was shaken into relentless turmoil by the powerful waves of Profound Qi before exploding apart. Who knew how many aquatic creatures were killed by the shock.

Inside Ning Xiaochuan's heart palace, the Demon Sword rang madly. Strands of scarlet airflow flowed directly from his hidden meridians into his arm, fastening onto Xiao Li's palm, which had transformed into a gigantic claw imprint.

Xiao Li had believed that this claw strike would put Ning Xiaochuan to death, but he never expected an overbearing force to surge from Ning Xiaochuan's palm, drawing out the blood within his body.

Blood streamed rapidly out through his palm.

Xiao Li's expression changed drastically. "You... you... cultivated demonic arts... demonic arts..."

Ning Xiaochuan said icily, "I'll use the blood in your body to help me break through to the Divine Body Realm!"

Using the blood from Xiao Li's body, Ning Xiaochuan began assaulting the second hidden meridian—the one connecting the Martial Heart Palace to the five viscera and six bowels within his body. Even the most important symbol of a man was connected through this hidden meridian.

Profound Qi swelled continuously within his body!

Xiao Li's eyes widened further and further as he watched his own arm shrivel before his eyes, its skin turning scorched black.

"No, no, I refuse to accept this..."

Xiao Li let out a tremendous roar. At the same time, a beast-like howl came from his Martial Heart Palace! Determination flashed in his eyes as he struck his own chest with a palm, sending himself flying away.

He finally escaped Ning Xiaochuan's grasp, crashing heavily onto the ground and coughing blood without end.

He stared at his right arm and screamed in terror. That arm was completely ruined, badly withered, like the hand of a dried corpse in a grave. Even he felt frightened and had his hair stand on end upon seeing it.

Ning Xiaochuan circulated his qi with both hands. His five viscera and six bowels were wrapped in Profound Qi, and the Profound Qi within his body surged by another great measure.

He had completely opened the second hidden meridian. Within a minute, his blood could circulate through his body for eight complete cycles.

With his current Profound Qi cultivation, he could fully unleash the Profound Qi Sword Eightfold Slash.

Now, only the final hidden meridian remained before he could step into the Divine Body Realm.

Although he had not yet entered the Divine Body Realm, he now stood at the pinnacle of the Profound Qi Realm. If he unleashed the Profound Qi Sword Eightfold Slash, he would be invincible beneath the Divine Body Realm.

Those geniuses of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, people like Ning Hengqing and Ning Meier, were no longer his opponents. He could suppress them with a casual wave of his hand.

Ning Xiaochuan stared at Xiao Li, who lay sprawled on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Didn't you want to kill me? Do you still think you can kill me now?"

"I was only too careless. Otherwise, you would have died long ago. In terms of cultivation, you are still far beneath me." Xiao Li refused to concede, his eyes filled with deep chill.

He was a Divine Body Realm martial artist, capable of looking down upon these ants of the Profound Qi Realm. How could he possibly lose to Ning Xiaochuan?

That was absolutely impossible! Ning Xiaochuan said, "Is that so? Then stand up. Let's fight again and see who is stronger."

Xiao Li had suffered an enormous loss of blood and qi. It was not something he could recover from in a short time, so naturally he could not be Ning Xiaochuan's match.

He sprang up from the ground, then fled swiftly into the forest. The hatred in his heart for Ning Xiaochuan grew even deeper, and he swore that once his injuries healed, he would carve Ning Xiaochuan into a thousand pieces.

"Run? Do you think you can escape?"

Ning Xiaochuan circulated all his Profound Qi into his legs. Swift as the wind, he rapidly gave chase.

As the saying went, fortune's wheel turned.

Two days ago, Xiao Li had driven Ning Xiaochuan to the brink between life and death. Yet two days later, Xiao Li had become the one fleeing for his life.