Chapter 45 - 44: Fourth Blood Refining, Stepping into Qi Storage!

Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Fourth Blood Refining, Stepping into Qi Storage!

Not long after, Cai Liu hurried out from the County Captain’s Mansion of the Military Department. He spoke to Zheng Jun politely, "Squad Leader Zheng, my young master said he is aware of the matter. He will report it to the Commandery and also send a letter to the State City. As for the Vast Sea Sect, he will certainly give them a proper explanation."

"Then I must thank the County Captain," Zheng Jun replied, cupping his hands in acknowledgment.

Just as Zheng Jun was about to turn and leave, Cai Liu suddenly called out to stop him. "Sanlang, wait a moment. May I ask what your Eight Characters of Birth are? Could you provide them?"

"Why does he want my Eight Characters of Birth?" Zheng Jun felt a sudden surge of vigilance. Although he hadn’t seen any curses or ghost-rearing techniques since transmigrating, he had heard plenty of such folklore. Whether before or after his transmigration, the stories always warned that one’s Eight Characters of Birth were a medium for casting spells and must never be carelessly revealed.

However, Zheng Jun didn’t pause for long before replying, "I come from a humble background. As a simple village man, how would I remember such things? I truly do not know." ℴℴ𝘮

Hearing Zheng Jun’s response, Cai Liu gave a slight nod. Seeing that there was nothing else, Zheng Jun took his leave and headed home.

After Zheng Jun departed, Cai Liu immediately returned to the courtyard to report to Cai Xun.

Inside his room, Cai Xun wore a Shu Brocade Velvet Robe. Reclining on a walnut wood couch, he constantly flipped through the scroll of the Broken Jade Pile Skill in his hands. A fiery passion flickered in his eyes, as if he wished he could crush every line and paragraph into fragments to absorb and engrave them deeply into his mind.

"This Path of Guarding Gold is truly magnificent! If I can fully comprehend the Broken Jade Pile Skill, this might be my chance to replenish my Qi and Blood, soar straight to the top, and become the second Primordial Pill Martial Saint in the Cai Family genealogy!" Cai Xun thought with overwhelming joy. He never dreamed that such a massive windfall would land right in his lap!

The Cai Family had a deep-seated blood feud with the Shattered Jade Sect of the past. It was a Cai Family ancestor who had led troops up the mountain to flatten and conquer the Shattered Jade Sect. Under highly favorable conditions, with elite soldiers and fierce generals forming a Military Array, they still ended up fighting the Shattered Jade Sect in a world-shaking battle that resulted in heavy casualties. In the end, it was only when Commander Shu Weiyuan personally took the field that they finally took down the Shattered Jade Sect and slashed and killed its Sect Leader. Their ancestor had also sustained chronic injuries during that clash. After being rewarded and returning to camp, he passed away hastily just eight or nine years later.

Back then, the Shattered Jade Sect seemed to have prepared in advance. After the Court’s army stormed in, all of their core Cultivation Techniques completely vanished. Although some core disciples of the Shattered Jade Sect surrendered voluntarily and handed over quite a few texts, many still remained lost to the outside world.

Yet, to Cai Xun’s absolute astonishment, the Shattered Jade Sect’s Pile Skill he had been painstakingly searching for was actually right here in Black Mountain County—and paraded about so openly, without any concealment! It felt a bit like strolling through a vegetable market and suddenly stumbling upon an Immortal Fruit. It was almost unbelievable.

At the same time, it made Cai Xun feel that he might just be the chosen one destined for the great era of conflict! The king who would conquer the world! Although all the resources in the estate were given to his eldest brother and his second brother, who was cultivating on Qianyuan Mountain, with this Broken Jade Pile Skill in his possession, he would not necessarily be weaker than them in the future!

"Young Master."

Just then, Cai Liu’s voice interrupted Cai Xun’s moment of fantasy. Hearing this, Cai Xun immediately snapped back to reality. He put down the Broken Jade Pile Skill and asked, "What did Zheng San say?"

"Zheng San did not provide his Eight Characters of Birth. He claimed to be a simple village man and didn’t know them..." Cai Liu relayed Zheng Jun’s response to Cai Xun.

Cai Xun, however, was rather indifferent upon hearing this. "Forget it. Whether their Eight Characters match or not is of little importance. The old master and my father will probably just marry off a few of my eldest brother’s illegitimate daughters to him.

"If you ask me, with Zheng Jun being such an extraordinary genius, marrying a legitimate daughter to him wouldn’t be an issue. Marrying off daughters born of mistresses makes it seem like our Cai Family is mistreating a talent.

"How about this: take some money and have a master blacksmith in the Commandery City forge a blade to gift to Zheng Jun. A Treasure Saber should match a hero!"

Having said that, Cai Xun waved his hand, signaling Cai Liu to go about his business and not disturb him as he immersed himself in his fantasies of becoming a supreme ruler and a Primordial Pill Martial Saint. Hearing this, Cai Liu cupped his hands, took his leave, and went to carry out Cai Xun’s orders.

Later that night.

Zheng Jun returned home under the cover of night. He casually tossed his Ceremonial Saber aside. Staring at the uneven chips along its edge, he instantly felt speechless and thought, "I need to change blades again."

Fortunately, he was a Squad Leader. He could replace his blade under the guise of official business, openly acting as a parasite feeding on the Court. Otherwise, at a cost of three or five taels of silver for a replacement, who could afford it? However, this also saved Zheng Jun the hassle of maintaining the blade. After all, no matter the weapon, it required frequent maintenance and wiping to extend its lifespan.

After tossing the Ceremonial Saber aside, Zheng Jun immediately scooped a ladle of cold water from the vat to drink. Once he had cooled down, he walked over to the heated brick bed and took a small porcelain bottle out of the bedside compartment. His expression was somewhat dark and uncertain. He poured three small brown pills out of the porcelain bottle. They were exactly the Blood Nourishing Pills.

"The Vast Sea Sect is coming aggressively. Although I used my official identity to forcibly frame them for the crime of rebellion, the Vast Sea Sect has quite a bit of background. They inevitably have backers within the Commandery and State City, so this matter probably won’t be resolved smoothly," Zheng Jun thought to himself. Right now, he urgently needed to improve his strength.

That True Man Yuan Yi was an Outer Gang Martial Artist of the Vast Sea Sect. The Vast Sea Sect had a total of three Outer Gang Martial Artists and dozens of Qi Storage Martial Artists, making them a majestic and formidable sect. Today, he had slashed Bian Kuang with apparent ease. But what if seven or eight Qi Storage Martial Artists, or even Outer Gang Martial Artists, came in person in the future? He still needed to enhance his strength!

It had been nearly ten days since he last took the Blood Nourishing Pills. Today was the right time to take them again!

With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun did not hesitate. He tossed the three Blood Nourishing Pills directly into his mouth and swallowed them all with a gulp of cold water! Zheng Jun felt a rising heat in his stomach. He immediately jumped up, went into the courtyard, and began practicing the Eagle-Hawk Force, using the Pile Skill in coordination with breathing exercises for his cultivation. Although he wanted to practice the Broken Jade Pile Skill, he hadn’t yet grasped the basics. Forcing himself to practice it would only waste the medicine’s efficacy.

PHEW!

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Jun threw his entire body into the practice of the Eagle-Hawk Force. He felt as if the blood circulating through his body had ignited, slowly transitioning from warm to scorchingly hot!

BANG!

A crisp sound erupted from within Zheng Jun’s body. He felt his Qi and Blood instantly surge upwards. It was as if it had rained all over him; his clothes were immediately soaked with sweat, leaving him drenched from head to toe. Rolling Blood Qi also rose from beneath his feet, traveling past his knees to his waist, shifting from his elbows to his shoulders, until it was finally contained within his lower abdomen!

The fourth round of Blood Refining was a success!

Zheng Jun extended his hand and clenched his five fingers into a fist, instantly producing a muffled thud. Majestic Blood Qi seemed ready to burst forth from his fist. Aside from this, there was something else that caught Zheng Jun completely off guard.

Previously, during every practice session, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi he absorbed would enter his blood through his nose and mouth, circulate through his entire body once, and then be exhaled. Only a small fraction would remain in his blood to nourish his physical body. This time, Zheng Jun felt that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi retained in his body had significantly increased. An inexplicable warm current also gathered in his Dantian, seemingly adapting to the conditions within his body. His limbs and bones had been strengthened by more than just ten percent!

This sensation inevitably reminded Zheng Jun of a specific Realm: Qi Storage.

"Could I have started storing True Qi?" Zheng Jun was somewhat stunned. Wasn’t it said that ordinary people needed nine rounds of Blood Refining before they could begin Qi Storage, while unparalleled geniuses only needed five? He had only undergone four rounds. What level did that put him at?

At this thought, Zheng Jun immediately wondered, "Could I really be a genius?" But soon, he decided not to dwell on it too much. In a great mood, he immediately clenched his fists and began practicing his martial arts against thin air. With just a slight exertion of force, Zheng Jun felt Qi and Blood flowing through his limbs and bones. More notably, a surge of his very own True Qi was triggered, coating his fists and giving him a sensation of being utterly indestructible and unstoppable.

This feeling was absolutely exhilarating!

Zheng Jun was ecstatic in his heart and almost let out a long howl toward the sky. However, remembering that it was nighttime, he restrained the impulse. But shortly after, Zheng Jun felt this applied True Qi begin to slowly dissipate.

"The True Qi I have stored isn’t enough. If I were to fight right now, I wouldn’t be able to utilize the advantages of a Qi Storage Martial Artist at all... But as I am now, it should only take a few strikes to slash Bian Kuang and Lou Wei of the Vast Sea Sect," he thought with considerable confidence. "Once I store up True Qi for a few more days and officially become a Qi Storage Martial Artist, will I be able to go toe-to-toe with Zhang Qingyu?"

As his strength improved, his confidence naturally soared alongside it. After this thought arose in his mind, the gloomy clouds of worry he originally held regarding the Vast Sea Sect were completely swept away. Right now, Zheng Jun only wanted to say one thing:

"If the Vast Sea Sect sends one, I’ll kill one!"