Chapter 114: Blood-Exchange Pill, Blood-Coagulation Pill

Busy until the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), the crowd signing up for the gym thinned out.

Liang Qu held his pen with five fingers, wrote down the names, and set them aside to dry.

Beside him, a thick stack of registration books had accumulated, at least over a hundred people.

The lowest tier for each person was seven taels, with a minimum of one thousand taels of silver; if calculated at the middle tier of twenty taels, that would be three thousand taels.

Several students he had met at the academy earlier had all come to sign up, saying they wanted to develop in both literature and martial arts, and all chose the highest tier of fifty taels.

No wonder Pang Qinghe came to present a visiting card for a spar; he could throw down a three-hundred-tael silver note even after losing.

Having a reputation is truly a rolling source of wealth.

Xiang Zhangsong walked out from the front door, picked up the teapot on the table, poured water, gulped down three cups, and let out a fierce breath: "Thirsty to death, my mouth is worn out. Let's go, let's go, go to Master's mansion to break the blood barrier!"

"Alright." Liang Qu organized the paper and pens.

The first three barriers for a martial artist are not dangerous, but the fourth barrier involves the entire body's blood vessels; a slight carelessness can lead to death, making it the most dangerous barrier.

It even requires three Blood-Coagulation Pills and three Blood-Exchange Pills to pass successfully; he had to follow along to gain some experience.

Hu Qi also packed up his things, turned back and said: "Li Libo, Chen Jiechang, you two help watch the gym!"

"Alright, Senior Martial Brother Hu!" *2

Last time there was no one in the gym, Hu Qi temporarily found Lu Shaohui to fill in, and the incident that happened is still fresh in his memory.

It served as a lesson for him.

People who learn martial arts are hot-blooded, and many haven't read books; they were all sent in by families with a little extra money.

Seventeen or eighteen-year-olds gathered together, most prone to trouble; finding someone reliable is a must.

Li Libo and Chen Jiechang were about to break the skin barrier, could suppress the new apprentices, were well-behaved, and were suitable.

Speaking of which, thanks to Liang Qu, Li and Chen originally had passed the three-month study period, and it was Liang Qu who used the excuse of recruiting help for the gym that allowed them to stay.

The gym was expanding, with over a hundred people at every turn; Hu Qi and Xiang Zhangsong, plus Liang Qu, couldn't keep an eye on them all.

Currently, they only provided meals every day without wages; they would only get a monthly wage of three taels of silver after breaking the barrier.

In the quiet room of the Yang mansion.

Xiang Zhangsong sat cross-legged on the ground, wearing only a pair of black wide-legged pants, breathing in and out Qi.

After a moment, he swallowed a fire-red pill.

Liang Qu watched intently, learning from advanced experience.

The fire-red pill was a Vitality Pill, mixed with the horn powder of a Bull-Horn Pomfret, which could activate the blood throughout the body, warming up for breaking the blood barrier.

After the warm-up, he truly set about breaking the barrier.

Xiang Zhangsong let out a long, hot breath, opened the medicine bottle, and took another fire-red pill. This pill was larger than the previous one, but it wasn't a Vitality Pill; it was a Blood-Exchange Great Pill!

The Blood-Exchange Pill was also mixed with Bull-Horn Pomfret horn powder as a medicinal guide, but the pharmacology of the two was completely different, capable of fully activating a person's blood.

Breaking the blood barrier: first take the Blood-Exchange Pill, then take the Blood-Coagulation Pill, for three rounds.

In his perception, Xiang Zhangsong took the Blood-Exchange Pill. Within a few breaths, his entire body's Qi suddenly became intense, and red light of blood Qi shone through his body. The airflow in the quiet room stirred, almost forming a wind.

Xiang Zhangsong's skin was crimson, sweat slightly beaded on his forehead, and his breathing became rapid.

Yang Dongxiong shouted: "Pierce the Yangming, release the blood Qi."

Xiang Zhangsong frowned slightly, his breathing gradually calmed down, and his chest rose and fell according to an inherent rhythm.

His crimson skin became even more blood-red, and a rich smell of blood suddenly rose in the quiet room, which was lightly scented with incense; the source was exactly Xiang Zhangsong!

A shocking scene appeared.

On his blood-red skin, large beads of blood rolled down, actually seeping out from his pores!

But no one felt shocked; this was the blood exchange in the blood barrier.

Three surges, three coagulations!

Surge the fresh blood three times, coagulate the fresh blood three times!

All must be completed in one go within an hour!

An ordinary person losing twenty percent of their blood would have weak limbs and a pale face, and losing thirty percent would be life-threatening.

Losing one hundred percent would mean certain death!

Without the foundation of the first three barriers, surging even once would lead to immediate death!

The first three barriers for a martial artist can be said to be preparations for the three surges and three coagulations.

Blood like dew, rolling down, and under the high temperature, it dried on the skin before it could fall, forming thick blood scabs.

Half an incense stick later, Xiang Zhangsong's breath was weak to the extreme. He tremblingly raised his hand, the blood scabs on his body fell off with a rustle, and he took the Blood-Coagulation Pill with difficulty.

His throat moved, and the pill entered his abdomen.

Xiang Zhangsong's breath, which had fallen to the bottom, gradually recovered.

Until his breath was stable, its intensity was double what it was at the beginning!

Xiang Zhangsong took the second Blood-Exchange Pill, and a scene identical to the previous one appeared; the smell of blood in the quiet room became even richer.

A layer of thick scabs had already formed on the surrounding ground, like fallen pinecones, scales opening layer by layer.

Then came the second Blood-Coagulation Pill, the third Blood-Exchange Pill, and the third Blood-Coagulation Pill.

Repeated three times, each time Xiang Zhangsong's breath grew rapidly.

If someone with a fragile mind came to observe, they would be scared out of their wits; the blood pouring from the whole body was too terrifying, and the feeling of near-death after the blood surge was like falling into an abyss.

It was precisely because of this that breaking the blood barrier required someone to watch over, providing mental support and also preventing accidents, so they wouldn't die silently.

Yang Dongxiong let Liang Qu observe to give him a vaccination and familiarize him with the process.

When Xiang Zhangsong's blood Qi recovered for the third time, the intensity of his breath had tripled!

In a contest between martial artists, those with long breath live, those with short breath die!

If you can't catch your breath, you might be killed on the spot!

But once you break the blood barrier, it's like flowers on brocade, fire cooking oil; your strength is hard to exhaust, hard to decline!

Xiang Zhangsong slightly shook his neck, the blood scabs fell off in chunks, shattering into powder on the ground, and finally, he opened his eyes, as if essence light shot out: "Done!"

"Good!"

"Congratulations, Senior Martial Brother!"

"Congratulations, Junior Martial Brother!"

Everyone smiled and congratulated him, feeling relieved in their hearts.

Almost everyone present had experienced the blood barrier and knew the danger involved.

Now that he had crossed this threshold, he was a true martial artist, and they were all genuinely happy for Xiang Zhangsong.

Xiang Zhangsong stood up from the ground, and as his Qi energy surged, he shattered all the clotted blood scabs, revealing his original appearance.

The blood Qi that shone through his body was completely restrained; it wasn't that he became weaker, but stronger—a manifestation of the refinement of blood Qi. Unless deliberately stimulated, it would no longer be revealed externally.

He clenched his fists, his excitement evident in his expression.

Xu Zishuai grabbed Xiang Zhangsong's shoulder: "Don't be in such a hurry to be happy, go take a bath quickly, wash off the smell of blood, and then go eat. I've been hungry all day, just waiting for this meal today! I'm going to slaughter you!"

"It's only right; I'm hosting today, everyone order whatever you want to eat!"

Xiang Zhangsong was beaming and ran out of the quiet room excitedly.

Covered in the smell of blood, he was uncomfortable too.

Flowing water hit the reef, rolling up water splashes.

"How does the blood exchange feel?"

"Too uncomfortable, I really felt like I was going to die, I didn't have any strength at all, I almost couldn't swallow the pill."

"Hahaha, but it feels great after breaking the barrier, right?"

"Hmm, I feel like my whole body is a lot lighter, and my breathing is light and fast."

"Then now, among us, only Little Nine isn't a martial artist. You have to hurry! Maybe we can have another meal within this year."

Liang Qu and the others walked to the South Stone Bridge. Xu Zishuai, who was joking, had sharp eyes: "Eh, isn't that Pang Qinghe?"

"It really is. Are they also coming to Langyun Tower to eat?"

"They saw us."

Everyone didn't expect it to be such a coincidence; they had met at noon, and now they met again at night.

On the other side, Pang Qinghe also noticed Yang Dongxiong's group.

Kou Zhuang, after noticing the gaze, scratched the back of his head and smiled honestly, his face covered in bruises.

"Master Pang is also coming to Langyun Tower to eat?"

Pang Qinghe smiled awkwardly: "Yes, everyone worked hard today, so I brought my disciples out for a good meal. That's perfect; I apologize for the offense today. Master Yang, count this meal on my account."

"Master Pang, no need to spend money." Yang Dongxiong shook his head. "Today is my eighth disciple breaking the blood barrier, so we're here to celebrate."

"That is truly something to celebrate. Then I won't disturb everyone's interest anymore."

Both sides spoke a few simple words without too much small talk.

Liang Qu and his group entered the private room and happily started ordering dishes.

"Eh, there are quite a few new dishes!"

The waiter bowed and smiled: "It's all thanks to Master Yang. There are more and more merchant firms in the town, and ingredients that were hard to find before can be seen every three days. We've added them all to the menu. There's also various spirit monster meat; would you gentlemen like to try some?"

"Good, I want to make Eighth Junior Martial Brother bleed heavily!"

Xiang Zhangsong didn't refuse anyone and waved his hand: "Go ahead, my pockets are bulging!"

"Bring the wine first, ten jars of Drunken Immortal Brew! One jar each!"

"Coming right up!"

"This... what mountain bamboo pig, bring half a head!"

Martial artists have a martial artist's style of eating; their appetites are large, so they can't order dish by dish. They often order half a head of livestock and let the chef use his skills to prepare it.

"Is Senior Martial Brother Xu trying to save me money? Why eat half a head? If you're going to eat, eat a whole one!"

"Good! Then a whole one. I'll try this..."

"That's enough, that's enough, let's have some vegetables, otherwise it's too greasy."

The atmosphere in the private room was enthusiastic.

Jars of fine wine were brought up one after another, and various dishes were served in succession by the waiters.

The sound of bowls and plates was all around. Liang Qu didn't stand on ceremony either, burying his head and eating; anyway, it would be his turn in the future.

Compared to the meal the fishing pier boss treated them to before, the dishes on the table were indeed much richer.

Big places really have the benefits of big places; where would you find these things in some remote corner?

An hour later, Xiang Zhangsong, dizzy, leaned against the wall to pay the bill.

"What, it's already been paid?"

"Yes, Young Master Xiang, it was paid by the martial artist master who came with you."

"Oh, is that so."

Xiang Zhangsong held his head, relaxed for a while, and returned to the private room to inform Yang Dongxiong.

"He is indeed a clever person." Yang Dongxiong shook his head after hearing this. He turned to look at Liang Qu: "How much longer until you break the bone barrier?"

"Within the next two days."

"When you break the barrier, we'll go to the small lake you mentioned and explore it." ===== CHAPTER 115 =====