Entering the Dao Through Martial Arts? Spirit Summoning Fails

Li Qing smiled, "It's nothing; it's good enough that there's something to eat."

He finished the food in a few bites, and a warm, cozy sensation spread through his stomach.

Everyone else was eating, so Li Qing wasn't worried about there being any issues with the food.

After finishing their meal, everyone leaned against the carriages to rest.

Li Qing sat alone inside his carriage.

He toyed with the Hundred-Forged Steel Blade in his hand, recalling the various force-exertion techniques from the Seven Star Blade in his mind.

"Perhaps I can give it a try."

He vaulted down from the carriage and arrived at a spot a few meters away from the camp.

He circulated the Essence Blood Art throughout his body, and as his essence and energy flowed, his entire being became shrouded in a faint, hazy red glow.

Assuming the stance of the Seven Star Blade, he began to swing the steel blade, one move at a time.

He savored the various distinct force-exertion techniques.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Swish, swish, swish.

The blade light flickered, stirring up a series of sounds as it tore through the air.

The essence and energy within Li Qing's body even extended onto the steel blade, causing it to emit a faint red glimmer.

Under the influence of his essence and energy, all the force-exertion techniques of the Seven Star Blade were mastered in a short amount of time.

A strange, tingling sensation spread throughout his body. Each time he completed one of these techniques, his essence and energy were affected by the exertion, washing over the muscles, bones, and fascia involved in the movement.

It was as if his body were being tempered by his essence and energy.

A muffled boom erupted; the red-glowing tip of the blade seemed to shatter the air, creating a faint, explosive current.

With a surge of heat flowing through his body, Li Qing felt subtle changes occurring in his muscles and skin, and the Seven Star Blade felt as smooth and natural as if he had practiced it for years.

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause rang out from nearby. Wang Kuohai was standing by the carriage, looking on with eyes full of shock.

"Mr. Qin, your swordsmanship is simply divine."

"To actually achieve a 'strike through the air'—this is something only the top experts in the martial arts world can do."

Li Qing looked toward Wang Kuohai and asked with some surprise, "Is this very difficult?"

Wang Kuohai's expression was complex. "Mr. Qin must not be a person of the martial arts world."

"We martial artists practice various fist techniques and weapons, honing our bodies through all sorts of methods to increase our strength and perfect our force-exertion techniques."

"One's martial arts can reach a peak before the age of 30, but after that, one's life force and blood begin to decline, leading to a gradual weakening."

"Legend has it that if a martial artist can reach their limit before 30, there is a certain chance they can condense the legendary 'Life Blood'."

"Life Blood is a mysterious power that allows a martial artist to maintain their peak state even after 30, potentially sustaining it until the age of 60."

"The hallmark of a martial artist who has cultivated Life Blood is the 'strike through the air'—relying purely on one's own strength to break the air and create a sonic boom, producing power that transcends the physical body."

"I am already over 40, and my martial arts have already declined; I have no chance of breaking through to Life Blood in this lifetime."

Listening to Wang Kuohai recount the secrets of the martial arts world, Li Qing felt a sense of contemplation.

Life Blood? Could it be a form of essence and energy?

Entering the Dao through martial arts? Is it not impossible?

If I collect more martial arts manuals, optimize them using the Jade Tablet, and then use the essence and energy from the Essence Blood Art to master them quickly, perhaps I could give birth to Life Blood.

It might even fuse with the Essence Blood Art and become even more powerful.

Moreover, martial arts come with no cost; it is clearly very safe.

Just as the two were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out in the camp.

"Oh no! Little Wang has gone missing!"

Hearing this, Wang Kuohai and Li Qing's expressions changed, and they hurried back to the camp.

Wang Kuohai looked at the panicked caravan guards and barked, "What are you panicking about?"

"What happened?"

A guard said in a panic, "Little Wang went out to relieve himself just now, but it's been a long while and he hasn't returned."

"I went to look for him, but I couldn't find him at all."

Hearing this, Wang Kuohai's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at Li Qing.

"Mr. Qin, could it be that we have encountered something again?"

Li Qing felt helpless in his heart. You've got to be kidding me, we encountered something again?

Just then, Li Qing's expression changed abruptly, and his gaze fixed on a gap outside the carriage.

A figure appeared there, hands held flat, neck devoid of a head, clad in tattered rags; with a single leap, it soared ten feet high.

Li Qing let out a sharp shout, "Dodge!"

By then, the figure had already lunged behind one of the escorts.

A pair of pitch-black claws instantly clamped onto the escort's neck.

Snap.

The escort's entire body convulsed, his neck went limp, and his face, frozen in sheer terror, instantly lost all signs of life.

His head was torn clean off, and the monster pressed the severed head directly onto its own neck.

Eerie patterns spread from the neck, rapidly covering the escort's skull.

"Head... my head... return my head..."

"My head..."

A strange, hoarse voice, as if emanating from the underworld, drifted from the escort's mouth.

Its eyes turned pitch black, and with a single bound, it launched an attack toward another escort.

Wang Kuohai let out a thunderous roar, "How dare you!"

He leaped forward, the blade at his waist flashing as he slashed toward the headless monster.

Sensing the attack, the monster turned and slammed its claws into Wang Kuohai's blade light.

A metallic clashing sound rang out.

The black arms were as hard as metal.

Wang Kuohai's expression shifted drastically; he swung his blade continuously, spinning like a top as he assaulted the monster.

The terrifying reality was that his blade strikes left no effect on the monster's body.

They left only white marks; the monster seemed as indestructible as diamond.

Watching this from the side, Li Qing's expression changed slightly.

He pulled out the Spirit Summoning Tablet and directly summoned the phantom of the Flood Dragon.

"Moo—"

A mysterious cry echoed, causing everyone present to fall into a daze for the duration of a cup of tea.

The Flood Dragon lunged directly at the headless monster, but something that made Li Qing's hair stand on end occurred.

The Flood Dragon flashed through the headless monster, yet it failed to seize the monster's soul or any spiritual essence.

The monster's gaze locked onto Li Qing, and it lunged at him with a sudden leap.

Li Qing was terrified out of his wits, narrowly dodging the incoming monster.

His heart hammered against his ribs; he had never experienced a direct battle with a monster before.

He gripped his Hundred-Forged Steel Blade tightly, his essence energy circulating rapidly; he had already consumed a quarter of his essence energy using the Spirit Summoning Tablet.

The illusory Flood Dragon flashed back into the Spirit Summoning Tablet, and Li Qing's heart sank.

Damn it, this thing doesn't seem to fear the Spirit Summoning Tablet.

The monster landed and instantly leaped again, pouncing toward Li Qing.

Li Qing's expression hardened, and he performed a desperate roll to dodge the pounce.

At the same time, he backhanded a strike toward the monster's legs.

This strike incorporated the force-exertion techniques of the Seven Star Blade, combined with the power of his essence energy.

Red light bloomed from the blade, and the sound of steel slicing into flesh rang out.