Qin Ye laughed, his practice sword batting away Wu Ruoling’s weapon and lunging for her throat. But she evaded his blow by a hair. Her counterstroke was just as swift, yet also failing to touch his robes. The two of them danced around one another while Liu Yingting watched them with an impassive eye.

  Neither held back their skills. At the Heart Clarity stage, Qin Ye’s natural senses were more than enough to keep up with a Viscera Tempering expert still working on their second organ.

  “You can do better than that,” he taunted. Then, he disappeared. A swift succession of sword strikes slammed into Wu Ruoling’s guard, who just barely managed to fend them off. Then a red flash split the sky and sent Qin Ye reeling backwards.

  “Good hit,” he said, grinning. "But that won't be enough." Trails of blood slipped down his side. Qin Ye quickly sealed them back up. Wood-element spirit roots lended themselves better to healing. His recent breakthrough allowed him to do so in the midst of combat as well.

  "Not fair," Wu Ruoling complained. "How is anyone supposed to win against that?"

  "By using natural regeneration," Jin Teng said at the side. The man was even taller than he had been six months ago. He'd grown another few inches after attaining the Viscera Tempering stage through the Dragon Spine Manual.

  "That's not easy to achieve."

  "Should've learnt my method then."

  Jin Teng's smile was a little too smug for Wu Ruoling's liking. "Need I remind you I was the winner of our last spar?"

  The man frowned. "That's because you're my senior," he said.

  "Excuses," she retorted with a smile. "A single tempered organ is not enough of a difference."

  Qin Ye chuckled. "The fight's not over," he said. He readied himself for another bout of combat. But then, something caught his attention.

  In the distance, a horrific presence opened its maw. It was a monster sucking in what little spiritual energy was in the air. It was a dragon towering toward the sky, unwavering in its advance. It was a sea, washed in blood, tainted with a thousand corpses.

  "What's wrong?" a feminine voice asked.

  But Qin Ye couldn't hear them, too busy staring at the thing approaching. "Run," he whispered.

  "What are you talking about?"

  Lu Qingshan paused when he saw the fear-stricken Qin Ye meet his eyes. The budding immortal cultivator looked almost ready to scream. He quickly turned to look behind him, expecting to see a grave enemy emerge, but saw nothing instead.

  "Ah," he immediately realized. "Sorry." He began to slowly back away. Right after he had achieved a breakthrough in the Dragon Spine Manual, he had allowed the Berserk Bug to bite him. The sheer rage that flowed through his mind at that moment was immensely difficult to overcome. He wanted to trample the city and shatter all its stones, but reason won over his rage.

  In his rush to leave the city, Lu Qingshan thought it was safe to meet with the Seven Mysteries Gate. Still, it didn't seem like the effects had worn off completely. His control over his power was lacking. So he hid inside an alleyway, waiting out the effects, inspecting the stone slab in the meantime.

  Lu Qingshan (27 years old)

  Lifespan Remaining: 37 years

  Cultivation: Mortal Shedding - Aperture Tempering

  Techniques: Hundred Beasts Refinement (Level 1, 11/10000), Insect Harmony Mantra (Level 6, 2249/10000), Blood Seas Inner Force (Limit), Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique (Level 2, 1251/10000), Giant Whale Breathing Method (Level 4, 4038/10000), Blood Pulse Technique (Level 2, 1723/10000), Dragon Spine Manual (Level 4, 1/10000), Great Ape Breathing Method (Limit), Red Falcon Breathing Method (Limit), Tiger Fist (Limit), Deer Steps (Limit), Stoneskin Technique (Limit), Seven Steps Technique (Level 4, 712/10000), Verdant Summer Inner Force (Level 2, 1000/10000), Black Fury Inner Force (Level 3, 5312/10000), Raging Bear Breathing Method (Level 2, 2637/10000), Soaring Crane Breathing Method (Level 3, 2999/10000), Flowing Cloud Inner Force (Level 3, 2500/10000), Golden Shell Body (Level 2, 987/10000), Roaming Tiger Breathing Method (Level 4, 6999/10000), Nimble Deer Breathing Method (Level 4, 4999/10000), Golden Drop Inner Force (Level 3, 6999/10000), Earthen Crust Inner Force (Level 2, 999/10000), Hidden Veil Technique (Level 4, 5729/10000), Turtle Breath Inner Force (Level 3, 999/10000), Wave Motions Fist (Limit), Tiger Roar Technique (Limit), Crane Wings Technique (Limit), Iron Bear Technique (Limit), Viper Strike Technique (Limit), Silent Step Technique (Limit), Basic Hand-to-hand (Limit)

  Mystic Jade Essence - Dao Fruit of Sublime Miracles - Condensing... 65%

  He had successfully reached the Innate realm. If Lu Qingshan had a title, he would most likely have been called the Blood Sea Grandmaster due to the phenomenon of primordial qi attuned from that inner force method. But at this level of martial arts, one’s comprehension of their techniques became their foundation. He could also feasibly call himself the Giant Whale Grandmaster, or the Dragon Spine Grandmaster, solely from leveraging their power. What mattered was being able to transform inner force into primordial qi through the middle aperture.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Two things also stood out to him. First, using the Berserk Bug to practice tempering his willpower had immense effects. The Black Fury Inner Force's proficiency had drastically increased after a single session — enough to rival weeks of practice in a single session. Meanwhile, he had also discovered the Raging Bear Breathing Method to be easier to control, making the martial technique improve faster while under the influence of the bug's rage. Perhaps this was mostly due to his acquisition of primordial qi, but he hadn't had such quick and easy gains in a while.

  The second was that the Blood Seas Inner Force, his first fused martial arts technique from the use of Mystic Jade Essence, had finally reached its limit. What it provided him was more than he expected. So much so that he couldn't wait to tell his sect about what he learned and then leave the city to continue his practice.

  With a year already past since the day he slew Liu Wanli, he thought it odd nobody had come for revenge. The past resurfaced in full force, reminding him of the two demonic cultivators who had almost taken his life. Only Yan Xi's intervention had saved him.

  He didn't want such a thing to happen again. Before, he couldn't help but stay in the city, absorbing all the secret medicines he could to try and break through before they arrived. Now that he'd successfully done so, he was worried about the enemy's strength. Surely he wasn't the sole person who could improve in this world.

  It was best for him to leave then, since the city's relatively meager resources could not sustain his rapid development. At this rate, without the excessive consumption of all kinds of secret medicines, Lu Qingshan required over a year and a half to level up the Giant Whale Breathing Method again. This would in turn slow down his growth in the Dragon Spine Manual, and delay reaching the limit of the technique before his second portion of Mystic Jade Essence finished condensing.

  Lu Qingshan looked back up. Qin Ye was meekly standing at the front of the alley, sheepishly looking away from his eyes. Still stricken by fear even though he was accompanied by Liu Yingting, Wu Ruoling, and Jin Teng.

  “It was my fault,” he interrupted them before they could speak. “I let the Berserk Bug bite me and rushed out before all its effects were resolved.”

  “You what?” Liu Yingting stared at him blankly.

  “It was helpful for the practice of Black Fury Inner Force and the Raging Bear Breathing Method,” Lu Qingshan said quickly.

  “I suppose so,” the man slowly said.

  “Never mind that. I have learned about the third level of Aperture Tempering,” Lu Qingshan said, changing the subject. “It requires one to temper the spirit.”

  Now all of them were staring blankly. “You mean to say we have to refine spiritual qi?” Wu Ruoling asked.

  “No,” Lu Qingshan said. “Immortal cultivators do cultivate the spirit, yes, but so can we martial artists. But just like the methods which can’t generate inner force, most martial arts cannot begin to touch on the spiritual realm.”

  “So it all comes down to techniques then. Sect master, do we have one?”

  Lu Qingshan nodded. “We have two.” The Blood Seas Inner Force was one option. But now that he had gained a higher perspective, he was beginning to understand more and more. Notably, the Giant Whale Breathing Technique was another option.

  Wu Ruoling breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sect master. I will never forget this.”

  Lu Qingshan pondered for a moment. “Wu Ruoling, your sword technique is called the Three Pure Paths Swordsmanship. It sounds like it should have the contents for reaching the third level of Aperture Tempering. Why doesn’t it?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “All I know is that the technique might be incomplete. There are only two sections of the so-called Three Pure Paths — heavy and light swordsmanship. I think the first is referring to the first aperture and the second refers to the Innate realm.”

  “Then do you want to learn a new technique from the start or try to incorporate it into your own?”

  “The second option,” Wu Ruoling said without a shred of hesitation.

  “I could try to help you attain a breakthrough in your techniques,” Lu Qingshan mused. “I will be leaving soon after my breakthrough to Grandmaster. I need to head to the ghost market’s forest for my next steps.”

  He was confident he’d be able to find some measure of success. Wu Ruoling was highly intelligent and gifted in martial arts. Her alteration of the Blood Pulse Technique into a sword technique was extremely skilled — very few could do the same. Especially since the Blood Pulse Technique seemed to be a technique of immense strength. It would serve him well in the Aperture Tempering realm yet still had room for growth. Altering it was more difficult than most other techniques.

  The reason behind his confidence was the new ability provided by attaining the limit of the Blood Seas Inner Force — Slaughter Refinement. By taking the lives of others, he could reap portions of their spirit to empower his own. But very few martial artists would have a powerful spirit. Only immortal cultivators could provide him any real sustenance.

  “Watch,” Lu Qingshan said, throwing out a fist. Behind him, a brief vision of a bloody sea trembled, a tendril of its immense power reaching out with his punch. In its wake several walls were pierced, wood pulped, and stone shattered.

  Wu Ruoling gazed at the attack. “Again,” she said.

  Seas of blood repeatedly flashed in the air. Their waves of power overwhelmed a small building, and Lu Qingshan looked back at Wu Ruoling once he was done.

  She placed a hand on her sword’s hilt. In the next instant, a crimson red glow shimmered — a split tearing through another nearby building’s wall. Bloody patches seeped through the wood, eating a widening hole even after she resheathed her sword.

  “Good start,” he complimented. “You’ve consolidated some of the power of the blood sea.” She was a quick learner. But incorporating the principles behind Slaughter Refinement would be much, much more difficult.

  Wu Ruoling body sagged with exhaustion after that one blow. It was a powerful one — combining the principles of blood disruption and absorption into a single attack. She stumbled on her way next to him.

  “Still ready for more?” he asked, looking concerned. His gaze turned towards the direction of the river, where many gangs had taken over. “It might be time for combat. Go gather the other sect elders to meet at the river I mentioned last time,” he ordered the three elders. Deep in thought, they shook themselves free, and left running.

  Wu Ruoling gave him a shaky nod. “Let’s go,” she mumbled.