Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Breakthrough—Qi Circulation

Night fell.

Dark figures shot out from the Zhou Mansion, fanning out to every corner of the town in search of suitable prey.

If Leping County, with its gates sealed shut, was a forest, then they were its predators.

And the townspeople were their prey.

The hunt had begun.

Zhou Qing, his eyes blood-red, let out a low roar. Shrouded in a bloody glow, he charged into a room, and a piercing scream immediately followed.

In a nearby courtyard, Sixth Master Zhou tossed the corpse of a grown man to the ground. His gaze fell on a mother and daughter huddled together in a corner, trembling uncontrollably. A flicker of complex emotion crossed his scarlet eyes.

Struggle!

Reluctance!

...

"ROAR!"

He threw his head back and roared in fury, smashing through a wall and fleeing into the distance.

On a long street, a slender figure stood in the middle of the road. Corpses lay strewn at his feet.

The bodies were those of the patrol guards.

Scenes like this played out all across Leping County. The wealthy and powerful families could barely protect themselves, and the Patrol Team had long since ceased to exist in anything but name.

In the vast town, aside from a few scattered safe havens, everyone feared for their lives.

Zhu Mansion.

Zhu Ju stood on the rooftop, silent.

"Brother Zhu."

Wan Shuai paused beside him, gesturing with the wine flask he held.

"Want a sip?"

Zhu Ju shook his head softly.

"Heh..." Wan Shuai chuckled, then tilted his head back and took a large swig of the strong liquor. He let out a hiccup and said,

"You can’t expect people who surpass us in strength, lifespan, and even Divine Soul to still see us as their own kind."

"The fact that they don’t actively prey on ordinary people is the last shred of goodwill these Cultivators show."

"Sacrificing human lives for Alchemy," Zhu Ju said with a frown.

"Is that what you call goodwill?"

The Innate Qi Refiners of San Fen Hall and the Celestial Yu Gang may not be the ones using ordinary people for their Alchemy, but they’ve stood by and watched it happen. They even sealed the city to prevent anyone from escaping. They’re no better than accomplices to these atrocities.

"At least the Cultivator backing the Zhou Family hasn’t acted personally," Wan Shuai said, spreading his hands.

"I used to have a hard time understanding them, too, until..."

"One time, I was drinking with some friends when a mountain villager chopped down a tree on my friend’s property. The guards beat the man to death on the spot. That’s when I realized I’d never seen those mountain folk as my equals, either."

"See what I mean?"

Hierarchies have always existed.

The rich and powerful make the poor pay dearly to maintain their own lavish lifestyles, yet no one thinks twice about it.

A fisherman risks his life, pulling fish from a frozen river, all to satisfy someone’s palate.

A hunter toils in the mountains to bring down a mighty tiger, only because someone wants its pelt as a decoration.

Flowers cultivated with painstaking care exist only to momentarily brighten someone’s mood.

And so on and so forth.

How is the world not unfair?

If even ordinary people, whose strengths are not so different, are divided into myriad ranks and classes, how could those lofty Innate Qi Refiners—people pursuing the Immortal Dao—possibly care about the lives of common folk in some backwater town?

Forget ordinary people.

From the tone of that ’Immortal Master Jiangg,’ you can tell he couldn’t even be bothered with a top expert at the Qi Circulation realm, like Xiao Gongdu.

"If you haven’t reached the Innate realm, you’re just a ’tool’ in their eyes—including you and me," Wan Shuai said slowly.

"You have to get used to it, Brother Zhu. This world is just that cruel."

"So..." Zhu Ju began slowly, "what kind of elixir is the person backing the Zhou Family actually refining?"

"The Corpse Yin Breaking Acupoint Pill!" Wan Shuai sat up straight, his voice growing serious.

"When Innate Qi Refiners cultivate, breaking open one acupoint advances them a realm. Opening all nine acupoints signifies reaching the realm of Innate Great Perfection."

"But breaking acupoints is extremely difficult. An elixir makes it relatively easier. The Corpse Yin Breaking Acupoint Pill can break the first three acupoints, and its effect is greatest with the very first pill. That’s why Elder Jiangg and his people refuse to let this opportunity go."

"Refining a Corpse Yin Breaking Acupoint Pill is no easy task. It requires not only a blood sacrifice of at least a thousand people, but also a variety of precious medicinal herbs. If they miss this chance, it’s almost impossible they’ll ever get another."

Zhu Ju nodded slowly.

’Wan Shuai didn’t really need to tell him all this.’

’Mentioning it now was a clear sign that Wan Shuai saw his potential. It was an act of goodwill, and a way to secure another friend down the line.’

’Besides...’

’The Alchemy had reached a critical point. The pill would likely be formed soon, so revealing it now wouldn’t have any real impact.’

"Brother Wan."

After a long moment of contemplation, Zhu Ju asked,

"How strong is an Innate Qi Refiner?"

"How strong?" Wan Shuai was taken aback, as if he had never considered the question. He scratched his head and said,

"I’ve never seen an Innate Qi Refiner fight with their full strength, not even my own father. But I’d guess even the weakest Innate could kill a Martial Arts master at the Qi Circulation realm in under three moves."

"And I’m talking about a master who has perfected top-tier techniques, not some self-taught Loose Cultivator."

Zhu Ju’s expression darkened.

*

*

*

"AH!"

"Help me!"

"..."

The screams grew more and more frequent. Even from inside his Quiet Chamber, he could hear them clearly.

As time went on, the attacks by the demon-corrupted members of the Zhou Family, which had at first been confined to the night, gradually turned into hunts in broad daylight.

The entirety of Leping County descended into chaos.

The Zhou Family members cultivating the Demon Skill, even the weakest among them, had a Cultivation level of Nurturing Inner Qi, completely overpowering ordinary people.

And those with the power to fight back chose to look the other way.

The death toll climbed.

The chaos deepened.

The town became a living hell, a playground for Demons. Screams and cries echoed from morning to night, eventually giving way to a dead silence as no one dared to make a sound.

Everyone went into hiding.

To be caught meant certain death. Hiding was the only hope for survival.

The Quiet Chamber.

For the past few days, Zhu Ju had used the excuse of clearing the residual Corpse Qi from his body to remain in seclusion, consuming Demon Beast Flesh to aid his Cultivation.

He turned a deaf ear to the chaos outside.

The Cultivation Technique he practiced was extraordinary for a place like Leping County. His Thirteen Body Refinement was enough to let him fight above his level, but this advantage wasn’t enough to close the gap with the top experts of Hejian Prefecture.

He had the Thirteen Body Refinement; they had top-tier legacies.

He had the Five Peaks True Form Force; they had Innate Methods.

...

Even the Martial Arts Realm was something the Elders of San Fen Hall had also mastered, and with greater proficiency. If he wanted to truly pull ahead in power, he could only rely on a solid foundation.

CRACK!

CRACK! CRACK!

At a certain moment.

A series of faint, cracking sounds emanated from Zhu Ju’s body.

The sound was like a string of firecrackers. At first, it was intermittent, but it gradually became a continuous chain of pops, finally erupting into a thundering wave of Qi.

Thirteen Body Refinement!

Inner Refining Third Realm!

Break!

BOOM!

With a deep, resounding boom, the barrier to his Realm, once at the Peak of the Inner Refining Second Realm, was completely broken through.

Inner Refining Third Realm, also known as...

Qi Circulation!

HMMMM...

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, his Inner Qi coursing ceaselessly through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. His Ren and Du Meridians were now completely open.

At this moment, his Inner Qi circulated endlessly. Even if he were to unleash a powerful Palm Technique, he could recover most of his energy with just a short rest. He would no longer be exhausted after just three to five palm strikes as he was before.

As his Inner Qi grew stronger, so too did the power of his Palm Technique.

"Release!"

With a low shout, Zhu Ju’s clothes billowed without any wind, and his long hair fanned out, whipping around him.

His Protective Gang Force spun and suddenly expanded outward.

One chi, one cun!

One chi, two cun!

...

One chi, five cun!

Perfection in the Qi Circulation realm should grant a three-chi Protective Gang Force, but this is only theoretical. In reality, very few people ever achieve it.

Take Elder Luo, for example.

Despite being nearly eighty years old, with exceptionally pure and profound Inner Qi, his was only two chi and six cun.

Sword Hero Xiao Gongdu only had two chi and three cun.

Only by achieving Perfection in Essence, Qi, and Spirit could one attain the legendary three-chi Gang Force.

Zhu Ju’s ability to rapidly reach one chi and five cun right after his breakthrough was thanks to his profound foundation.

The Thirteen Body Refinement at the Inner Refining Third Realm, the Five Peaks True Form Force, and even the Body Tempering effects of the Demon Beast Flesh had all served to solidify his foundation.

Once he broke through, his Cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds in a short time.

If he were to fight Jing Feng now, there would be no need for such a prolonged battle. Going all out, he was confident he could end it within ten moves.

He rose to his feet.

He swung his saber.

The blade glinted.

The Demon Saber Technique was extraordinary; its quality was clearly far superior to the Mixed Element Iron Hand. Having realized this, Zhu Ju had been practicing the Saber Technique for four hours every day.

By now, his execution of the Demon Saber Three Forms was flawless.

However...

’The Demon Saber Technique is similar to the Seven Injuries Fist—it harms the user before harming the enemy. Take the Shocking God form, for example. I must first make my own Divine Soul tremble before my saber can harm an opponent. The more I am affected, the stronger the Saber Technique’s power.’

’At this rate, even with a strong Divine Soul, using the saber repeatedly will cause damage. As the Demon Saber Heart Technique, the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Cross Method should have a corresponding method to deal with this, but unfortunately, that method did not fall into my hands.’

’Fortunately, the Five Peaks True Form Force also helps to stabilize the Divine Soul. As long as I don’t use the saber so many times that my Divine Soul is severely damaged, the impact won’t be too great.’

He retracted the light of his saber and stood holding the weapon.

’The profundity of the Demon Saber Technique is beyond my expectations,’ he thought. ’Every time I practice it, I gain new insights into the art of the saber.’

’It even allowed me to grasp the Saber Intent of the Yin Wind Saber.’

’No wonder all the past masters of the Demon Saber were experts of the saber, even Zheng Hong, who rarely fought, was no exception.’

The Demon Saber Technique looked simple, but it was actually the pinnacle of saber arts. Once you’ve cultivated this technique, looking at any other Saber Technique is like a college student looking at elementary school homework. You might not grasp it all at a single glance, but you can master it with incredible speed.

’My Inner Qi Cultivation has improved, my mastery of the Saber Technique has increased, and I’ve even grasped a Martial Arts Realm. Even though I’ve only just broken through, my strength should already be considerable within the Qi Circulation realm.’

Facing the chaos in Leping County, he could finally feel a little more at ease.