Blood Qi and Realms

The next day, at the training ground.

Fang Han felt that his punching practice had become noticeably less efficient than before.

The main reason was that he had run out of Solomon's Seal and Blood-Qi Pills.

To maintain the intensity of at least eighty rounds of punching every day, Blood-Qi Pills are indispensable.

Fortunately, after dealing with Zhou Dabao, he had gained thirty-three taels of loose silver. After deducting his scattered expenses over the past few days, he still had plenty on hand.

Buying more Blood-Qi Pills won't be a problem at all.

Having made up his mind, Fang Han no longer hesitated.

After lunch.

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he quickly spotted Wei Zixiong standing beneath an old locust tree, speaking with someone.

"Senior Brother Wei, may I have a word with you?"

Wei Zixiong turned around. Seeing Fang Han, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.

"Does Junior Brother Fang need something?"

"Yes. I want to buy a few more Blood-Qi Pills."

Wei Zixiong's eyes lit up slightly. He promptly pulled Fang Han a few steps aside and asked with a smile, "How many?"

"Three."

As he spoke, Fang Han took a tael of loose silver from his robes and handed it over.

Wei Zixiong accepted the silver, his face immediately breaking into a broad smile. "Junior Brother Fang, you're straightforward! Same old rule: I'll have them in your hands before the hall closes this afternoon."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Wei." Fang Han nodded slightly and turned to leave.

The moment he returned to the training ground, he ran into Lin Rou.

Lin Rou wore a plain white training outfit today, her black hair tied high and revealing a clear, refined face.

"Fang Han," Lin Rou called out, her voice cool.

Fang Han stopped and cupped his fists in greeting. "Senior Sister Lin."

Lin Rou walked up to him. Her sharp gaze examined him from head to toe, her tone grave.

"I just heard that you wanted to buy Blood-Qi Pills from Wei Zixiong?"

Fang Han was slightly taken aback. "Yes."

Disappointment filled Lin Rou's eyes. She took a deep breath, her voice turning stern. "Before you have tempered your Blood Qi, it is best not to use things like Blood-Qi Pills too often."

"Do you know that while such medicine can boost Blood Qi in the short term, it can easily force premature growth and exhaust your potential in advance?

Once your foundation becomes unstable, it will be incredibly difficult to gather Blood Qi and break through to the next realm in the future.

How many people have chased temporary gains, only to end up with depleted Blood Qi and their martial path cut off? Do you understand?"

Fang Han opened his mouth, wanting to explain.

He bought Blood-Qi Pills only because his body was being depleted too heavily and needed external replenishment. That was all.

But when he saw the disappointment in Lin Rou's eyes, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

What was there to explain?

He and Lin Rou were neither family nor friends. They were merely an ordinary senior sister and a newly admitted trainee in the martial hall.

As for what she thought of him, he would not take it to heart.

Fang Han lowered his gaze and said blandly, "Thank you, Senior Sister Lin. Fang Han will remember that."

Seeing his indifferent manner, Lin Rou became even more disappointed, and even felt a trace of disgust.

She had originally thought that although Fang Han's natural talent was poor, his comprehension was at least exceptional. If he worked hard enough, he might still accomplish something.

But now, it seemed that he was nothing more than someone greedy for shortcuts, unable to tell what truly mattered.

"Take care of yourself."

Lin Rou coldly tossed out those words before turning and leaving.

Fang Han watched her depart, his expression calm.

That afternoon, at the front of the training ground.

"Today, we will not discuss fist techniques or moves."

Huo Zheng's gaze swept over the gathered crowd, his voice low and powerful. "I will explain the realms of martial arts."

At those words, the trainees all pricked up their ears and instinctively focused.

The realms of martial arts were a topic no one who stepped onto the martial path could avoid, and the foundation that determined how far they could go in the future.

Huo Zheng stood with his hands behind his back and slowly began to speak.

"The martial path progresses from shallow to deep, from low to high. The Body Tempering Third Layer forms the foundation, and its three stages are Skin Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Sinew Tempering."

His voice was unhurried, every word entering the ears of the crowd with perfect clarity.

"Skin Tempering is the tempering of the skin across the entire body, making it as tough as leather and difficult to wound with blades or swords.

Once it reaches Major Accomplishment, Blood Qi will fill the space beneath the skin. Ordinary punches and kicks striking it

will be like hitting cowhide. Their force will be dissipated layer by layer, making it difficult to injure what lies within."

"Bone Tempering is the tempering of the bones throughout the body, making them as hard as iron and impossible to break.

A person's bones support the entire body. If the bones are not strong, it is like a house without beams or pillars; no matter how much strength one has, it cannot be brought to bear.

When Bone Tempering achieves results, a single punch will make the joints ring like clashing metal and stone, clear and sharp."

"Sinew Tempering is the tempering of the tendons throughout the body, making them supple as bowstrings and able to stretch and contract freely.

Sinews are the root of strength. Long sinews bring great power, while tough sinews bring enduring force.

When Sinew Tempering achieves results, the tendons will tighten with every movement, like a fully drawn bowstring.

Once released, the force will be as overwhelming as mountains and seas, irresistible."

Huo Zheng paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

"These three stages have no fixed order. They may be cultivated step by step, or trained simultaneously.

However, in the end, only the union of all three can bring Perfection.

Only when skin, bones, and sinews become one can you be considered to have truly crossed the threshold of martial arts. Before that, you are all outsiders."

A trainee could not help raising his hand and asking, "Senior Brother Huo, how can one temper the sinews, bones, and skin?"

Huo Zheng's expression remained calm as he answered evenly:

"Once the Gale-Breaking Fist reaches Major Accomplishment, you may try to gather Blood Qi.

Blood Qi is the source power of a Martial Artist, like oil in a lamp or charcoal in a furnace.

When you gather your initial Blood Qi, your force will increase substantially.

As more and more Blood Qi is gathered, your force will rise accordingly.

The more abundant one's Blood Qi, the stronger the Martial Artist."

Standing among the crowd, Fang Han listened with rapt attention, and his mind suddenly cleared.

According to Senior Brother Huo, one could attempt to gather Blood Qi after the Gale-Breaking Fist reached Major Accomplishment.

The reason he could now strike with more than six hundred jin of force was precisely because those two wisps of Blood Qi had been secretly empowering him.

If he trained the Gale-Breaking Fist to Major Accomplishment and then gathered even more Blood Qi...

Another trainee asked, "Senior Brother Huo, may I ask how one can gather Blood Qi?"

Huo Zheng glanced at the trainee, his tone still calm:

"The better one's natural talent, the easier it is to gather Blood Qi. Beyond that, taking various nourishing medicinal herbs every day also gives one a ten to twenty percent chance of gathering Blood Qi. However..."

His tone shifted, growing somewhat colder. "Medicinal herbs are ultimately external aids. Their effects vary from person to person, and they rely entirely on luck. Some people gain nothing from taking them, so do not force the matter."

Upon hearing this, the doubts that had lingered in Fang Han's heart for so long immediately vanished.

After gathering two wisps of Blood Qi, he had seen no further progress.

So gathering Blood Qi depended entirely on luck...

"For every ten wisps of Blood Qi you gather, you may attempt to temper any one of the three stages.

In other words, to bring the Body Tempering Third Layer to Perfection, you must gather at least thirty wisps of Blood Qi.

This is the foundation of all foundations. If your foundation is unstable, you will find it difficult to take even a single step forward in the future."

His gaze became distant, as though looking toward realms far beyond.

"After the Body Tempering Third Layer reaches Perfection comes Manifest Force.

At that time.

The power of Blood Qi within the body can be transformed into Internal Force and released. Force can pass through the body, and killing or wounding others becomes effortless.

Only upon reaching this step can one truly be considered a Martial Artist and cast off the body of an ordinary person."

The trainees' hearts surged with excitement, their eyes filled with longing.

Fang Han stood amid the crowd, his expression calm and his heart utterly unmoved.