High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 77: Dawn

Within the perfect body, the immense Qi and Blood no longer followed a fixed path. Instead, like countless rivers converging into an ocean or a single spark setting a prairie ablaze, it erupted in an instant from the "Melting Furnace core" in his Dantian.

The Qi and Blood surged along countless minute channels, flowing to every corner of his body and permeating each and every cell.

His muscles flexed slightly, and a faint golden glow shimmered across the surface of his skin. His body temperature shot up, and the very space around him seemed to warp slightly from the force.

Speed, strength, perception... All of his physical attributes were soaring at a terrifying rate!

However, this state was not without its price.

Xu Wuyi could clearly "feel" his meridians enduring immense pressure. His Qi and Blood were burning ferociously. This was undeniably an overloaded state, one that could not be sustained for long.

’Melting Furnace Boiling Blood... It’s true to its name!’

Xu Wuyi strove to commit this feeling to memory, immersing his entire Heart and Spirit in the experience, searching for the source of this transformation.

In a single, fleeting instant, he finally grasped the "key" that guided this explosive, full-body activation—

It was a unique form of intent: to use one’s own will to guide the Qi and Blood of the Melting Furnace, treating it as a single, unified whole rather than a collection of disparate parts.

From this "commanding" perspective, all the intricate details of the Qi and Blood circulation for Melting Furnace Boiling Blood—the coordination of dozens of meridians—were no longer a tangled mess. Instead, they formed a clear network with a distinct order of priority.

’So that’s how it works... It’s a bit like the True Intention of the ’Mountain’ I grasped before, isn’t it?’

But this wasn’t a True Intention of Martial Arts. Its depth was far inferior, and it couldn’t be used in combat; its focus was on breadth.

Xu Wuyi felt this might be the initial form of some kind of Mental Realm, the very first stage of a prototype. But if this initial form was already so immense, the complete version would likely be powerful beyond imagination.

The experience seemed to last for only an instant, yet also for an eternity.

When the power enveloping his consciousness receded like the tide, Xu Wuyi snapped his eyes open, his awareness returning to his physical body.

Without a moment’s delay, he moved to a small, clear space in his home and once again assumed the Starting Form of Melting Furnace Boiling Blood.

Unlike the gravity and hesitation from before, this time, his movements possessed an unprecedented sense of conviction.

His intent sank into his Dantian as he began the Visualization of the formless Melting Furnace.

He was no longer forcing the flow of his Qi and Blood. Instead, he tried to merge his will into his body, striving to achieve a state of resonance with the Melting Furnace.

’Burn!’

In an instant, the Qi and Blood in his Dantian seemed to ignite, set ablaze by an invisible fire. A power far more scorching than the Furnace Flame erupted, surging through his entire body like a flash flood!

HUMMM—

Xu Wuyi’s body trembled violently. A faint crimson sheen instantly spread across his skin, and the surrounding air seemed to grow slightly warmer.

He could clearly feel power surging through him; his speed and reflexes were significantly enhanced in that moment!

Although the degree of this enhancement was nowhere near the terrifying level of Grandmaster Yue Lianshan’s from the experience, and its duration was extremely brief, he had done it!

For the first time, he had successfully guided the complete circulation of Qi and Blood for Melting Furnace Boiling Blood. He had crossed the threshold!

The sensation lasted no more than two or three seconds before rapidly fading, leaving his body with a distinct feeling of weakness and a stinging pain.

[Standard Training Completed Today: 1]

In his sea of consciousness, the archaic script of the Martial Arts Diligence Record finally changed:

[Martial Arts: Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace]

[Current Realm: Beginner (90.1%)]

[Martial Arts Traits: Not Unlocked]

[Assessment: Furnace Initial Burning. Foundation reforged. Qi and Blood Refinement Level significantly increased.]

"Hah... Hah..."

Xu Wuyi gasped for breath, his meridians pulsing with a searing pain—a normal reaction after being pushed beyond their limits.

But a brilliant smile of pure relief spread across his face.

’The Grandmaster experience was truly incredible.’

That perspective, from a completely different level of mastery, had allowed him to glimpse the very core of Melting Furnace Boiling Blood, saving him who knows how much time he would have spent fumbling in the dark.

"Intention and Qi Integration, Spirit and Furnace merging... The key lies in the frequency of that resonance," Xu Wuyi murmured to himself, recalling the sensation from his successful attempt.

Now that he had seen a glimmer of light, all that remained was repetition and accumulation.

And that was precisely what he did best.

...

In early June, the Federation’s standardized academic exams arrived as scheduled.

For Martial Arts Students, the academic requirements weren’t high; they only needed to achieve a passing grade in each subject.

This was a compromise standard established by the Federation’s leadership after careful consideration.

It was unrealistic to cultivate Martial Arts Students into academic elites, but they couldn’t be allowed to become illiterates who knew nothing but how to train.

The Federation People had long ago realized that when Martial Arts were pursued to their highest levels, one would inevitably have to explore two directions—

The first was the interaction between the Spirit and the world; the second was delving into the potential of the human body itself.

If one didn’t understand even the most basic physics, chemistry, and biology, how could they even begin to talk about such exploration?

Inside the examination hall, Xu Wuyi calmly answered the questions, the tip of his pen gliding across the paper with a soft, rustling sound.

Literature, Mathematics, Federation History, Basic Physics... The questions were of moderate difficulty. Xu Wuyi’s academic skills had always been solid, so achieving a passing grade was a breeze.

When the bell signaling the end of the final exam rang, Xu Wuyi set down his pen and let out a soft sigh of relief.

The end of the academic exams meant the last obstacle before the Martial Arts Examination had been cleared.

From this moment until the practical combat portion of the Martial Arts Examination in late June, all senior Martial Arts Students could focus on their final sprint without any distractions.

...

In the days following the academic exams, school courses were essentially over, and the group training sessions for the advanced class existed in name only.

Each student was now engaged in their own personalized training, tailored to their specific needs for the final push.

Xu Wuyi remained immersed in the Refinement of Melting Furnace Boiling Blood. With the solid foundation laid by his "Grandmaster experience," he had already reached the Entry Level for this technique’s Qi and Blood circulation.

All that remained was to turn the state of "Intention and Qi Integration, Spirit and Furnace Integration" into second nature through countless repetitions.

Inside the training room, the sound of heavy breathing echoed rhythmically.

Xu Wuyi was stripped to the waist, his skin slightly flushed from the high-speed circulation of his Qi and Blood. Visible white vapor steamed off his body, making him look like a genuine, lit, humanoid Melting Furnace.

Activating Melting Furnace Boiling Blood was far from the easy, continuous execution of the previous nine techniques.

Each time he guided his Qi and Blood to erupt throughout his body, it placed a significant strain on his meridians and his physique. He needed to rest for a while between attempts, waiting for his Qi and Blood to settle and his body to repair the minute damage before trying again.

This made increasing his mastery of Melting Furnace Boiling Blood far slower and more arduous than with any previous technique.

[Standard Training Completed Today: 14]

Each "effective training" completion signified that his control over Melting Furnace Boiling Blood had deepened a little more.

Unfortunately, at his current pace, he was still unable to complete the hundred daily repetitions required for an achievement. Otherwise, with the help of an Enlightenment, his progress would surely accelerate.

But under this grueling training that pushed him to his limits, his mastery of Melting Furnace Boiling Blood, though advancing at a snail’s pace, was still climbing steadily upward.

[Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace Current Realm: Beginner (90.5%)]

[Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace Current Realm: Beginner (90.8%)]

...