Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Soul Power, Bones and Muscles

“Master, have you broken through to the Xiantian realm?” Lu Qing asked joyfully.

“Not yet, I’ve only cultivated the power of the soul and spirit, and haven’t officially entered the Xiantian realm yet,” the old doctor replied.

Lu Qing wasn’t disappointed.

Soul power is the most crucial step in advancing from the Acquired Realm to the Xiantian realm.

Master was originally a half-step Xiantian, lacking only soul power.

Now that this crucial link has been completed, he’s only one step away from the Xiantian realm. The next breakthrough will be a natural progression, unimpeded.

“Then, Master, when can you officially advance to the Xiantian realm?”

“It will take a few days. Once I’ve cultivated my energy and spirit to optimal condition, I can begin to draw Qi into my body and take that final step,” the old doctor said.

“Master, didn’t you say it would take at least six months to achieve a breakthrough? How come it’s so early?” Lu Qing asked curiously.

“It was a stroke of luck,” the old doctor sighed. “The innate method you gave me was extremely exquisite. I happened to be studying the Medical Sage’s Qing Nang Medical Classic recently. The two methods have confirmed each other, and have deepened my understanding of the relationship between the human body’s essence and soul, allowing me to take this step ahead of time.”

Lu Qing was silent for a while.

He was not wrong. Master was indeed a genius in cultivation.

When he was young, he was able to deduce the exquisite and complete self-cultivation boxing such as Yang Shen Quan from an incomplete method.

Now, he can even gain insights from the medical classics and break through in advance.

You know, Master didn’t have any master in cultivation.

His master was just a folk doctor who was only proficient in boxing and kicking, not even a real martial artist.

It can be said that Master relied almost entirely on his own exploration in martial arts practice.

Yet, even so, he had now reached the point where he had forged his soul, remaining just a hair’s breadth away from the Xiantian realm.

While this was due to the opportunities he had provided, such as the Earth Vein Spirit Fluid, one had to admit that Master was truly gifted in cultivation.

Of course, Lu Qing knew that Master himself probably didn’t see it that way.

In his heart, he probably didn’t even consider himself a warrior, but merely a healer with some understanding of cultivation techniques.

However, Master’s imminent advancement to the Xiantian realm was a matter of great joy for Lu Qing.

He had saved Madam Wei and her son, and, along with Xiao Li, had slain Wang Qingshan and Tong Canglang, greatly offending the Tiancang Sect.

While the Tiancang Sect might not have discovered his actions, it was still a hidden danger.

Now that Master had finally achieved a breakthrough, his confidence was bolstered.

With this thought in mind, Lu Qing took out a jade slip.

“Master, congratulations on your breakthrough. I don’t have anything nice to offer you, so consider this inheritance jade slip as a gift.”

Lu Qing presented the jade slip to his master.

“Inheritance Jade Slip?” The old doctor looked at the jade slip curiously.

“Indeed, the so-called inheritance jade slip is a special jade slip that can only be crafted by those who have reached a certain level of innate spiritual power. This small

jade slip contains a wealth of information and encompasses everything. Generally, only warriors who have cultivated spiritual power can read the information within the inheritance jade slip. The innate method I gave Master was obtained from this jade slip.”

“Since the inheritance jade slip can only be read by those who possess spiritual power, then Ah Qing…” The old doctor was puzzled.

His disciple had not cultivated spiritual power.

“I had another fortuitous encounter in that cave and luckily obtained the entire inheritance within. However, it was only that one time. I cannot retrieve the information within this jade slip again. This jade slip is of no use to me anymore, so I can present it to you, Master.”

Lu Qing delivered his prepared explanation.

He knew that, given his Master’s personality, he would not question the nature of his fortuitous encounter.

As expected, the old doctor remained unconvinced.

According to Lu Qing, that cave was capable of producing such miraculous treasures as Earth Vein Spirit Fluid.

It was only natural that it was remarkable.

The old doctor took the jade slip and examined it closely. Of

course, any jade that could be crafted into a heritage jade slip couldn’t be ordinary jade.

Only the purest essence of jade could be made into a heritage jade slip.

Therefore, the appearance and quality of this jade slip were both exceptional. Even as a simple plaything, it was priceless.

However, the old doctor wasn’t interested in the appearance of the slip, but in the ancient patterns on it.

Those patterns evoked a unique charm.

After examining it for a while, the old doctor saw nothing profound.

His realm was still a bit low.

He couldn’t yet discern the patterns left by Li Weitian, a supremely powerful cultivator who had reached the perfection of the Innate Realm

. Following Lu Qing’s instructions, the old doctor placed the jade slip between his eyebrows and carefully probed into the slip with a strand of his newly cultivated spiritual power.

The power of the soul entered the jade slip smoothly.

The old doctor sensed several small balls of light in the jade slip and directed his soul power towards one of them.

The moment the soul power came into contact with the ball of light, a large amount of information began to surge into his mind.

Lu Qing watched his master attempt to read the inheritance jade slip and did not stop him.

Unless a soul restriction was set on the jade slip, simply reading the information within it was not dangerous.

Li Weitian had not set any restrictions when he created this inheritance jade slip. Anyone who cultivated the power of the soul could freely read the information within it.

The old doctor’s expression shifted as he read the jade slip’s information.

He was engrossed in the reading when he suddenly felt a dizziness. It was because he had reached the limit of his spiritual power.

After all, his spiritual power, newly cultivated, was still very weak and should not be overused.

As a last resort, the old doctor temporarily withdrew his mind from the jade slip.

“I didn’t expect that Senior Li Weitian’s fate would be so difficult.”

His first words after withdrawing his mind were a sigh.

He must have read Li Weitian’s last words within the jade slip.

“Master, have you heard of Senior Li Weitian?” Lu Qing asked.

“No,” the old doctor shook his head. “I’ve traveled extensively for so many years, and I’ve never heard of this senior.”

Lu Qing remained silent.

This answer didn’t surprise him.

According to his calculations, Li Weitian lived at least seven or eight hundred years ago.

With such a long time, dynasties could have collapsed several times.

It’s not surprising that no one remembered a powerful Xiantian realm master.

“Master, I’ll leave this inheritance jade slip with you. Once you officially enter the Xiantian realm, I’ll be able to practice the techniques within.”

The old doctor nodded, not offering any excuses.

At this point, the two of them, master and disciple, no longer needed to exchange pleasantries.

The bond between them surpassed all else.

“By the way, I need to retreat for three days to regulate my energy and spirit. After three days, I’ll formally draw the energy into my body and attempt a breakthrough. Remember to come,” the old doctor said.

“Three days later?” Lu Qing was pleasantly surprised. “Disciple will definitely come to protect Master!”

Witnessing a breakthrough to the Xiantian realm firsthand was a huge benefit for Lu Qing.

“What protection? Is there anyone out there who would harm your master?” the old doctor laughed.

“That’s true. I’m just being unlucky,” Lu Qing said quickly.

“Alright, I see your Qi and blood are flowing smoothly, your muscles and bones are full, and your gait is resilient. I imagine you’re not far from the Minor Success realm, are you?” the old doctor said.

“Master, your gaze is sharp,” Lu Qing said. “I came here today to ask for a few days off to focus on my breakthrough, but I didn’t expect to hear the great news of your breakthrough.”

“Your cultivation speed is truly astonishing! Even those renowned martial arts prodigies in the prefecture wouldn’t be as fast as you,” the old doctor exclaimed.

His disciple had just recently broken through to the Muscle and Bone realm, and it hadn’t been long before he was already on the verge of reaching the Minor Success realm.

However, he also knew that Lu Qing’s aptitude had greatly improved after consuming the Earth Vein Spirit Fluid. In terms of true martial arts talent, he was probably no less gifted than those peerless prodigies.

“Master is going into seclusion for three days, and I’m just about to enter the Minor Success Stage of the Bones and Muscles Realm. It’s just the right time,” Lu Qing said with a smile.

…

Descending from the courtyard halfway up the mountain, Lu Qing was still in high spirits

. Master’s early breakthrough was a pleasant surprise to him.

Once he officially entered the Xiantian Realm, coupled with the legacy left by Li Weitian, a master of the Xiantian Realm

, with Master’s talent, he would surely quickly become a powerful Xiantian Realm expert.

By then, his support would be even more secure.

Feeling elated, Lu Qing returned home.

Inside, Xiaoyan and Xiaoli were playing Gomoku again.

The two little ones seemed to never tire of this game, playing multiple games every day.

Furthermore, both were fiercely competitive, remembering their wins and losses vividly.

Thanks to this, they had also learned to count with astonishing speed.

By now, both of them could count past a thousand, saving Lu Qing a lot of trouble.

Lu Qing had originally considered getting the little ones a game of Beast Fighting Chess for a change of pace.

But seeing they couldn’t even get tired of Gomoku, he didn’t bother.

Seeing the two little ones engrossed in their play, Lu Qing didn’t bother them.

With a word, he grabbed his sword and headed for the bamboo forest in the back mountain.

For the next few days, Lu Qing devoted himself to his training.

Then, on the morning of the third day, he successfully achieved a breakthrough to the Minor Success stage of the Bones and Muscles Realm.

In the bamboo forest, Lu Qing was practicing boxing.

It wasn’t a health-preserving boxing technique. Rather,

it was a Qi and Blood Realm boxing and kicking technique he’d found in his master’s study.

A while ago, after achieving a meticulous and nuanced level of both hardness and softness in his swordsmanship, Lu Qing had reached a bottleneck in his swordsmanship, unable to advance any further.

With nothing else to do, Lu Qing gathered all the other martial arts manuals from his master’s collection.

Including the two Muscle and Bones Realm stick and sword techniques he hadn’t chosen initially.

The old doctor knew Lu Qing’s martial arts talent far surpassed that of ordinary people, and he learned everything quickly.

Furthermore, given Lu Qing’s personality, he wouldn’t confuse the primary with the secondary, so he

allowed him to take all the secret manuals. After receiving the manuals, Lu Qing used his supernatural powers to learn all the martial arts.

With his current mastery of swordsmanship, and the help of his supernatural powers,

he quickly mastered all the martial arts and even reached a considerable level of mastery,

including the other two Muscle and Bones Realm martial arts.

However, after experimenting with them, Lu Qing discovered that he still preferred the sword,

so he had no plans to switch to other weapons.

At this moment, Lu Qing was practicing a fist technique from his master’s collection of secret manuals.

It was called the Fierce Tiger Fist, a Qi and Blood Realm martial art.

Although a Qi and Blood Realm martial art, in Lu Qing’s hands, it was incredibly powerful.

With every punch, Lu Qing’s muscles and bones clashed like a drawn bow, unleashing immense power.

Wherever his fist struck, a roaring sound echoed, as if a tiger were roaring within him. It was truly terrifying.

Such power would have left even the martial artist who originally created this style dumbfounded, unable to imagine that the Fierce Tiger Fist could unleash such momentum.

Roar!

After completing the final move of the Fierce Tiger Fist, Tiger Roaring Under the World, Lu Qing slowly drew back.

His entire body, like a furnace, steamed his sweat into puffs of white mist.

“The tendons are like bowstrings, the bones are like the bow itself. Draw the bow like a full moon, and the strength is like a continuous stream of arrows

. Being able to deliver a hundred punches in a single breath without losing strength is the minor accomplishment of tendons and bones.” “The secret to the minor accomplishment of tendons and bones lies in the ten words ‘draw the bow like a full moon, strength like a continuous stream of arrows

.'” “Only when the strength and flexibility of the tendons and bones have been tempered to a level where they can be freely flexed and released without damaging them can one be considered to have achieved minor accomplishment.”

“That day, Tong Canglang was able to withstand my full-strength blow without dying, suffering no internal injuries, save for the incredible defensive power of his leather coat.”

“Another reason is that he has achieved minor accomplishment of tendons and bones. His tendons and bones are like a ball of springs, able to flex and release force at will, absorbing most of my strength.”

Standing in the bamboo forest, Lu Qing’s mind was filled with enlightenment.

His understanding of the realm of tendons and bones deepened.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Although his mind was filled with numerous high-level inheritances, which had greatly broadened his horizons and given him

a deep understanding of many advanced realms,

the path of martial arts ultimately required steady progress.

Only when one truly reached that level of strength could he gain a deeper understanding of the cultivation knowledge within the inheritance.

“Minor Success in the Muscle and Bones Realm, next is Major Success in the Muscle and Bones Realm. With the help of the Bone Strengthening and Muscle-Changing Pills, I won’t be far from reaching this realm,” Lu Qing thought silently.

He was certainly delighted to have successfully broken through to the Minor Success in the Muscle and Bones Realm,

but more than that,

he felt a sense of calm. After receiving so many opportunities, his vision had broadened considerably,

and his cultivation goals naturally became more ambitious.

A mere breakthrough in the Muscle and Bones Realm was far from enough to excite him.

Now, his single goal was to quickly reach perfection in the Internal Organs Realm and then strive for the Innate Realm!

“Perfect! Tomorrow I can see the mysteries of a breakthrough to the Innate Realm.”

Lu Qing, remembering his agreement with his master, his eyes lit up with anticipation.

(End of Chapter)