Chapter 103: Stepping into the Sinew and Bone Realm! The Wei Family

The standoff between the martial artists in the county and the Wei estate came as a surprise to Lu Qing. He had expected the two sides to engage in battle immediately. However, this development did support his earlier suspicions. The death of the Wei family's ancestor, a Precelestial Realm elder, was indeed suspicious. Someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes to create the current situation in the county. It was unclear how long this eerie peace would last.

Amidst all this, Lu Qing enjoyed a peaceful life, watching the drama unfold while studying medicine, cultivating, and teaching the two little ones how to recognize characters. Life couldn't be better.

Surprisingly, more than half a month passed without any escalation in the county's situation. However, Lu Qing no longer paid much attention to these matters. After spending the last half month refining and brewing, he felt the signs of an impending breakthrough.

In the bamboo forest behind the mountain:

Lu Qing sat cross-legged, his expression calm, yet his body emanated a scorching heat as the qi and blood within him circulated at their limit. He was attempting to break through the Qi and Blood Realm and step into the second realm of martial arts—the Sinew and Bone Realm.

The key to breaking through from the Qi and Blood Realm to the Sinew and Bone Realm was to push the power of qi and blood beyond its limits, infusing it into the bones and sinews. This process required repeated nurturing and tempering, gradually strengthening one's bones and sinews. It demanded an extremely high level of control over one's qi and blood, allowing for perfect manipulation to nurture and temper the bones and sinews without causing self-harm. Otherwise, insufficient control could lead to severe consequences, ranging from ruptured bone marrow to its complete incineration.

This was why Lu Qing, despite having already reached perfection in the Qi and Blood Realm and possessing complete control over his qi and blood, chose to spend another half a month refining himself before attempting the breakthrough. Rushing or being timid was not an option when it came to advancing in the martial arts realms. Everything had to be honed to perfection before taking that step, ensuring the safest approach.

At this moment, Lu Qing's qi and blood had reached their limit, condensing an incredibly powerful strand of qi and blood energy. Carefully, he controlled this strand, breaking away from its original path and penetrating deeper into his body. This step appeared dangerous, like using a tightrope to control a ferocious beast. Any misstep could lead to a rampage of qi and blood throughout his body, resulting in severe injury or even death.

However, Lu Qing's face remained calm. At his current level, he had long since mastered control over his qi and blood. Though the situation seemed perilous, everything was under his control.

Soon, the powerful strand of qi and blood energy broke through its limits and permeated his bones. Under Lu Qing's adept control, it slowly circulated around his skeletal structure. With this, Lu Qing had successfully crossed the boundary between the Qi and Blood Realm and the Sinew and Bone Realm. But this was not enough.

Lu Qing stood up and assumed a boxing stance, slowly practicing his punches. He started with the first form of the Nurturing Body Fist and swiftly progressed to the ninth. According to his usual cultivation habit, Lu Qing should have started from the first form again. However, this time, he continued and executed an entirely new technique—the tenth form of the Nurturing Body Fist.

The Nurturing Body Fist that Master taught Lu Qing consisted of thirty-six forms. The first nine forms were for cultivating the Qi and Blood Realm, and starting from the tenth form, one entered the Sinew and Bone Realm.

In the past, whenever Lu Qing attempted to practice the tenth form, his bones and sinews would ache painfully, preventing him from continuing. But this time was different. As he executed the technique, the strand of refined qi and blood energy he had cultivated swiftly circulated through his bones and sinews, nourishing and soothing the fatigue away, giving him the strength to continue.

With the aid of this powerful strand of qi and blood energy, Lu Qing smoothly completed the tenth form. Without stopping, he moved on to the eleventh form.

The first nine forms of the Nurturing Body Fist were for cultivating the Qi and Blood Realm, while forms ten to eighteen were for the Sinew and Bone Realm. Lu Qing swiftly progressed to the eighteenth form. As he finished this form, he slowly retracted his stance and stood still, carefully sensing the changes within his body.

At this moment, he felt incredibly good. His qi and blood were vibrant, and his bones and sinews felt as if they were soaking in warm water, a pleasant and comfortable sensation. He couldn't help but recall a sentence his master had said when teaching him the Nurturing Body Fist.

Chapter: Nurturing Body Fist

The more one practiced the Nurturing Body Fist, the more comfortable it felt, which proved that one was practicing it correctly. If it became increasingly painful, then something was definitely amiss.

Clearly, he was doing it right, as he felt fantastic.

"I've finally entered the Sinew and Bone Realm," Lu Qing said with delight.

From this moment on, he was officially a Sinew and Bone Realm martial artist, standing on the same level as Ma Gu.

Of course, they were only on the same cultivation tier.

Currently, he was still far from Ma Gu's level of mastery.

Ma Gu had been in this realm for many years, refining his bones, sinews, and skeletal structure to their utmost limits. Lu Qing, on the other hand, had just stepped into this new realm.

In terms of pure physical prowess, Lu Qing was probably still inferior.

However, Lu Qing wasn't worried.

Now that he had entered the Sinew and Bone Realm, his strength would rapidly increase.

With his potential enhanced by the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, surpassing Ma Gu would only be a matter of time.

Even now, if he were to fight Ma Gu, it would be hard to predict the victor.

After all, Lu Qing could feel that his strength had at least doubled since his breakthrough.

Previously, his power was already several times greater than that of an ordinary Qi and Blood Realm master.

Now, with another doubling, his explosive strength was likely unmatched by most Sinew and Bone Realm martial artists below the level of Small Success.

This was the advantage of having superior talent.

Martial artists with exceptional talent not only had higher cultivation ceilings but could also exert far greater power at the same cultivation level as their peers.

After savoring the feeling of breaking through for a while, Lu Qing gradually withdrew his thoughts.

Then, he retrieved a secret manual from a package hidden under an old bamboo tree nearby.

As he held the manual, Lu Qing's feelings were complicated.

This manual was one of the gifts given to him by the chief steward of the Wei family.

The steward had given him two gifts.

One was the Bone Tempering Pills, coveted by countless Sinew and Bone Realm martial artists.

The other was this secret manual.

When Lu Qing first received the manual, he didn't start learning from it immediately but stored it away with the Bone Tempering Pills.

Later, due to various events and the abundance of opportunities he encountered, he obtained many more resources, including several innate realm martial techniques and the even more mysterious Shen Fumen inheritance.

As a result, he completely forgot about this manual.

It was only a few days ago, while cleaning up the house, that he rediscovered it.

Now that Lu Qing had broken through to the Sinew and Bone Realm, he could start learning the secrets within.

As he held the manual, a dense, white light of his ability emerged from it.

[Discovery of martial technique. Proceed with simulation download?]



Lu Qing chose to download and slowly opened the pages.

[Download in progress. Current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%...]



As Lu Qing flipped through the pages, the progress bar jumped accordingly.

When he finished reading the last page, the progress bar reached 100%.

[Download complete. Beginning simulation. Current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%...]



Lu Qing quietly waited, and soon, another prompt appeared in his vision.

[Simulation complete. Proceed with learning?]



He immediately chose to learn.

The next moment, a flood of insights and information surged into his mind, and Lu Qing instinctively closed his eyes to fully immerse himself in this new knowledge.

It didn't take long for him to finish absorbing the information, and when he opened his eyes again, they shone with surprise.

"So that's how it is. This secret technique is actually a burst technique."

With the aid of his ability, Lu Qing had thoroughly understood the technique recorded in the manual.

The manual described a burst technique called the Burst Qi Method.

The principle behind this technique was to stimulate the martial artist's body through a unique method of circulating qi and blood, temporarily unleashing several times their usual strength.

Of course, like all burst techniques, there would be a period of weakness after its use. This Burst Qi Method was no exception.

It could be used at most once every three days and could be maintained for half an hour at most.

Afterward, one had to rest and recover, or their body might suffer hidden injuries that would hinder future cultivation.

"A fairly standard burst technique," Lu Qing commented.

If it had been the old him, he might have considered this technique extraordinary.

However, after obtaining the legacies of Li Weitian and the Shen Fumen, his perspective had broadened.

Now, this technique seemed rather ordinary.

Nevertheless, despite its modest level, this technique was still quite useful to Lu Qing in his current situation.

Thus, he decided to master it thoroughly after stabilizing his power in the Sinew and Bone Realm.

It wouldn't do to attempt it now, as his bones and sinews had yet to fully adapt to his new realm and might not withstand the strain of using the technique.

Chapter: Unforeseen Circumstances

Lu Qing set the secret manual aside after figuring out its contents.

Glancing at the sky, he felt there was still ample time, so he continued his cultivation practice.

The situation in the county was tense and precarious, with the potential for conflict to erupt at any moment.

Who knew what would happen if a fight truly broke out?

It would be beneficial to increase his strength as much as possible.

As Lu Qing dedicated himself to his training, in the county, within the Wei Estate:

Ever since the mysterious group publicly challenged them, the Wei Estate had closed its doors, refusing to receive any visitors.

Even the County Master's visit was turned away.

Currently, the vast Wei Estate appeared quiet and serene from the outside, with leaves left uncleared at the entrance, giving off a desolate vibe.

Compared to the days when people revered and averted their gazes in fear, there was now a hint of melancholy.

Inside the Wei Estate, in a quaint courtyard, the Wei family head was practicing his martial arts.

By his side, the chief steward, familiar to Lu Qing, stood respectfully.

"Have the arrangements been made?" The Wei family head asked casually as he punched the air.

Although outsiders perceived the Wei Estate's situation as precarious and unstable, the family head's expression remained calm, devoid of any anxiety.

It was as if the events outside couldn't affect his inner peace.

"Yes, everything is in order," the chief steward replied respectfully. "The lady and the young master have been escorted out of the city through the underground passage. By now, they should be well on their way to the provincial capital."

"That's good," the family head said indifferently.

"However..."

The chief steward hesitated for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Before they left, the young master threw a huge temper tantrum. He refused to leave and wanted to stay with you, but in the end, I had to knock him out to calm him down," the chief steward explained.

Hearing this, the Wei family head's movements paused, and he stopped punching.

He sighed, "Ah, it's our fault as parents for spoiling him. I'm sorry that you had to be the bad guy."

"I dare not. It's my duty," the chief steward quickly replied.

"I hope that after experiencing this incident, An will grow up. I just don't know if I'll have the chance to see that day."

The family head sighed deeply.

Hearing this, the chief steward's heart trembled.

"Master, do you think that the ancestor..."

"I don't know," the family head interrupted, shaking his head. "All I know is that over half a month ago, the ancestor was ambushed by an enemy and severely injured. As for his life or death, no one knows."

The chief steward fell silent.

This was the first time he had heard any news about the ancestor from the family head himself.

However, the news wasn't reassuring.

Noticing the chief steward's reaction, the family head smiled.

"Rest assured, the situation hasn't deteriorated to that extent yet. As long as the ancestor is unaccounted for, those outsiders won't dare to attack. The wrath of a Precelestial Realm expert is not something these Postcelestial Realm martial artists can withstand."

"Moreover, even if they dare to attack, our Wei Estate is not without its means to fight back. We fear no one!"

As he spoke these words, the Wei family head exuded a domineering aura, no longer displaying his previous calm.

However, the chief steward's worries did not lessen.

The outsiders were not the source of his concern.

Instead, he feared the mastermind pulling the strings behind them.

Only a Precelestial Realm expert could manipulate so many Postcelestial Realm martial artists, and this person was likely the one who injured the ancestor.

Although there was a decree from the royal capital forbidding Precelestial Realm experts from attacking those below their level without cause, there was a lot of room for interpretation in that rule.

Who could guarantee that the mastermind would abide by it?

In this world, strength dictated everything.

The Wei family head seemed to have considered this as well.

After making his bold statement, he, too, fell silent.

If not for their wariness of the mastermind behind the outsiders, he wouldn't have sent his wife and son out of the city.

Precelestial Realm experts were simply too powerful.

Even their Wei Estate couldn't contend with them.

Their only hope now was for the ancestor to recover from his injuries and return.

However, over half a month had passed, and with the ancestor still missing, a sense of foreboding grew in the family head's heart.

Just as the two men were deep in worry, a loud shout suddenly rang out from above the estate.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end