Chapter 127

Feeling the powerful energy within his body, Lu Qing was somewhat satisfied.The Tendons and Bones Realm Perfection. It signified that the strength of his muscles and bones, as a Postnatal Realm martial artist, had reached its utmost limit. Continuing to temper with Qi and Blood would no longer yield any improvement. Even if he broke through to the Internal Organs Realm, his muscles and bones wouldn’t significantly strengthen. Unless he encountered a great opportunity and obtained some miraculous elixir, it might be possible to break through this limit and further enhance his muscles and bones. However, Lu Qing had already consumed the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, which had greatly improved his aptitude. Now, his muscle and bone strength was several times stronger than the ordinary Tendons and Bones Realm Perfection. It seemed almost impossible to find an elixir more precious than the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid to break through this limit further. The next step, therefore, was to stabilize his foundation and strive to break through to the Internal Organs Realm. Although the breakthrough in the Tendons and Bones Realm made Lu Qing happy, what pleased him more was another breakthrough. Lu Qing picked up a green bamboo leaf and quietly observed it. At this moment, what seemed an ordinary bamboo leaf to others appeared quite unique to him. Especially its patterns, which held a special meaning. “After cultivating for so long, I’ve finally entered the path of runes.” Gently rotating the bamboo leaf in his hand, Lu Qing smiled. When he perfected his Tendons and Bones Realm, leveraging that perfect state, he felt a breakthrough in his understanding of runes, which had been stuck at a bottleneck for some time. The three hundred mysterious runes in his mind were now imbued with a trace of meaning, and he could find corresponding patterns in the real world. Ever since obtaining the inheritance from the Divine Rune Sect, Lu Qing had been cultivating the path of runes for quite some time. This was arguably the most challenging path among all the inheritances he had received. Even with the assistance of special abilities, it had taken him a long time to truly enter this path. During these days, he had observed all kinds of things in life. Pots and pans, stones and leaves, flowers and weeds, gold and silver jewels… Anything he could see, he would observe from the perspective of Calming the Mind and Purifying the Heart. The more he observed, the deeper his understanding of the three hundred mysterious runes in his mind became. Gradually, a vague sense of understanding started accumulating in his heart. But not long ago, this understanding reached a bottleneck, with no further progress. Lu Qing could feel that he was only one step away from truly entering the path of runes. But this step eluded him. The inheritance from the Divine Rune Sect mentioned that this step had to be realized on one’s own. Because the path of runes was ever-changing and contained the ultimate principles of the universe. Every rune cultivator had their own unique understanding and perspective on the connection between runes and the universe. Being too fixated on the experiences of predecessors could easily lead to limitations, hindering future cultivation. This had caused Lu Qing to be stuck at this step for a long time. Now, leveraging his breakthrough in martial arts and the understanding of Qi and Blood and muscle changes, he had a sudden enlightenment, finally opening the door to the path of runes. “I was too narrow-minded. The first sentence of the Divine Rune Sect’s inheritance demands disciples to learn from the universe. I only observed the external world but forgot that humans themselves are part of the universe. Living beings themselves are the most mysterious and incredible existence in the universe. Without understanding the mystery of life, how can one draw a rune with a soul?” Of course, drawing a rune with a soul was a miraculous skill not achievable by ordinary rune cultivators. Even in the Divine Rune Sect’s inheritance, it was considered a lofty pursuit. Currently, Lu Qing couldn’t possibly comprehend such a profound mystery. He had merely understood a bit of the wonder of Qi and Blood and muscle changes during his breakthrough and entered the path of runes. He hadn’t even mastered the simplest runes, let alone drawn a rune with a soul. “However, having entered the path of runes, I can finally cultivate the secret technique recorded in the inheritance.” A glimmer of light appeared in Lu Qing’s eyes. In the Divine Rune Sect’s inheritance, there was a special secret technique that allowed practitioners to cultivate Soul Power before reaching the Postnatal Realm Perfection. However, this secret technique had stringent cultivation requirements. First, the practitioner’s physical condition had to be at least at the Tendons and Bones Realm level to withstand the pressure of tempering the soul. Second, the practitioner had to have entered the path of runes with a strong enough mind. Once these two conditions were met, the practitioner needed the protection of rare treasures like the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid to cultivate the secret technique. Therefore, although the secret technique allowed practitioners to cultivate Soul Power early, the cultivation conditions were equally stringent. It was as challenging as cultivating to the Internal Organs Realm Perfection. Fortunately, Lu Qing now met all the conditions. Seeing that it was still early, Lu Qing decided to take Xiao Li and head into the mountains. Before long, they arrived at the valley where the Jade Transformation Cave Chamber was located. Looking at the picturesque valley, Lu Qing felt a bit nostalgic. Since leaving the valley last time, this was his first return. When he left, he was still a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist. Now he had perfected the Tendons and Bones Realm, with his strength greatly enhanced. Much of his rapid improvement was due to the opportunities he obtained in the cave. At Li Weitian’s tomb, Lu Qing offered a simple tribute before taking Xiao Li and entering the cave behind the waterfall. Inside the Jade Transformation Cave Chamber, everything was as it was when he left, unchanged. But now, looking at the runes in the cave, Lu Qing had a different feeling. Last time, he hadn’t started cultivating the path of runes, and although he found the runes mysterious, he couldn’t see the intricacies. Now, having entered the path of runes, he immediately felt a sense of enlightenment looking at these runes. A feeling of awe arose in his heart. The mysterious existence who created the Jade Transformation Cave Chamber had profound achievements in the path of runes. Standing before the cave wall for a long time, Lu Qing felt his understanding of the path of runes deepened significantly, both feet truly stepping into the door of runes. It seemed he would need to visit this cave often for comprehension in the future. Lu Qing thought to himself. He casually pushed open the secret door in the cave and entered the dark chamber where Li Weitian had passed away. Everything inside was also unchanged. “Xiao Li, guard me outside. I’ll be cultivating for a while. Don’t let anyone disturb me.” Lu Qing instructed Xiao Li. The secret technique from the inheritance was risky to cultivate and required complete concentration without interruptions. Although the Jade Transformation Cave Chamber was hidden, ensuring no one would find it, Lu Qing still asked Xiao Li to guard him for absolute safety. Seeing Xiao Li nod seriously, Lu Qing felt reassured and closed the door of the dark chamber. He then sat cross-legged on the stone bed where Li Weitian had passed away, slowly adjusting his breathing. Once his body was in the best state, he produced a jade bottle. It was the bottle containing the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid that he had taken from here before. Without hesitation, Lu Qing poured a drop of the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid into his mouth. The liquid quickly transformed into a massive, life-filled energy. Lu Qing didn’t dare to delay, immediately running the secret technique to direct Qi and Blood in a peculiar trajectory towards the brain’s brow center acupoint. Qi and Blood surged, and Lu Qing’s face turned red, especially the brow center, almost bleeding. But his expression remained calm, controlling the surge of Qi and Blood with strong ability. This was extremely dangerous; the brow center was a vital acupoint and couldn’t be easily damaged. Fortunately, his saber technique had reached the Postnatal Master level, understanding the balance of hardness and softness, and he had high control over his body. This allowed him to control Qi and Blood precisely, tempering the acupoint as per the secret technique. During the tempering process, the life energy from the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid continuously flowed into the brow center acupoint, nourishing and stabilizing it. Throughout this, Lu Qing meticulously controlled Qi and Blood, not daring to relax. Even so, he made a mistake after a while. A slight deviation in controlling Qi and Blood caused damage to the brow center acupoint, nearly collapsing it. Fortunately, the life energy from the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid protected the acupoint, preventing its collapse. It quickly repaired the damage, restoring it to its original state. Sensing these changes, Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. This highlighted the danger of this secret technique. The human brain was extremely fragile, even for martial artists. Even Internal Organs Realm experts wouldn’t easily direct Qi and Blood towards their brains. Any damage to the brain could have unimaginable consequences. Mild damage could result in paralysis or idiocy, while severe damage could be fatal. Without the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, Lu Qing wouldn’t dare to cultivate this secret technique. Having learned from this experience, he became even more cautious in tempering the brow center acupoint. In this highly focused state, Lu Qing’s mental energy was quickly depleted. But he remained calm and persistent. Feeling the life energy within his body start to weaken, he didn’t hesitate to pour another drop of the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid into his mouth. With the new energy, he continued cultivating. Lu Qing kept tempering the acupoint according to the secret technique, consuming a drop of the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid whenever the energy weakened. After consuming the fifth drop and with its energy half-depleted, Lu Qing finally heard an inaudible sound in his mind. It felt like an egg cracking; the brow center acupoint was finally opened. With its opening, Lu Qing felt the whole world change. However, before he could fully appreciate this change, the remaining life energy and Qi and Blood rushed into the brow center acupoint. A sense of weakness surged in Lu Qing’s heart. He quickly poured three more drops of the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid into his mouth. The liquid transformed into life energy, replenishing his body. The rest continued to flow into the brow center acupoint. It was unclear how such a small acupoint could hold so much energy. With the continuous supply of life energy, a peculiar force finally began to form within Lu Qing’s brow center acupoint. As this force appeared, Lu Qing’s body trembled. He felt enlightened, merging all his mind into the acupoint with the peculiar force. Then, with a boom, he entered a strange state. In this hazy state, time seemed to pass slowly. Lu Qing gradually opened his eyes, a look of understanding in them. “This is the power of the soul, truly miraculous.” At this moment, a lively and peculiar soul power was slowly moving in his brow center acupoint. Compared to the spacious acupoint, it seemed insignificant. But this tiny soul power was precious, cultivated with much Earth Vein Spirit Liquid and through great danger. And it did not disappoint. The world in Lu Qing’s eyes had changed. “This is what Master mentioned, the Elemental Mist?” Sensing the faint energy flow around him, Lu Qing realized it was likely what his master had referred to as the Elemental Mist. However, his soul power was still weak and couldn’t clearly perceive this Elemental Mist. Also, as his physical body hadn’t reached Postnatal Perfection, he couldn’t draw the Elemental Mist into his body to break through to Precelestial. Nonetheless, after cultivating soul power, Lu Qing felt a closer connection between his mind and body. His control over his body greatly improved, likely surpassing that of Internal Organs Realm experts. This advancement might bring his breakthrough to the Internal Organs Realm even closer. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Of course, these changes were secondary. The truly important change after cultivating soul power, which Lu Qing valued most, was that he could now truly cultivate the path of runes. The first step in cultivating runes was to calm the mind, sense the world, comprehend the patterns in all things, and find connections with the runes in the General Outline to seek an entry point. After entering the path, the second step was the true cultivation of runes. In this step, soul power was essential. Now, Lu Qing had finally met this requirement. Table of content