Chapter 27: Blazing Yellow Sheep! Break Through the Internal Energy Barrier!

Qin Shuo never expected his luck to be this good; the first strange beast he encountered was a top-grade one.

Moreover, given this yellow sheep's size, it weighs at least fifty or sixty catties.

If I could hunt it down and eat it all, the blood and qi needed to break through the internal energy barrier should be enough.

"I struck it rich! I struck it rich!"

Qin Shuo's heart burned with excitement; he approached cautiously.

The Blazing Yellow Sheep was about three hundred meters away, mixed among a flock of ordinary yellow sheep, making it especially conspicuous.

With the experience from previously hunting the five-colored deer, Qin Shuo knew this Blazing Yellow Sheep would be extremely alert.

Therefore he used tree trunks in the forest as cover; each time he advanced a distance, he hid and observed, lowering the Blazing Yellow Sheep's vigilance.

Finally, at a distance of about one hundred fifty meters from the flock of yellow sheep, Qin Shuo decisively struck, piercing its heart with a single arrow.

"Baa!"

The other yellow sheep scattered and fled.

Qin Shuo rushed into the flock, picked up the already-dead Blazing Yellow Sheep, and ran.

This place was already very close to the core of Wolf Mountain; he worried the bloody scent of the Blazing Yellow Sheep would attract a Single-Horn Silver Wolf, so he retreated immediately.

Having refined the White Jade Ginseng Queen, Qin Shuo's physique had long surpassed the ordinary, granting him the strength of a thousand catties.

Carrying the fifty-or-sixty-catty Blazing Yellow Sheep, he sprinted five or six li of mountain road, yet his face remained flush-free and his breath steady, as if walking on level ground.

He continued until reaching a hidden valley on the outskirts of Wolf Mountain, where he finally stopped.

"Today's lunch will be roasted yellow sheep!" Qin Shuo's eyes lit up.

Gaining such a harvest on the first day of entering the mountains far exceeded his expectations.

He took out the prepared short knife, slit open the Blazing Yellow Sheep's belly, then skewered it on a wooden stick and placed it over the fire to roast.

"Zizzle~"

Not long after, the yellow sheep was roasted to a crisp outside and tender inside, sizzling with oil.

Golden oil dripped into the flames, sending up towering flames; a rich aroma burst from the golden meat chunks, making onlookers' index fingers twitch.

"So fragrant!"

Qin Shuo felt invigorated, not minding the heat, he tore off a golden, glossy leg of lamb, sprinkled it with the fine salt and seasoning he'd brought from Blackwater City, and began to feast heartily.

"Oh? Indeed it's different."

The meat of this top-grade strange beast, the Blazing Yellow Sheep, is indeed different from that of ordinary strange beasts.

The texture is tender and smooth, carrying a rich medicinal herb fragrance; one bite feels as if the tongue might melt away.

"So fragrant! So fragrant, even better than top-grade wagyu beef."

Qin Shuo was completely intoxicated by the deliciousness of the fire-roasted yellow sheep; he felt utterly satisfied, having never tasted meat this good before.

"Huh?"

After one catty of Blazing Yellow Sheep meat entered his stomach, Qin Shuo, though still wanting more, suddenly felt a surge of heat rushing wildly inside his body.

"It's the blood-and-qi essence in this Blazing Yellow Sheep meat."

Qin Shuo immediately understood; it was the medicinal effect of this top-grade strange beast meat taking effect.

"It must not be wasted; I must fully refine and absorb it."

He immediately rose and began practicing the White Ape Stance in the valley.

Stance training is the best way to temper the body and refine medicinal potency, and it is key to cultivating internal energy.

Qin Shuo's White Ape Stance had already been perfected to great completion; the speed at which he refines medicinal potency is extraordinary.

Soon, the blood-and-qi essence of one catty of yellow sheep meat was completely absorbed and refined by him, merging into his own blood and qi.

"Again."

After refining this strand of blood-and-qi essence, Qin Shuo clearly felt his body change; his qi and blood became fuller, his complexion radiant.

Thus he didn't hesitate, directly began training.

This time he directly ate an entire roasted lamb leg before continuing to practice the stance and refine the essence.

Perhaps the vital essence contained in this top-grade strange beast is too exuberant.

After practicing with another roasted lamb leg, Qin Shuo only felt as if his body were on fire, his whole being burning.

His skin was also flushed all over, as if just scalded by boiling water.

He felt his blood boiling throughout his body, his heart pounding strongly and powerfully, like a drum.

He repeatedly practiced the White Ape Stance, refining the pure blood-and-qi in the roasted lamb leg.

Beans of sweat continually poured out, but were quickly vaporized by his body's high temperature into white mist; his whole person steamed, as if just stepped out of a sauna.

"Ah~ refreshing!"

After digesting the medicinal potency of a roasted lamb leg.

Qin Shuo only felt his whole body relaxed and comfortable, all his pores opened.

He even had the illusion that he could feel the blood flowing within his vessels.

Moreover, as he practiced the stance, it seemed something within that blood wanted to burst through the vessels and spill out.

"Still not enough!"

Sensing his body's condition, Qin Shuo felt a sudden realization arise in his heart.

He realized he was about to cultivate internal energy.

Energy arises from the blood!

The thing that must break out of the blood is precisely the internal energy he has long sought.

"This top-grade strange beast meat is truly extraordinary; it actually lets me skip the medicinal bath breakthrough step and directly begin condensing internal energy."

Qin Shuo rejoiced, deeply appreciating the benefits of this top-grade strange beast meat.

Afterwards, he devoured another lamb leg, and the massive medicinal power surged wildly through his body.

Qin Shuo felt like he was about to burn up, with white vapor rising from his head.

This was because his body temperature was too high, causing his sweat to evaporate.

He constantly practiced the White Ape Stance, absorbing all the blood-and-qi essence of the mutton and transforming it into his own foundation.

"Not only is it exotic beast meat, but also the medicinal power of the White Jade Ginseng King."

As that feeling of fullness deep in his blood vessels grew stronger.

Qin Shuo discovered that it wasn't just the blood-and-qi essence in the mutton driving changes in his body.

The White Jade Ginseng King's medicinal power, which he had refined long ago and lay dormant throughout his body, now sprang into action, together driving the process of clenching blood to generate strength.

In the mountain valley.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the trees and fell on the ground, forming dappled light and shadow.

Qin Shuo moved like a monkey, his arms opening and closing like two steel whips, his force hard and crisp, producing a crackling sound as they rubbed against his clothing.

After grasping the True Intent of the White Ape, his control over his own muscles nearly reached an extreme.

Every shift of force in each inch of his skin could not escape his perception.

At this point, after eating the fourth roasted lamb leg, he felt his blood and qi had reached a limit.

That feeling of something about to burst forth grew stronger and stronger.

Pop!

Like a bubble bursting, or like a chick pecking through an eggshell.

Suddenly, a warm, solid, and thick surge of strength welled up from all over his body and, following the motion of his fist, gathered toward his right hand.

Bang!

Qin Shuo's fist slammed into a nearby large tree, leaving a clear, visible fist imprint.

The thick-as-a-water-bucket tree shook violently, and a cascade of yellow leaves fell like a waterfall.

"Internal strength! This is internal strength!"

Qin Shuo sensed the warm strength gathering in his right hand, and he was overcome with joy.

With the aid of the White Jade Ginseng King and top-grade exotic beast meat, he finally took the first step in martial cultivation: clenching blood to generate strength.

Moreover, as internal strength arose, he found that everything he perceived became clearer.

It was like a nearsighted person with 200-degree vision putting on glasses, and the whole world was made anew.

His hearing, sight, and perception were all enhanced, truly transcending the mundane and reaching a state completely different from that of ordinary people.

"Let's test speed!"

Qin Shuo slightly bent his legs, directed his internal strength to his feet, and shot forward with a whoosh.

He only heard the wind howling past his ears; the trees on either side flew backward, and in the blink of an eye he had dashed over thirty meters.

"This speed is almost as fast as a cheetah!" Qin Shuo exclaimed, eyes wide.

With the aid of internal strength, his running speed increased by leaps and bounds.

Like a real cheetah, he could spring forward over thirty meters in an instant.

This speed was simply terrifying!

Of course, this was related to his prior refinement of the White Jade Ginseng King, which gave him the strength of a thousand catties.

Even an ordinary martial artist who had mastered internal strength could not possess such terrifying speed.

Moreover, because he had refined the White Jade Ginseng King, his body was as strong as an ox, and the internal strength he cultivated was far thicker than that of ordinary martial artists, which gave him such power.

Unfortunately, such an outburst cannot be sustained.

According to Qin Shuo's estimate, if he burst forth at full power with that terrifying speed, he would likely exhaust his stamina within three minutes.

"With internal strength as my shield, even if I encountered a single-horned silver wolf, I should have the means to defend myself."

Feeling the internal strength brimming within him, his confidence surged.

Next, he tried his strength, jumping, reaction, and other abilities, all of which saw significant improvement.

Especially his strength.

With the aid of internal strength, his thousand-catty strength nearly doubled, reaching two thousand catties.

Even if he met a martial artist who had mastered internal strength, he could still hold his own.

"Mmm! I'm hungry!"

After his excitement subsided, a strong wave of hunger suddenly surged in Qin Shuo's heart.

Without a word, he tore off the golden, oily mutton roasting over the fire and began to feast heartily.

Only after he had eaten most of the mutton did that intense hunger begin to ease.

"No wonder Zhang Xiong craves exotic beast meat so much."

"If it weren't for this top-grade exotic beast mutton, I don't know how much ordinary meat would be needed to fill the hunger that comes after cultivating internal strength."

Qin Shuo looked at the remaining half of the mutton on the fire and felt a sigh.

"Huh? Someone's approaching?"

Suddenly, Qin Shuo frowned, his gaze turning toward a certain spot in the dense forest beyond the valley.

After cultivating internal strength, his hearing also improved greatly, and he detected the footsteps of someone approaching outside the valley.