The gathering

Dragon Spring Martial Arts Hall.

Hongyu hesitated over how to tell Li Xian about the predicament and danger he faced.

After agonizing for several days, she still felt it would not be too late to discuss it with her master, Zhou Juechen, when he returned, before speaking to Li Xian in detail.

Dingfeng Marquis had gone to the royal capital. With the Marquis's Residence leaderless, they presumably would not take any concrete action in the short term.

She could also use this time to observe Li Xian's progress carefully.

If he could keep improving at this rate...

A martial genius with a chance of leaping the Dragon Gate should already be worth a gamble by her master, and even the entire Zhou Family.

With this thought in mind, Hongyu first went into the courtyard to check on Li Xian's cultivation.

Only to discover...

Unlike before, when she would invariably find Li Xian tempering his muscles and bones upon entering the inner courtyard, this time he was not practicing his boxing.

Instead, he held a stance, standing silently and motionless.

Yet his entire body was flushed red, and even the surface of his exposed skin faintly glowed with the color of blood.

Visible steam rose slowly above his head, as though he were gripped from within by some intense heat, flushed by a high fever.

This state...

"You're undergoing blood exchange and marrow washing?!"

Hongyu's eyes flew wide, and she cried out involuntarily.

Immediately afterward, she clapped a hand over her mouth.

Every session of blood exchange and Marrow Cleansing was crucial and permitted no disturbance. The slightest mistake could cause irreversible consequences and hidden problems, damaging one's foundations and leaving one mired in the Marrow Cleansing stage for the rest of one's life, unable to advance.

Fortunately, Li Xian seemed to have only just begun Marrow Cleansing.

Her cry did not disrupt his blood exchange and marrow washing.

The vapor steaming above his head and the bloody flush continually surfacing on his skin gradually subsided as he completed a full cycle of Marrow Cleansing.

Only after a full cup of tea's worth of time did Li Xian finish cultivating and open his eyes again.

Seeing that Li Xian was unharmed, Hongyu let out a small breath of relief.

But immediately afterward, she could not wait to ask, "You've achieved Viscera Great Accomplishment?"

"Yes. I achieved Viscera Great Accomplishment two days ago. After studying how it affected my body, I tried circulating my trained force today to drive Marrow Cleansing and blood exchange."

Li Xian answered.

"You... you've already achieved Viscera Great Accomplishment?"

Hongyu seemed not to have heard the latter half of his reply. She looked utterly dazed. "I thought you would need at least several more months of hard cultivation..."

"Completing internal organ refinement within these few days was part of my cultivation plan. There wasn't much deviation."

Li Xian spoke calmly, then added with some feeling, "Compared with internal organ refinement... blood and qi are the foundation of strength. Marrow Cleansing and blood exchange truly aren't easy."

This was a realm he had never reached even in his previous life.

Of course, embracing qi and forming a core was, to a certain extent, equivalent to primordial unity, with an Impervious Body.

This process not only nourished the internal organs but also strengthened blood and qi.

However, it happened passively, relying on daily accumulation to gradually transform the blood and qi throughout the body.

Now, using methods of exerting force and breathing to circulate vital essence and actively undergo Blood Exchange and Marrow Washing was an unprecedented first for him.

He had to proceed with utmost care at every step.

Fortunately...

With his [One Proof, Eternal Proof] talent, once he completed one round of blood exchange and marrow washing, he could precisely grasp that sensation of "circulating force to move blood." By advancing steadily, completing blood exchange and marrow washing would ultimately be only a matter of time.

Hongyu remained dazed for quite a while. Still, she had been somewhat mentally prepared.

Although Li Xian had achieved Viscera Great Accomplishment several months sooner than she had expected, after a moment of distraction, she recovered from the blow dealt by this immense gulf between mediocrity and genius.

Hearing Li Xian lament the difficulty of blood exchange made her feel slightly better. "You've achieved Viscera Great Accomplishment, after all. If you could breeze through blood exchange and marrow washing in a few months as well, genius would no longer be enough to describe your talent. You'd be a monster!"

She glanced at Li Xian. "Who in this world doesn't approach internal organ refinement with the utmost caution, advancing step by step? Spending eight or ten years on it is perfectly normal! If even internal organ refinement is like that, what more of blood exchange and marrow washing, which requires an even deeper mastery of force?"

Li Xian nodded.

"With Viscera Great Accomplishment, you can make a name for yourself in the martial world. In a county town, you'd belong to the handful at the very top. Once you complete blood exchange and marrow washing, your martial arts will enter an entirely new world. Even across a prefecture with a million inhabitants, you would stand at the pinnacle..."

Hongyu spoke with a somewhat complicated expression.

Viscera Great Accomplishment, huh.

She would probably need another year or two of arduous training just to attain minor accomplishment in internal organ refinement.

Li Xian, on the other hand? How long had he even been practicing martial arts? Yet he had already achieved Viscera Great Accomplishment!

And he was already beginning blood exchange and marrow washing!

Such progress was simply beyond belief.

"Lijiang is Jiangzhou's prefectural capital. Blood exchange and marrow washing hardly qualifies as the pinnacle there."

Li Xian remained calm.

"In the martial world, internal organ refinement is called third-rate, blood exchange and marrow washing is called second-rate, and those who attain a Heavenly Cycle Without Leak are considered first-rate experts. The clearest distinction between these three realms is their respective influence: internal organ refinement lets you range unhindered across a county, blood exchange and marrow washing spreads your name throughout a prefecture, and an Impervious Body lets your might shake a province."

Hongyu looked at Li Xian. "Although Lijiang is Jiangzhou's prefectural capital, a land that nurtures outstanding people, its first-rate experts with a Heavenly Cycle Without Leak can still be counted on two hands. And every move these respected veterans of the martial world make carries enormous implications. They rarely act unless something major happens. In everyday affairs, martial masters at the blood exchange and marrow washing realm hold the highest standing."

"An Impervious Body."

This realm did not involve a transformation of the physique. It leaned more toward comprehension of the realm, through which one regulated the body's condition.

Those with insufficient comprehension could remain stuck for a lifetime, unable to advance an inch.

Yet gifted martial artists could instantly grasp the key to an Impervious Body and ascend to the first rank.

This was the dividing line between mediocrity and genius among the nine martial realms.

Having achieved Embracing Qi and Forming a Core, Li Xian had already comprehended primordial unity.

All he lacked for an Impervious Body was perfected vital essence.

Once he completed blood exchange and marrow washing and transformed his physique, he would naturally enter the realm of an Impervious Body, like water flowing into a channel.

Thus, his thoughts were focused instead on Blood and Qi Mastery, attaining spirit and qi as one, and refining the void into reality.

However, with his Marrow Cleansing incomplete and his blood and qi still weak, mastering Blood and Qi Mastery remained difficult even though he had achieved Embracing Qi and Forming a Core.

Let alone achieving Spirit and Qi as One, using the false to cultivate the true, and refining blood and qi into true qi.

"I'll keep my feet on the ground and complete blood exchange and marrow washing first, rather than reach for heights beyond my grasp."

Li Xian said.

The words "reach for heights beyond my grasp" made Hongyu cover her face.

She recalled how, a little over half a month ago, both she and her master, Zhou Juechen, had been speechless and inwardly critical of Li Xian's repeated claims that he had already mastered the theory of the first four realms.

Thinking back now...

He had simply been telling the truth.

How could the eyes of the mediocre understand the world of a genius?

Li Xian, who had already begun blood exchange and marrow washing, thought of something. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen Hall Master Zhou for a while."

If he could spar with Zhou Juechen, an expert in blood exchange and marrow washing, and gain a deep understanding of exactly how it differed from internal organ refinement, that would also significantly help him complete blood exchange and marrow washing quickly.

"Master went to Canglang Mountain half a month ago."

Hongyu said, "Not just Master. All the renowned experts in Jiangzhou have gathered on Canglang Mountain to attend the Sword Discussion Convention held under Sword Saint Guangyuanzi's leadership."

"A Sword Discussion Convention? A Sword Saint?"

Li Xian's interest stirred. "All the renowned experts in Jiangzhou went? Wouldn't that mean experts gathered like clouds?"

"Of course."

Hongyu nodded slightly. "Not just Jiangzhou. Experts from the neighboring provinces will also come upon hearing the news to attend the gathering. With Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate imminent, all the young experts hope to receive guidance from Sword Saint Guangyuan and make one final, desperate effort to leap over the Dragon Gate."

At this point, she seemed to notice Li Xian's interest as well. "Would you like to go, Young Master Li?"

"Is there still time?"

"The Sword Discussion Convention usually lasts anywhere from ten days to a month. Under special circumstances, it can be extended. Master went relatively early. Counting the days, the gathering should only have been underway for half a month. You can still make it if you leave now."

Hongyu looked at him. "All martial artists in Jiangzhou who practice internal organ refinement fall within the gathering's invitation criteria. You're so young, Young Master Li, yet you've achieved Viscera Great Accomplishment. Given time, you have a chance of Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate. Attending to gain experience and broaden your horizons couldn't be better. Besides, Master is there, so you'll have someone to look after you."

"You're not going?"

"Master only has one disciple, me. I have to stay and look after the Dragon Spring Martial Arts Hall. If I went, the hall would have to shut its doors after only two months in operation."

There was some regret in Hongyu's eyes as well.

Hearing this, Li Xian said nothing more.

He had always been a man of action.

Once he decided to go, he went.

After asking for Canglang Mountain's general location, he immediately bade Hongyu farewell, returned to his courtyard, packed clothes and silver, and headed straight out through the city gates.

He moved so efficiently that many of those secretly watching him lost track of him completely before they could react.

Since transmigrating, Li Xian had spent one month in the Marquis's Residence. After leaving it in the following month, his life had essentially followed a fixed route between two places, and he knew very little about the outside world.

Now that he was outside the city, there were still plenty of small towns, markets, and villages for the first dozen li or so. As he traveled farther, cooking smoke and campfires grew increasingly scarce.

Desolation filled everything he could see.

The official road beneath his feet gradually changed from a gravel path to one paved with rammed lime-earth aggregate.

With the recent clear skies, dust billowed as he walked along the road, making for a less than pleasant experience.

"Now I finally understand why ancient wandering heroes wore face coverings and bamboo hats."

Li Xian sighed.

To block the sun and keep out the dust.

Even he bought a cape and bamboo hat when he passed through a small market, to guard against dust and sun.

After traveling a hundred li that day, Li Xian found a small town where he could rest a little.

Early the next morning, he set off promptly and continued his journey.

Around noon, he seemed to catch sight of billowing dust as a party of six rode tall horses toward him at a gallop along the official road ahead.

The dust they kicked up along the way...

Made Li Xian step aside well in advance to avoid getting covered in it.

Fortunately, the riders paid no attention to a passerby they happened to encounter.

The six urged their horses onward and soon swept past Li Xian.

As the dozen or so people passed one another, Li Xian vaguely "saw" someone among them who looked familiar.

After a moment's thought...

The captain of the Dingfeng Marquis Estate's household guards? I think his name was Fang Xin?

He glanced back.

Just as he turned to look, a middle-aged man in his forties among the six sensed something with extraordinary keenness and turned straight toward Li Xian.

Their eyes immediately met in midair.

(End of chapter)