Chapter 3: Vortex Dantian

Next to a pool in Qingfeng Valley, Yang Ye sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes slightly closed, as he immersed his consciousness within his body.

After the initial excitement, Yang Ye felt that something was off. Two dantians—no matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem right. Therefore, he decided to investigate the small vortex within his dantian.

This time, he observed the small vortex clearly. It was only the size of a palm and continuously emitted suction force. It was this suction force that instantly absorbed the Profound Qi he absorbed during his training.

This small vortex drained all the Profound Qi from his dantian, preventing him from becoming a Profound Practitioner. No, it should be said that he had become a Profound Practitioner long ago. Becoming a Profound Practitioner depended on one's aptitude. If one could cultivate the physical body and absorb Profound Qi, then they were a Profound Practitioner.

However, as soon as his Profound Qi entered his body, it was immediately absorbed by the small vortex, causing him to mistakenly believe that he wasn't a Profound Practitioner. According to the standards of becoming a Profound Practitioner, he had been one a long time ago.

Yang Ye attempted to control the small vortex. According to his thinking, since the small vortex was within his body, it should be under his control. However, he was disappointed. Whenever he tried to draw out the Profound Qi from the small vortex, it would accelerate its rotation as if stimulated, preventing him from retrieving even a trace of Profound Qi.

"That Profound Qi belongs to me!"

After struggling for a while and seeing that the small vortex still refused to release the Profound Qi, Yang Ye became somewhat annoyed and cursed inwardly. If he couldn't control this small vortex, wouldn't he be a lifelong servant to it?

Most importantly, without the Profound Qi, how could he improve his training? Currently, his training intensity had reached its limit. Without cultivation resources, if he lacked the support of Profound Qi to enhance and repair his body, it could lead to irreversible damage.

"Just give me a little, just a little. You should know that without me, you can't absorb Profound Qi. If you give me some, I can absorb even more Profound Qi. The Profound Qi I absorb will still belong to you, right? How about it? Mutual benefit or mutual harm?"

Since the direct approach didn't work, Yang Ye decided to take a softer approach, even though it felt somewhat oppressive. After all, that Profound Qi was painstakingly obtained by him. But he had no choice. The Profound Qi was crucial for him to become a true Profound Practitioner, and it determined whether he could become an outer disciple. He had to bow his head.

After a while, with no response from the small vortex, just as Yang Ye was about to curse in anger, suddenly, a faint golden-colored Profound Qi flowed out from the small vortex. Witnessing this, Yang Ye was so excited that he almost jumped up. After a while, another strand flowed out, followed by a gradual stream of faint golden-colored Profound Qi. Approximately twenty strands of this golden-colored Profound Qi flowed out before the small vortex finally stopped.

The faint golden-colored Profound Qi flowed into his normal dantian. Yang Ye was about to shout with joy when suddenly, the faint golden-colored Profound Qi flowed into his meridians, spreading throughout his muscles. At that moment, Yang Ye felt as if he could hear the cells within his muscles cheering. The sourness and fatigue vanished, replaced by a more abundant energy.

Just as Yang Ye was wondering about the sensations, he suddenly felt something moving on his body. He quickly took off his clothes and looked down, his eyes widening in astonishment. He witnessed his skin peeling off at a visible rate!

Skin shedding!

This was a phenomenon that occurred when one reached the fourth level of the "Body Refining Art." Reaching the fourth level meant that he had now achieved the rank of a Profound Practitioner!

"Hahaha!"

Realizing this, Yang Ye jumped up from the ground and burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, he realized it might not be appropriate and quickly stifled his laughter. He looked down at his body.

As his skin continued to shed, Yang Ye swiftly removed all his clothes. Then, he jumped into the pool, rolling around to facilitate the shedding process. Once he emerged from the water, he gently touched his chest with his palms. As his palms glided over his body, it felt as if he was touching smooth stones, radiating a peculiar sense of firmness.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

Suppressing his excitement, Yang Ye picked up a nearby tree branch and immediately displayed a set of basic sword techniques. As the set of sword techniques concluded, a gust of wind swept up the dust from the ground. The impact far exceeded anything he had achieved before.

With the sword practice finished, Yang Ye quickly immersed his consciousness within his body once again. After a moment, a joyous expression appeared on his face. Yes, he had truly reached the fourth rank of a Mortal!

From not even being a Profound Practitioner, he had suddenly jumped to the fourth rank of a Mortal. Yang Ye felt a dream-like sense of disbelief, but soon, he understood. Ever since he arrived at the Sword Sect, he had diligently practiced the Body Refining Art. Although he couldn't claim to be the most diligent among the outer disciples, he could definitely rank among the top three.

From that moment until now, he had been practicing the Body Refining Art for nearly two years. His physical body had already reached an extremely sturdy level. Now, with the infusion of Profound Qi, it was like holding a ten-million-gold ticket and suddenly having the password to access it. With the password, he could naturally withdraw the gold coins from the ticket.

In simpler terms, it was about accumulating strength over time!

Suddenly, Yang Ye furrowed his brows. He realized a problem. His Profound Qi was of a light golden color! Was the light golden Profound Qi unique to him, or did others also possess Profound Qi of the same color? Yang Ye became somewhat perplexed.

"Never mind, once I become an outer disciple in the future and have more interactions, I will definitely find out if I'm different from others!" Yang Ye was not one to dwell on trivial matters. After thinking for a while, he set aside the issue.

He resumed his seated position on the ground and once again immersed his consciousness within his body. In his normal dantian, the previous golden Profound Qi had disappeared, leaving it empty.

"Old buddy, I believe you understand what I'm saying. So, from now on, we'll split the Profound Qi I absorb fifty-fifty. I'll give you all the Profound Qi I absorb, but in return, you have to provide me with that light golden Profound Qi. I'm not taking advantage of you; you should also know that only by becoming stronger and absorbing more Profound Qi can I acquire more. Conversely, if I don't become stronger, the amount of Profound Qi I can absorb will be minimal. So, for now, I should take the lead. Once I become stronger, you'll get more Profound Qi. How about it?"

Yang Ye had a sense of absurdity. He believed that the little vortex could understand his words for no apparent reason—it was just a feeling he had. Therefore, he decided to negotiate with the little vortex. Otherwise, if the little vortex monopolized all the Profound Qi in the future, he would truly be left in tears.

After a while, just as Yang Ye was getting impatient, the little vortex suddenly started spinning. After a brief rotation, it came to a stop.

Feeling the movement of the vortex, Yang Ye smiled. His intuition told him that the little vortex had agreed. Obviously, the little vortex wasn't satisfied with the speed at which he absorbed Profound Qi and had decided to make him stronger first. This was called an investment!

After putting on his clothes, Yang Ye walked to where he had hidden the Profound Iron block. He put the Profound Iron block on his body and felt no weight at all.

Since he didn't have any cultivation techniques at the moment, he could only absorb Profound Qi through physical training. The more intense his physical training, the more Profound Qi he would naturally absorb. The more Profound Qi he absorbed, the more light golden Profound Qi he would obtain. With more light golden Profound Qi, he could strengthen his body and elevate his cultivation level.

"Scream... Help! Don't chase me, Baobao! Grandpa, help!"

Just as Yang Ye was about to engage in extreme training, a scream suddenly came from the distant woods. The voice sounded young and innocent, clearly belonging to a little girl.

Hearing the scream, Yang Ye halted his steps and looked towards the distant woods. Suddenly, a girl dressed in a floral white dress appeared, running frantically out of the woods. The girl appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old, with a long braid draped down her back. Her face was pale, her small mouth tightly shut, and she

continued to run with all her might.

As the girl ran out and noticed Yang Ye, her already pale face turned even paler. While running, she shouted, "That little servant, run! The baby snake has gone crazy!"

"Boom!"

Just as Yang Ye was stunned, the ground suddenly trembled, and a massive creature charged out from behind the girl, crashing through the trees.

The Giant Python King!

Seeing this enormous creature, Yang Ye instantly turned as pale as the little girl. This was no baby snake; it was the Giant Python King!

The Giant Python King was a fifth-rank Profound Beast, its size equivalent to three fully grown adults. It stretched about thirty feet long, with eyes the size of fists. Its most crucial feature was its scales, which were so defensively strong that even a sword strike might not be able to penetrate them.