Chapter 116: Divine Soul Power, Minor Achievement in Bone and Muscle Refinement

"Master, have you broken through to the Innate Realm?" Lu Qing asked eagerly.

"Not quite yet. I've only managed to refine the Divine Soul Power, but I haven't officially entered the Innate Realm," the old doctor replied.

Lu Qing listened and didn't feel disappointed.

Divine Soul Power is the most crucial step in advancing from the Post-Natal Realm to the Innate Realm.

Master had already been half a step into the Innate Realm, lacking only the Divine Soul Power.

Now that the most critical link was in place, he was just one true step away from the Innate Realm. The upcoming breakthrough would be effortless, with no obstacles in his way.

"Then, Master, when will you be able to officially advance to the Innate Realm?"

"It will take a few more days. Once I've adjusted my essence, energy, and spirit to their optimal state, I can attempt to draw in the vital energy and take that final step," the old doctor explained.

"Master, didn't you say that it would take at least half a year to have a chance to break through? Why is it so much earlier than expected?" Lu Qing asked curiously.

"It's a fortunate coincidence," the old doctor sighed. "The Pre-Natal Method you gave me is extraordinarily exquisite. Recently, I've been studying the 'Qing Nang Medical Classic' by the Saint of Medicine, and the two complemented each other perfectly. It deepened my understanding of the essence and soul, allowing me to take this step ahead of time."

Lu Qing fell silent.

He hadn't guessed wrong; his master was indeed an unparalleled genius when it came to cultivation.

Even in his youth, he had been able to deduce the Nurturing Body Fist, an exquisite and complete method for cultivating the body, from an incomplete set of techniques.

Now, he had gained insight from the medical classic and was on the verge of a breakthrough.

It was remarkable, considering Master had no formal cultivation lineage.

His great-grandfather was merely a folk healer with a basic understanding of martial arts, not even a true cultivator.

One could say that Master had relied mostly on his own exploration and understanding of the martial path.

And yet, he had reached the stage of refining Divine Soul Power and was just a hair's breadth away from the Innate Realm.

While Lu Qing's assistance with the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid and other opportunities had played a part, one couldn't deny that Master possessed extraordinary talent in cultivation.

Of course, Lu Qing also knew that Master probably didn't see himself that way.

In his heart, he likely didn't consider himself a cultivator at all, but merely a healer with some knowledge of cultivation methods.

Nonetheless, Master's imminent advancement to the Innate Realm was a great joy to Lu Qing.

After saving Madam Wei and her son, and with Xiao Li, he had offended the Tiancang Sect by killing Wang Qing Shan and Tong Cang Wolf.

Although the Tiancang Sect might not discover their actions, it was still a hidden danger.

Now that Master was about to break through, Lu Qing felt more confident and reassured.

With that in mind, Lu Qing took out a jade slip.

"Master, congratulations on your breakthrough. I don't have a suitable gift, but please accept this inheritance jade slip as my token of appreciation."

Lu Qing presented the jade slip to his master.

"Inheritance jade slip?" The old doctor looked at the slip curiously.

"Indeed. Inheritance jade slips are special artifacts that can only be created by cultivators with exceptionally powerful Divine Soul Power in the Innate Realm. A single jade slip can contain a vast array of knowledge and information.

Usually, only cultivators who have cultivated their Divine Soul Power can read the contents of an inheritance jade slip. The Pre-Natal Method I gave you was obtained from this slip."

"Since inheritance jade slips can only be read by those with Divine Soul Power, how were you able to access it, disciple?" The old doctor asked, puzzled.

After all, his disciple had not yet cultivated his Divine Soul Power.

"Disciple had a fortuitous encounter in that mountain cave and was fortunate enough to obtain all the inheritances within. However, I could only do so once, and I am unable to extract any more information from the jade slip. It no longer holds any value for me, so I thought to offer it to you, Master," Lu Qing explained, sticking to the prepared story.

He knew that Master, given his character, would not press him further about the nature of his fortuitous encounter.

True to his expectations, the old doctor didn't doubt him after hearing his explanation.

According to Lu Qing's story, the mountain cave was capable of producing the miraculous Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, so it was reasonable to expect other wonders as well.

The old doctor took the jade slip and examined it closely.

Only the purest and most refined jade could be used to create an inheritance jade slip.

Thus, the jade slip in his hands was of exceptional quality and appearance. Even as a decorative object, it would be priceless.

However, the old doctor was more interested in the ancient patterns inscribed on the slip than its physical beauty.

The patterns on it gave off a unique and profound aura.

After examining it for a while, the old doctor couldn't decipher any profound secrets; his cultivation was still lacking.

The marks left by Li Weitian, a consummate pinnacle powerhouse of the Innate Realm, were beyond his current comprehension.

Following Lu Qing's instructions, the old doctor placed the jade slip on his glabella and carefully extended the Divine Soul Power he had cultivated not long ago into the slip.

His soul power seamlessly entered the jade slip.

Within the slip, the old doctor sensed several small orbs of light. He directed his soul power towards one of them.

As his soul power made contact with the orb, a flood of information began to appear in his mind.

Lu Qing watched as his master attempted to read the inheritance jade slip without interfering.

Unless there were soul restrictions set on the jade slip, there was no danger in simply reading the information contained within.

When Li Weitian created this slip, he hadn't set any restrictions, so anyone who had cultivated soul power could freely access its contents.

As the old doctor perused the information, his expression became captivated.

He was so engrossed that he suddenly felt dizzy, his soul power reaching its limit.

After all, his soul power was newly cultivated and still weak, unsuitable for prolonged use.

Reluctantly, the old doctor withdrew his soul power from the jade slip.

"I never expected Senior Li Weitian's life to be so tumultuous," he said, his first words filled with wonder.

He must have seen the will left behind by Li Weitian on the jade slip.

"Master, have you heard of this Senior Li Weitian before?" Lu Qing asked.

"No, I haven't," the old doctor shook his head. "In all my travels across the lands over the years, I've never come across this name."

Lu Qing fell silent, his expectations confirmed.

According to his calculations, Li Weitian had lived at least seven or eight hundred years ago.

Such a distant past, entire dynasties could have risen and fallen in that time.

It wasn't surprising that no one remembered a pinnacle powerhouse of the Innate Realm.

"Master, I'll leave this inheritance jade slip with you. When you officially enter the Innate Realm, you can cultivate the techniques within," Lu Qing said.

The old doctor nodded without declining.

At this point in their relationship, there was no need for polite pretenses between master and disciple.

The bond between them transcended such formalities.

"By the way, I need to seclude myself for three days to adjust my essence, energy, and spirit. After that, I'll attempt to draw in the vital energy and make the final breakthrough. Make sure you're here," the old doctor said.

"In three days?" Lu Qing asked, a hint of delight in his voice. "I'll definitely be here to assist you, Master!"

Witnessing a breakthrough into the Innate Realm firsthand would be a valuable experience for Lu Qing.

"Assist? Who would dare cause trouble for me, your master?" The old doctor laughed.

"You're right, I spoke without thinking," Lu Qing quickly replied.

"Well then, I see that your qi and blood are harmonious, and your tendons and bones are strong and resilient. I presume you're not far from the Small Achievement realm?" the old doctor commented.

"Master's perception is sharp as always," Lu Qing said. "I actually came up here to inform you that I'll be secluding myself for a few days to focus on breaking through. I didn't expect to hear such wonderful news about your impending breakthrough."

"Your cultivation speed is truly astonishing. Even the renowned martial arts geniuses of the prefectural city might not be able to match you," the old doctor marveled.

His disciple had just broken through to the Tendons and Bones realm not long ago, and now he was about to enter the Small Achievement realm.

However, the old doctor was aware that Lu Qing had consumed the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, greatly enhancing his aptitude. In terms of innate talent for martial arts, Lu Qing could very well rival those peerless geniuses.

"Since Master is secluding himself for three days, it's perfect timing for me to focus on reaching the Small Achievement realm of the Tendons and Bones realm," Lu Qing smiled.

...

As Lu Qing descended from the mountain cottage, he was in high spirits.

His master's imminent breakthrough was an unexpected delight.

Once he officially entered the Innate Realm and gained access to the inheritance left by Li Weitian, a consummate master of the Innate Realm, his progress would be swift.

With his master's enhanced strength, Lu Qing's backing would become even more solid.

Feeling elated, Lu Qing returned home.

Inside the house, Xiao Yan and Xiao Li were playing Go again.

The two girls seemed to never tire of this game, playing countless matches every day.

Both of them were also quite competitive, keeping a careful tally of their wins and losses.

As a result, they had become remarkably quick at counting.

Chapter: Tiger's Roar

From now on, both of them could count past one thousand, saving Lu Qing a lot of trouble.

Lu Qing had been considering whether he should get the two little ones something else to play with, like a beast-fighting chess set, to change things up a bit.

But seeing how they never tired of Five-in-a-Row, he couldn't be bothered to go to the effort.

Seeing how engrossed the two little ones were in their game, Lu Qing didn't want to disturb them.

He said a quick goodbye and headed toward the bamboo forest in the back mountain with his battle sword in hand.

Over the next few days, Lu Qing devoted himself entirely to cultivation.

Then, on the morning of the third day, he smoothly broke through to the Small Achievement realm of the Tendons and Bones realm.

In the bamboo forest, Lu Qing was practicing his fists.

Not the Nurturing Body Fist, but a different set of martial arts for the Qi and Blood realm that he had found in his master's study.

In the past few days, as his sword technique had reached the pinnacle of hardness and softness, and his knife technique had reached its limit, Lu Qing had temporarily hit a bottleneck in his knife technique, with no further progress to be made.

With some free time on his hands, Lu Qing went through his master's collection and picked out other secret manuals.

This included the two stick and sword techniques from before that he hadn't chosen.

The old doctor, aware of Lu Qing's extraordinary martial arts talent, knew that he would learn quickly.

Plus, given Lu Qing's personality, he wouldn't get distracted, so the old doctor let him take all the secret manuals.

After getting the manuals, Lu Qing used his ability to learn all the martial arts.

With his current sword mastery and the help of his ability, he quickly mastered all the martial arts and even reached a rather profound level.

This included the other two Tendons and Bones realm martial arts.

However, after trying them out, Lu Qing still found that he preferred using a knife.

So he didn't plan to switch to other weapons.

At this moment, Lu Qing was practicing a set of boxing techniques from one of the secret manuals his master had collected.

It was called Tiger Fist, a martial art of the Qi and Blood realm.

Although it was a Qi and Blood realm technique, in Lu Qing's hands, it was incredibly powerful.

Each of Lu Qing's punches caused his tendons and bones to creak like a drawn bow, releasing immense power.

Wherever his fist aura reached, it howled like a tiger, as if a real tiger were roaring within him, which was terrifying.

Such a formidable display would surely leave the martial artist who created Tiger Fist dumbfounded, unable to imagine that Tiger Fist could be used with such force.

Roar!

After finishing the last move of Tiger Fist, Tiger's Roar, Lu Qing slowly retracted his fist.

His qi and blood raged like a furnace, causing the sweat on his body to turn into a mist.

"Tendons like bowstrings, bones like the bow, drawing the bow like a full moon, and the force like a barrage of arrows. Being able to throw a hundred punches in the blink of an eye without losing any force is the Small Achievement of the Tendons and Bones realm."

"The key to achieving the Small Achievement lies in the ten words: drawing the bow like a full moon and the force like a barrage of arrows."

"Only by tempering the strength and resilience of the tendons and bones to a certain level, allowing them to be flexed and released without damaging the tendons and bones, can one be considered to have reached the Small Achievement."

"The other day, Tong Cang Wolf was able to withstand my full-force knife without dying or even suffering any internal injuries, aside from his incredibly defensive fur coat."

"There's another reason: he had already achieved the Small Achievement of the Tendons and Bones realm, and his tendons and bones were like springs, able to flex and release force, deflecting most of my knife's power."

Lu Qing stood in the bamboo forest, gaining new insights.

His understanding of the Tendons and Bones realm deepened further.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Although his mind was filled with many advanced legacies, broadening his horizons and giving him a deeper understanding of higher realms, the path of martial arts could only be walked step by step.

Only by truly reaching those higher realms could he gain a deeper understanding of the cultivation knowledge within the legacies.

"I've achieved the Small Achievement of the Tendons and Bones realm. Next is the Great Achievement, and with the help of the Refine Bone and Sinew Pill, I won't be far from that realm either." Lu Qing thought to himself.

After successfully breaking through to the Small Achievement, he felt happy but remained calm.

With so many fortuitous encounters, his horizons had broadened, and his cultivation goals had become more ambitious.

A minor breakthrough in the Tendons and Bones realm wasn't enough to excite him.

Now, his only goal was to reach the perfection of the Internal Organs realm and then break through to the Innate Realm!

"Perfect timing. Tomorrow, I can witness the breakthrough into the Innate Realm and discover its mysteries."

Lu Qing thought of his appointment with his master, anticipation flashing in his eyes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end