Chapter 100: Perfect Qi and Blood, Understanding Runes

After finishing his morning meal, Lu Qing immediately set about teaching the two little ones their letters.

"The cosmos is vast and infinite, the universe primordial and chaotic..."

Lu Qing held a small wooden stick and wrote in a sand tray while reciting the words for them.

He had never tutored children in his previous life, so he could only teach them slowly according to his own understanding.

Unsure of what primer books were used in this world, he decided to teach them the Thousand Character Classic, which he had learned, bit by bit.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan and Xiao Li were both clever, and even with Lu Qing's clumsy teaching, they were able to memorize the characters quickly.

Of course, they could only recognize the characters and couldn't write or understand their meanings yet.

"Alright, now that you two can recognize these characters, you can try to practice writing them yourselves."

After seeing that Xiao Yan and Xiao Li had memorized them, Lu Qing brought over two more sand trays and placed them in front of them.

If a teacher saw this, they would probably be so angry that they'd get sick.

Who teaches children to read like this? On the first day of learning characters, he was force-feeding them information without considering whether they could keep up.

However, at this moment, the only ones in the room were Lu Qing and the two little ones.

With one daring to teach and the others daring to learn, upon hearing Lu Qing's words, Xiao Yan and Xiao Li began to seriously practice writing.

Xiao Yan held a small wooden stick and first observed the characters that her brother had written before trying to copy them with the stick in the sand tray.

Xiao Li, on the other hand, found it a bit troublesome. As she only had claws, after a few attempts, she felt that holding the wooden stick was too inconvenient. In the end, she simply threw the stick aside and extended a sharp claw to write in the sand.

Lu Qing found this rather amusing but didn't stop her.

It would indeed be too difficult for a little beast to write with a brush.

Just as the two little ones were concentrating on practicing their writing, a voice came from outside, "Ah Qing."

"Master, why have you come here?" Lu Qing asked in surprise as he went to greet him.

"I've finished refining the Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills that you needed. I brought them over," Old Doctor Chen said with a smile.

"How could I trouble you, Master, to deliver them personally? I should have come to fetch them myself," Lu Qing said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"What's there to fuss about between us master and disciple? I've been cooped up in the medicine room for a few days, so I wanted to come out and get some fresh air," Old Doctor Chen said as he entered the house.

"Grandmaster Chen!"

Xiao Yan greeted him politely, and even Xiao Li called out.

"Hmm, good children, what are you two up to?"

The old doctor was curious when he saw the two little ones sitting in front of their respective sand trays.

"Brother is teaching us to recognize characters, and we're practicing writing!" Xiao Yan said excitedly.

"Recognizing characters?" The old doctor looked at Lu Qing, even more puzzled.

It was understandable that Xiao Yan was being taught, but even Xiao Li was sitting so obediently.

Lu Qing felt a bit awkward and explained, "Disciple had some free time, and thinking that Xiao Yan is growing up, I wanted to start teaching her to recognize characters. I didn't expect Xiao Li to be so interested as well, so I taught them together."

Old Doctor Chen looked at Xiao Li in surprise. He never expected that the little black beast would have such a keen interest in learning, which was much better than many human children.

However, he didn't know that the reason the two little ones were so eager to learn was that Lu Qing had piqued their interest with stories, stimulating their desire to learn.

"Learning characters is good. Much of the world's knowledge is hidden within books. Once you can recognize characters, you'll be able to learn many things on your own," the old doctor said with satisfaction.

"Then, Grandmaster Chen, are there many fascinating stories in books?" Xiao Yan asked eagerly.

Xiao Li also looked over, curious about the answer.

The old doctor paused for a moment before nodding, "Of course, there are many fascinating storybooks as well."

Xiao Yan and Xiao Li's eyes lit up at this, and their enthusiasm for writing intensified.

Lu Qing felt a bit awkward and quickly tried to divert his master's attention, "Master, you mentioned that the Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills are ready?"

"Yes, they're all done," the old doctor nodded and took out several large medicine bottles. "They're all here. I've already categorized the pills according to their efficacy. These two bottles are refined from ginseng of less than 200 years, this one is from 300-year-old ginseng, and this one is from a 500-year-old precious ginseng. Take good care of them."

After seeing that Lu Qing had put away the pills, the old doctor continued, "Ah Qing, although these pills are beneficial, you must be careful when taking them. Even the best medicine can be toxic in large doses. Don't be impatient and harm your body."

"Disciple understands," Lu Qing said solemnly.

"Alright, I won't disturb you further. I'll head back to the mountain now," the old doctor said, feeling relieved after delivering the pills.

Chapter: Breakthrough

"Master, you've been refining pills for your disciple for several days now. You've probably even forgotten to eat properly. Let me make you a quick meal?" Lu Qing said hastily, seeing that his master was about to leave.

"No need. I've already eaten. I've been pondering the Primal Scripture you gave me while refining the pills, and I've gained some insights. I think I'll go into seclusion to focus on them. You can continue teaching Xiao Yan and the others their letters," Old Doctor Chen refused.

Seeing that his master had made up his mind, Lu Qing could only give up. After all, insights like these were rare, and he didn't want to interrupt his master's train of thought.

After his master left, Lu Qing saw that Xiao Yan and Xiao Li were still practicing their writing diligently, so he didn't disturb them. He stepped into the courtyard, took out a 100-year Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pill, swallowed it, and began to cultivate.

As the pill took effect, its medicinal power quickly spread throughout his body. Lu Qing executed a series of moves from the Nurturing Body Fist, each one filled with vitality and a sense of ease, as if inviting others to join in and relax.

His mastery of the Nurturing Body Fist had improved significantly.

After his trip to the mountain, Lu Qing had obtained great opportunities. Not only had he received the legacy of Li Weitian, an exceptional peak expert at the Innate Full Circle, but he had also learned the method to cultivate the Way of Runes.

Although these legacies hadn't directly increased his strength, they had broadened his horizons and given him a deeper understanding of the path of martial cultivation.

As a result, his comprehension of the Nurturing Body Fist had also deepened.

Lu Qing's movements were now free of any worldly impurities, embodying the essence of the Nurturing Body Fist and bringing a sense of comfort and relaxation to those who watched.

If Old Doctor Chen were here, he would surely be astonished by Lu Qing's progress in the Nurturing Body Fist.

Lu Qing's mastery of the first nine forms of the Nurturing Body Fist was now on par with his master's.

With his improved understanding of the Nurturing Body Fist, Lu Qing's rate of refining the Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills also increased significantly.

Before long, he had completely refined the medicinal power of a 100-year pill, transforming it into his own vital energy.

Without hesitation, he took out another pill from the bottle and continued his cultivation.

Lu Qing's martial arts realm had long since reached the stage of comprehending the perfection of qi and blood. All he lacked was the substantial qi and blood power.

Therefore, continuously refining pills was not an issue for him.

What he needed to be mindful of was not overdoing it by refining too many pills in a single day, giving his body time to adjust and adapt.

However, refining a few pills a day was well within his limits.

Lu Qing cultivated in the courtyard, and villagers passing by would often stop to watch, their eyes filled with envy. Yet, no one dared to disturb him.

Lu Qing now held a high status in Jiuli Village. Not only could he kill with a wave of his hand, but he had also distributed silver to the entire village, earning their gratitude.

So, when the villagers saw him cultivating, they didn't dare to interrupt.

...

In the following days, Lu Qing's life became highly disciplined.

Every day, in addition to paying his respects to his master and learning medicine, he spent most of his time cultivating and refining the Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills.

The rest of his time was dedicated to teaching Xiao Yan and Xiao Li their letters, and occasionally, he would go fishing to provide Xiao Li with some extra food.

It's worth mentioning that, after catching the two Golden Loaches, Lu Qing never caught any more rare fish.

He wasn't sure if he had fished out all the rare ones or if they had become more cautious.

Either way, he hadn't been able to keep his promise to Xiao Li.

Time flew by.

As Xiao Yan and Xiao Li learned more characters, Lu Qing's martial arts skills rapidly improved.

On the seventh day of their lessons, Lu Qing reached the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood.

And on the fifteenth day, while cultivating in the bamboo forest behind the mountain...

Lu Qing's body trembled as a vast amount of qi and blood energy surged within him. With his will, this energy flowed like a river, gathering and dispersing at his command, achieving a perfect harmony.

"Finally, I've reached the Perfect Circle of Qi and Blood!"

Lu Qing opened his eyes, a look of delight on his face.

After half a month of continuous cultivation and consuming most of the Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills, he had finally pushed his qi and blood energy to their limit, attaining the Perfect Circle.

Now, all he needed was to rest and fully master this new power before attempting to break through to the Sinew and Bone realm.

"This martial cultivation truly devours resources like a beast."

Lu Qing sighed as he looked at the pill bottle by his side.

In just half a month, he had gone from the Small Achievement to the Perfect Circle of Qi and Blood.

Such a cultivation speed would surely astonish other martial artists.

Chapter: Breakthrough

Lu Qing didn't feel that his progress was anything extraordinary.

Over the past half month, he had swallowed an unknown number of Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills.

If all these pills were converted into silver, he could probably bludgeon several Sinew and Bone realm warriors to death with it.

With so many resources, if his martial arts progress wasn't fast, then he would truly be wasting his cultivation.

"However, due to the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, my potential has received a significant boost, and the amount of Qi and Blood I can contain far surpasses that of an ordinary Qi and Blood realm warrior."

"Now, the Qi and Blood power within my body is probably several times that of an ordinary Qi and Blood Perfect Circle warrior."

Feeling the harmonious and abundant Qi and Blood power within him, Lu Qing was very satisfied.

After all, Earth Vein Spirit Liquid was a mystical substance created by a mysterious existence beyond the innate realm, and its effect on improving one's aptitude was indeed formidable.

With his current strength, if the Heart-Ripping Wolf were to resurrect and face him again, Lu Qing was confident that he could defeat it with a single punch, without even needing to draw his sword.

Even against another Qi and Blood Perfect Circle warrior, as long as they weren't a similarly gifted martial arts genius, they would likely be unable to withstand more than a few moves from him.

"I wonder, with my current strength, what are my chances against Ma Gu?"

Lu Qing recalled that Ma Gu's martial arts realm was at the initial stage of the Sinew and Bone realm.

He was at the bottom of the Sinew and Bone realm.

In the path of martial arts, there existed a huge gap between every realm.

Logically speaking, even the weakest Sinew and Bone realm warrior should be stronger than a Qi and Blood realm warrior.

But in this world, many things simply didn't make sense.

Some incredibly talented martial arts geniuses could transcend that gap and fight opponents of higher realms.

Lu Qing didn't know if he qualified as one of those martial arts geniuses.

So, he wasn't sure if he had the qualifications to fight Ma Gu.

"Perhaps I should find an opportunity to spar with Ma Gu?"

This thought had just arisen when Lu Qing immediately rejected it.

His strength, which far exceeded that of an ordinary Qi and Blood Perfect Circle warrior, shouldn't be exposed yet.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to prevent others from having unnecessary suspicions.

When things go against common sense, there's always a demon at play, and no one is truly a fool.

The fact that he had reached the Qi and Blood Perfect Circle in such a short time was already astonishing enough.

But this could still be explained away as a result of his cultivation talent.

If he were to also reveal his abnormally powerful Qi and Blood, then even a fool would know that there was something unusual about him.

Even if others couldn't guess the existence of the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, they would probably suspect that he had obtained some kind of miraculous elixir.

In that case, all sorts of troubles might come one after another.

The current Lu Qing didn't have the power to withstand such troubles.

"For now, I should still maintain a low profile. When I enter the Internal Organs realm, or when Master officially breaks through to the Innate realm, we won't have to fear most of the powers in this world."

Lu Qing set a goal for himself.

At the same time, he reminded himself not to become arrogant just because he had gained a little strength.

The Qi and Blood realm was merely the first realm in the path of martial arts, and he still had a long way to go.

If he became arrogant now, how could he hope to reach the pinnacle of martial arts in the future?

After some self-reflection, Lu Qing calmed down from the excitement of his breakthrough and regained his usual calm.

He sat cross-legged, slowly adjusted his breath, and then activated his ability, entering a state of calming his mind and washing his spirit. He took out a piece of silver from his pocket.

During this period, most of his time had been spent refining the Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills and breaking through his martial arts realm.

He had spent less time contemplating the Way of Runes.

Now that he had broken through to a new realm, he would need some time to consolidate his progress before attempting to enter the Sinew and Bone realm.

In the meantime, he could continue to contemplate the Way of Runes.

Holding the piece of silver in his hand, Lu Qing, in his state of calming his mind and washing his spirit, gazed intently at the intricate patterns on the silver.

During this period, he hadn't spent much time contemplating the Way of Runes, but he had occasionally studied the patterns on the silver from time to time.

He had a feeling that if he seriously contemplated it one more time, he would be able to fully understand the patterns on the silver.

The mountain breeze blew gently, and the sound of the wind whispered through the bamboo forest.

The sunlight shone quietly through the gaps in the bamboo stalks.

Everything seemed so serene.

In this environment, Lu Qing quietly contemplated the mysterious patterns on the silver.

Time passed slowly, and as the sunlight gradually slanted, Lu Qing remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the silver.

Finally, as dusk approached, a light flashed in his eyes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end