Chapter 8 Outer Heaven, Tower Beyond Tower

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Welcome to the Chaotic World!

Li Guanyi, seeing the Night Rider Secret Agent die with his eyes still open, still subconsciously gasped for breath, which was a natural bodily response. Yue Qianfeng patted his back and admonished, "Sit down and meditate. I have used my Red Dragon True Power to open your acupoints and meridians and left a trace of Qi."

"But this is still external assistance, not your own."

"If you're not careful, you'll forget it all in a few days."

"Go with the flow, concentrate your mind, and maintain the circulation of this Inner Qi. That is really learning."

Li Guanyi nodded and moved inside the Mountain God Temple, where he sat cross-legged, facing upward, with his eyes closed, focusing his mind, breathing deeply. He gradually stirred the warm currents within his body. Despite being drenched from a night rain, his spirit was bright, and a warm flow circulated through his meridians, comforting and warm.

Yue Qianfeng took the opportunity to search the body of the secret agent, his expression growing solemn upon finding an item.

Li Guanyi closed his eyes, concentrated, and stimulated the Qi mechanism, incessantly strengthening his body's impressions until the circulation of Qi became instinctual.

In this state, his sensitivity to his own body gradually increased.

Gradually, Li Guanyi could feel that when his Inner Qi passed through his chest, it would suddenly slow down considerably, and the warm Inner Qi would carry a trace of coldness which would only recover after several breaths. He understood that this was likely the severe poison within his body.

Detecting the poison within was already a qualitative breakthrough. Li Guanyi felt a sense of relief, but also sensed that the Jade Liquid within the bronze tripod was not yet perfected.

Yue Qianfeng was right before his eyes, yet the Jade Liquid inside the tripod lingered at about ninety-five percent, unmoved.

Li Guanyi mused inwardly.

Could it be that the requirements for the Jade Liquid to be full were not only to be near Yue Qianfeng and that red giant dragon?

Only after Li Guanyi had practiced breathing several times and was sure he had mastered the flow of Inner Qi,

did Yue Qianfeng grab some wine and bread and said casually;

"You have good comprehension. You managed to learn the 'Breaking Formation Song' within the time it takes an incense stick to burn. It's a new thing from my Military School, not many know of it, created only twenty years ago and passed down within our circle."

"It was General Zhou, General Yue's teacher, who created it twenty-two years ago after defeating the Turkic Iron Futu."

"The general spent his life in the military and when passing through Jiangnan to visit the former Emperor, he heard a girl of about eight or nine playing the zither. The sound of the zither was clear with a sound like metal and stone shattering, prompting him to have an insight and create this Cultivation Technique, hence the name 'Song'."

"You see, those Martial Artists who guard properties, they all start by hammering their flesh before leading Qi. The 'Breaking Formation Song', however, directly draws Qi into the body and then uses the vigorous Qi to hammer the flesh."

"That raises the intent by a level."

"Of course, the final path still leads to the same destination."

Eager, Li Guanyi asked, "Physique, Qi?"

Yue Qianfeng replied, "Right, you need a strong body to take hits, and stable Qi to hit others."

"Whether from the outside in or the inside out, the ultimate goal is to cultivate the physique and Inner Qi to a point where they merge and True Qi is born. That's 'Entering Realm'."

"A Martial Artist in the Entering Realm, whether in speed, strength, or physique, is much stronger than the average person."

"Of course, Martial Artists from different schools exhibit varied strengths. Those who focus on speed in the Entering Realm may not be much stronger in physique than those who exclusively train their bodies at a lower realm."

Li Guanyi temporarily set aside the matter of the bronze tripod and listened intently to Yue Qianfeng's explanation.

Suddenly, Yue Qianfeng said, "However, do you think a Martial Artist in the Entering Realm can definitely defeat one who is still hammering his physique or, say, cultivating Qi?"

Li Guanyi thought for a moment and replied, "Not necessarily."

"If he's unarmed and only wearing ordinary clothes, and I have a weapon that can pierce his vital spots, there's a small chance I could kill him."

This was a conclusion that many clever children could reach. Yue Qianfeng asked with a smile;

"Oh? With that short sword of yours?"

After thinking it over, Li Guanyi answered, "With two weapons."

"Where's the other one?"

The thirteen-year-old pointed to his frayed clothes and answered:

"The contempt in the heart of an Entering Realm Martial Artist for a child like me."

Yue Qianfeng's smile faded a little, surprised that such a statement came from the mouth of a boy from the border city, dressed even worse than ordinary people. There was a hint of approval in his eyes as he nodded;

"That's right, a tiger's strength isn't inferior to an Entering Realm Martial Artist, but a few hunters can still kill one. Strength, speed, and physique alone are not enough. Carelessness can lead you astray. You have that short sword—if your opponent underestimates you and you strike unexpectedly, even a freshly Entering Realm Martial Artist could fall to your blade."

"Divine Weapons, armor, will, and mindset, all affect the ultimate life and death outcome."

Yue Qianfeng checked Li Guanyi's breathing path again and saw that he could already perform it adeptly, he couldn't help but praise, "Truly quick-witted."

Too bad he had been poisoned since childhood, and his root bone had been corroded by the toxins, greatly reduced.

Regret filled Yue Qianfeng's eyes. Examining the details in the meridians, Li Guanyi had just run the Qi three times in the time it took for an incense stick to burn. After just three cycles, Li Guanyi had memorized the flow of this technique, indicating extraordinary perceptiveness. However, the circulation was too slow.

Slow movement of Qi meant slow progress in cultivation, slower Qi recovery during fights, weaker strength, and consequently less combat power. After much thought, he feared that it was the early poisoning that had damaged his root bone and natural talents.

It's a pity, a real pity.

With such decisiveness and perceptiveness, yet to suffer such a fate.

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Fate mocks.

Yue Qianfeng tucked away the regret in his heart and instructed, "The 'Breaking Army Saber Skills' I passed on to you earlier are commonly seen martial arts in the Central Plains' armies. However, the version I gave you has been improved by us. Though it lacks the sophistication of the superior saber techniques of the major sects in the Martial World, it has a strict and straightforward method, and is by no means inferior."

"The names of the moves and the inner strength are vastly different, but on the surface, they just look like the simple moves any soldier in the army knows. You can use them with confidence."

"As for the 'Breaking Formation Song', with your natural talent, it will roughly take one to three months to break the first layer. After that, it takes a bit longer for each layer, and there are twelve layers in total. Someone with exceptional talent can achieve great success in three years, and someone with decent root bone can make some gains in eight years. Once the cultivation is perfected, you can attempt to enter the realm."

"After Entering Realm, the transmission of the cultivation technique requires Divine Will, and cannot be merely conveyed by spoken word."

"However, even a martial artist who has simply reached the Entering Realm can be selected for the armed forces' Elite Camp."

"In the regular troops, one could assume the responsibility of a squad leader or higher. Most rangers outside are of this level as well; you could also join some aristocratic family as a Guest Elder leading a leisurely life, enough for you to protect yourself and live comfortably."

Yue Qianfeng looked at Li Guanyi, sizing up his talent and root bone, and figured that even with a cultivation technique like the 'Breaking Formation Song', it would take him over fifteen years to master. By then, a martial artist entering the realm at the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight would be considered quite outstanding in less prominent regions and live quite well.

Li Guanyi, listening to these words, keenly felt the consolation hidden in Yue Qianfeng's speech and guessed that his own root bone must be very ordinary. However, at this moment he didn't care about that; he was just sensing the trace of Jade Liquid inside the bronze tripod.

It was still not enough; did he need to be in contact with Yue Qianfeng for a longer time, or was a greater effort needed?

Without any hesitation, Li Guanyi bowed ceremoniously with clasped hands and said,

"Disciple pays respect to the teacher!"

Yue Qianfeng raised his hand to stop him, bursting into laughter, "Clever lad, but that won't do."

"We're fated to meet today, and I've taken a liking to you. Imparting martial arts to you is no issue, but as for taking on a disciple, that's unnecessary. Our lineage requires substantial strength and gravitas, demanding the highest requirements for root bone."

He openly stated the reason he could not take him as a disciple.

Finding the kid both clever and spirited, interesting even if his root bone was lacking and therefore unable to take him as a main disciple, he still cheerfully took out a small copper seal and casually tossed it to Li Guanyi.

"Nevertheless, your response just now was excellent, so take this."

"This is my seal. If you channel the Inner Strength of 'Breaking Formation Song' into it, I can faintly sense your location."

"If one day you achieve great success with 'Breaking Formation Song', or encounter any thorny issues, you can use this seal to find me. Consider it an end to our karmic connection, haha, and if you can't find me, treat it as a memento."

Li Guanyi discerned the farewell tone in Yue Qianfeng's voice.

He knew that after today, unless using the copper seal, he would not see Yue Qianfeng again, and the activation of his bronze tripod seemed unattainably distant.

Li Guanyi looked at Yue Qianfeng, as well as the Red Divine Dragon behind him.

Sensing that the Jade Liquid level in his chest's bronze tripod was at ninety-five percent, an idea suddenly struck him. He deliberately asked, "Then, may I ask one last question? What is the realm above Entering Realm like?"

Yue Qianfeng was speechless, "You child, once you've entered the realm, it's like ascending a tower, layer by layer upwards."

"Why aspire so high and far?"

He paused, looking at the boy before him, innocent and filled with eager curiosity, knowing that in his lifetime he'd probably only reach the standard of the first or second level of Entering Realm. Generous and free-spirited in his personality, yet exceedingly kind to his own people, he took a liking to this youth and couldn't help but soften, smiling and saying,

"Alright, if you're asking about those realms beyond our world, those towers beyond our towers."

"I'll show you just this once."

Yue Qianfeng clenched his fist.

The night was dark and rainy, but in an instant, the rainfall came to a halt, countless raindrops frozen in mid-air, turning into droplets like a vast fog. Li Guanyi felt his heart stop and his body experience a strong sensation of weightlessness and asphyxiation.

In the next moment, countless droplets flew upwards towards the sky.

Yue Qianfeng moved.

He turned around and twisted his waist.

Clenched his fist.

Boom!!!

As countless raindrops instantly evaporated into mist like clouds, Yue Qianfeng's fingers ignited with fierce fire, roaring and dominating the entire mist, and in front of Li Guanyi's eyes transformed into a roaring Red Divine Dragon, which he sent out with a punch.

The entire Mountain God Temple, including the small mountain it was situated on and the bodies of those pursuers,

In an instant, turned to dust!

Scattering in the air, Li Guanyi slowly extended his hand, raised his head, and saw a clear sky with the moon now visible. This night rain had been dispersed by a punch, leaving only the roaring Red Divine Dragon visible to the naked eye, encircling Yue Qianfeng, making him seem godlike and demonic.

Yue Qianfeng slowly extended his hand, with the Red Divine Dragon also circling above, drawing near to Li Guanyi, like a dragon devouring its prey.

In the end, it merely tapped Li Guanyi's head, snapping the young man out of his reverie.

Was this the power even a gravely wounded mighty one possessed?

Li Guanyi, looking at the flames of the Red Dragon that had dissipated the night rain, saw the reflection of the fire in his eyes. He clenched his fist subconsciously, so hard that even his heart's fierce beating could be felt.

And as Yue Qianfeng's palm pressed on Li Guanyi's head, the Jade Liquid in the bronze tripod inside Li Guanyi began to grow again.

And when the Red Divine Dragon, visible to the naked eye, vanished,

The Jade Liquid in the bronze tripod over his heart was finally perfected.