Chapter 28: Unity of Qi and Strength, Ten Thousand Jin!

Qi Circulation Through the Meridians!

Like a coiled serpent or mighty dragon, the Qi surged through Li Hao’s body—thick, powerful, and pulsing with raw energy. Though this was only his first attempt, the memories embedded in his mind made it feel as though he had practiced this art for decades. The moment his body summoned Qi, instinct took over. It was as if his very being had awakened to a long-forgotten truth.

A low, rumbling thunder echoed within his meridians. One great channel—the Great Meridian—was instantly pierced and opened. With its completion, Qi flowed without obstruction, racing through the newly formed pathway at breathtaking speed—sixteen full circuits in a single breath!

He repeated the process a second time. This time, his body moved with greater precision, syncing perfectly with the memories. Thirty-eight circuits per breath.

Third time: Fifty-two.

Fourth, fifth… by the seventh repetition, he achieved a hundred circuits per breath.

The Hundred-Drake Body—also known as the Hundred-Circuits Body—was named for this very milestone. When perfected, it achieved exactly one hundred circuits. No more, no less.

Li Hao glanced at his Character Panel. The Cultivation Level, once Tongli Stage Tenth Level, had now shifted—no longer a mere stage, but Circulation Realm, First Rank.

He had officially entered the Circulation Realm.

The Qi now flowing through his Great Meridian felt taut, alive, vibrating with power. It was as if a new spine had formed within his body—suddenly, he felt upright, grounded, whole. Every movement carried the effortless flow of circulating Qi. Power erupted from his limbs, far surpassing anything he had known before.

Joy surged through him, but he did not stop.

He immediately began cultivating Tai Chu, advancing step by step from the Second Layer—Star Body—through to the Third Layer: Spiritual Abyss Body.

As he practiced, Qi surged through him like a raging torrent, a storm of energy roaring through his core. He realized with astonishment that this Spiritual Abyss Body also contained a Circulation Technique—equally formidable, perhaps even more terrifying than the Hundred-Drake Body.

Li Moxiu hadn’t told him—most likely because the old man had never studied this martial art deeply. After all, it was a Body Cultivation technique, and the version he had was fragmented. The elder probably never considered Li Hao capable of cultivating it.

With each repetition, his body underwent profound transformation. Slowly, a second Great Meridian began to form within him—thicker, stronger, far more resilient than the first. It could hold vastly more Qi.

This new meridian—the Abyss Meridian—was the core of the Spiritual Abyss Body.

From the Combat Scripture, Li Hao learned this meridian was also known by another name: Taiyin Meridian.

He checked his Cultivation Level again. Though he now possessed two Great Meridians, his rank remained Circulation Realm, First Rank—no level-up.

This Taiyin Meridian was hidden, uncounted among the standard meridians. It did not factor into conventional cultivation calculations.

The hundred serpent-like Qi currents that once filled the first meridian now poured into the Taiyin Meridian. The two channels began to circulate in tandem—Qi flowing back and forth between them. Yet, where the first meridian had been stretched to its limit, the Taiyin Meridian now held the same Qi like a gentle stream—barely brushing against its walls, barely stirring.

A thunderous roar, like a dragon’s growl and a tiger’s snarl, echoed from deep within Li Hao’s body—like a slumbering beast beginning to awaken, slowly opening its eyes.

The outward force generated by the Qi’s surge swept dust from around him. Within three feet, not a speck remained.

His Body Dao, Third Rank, had granted him profound insight into both Combat Scriptures. Instantly, he sensed that their Circulation Techniques overlapped and intertwined in complex ways.

With a mere thought, he activated both techniques simultaneously. The two streams of Qi—like two coiled dragons—began to race through the meridians, chasing each other, circling, weaving.

As he practiced more, the two currents began to entwine, merging into one. This was the interweaving fusion of Combat Scriptures.

Overlapping parts were absorbed, overlapping zones merged seamlessly. The result? Faster Qi circulation.

From One Circuit, Hundred Circuits, he now reached One Hundred and Thirty-Two Circuits per breath.

An increase of thirty-two circuits—a speed that surpassed even the Hundred Battles Celestial Circuit Scripture, one of the finest Circulation Techniques in Emperor Yu’s inner circle.

And that was no small feat. Outside the Imperial Family, this scripture was among the most elite in the realm—something every Martial Practitioner dreamed of mastering.

Now, as Qi flowed through the Taiyin Meridian, Li Hao sensed a unique, extremely yin, profoundly cold power pulsing through his body. If he were to cultivate techniques like Ice Palm or Ice Soul Body, his progress would be accelerated exponentially.

He resolved to investigate the Taiyin Meridian after his cultivation session.

Next, he began practicing the third elite Body Cultivation Technique: Dragon Cicada Vacuum Body.

Compared to the first two, this one’s third layer was slightly weaker—though still formidable.

The Shell-Leaping Body, contained within it, also had a Circulation Technique—but only seventy-two circuits. Still, mastering it alone would be enough to push him into the Circulation Realm.

Shell-Leaping—using Qi to propel the body—allowed for brief moments of levitation.

Levitation was a power typically reserved for the Continuation of Soul Realm, yet this technique’s flight was limited—short, unstable, not comparable to true soul-level mastery. It offered no real advantage in direct combat, only utility in special circumstances.

But the second layer of Dragon Cicada Vacuum Body was exceptional. When Li Hao had only reached the Second Layer in his Body Dao First Rank, he had achieved only partial mastery. Now, that layer—Hidden Dragon Body—was fully perfected.

The power it unleashed was like that of a dragon and an elephant combined—raw, overwhelming, pure physical might. His body’s strength had surged—easily over twenty thousand jin.

Li Hao estimated his current raw physical strength to be around fifty thousand jin.

Yes—fifty thousand jin. That was how powerful he had become.

Now, at Body Dao, Third Rank, he didn’t even need to test himself to know his state. With Qi circulating through his body, the Unity of Qi and Strength—he could unleash a power of around one hundred thousand jin.

One Qi circuit equaled one Cauldron of Power. With 132 circuits, that was 132 cauldrons. Two meridians meant 264 cauldrons. At 200 jin per cauldron, that totaled over fifty thousand jin.

Such power could shatter a fully matured Circulation Realm cultivator with a single punch.

A typical Circulation Realm cultivator, at the peak of their form, with ten meridians and ten circuits, could only generate 100 cauldrons—about 20,000 jin. That was the lowest tier of Circulation Realm—barely enough to dream of ascending to the next realm.

Even at Circulation Realm, First Rank, with one meridian and ten circuits, the increase was only 2,000 jin—a mere doubling compared to the average Strength Integration Realm cultivator’s 3,600 jin.

But Divine Blood cultivators? Their power doubled from the start—7,200 jin. With a perfected Strength Integration, they could easily defeat a normal Circulation Realm First Rank cultivator.

That was the true strength of Divine Blood.

And that didn’t even account for additional Combat Techniques, Combat Scriptures, or other cultivation advantages.

After all, who among Martial Practitioners didn’t possess at least two solid techniques?

And Divine Blood heirs? Their backgrounds were unmatched. Their Combat Scriptures were always top-tier. The gap was enormous—usually, a fully matured Divine Blood cultivator could defeat a Circulation Realm Second or Third Rank practitioner with ease.

Some prodigies could even fight two or three levels above their rank.

Once in the Circulation Realm, the gap widened even further—because Combat Scripture and cultivation resources determined not just power, but speed of cultivation.

Take Li’s family: two supreme Circulation Techniques and two supreme Meridian-Opening Arts, both perfected—when fully mature, they could achieve one million jin of power.

The weakest? Just 20,000 jin.

A fifty-fold difference.

But in truth, most Circulation Realm cultivators didn’t use the weakest method—ten circuits, ten meridians. That was the absolute floor. Everyone had some chance, some edge—whether through inheritance, luck, or hard-earned experience.

Even if they had no lineage, a warrior could join the army and earn a mid-tier Circulation Technique and a mid-tier Meridian-Opening Art.

Like the Yuan Character Camp, which was named after the ancient commander of their ancestors. Ordinary warriors selected into the Yuan Character Camp could cultivate high-tier Circulation Techniques and Meridian-Opening Arts—making them peerless in their ranks.

Thus, ten thousand soldiers from the Yuan Character Camp could defeat a million ordinary troops.

Li Hao felt the Qi surging through him, a smile tugging at his lips.

The power-up from Combat Scriptures far surpassed even Divine Blood. The latter only doubled the base strength of the Strength Integration Realm—3,600 jin → 7,200 jin. But Combat Scriptures? They could multiply power in ways no bloodline could match.

For him now, a mere 3,000 jin increase was meaningless.

> “Ignoring special attack traits like Tiger Press, Flying Segment, or the Sea of Boundlessness Sword Art—just counting pure body combat—I should be able to easily defeat a Circulation Realm Ten-Grade martial artist without background. But against the Yuan Character Camp’s fully matured warriors? I’m still far behind.”

He thought carefully.

The warriors of the Yuan Character Camp were Emperor Yu’s tigers, the elite of Yanbei. Among the Spirit Beast tribes, they were the embodiment of death. When the Yuan flag was raised, even demon beasts trembled in fear.

Why? Because when they reached the Circulation Realm peak, their power could reach fifty thousand jin.

A force of ten thousand such warriors—what terror would that be?

And Circulation Realm was the weakest level in the Yuan Character Camp.

> “Right now, I can only barely spar with a Yuan Character Camp warrior at Circulation Realm, Third or Fourth Rank. But they’ve seen battle, trained for years. I might not even survive a real fight.”

Though his power had skyrocketed, Li Hao’s heart remained grounded. No arrogance. No pride.

He continued—fusing the third layer of the Dragon Cicada Vacuum Body with the other techniques. By removing redundant parts, he refined the flow.

His Circulation Speed increased once more—143 circuits per breath.

Fifteen more than the Hundred Battles Celestial Circuit Scripture. A fifteen-circuit gap per meridian—a difference that would accumulate into a massive advantage at the peak.

But still, it fell short of the All-Heavens Celestial Circuit Scripture, the imperial family’s supreme technique.

Next, he practiced dozens of other Body Cultivation Techniques—high, mid, and low rank—repeating each until memory and body were perfectly synchronized.

The result? His body strength surged again—now reaching 15,000 jin, a cumulative effect of dozens of techniques intertwining.

Every part of his body was enhanced—vision, hearing, skin sensitivity, reflexes—all multiplied several times over.

In battle, such advantages could change the outcome.

Finally, Li Hao began searching the ancient texts in the building for any information on the Taiyin Meridian.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end