The sinister yin energy had entered his body. Would he like to refine it?
A strange message flooded Lin Nan's mind.
He had no time to dwell on it and quickly responded.
[Yes!]
Hiss!
The furnace in his mind hummed, its mouth suddenly gaping wide as if countless flames were surging out.
[Obtained Yin Qi Point +1]
In an instant, Lin Nan felt the bone-chilling cold inside him rapidly fade. His stiff, numb body slowly regained its ability to move.
Without hesitation, he quickly got to his feet, shut the wooden door, and fished out the cracked Jade Talisman.
As its soft glow spread, he finally let out a sigh of relief. The Corpse Ghost wasn't the only Evil Spirit that haunted Black Dragon Outer City at night.
Without the Jade Talisman's protection, it would be disastrous if he attracted another Evil Spirit.
Once Lin Nan had caught his breath, he shifted his thoughts, and lines of information appeared before his eyes on the [Creation Furnace]:
[Furnace Master: Lin Nan]
[Age: Twenty]
[Technique: White Snake Stance (Initiate 55/100)]
[Available Yin Qi Points: 1.]
[Convert to proficiency?]
So it really could work?!
Lin Nan was delighted. He focused his attention on the information before him.
"Yes!"
Humm!
In an instant, the Yin Qi Point was completely refined, turning into proficiency and pouring into the White Snake Stance progress bar, which shot upward.
1 point...10 points...50 points...100 points!
The information on the furnace blurred. A vast flood of memories from his day-and-night cultivation of the White Snake Stance poured into his mind like a rushing river.
Familiarity. Mastery.
The difficulties that had once left him stumped suddenly became clear. Lin Nan felt as if an inexhaustible strength were surging through his entire body.
It seemed that a force inside him was constantly breaking through the places that had been blocked, leaving his whole body tingling.
It was his qi and blood!
About a minute later, Lin Nan's eyes snapped open.
He looked at the [Creation Furnace] information panel again.
[Furnace Master: Lin Nan]
[Age: Twenty]
[Technique: White Snake Stance (First Layer 55/200)]
[Available Yin Qi Points: None.]
First Layer of the White Snake Stance?!
He'd broken through just like that?
Lin Nan's thoughts stirred. A surge of qi and blood rose from his feet and swiftly coursed through the meridians throughout his body, completing one Greater Celestial Circuit.
The blockages in his limbs and meridians were gone, along with the soreness. He was at least twice as strong as before.
Besides that, his mind felt clear and unobstructed. He felt refreshed, as if he'd slept half the day after staying up all night.
This was the first level of the Blood-Qi Realm!
And if he paired it with a martial artist's moves...
Lin Nan sighed inwardly.
He calmed down and went over what had just happened.
"Good thing I prepared a Blood Talisman in advance. Otherwise, the grass would already be growing over my grave."
Lin Nan reviewed his actions. Overall, he was satisfied, but he soon realized there was one thing he didn't understand.
What was that chilling sensation that had appeared in his body after he killed the Corpse Ghost?
The Corpse Ghost didn't come knocking again that night, and Lin Nan slept especially soundly.
He slowly adjusted to the changes in his body. The qi and blood he'd depleted at the Drunken Spring Pavilion gradually recovered as his cultivation advanced.
"It's time to register."
The next morning.
Lin Nan left early, carrying his steel saber. Blood-Qi Realm martial artists could officially change their status at the martial school, going from an odd-job Martial Apprentice to an inner disciple.
Inner disciples had plenty of perks. They no longer had to take regular shifts doing odd jobs and boiling water at the martial school, and their monthly pay went up to two taels of silver—a very visible increase.
That was two thousand copper coins, equivalent to more than half a year's income for an ordinary family in the Outer City.
Besides that, the White Snake Martial School would add his name to its rolls, making him a candidate for employment by the Inner City's authorities.
This time, Lin Nan deliberately took a narrow path and went around the alley where the Blood Blade Sect was based. After a long walk, he arrived at the White Snake Martial School.
Rows of sabers, spears, swords, and halberds stood neatly arranged along both sides of the school courtyard. Many young outer-courtyard Martial Apprentices were practicing their stances and punches on the training ground, building a solid foundation.
"What is martial arts?"
"Martial arts means uniting your waist and stance!"
A middle-aged man in a white martial arts jacket, with a thick beard, stood in the training ground and patiently instructed the students.
Lin Nan went straight up to the bearded man, clasped his hands, and said respectfully, "Martial Apprentice Lin Nan pays his respects to Instructor Wang."
"Hmm? What is it?" Instructor Wang's eyes showed slight displeasure at being interrupted mid-lesson.
Especially since it was Lin Nan, an outer-courtyard Martial Apprentice whose reputation was particularly unpleasant.
"Isn't that Brother Lin? Why isn't he chopping wood and sweeping the duty hall? What's he doing here?"
"Haven't seen him in ages. I thought the martial school had kicked him out."
"My parents told me to stay far away from Brother Lin. My dad even said he saw him going to the Drunken Spring Pavilion with his own eyes..."
"What?! The Drunken Spring Pavilion? Actually, I want to go too..."
The young Martial Apprentices on the training ground saw Lin Nan and began chattering among themselves.
"Silence!" Instructor Wang snorted. The noisy youths immediately shut their mouths, and the whole training ground fell silent.
The original owner really had left a trail of sins...
Lin Nan sighed inwardly. He didn't waste words, instead bowing respectfully.
"Reporting to Instructor Wang, I have completed my breakthrough into the Blood-Qi Realm. I have come to change my status in the school's records."
A breakthrough into the Blood-Qi Realm?!
A flicker of surprise crossed Instructor Wang's eyes.
The best time for a martial artist to break through into the Blood-Qi Realm was before the age of fifteen. Lin Nan was already twenty and had missed that ideal window. What was more, he was fond of wine, women, and moonlit nights. How had he managed to break through?
"Keep practicing. You, come with me."
After instructing the Martial Apprentices, Instructor Wang led Lin Nan out of the training ground.
Once the two had left, the Martial Apprentices who had been silent exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a tangle of envy, confusion, and shock.
"Breakthrough into the Blood-Qi Realm? Lin Nan? That's not what my parents told me!"
"Could his behavior before have all been an act?"
Instructor Wang led Lin Nan to a secluded courtyard deep within the martial school. An old man with grizzled white hair was sprawled on a rocking chair, leisurely drinking freshly squeezed juice.
In front of him, a blue stone stood beneath a tree. Three characters were carved into it: "Strength-Testing Stone."
"What is it?" The old man didn't even lift his eyelids.
"Elder Yu, this is Lin Nan, the child Lin Bo adopted. He—"
Before Instructor Wang could finish, Elder Yu suddenly raised a hand and slapped the armrest of his rocking chair.
"You mean that good-for-nothing Lin Bo adopted?!"
Elder Yu roared, his temper flaring in an instant.
"Where is he?! Is he off soaking in the Drunken Spring Pavilion again? Drag him over here. I'll discipline that hopeless wretch on Lin Yuanguang's behalf!"
"Elder Yu."
Lin Nan's mouth twitched. He knew that the man before him had been one of Uncle Lin's few close friends back in the day. But Uncle Lin had been dead for years, and Lin Nan's former self had indeed been a disappointment, so they'd gradually grown distant.
"I have already broken through into the Blood-Qi Realm. I've come to apply for registration as an inner disciple."
"Broken through into the Blood-Qi Realm? You?"
Elder Yu's eyelids lifted slightly. Only then did he notice the fair-skinned young man standing before him. It was Lin Yuanguang's adopted son.
His face was full of suspicion.
"Show me."
"Yes!"
Lin Nan took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and walked over to the Strength-Testing Stone.
The Strength-Testing Stone could gauge a disciple's cultivation by having them strike it with force and measuring the circulation of their qi and blood.
Whoosh!
All at once, wisps of white vapor poured from the pores across his body.
A surge of warm qi and blood rose from his dantian and raced up through his meridians, flooding into his right arm and gathering in his fist in an instant.
Bang!
Lin Nan abruptly swung a punch, striking the center of the Strength-Testing Stone squarely. The patterns on its surface lit up and climbed higher and higher, finally stopping at the mark for the first level of the Blood-Qi Realm.
He really was at the first Blood-Qi level?!
Elder Yu was startled. After a moment of silence, he could only shake his head inwardly, feeling it was a shame.
The boy really did have some talent. Too bad he was a little old.
Age mattered greatly when advancing to become a martial artist. An ordinary person's qi and blood began to decline after thirty. If they advanced too late, they would most likely never progress beyond the Blood-Qi Realm.
"Take your token."
Elder Yu reached out and took a brand-new iron token from somewhere, then casually handed it over.
Lin Nan took it. The token was cool to the touch, carved with a white snake pattern and the words "Inner Disciple."
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