"That guy!" Ling Fei's brow furrowed tightly as he watched Qin Hong leave.
At the same time, his resolve to become stronger grew even more intense.
'Only by becoming stronger can I escape this threatening situation and protect my family.'
Ling Fei hurried back home.
"Father, Qin Hong came to threaten me again today. I'm afraid he's going to do something," Ling Fei said upon returning to Ling's Medical Clinic, telling his adoptive father what had happened.
"It's nothing," Elder Ling said with a calm expression. "I can handle a small matter like this myself."
"Okay." Ling Fei nodded slightly. Since his adoptive father didn't seem concerned, it was clear he truly wasn't worried about the Qin Mansion.
That being the case, he didn't need to worry too much either.
"Father, in a few more days, I should be able to break through to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering." After a moment's thought, Ling Fei looked up at his adoptive father and said.
He felt he should share the good news with his father.
"Good! I'll be waiting for you to reach the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, enter the Divine Academy, and soar to greatness!" Elder Ling patted the back of Ling Fei's head with his withered hand, his face wreathed in a gratified smile.
The night passed without incident.
「The next morning.」
Before the shops in Longtan Town had even opened, Ling Fei left Ling's Medical Clinic and headed for the Dragon Pool.
'According to the True Dragon Body Refining Technique, once I temper my bones with True Dragon Qi and run it through them for ninety-nine circulations, I can break through to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering and enter the Blood Refining Realm. I've already completed ninety-six circulations, so I can try to break through to the Ninth Layer today.' Filled with excitement, Ling Fei ran toward the Dragon Pool.
If not for the fact that he couldn't use Cold Chi Dragon Qi for Bone Tempering every single day, he would have gladly come here daily.
However, the human body had its limits. He had to come once every seven days, and in the interim, he had to soak in the medicinal baths prepared by his adoptive father.
Upon entering Dragon Pool Valley, Ling Fei ran toward the edge of the pool.
SPLASH!
He leaped into the lake, then skillfully swam to a familiar rock.
He immediately began to circulate the True Dragon Body Refining Technique.
Cold Chi Dragon Qi gathered and surged into Ling Fei's body.
The Dragon Qi began tempering his bones, rampaging through his entire skeleton.
By now, the Dragon Qi had already seeped into his bone marrow, initiating a true and complete metamorphosis.
Within Ling Fei's marrow, traces of residual black qi were cleansed and expelled.
A refreshing sensation flooded his senses.
It felt as if parasites clinging to his marrow had been purged.
One circulation passed, then a second.
Finally, after the third circulation, the Cold Chi Dragon Qi gradually dispersed. The Bone Tempering was complete.
Ling Fei's bones were now like jade, shimmering with a faint luster.
Faint wisps of Cold Qi even began to linger within his bones.
This was the Cold Chi Dragon Qi.
Previously, after he finished his cultivation, the Cold Chi Dragon Qi would dissipate without a trace. Any residue had been negligible.
Now, however, Ling Fei could clearly feel the residual Cold Chi Dragon Qi.
'The Bone Tempering is finally complete.'
As he sensed the changes within his body, a glint flashed in Ling Fei's eyes, and his heart filled with anticipation.
Next up was the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering.
"The Ninth Layer of Body Tempering is Blood Refining. The human body is covered in meridians. Only by unblocking them completely can one's blood and qi flow freely," Ling Fei murmured to himself.
Only when the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, the Twelve Main Meridians, and all the other major channels are completely unblocked can a person's Blood Qi flow without obstruction.
Now, Ling Fei had to break through the meridians in his body, and then begin Blood Refining.
Circulating the True Dragon Body Refining Technique, Ling Fei began to use the residual Cold Chi Dragon Qi to break through his meridians.
The Cold Chi Dragon Qi surged, gathering in Ling Fei's meridians.
He then began to guide it, crashing it against one blockage after another.
BOOM! BOOM!
It felt as if cold dragons were rampaging inside his body. Each impact brought excruciating pain, as if his meridians were being torn apart. Yet, after the pain subsided, a refreshing sensation would wash over him, filling him with anticipation.
Ling Fei knew this was a necessary trial on the path to the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering.
With each impact and wave of agony, Ling Fei's face contorted in a pained spasm.
Large beads of sweat emerged on his skin, only to freeze into ice crystals.
Yet he had no intention of stopping. He wished he could guide the Cold Chi Dragon Qi to unblock all of his meridians in a single, decisive push.
WHOOSH!
Finally, his meridians were clear. Ling Fei exhaled deeply, his entire body feeling incredibly refreshed.
'My meridians are unblocked. Next up is Blood Refining,' Ling Fei thought with a surge of joy.
The Human Race was once frail.
For a very long time, they were merely food for Ancient Beasts, their existence a constant struggle.
Since Ancient Times, the sages of the Human Race have continuously explored and unlocked the potential of the human body, striving for the peak of Martial Arts.
They even sought to attain immortality.
By now, a complete cultivation system has been established.
These are the Nine Realms of the Human Path!
Body Tempering Realm, Innate Realm, Celestial Spirit Realm, Primordial Pill Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Divine Mansion Realm, Daoist Palace Realm, Returning Ruins Realm, and Heaven-Reaching Realm!
Among these, the Body Tempering Realm is divided into nine layers.
Each of the Nine Layers of Body Tempering is focused on unlocking the human body's potential to strengthen oneself.
For example, refining the skin, membranes, flesh, sinews, bones, and blood.
Bone Tempering makes one's skeleton as hard as iron.
Blood Refining, on the other hand, makes one's Blood Qi as fierce as a tiger or a dragon, granting immense power.
Only then can one be considered a true expert, fearless against common savage beasts.
Everyone has blood, and within that blood is qi.
That qi is the very source of a person's energy.
Without qi, a person is powerless.
However, the Blood Qi in an ordinary person's body is impure and thin. Only through rigorous refinement can true qi be produced.
This qi can make a person stronger.
This is the only way for mortals to increase their strength.
Of course, upon reaching the Innate Realm and beyond, the situation changes entirely.
At that point, a person transcends mortality and gains access to all sorts of Divine Techniques.
One could say the Body Tempering Realm is the foundation of Martial Arts.
The Innate Realm is the gateway.
'Ordinary people use common Essence Qi from the world to perform Blood Refining, but I am using Dragon Qi,' Ling Fei realized.
'This is the difference a Cultivation Technique makes.'
After this realization, Ling Fei began to draw the Cold Chi Dragon Qi into his bloodstream.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Within the Cold Pool, Cold Chi Dragon Qi was drawn forth, seeping through Ling Fei's pores and into his bloodstream.
As the Cold Chi Dragon Qi entered his bloodstream, he couldn't help but shiver. A sensation of being encased in an Ice Seal washed over him.
The Dragon Qi was violent and bone-chillingly cold.
For anyone else, drawing it into their bloodstream would be courting death.
But Ling Fei, who cultivated the True Dragon Body Refining Technique, was already well-adapted to it.
Soon, the Cold Chi Dragon Qi began to refine the blood throughout his entire body.
GURGLE! GURGLE!
The blood in Ling Fei's body roiled like boiling water as the impurities within his Blood Qi were purged.
The hidden black qi had nowhere to hide from the repeated refinement of the Cold Chi Dragon Qi. It was completely washed away and purified.
Finally, a monumental change occurred within Ling Fei's bloodstream.
The qi from his old blood was stripped away.
Now, a new wisp of qi had been born in its place.
On closer inspection, this wisp of qi greatly resembled Cold Qi.
It was not large, just a single, tiny thread, as fine as a strand of hair.
But it was undeniably real.
Martial Arts Cultivators often refer to this kind of energy as True Qi.
'Is this Cold Chi Dragon Qi?' Ling Fei wondered, startled. He could feel an Extreme Cold Qi emanating from the energy within him.
Sensing it more closely, he found it was like a dormant dragon, containing a terrifying Power.
This wisp of qi seemed fused with his very bloodline, an inseparable part of him.
This was fundamentally different from the Cold Chi Dragon Qi that Ling Fei drew in from the outside world.
The external Cold Chi Dragon Qi ultimately didn't belong to him and would dissipate after Bone Tempering.
But this new wisp of qi was different.
It seemed this qi would never dissipate, only be depleted through use.
Ling Fei had now truly stepped into the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering.
After his initial surprise, Ling Fei thought to himself, 'Since this qi was derived from refining my Blood Qi with Cold Chi Dragon Qi, I'll call it Cold Chi True Qi!'
The generation of this new qi within his blood marked his entry into the early stage of the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering.
Though it was just a single wisp, it was enough to multiply Ling Fei's strength.