Chapter 241: The Battle Of A Genius And Cross-Realm Expert (I)

After finishing the roasted meat, Lin Zheyu left Little Black deep in the mountains and returned alone. From Wuling City, he had travelled with Little Black all the way into the mountains, not knowing how far he had gone.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The surroundings were nearly devoid of people, filled only with the presence of fierce beasts. Occasionally, he would spot a lone martial artist training in the wild, but Lin Zheyu merely glanced from afar, avoided greeting them, and passed by.

Whoosh.

From the forest burst forth a massive red-and-yellow python as thick as a barrel. It opened its gaping jaws and lunged at Lin Zheyu, intent on swallowing him whole. Its bulbous eyes gleamed coldly, but then, that chill was abruptly replaced by terror. The ordinary-looking Lin Zheyu, who had shown no hint of a powerful aura, suddenly released a fearsome surge of momentum.

Boom!

Hiss.

A deafening crash resounded. Lin Zheyu stepped forward, his blood qi surging as the muscles in his arm bulged. His fist, carrying the strength of five thousand kilograms, slammed toward the python's head. The beast shrieked and thrashed, trying frantically to retreat, but it was already too late. The massive fist came down with a crunch and sank deep into its skull.

Bang, bang, bang.

Though its head was crushed and its mind gone, the python's body still thrashed wildly, whipping its thick coils in every direction. Lin Zheyu leapt lightly, his figure vanishing from where he stood.

"After more than six qualitative changes of blood qi, the condensed power has a remarkably evident tempering effect on my body. Even without invoking my blood qi, my sheer physical strength alone rivals my power at the fourth transformation," Lin Zheyu murmured with emotion.

He had not used a trace of blood qi power in killing that python, relying purely on physical might. When he had perfected the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, his physical strength had already reached the level of second transformation. Now, after six qualitative changes of his blood qi, both his power and defense had improved once again. His strength not only reached the strength of the fourth transformation, but his blood qi also greatly enhanced his body's resilience.

Lin Zheyu felt that his physical defense was now comparable to that of the terrifying Marrow Refining Realm beast he had once encountered outside Bafang City. That was astonishing. After all, he was only a human martial artist at the Blood Qi Realm, and was not even in the Marrow Refining Realm.

I wonder how my defense now compares to that of the living corpse from Daba Mountain.

When he had faced that living corpse before, his strength had been far weaker, so his full-force strikes had barely affected it. Though that creature was said to possess iron bones and copper skin, Lin Zheyu believed even its defense had limits. To weaker martial artists, his current body might as well be the same; even if he stood motionless, a martial artist at the fourth transformation of blood qi would probably be unable to break through his defense with a full-power blow.

After slaying the python, Lin Zheyu continued swiftly through the forest. He had travelled quite far from Wuling City, so even at full speed, it would take nearly two days to return to Heavenly Blade Peak. The saber intent there appeared every mid-June and lasted for almost a month. If he returned now, he could still personally experience that legendary aura said to be as awe-inspiring as heavenly might, and if he could glean any insight from it, all the better.

Time passed slowly, and night gradually fell. Lin Zheyu soon found a place to rest.

Travelling at full speed for an entire day purely by relying on his physical strength, Lin Zheyu felt almost no exhaustion. When his stamina depleted, the vast power of his blood qi quickly replenished it. Until his blood qi was completely spent, his physique could remain in peak condition.

This monstrous endurance was what made Marrow Refining Realm martial artists so formidable.

The Blood Qi Realm was merely a realm for laying the foundation. Upon advancing to the Marrow Refining Realm, one's strength rose tremendously, compensating for the lack of defense in earlier stages. Once martial cultivation was refined into the bones, a martial artist's body would undergo transformation. Their physique would strengthen rapidly, and both their physical power and defense would soar. Such drastic improvements allowed those who could no longer progress in blood qi to see their strength begin to grow anew.

From what Lin Zheyu knew, a Marrow Refining Realm martial artist's pure physical strength alone far surpassed their overall power before reaching that realm. Combined with the energy of blood qi, their total might was incomparable to any Blood Qi Realm martial artist. Even if a Blood Qi Realm martial artist relied on a burst technique like the Boiling Blood Secret Art to temporarily boost strength, they still had no advantage against someone in the Marrow Refining Realm.

The physique of a Marrow Refining Realm martial artist was incredibly robust. It was not only powerful but also terrifyingly durable. Ordinary Blood Qi Realm martial artists, even with burst technique, could hardly kill one in a short time. And once their outburst ended, they could not last long. Unless they unleashed power far beyond their own limits and killed the opponent instantly, there was no other way.

That was precisely what Lin Zheyu had done before. By stacking multiple enhancements, his power became overwhelming, but his endurance could not keep up. Thus, he could only unleash a single burst of absolute might to finish the enemy, and if it failed, he had to immediately flee. Yet to slay a Marrow Refining Realm martial artist in one strike was extremely difficult, and something ordinary martial artists could rarely accomplish.

Lin Zheyu had succeeded only because of the unique nature of his Origin Force. He had refined the blood qi burst technique from the Mountain Shattering Palm until he could wield it as naturally as ordinary blood qi. At the same time, he perfected the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, greatly strengthening his body.

Before cultivating the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, Lin Zheyu had once combined the blood qi burst technique with Raging Wind Slash to deliver a peak strike, yet it failed to seriously injure his Marrow Refining Realm opponent; instead, he was hurt by the rebound force, and even his arm bones were damaged. At that time, his arm's toughness already far exceeded others of the same level.

To wield the Mountain Shattering Palm without restraint, Lin Zheyu had used the unique qualities of Origin Force to temper his arms within his consciousness space. He repeatedly used the blood qi burst technique to bathe them in violent blood qi, refining their toughness and defense. Even so, he was still injured by the recoil, and quite heavily at that.

If it had been any other martial artist of the same stage, their body would have collapsed before the attack was even launched. That was why only geniuses who had undergone six or more transformations of blood qi possessed the foundation to fight across realms. Even those with five transformations would find it nearly impossible. After six transformations, a martial artist's physique became dramatically strengthened by the refined power of blood qi.

Combined with burst techniques, they could unleash attacks far exceeding the might of ordinary Marrow Refining Realm martial artists.

***

Crackle.

In the stillness of the forest, a campfire rose quietly into the night.

Roasting the meat of a beast he had hunted, Lin Zheyu felt a bit uneasy. Without Little Black by his side, a faint loneliness crept in.

"With Little Black gone, the forest feels far quieter and deeper than before. I can't get used to it. Once the time is right, I'll bring him back," Lin Zheyu murmured softly.

After spending so much time with Little Black, he already regarded it as family. But it was not the right time to keep it with him. His strength was still insufficient, and Little Black's rare nature would easily attract covetous eyes. He could not yet protect it. Keeping it by his side would do neither of them any good.

I need to find another way to quickly gather silver and improve my strength. These Essence and Qi Pills are worth quite a bit. If I could sell them, I could earn over 10,000 taels of silver, which would be enough to reach the Dragon Transformation. But even the black market doesn't deal in these pills... Would selling them myself cause trouble?

That concern was exactly why he had never dared to sell them. These types of pills simply wouldn't circulate in the market. Ordinary martial artists only used medicinal broths, ointments, or simple crushed-herb pellets.

Strange. Pills like the Essence and Qi Pill, which can boost cultivation speed for Blood Qi Realm martial artists, should be highly sought after and fetch a fortune. Why would they be kept hidden instead of sold? Is there some hidden reason behind it?

Lin Zheyu could not figure it out.

Because he didn't know what secrets might be involved, he had refrained from selling the pills. However, the upcoming manifestation of saber intent on Heavenly Blade Peak presented a rare opportunity. Countless martial artists from all directions would gather there to comprehend the saber intent, turning the mountain into a chaotic mix of people from every corner.

Lin Zheyu planned to try selling the Essence and Qi Pills to those martial artists. He would alter his appearance and blend into the crowd. Even if he were discovered and trouble arose, he could always flee into the deep mountains. With his exceptional lightness and movement techniques, he was confident he could escape safely.

***

Morning came.

As dawn light faintly touched the misty forest, several beast carcasses lay beside Lin Zheyu; they were creatures that had wandered out to hunt during the night and been casually slain by him.

Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes, stretched his limbs, and continued on his way. After a night's rest, the blood qi he had expended the previous day was fully restored. Travelling with physical strength and recovering with blood qi consumed little energy. After an entire day of travel, he had used less than 30% of his reserves.

As he passed through a pine forest, his expression shifted as he had heard the sound of battle not far away.

There seems to be fighting ahead...