Breakthrough to Tongxi

Thinking of how Lin Jie used to command the Garrison soldiers to work while he slacked off, Lin Xuan began to understand those officers who only gave orders and never lifted a finger.

"If I have to do manual labor before becoming an officer, and I still have to do manual labor after becoming an officer, then isn't my position as an officer completely pointless?"

Although his own efforts could have sped up the wall repairs, he saw that the other officers weren't lifting a finger, so he followed suit and slacked off.

This official is busy with a thousand tasks, tied up with important matters; manual labor is the business of you common soldiers! he thought to himself.

Lin Xuan watched his subordinates repair the Garrison wall while he secretly practiced the Grand Ancestor Internal Strength. The true qi he now gained through breathing exercises was a full seven times what it had been before; he didn't even need to drink medicinal decoctions or consume rare treasures to make rapid progress.

After returning home, if there was enough beast meat, he estimated that in a month at most, he would reach the peak of Bone Binding and attempt to break through to the Breath-Connecting Realm.

With the talent bonus of the Martial Dao Holy Fetus, he estimated that on the day he advanced to Breath-Connecting, he could immediately take on three opponents of the same rank!

Three days later, the local Garrison repairs were completed, and the remnants who had fled to the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office were sent back.

Although they were still alive, the local troop establishment was insufficient, and it was likely that personnel would need to be transferred from the Wuqu Guard—specifically those who had earned military merit in this battle.

It was also possible that a group would be transferred from the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office.

Once the site was properly arranged, Thousand-Household Commander Su took a portion of the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office's troops and returned; Lin Xuan was among them. As for Commander-in-Chief Li fighting King Cui Zhao Chengde in the west, there was no need for him to go there at all.

Lin Xuan walked quickly to Thousand-Household Commander Su and asked, "Lord Thousand-Household, I would like to ask, are there any conditions for purchasing the Body-Strengthening Decoction in our army?"

"Aside from having enough money, there are no conditions, though officers can only buy two doses a month," Thousand-Household Commander Su replied.

Lin Xuan pondered to himself: Two doses isn't bad; it's enough to speed up my breakthrough.

"However, in your case, I can sell you five doses a month. Remember, every medicine has its toxicity; you cannot consume too much of this." Thousand-Household Commander Su kindly reminded him.

"Many thanks for the reminder, my Lord." Lin Xuan cupped his hands in a salute.

"Do you want to become a disciple of Commander-in-Chief Li?" Having just answered the previous question, Thousand-Household Commander Su turned the tables with a question of his own.

"Me? Is that possible?" Lin Xuan asked curiously.

Commander-in-Chief Li was one of the few Martial Saint in the country, and he followed the same path of Grand Ancestor Internal Strength as Lin Xuan. It was said that he had gone from a mortal to the Breath-Connecting Realm in just two months, making him the most dazzling martial arts genius of the last hundred years.

Thousand-Household Commander Su smiled. "Given your talent, there is naturally hope. Nowadays, the bandits are no longer the main concern; the true great enemies are the Qiangqu People beyond the pass. To defend against them, the Imperial Court has been screening for martial arts prodigies to cultivate for the purpose of countering them."

"Yes, I want to." Lin Xuan nodded.

"Hahaha, actually, whether you want to or not, I would still report your talent to Commander-in-Chief Li," Thousand-Household Commander Su joked.

"After all, talent like yours is truly rare; it should be only slightly inferior to the Commander-in-Chief Li of the past. Give it a dozen years or so, and you might very well become the next Martial Saint. When that time comes, don't forget that there was a Thousand-Household Commander surnamed Su at the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office who once recommended you."

Lin Xuan replied, "My memory has always been very good. I never forget who is good to me and who is bad to me."

"Little Brother, you're back!" Seeing Lin Xuan standing before her safe and sound, Lin An rushed over and hugged him tightly.

She had been worried these past few days; after all, the bandits had so many men, and if it had come to a real fight, Lin Xuan would have been in quite a bit of danger.

As the young girl pressed against him, the soft sensation from her chest made Lin Xuan's breathing quicken slightly.

"Yes, I've returned safe and sound. I even killed several bandits... I mean, rebel soldiers, and earned thirty taels of silver as a reward. It's just a pity that the military merit this time was too small to be promoted to a Probationary Hundred-Household Commander."

Hearing this, Lin An immediately responded, "You've only been practicing martial arts for two months, and you've already attained the position of Flag Commander. You are already a dragon among men and a young hero; don't be so greedy."

Hearing her praise him like that, Lin Xuan laughed, "Hahaha, if you can talk, say more; I love hearing it."

No man could resist the sincere admiration and praise of his wife.

Chen Fang did not show as much fervor as Lin An, but instead smiled and muttered to herself from behind, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. What do you want to eat? Mother will go make it for you."

"Just make some stir-fried pork. Sister An, please help me boil the medicine; I need to go all out for the breakthrough to Breath-Connecting."

"Mm, don't worry."

"I'm so tired, I'm going to go lie on the bed for a while."

Lin Xuan was accustomed to feigning exhaustion, and this time was no exception. However, he didn't sleep at all; instead, he sat on the bed and silently circulated the Grand Ancestor Internal Strength.

Lin An skillfully took out the Body-Strengthening Decoction they had collected a few days prior and carefully simmered it in a clay pot according to the required heat.

She squatted by the stove, the firelight reflecting off her pretty face.

Chen Fang had also turned and entered the kitchen, busily starting the fire and slicing cured meat; the aroma of fried meat soon began to spread.

The charred fragrance of the cured meat mixed with the bitter scent of herbs, filling the entire small courtyard.

Half a month later, the heaven-defying nature of the Martial Dao Holy Fetus was fully revealed. Without the need for rare treasures, the support of five doses of Body-Strengthening Decoction per month allowed his martial arts foundation to be forged as solid as a rock, without a hint of instability.

The amount of true qi in Lin Xuan's body had reached the peak of the Bone Binding realm, and the quality of the true qi was also extremely high. His blood and qi were like a rainbow, having now reached an exaggerated level.

His strength had reached a terrifying thousand-plus catties, far surpassing the minimum for the Breath-Connecting Realm.

He was only one step away from breaking through to Breath-Connecting.

Bone Binding originally meant binding the true qi to the bones, which was to hide the true qi within the body—internalized and not leaking outward.

The Breath-Connecting Realm, however, involved infiltrating the true qi into the meridians, allowing it to circulate throughout the body and follow the flow of blood and qi with every inhalation and exhalation, and every beat of the heart.

At this stage, physical strength could be greatly increased. Although one could still be wounded by blades, the ability to heal was greatly enhanced. Some injuries that would be fatal to an ordinary person could be survived in the Breath-Connecting Realm. Furthermore, as the true qi continued to circulate through the meridians, internal injuries could potentially heal, and one would be much less prone to illness.

At this stage, there were basically no natural illnesses that could affect one's lifespan.

Lin Xuan calmed his mind and focused, silently following the methods in the Grand Ancestor Internal Classic to channel all the natural true qi within his body into his meridians.

This process was quite time-consuming; it was practically impossible to achieve a breakthrough during battle, making an undisturbed quiet room the optimal setting.

Moreover, the high quality of Lin Xuan's current true qi only increased the difficulty of breaking through to the Breath Circulation stage.

By midnight, Lin Xuan finally gathered all his true qi within his meridians, causing it to circulate in rhythm with his own breathing and heartbeat.

This signified that he had successfully broken through to the Breath Circulation stage.