Chapter 261: Surging Inner Breath, A Decade of Cultivation!

Chapter 261: Surging Inner Breath, A Decade of Cultivation!

The Great Sun rose.

Even before the Si hour, he had broken the ice and entered the water to restore his condition.

By then, Jiang Ning had already prepared himself.

A moment later, he glanced at the sundial in the courtyard, and as the sun slowly moved across the sky, the time reached the Si hour.

The next moment, Jiang Ning focused his mind.

With the Heartstone in his chest, he also found that it was much easier to calm and focus his mind than before.

Without wasting any time on adjustments, he quickly calmed his mind, and his spirit platform became clear, with not a single distracting thought in his mind.

Instantly, he faced the five directions, slightly tilted his head back, and slowly inhaled towards the warm sun above.

In that moment, a strand of the Great Sun's essence qi was drawn into his nose from the void.

The essence qi descended from his nose into his lungs and kidneys, scorching hot, yet he felt no pain from any burns.

Ever since he acquired the Water and Fire Immortal Clothes' unique trait, the essence qi of the Great Sun entered his five viscera and six bowels without causing any harm to his five organs.

It only brought about its refining effects.

Then, he felt the essence qi dispersing and merging into his five viscera and six bowels.

Suddenly, he felt as if he was in a furnace, without a trace of coldness, and a warm current flowed within him.

As his five organs were tempered by this strand of essence qi, strand after strand of inner breath condensed from the five organs and flowed into his abdomen's dantian.

[Inner Dan Health Cultivation Skill Experience +1]



As the prompt sounded, one strand of the Great Sun's essence qi was consumed.

Jiang Ning reopened his eyes, his face filled with joy.

With the nourishment of the five elements' spiritual essence, his foundation became more robust.

This time's refinement of the Great Sun's essence qi was completely different from the previous time.

During the previous refinement, each inhalation only increased his inner breath by one strand.

But this time, after refining the first strand of true essence, his inner breath had already increased by five strands, with an efficiency five times higher than before.

"The efficiency of condensing inner breath has increased fivefold!" Jiang Ning was also taken aback in his heart.

Previously, the nourishment of the five elements' spiritual essence had strengthened his five organs and six bowels, leading to an enhancement of his innate foundation.

In recent days, the inner breath that he naturally condensed daily had also increased from one strand to two or even three strands daily.

This change in the natural growth of inner breath was due to the enhancement of his five viscera and six bowels.

Just like how he initially condensed one strand daily due to his unique trait.

[Five Viscera Essence Storage]: Essence is stored within the five viscera, and the viscera naturally strengthen.

The natural strengthening of the viscera refers to the self-enhancement of the five viscera and six bowels.

In the Inner Fortitude Realm, the five viscera and six bowels are strengthened.

The five viscera are primary, and the six bowels are secondary.

His unique trait leads to a slight enhancement of the five viscera and six bowels daily.

Because of this continuous slight enhancement, his five viscera and six bowels naturally condense one strand of inner breath daily.

Although it's only one strand daily, it's equivalent to his previous inhalation of one strand of the Great Sun's essence qi.

With perseverance through wind and rain, without being hindered by external conditions, the growth of inner breath over time is already a significant improvement.

Moreover, the enhancement of his five viscera and six bowels due to the nourishment of the five elements' spiritual essence has further increased his innate foundation.

This has also led to the strengthening of his six bowels due to the enhancement of his five organs.

As a result, his inner breath growth in recent days has increased from the initial one strand daily to approximately three strands daily.

He had thought that this was the limit.

This was the effect of the five elements' spiritual essence nourishing his five organs.

But after inhaling one strand of the Great Sun's essence qi today, he realized that he had underestimated the effect of the five elements' spiritual essence nourishing his five organs.

With just one inhalation of the Great Sun's essence qi, the amount of condensed inner breath increased from one strand previously to five strands now, a fivefold improvement.

The next moment, he calmed his mind and focused his spirit, clearing his spirit platform and eliminating all distractions.

Then, he continued to inhale towards the Great Sun above.

As he inhaled, strand after strand of the Great Sun's essence qi merged into his five viscera and six bowels.

The viscera and bowels continued to be tempered.

[Inner Dan Health Cultivation Skill Experience +1]



[Inner Dan Health Cultivation Skill Experience +1]



[Inner Dan Health Cultivation Skill Experience +1]



With the support of the Water and Fire Immortal Clothes' unique trait, he was no longer afraid of being burned by the Great Sun's essence qi, which greatly increased the efficiency of his inhalation.

He no longer had to consider the burden on his five organs.

Previously, even when half of his body was in the water, receiving continuous nourishment from the water spirit, it still took some time for him to recover.

Now, without any burden, the efficiency of his inhalation was significantly improved compared to his previous method in the water.

Not to mention the comparison with ordinary people, it was like the difference between heaven and earth!

However, as he continued to inhale the Great Sun's essence qi, he discovered another change.

With each strand of the Great Sun's essence qi refined, the condensed inner breath gradually decreased from five strands to four, three, and eventually two strands.

The Si hour passed, and the Wu hour approached.

Even in the cold winter, as the Wu hour arrived, the scorching sun overhead became somewhat glaring.

"The Great Sun's essence is refined, and two strands of Inner Breath are condensed!" Jiang Ning slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, opened his eyes, and muttered.

At the same time, as his thoughts turned, a prompt appeared before him once again.

【This time, the Great Sun's essence was absorbed, and the Inner Cultivation Skill experience increased by a total of 95 points.】

Not a lot, but not too little.

A single session of absorption and exhalation, lasting two hours, resulted in an increase of nearly a hundred points of experience.

At the same time, he had already noticed that the panel seemed to undergo slight changes according to his intentions.

This was undoubtedly a good thing.

If it could be influenced by his will, it might indicate that this panel was truly under his control.

The changes in all things in the world must have a reason, and Jiang Ning guessed that this panel was no exception.

He then looked at the Inner Cultivation Skill section on the panel.

【Skill】: Inner Cultivation Skill (Minor Accomplishment 1086/5000)



"At this rate, it will take around forty-one to forty-two days."

"The efficiency is indeed high!"

"Unfortunately, the weather is unpredictable. The weather with the Great Sun high in the sky is less common, while overcast skies and heavy snow are more frequent."

Jiang Ning shook his head and sighed.

He maintained the Five Hearts to Heaven posture and closed his eyes.

Five Hearts to Heaven is a type of meditation posture in Daoism.

Inner Cultivation Skill is also a traditional Daoist method of Inner Strengthening, requiring an Immortal Root and natural talent, as well as extremely high understanding.

As he visualized his body, his gaze fell on the Dantian within.

At that moment, he could see the Inner Breath like smoke, mist, and clouds, sometimes taking the form of a dragon, weaving through the clouds.

Sometimes it resembled surging waves, never ceasing.

If one had a deep understanding of the Fifth-Rank Inner Fortitude Realm, seeing this scene in the Dantian would reveal that the Inner Breath had reached a level akin to majestic rivers and mountains.

This was the Inner Breath Like River.

With this, the Inner Breath had surpassed the second level, reaching the Inner Breath Like River Realm.

What he didn't know was that this majestic Inner Breath, in the context of the Fifth-Rank Inner Fortitude Realm, was equivalent to a decade of strength.

For ordinary Fifth-Rank Inner Fortitude Realm cultivators, it often required five to ten years of accumulation to reach the Inner Breath Like River level.

As for the subsequent Inner Breath Like Ocean, due to the accumulation of total quantity in the Dantian, the phenomena would change, and the strength would become even more profound.

"Compared to before, the total Inner Breath has indeed increased," Jiang Ning thought to himself, also feeling slightly surprised.

Compared to the last time he observed the changes within his own Dantian, the changes this time were noticeably different.

It was like majestic rivers and mountains, surging with formidable momentum.

"Today's absorption and exhalation of the Great Sun's essence resulted in a total increase of 291 strands of Inner Breath. Could this be due to the increase in total Inner Breath?"

Jiang Ning had some speculations in his mind.

"After the New Year's holiday, when I return to work, I'll have to work on advancing my official position and enhancing my permissions to obtain information about the Fifth-Rank and above."

He made a decision in his mind.

Previously, he wasn't in a hurry and was considering the possibility of needing contribution points to exchange for other needs.

Now, he had discovered that he indeed needed to improve his official position and status.

It wasn't just because of He Jinseng's visit to the Duke of Qinghe's Manor, but also because he required higher permissions.

Otherwise, when he forged his Jade Bone and stepped into the Fifth-Rank Inner Fortitude Realm, he would be completely in the dark.

"Perhaps I should look for Lin Qingyi?"

The image of a green-clad figure appeared in his mind, and he shook his head.

"Forget it, I won't go find her. She's a married woman, so it's better to keep some distance!"

He had some reservations in his heart.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Several more days passed.

These days, since He Jinseng's visit, there had been no further appearances.

Regarding this, Jiang Ning simply kept it in mind.

His current strength was more than sufficient to deal with He Jinseng.

As for the Duke of Qinghe's Manor, since they only sent He Jinseng, it indicated that they wouldn't be sending anyone else in the short term.

Moreover, the heavy snowfall had blocked the roads outside the city, making travel difficult.

In such harsh conditions, even strong cultivators would find long-distance travel challenging.

Even if they were strong, it wasn't necessary to travel in such adverse weather.

Normally, traveling from Dongling City to Luoshui County would take about five days by horseback.

In this weather, it would take at least half a month.

In other words, traveling in the icy and snowy environment without the ability to light a fire would take more than half a month.

Therefore, Jiang Ning remained calm.

The Duke of Qinghe's Manor had already declined, and they wouldn't hesitate to invite a Fifth-Rank cultivator comparable to Hong Hu.

But to have them travel for more than half a month in the icy and snowy environment, enduring the harsh weather, would require a significant favor.

A Fifth-Rank cultivator held significant influence in Dongling City.

As for a Fifth-Rank Peak cultivator, comparable to Lu Qingshan, the Valley Master of the Pill Valley, it was completely impossible!

The difference between a Fifth-Rank Peak cultivator and those below the peak was immense, and they were not on the same level.

Their Inner Breath could be condensed into a Gale, capable of slaying a thousand soldiers.

This level of combat power was terrifying.

It also indicated that Agustino's status and position were very high, and inviting such a person would require a significant favor.

In the courtyard.

After a round of fist techniques, he also completed a Great Heavenly Circuit.

Under the warm sun, Jiang Ning's body was drenched in sweat, and his head was constantly emitting breath.

Even for him, completing each cycle of bone forging was still a significant drain.

Huff—

He let out a breath.

Then, he opened the panel to take a look.

【Name】: Jiang Ning

【Divinity】: 0

【Authority】: Flesh Regeneration (82.73% missing)



【Essence】: 221.88

【Skills】:

Literacy and Calligraphy (4x Break Limit 2466/5000) (Characteristics: Photographic Memory, Extraordinary Senses, Sharp Mind, Exceptional Comprehension)



Five Animal Fist (2x Break Limit 3000/3000) (Characteristics: Five Viscera Essence Storage, Five Elements Spirit)



Firewood Splitting Blade Technique (5x Break Limit 6000/6000) (Characteristics: Broad Understanding, Swift as the Wind, Divine Blade Control, Unity of Man and Blade, Innate Blade Bone)



Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill (Minor Accomplishment 1277/5000)



In recent days, the most significant change was in the Five Animal Fist.

With three thousand experience points gained, he only lacked Essence Points now.

Three Break Limits required five hundred Essence Points, and he only had a little over two hundred. The gap was not small.

"Five Animal Fist, three Break Limits, now I only lack Essence Points. I need to find a way to get the Essence Points I need!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.

Then, he closed his eyes and focused inward.

In an instant, he saw the 206 bones floating in his vision.

These bones had undergone a tremendous transformation compared to a few days ago, completely opposite to their initial state.

The entire body exuded a jet-black luster, and the bones were now a deep black, like obsidian.

This blackness was not dull or dark; instead, it was filled with a bright luster.

Within this blackness, there were countless silver threads intertwined.

As he refined his bones, turning these silver threads into blackness, and his 206 bones became free of any impurities, it would signify his official entry into the second realm of the sixth-rank Martial Path, the Mysterious Bone Realm.

"Just a few more days, and it'll be done!" Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes.

He stood in place and thought for a moment.

Then, he went back to the room and picked up all the clothes that his sister-in-law, Liu Wanwan, had washed and dried in the sun.

After being dried in the sun all day, even the clothes carried the scent of sunlight.

Jiang Ning put the neatly folded clothes into his ring and turned to leave the room.

The warm sun had melted some of the snow on the road, but the lake's surface was still covered with a thick layer of ice.

Boom—

Jiang Ning's right foot stepped down, and the twenty-centimeter-thick ice layer suddenly collapsed.

With him as the center, the broken ice blocks on the outside rose high into the air.

Within a few meters, the ice was filled with large and small cracks.

As the ice layer broke, Jiang Ning fell into the cold lake water.

However, the cold lake water, in the eyes of others, made Jiang Ning close his eyes and reveal a look of enjoyment.

He could feel his entire body, from head to toe, being nourished by the lake water.

The energy consumed during the bone refinement was now rapidly recovering.

After a moment, all the energy consumed during the practice had been fully restored, reaching its peak state.

Jiang Ning quickly washed himself.

Then, he moved his thoughts.

The lake water surrounding him instantly changed, creating a vacuum underwater.

He stood in the underwater vacuum and quickly changed into his clothes.

The lake water above his head naturally parted, and the water beneath his feet rose, allowing him to walk on the surface as if he were floating.

When he stepped back onto the ice layer, not a drop of water had touched his clothes.

"Go to Wanhua Tower, sell the Golden Box, buy some heavenly materials and treasures, and let my Essence Points break through 500."

"Complete the three Break Limits of the Five Animal Fist, and see the effects of the third Break Limit!"

"Then continue with bone refinement, and my strength will surely rise to the next level, entering the Mysterious Bone Realm."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end