Qi-Blood

Biodata

Power Progression

Properties

Qi-Blood is the fundamental resource consumed by martial arts practice, realm breakthroughs, and empowered combat techniques. It circulates from the dantian through the meridians into the limbs and bones, where it reinforces a practitioner's body and attacks. 2 5 7

• Insufficient Qi-Blood slows cultivation and can leave practitioners unable to advance. 1
• Complete depletion causes severe weakness and collapse; after his first breakthrough, Lu Hao was reduced to 0/10 Qi-Blood and required immediate replenishment. 2 3
• Adequate recovery allows sustained training, rapid physical recovery, and repeated practice of martial techniques. 3 5
• Qi-Blood can be consciously guided rather than merely driven through muscular exertion, substantially increasing the force of martial attacks. 5
• Qi-Blood depletion remains a serious combat limitation even for stronger practitioners; after two major fights, Lu Hao had only 5/30 remaining. 19

Cultivation Rules

• A Gate-Breaking practitioner has three attempts to achieve a breakthrough; exhausting all attempts blocks further progress on the martial path. 1
• Forcing a breakthrough before reaching the proper threshold can fail, severely deplete Qi-Blood, and damage one's foundation. 13
• The Black Tiger Method lets its equipped user break through automatically once the required Qi-Blood and cultivation conditions are met, bypassing normal bottlenecks. 2
• Higher realms require increasingly greater Qi-Blood reserves: Lu Hao's daily training needs rose from two chickens and offal to three chickens and two packets of offal after his proficiency improved. 13

Replenishment Sources

Combat Applications

Physical Reinforcement

Qi-Blood can be circulated through the body to increase durability and resistance to attacks.

• Lu Hao endured repeated hand-blade strikes from Liu Zimu by circulating all nine strands through his body. 18
• His Grand Mastery Black Tiger Stance Art and nine strands of Qi-Blood allowed him to remain standing despite blows that normally incapacitated Martial Apprentices of the same realm. 18
• Recovering Qi-Blood through the Equipment Slot rapidly healed Lu Hao's shoulder wound after his fight with Dou Biao. 8

Offensive Empowerment

Practitioners can concentrate Qi-Blood into their limbs to amplify martial techniques.

• Lu Hao channeled all three strands into his fists to disarm and kill Dou Biao, a Second-Layer Gate-Breaking Martial Apprentice. 7
• Shi Kang poured his single strand into Black Tiger Sweeps Its Tail while fighting Cai Kun. 16
• Lu Hao concentrated all nine strands into Black Tiger Plucks the Heart to decisively injure Liu Zimu. 18

Known Practitioners

• Lu Hao — Progressed from unawakened Qi-Blood to the Third Gate-Knocking Realm through the Black Tiger Method, intensive training, and repeated replenishment. 2 5 13
• Shi Kang — Awakened one strand of Qi-Blood after consuming ten jin of beef, becoming a First Gate-Breaking Martial Apprentice. 13
• Qian Hao — Possessed three strands at the Second-Layer Gate-Breaking Realm, but failed when attempting to force a breakthrough to nine strands. 13 16
• Liu Zimu — Wielded nine strands of Qi-Blood as a Third Gate-Knocking Martial Apprentice. 16 18
• Zhou Zhenbei — A Lower Bright Force Martial Artist who has condensed Qi-Blood into Blood Essence. 19