Martial Arts: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 56 Mid-stage Blood Coagulation

Tie Qianshan thought for a moment.

After much deliberation, he finally spoke.

"Tianji Pavilion...that's the place with the most complete collection of martial arts manuals in the entire world."

"After leaving the mountain, the disciples of the Pavilion throughout the ages either became top masters or founded their own sects."

"The swordsman who could hold off a thousand troops with a single sword a hundred years ago had only spent three years copying books at the outer gate of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. And... even a third of the martial arts manuals in the Duan family's library have annotations from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion."

"It does not belong to any country, nor does it participate in any disputes; it only safeguards the integrity of martial arts classics and the inheritance of martial arts."

"If you can get in... regardless of your status, your future achievements will be limitless."

He stopped there.

It was as if he felt he had said too much, or as if he was plotting something.

Lu Yuan did not ask any further questions and put the Zhou Tian Tu Na Gong (a type of breathing exercise) into his pocket.

Tie Qianshan then gave a few more instructions, and Lu Yuan got up to take his leave.

As they walked out of the main hall, Lele peeked out from his arms and yawned.

He stroked the dog's head, still pondering the conversation he had just had.

There was a clear flaw in Tie Qianshan's words... He claimed to be the commander of the Imperial Guard, but how could he have easily found the direct line token?

Did the commander of the Imperial Guard really risk his life to snatch the princess's token from the fire?

Or... he's more than just the commander of the Imperial Guard.

But now is not the time to unveil this secret.

The other party needs him to be the crown prince of the Duan family, and he also needs the other party's sect and resources.

Let's use each other and stabilize the situation first.

Under Tie Qianshan's arrangement,

Lu Yuan was assigned to a secluded courtyard house.

Although it is the mountain where inner disciples live.

However, the surrounding environment is elegant, and there are no neighbors nearby.

Tie Qianshan also didn't want Lu Yuan to be disturbed by others too much.

This suited Lu Yuan perfectly, as he also disliked dealing with complicated interpersonal relationships.

Upon entering the courtyard and closing the door, Lu Yuan couldn't wait to take out the Zhou Tian Breathing Technique and begin studying it.

In simple terms, the Zhou Tian Tu Na Gong (Circulation Breathing Exercise) is about guiding internal energy through the meridians to circulate several times using breathing techniques.

The threshold for advanced cultivation techniques is not high; one can master them even at the early stage of the Blood Condensation Realm.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in the courtyard, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing gradually becoming long and even.

At the dantian, the accumulated internal energy slowly rotates with the rhythm of breathing, drawing strands of internal energy into the meridians.

One week.

Two weeks.

Three cycles.

...

Internal energy circulates continuously in the meridians, and with each complete cycle, the meridians throughout the body become more solidified.

The entry played a role in cultivation.

The entries related to cultivation on the panel started running automatically.

The optimal path to internal energy, which would normally require repeated trial and error to find, is now clearly presented in my mind.

It might take someone half a day to figure out the flow of internal energy after practicing the breathing technique for one cycle.

He memorized the route in just one hour, and his first burst of internal energy completed a full cycle without any hindrance.

Three days later, he was able to circulate his internal energy several times simultaneously, with his internal energy flowing like a stream through his meridians.

With a thought, the transparent panel in his mind reappeared.

Martial Arts Progress:

Zhou Tian Tu Na Gong: Beginner Level (356/1000)

During this period, Tie Qianshan sent people to deliver supplementary pills almost every day.

Blood-clotting pill.

One of them costs several hundred taels of silver.

A pill that quickly replenishes internal energy during the blood clotting period.

During this period, Tie Qianshan was practically flush with cash.

Lu Yuan's hand was almost always full of pills.

With each pill he took, the internal energy in his dantian visibly increased.

Lele just lay down next to his legs.

The puppy rested its chin on his knee, occasionally pricking up its ears to listen to the wind outside, and occasionally yawning before turning over and continuing to sleep.

During the few days that Lu Yuan was in seclusion, it quietly guarded him without making a sound, as if it had finally found a place where it could sleep peacefully after guarding the cave for countless years.

...

Ten days later, Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes while in seclusion.

The internal energy within the dantian has condensed from several scattered clumps in the early stage of blood clotting into a stable and profound lake.

His cultivation level steadily reached the mid-stage of Blood Condensation.

He stood up and stretched, his joints making a slight clicking sound.

Lele was awakened by the noise, yawned, and swished its tail on the ground twice.

"You don't make any noise, do you?"

Lu Yuan gently stroked Lele's head and then walked out of the courtyard.

As soon as he pushed open the gate to the courtyard, Tie Qianshan was already waiting outside.

To Lu Yuan's surprise, the moment Tie Qianshan saw Lu Yuan...

They didn't ask about Lu Yuan's cultivation progress.

Instead, his expression turned serious as he said to Lu Yuan, "Your Highness, there's something that might require your presence."

Lu Yuan nodded and followed behind Tie Qianshan.

Tie Qianshan led him through two corridors and into a side room of a side hall.

The room was dimly lit, with the curtains drawn tightly, and only an oil lamp flickering softly by the bedside.

A little girl was lying on the bed.

His body was covered in mud and cuts, and a few pine needles were stuck to his cuffs.

His face was completely bloodless, and his lips moved slightly.

It felt like a dream, or like I wanted to say something but couldn't.

Her breathing was so light that it was almost inaudible unless you got very close.

"Ya Ya...?"

Lu Yuan stood by the bed, looking down at that familiar little face.

"How did she end up here?" he asked Tie Qianshan beside him.

Lu Yuan still vaguely remembered.

That day, the Chen family warmly welcomed us.

That night under the old pine tree, Ya Ya peeked out from the crack in the door, looked up at him and asked, "Big brother, why aren't you asleep yet?"

It's only been... less than half a month.

He slowly clenched his fist.

"It was discovered by hunters in the nearby mountains during the days you were in seclusion."

Tie Qianshan's voice sounded particularly deep in the dim light.

"When she was found, she was being chased by several wolves. The hunter chased the wolves away and rescued her."

"The girl was covered in blood, had injuries on her legs, and had a high fever. She kept mumbling that she wanted to go to the Iron Bone Sect to find a brother named Lu Yuan. The hunter knew the sect's location, so he carried her up the mountain."

Tie Qianshan walked to the bedside, placed two fingers on Ya Ya's slender wrist, and put them down after a moment.

"The external injuries aren't fatal, but there's a severe internal injury. The person who attacked her was at least in the late stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Their internal energy had been blocked in her meridians for several days without being cleared, affecting all her internal organs."

"She was in a deep sleep, occasionally waking up for a few breaths, only repeating the same phrase over and over: 'Find Brother Lu Yuan.' I temporarily stabilized her meridians with my internal energy, but I couldn't completely dissipate the residual internal energy."

Tie Qianshan's tone was full of apology.

Lu Yuan remained silent.

He looked at Ya Ya's slightly trembling lips.

I remember that moonlit night.

Chen Dagou knelt in front of him and said, "Young Master Lu, I have nowhere else to turn."

I recall the figure of him standing by the woods at dawn, watching him walk away into the distance.

Something inside him was inexplicably touched.

"Brother Lu Yuan... Brother Lu Yuan..."

In her daze, Ya Ya murmured a few words, her face full of terror.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan quickly gripped Ya Ya's hand tightly.

"Don't be afraid... Brother Lu Yuan is here..."

As soon as Lu Yuan said this, Ya Ya, who had been unconscious, seemed to sense it.

He slowly opened his eyes.

He seemed somewhat incredulous at what he was seeing.

"Brother Lu Yuan... is that you?...?"

She immediately wrapped her arms tightly around Lu Yuan.

"Waaah... Brother Lu Yuan... Please... Please, save Father and Second Uncle!"