28. Qi and Strength Unite, A Hundred Thousand Pounds!

Chapter 28: Qi and Strength Unite, A Hundred Thousand Pounds!

The Qi circulated throughout the meridians!

The energy, as thick as a giant serpent, rapidly coursed through his body. Though it was his first time using it, the rich memories in his mind made it feel as though he had been immersed in this technique for decades. As his body activated the energy, he entered a state of instinctual action.

There seemed to be faint sounds of thunder echoing within his meridians. The energy carved out a large meridian, and as it was opened, the energy flowed smoothly and rapidly circulated through it, completing sixteen cycles in one breath!

Li Hao then executed the technique a second time, now more proficient, and his body gradually synchronized with his memories.

In one breath, he completed thirty-eight cycles.

On the third attempt, fifty-two cycles.

On the fourth and fifth attempts... By the seventh attempt, he achieved one hundred cycles per breath!

The Hundred Flood Dragon Body, also known as the Hundred Cycles Body, earned its name because, when perfected, it could achieve exactly one hundred cycles!

At this moment, Li Hao glanced at his panel and found that his cultivation level was no longer at the Tenth Level of the Tongli Realm but had advanced to the First Level of the Zhoutian Realm!

Having officially stepped into the Zhoutian Realm, Li Hao felt the energy surging through the large meridian, full of tension. Compared to before, it was as if a spine had suddenly formed in his body, allowing him to "stand" upright.

With each move, he could easily circulate the Qi through his body, unleashing power far beyond what he had before!

Feeling a sense of joy, Li Hao then proceeded to practice the Primeval technique.

Following the steps in his memory, he progressed from the second level, the Star Body, to the third level, the Ghostly Body!

As he practiced, the energy within him surged even more fiercely, like a raging river!

Li Hao discovered that the Ghostly Body also contained a breathing technique that was just as formidable as the Hundred Flood Dragon Body, if not more so!

Li Muxiu hadn't mentioned this, likely because the old man hadn't thoroughly researched this martial art. After all, it was a body cultivation technique and a fragmentary one at that, so he probably hadn't considered having Li Hao practice it.

As Li Hao became more familiar with it through repeated practice, his body underwent significant changes, gradually opening up a second large meridian!

Moreover, this large meridian was extremely robust and thick, capable of accommodating much more energy than the first one!

This large meridian, the core of the Ghostly Body, was known as the Ghost Meridian!

From the description in the technique, Li Hao learned that the Ghost Meridian had another name in martial arts: the Taiyin Meridian!

Li Hao checked his cultivation level. Despite having opened a second large meridian, he remained at the First Level of the Zhoutian Realm, with no advancement.

This Taiyin Meridian was like a hidden large meridian, not counted among the other meridians.

The energy from the Hundred Flood Dragons in the first large meridian flowed into the Taiyin Meridian, cycling between the two. However, what nearly filled the first meridian was like a small stream in the Taiyin Meridian, unable even to brush against its walls.

Sounds akin to thunder and tiger roars emanated from within Li Hao's body, like a dormant beast slowly awakening.

The external force from the surging energy scattered the dust around him, keeping a three-foot radius clear!

The insights from the third stage of the Body Dao gave Li Hao a profound understanding of both techniques, and he quickly noticed overlapping and intersecting areas in their breathing methods.

With a thought, he executed both techniques simultaneously, and soon, the two breathing methods began interacting. The energy divided into two streams, chasing each other like twin flood dragons through the large meridians.

As Li Hao practiced more, gaining proficiency, the two streams of energy intertwined and merged.

This was the merging of techniques!

The overlapping parts were covered, and the intersecting areas became one. This led to his energy circulating even faster.

From one hundred cycles per meridian, he achieved one hundred and thirty-two cycles!

An increase of thirty-two cycles!

This already surpassed the Li family's top-tier breathing technique, the "Hundred Battles Zhoutian Technique."

It should be noted that, except for the royal family, this was one of the most coveted top-tier breathing techniques in Dayu.

As the energy coursed through the Taiyin Meridian, Li Hao sensed a unique, extremely cold power circulating within his body. If he were to practice techniques like the Cold Ice Palm or the Ice Soul Body, they would be twice as effective with half the effort!

After finishing his practice, Li Hao planned to research what this Taiyin Meridian truly was.

He then continued with the third top-tier body cultivation technique, the Dragon Cicada Vacuum Body.

Compared to the previous two, this technique's third level was slightly inferior.

The Leap Shell Body contained a breathing technique but only had seventy-two cycles. In other words, mastering this technique alone could help Li Hao break through to the Zhoutian Realm.

Leap Shell allowed him to manipulate energy to achieve brief aerial suspension.

Note that flight was a power only possessed by those in the Jihun Realm.

However, the aerial suspension of the Leap Shell Body couldn't compare to that of the Jihun Realm. It was only useful in certain combat scenarios and didn't greatly enhance direct combat power.

Nonetheless, the second layer of the Dragon Cicada Vacuum Body was quite powerful. Previously, at the first stage of the Body Dao, Li Hao had only reached the second layer's minor completion. Now, the second layer, the Crouching Dragon Body, was at the perfect level!

This gave him a terrifying, pure physical strength akin to a dragon elephant, with at least twenty thousand pounds of power!

Li Hao estimated that his brute physical strength alone was around fifty thousand pounds.

Yes, it was that astonishing.

Now, at the third stage of the Body Dao, Li Hao could roughly sense his body's state without needing any tests or trials.

If he combined this with internal energy circulation, the union of Qi and strength could unleash a force of around one hundred thousand pounds!

One cycle of energy circulation equated to the power of one ding.

At present, Li Hao could complete one hundred and thirty-two cycles, equating to one hundred and thirty-two ding. Two meridians meant two hundred and sixty-four ding!

Each ding was two hundred pounds, totaling about fifty thousand pounds.

Such power could easily crush an ordinary Zhoutian Realm practitioner at full cycle.

An ordinary full-cycle Zhoutian Realm practitioner, with ten meridians and ten cycles, was the lowest tier of the Zhoutian Realm, with little hope of advancing to the Jihun Realm. Their energy was only one hundred ding, around twenty thousand pounds.

At the First Level of the Zhoutian Realm, with ten cycles per meridian, they gained only an extra two thousand pounds of strength. While this nearly doubled the typical Tongli Realm's 3,600-pound strength, a divine-blooded individual in the Tongli Realm could double their power to 7,200 pounds, capable of battling an ordinary First-Level Zhoutian practitioner!

This was the might of divine blood.

Moreover, this didn't include additional enhancements from techniques and skills.

After all, what martial artist hasn't mastered a couple of signature techniques?

Furthermore, the background and resources of a divine-blooded individual ensured their techniques weren't low-grade, further widening the gap. A full-cycle Tongli Realm divine-blooded practitioner could easily defeat Zhoutian Realm warriors at the second or third level.

Some prodigies could even fight across four or five levels!

At the Zhoutian Realm, the disparity in techniques and resources widened the gap in power and cultivation speed.

With the Li family's two top-tier breathing and meridian-opening techniques mastered simultaneously, a full-cycle Zhoutian practitioner would possess a force of a million pounds!

Meanwhile, the weakest had only twenty thousand pounds, a difference of more than fifty times!

However, it was rare for a full-cycle Zhoutian practitioner to use only the weakest ten-cycle breathing technique. That was the absolute minimum.

Everyone had some opportunities, even if it meant joining the military. There, they could acquire mid-grade breathing techniques and eighteen-meridian mid-grade meridian-opening martial arts.

The Li family's Yuanzi Battalion, led by ancestors, allowed selected warriors to practice high-grade breathing and meridian-opening techniques, making them formidable within their realm. Consequently, the ten thousand soldiers of the Yuanzi Battalion surpassed a regular army of a million!

Feeling the surging energy within, Li Hao smiled.

The terrifying enhancements from his techniques far surpassed divine blood. After all, divine blood only doubled the Tongli Realm's 3,600-pound baseline, while the improvements from his techniques did not.

To him now, a mere increase of just over three thousand pounds was insignificant.

"Not considering the special attributes of Tiger Suppression, Flying Segment, or the Sea Boundless Sword Technique, just in physical combat, I should be able to defeat Zhoutian Realm practitioners without a background. But compared to the full-cycle warriors of the Yuanzi Battalion, I'm still far behind," Li Hao thought.

The warriors of the Yuanzi Battalion were fierce tigers of Dayu, and in Yanbei among the demon clans, the Yuanzi Army was synonymous with death.

When the Yuanzi flag was raised, demons fled in terror, because they practiced high-grade breathing and meridian-opening techniques, with fifty thousand pounds of strength at full Zhoutian cycle!

A thousand such warriors marching forth would be terrifying.

Moreover, the Zhoutian Realm was the weakest level in the Yuanzi Battalion.

"Now, I can barely spar with warriors at the third or fourth level of the Yuanzi Battalion's Zhoutian Realm, but their combat experience is vast, and I might not be able to win."

Despite the immense improvements, Li Hao's mind remained grounded.

He continued integrating the third layer's breathing technique of the Dragon Cicada Vacuum Body. After eliminating overlapping areas, his circulation speed increased again, reaching one hundred and forty-three cycles per breath!

This was fifteen more cycles than the Hundred Battles Zhoutian Technique, and the accumulated difference at full Zhoutian cycle was significant.

However, compared to the royal family's Heaven's Zhoutian Technique, it still fell short.

Li Hao then practiced the other various top, middle, and low-tier body cultivation techniques, synchronizing his memory and body completely.

This further enhanced his physical strength, reaching about seventy-five thousand pounds. After all, this was the combined result of dozens of techniques. Additionally, his senses, like vision and hearing, and skin perception, were greatly enhanced.

In battle, these would have a considerable impact on the outcome.

Li Hao then began searching for information on the Taiyin Meridian within the building.