CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: HUNYUAN BODY REFINEMENT

He placed his hand lightly on the colorful string on his wrist, and strands of colorful energy flowed from his wrist into his limbs and body.

Qi Xiu’s complexion began to grow more ruddy. Sitting silently there, anyone who saw him would sense a vibrant vitality emanating from him.

"With ancient blood as guidance, condense the Dao Seed in the heart, bask in the Gang Qi of Heaven, and step through the gateway to the Dao! This is: Ancient Gathering of Celestial Strength!"

Feeling the Hunyuan Power cleansing his body, Qi Xiu exhaled breaths of pale grey air, shaking his head with a light chuckle. Who could imagine that the so-called Ancient Gathering of Celestial Strength was neither a place nor the name of an object or Secret Technique? This chasm, which had hindered countless martial artists and thaumaturgists, was, at its core, a physiological bottleneck.

To cross the gateway to the Dao, one needed to condense the Dao Seed from True Cultivation Power’s Inner Qi or the Mana of Heart Scriptures, and bathe it in the Gang Qi of Heaven. Catalyze the divine marvel of ancient blood, infuse it into the Dao Seed, and then let this "seed" sprout.

The prerequisite for receiving the baptism of Heavenly Gang Qi was the possession of ancient blood. This bloodline, originating from ancient divine marvels, had been passed down through the ages. It was strictly controlled by prominent families and major sects. This was the most critical link in the monopoly over the path to the Initiate Realm.

Without ancient blood, ordinary people simply could not endure the baptism of Gang Qi. For them, attempting to enter the Initiate Realm meant death. Unable to enter the Initiate Realm, they would be incapable of further increasing their strength due to this physiological bottleneck.

That was why Song Tingye was willing to provide him with the Secret Technique for the Initiate Realm bottleneck only if Qi Xiu married into their family. Only by marrying in could their family arrange for Qi Xiu to receive ancient blood. Otherwise, even with the Secret Technique for the bottleneck, it would be just a useless piece of paper.

Ancient blood, fundamentally, is the bloodline left behind by great experts from a higher plane of existence. And my Hunyuan Power possesses the characteristic of returning to simplicity, of unifying the Ten Thousand Laws. By refining the body with Hunyuan, I can continuously purify my bloodline, transforming my own blood into ancient blood.

Qi Xiu’s eyes, bright and focused, were deep in thought. This was the core of the Hunyuan Dragon and Tiger Scripture Mystery.

However, this True Scripture was currently incomplete, preventing him from directly employing this Dharma Gate to generate Hunyuan within his body and refine his physique. He could only slowly extract a portion of Hunyuan through external means, relying on the method of the dragon and tiger battling, of Yin and Yang clashing. And then, use this Hunyuan Power to enhance his bloodline. This involved several additional steps, making this method of refining the body slower and more dangerous.

After all, the struggle between the dragon and tiger was essentially a battle between his two internal forces. If they were evenly matched, there was no harm. But if one side were defeated, the resulting imbalance of Yin and Yang would trigger a massive backlash, instantly plunging Qi Xiu into a state of eternal damnation.

With every gain, there is a loss. Although the Hunyuan Dragon and Tiger Scripture Mystery can help me overcome the bottleneck to the Initiate Realm, the concept behind this Cultivation Technique is too profound. Without enough substance to support it, it can never be fully employed.

Glancing at the colorful string on his wrist, now only a third of its original thickness, Qi Xiu stopped using this Hunyuan Power to refine his body. He currently couldn’t generate Hunyuan at will, so he had to always keep some in reserve for unforeseen needs.

I need to acquire more Pure Yang True Cultivation Powers and Tai Yin Heart Scriptures. Now that I have the protection of Hunyuan Power, I can learn anything extremely fast. As long as I have enough True Cultivation Powers and Heart Scriptures, I can perfect the Hunyuan Dragon and Tiger Scripture Mystery. At that point, I won’t be far from the Initiate Realm.

As he thought about Heart Scriptures and True Cultivation Powers, the image of Song Tingye came to mind.

Marrying into their family was out of the question for him right now. With the Hunyuan Dragon and Tiger Scripture Mystery in hand, given time, he himself might establish a sect and become an ancestor. How could he possibly demean himself by marrying in and becoming an inferior son-in-law?

However, from the current look of things, the one making the decisions isn’t this County Magistrate, but rather his sister, an Initiate Realm cultivator. This woman has a perverse temperament and erratic emotions. She’s utterly inscrutable.

Rising to his feet, Qi Xiu shook off the dust and dead leaves from his long robe, about to leap down from the precipice and return to the county town.

On the distant official road, a plume of yellow dust, like a rampaging earth dragon, caught his attention.

That is...

With a light tap of his foot, Qi Xiu took a step forward; his figure moved like a phantom, swiftly approaching the official road.

「One hundred and fifty li outside Baoho County.」

On the broad and lengthy official road, tens of thousands of commoners, dragging their families and carrying their belongings in bags and bundles, trudged along this main road. The long column of people stretched for over ten li. These commoners had sallow complexions and listless expressions. They hadn’t gone far before more than a dozen of them had already collapsed.

Refugees? Has disaster struck somewhere?

His gaze shifting subtly, Qi Xiu retrieved the Hundred Faces Mask from his Flood Dragon Pool. He changed his appearance to that of a farmer in his thirties and walked towards the seemingly endless column of refugees.

"Brother, where are you all coming from?" Finding a sallow-faced man of about forty who looked honest, Qi Xiu greeted him.

"We’re from Dongli County. Disaster struck our homes; we had no choice but to flee for our lives." The sallow-faced man looked up. Seeing Qi Xiu also appeared to be a farmer, he sighed and replied in a subdued voice.

"So many people fleeing? Where are you all headed?"

"That’s right. A Demon calling himself King Jincai came to our Dongli County. He demanded one hundred living people to eat every day. In just half a month, all the towns and villages around the county seat have been ravaged by him. Recently, that Demon increased the number to two hundred people a day. Realizing we’d eventually be eaten, we fled. After all, starving to death on the road is better than being eaten by that Demon, isn’t it?"

His expression glum, the sallow-faced man reached out and stroked his daughter’s face beside him.

"Such a ferocious Demon, and no one is doing anything about it?"

"There was. We had a new County Magistrate who came, an excellent man. But that Demon had a strange green sack. With one sweep, it captured the County Magistrate and all his men inside. I reckon they’ve all ended up in that Demon’s stomach by now."

As he said this, the sallow-faced man looked regretful. We’d finally gotten a kind and benevolent County Magistrate who cared for the people, but he was eaten by that Demon before we’d even had a few days of peace. It truly seems the heavens can’t bear to see ordinary folk have it good, ah!

Watching the sallow-faced man struggle onward with his family, Qi Xiu stood rooted to the spot, his expression complex.

If Yuan Baiyi’s West Wind Army hadn’t arrived in time, at least half the population of Baoho County would have perished. Baoho County’s luck was only slightly better than Dongli County’s; they had narrowly escaped several disasters. But how long could this peace last? No one could say. In these chaotic times, it’s always the common people who suffer the most...

「Inside the county seat.」

In the Song Residence, Song Tingye, racking his brains for a roundabout way to get Jia Yufei to leave, approached with a plate of fine lychees, his expression gentle.

"Elder Sister, I’m overwhelmed with matters every day, so I can’t keep you company. Why don’t you head home for now? You can come back once I’m past this busy spell."

Jia Yufei picked up a lychee, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth, "What, are you trying to shoo me away?"

"That’s not it. You’re my elder sister; how could I do such a thing? It’s just..."

"Young Master! Something’s happened!"

Just as Song Tingye was smiling and trying to explain, a rough shout nearly made him spill the lychees all over Jia Yufei.

Suppressing his anger, Song Tingye turned his head and growled at Sun Yueting, "If you startle me like that again, I’ll thrash you!"

"Young Master, there’s a letter from home." Seemingly unworried that Song Tingye would actually punish him, Sun Yueting handed over a letter.

It was an entirely crimson letter.

A blood letter?

His expression turned serious. Song Tingye immediately dropped the lychees and snatched the crimson letter. Jia Yufei also came over when she heard this.

A blood letter. Such letters were only sent for the most urgent matters. Its appearance signified an emergency directive from the family.

Tearing open the envelope, Song Tingye unfolded the paper. A line of writing met the siblings’ eyes.

"Xingshan captured by Demons in Dongli. Rescue immediately!"