Chapter 13: Seventeen

"Li Ming and his son are dead?"

"Why did you think I would really go to the Qingshan Inner Perimeter?"

"Sigh!"

A heavy sigh full of complexity rang out; Chen Yuhu looked at his son, his heart feeling anything but at ease.

It turned out that such a dangerous thing had actually happened to his son today.

He had indeed woken up this morning intending to go to the Qingshan Inner Perimeter; driven to such a point by life, Chen Yuhu truly could find no other hope besides the Qingshan Inner Perimeter.

But he had forgotten to deceive his son, and even less did he expect that just as he was about to reach the mountain, news of his daughter's car accident would arrive.

With the series of events that occurred, Chen Yuhu realized he had almost lost both his children today.

At this moment, even though his son had brought back snake meat worth 100,000 and a Red-Haired Lingzhi, Chen Yuhu could not bring himself to be happy, feeling only lingering fear in his heart.

If only he were stronger, if only he could be like Zhang Ge, their family would never have ended up in such a situation.

Beside Chen Yan, Chen Yu was also nervously clutching her Elder Brother's sleeve, as if afraid of losing him.

Her watery pupils flickered, carrying worry and admiration.

"Brother, you are truly amazing."

Chen Yu said softly; Chen Yan spoke quite lightly, but she could imagine much more.

In Chen Yu's Consciousness World, the Red Skirt Woman crossed her arms, her gaze filled with surprise and emotion.

She had indeed misunderstood her disciple's Elder Brother; if he were a selfish person, how would he have broken into the dangerous Qingshan Inner Perimeter for his Father?

More importantly, she could see that the snake Chen Yan had tangled with was a First-Boundary Qingjiu Snake, which under normal circumstances only a Two-Pattern Extreme Forging Realm Horizontal Refinement Martial Artist or an Initial Stage Five Viscera Realm Qi-Blood Warrior could contend with.

That this youth before her had not undergone Qi Blood Awakening, nor had he walked the path of the Horizontal Refinement Extreme Forging Realm, yet could survive under the hands of a Qingjiu Snake, was truly extraordinary.

Especially in such a backward town.

The oppressive atmosphere gradually faded, and Chen Yan took the lead in discussing the distribution plan for the Qingjiu Snake Meat and the Red-Haired Lingzhi.

Chen Yuhu pursed his lips; upon seeing the bag of snake meat in the living room and the Red-Haired Lingzhi on the table, the heart that had been suppressed for so long suddenly opened wide, and he felt relaxed.

"This Red-Haired Lingzhi is the main ingredient for a Medicine Bath, I think we shouldn't sell it."

Chen Yuhu rubbed his chin and spoke:

"I've heard from the older generation that Qingjiu Snake Meat strengthens bones and tendons; it is the favorite Beast Meat for martial artists of the Horizontal Refinement path. I will take half to the Xian tomorrow to sell, pay off the debts, and buy enough other materials for the Medicine Bath.

As for the rest, I'll have it made into jerky for you siblings."

Chen Yan listened quietly; his teacher had long ago explained the Martial Dao path of this world.

For most people, there are two paths in Martial Dao.

One is the path of the Qi-Blood Warrior like Zhang Qingsi; the initial stages of a Qi-Blood Warrior include the Five Viscera Realm, Hundred Meridians Realm, Golden Body Realm, and Origin Realm.

The heart pumps out Qi and Blood, overflowing outside the body.

That is to say, once Qi and Blood are awakened, it signifies that one has embarked on the path of Qi and Blood.

The director of the True Martial Class in town is a genuine Five Viscera Realm Qi-Blood Warrior.

As for the second path, it is the Horizontal Refinement Martial Dao.

Martial artists of this path focus on physical body cultivation, with Qi-Blood Cultivation as a supplement, or sometimes not cultivated at all.

They focus on physical strength, physical defense, and physical resilience.

A powerful Horizontal Refinement Martial Dao expert can shatter a building with a single fist; even if they were to collide with a train on the tracks, it would be the latter that is destroyed.

Chen Yan is not too clear on the Horizontal Refinement Martial Dao realms, only knowing that the first boundary is...

The Seventy-Two Patterns Extreme Forging Realm.

The physical body senses its own strengths and condenses seventy-two Body Patterns.

For ordinary people, Qi Blood Awakening might be very difficult, but walking the Horizontal Refinement Martial Dao might be even more difficult.

Although Chen Yan's physical strength is already very powerful now, he has not yet condensed a single Grain Mark, which means Chen Yan still has a long way to go.

But Chen Yan's strength has surged, and coupled with consuming a Technique Character Sacred Fruit, he feels he is no weaker than students like Zhang Qingsi and Wang Yu.

After finalizing the follow-up arrangements, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.

The Chen Family was filled with a sense of relief; the sudden harvest made even Chen Yuhu's complexion look much better.

It was not until nine o'clock that a sudden, tragic howling sounded from next door.

News of the deaths of Li Xuan and his son arrived, and the neighboring Li Family suddenly became clamorous.

Chen Yuhu sat in the courtyard smoking a cigarette, his expression very calm.

He suddenly wondered if he would have encountered the same danger as Li Xuan and his son if he had really gone to the Qingshan Inner Perimeter today.

Chen Yan naturally did not tell his family about what had happened between him and Li Xuan and his son, but hearing the howling of the Li Family Old Man, the tragic state of Li Xuan and his son at the time of their deaths still surfaced in his mind.

Under the threat of immense external force, life is truly fragile.

After a while, Chen Yuhu went to the neighbor's house to help; although the relationship between the two families was very poor, helping with funeral affairs is sometimes just for others to see.

Chen Yan, meanwhile, was in his room, opening the piece of paper that Li Wusi had handed him.

This was written by Luo Puxin.

The writing on the paper was very sloppy, and Chen Yan read it very carefully.

Luo Puxin had already returned to Luoshan County to organize all matters regarding the True Martial Class.

Chen Yan's pupils flickered; Luo Puxin said he would select 143 students from the three high schools in Luoshan County and the twenty-three township high schools nearby to enter the True Martial Class.

The True Martial Class would have the best teaching staff and the best Martial Dao resources in the entire county.

And the conditions for entering the True Martial Class...

"It's to get the True Martial Prize Money!" Chen Yan clenched his fists, his desire for the True Martial Prize Money rising another level in his heart.

In the text that followed, Luo Puxin talked about the types of Qi Blood Awakening.

The first type, and also the most common, is the path that eighty percent of Qi-Blood Warriors take.

External Awakening!

Use Qi Blood Potion or other spiritual medicines to impact the Five Viscera to reach the requirements for Awakening.

Chen Yan's gaze was calm; Zhang Qingsi must have undergone External Awakening, as the other party had once boasted about frequently drinking Qi Blood Potion.

The second type, True Source Awakening!

Relying purely on oneself to constantly break through the Limit to achieve Awakening; the quality and upper limit of Qi Blood after this type of Awakening are far higher than those of External Awakening.

The third type: Bloodline Awakening!

If a martial artist's ancestors possessed a powerful bloodline, they can achieve an unimaginably effective Awakening through bloodline inheritance.

"Chi Yang Gong Family!" Chen Yan whispered; the Chi Yang Gong Family was the example Luo Puxin had given, as their Chi Yang Bloodline is very strong!

As for the fourth type, Chen Yan's gaze trembled.

Luo Puxin deduced that Chen Yan was the fourth type.

Limit-Breaking Awakening!

In the Eighteen Provinces of Xia, an Ancient God once fell in every province, and the remaining spiritual wisdom of the Ancient Gods became the Zhou Ming.

The deity of a province.

During every period, the Zhou Ming will grant a few or even a dozen people in that province the same Root Bone; such a Root Bone is peculiar and is granted the possibility of Limit-Breaking Awakening.

And among these people, only one person can successfully Awaken.

Constantly breaking through the Limit, constantly reaching the Limit that others cannot reach, and becoming the new Limit.

This is Limit-Breaking Awakening!

Once Awakened, the Awakening will be given a name and will be given a talent.

But Luo Puxin advised Chen Yan to give up.

Chen Yan's expression became grave.

Luo Puxin said that Limit-Breaking Awakening seems fair, but for those living in poverty, it only leads to more despair.

Chen Yan had clearly broken the Limit today, but the Awakening failed, precisely because someone was standing in front of Chen Yan.

The more one is born into wealth, the more one will prepare for Awakening from birth; Chen Yan is lacking in many ways.

"Hoo..."

Chen Yan exhaled a breath of turbid air.

So that was it.

His talent in terms of Qi Blood was indeed neither high nor low.

"Give up?" he whispered; Luo Puxin favored his Horizontal Refinement talent and suggested he not waste energy on Qi Blood Awakening.

"But if I give up, I would be letting you down."

Chen Yan said, his consciousness shifting into the Po Saint Realm.

That small, lush Tree growing in the endless Darkness had been clanging and growing upward.

A tree without roots, how can it survive?

Yet, it was right before his eyes.

Walking into the courtyard, Chen Yan stopped overthinking and began the motion of throwing a punch.

Inside the Po Saint Realm, wisps of Golden Light and Orange Light began to gather.

After consuming a Ji Character Fruit, Chen Yan had gained many insights regarding punching techniques in his mind, and even his muscle memory was very clear, so there was no need to go observe the Bronze Statue again.

His body, which had already calmed down, began to sweat quickly after performing this one movement.

Rolling strength surged into his right arm like a river, and Chen Yan's entire body snapped like a twisted steel bar.

Bang!

A punch was thrown, and a slight air explosion burst in the air.

Chen Yan frowned and retracted his fist; in the instant he threw the punch, Golden Light had appeared in the Po Saint Realm, but after the punch, the Golden Light decreased.

It was different from when he struck the Qingjiu Snake today.

Why?

There was a trace of surprise in Chen Yan's mind, but after repeating it a few more times, he still could not replicate the scene from back then.

It was just like solving a math problem; you had clearly solved for the answer in a very short time before, but afterward, you could never do it again.

It felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling inside his body; in the end, Chen Yan had to compromise and honestly just perform that one punching motion.

…………

Inside Chen Yu's room.

Chen Yu sat cross-legged on the bed, her hair actually moving slowly without any wind.

"Can you feel it?" the Red Skirt Woman asked:

"Feel your consciousness like the Wind Element, flowing within your body..."

The Red Skirt Woman continued to speak, and one could feel Chen Yu's state becoming more and more deeply immersed in the Cultivation Technique.

"Not bad, to be able to go this deep on the first time sensing mental power; not only is your talent excellent, but you are also sufficiently hardworking."

The Red Skirt Woman held her arms and sighed in admiration; this Disciple of hers was indeed very hardworking. Don't be fooled by the fact that Meditation is just sitting; in reality, Chen Yu's current feeling was extremely painful.

It was just like running a four-hundred-meter dash without oxygen, with her spirit at the edge of its Limit.

Time passed slowly, and the Red Skirt Woman smiled:

"The first time sensing doesn't need to take too long; it is already very good that you can persist for two hours, hurry up and rest."

"Hoo..."

Chen Yu opened her eyes and let out a long sigh of relief, a trace of surprise appearing in her eyes:

"Teacher, I feel like I have already touched the mental power; it is soft, like water."

The Red Skirt Woman's Pupil narrowed:

"You touched upon it?"

Afterwards, a Smile could not help but float onto the corners of her Mouth:

"Indeed not bad, though compared to me, your teacher, back then, it is still lacking."

"Then teacher, I will continue!" Chen Yu spoke.

"No need, I can feel that you are already very tired; go to a place with a water pool to perform Meditation as early as possible tomorrow, the effect will be better."

"Alright, teacher, I will go rinse off." Chen Yu nodded, walked into the courtyard, and suddenly was startled:

"Brother, why are you still not resting?"

Yet she saw Chen Yan was currently sitting in the courtyard, panting heavily, a large patch of sweat stains on the ground shimmering with Silver light under the Moon.

It was very obvious that Chen Yan had been exercising his body and had only just rested.

"It is still early to rest."

Chen Yan spoke, the sounds of crying and mourning coming from next door reaching his ears, and he looked up.

Sparse stars and a pale Moon, broken clouds passing slightly.

Inside Chen Yu's Consciousness World, the Red Skirt Woman watched quietly.

The Elder Brother was even more diligent than the Sister, but excessive effort would instead strain his own body and achieve the opposite effect.

But she did not say it out loud.

Chen Yan's performance today had made her very surprised, but she had seen many more extraordinary Heavenly Pride than him, let alone someone like Chen Yan.

If not for Chen Yu, Chen Yan's family would have nothing to do with her.

Just as he was about to get up to exercise, Chen Yu at the side gave a dry cough, and with a shy face, she spoke crisply:

"Brother, I want to rinse off."

"Oh."

Chen Yan returned to his room, and only then did Chen Yu begin to rinse off in the courtyard.

Having exercised until two-thirty, Chen Yan finally had no strength left.

【Po Saint Realm: Level 2 (2/15)】

【Break-Saint Fruit:

Force: (25/100)

Blood: (13/100)

Technique: (75/100)】

Compared to the daytime, the efficiency at night was clearly worse.

However, it was already much better than the effect of Chen Yan's blind exercising before.

It was merely a single movement, and Chen Yan felt some expectation in his heart.

Who exactly was that Bronze Statue, and what would come after this movement?

If he knew, that would certainly be a great harvest.

A glimmer of hope floated in his Brain, Chen Yan took a cold shower, and Chen Yu's schoolbag happened to be placed in the living room.

After thinking about it, Chen Yan quietly opened Chen Yu's schoolbag and put that bottle of Qi-Blood Beverage inside.

After all, he had the Po Saint Realm and would have to undergo a Medicine Bath every day afterwards, but his Sister had to live at the Xue Xiao all the time, so this bottle of Qi-Blood Beverage was dispensable for Chen Yan.

The next morning.

Chen Yan was woken up by the noise.

Li Ming's house had been brightly lit since last night, with constant sounds of mourning, and it remained so even now.

A Funeral Band from the Hometown had been playing funeral music the whole time.

Chen Yan discovered that Chen Yu had already left.

"Why did you leave so early today?" Chen Yan asked while gnawing on a steamed bun.

"Your Sister said the teacher gave out extracurricular assignments that need to be prepared early." Chen Yuhu was chopping Flesh in the Chu Fang; he was also going to the Xian later, preparing to sell half of the Qingjiu Snake Meat.

Chen Yan opened his Mouth; originally he was supposed to undergo the Medicine Bath with his Sister today, but now...

Returning to the living room, Chen Yan suddenly saw something on the table; he hadn't noticed it when he got up, but only discovered it now.

A bottle of Qi-Blood Beverage was lying on the round table; Chen Yan picked it up and found a Paper Note tucked between the bottle body and the label.

【Brother, happy birthday.】

Chen Yan was stunned; was today his birthday?

No, that was yesterday.

His father must have been too busy and forgotten, and even he himself had forgotten, but his Sister still remembered; no wonder she would scrimp and save to buy him a bottle of Qi-Blood Beverage.

His father always told others he was Seventeen, but in reality, Chen Yan only truly turned Seventeen yesterday.

Walking out of the house, Chen Yan stood in the courtyard packed with earth.

Ten Thousand li of white clouds, a blue sky and clear firmament, a Locust Tree full of white flowers poked in from Yuan Wai, and the whole courtyard was filled with a sweet fragrance.

Bursts of mournful traditional Chinese trumpet sounds accompanied by a Woman's wailing came from next door.

The unique seclusion of summer wandered between his Breath, Chen Yan looked at the sky, his Mu Guang shining.

"Seventeen, huh."

PS: There might be some typos, big shots please help me point out errors and catch the bugs.