Free Web NovelChapter 443: Chapter 245: Fifth Grade (Part 2)
You could say his progress was delayed by about twenty days.
His consciousness returned to his body, and Cheng Zongyang entered a state of breath regulation and cultivation. He began to automatically circulate his Cultivation Technique, preparing to break through the final acupoint.
His True Qi circulated, beginning to gather at the final acupoint in the meridian: the Dabao Acupoint.
Cheng Zongyang wasn’t worried; he was quite familiar with this process.
Time passed, second by second. As the sky gradually brightened with the dawn, a small crack appeared in the acupoint. The acupoint was like a dam with a tiny breach, and his surging True Qi, like a flood, instantly burst through the opening.
A torrent of True Qi surged in, instantly filling the entire acupoint while simultaneously reinforcing it.
The moment this acupoint was opened, the True Qi within that meridian began to circulate, like traffic on a newly opened ring road. Consequently, the circulation of True Qi in the fourth meridian began to drive the flow in the other three.
Instantly, the four meridians formed a single, grand cycle.
The True Qi once again reinforced the strength and width of his meridians! At the same time, a power far greater than before surged forth!
Cheng Zongyang could feel his qi and blood constantly generating new True Qi to fill his meridians, like fresh tributaries flowing into a main river.
Feeling the gradually strengthening True Qi within him, Cheng Zongyang smiled. ’This was a natural progression. Fifth Grade! The Refining the Internal Organs Realm! The next stage, at the Fifth Grade Realm, will be to temper the Five Viscera and Six Bowels!’
He immediately entered the Wilderness World, appearing by the granite boulder at his base camp.
He didn’t act immediately, but waited quietly for the True Qi in his body to stabilize and return to its normal rate of circulation.
About fifteen minutes later, when Cheng Zongyang felt that his True Qi had strengthened by more than threefold, a smile touched his lips.
He looked at the granite boulder before him, which still bore a palm print.
It was the mark he had left with a full-power strike after reaching the Sixth Grade.
Once again, he mobilized his True Qi, gradually gathering it in his right palm. At the precise moment his breathing found its equilibrium, he unleashed a Great Strength Vajra Palm, slamming it into the boulder!
BANG! To Cheng Zongyang’s surprise, the boulder didn’t remain intact this time. Instead, his palm strike shattered it into pieces!
Stone dust drifted through the air as fragments of various sizes scattered about. Cheng Zongyang stared at his right palm, genuinely surprised.
He had expected this palm strike would only leave a deeper impression than before, never imagining the boulder would just explode!
’Maybe that last palm strike created internal fractures, making it shatter more easily this time? Or has my Refined and Masterful Great Strength Vajra Palm, combined with Fifth Grade True Qi, reached a level of power comparable to a Third Grade who can release their True Qi externally?’
After pondering for a moment, Cheng Zongyang dismissed the thought.
He had run into his share of trouble since he began his Martial Arts Training.
Aside from his early encounter with Lu Yan, which forced him into a head-on clash, he had almost always dispatched his enemies in the quickest and most efficient way possible. He wouldn’t foolishly trade blows if he could avoid it.
He had started Martial Arts Training to strengthen himself, protect himself, and protect his family. His goal was to eliminate threats, and if a better way existed, he wouldn’t waste time. Consequently, he had rarely fought with his full strength.
’This full-power strike must have nearly two tons of force. Damn. Even in a head-on fight, a Fourth Grade would be brought to their knees! And with my trump cards, I’m confident I can even face an Upper Three Grades Martial Artist who can release their True Qi.’
Cheng Zongyang was very satisfied.
He wasn’t complacent. He still needed to continue improving his strength. His role was to be his family’s shield, to act as a deterrent.
He then summoned the system interface to check it.
——
Name: Cheng Zongyang
Age: 16 (Years)
Lifespan: 16/102 (-453 days; +42 days)
Realm: Fifth Grade (Refining the Internal Organs)
Talent: Adaptation (Beginner Level, 21/1000)
Points: 78623
Skills:
Archery (12412/20000, Specialization); Medicine (755/3000, Middle Level); Array (12/1000, Beginner Level)
Cultivation Technique:
Turtle Breath-holding Skill (0/30000)
Martial Arts:
Basic Saber Technique (1773/7000, Refined and Masterful)
Wind-Stepping Step (56/15000, Divine Skill)
Great Strength Vajra Palm (3297/7000, Refined and Masterful)
Illusionary Blade (23/1000, Beginner’s Practice)
——
’My realm breakthrough added another year to my Lifespan.’
The change to his Lifespan was the first thing Cheng Zongyang noticed. But as more people signed the Oath Contract, the cost to his own Lifespan was also gradually increasing.
Cheng Zongyang wasn’t concerned. At least his realm breakthroughs were replenishing his Lifespan.
"Congratulations, my lord."
Luo Dingran had walked up beside Cheng Zongyang. Seeing the state of the ground, he understood the reason and cupped his hands in congratulation.
Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly. "It’s just a minor realm breakthrough. The Upper Three Grades are still a long way off."
Luo Dingran gave a wry smile. "My lord, your cultivation speed is top-tier even among the major Gate Influences. Reaching the Fifth Grade in just over a year... who else could possibly do that?"
Cheng Zongyang just smiled and didn’t explain further.
His rapid progress was entirely due to his unique Cultivation Technique. As long as he had a spare moment to maintain the breathing method, the technique would circulate automatically, greatly accelerating his cultivation speed. It wasn’t because of his own actual Talent.
’But if you can use a cheat, who would be stupid enough to grind the slow way?’
Back in his past life, when the level 60 version of DNF launched, he had used hacks to upgrade a weapon straight to +21. After that, he could enter a dungeon and one-shot every mob, and bosses only took a few hits. It was way more satisfying than miserably hacking away at them for ages.
It might have ruined the gameplay experience, but damn, it felt good!
With nothing important to do in the Wilderness World, Cheng Zongyang didn’t linger and returned to the outside world.
For the next two or three days, Cheng Zongyang stayed home, reading through his new manuals and continuing to train his Adaptation talent.
The most convenient method at the moment was roasting his feet over a fire, and his progress was quite fast. But as his feet adapted to the heat, the rate of progress would slow down, forcing him to repeat the process to maintain a steady pace.
’High Tier Martial Arts, the Acupoint-Sealing Hand.’
On the morning of the last day of the month, Cheng Zongyang was in his study reading a manual. He had reached the section on secret techniques.
Because he had bought so many items, he wasn’t just skimming the information but actively considering the uses for each item. As a result, his progress was a bit slow.
The secret techniques section was divided into Martial Arts Techniques, Secret Techniques and Formulas, Martial Arts Pill Manuals, Pill Manuals, Talisman Books, Array Essentials, Spiritual Food Recipes, Beast Taming Techniques, and more. The variety was immense and the list went on, with a considerable number of items in each category, accounting for roughly two-fifths of his total purchases.
Since they were all secret techniques and formulas, their prices were not low, and they had cost him the lion’s share of his Points.
Cheng Zongyang had always believed that as long as he mastered the techniques and formulas, he would eventually earn back what he spent. Thus, he was more than willing to spend Points on such items.
At that moment, his eyes fell upon a martial art called the Acupoint-Sealing Hand, and he was instantly captivated.
——
[Acupoint-Sealing Hand]
Description: A High Tier Martial Art, also known as the [Sealing and Unsealing Three Finger Techniques]. It combines three finger techniques: the Acupoint Sealing Technique, the Qi Sealing Technique, and the Blood Sealing Technique. It also includes the corresponding Unsealing Techniques. By using specific methods on certain acupoints, one can seal Acupoints to temporarily obstruct the flow of True Qi, thereby suppressing a target’s Cultivation. By using specific methods on certain acupoints, one can seal True Qi, rendering it impossible to circulate or call upon. By using specific methods on certain acupoints, one can seal the flow of blood and qi, causing a target to lose all combat strength.
Requirements:
①: The user must have already cultivated True Qi, as it is required to perform the finger techniques and achieve the sealing effect.
②: The seal cannot be maintained for more than three hours. Minor consequences include the reverse flow of True Qi or vital energy; severe consequences include damaged meridians.
——
Reading the description of the Acupoint-Sealing Hand, Cheng Zongyang’s eyes lit up.
’Not only can it suppress Cultivation, but it can also be used against enemies. This is an incredibly profound Martial Art!’
Cheng Zongyang made a mental note of this Martial Art. He would finish reading the section on secret techniques, see if there were any others he wanted, and then retrieve them all at once. This was a Martial Art he had to learn. The ability to temporarily suppress his Cultivation would be very useful for deceiving people in certain situations.
Just as he was about to read on, there was a knock on the study door, and Zhang Zeyu’s voice followed.
"My lord, Steward Chen from the Commerce Association sent a messenger to report that the people you requested have all been gathered at the entrance to Tiantuan Village. They are waiting for you to receive them."
Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang’s eyes lit up. He stored the manual in his marketplace inventory and quickly rose to his feet, heading outside.
