Chapter 20 Breaking Through Inner Qi_1

School, inside the cultivation room.

Jiang Ding brandished the sword, with two bottles of elixirs placed before him.

One was the Essence Qi Refining Marrow Pill, suitable for the Bone Refining Realm, mild in nature, easily absorbed, with a high success rate in pill formation, and the other was the Hundred Essence Qi Pill, suitable for the Internal Qi Realm.

Both were classic elixirs whose patents had expired, produced by the Xianmen Sect; the former contained six pills per bottle, the latter twelve.

Produced by the Hehe Pharmacy, the bottom of each bottle was engraved with the production date and the alchemist's name.

The Essence Qi Refining Marrow Pills had been mostly consumed—Jiang Ding took one daily, and each dose could transform into a vast amount of vital energy that nourished his body, with even a slight carelessness potentially leading to an over-nourishment.

However, Jiang Ding had no such issues.

The small success-level "Eagle Taking Off Sword Technique" in operation, amidst flashing sword-light, greedily absorbed the vital energy bursting from his stomach, furiously strengthening his body and bone marrow.

Under the pale blue light screen, the figure showed that only one or two segments were not at 100%, with the visible spinal muscle jumping from 90%.

98%

99%

100%!

After a set of sword moves was completed, and the sword returned to its sheath, Jiang Ding felt his joints crackle. A warm current emerged from his limbs and body, converging like rivers into the sea, turning into a line of inner qi the size of a fishing line surging into his elixir field, then circulating between the Lung Channel of Hand Taiyin starting from the elixir field.

Jiang Ding unsheathed his sword; his meridians in the elixir field instinctively began to operate, moving along the Lung Channel of Hand Taiyin and finally rushing into the longsword, followed by a faint, slightly disordered white light.

Whoosh!

With a gentle swing, a wind-breaking sound emanated from the blade, the destructive power at least several times greater than before, wasn't it?

He looked at the panel projected by the Array Spirit.

[Name: Jiang Ding]

[Student ID: 1246215]

[Realm: Initial Achievement of Internal Qi Realm]

[Last training subject: "Eagle Taking Off Technique No. 68" (Small Success 5%)]

Beneath the panel, another pale blue figure appeared, but this time instead of muscles, bones, and skin, it displayed numerous meridians.

Traversing the entire body, with the Twelve Main Meridians as the foundation and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians as the direction, it extended in all directions, amounting to a total of 108,222 meridians!

This was the terrifying aspect of the Xianmen Sect's heritage—the cultivation method that could transform the acquired into a Dao Body Embryo!

Ordinary martial arts secrets, like Gong Caiyu and the so-called "Heaven-Flipping Monkey" from Longhu Martial Arts Hall, their cultivation methods were considered top-notch if they had a thousand meridians.

This exceeded the martial artists' understanding of the human body's meridians to the utmost!

It also went beyond the limit that a martial artist could achieve alone, without assistance in tempering and nurturing the meridians!

Lung Channel of Hand Taiyin first branch (1%)

Lung Channel of Hand Taiyin ninth branch (2%)

Lung Channel of Hand Taiyin 3654th branch (0%)

…

```

The pale blue figure had numerous minute meridians marked on its body, intertwined like dragons and snakes, dense and complicated, making one's head spin just by looking at it.

Below the figure, the characters listing the information of the minute meridians totaled to one hundred and eight thousand two hundred and twenty-two.

The number of minute meridians in most people fluctuates around one hundred and eight thousand.

At the same time, under the guidance of the Array Spirit, the figure began to practice swordsmanship.

Expose Sword Style!

As the sword was drawn from its sheath, it formed an arc in the air. Jiang Ding clearly saw that on top of the original sword techniques, there was an addition of meridian circulation and the changes in mobilizing Inner Qi. The power of the sword techniques increased dramatically, and as Inner Qi nourished the minute meridians along the way, it made it possible for the meridians to use the circulation of Inner Qi to more efficiently Refine Essence into Qi.

"The method of mobilizing Inner Qi to nourish the meridians seems to have an element of the Formation Path, the principles of meridians and cultivation methods from Chinese class..."

Jiang Ding's gaze lit up as he finally understood the true meaning behind the teachers' emphasis on 'the Immortal Path is a subject where learning and practice are closely integrated.'

He recalled the rote memorization and forced understanding of Chinese, math, geography, biology, and other subjects, feeling a sudden enlightenment at this moment.

Clang!

The sword-light flickered, and Jiang Ding couldn't help but draw his sword and start practicing, following the movements of the pale blue figure, mobilizing the Inner Energy from his Elixir Field to slash and chop diagonally. The sword shot out like lightning, making every movement feel smooth and unimpeded.

At first, the sword moves were a bit chaotic, unable to fully master the newfound power. After a few moves, the sword-light condensed and combined once again.

Three minutes.

Halfway through the sword technique, his Inner Energy was depleted, shrinking back into the Elixir Field the size of a broad bean. Jiang Ding sheathed his sword and caught his breath slightly.

"The Inner Qi is too weak; it can only support three minutes..."

Jiang Ding recalled the 'Eagle Taking Off Sword Technique' chapter on Internal Qi Cultivation.

Meridians do not exist in isolation. Starting from the Lung Channel of Taiyin, after refining the ten major primary and secondary meridians including the Sanjiao Channel of Hand Shaoyang, a 'Micro-Circle' of Vital Energy is formed. Once the Internal Qi Realm is initially stabilized, the primary stage is reached.

After that, completing the warming and tempering of one thousand tiny branch meridians attached to the twelve main meridians such as the Lung Channel of Taiyin and Sanjiao Channel of Hand Shaoyang will lead to the operation of the Small Circle of Vital Energy. Both the speed and quality of Inner Qi will greatly increase, indicating a minor achievement.

On this basis, further refining and nurturing a thousand major and secondary meridians of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians such as Ren and Du will achieve the Large Circle of Vital Energy, allowing the continuous circulation of Inner Qi. This is the greater achievement.

The final perfection is the refining and nurturing of over eighty-eight thousand meridians!

After swallowing the last Essence Qi Refining Marrow Pill, Jiang Ding continued his sword practice without mobilizing Inner Qi but simply using his fully tempered flesh and bones to condition his body.

Refining Essence into Qi.

The immense Essence within his limbs and bones had nowhere to go and automatically transformed into Inner Qi, slowly replenishing the Inner Qi within his meridians and Elixir Field.

Thus, he practiced three times with the help of the Essence Qi Refining Marrow Pill and then once more with Internal Qi Sword Techniques, nurturing his still fragile Lung Channel of Taiyin.

Once the Essence Qi Refining Marrow Pill was used up, he switched to the Hundred Essence Qi Pill, whose effects were ten times stronger. A massive amount of Essence continuously emerged from his stomach, comparable to swallowing an entire cow, with few impurities and easy to digest.

In this way, repeating the cycle again and again, the sword-light never stopped.

Two hours later, along with the end-of-class bell, Jiang Ding's entire body was drenched in sweat, dripping drop by drop, leaving wet footprints with each step. His complexion was pale, his meridians aching slightly.

"The body is really fragile; I've reached my limit already..."

Jiang Ding's eyes were bright without a trace of fatigue. He returned his sword to its sheath, took a bath, changed his clothes, and walked back to the classroom.

After two hours of training, six of his largest meridians of the Lung Channel of Taiyin reached 20% completion in their tempering.

"It will take about two weeks to achieve the microcycle circulation, under the assumption that the consumption of elixirs like ginseng that greatly replenish vital energy does not stop; otherwise, it would not be possible even in a month."

```

Jiang Ding calculated silently.

Along the way, he unconsciously used a trace of inner qi at his eyes and ears. It felt as if the world had been washed by clear water, clearer than ever before, and he could even hear the conversations of classmates returning from training at the school gate.

Upon entering the classroom, the class monitor Hua Bing, Wu Tianli, and a few others looked at Jiang Ding with slight surprise.

The rest were completely unaware.

Even though he had just begun, his control of inner qi was not something others could easily discern.

After a routine maintenance and chant of slogans, class monitor Hua Bing reminded everyone, "Don't forget, midterm exams are tomorrow."

"Got it."

The faces of the classmates turned solemn, feeling somewhat nervous inside.

There were also many who were still in the Body Refining Realm and scored mediocrely in academics, revealing a hint of despair, having no hope of entering the Cultivation Department, given the vast gap.

They could only consider which university to attend in the regular departments; most of them would still be able to get into key institutions.

"End of class!"

...

On the bus, Jiang Ding was lucky to snatch a seat.

With his longsword resting on his knees, he closed his eyes to rest. He circulated the somewhat recovered inner qi in his Elixir Field through the ten major pathways of the Lung Channel of Taiyin in his hands, softening the slight stinging pain with inner qi to promote healing.

For a healthy human, the meridians are not blocked but too fragile and fine to hold inner qi.

What martial artists need to do is to constantly temper and nurture them until they achieve a complete circulation through the body, a Large Circle of Vital Energy.

This kind of 'static cultivation' is a technique from the "Eagle Taking Off Sword Technique" taught by Array Spirit, with only a tenth of the efficiency of active cultivation, but it uses less vitality, excelling in continuity and gradually accumulating progress over time.

It's just that it's very difficult, with the slightest inattention causing meridian damage, leading to more harm than good.

Jiang Ding's cultivation method had reached minor accomplishment, so the problem wasn't too severe, but he only dared to try a little. Otherwise, he could still damage his meridians if an unexpected situation arose, so it was best to cultivate in a safe, quiet room.

If one desired to cultivate naturally while moving, sitting, lying down, and even automatically while sleeping, they need to at least achieve Great Accomplishment in the "Eagle Taking Off Technique."

Many Xiantian martial artists found this difficult to achieve.

Ding!

He opened his eyes and pulled out his phone.

'Caiyun Pharmaceutical Finance Department has transferred 3000 Mortal coins to your savings bank card... 5247, after deducting 5% tax, the balance is 3052 Mortal coins.'

Jiang Ding felt a surge of happiness inside.

The money from Caiyun Pharmaceuticals for purchasing the Purple Jade Grass had arrived; this was only the initial research trial. Once it was confirmed that a component of the Purple Jade Grass was valuable, they would purchase further patent rights.

That would be a sizable sum of money!

And crucially, it was all completely explainable. It seemed reasonable enough to have found a mutated, unknown plant in a roadside flowerbed by sheer luck, right?

After getting off the bus, Jiang Ding found an ATM, withdrew thirty crisp hundred-yuan bills, and happily counted them.

And he was counting while walking.

He walked to his apartment building without realizing it and was about to take the elevator when...

"Dingding, long time no see. How's your studying going lately?" A middle-aged uncle blocked his way, asking warmly.

Jiang Ding pocketed the money and glanced at the man.

Tall, over 1.8 meters, with a slightly tanned complexion, sharp facial features, masculine and handsome—a truly rare handsome uncle, appealing not just to women of the same age but also to young girls.

His name was also quite pleasant to hear, Jiang Chaoyang.

Jiang Ding didn't respond and walked past him into the elevator, pressing the close door button.

"Dingding!"

Jiang Chaoyang hurriedly stepped in, his face showing guilt, "I know you've resented me these past years. I fought hard for your custody back then, but your mother disagreed, and the court ultimately granted it to her."

He went on talking non-stop, about how he was forced to, wanted to see him but didn't have time, had sent money and goods over many times, but Lin Wanqiu refused to accept them, throwing them out, and so on.

But he received no response.

Jiang Chaoyang looked at him and realized that from start to finish, he was quiet, as if no one was speaking beside him—just a void.

"You little..."

Jiang Chaoyang was getting a little angry.

Ding dong!

The elevator door opened, and Jiang Ding went out on his own.

The elevator and the residential area were public spaces, free for any citizen to use. What did it have to do with him?

When he reached his home, he covered the keypad with one hand and entered the password with the other. He pressed his thumb on the fingerprint scanner, and the door clicked open. He walked in, backpack on his shoulder.

Jiang Chaoyang furrowed his brows slightly but said nothing.

Following in, as his right foot crossed the threshold between the doorway and the room—

Clang!

A chill-inducing flash of cold light suddenly appeared, with the sharp tip of a sword enveloped in highly concentrated inner qi stopping less than a millimeter from the throat.

Jiang Ding watched him quietly.

Probably in the Great Achievement of Inner Qi realm, and he had stuck to the "Eagle Taking Off Technique" without switching to another inner qi, indicating that even approaching midlife, he still hadn't given up the hope of becoming a cultivator.

Poor battle experience, low cultivation level.

"What are you doing?!"

Jiang Chaoyang's body stiffened, his anger apparent, "Is this how your mother taught you? Do you think this is something you can play around with? I see you've gone wild, you're asking for a good beating!"

As he spoke, he reached out to slap away Jiang Ding's sword.

Whiz~

With his movement, the inner qi protection at his throat was easily sliced, the sword tip truly touching the skin, feeling icy cold and slightly painful.

Jiang Chaoyang's body stiffened again, looking incredulously at the youth before him and his unnaturally steady sword.

He doesn't fear killing me?

"Stranger, don't enter my home without permission," Jiang Ding said calmly.