Chapter 21: Under the Reputation

Hua Shirong didn't eat much, after all, he hadn't had any meat for four months. Suddenly consuming oily and greasy food in large quantities would be strange if he didn't vomit or have diarrhea.

Hua Zhao left the food for Hua Shirong and put it in his treasure bag.

Hua Shirong hadn't slept well since he arrived. As soon as he got on the bed, he fell into a deep sleep and even snored lightly.

He slept until it was dark outside.

At noon, when the group of brothers in the dormitory came back, they shouted loudly and didn't wake him up. Hua Zhao came over and took a look but couldn't bear to wake him up, so she left quietly.

When Hua Shirong woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day, and there was no one in the dormitory. It was the time for martial arts class.

Hua Shirong fell into contemplation, and in his mind, he reviewed everything about his past. Honestly, there was nothing worth reminiscing about.

Not only was his talent mediocre, but he was also deceitful and lazy. A person like him was destined to not go far on the path of a martial artist.

With his current state, it was almost impossible for him to reach the Warrior Realm. Hua Shirong, who had a dream of the martial world, didn't want to stay in Yishui Town, this remote and poor place, until his death.

The only thing that could bring about a change for himself was the "Ordinary People's Technique," and the result of defeating Ling Yuning and Ling Yuhan further strengthened his determination to cultivate the "Ordinary People's Technique."

Each level of improvement in the technique presented a "spell" in his mind that many people dreamed of but couldn't attain.

And this would be Hua Shirong's secret to preserving himself and becoming stronger.

After a nap, Hua Shirong felt much better than when he first came out of the confinement room. He washed his face and prepared to find Hua Zhao to have dinner.

At this moment, a group of people burst in with laughter and entered the dormitory. They were the family descendants who had returned from the training ground.

When the seven of them saw Hua Shirong, they couldn't help but exclaim, "Shirong, you're awake?"

Hua Shirong nodded, "I've worried everyone during this period!"

Hua Shicong stepped forward and embraced Hua Shirong's shoulder, full of joy.

"Why worry? Everyone knows you're powerful. Who would dare to bully you in the confinement room? Can't you beat them to death?"

"It was because I beat someone up that I was sent to the confinement room."

Hua Shirong smiled helplessly, "It's dark, with no windows or doors, and the food is not good. Who wouldn't want to avoid it?"

Hua Shicong stared at Hua Shirong for a while.

"That's true! Look how thin our Shirong has become. Didn't they provide food in the confinement room? Could it be that they punished you even more after you injured Ling Yuhan?"

"Do I even need to ask? It's obvious." Hua Shirong was unhappy.

Hua Shicong became interested and excitedly said, "Shirong, tell us how you defeated Ling Yuhan with a single strike. It's been circulating as a miraculous story these days."

Hua Shicong spoke with a look of admiration.

"Yes, yes! Some say it was an astonishing ultimate move that left Ling Yuhan defenseless."

Another family descendant immediately agreed.

Flower Shirong looked silently at the lively and enthusiastic scions of the family.

In the end, unable to resist the persuasions of the crowd, Flower Shirong took out the "Heaven-defying Dagger" - a small knife.

Flower Shirong could sense the change in attitude from the family scions, who used to look down on her. Now, when they spoke to her, there was no trace of their former arrogance. They had to be cautious and accompanied their words with flattering smiles.

After a moment of contemplation, Flower Shirong understood that this was the result of her formidable strength.

Flower Shicong solemnly accepted the small knife, carefully examining it, and after a while, a disappointed expression appeared on her face.

"Isn't this the small knife we were given on our first day at the academy to trim flowers? The academy provided it to us."

"So, don't believe everything you hear, especially unreliable rumors."

Flower Shirong took the small knife and put it in her bag.

Just then, a tall and handsome young man rushed in and exclaimed, "Brothers, Third Brother is going to collect spiritual herbs in Little Peak Ridge tomorrow. Who wants to come along?"

Flower Shicong immediately stood up and shouted, "Seventh Brother, I'll go! I'll go!"

The young man was called Flower Shilian, ranking seventh among the "Shi" generation scions. He was closest to Third Brother, the young master of the Flower family, and all the family scions affectionately called him "Seventh Brother."

Flower Shilian glanced at Flower Shirong, revealing a teasing smile on his face.

"Shicong, it's not that Seventh Brother didn't invite you, but this time the collection mission set by Third Brother has a strict requirement. You must have reached at least the sixth level of the Martial Disciple realm, otherwise, there will be a danger to your life."

Then, he turned to Flower Shirong, as if just noticing her presence.

"Shirong, you're here? If not, why don't you come along? You were able to defeat Ling Yuhai, so there shouldn't be a problem with your combat strength!"

"I've been confined for the past few months, and my body is very weak. I'm afraid I would be a burden to Third Brother's mission."

Flower Shirong directly refused, as her current task was primarily focused on recuperating her body and adjusting her condition.

Flower Shilian also noticed the unusually thin and pale appearance of Flower Shirong, indicating malnutrition.

"Brother, you've suffered!" Flower Shicong patted his shoulder and comforted him.

Flower Shirong pushed him away and playfully punched his shoulder, scolding, "If you were to go, it would be a perfect opportunity to lose weight. Killing two birds with one stone!"

Everyone burst into laughter at her words.

Flower Shirong took the opportunity to ask Flower Shilian, "Seventh Brother, what kind of collection task is it, and what are these strict requirements?"

"We are collecting Purple Whisk Grass, Shrinking Eye Root, and Seven-Leaf Flower," Flower Shilian replied without hiding anything.

"They are all second-level initial-stage spiritual herbs! There are usually some fierce magical beasts in the vicinity!" explained one of the family scions.

Flower Shirong pondered for a moment and realized that she had no impression of these three types of spiritual herbs in her mind. Therefore, she had no knowledge of their characteristics.

Except for Flower Shirong and Flower Shicong, all the other scions in the dormitory had already reached the sixth level of the Martial Disciple realm, with a few of them even at the late sixth level, on the verge of breaking through to the seventh level. They were all happily invited.

However, the reason for their happiness was merely because the one extending the invitation was Flower Shixuan, the young master of the Flower family.

At that moment, Flower Zhao arrived, and Flower Shirong took the opportunity to leave the dormitory.

Flower Shirong followed behind Flower Zhao, had dinner at the academy's cafeteria, and had a conversation before parting ways.

Not wanting to return to the dormitory so early, Flower Shirong strolled along the tree-lined path within the academy, arriving at a small forest next to the dormitory building.

The forest was not large, covering an area of only about half a mile. A gravel path wound its way through the depths of the forest, occasionally featuring one or two stone benches placed by the side of the path for pedestrians to rest.

Some low-lying grass and unidentified small flowers grew in the forest, adding a touch of beauty to the vegetation.

The forest was tranquil, and the air was fresh.

Flower Shirong inhaled the fragrance of the earth in the forest, exhaling her dissatisfaction, and pondering her future plans.

After much contemplation, she realized that no matter what, her strength could not bypass Phoenix Academy, and entering the Martial Student realm was a strict requirement for admission. This posed a dilemma for Flower Shirong.

"I hope the Mortal's Formula can be of help to me!" Flower Shirong silently prayed.

With her thoughts racing, she promptly found a stone bench in the forest, sat cross-legged, adjusted her breathing, and cleared her mind of distractions.

When her body and mind were still, and her heart focused solely on the practice, she activated the Mortal's Formula. Immediately, she could feel a gathering of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth above her head.

Flower Shirong was overjoyed, as she did not expect the spiritual energy in this forest to be richer and more abundant than in the dormitory, far surpassing what the confinement room could offer.

Without delay, she guided the spiritual energy from the Baihui acupoint into her dantian. As the technique circulated, the inhaled spiritual energy transformed into internal energy, filling her dantian.

As Flower Shirong delved deeper into the practice of the Mortal's Formula, her understanding of it became more profound. At present, as long as she silently activated the Mortal's Formula, her internal energy would circulate rapidly within her body.

Through four months of practice in the confinement room, Flower Shirong had already accumulated a considerable amount of internal energy in her dantian. After today's training session, the internal energy within her dantian continued to gather and grow, becoming increasingly abundant.

As the internal energy reached a point where the lower dantian could no longer contain it, the barrier separating the lower dantian from the Governing Vessel meridian would be broken. This surge of internal energy would then rush like a torrential flood, forcefully converging at the Huiyin acupoint.

Since Flower Shirong had already opened up the Ren and Du meridians during the last Qi filling and acupoint breakthrough, the internal energy flowed smoothly along the Governing Vessel on her spine, reaching the Baihui acupoint where the Governing Vessel and Conception Vessel intersected. From there, it descended along the Conception Vessel, passing through the facial acupoints, running along the chest, and finally gathering in the lower dantian.

After a smooth circulation through one complete cycle, both meridians and the various acupoints were filled with internal energy.

As the practice continued, the internal energy gathered more and more, causing Flower Shirong to feel a swelling and aching sensation in the Du and Ren meridians.

Although the internal energy circulated in a cycle along the Ren and Du meridians, the increasing amount of transformed internal energy exceeded their capacity. The meridians were frequently impacted, as if they were about to burst out of her body.

Nevertheless, Flower Shirong paid no heed and continued to absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, refining it into internal energy using the Mortal's Formula.

His relentless cultivation caused the internal energy within the meridians to become even more powerful. It rampaged through the meridians without regard, occasionally causing Flower Shirong to groan in pain. However, he could only endure it while secretly feeling a sense of joy.

Because he knew that these symptoms were the sought-after and elusive "Qi filling and meridian breakthrough."

Unlike the "Qi filling and acupoint breakthrough," which cleared obstructions hindering the circulation of internal energy, the "Qi filling and meridian breakthrough" occurred when the internal energy within the meridians reached a saturation point, causing the meridians to expand and widen naturally to accommodate the continuous generation of internal energy.

The "Qi filling and meridian breakthrough" carried significant risks. With the slightest carelessness, the meridians could rupture like an inflated balloon under the impact of internal energy.

Flower Shirong had to handle the situation with utmost care, treading on thin ice. However, once successful, the benefits obtained would be immeasurable.

Danger and rewards often went hand in hand!

From the Mortal's Formula, Flower Shirong learned that the width of the meridians determined the strength of internal energy, and the resilience of the meridians was the key to a successful "Qi filling and meridian breakthrough."

It was better to embark on this endeavor sooner rather than later.

Young people had good physical strength, quick recovery, and resilient meridians, making it the optimal time for a "Qi filling and meridian breakthrough."

Flower Shirong could only silently pray in his heart, hoping that his physical vessel wouldn't disappoint him too much.