Chapter 232: Chapter 171: Acupoint Passage Realm! Vital Energy Throughout the Body, Hundred Acupoints Gathering Spirit!
「Chu Family.」
On the training ground, two figures, like high-speed fighter jets, fiercely clashed.
Jiang Shu, with a wooden saber in hand, performed the thirteen basic saber techniques. In his grasp, they became as mighty as mountains and forests, as chilling as frost and fog, and as fierce as fire and lightning, transcending the ordinary into the sacred.
Ever since studying the "Vermilion Palace Thunder Technique - Acupoint Refining Chapter," his technique had become even more majestic and unrestrained, immeasurably powerful. As his limbs and bones moved, he manifested a dignified and luminous presence, akin to a Vajra descending into the world.
"Brother Jiang’s Realm truly becomes more profound and inscrutable by the day. I fear that in a few more months, you will officially step into the Acupoint Passage Realm. No wonder you care so little about your ranking on the Little Dragon Tiger List," Chu Xisheng stated loudly. His wooden spear danced, True Energy condensing around him, resembling an ancient behemoth stomping and roaring.
The air in the training ground grew still, as if a supreme pressure had descended.
With guidance from his family elders, his spear technique had advanced further. His Essence Blood condensed, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surged towards him, bringing his Realm ever closer to the Acupoint Passage Realm.
"Congratulations to Brother Chu for reaching the Drawing Qi stage," Jiang Shu said, his eyes focused. With a twist of his body and a step forward, he unleashed the Five Elements Saber Technique – Kirin.
After achieving Break Limit with the "Four Seasons Blade Technique," Jiang Shu had renamed it the Five Elements Saber Technique, using Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Kirin as metaphors for its aspects.
This saber strike possessed the majesty of the Great Dao itself, akin to an emperor’s inspection tour, imbued with an aura of command without anger.
It was the true Holy King’s Blade.
In that instant, the roar of the behemoth grew increasingly faint. The converged Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi seemed to find an outlet, dispersing outward.
BANG!
On the field, the wooden spear, under the explosive force of True Energy, shattered into splinters. Jiang Shu lowered his saber and stood before the astonished Chu Xisheng.
I really don’t know how you’ve been cultivating...
After a long moment, Chu Xisheng murmured. Over the past few months, he hadn’t stopped cultivating, and his ranking on the Little Dragon Tiger List had leaped from twenty-third to twelfth.
He had thought that after solidifying his Realm this time, he would at least be able to match Jiang Shu.
Yet, he hadn’t expected the gap between them to widen even further.
"Given your Realm, you must be close to the Gathering Qi stage, right?" Letting go of the wooden splinters, Chu Xisheng’s words carried a tinge of envy.
Advancing from the Blood Exchange Realm to the Acupoint Passage Realm wasn’t like cultivating the previous Four Realms. This was a transition from Body Refinement to Qi Refinement; naturally, it could not be achieved overnight.
To be specific, to reach the Acupoint Passage Realm, a Martial Artist at the Blood Exchange Realm needs to go through three stages: Feeling Qi, Drawing Qi, and Gathering Qi.
"You probably wouldn’t even need that set of Treasures to reach the top three of the Little Dragon Tiger List. This time, the Danxia Chamber of Commerce really found a gem in you. You have no idea how the other two chambers of commerce in the State City are constantly courting geniuses, all fantasizing about finding another you.
"This is even when they don’t know your true strength, all mistakenly believing you slew Zhao Zhongming by relying on the power of a Treasure. But in fact, if the two of you were to fight a life-and-death battle again now, you could likely slaughter Zhao Zhongming even with just a wooden saber," Chu Xisheng said, shaking his head.
Feeling Qi is to sense the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.
Drawing Qi is to draw in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.
Gathering Qi is when Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi combines with the innate qi generated by the vital organs, opening up acupoints to officially step into the Acupoint Passage Realm.
"Still a bit short," Jiang Shu smiled, not revealing the truth as the wooden saber in his hand turned to dust.
Over the past half-month, his understanding of the "Vermilion Palace Thunder Technique - Acupoint Refining Chapter" had deepened. He could have reached the Gathering Qi stage long ago. It was only that his "Dream Sleep Elixir" was still merely at the Perfection stage, and he was considering grinding it until it achieved Break Limit.
The Acupoint Passage Realm entails opening all three hundred and sixty-five acupoints in the body, enabling each to store Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.
The more acupoints one opens during their first breakthrough, the greater the Martial Artist’s Martial Arts Talent will be, allowing for faster and further advancement within this Realm.
He had already pushed the Body Refinement Martial Arts of the Da Jing Dynasty to their absolute limits.
Now, all that remained was to see what surprises the "Dream Sleep Elixir" could bring him.
Regardless, Liang Yuanzhou hadn’t yet broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm, so he still had time to try.
Who knows how much your ’still a bit short’ really means... Chu Xisheng grumbled, looking at Jiang Shu. "Alright, enough about this, let’s go for a drink. And you, of all things, learning the Vermilion Palace Thunder Technique! I think Water Filth Thunder would have been perfectly fine. If you had learned Water Filth Thunder, I would have even picked out a top courtesan from the Palace of Cloudy Tresses for you. That would have made your coming to spar with me truly worthwhile."
"Actually, if you’re not in a hurry, you could stay a while longer in the State City. You’ve only been here for a few months and haven’t even looked around, yet you plan to go to the Royal City. Cultivation is certainly important, but the scenery along the way should also be appreciated. Look at me, for example. Cultivating in the State City would be faster, yet I went to the County City to gain experience."
"The path of Martial Arts requires both tension and relaxation. It wouldn’t hurt to loosen up a bit."
"As for the Hundred Dynasties War you asked about, there’s really no need to rush. Anyone under thirty-five can participate. We definitely won’t make it to this one. Advancing from the Blood Exchange Realm to Body Transcendence in just one year is incredibly difficult."
The Chu family’s banquet was exceptionally lavish.
As Chu Xisheng drank more, he talked more. To satisfy Jiang Shu’s curiosity, he once again recounted what he knew about the prominent families in Yunzhou’s State City: their political landscapes, industrial diversification, the systems governing their disciples, and the responsibilities that came with being recognized as a genius.
「Several days later.」
Jiang Shu boarded a great ship and left the State City.
However, no one knew what transpired not long after the great ship set sail...