Cultivation Advancement

Deep in the night, the moon was cool as water and all was silent, save for the occasional chirping of insects from the corners of the grass.

Inside the room, a stick of sandalwood incense burned quietly, filling the space with an elegant fragrance that calmed the mind. Zhang He sat cross-legged on his bed in his shorts, eyes closed, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic cadence. His breathing was long and steady, perfectly merged with the stillness of the environment.

The incense finally burned to an end, the grey ash falling into the burner. Zhang He opened his eyes slowly, his gaze as tranquil as the darkness.

"Incense burned and body cleansed, the mind is peaceful and still!" Zhang He opened a porcelain bottle and tipped it gently. A crystal-clear blue pill, the size of a dragon's eye, rolled out: a Void Insight Pill! Tonight, Zhang He would consume this pill to break through the final barrier of the Force Martial Realm and ascend in one stroke to the True Martial Realm. Though his mind was calm, he had a premonition that he would certainly break through his cultivation tonight.

Opening his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the Void Insight Pill in one gulp. As the pill hit his stomach, Zhang He immediately felt a stimulating energy erupt from within. It was as if a bundle of gunpowder had suddenly detonated inside his body. That energy, potent and seemingly sentient, instantly surged into his limbs and bones, every meridian, every blood vessel, and every crevice between his muscles.

His physical senses became incredibly acute in that moment!

"Boom!" It was the sound of his heart contracting violently, pumping blood into his vessels. Such a subtle sound, yet to Zhang He, it now roared like thunder. It was a strange sensation; he felt as if he had mastered every aspect of his body. The movement of every part of him was presented to his mind with crystalline clarity.

He discovered a slight pain in his abdomen. There was no visible injury on the surface, but beneath the skin, there seemed to be a hidden wound. Zhang He realized at once: "This is where Wu Xuan stabbed me with his sword. At the time, my clothes were torn, but it clearly hadn't broken the skin. I didn't expect the force of his strike to penetrate my body. Fortunately, he hasn't cultivated Sword Qi yet, or else I would have been disemboweled."

Wu Xuan was at the second stage of the True Martial Realm, the Body Protection Realm. Once one reaches the third stage, the Possession Realm, True Qi can be imbued into weapons to form Sword Qi. Had Zhang He been struck by Sword Qi, it would have caused a severe injury. However, the damage from this lingering force was no problem at all; even if he ignored it, it would heal on its own in a few days.

The medicinal power of the Void Insight Pill surged violently within Zhang He.

His internal True Qi was also stimulated; had Zhang He not been controlling it, his True Qi would have gone berserk the moment the pill entered his body. Now that the pill's power had cleansed his body, the time was ripe. Zhang He immediately released his internal True Qi.

Whoosh.

The True Qi entered his meridians, circulating wildly.

"In the Force Martial Realm, True Qi can only travel through the major meridians, unable to reach the many subtle ones. Upon reaching the True Martial Realm, the range of circulation expands. True Qi can enter even the most minute meridians, allowing for a much deeper tempering of the body."

A major difference between the True Martial Realm and the Force Martial Realm lies in the former's ability to better temper the body with True Qi.

"The hallmark of the first stage of the True Martial Realm, the Blood Qi Realm, is that the True Qi appears blood-red when in circulation. Once in the True Martial Realm, True Qi can circulate beneath the skin, where there are abundant, tiny capillaries. Thus, when the True Qi flows, it reflects the color of the blood, appearing blood-red."

At this moment, the True Qi within Zhang He galloped through his meridians. Originally, it would have been extremely difficult for him to force the True Qi into those minute meridians, as they were fragile and could be ruptured by an excess of energy. But now, with the aid of the Void Insight Pill, his meridians were stimulated and became more resilient. Furthermore, his senses were so sharp that he could clearly control the trajectory of every wisp of True Qi.

As long as he controlled it well, the True Qi could easily circulate beneath his skin.

Time ticked away, second by second.

"Boom!" The final obstruction in his meridians was shattered by the fine threads of True Qi. The meridians beneath his skin were now completely cleared. Immediately, the True Qi flowed unimpeded into the tiny vessels beneath his flesh. A warm, swelling sensation washed over him, as if he were soaking in a hot spring, wrapped in its waters—it was incredibly comfortable.

The True Qi flowed incessantly, circulating rapidly beneath his skin. As it moved, it continuously tempered his body, and Zhang He felt himself undergoing a transformation. At the same time, a faint, blood-red hue emerged beneath his skin.

"Blood Qi Realm!"

The True Qi circulating with a blood-red hue—this was the mark of having stepped into the True Martial Realm!

"Hm? The trend of the True Qi seems to be pushing toward the surface of the skin!" Zhang He was startled. He discovered that as the True Qi circulated beneath his meridians, it showed a tendency to move outward. In the Blood Qi Realm, True Qi can only circulate in the meridians beneath the skin, but in the Body Protection Realm, it can leave the meridians and manifest on the surface of the skin. When True Qi adheres to the skin, it forms a True Qi armor, making one impervious to ordinary blades!

Advancing from the Force Martial Realm to the True Martial Realm is extremely difficult!

Advancing from the Blood Qi Realm to the Body Protection Realm is no easier!

"That's it—my Rejuvenation True Qi is very thick, and the total volume is sufficient. Combined with the effect of the Void Insight Pill, the True Qi can directly break through the meridians and manifest on the skin!" Zhang He understood the reason immediately and continued his breakthrough. If he could break through one more layer, he would reach the Body Protection Realm!

Zhang He was overjoyed. He immediately pushed his True Qi to continue circulating, intending to strike through to the Body Protection Realm in one go. However, a moment later, his expression shifted; he felt a sense of exhaustion.

"Advancing from the Blood Qi Realm to the Body Protection Realm requires a massive amount of True Qi. Without enough, the breakthrough cannot be completed. Sigh, I was just proud of my thick True Qi, and now I find myself lacking!" Zhang He understood the situation. He was absolutely unwilling to let this perfect opportunity for a breakthrough be cut short due to a lack of energy; such chances were rare!

Massive amounts of True Qi! Zhang He's eyes lit up, and he immediately took out the two Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pills.

"The efficacy of the Void Insight Pill will last for a while longer. During this time, I can circulate my True Qi to stabilize my realm while absorbing the demon poison from the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pills to increase my True Qi. I can do both at once." Multitasking, Zhang He made this bold decision.

The Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pills continuously emitted a bone-chilling cold, with white mist drifting in the surroundings. In the darkness, they also glowed with a faint, blood-red light, looking quite eerie.

"All the demon poison of the Cold Flood Dragon is contained within. If released, the poison of a fourth-level demon beast is terrifying." The strength of a fourth-rank demon beast could easily overwhelm a practitioner at the fourth stage of the True Martial Realm. However, Wang Jian and his companions had used a Soul-Bewildering Guide to weaken the Cold Flood Dragon's combat power, which was the only reason they had a chance to take it down; otherwise, the three of them wouldn't have been enough to fill the gaps in the Cold Flood Dragon's teeth.

Although he hadn't reached the Body Protection Realm and couldn't circulate True Qi throughout his entire body, he could still channel it into his hands. Zhang He channeled his Rejuvenation True Qi into his hands, using it directly to absorb the demon poison. Otherwise, he would have had to crush the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill and swallow it bit by bit, but if he did that, his internal organs would be frozen by the bone-chilling cold.

The demon poison of the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill was bone-chillingly cold!

He pressed his hands together, holding the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill in his palms.

As his Rejuvenation True Qi touched the pill, Zhang He immediately felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. The piercing cold made him shiver instantly. At this moment, with the Void Insight Pill's effects in full swing, all his senses were incredibly acute. This bone-chilling cold was magnified many times over, making him feel as if he were truly trapped in a frozen vault.

Yet, his Rejuvenation True Qi remained highly active; the potent poison of the Cold Flood Dragon acted as a powerful stimulant.

"It's too cold!" Zhang He dared not hesitate; if this continued, he might be frozen stiff. His Rejuvenation True Qi wrapped around the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill and began to absorb the demon poison from its outer layer.

The Rejuvenation True Qi could not penetrate deep into the pill and could only absorb it slowly from the periphery.

Zhang He clearly felt two streams of icy energy merge into his Rejuvenation True Qi, then travel along the meridians of his arms toward the depths of his body. Everywhere it passed, Zhang He felt as if he were being frozen solid.

"Rejuvenation True Qi, refine the demon poison!" His True Qi circulated, wrapping around the Cold Flood Dragon's poison thread by thread, peeling it away like silk from a cocoon, then fusing and absorbing it. Only by absorbing the poison could his internal True Qi develop an immunity to the Cold Flood Dragon's venom and no longer fear its icy chill.

The Rejuvenation True Qi circulated continuously, and the demon poison within the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill was drawn out bit by bit, merging into his True Qi.

"As expected, my Rejuvenation True Qi has grown significantly! The potency of the Cold Flood Dragon's poison is at least twenty times that of the Mad Heart Fox!" Zhang He was delighted to find that after absorbing the poison, his Rejuvenation True Qi had increased by a full thirty percent. And the amount he had absorbed was likely less than ten percent of the total poison content in the pill.

His Rejuvenation True Qi now also possessed an icy attribute. However, from the prolonged contact with the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill, his entire body was on the verge of freezing.

"I must recover first, or I'll be frozen stiff, which will cause damage to my body." The medicinal effect of the Void Insight Pill was waning, and time was precious. If he could accumulate enough True Qi before the pill's effect completely faded, he could break through to the Body Protection Realm—a temptation no one could refuse.

But Zhang He knew the value of restraint. While the breakthrough to the Body Protection Realm was tempting, he did not wish to achieve it at the cost of damaging his body. Thus, Zhang He decisively stopped the absorption, set the Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill aside, and circulated his Rejuvenation True Qi. The demon poison of the Fire Qilin played its part now, immediately releasing waves of heat that circulated throughout his body, quickly restoring him from the frozen state.

Zhang He was amazed to discover that the Fire Qilin's demon poison not only saved his body from frostbite but also tempered his physique as it circulated.