Crazy Refining

Checking the time, more than an hour had passed since consuming the Blood-Activating Powder.

A single dose of Blood-Activating Powder had increased his proficiency by ten points!

The remarkable effect far exceeded Lu Cheng's expectations.

It had already surpassed the progress made when he first started practicing the stance!

A trace of joy stirred in Lu Cheng's heart.

At this rate, even if he only practiced for two hours a day, he could reach the Late Stage of Strength Refining before the end of the month!

Once he entered the late stage, it would take at most another month to reach the perfection of the Force Refining Realm!

The efficacy of medicinal pills was truly formidable.

It seemed that Yunhuizi's claim that Du Ruo could enter the Qi Refining Realm in three years was no exaggeration.

For the Force Refining Realm, there was Blood-Activating Powder, and for the Body Refining Realm, there were no fewer than four types of pills.

If resources were supplied without limit, entering the Qi Refining Realm in three years would actually be considered a slow pace.

"I do not have the vast resources of the East Sun Sect to support me."

"Everything must be fought for by my own hands."

"Therefore, I absolutely cannot afford to lose either of the upcoming small or large competitions."

Based on the current consumption, that meant two doses of Blood-Activating Powder per day.

The fifty doses of Blood-Activating Powder offered as a prize by the Lin Martial Arts Hall were of the utmost importance.

Once he reached the late stage, the medicinal effect would likely diminish.

At that time, he would inevitably have to increase the dosage.

But that was a problem for a month from now.

By then, with his strength having advanced by leaps and bounds, Lu Cheng would surely be able to find other ways to earn money.

As for the Body Refining Realm.

The resources consumed would only be more terrifying.

The competition three months from now might be his only chance to accumulate wealth; if he missed it, he might never get another.

Therefore, no matter what, he could not afford to lose!

He had to possess the strength to stand against three—no, six opponents!

Thinking of this, Lu Cheng stopped hesitating and took another dose of Blood-Activating Powder from his bag.

After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and took out yet another packet.

Ten points of proficiency in an hour was not enough!

Since the issue of medicinal pills was no longer a concern for the time being.

Why should he still be timid?

Didn't Yunhuizi say that relying solely on being a "Human Hero" was as difficult as ascending to heaven?

Then would adding one year of Qi Refining be enough?

That was right.

Lu Cheng had made up his mind to demonstrate his value through an extremely rapid cultivation pace.

Stepping into the Qi Refining Realm after only one year of martial arts practice was something only a legendary "Peerless Heavenly Pride" could achieve!

With a cultivation speed comparable to a Peerless Heavenly Pride, obtaining a technique to restore his original essence and blood should not be difficult!

Lu Cheng hesitated no longer; he mixed the two packets of powder together and swallowed them without a second thought.

A medicinal force several times more violent than before surged down his throat, like a red-hot iron rod stabbing into his dantian.

The veins on his exposed arms knotted visibly, and the blood throughout his body seemed to be on the verge of burning up.

Lu Cheng let out a muffled groan, the veins on his forehead bulging as his body trembled uncontrollably.

Clenching his teeth, Lu Cheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his chaotic breathing, and began to practice the stance while trembling.

With each movement of the stance, he breathed with force.

As he inhaled, the medicinal power surged into his lungs and viscera along with his breath.

As he exhaled, the stagnation between his organs loosened slightly.

Over and over again.

His sweat evaporated into heat, rising from Lu Cheng's body like a pillar of wolf smoke straight into the sky.

"He's crazy, he's absolutely crazy!"

At this moment, everyone on the training grounds was stunned by Lu Cheng's actions.

They had heard of people taking Blood-Activating Powder to maximize its utility, but they had never actually seen it done.

Let alone someone like Lu Cheng, who swallowed two doses at once.

"He... he couldn't have already reached the mid-stage of Refining Strength, could he?"

Some people suspected that for Lu Cheng to be this ferocious, he must have already reached the mid-stage of Refining Strength.

Hearing the discussion, everyone turned their gazes toward the four senior disciples who were already at the mid-stage of Refining Strength.

Especially Chen Qing.

Yet even they stood there in a daze at this moment.

Clearly, Lu Cheng's actions were inconceivable even to them.

After snapping back to reality, the four of them shook their heads repeatedly.

Chen Qing's expression changed drastically, his tone gloomy:

"Mid-stage of Refining Strength? No, that is absolutely impossible."

"You must know that only those with talent above Peerless Di Hao can possess the trait of Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment."

"In other words, even for Du Ruo, it would take three months to reach the perfection of Refining Strength."

"In a mere half-month, he likely only just managed to generate strength."

"As for Lu Cheng, he is only a flawed Human Hero; how could he possibly be faster than Du Ruo?"

As he said this, the others nodded in agreement:

"Exactly, there is no such thing as reaching this realm in half a month."

"Even if we take a step back and assume he reached the mid-stage of Refining Strength, he shouldn't be able to swallow two doses of Blood-Activating Powder at once."

Saying this, he sighed and shook his head:

"This Lu Cheng has likely lost his mind from the pressure of the duel."

Fatty and the others had arrived at the training grounds not long after Lu Cheng consumed the first dose of Blood-Activating Powder.

They were now watching Lu Cheng with faces full of worry.

Seeing that Lu Cheng's body was still trembling and steam was rising from his entire frame, they finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Fatty shouted, "I'm going to find Third Chief Escort," and rushed quickly toward the inner courtyard.

Only Zhuang Xing had originally pretended not to notice Lu Cheng's actions.

But since everyone else had already gathered around, it would be too embarrassing to keep pretending he didn't know.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Xing felt a sudden jolt in his heart:

"Embarrassing? Isn't my behavior of pretending not to know and avoiding this even more embarrassing?"

He turned to look at Lu Cheng in the crowd.

He saw that although his body was trembling and his expression was pained, his stance training movements had not stopped in the slightest.

Not only had they not stopped, but every single move remained standard and flawless.

"The path of martial arts is to contend with heaven, fight with the earth, and seize from men."

"I don't even dare to consume Blood-Activating Powder, so what right do I have to talk about contending? Isn't that laughable?"

Thinking this, Zhuang Xing seemed to have made a certain resolution and walked slowly toward Lu Cheng.

As he walked, he took a packet of Blood-Activating Powder from his bosom.

After squeezing into the crowd, he stood one zhang away from Lu Cheng, facing him, and slowly tore open the paper packet:

"Lu Cheng, I admit your martial heart is firm, but how could I, Zhuang Xing, settle for being behind others!"

With that, he poured the powder into his mouth.

"Boom!"

A violent, spicy heat surged through him.

Sweat instantly drenched Zhuang Xing's clothes.

His eyes could no longer see anything, leaving only a sea of blood-red.

His chest felt as if it were about to burst, and a stream of blood uncontrollably trickled from the corner of his mouth.

But Zhuang Xing felt no fear; he trembled all over and began his stance training.

He practiced the six-style stance training over and over, gradually moving faster and faster.

Little by little, a strength he had never experienced before surged up from his feet.

It traveled rapidly up his thighs, reaching his waist and hips.

Zhuang Xing did not stop his movements, but he laughed wildly:

"It's open! I've broken through!"

"Hahahaha, Lu Cheng, I've broken through, I've arrived too!"

"Hahahaha, the martial path is not lonely, my path is not lonely!"

The surrounding people were so frightened by Zhuang Xing's appearance that they retreated several steps, saying in terror:

"It's over, it's over, Zhuang Xing has gone mad too."

Just then, a low shout came from afar:

"Move aside!"

Before the voice had even faded, a surge of force pushed the dozen or so disciples toward both sides.

A grey figure arrived rapidly in the center of the crowd; it was Feng Zhan.

After seeing the situation on the field, Feng Zhan cursed "idiot" under his breath and quickly tapped a finger onto the back of Zhuang Xing's neck.

Zhuang Xing's body jerked to a halt, then stood frozen and motionless.

Feng Zhan did not remove his finger, and his other hand quickly pressed against Zhuang Xing's back.

The force from his arms penetrated the body, smoothing out the chaotic and violent blood energy within Zhuang Xing.

After a full cup of tea's time, Zhuang Xing finally spat out a mouthful of blood with a "pfft."

His eyes cleared for a brief moment before his body went limp, and he collapsed with his eyes closed.

Feng Zhan supported his back and handed him over to a disciple nearby:

"Help him back to rest and look after him carefully."

Having said that, he turned to look at Lu Cheng, his brows furrowed tightly.

At this moment, Lu Cheng could not hear the commotion around him at all.

He was unaware that so many things had happened outside.

The blood throughout his body surged like a tsunami.

It felt as if a giant drum had been stuffed into his mind, emitting a deafening roar in rhythm with his heartbeat.

The medicinal power coiled around his muscles, bones, and internal organs like red-hot iron chains, tightening incessantly.

Sweat evaporated the moment it emerged, leaving his clothes stuck to his body, hot and damp.

Even in his mouth, a sweet, metallic taste appeared.

All of this indicated that his blood energy and force were on the verge of collapse.

Taking two doses of Blood-Activating Powder at once was simply too ferocious.

But, it was not impossible to endure.

Lu Cheng continued to perform the first nine forms of the Mystic Eagle Stance.

Once, twice, three times...

Gradually, he no longer stuck to the sequence of the moves, but instead exerted all his effort to mobilize his force to resist the violent medicinal power.

Under the intense pain, Lu Cheng gritted his teeth so hard they clicked, as if they might shatter at any moment.

The metallic taste in his mouth grew stronger.

Finally, a trace of scarlet could no longer be held back and flowed from the corner of his mouth.

But as it slid down his chin, it was evaporated by the astonishing heat radiating from his body before it could even reach his neck.

"Third Chief Escort, please act quickly, Lu Cheng is already vomiting blood."

Fatty said nervously.

Feng Zhan frowned and waved his hand:

"No rush, let's watch a bit longer; the kid can still hold on for now."

"Although this approach is dangerous, its effects are far stronger than any gentler method."

"If he can persist for a while longer, it will bring him unimaginable benefits."

Despite saying this, Feng Zhan still stared at Lu Cheng nervously, his right hand hanging at his side, fingers held in a sword-seal.

If there was even the slightest sign of trouble from Lu Cheng, he would strike immediately.

At this moment, although the medicinal power within Lu Cheng was still violent, it had begun to develop in a controllable direction.

His internal force was repeatedly shattered and scattered, only to be gathered again by Lu Cheng.

And with every re-gathering, it became a fraction tougher than before.

He did not know how much time had passed, nor how many times he had performed the stance.

Lu Cheng gradually felt his body temperature begin to drop, and his consciousness regained a trace of clarity.

That violent medicinal power no longer rampaged, but flowed along the opened meridians into his limbs and surged into his internal organs.

The burning pain turned into warmth, and the warmth gradually turned into a cooling sensation.

What was originally destruction had turned into nourishment.

Lu Cheng opened his eyes abruptly.

Although his eyes were still bloodshot, his gaze was incredibly firm.

He did not stop his stance, and he thanked Feng Zhan with a hoarse voice:

"Many thanks to Third Chief Escort for your protection."

Just as Feng Zhan was speaking, he had already begun to recover his senses and realized that Feng Zhan had been watching over him the entire time.

Feng Zhan waved his hand and let out a cold snort:

"Simply courting death. Do not stop until you have completed fifty repetitions."

With that, he turned and walked away.

After Lu Cheng replied with a "Yes," he closed his eyes once more, guarding his focus.

However, he felt incredibly relaxed at this moment.

Within his sea of consciousness, the black silhouette representing the Mystic Eagle Stance Technique kept expanding and shrinking.

The practiced movements were sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

When fast, only overlapping shadows remained.

When slow, it was like a sculpture.

After a long while, it finally returned to normal.

[Twelve Forms of the Black Hawk Stance]

[Grade: Low-Grade Human Tier]

[Realm: Minor Accomplishment (60/300)]