I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 41 - 40: Breaking Through the Blood Nourishing Realm

Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Breaking Through the Blood Nourishing Realm

Jiang Yuanfan reacted quickly, instantly turning his head and closing his eyes to avoid the sand and dirt flying at his face.

But Chu Fan had already seized the opportunity to rush forward, his left fist striking out again, aiming straight for Jiang Yuanfan’s liver!

"Damn it!"

Though flustered, Jiang Yuanfan had learned his lesson. While dodging the dirt, he had already taken three quick steps back, narrowly avoiding the punch!

But Chu Fan wasn’t about to let him go, pursuing him relentlessly like a shadow!

"First, strike the brow and eyes!"

Chu Fan shouted lightly and lunged forward, forming a V with his left index and middle fingers and jabbing straight for Jiang Yuanfan’s eyes.

Jiang Yuanfan had wanted to counterattack, but seeing this, he could only switch from offense to defense.

As he turned his head to dodge, he shot both fists out, using the Tiger Form to block Chu Fan’s arm.

The moment he blocked Chu Fan’s arm, a cruel smile touched Jiang Yuanfan’s lips. The Snake Silk Binding Force erupted as he tried to grab Chu Fan’s wrist and dislocate his joint with another move!

"Second, Monkey Stealing Peaches!"

Chu Fan shouted lightly, completely ignoring Jiang Yuanfan’s attempt to grab his left hand. His right hand dropped and shot downward.

Jiang Yuanfan was shocked, his attention instantly focused on his crotch!

His right hand, which had been reaching for Chu Fan’s wrist, hastily dropped to protect his vital parts!

But who would have thought—while Chu Fan was yelling "Monkey Stealing Peaches," the hand he thrust out suddenly changed its move. His palm curved slightly and stabbed sharply upward!

CRACK!

His four fingers, held together, struck Jiang Yuanfan squarely in the throat!

"Ugh!"

Jiang Yuanfan’s eyes flew wide open. He desperately clutched his own throat, his breathing instantly choked.

Facing an opponent who had instantly lost his ability to move and was wide open, Chu Fan spun and landed a back kick right in Jiang Yuanfan’s abdomen!

BANG!

Jiang Yuanfan was sent flying backward, landing outside the "ring." He fell to his knees, his head smacking hard against the ground as a strange, unintelligible cry of agony escaped his lips.

The entire arena fell silent.

Jiang Yuanfan’s group of friends glared furiously at Chu Fan.

One of them rushed out, roaring, "Didn’t you say you were going for Monkey Stealing Peaches? Why did you strike his throat?!"

Everyone looked over, speechless. They all found the person ridiculous.

Chu Fan rolled his eyes and said, "Idiot! You actually believe what your enemy says?"

The guy’s face turned the color of pig liver with anger, and he was rendered speechless.

The girl in the lead was practically hopping mad. She hurried over to Li Qingxue. "Senior Sister, he cheated! He used dirty tricks..."

Li Qingxue replied coolly, "The sparring match had no rules against trickery, nor did it forbid dirty moves."

"Gouging the eyes, striking the throat, the monkey... ahem! Any move that can instantly incapacitate an opponent is a good move."

The girl was speechless, stunned into silence where she stood.

Just then, Cao Feng walked over slowly and said in a deep voice, "In a life-or-death battle, what rules are there?"

"Do you think your enemy will wait for you to get into a proper stance before they strike?"

"If you are empty-handed, does that mean your enemy can’t use a weapon?"

"Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, even poison—if it can kill the enemy, it can be used."

"Kicking the crotch, gouging the eyes, all sorts of dirty tricks and schemes... when you have to use them, you use them. Victory is life, defeat is death. This is no child’s game."

’My uncle is clearly siding with Chu Fan. This was just a spar between fellow disciples, not a fight to the death...’ Li Qingxue looked at Cao Feng and pursed her lips.

The girl quickly interjected, "That may be true, but this is a spar between disciples, not a life-or-death battle!"

Cao Feng’s expression darkened. "Someone who’s been training for over three months picks a fight with someone who’s only been training for twenty days just to beat them up, and you have the nerve to call it a ’spar’?"

"When you wanted to ’spar’ with him, you didn’t care about fairness. But now that you’ve lost, you complain that he was unfair by using trickery and dirty moves?"

"If that’s how you want to play, then I’ll have Zhao Tianxing spar with you. You can use all the trickery and dirty moves you want. How about that?"

The girl shut her mouth completely, not daring to say another word.

"Hmph!" Cao Feng snorted again, glancing at the still-wailing Jiang Yuanfan. "Training for over three months, only to get beaten into this state by someone who’s trained for twenty days. Absolutely pathetic!"

Jiang Yuanfan, who had just been groggily coming to, heard this, and the rage that surged through him was so intense that he fainted again.

"Alright!"

Cao Feng’s voice boomed, "The farce ends here! Everyone find a partner and begin practical sparring!"

Li Qingxue glanced at Cao Feng but remained silent.

’Chu Fan’s punches and kicks just now were methodical and impressive, yet my uncle didn’t offer a single word of commentary.’

’Is he deliberately trying to cover for Chu Fan?’

Chu Fan was seen clutching the pieces of broken silver as he walked past Jiang Yuanfan and his group.

He gave them a slight smile and a nod. "Next time you have such a good deal, remember to find me."

The final, heart-stabbing blow!

Jiang Yuanfan and his friends felt like their lungs were about to explode with rage. They glared at Chu Fan as if they wanted to swallow him whole.

But Chu Fan paid them no mind, calmly tucking the silver into his robes and swaggering away.

Attending the daily lecture at the Martial Arts Arena at 1:00 PM was entirely voluntary; one was free to come and go.

Thus, no one paid any attention to his comings and goings.

And tonight, he would condense the third strand of Qi Blood Power and step into the Blood Nourishing Realm in one fell swoop!

He needed to be well-rested and his Qi and blood at their peak to increase his chances of successfully breaking through to Blood Nourishing.

Back at his residence, Chu Fan went inside and took out his Long Saber.

SHING!

The scabbard flew from his grasp and landed at an angle in the snowdrift to his left.

Chu Fan gripped the hilt tightly and began to execute the Saber Techniques of the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber.

"First Fold, Thunder Sting!"

The tip of the saber was nimble, like the first stirrings of spring thunder.

"Second Fold, Dragon’s Roar!"

The wind from the blade howled, like the long cry of an ancient dragon.

Chop, smear, flick, slash, thrust... The saber moved with his body, and his energy flowed with the saber.

[Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber Experience Points +1]

[Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber Experience Points +1]

The glint of the saber was like a roaming dragon, weaving through the courtyard as Cold Qi and the wind from the blade intertwined.

After reaching the Entry-Level, his Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber was much smoother than before. When executed, it already looked quite formidable.

Over an hour later...

The blade of the Long Saber in Chu Fan’s hand trembled lightly, slicing through the air as if it were water. He brought it down in a chop on the stone lock in the corner of the wall!

BOOM!

After the massive sound, the stone lock cracked and shattered, sending fragments of stone flying everywhere!

He’d mastered the First Fold of Force!

[Skill: Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber (Entry-Level) Progress: (15/100) (Trait: None)]

Chu Fan pulled the scabbard from the snow and sheathed his saber, his movements as smooth as flowing water.

Although the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber required one to comprehend and condense Saber Force, it wasn’t like the Twelve Forms Fist, which demanded the constant circulation of Qi and blood.

Thus, the fatigue from practicing the saber for over an hour was nowhere near as profound as that from practicing the Twelve Forms Fist.

With Chu Fan’s current Qi and blood, he could practice the saber for three to five hours without becoming as unstable on his feet as he had when he first started the Twelve Forms Fist.

However, since he planned to condense the third strand of Qi Blood Power tonight, he stopped practicing after grasping the First Fold of Force.

Walking into the house, Chu Fan took out the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber’s Saber Manual and read through it carefully.

He had long since memorized the contents of the Saber Manual.

But he still didn’t fully understand the essentials of the "Ninefold Force" and needed to ponder it more.

「As night fell...」

Chu Fan, who had taken it "easy" for a day, had a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

He walked out of the house and into the courtyard, sinking into a Twelve Forms Fist Pile Skill stance, his body as steady as an old tree’s deep roots.

With the experience of condensing the first two strands of Qi Blood Power, he was now quite adept at condensing the third.

Coupled with a day of rest, his Qi and blood were abundant and at their peak. Condensing this third strand of Qi Blood Power was actually even easier than condensing the second!

Aside from taking a bit longer than last time, the entire process was surprisingly smooth!

As the third strand of Qi blood entangled and merged with the other two—

In Chu Fan’s mind, the sound of his surging Qi and blood suddenly magnified tenfold, rumbling like thunder rolling across the ground!

Even the sound of the howling cold wind seemed to have intensified several times over. A cacophony filled his ears, making his eardrums tremble.

Immediately after, a chorus of sounds erupted from Chu Fan’s muscles and bones. It felt as if countless streams of power were surging through his meridians, flowing ceaselessly like a great river!

In an instant, the three strands of Qi Blood Power permeated his entire body!

Chu Fan stomped his right foot on the ground.

The force was like hundreds of pounds of stone locks crashing down. Even the ground trembled, and the accumulated snow rustled down from above!

’So this is the Blood Nourishing Realm...’

Feeling the vast, tide-like power within him and the rapid enhancement of his five senses, Chu Fan felt an exhilaration that a thousand words could not describe!

A quantitative change had led to a qualitative one.

How could it be as simple as just gaining one more strand of Qi Blood Power?

After more than twenty days of Blood Nourishing, he had finally broken through...

Only now could he truly be considered a Blood Nourishing Realm Martial Artist!

Chu Fan took a deep breath, recalling some information about "Blood Nourishing" and "Blood Refining"...

At the beginning of the path of cultivation, one is but a mortal with no real Cultivation.

The five stages of Foundation Establishment that follow are, in order: the "Blood Nourishing Realm," the "Blood Refining Realm," the "Bone Marrow Forging Realm," the "Bone Tempering Realm," and the "Entering the Realm of Strength."

These five Realms are, in fact, five great hurdles, five stages of practice that cannot be accomplished in a single day.

When a mortal begins to practice, they must train in Fist Techniques like the Twelve Forms Fist to circulate their Qi and blood, supplementing their practice with Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup. This stage of practice is called "Blood Nourishing," but it is not the "Blood Nourishing Realm."

"Blood Nourishing" is a process of practice meant to enhance and solidify one’s Qi and blood, striving to achieve "Blood Nourishing Like Mercury."

Once "Blood Nourishing Like Mercury" reaches 100% progress, it is considered a breakthrough, promoting one to a "Blood Nourishing Realm" Martial Artist.

After becoming a "Blood Nourishing Realm" Martial Artist, one must engage in daily "Blood Refining," supplemented by Elixirs like "Blood Refining Pills," other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or medicinal baths.

"Blood Refining" is also a process, aimed at continuously tempering one’s Qi and blood, and it is even more difficult than the "Blood Nourishing" stage.

Only when it reaches Perfection can one be considered to have broken through and advanced to a "Blood Refining Realm" Martial Artist...

By the same token, after breaking through to the "Blood Refining Realm," one must practice Bone Marrow Forging daily... Bone Marrow Forging is also a process, meaning to temper the muscles and bones until they reach a certain level. Only then can one be called a "Bone Marrow Forging Realm" Martial Artist.

An ordinary person with no foundation must practice "Blood Nourishing" daily for a chance to break through to the "Blood Nourishing Realm";

a "Blood Nourishing Realm" Martial Artist must practice "Blood Refining" daily for a chance to break through to the "Blood Refining Realm";

and a "Blood Refining Realm" Martial Artist must practice "Bone Marrow Forging" daily for a chance to break through to the "Bone Marrow Forging Realm"...

Chu Fan strode out of the courtyard and stood before a Profound Iron Wooden Stake.

He stood there quietly, silent for a moment.

"HAH!"

After a moment of gathering his breath, Chu Fan suddenly exhaled with a shout, sending a simple, direct Bear Form Shattering Fist forward.

In that instant, he could clearly sense that Fist Gang had formed over his fist!

His Qi Blood Power could now attack from a distance!

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, the incredibly hard wooden stake let out a deafening boom and was sent flying straight back for seventy or eighty feet, as if it were a great tree uprooted by a hurricane!

The cowhide wrapped around the stake also burst into fragments, scattering in all directions!

Chu Fan walked slowly over to the stake he had sent flying and looked down. He saw a deep fist impression in its body, with cracks spreading out from it like a spiderweb!

’This is the true power of the Blood Nourishing Realm...’

Chu Fan clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. His gaze was as sharp as lightning. As he executed the Bear-shaped Pile Skills, the phantom image of a raging bear appeared behind him!

At the courtyard gate, Zhao Tianxing came out, drawn by the sound. Seeing this sight, his jaw dropped, and he stood frozen on the spot!