Chapter 2: Improving Cultivation

The original owner, as a first-tier patrol officer of the Jing Tian Department in Da Xia, naturally possessed an established level of cultivation.

The Breath Cultivation Realm was the third realm in martial arts, following the Body Refining Realm and the Blood Refining Realm.

In the Body Refining Realm, one tempered their body and honed themselves, while in the Blood Refining Realm, one refined their blood energy, mobilizing the essential blood throughout the body to nourish themselves. The Breath Cultivation Realm, as the name suggested, nurtured inner breath to strengthen it.

These were the first three realms of martial arts in this world.

And only by reaching the Breath Cultivation Realm and accumulating a certain amount of merit could one serve as a first-tier patrol officer in the Jing Tian Department.

A first-tier patrol officer's rank was roughly equivalent to a seventh-grade official in Da Xia. Above that was the Metropolitan Procurator.

However, it would take years to accumulate enough merit to reach that step.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly approached from a distance. Someone was walking towards him in the pouring rain.

Gu Chen, who had merged with the original memories, knew that the only person who would come in the rain at this time must be his second uncle, Gu Chengfeng. Besides him, there was no one else.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in a cloud-patterned official robe, with a standard long sword at his waist, walked in.

Sure enough, it was Gu Chengfeng, Gu Chen's second uncle.

Gu Chengfeng had a tall build, a square face, well-defined features, and thick eyebrows. Seeing Gu Chen awake, he was overjoyed. He hurried to him and said, "Dalang, you finally woke up. You've been unconscious for three days and nights. How do you feel now?"

Having integrated the original memories, Gu Chen regarded Gu Chengfeng as his second uncle. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Second Uncle. I'm fine."

"You knew your heart meridian was corroded by the yin energy of a demon, so why did you still engage in combat?" Gu Chengfeng asked sternly.

Hearing this, Gu Chen couldn't help but show a bitter smile, not knowing how to answer.

Gu Chengfeng's expression softened. He sighed, knowing the original's stubborn nature, and stopped scolding. He said, "It's good that you're awake. The physician from Changchun Hall said that you were injured by extremely forceful strikes to your internal organs. Second Uncle made some medicine for you. Drink it while it's hot."

After speaking, Gu Chengfeng took out a bowl of medicine and began to feed Gu Chen.

Gu Chen initially wanted to do it himself, but knowing he was seriously injured and couldn't move, he let Gu Chengfeng feed him the medicine.

Gu Chengfeng had cared for Gu Chen for many years, treating him like his own son. When the physician from Changchun Hall said that Gu Chen's heart meridian had been invaded by demonic yin energy and that he had little time left, Gu Chengfeng's heart nearly broke.

Fortunately, Gu Chen woke up now.

Of course, there were things he hadn't told Gu Chen. The physician from Changchun Hall had said that even if Gu Chen woke up by chance, he might never fight again because of the yin energy in his heart. Any exertion could lead to yin energy attacking his heart, and then he would be beyond saving.

This news was something he couldn't bring himself to say, knowing his nephew's strong will. Gu Chengfeng feared that Gu Chen couldn't handle it now.

Soon, seeing Gu Chen obediently finish the medicine, Gu Chengfeng nodded in satisfaction. Then, he extended his hand and placed it on Gu Chen's wrist.

"Second Uncle, you are…" Gu Chen was stunned.

He felt a warm flow coming from Gu Chengfeng's hand, spreading through his wrist into his body. It felt like soaking in a hot spring, and the severe pain in his body eased significantly.

Gu Chengfeng was using his inner breath to adjust Gu Chen's body and help him absorb the medicinal effects more quickly.

Only those who reached the Breath Cultivation Realm could develop inner breath within their flesh and blood. Gu Chen naturally had it too, but severely injured as he was, he couldn't mobilize it.

Moreover, Gu Chengfeng, his second uncle, had reached the fourth realm of martial arts, the Meridian Unblocking Realm, unblocking twenty-eight meridians in his body. His inner breath was much more substantial than Gu Chen's.

"Second Uncle, that's enough." Gu Chen spoke up just in time to stop Gu Chengfeng from depleting more inner breath.

"It's no trouble." Gu Chengfeng smiled and continued to transfer energy into Gu Chen's body.

Seeing this, Gu Chen felt a bit helpless but said nothing more.

The original owner was stubborn but took after his roots. The entire Gu Family, including the original owner's father and second uncle, Gu Chengfeng, were of the same nature.

Gu Chengfeng hadn't gone home for several days, choosing instead to stay and care for Gu Chen.

The next day, the rain that had relentlessly poured over Tiandu for three days and nights finally ceased, and bright sunshine bathed the earth. Gu Chengfeng woke early and prepared breakfast and medicinal food for Gu Chen. With his second uncle's help, Gu Chen's condition gradually improved.

Quickly, a month and a half passed by.

After a month and a half of recovery, including daily nurturing with Gu Chengfeng's inner breath, Gu Chen's injuries finally healed completely, except for the demonic yin energy still lingering in his heart.

Once healed, Gu Chen had tried to mobilize his inner breath to expel the yin energy, but his cultivation was too weak, being only at the initial stage of the Breath Cultivation Realm. His inner breath was not substantial enough to entirely clear the yin energy from his heart meridian.

Whenever he tried to practice martial arts, he felt a faint pain in his chest.

Whenever this happened, Gu Chengfeng appeared in time to stop him.

Over time, Gu Chen realized that as long as this yin energy was present, he might never fight again.

But fortunately, Gu Chen wasn't an ordinary person. He still had the help of a panel.

One night, at Gu Chen's persuasion, Gu Chengfeng returned home instead of staying.

After all, it had been over a month since he last went back. Gu Chengfeng had a family and a niece with Gu Chen's aunt, and his long absence must have worried them.

After his second uncle left, Gu Chen opened a mechanism set by the original owner, revealing a package inside. Opening it, he found nearly ten irregular black crystals.

At that moment, Gu Chen felt a piercing cold rush over him, making him shiver.

These irregular black crystals, called "soul crystals," contained the core power of demons and ghosts, formed after their extermination.

Gu Chen picked up a soul crystal, feeling its icy, penetrating coldness.

He paid no mind. With a thought, the soul crystal in his palm began to disintegrate from the edges, gradually vanishing into thin air.

As the soul crystal disappeared, an eerie cold flowed through Gu Chen's hand into his body.

Immediately, Gu Chen willed the panel to appear before him.

Name: Gu Chen

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth (Advanced) Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Skill (Advanced) Red Flame Palm (Intermediate) Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist (Beginner)

Internal Skill: Pure Yang Skill

Cultivation: 20 years

Realm: Initial stage of Breath Cultivation Realm

Merit Points: 5

What was originally zero merit points now became five.

When the panel first awakened, Gu Chen learned that slaying demonic beings could yield merit points.

Upon realizing this, Gu Chen immediately thought of the original owner. Absorbing his memories, he knew the original had joined the Jing Tian Department for years, slaying many demons and storing many soul crystals.

So, once he healed, he couldn't wait to try absorbing them.

"As expected!"

Seeing that he successfully increased his merit points to five, Gu Chen was thrilled and without hesitation, started absorbing the soul crystals one by one.

After absorbing all the soul crystals, his merit points surged from zero to fifty-two.

Looking at the abundant merit points on the panel, Gu Chen couldn't suppress his excitement, reminiscent of the exhilaration he felt when receiving his first investment in his previous life's business venture.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Gu Chen willed five merit points to convert into five years of cultivation within his body.