For others, every step forward in cultivation required painstaking effort, like the Foolish Old Man moving mountains; even the slightest misstep could ruin all their previous efforts.
But Shen Xiuhan was different.
His martial arts realm and comprehension had already reached the Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank through his 『Deduction』!
This meant that for him, there was no bottleneck whatsoever between the Mingjin and Anjin Ranks.
It was like a pre-dug canal; once the floodgate was opened, the water would naturally pour in.
All he lacked was the time to gather more “water,” drop by drop.
And this 『Dragon Blood Essence-Infusing Pool』 was the last place to lack “water.”
Within the thick crimson mist, Shen Xiuhan slightly closed his eyes, his mind sinking completely into a state of absolute tranquility.
Operating the 『Golden Eagle Soaring Technique』 inside his body, it acted like an invisible net, guiding that massive, scalding blood qi to pour down toward the soles of his feet.
The Mingjin and Anjin Ranks seemed to differ by only a single word, but in truth, the difference in physical control was as vast as heaven and earth.
Those of the Mingjin Rank released their blood qi outward, fierce and overbearing.
Their cultivation methods mostly involved stance work, focusing on tempering the skin, flesh, and bones. Though grand and sweeping, it was relatively unrefined.
Anjin, on the other hand, condensed blood qi into a finer, more precise “force,” hidden within the acupoints throughout the human body. It could be released and retracted at will, killing invisibly.
As the saying in martial arts went: “Mingjin strikes the Three Barriers; Anjin opens the nine acupoints.”
And the start of these nine acupoints lay beneath the feet.
This meant that for martial artists just entering the threshold of the Anjin Rank, the easiest acupoint to open was located on the instep of the foot.
Its name was: Taichong!
...
Deep within the blood pool.
Time quietly slipped away.
Shen Xiuhan sat cross-legged. His temples, shoulders, and even his sharply defined face were covered in a fine, sticky layer of dark red blood droplets.
Forming hand seals with both hands, he continuously channeled his force along his tendons and main bones, surging toward his instep.
Who knew how much time passed.
At a certain moment.
“Buzz!”
A muffled air burst suddenly erupted from within Shen Xiuhan's body!
Immediately after, the fierce, outward-releasing blood qi around his body violently contracted inward at a terrifying speed, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea or all matter collapsing!
The massive and dense blood qi was continuously crushed and reorganized, eventually becoming entirely sealed within the Taichong acupoint on his instep.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
A series of dense, popping sounds erupted. Shen Xiuhan's joints shifted, and his tendons vibrated like thunder rolling across the sky.
Along with a tearing, stinging pain from beneath his feet, a thread-like yet incomparably sharp, condensed force suddenly burst forth like a butterfly from its cocoon!
This newly born force flowed backward along his meridians.
Shen Xiuhan suddenly snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light flashing like lightning in his pupils.
He raised his right hand, slightly curling his fingers. A stream of dark energy, barely visible to the naked eye, swirled and surged around them. It was silent, yet carried a heart-stopping piercing power.
“From outward release to inward restraint, the extreme of rigidity gives birth to hidden softness...”
Shen Xiuhan murmured softly to himself, a hint of emotion in his voice.
“This is... Anjin!”
The Taichong acupoint!
Blown wide open!
The Anjin Rank, achieved!
“Whew...”
Feeling the reborn power within his body, Shen Xiuhan exhaled a long breath, his eyes flickering with a complex emotion.
From the time he entered the Mei Courtyard until now, it had only been a few months, yet he had already walked a path that others might not complete in several years.
From a fisherman's son who couldn't even hold a stable horse stance to a martial artist who had now broken through the Anjin Rank barrier...
He had walked this path far too quickly—so quickly that it felt somewhat surreal.
“But... it's still not enough!”
Shen Xiuhan suppressed his churning emotions, his gaze gradually turning resolute.
‘Anjin... in a tiny place like Changyun County, it would certainly earn me a seat of honor and the respect of various factions. But in the grand journey of martial arts, it is merely stepping over the threshold!’
‘My goal has never been just the mere Anjin Rank!’
With a slight thought, the force throughout his body slowly withdrew back into his acupoint.
He raised his eyes and scanned his surroundings.
The blood mist was too heavy, as thick as syrup. He couldn't see the others clearly and could only faintly hear the sounds of breathing and meditating from afar, rising and falling like the tide.
Shen Xiuhan lowered his eyelids, his mind racing.
Although he didn't know the exact time, his martial artist's intuition told him that he had been here for at most a day.
This meant there were still two days left to absorb the blood qi and cultivate to his heart's content.
Although he had reached the Anjin Rank, this was far from enough.
Only one of the nine acupoints was open; there were still eight more waiting for him to break through.
And this blood pool was a sacred breakthrough ground custom-made for him!
‘No time to lose. I must continue cultivating!’
Shen Xiuhan closed his eyes and sat cross-legged once more, forming hand seals.
A single day of secluded cultivation in this 『Dragon Blood Essence-Infusing Pool』 was worth several months of swallowing pills and cultivating in the outside world!
If he didn't milk this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all it was worth, who knew how long it would be before he found another treasure land like this!
...
Who knew how much time passed.
From the other side of the blood pool, a rumbling sound of bones echoed.
Xiao Wu opened his eyes, a brilliant light flashing deep within them, a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
The seventh acupoint was open!
He had finally completely stepped into the Great Accomplishment of the Anjin Rank!
Xiao Wu calculated silently.
If he were to cultivate bitterly in the outside world, given his talent, it would likely take at least several months of effort to naturally open the last two acupoints.
But in this blood pool, if he could keep absorbing like this, he would probably reach the Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank and begin aiming for the Huajin Rank in less than two weeks.
‘What a pity... there's only one day left...’
Xiao Wu shook his head with regret, then focused his mind, preparing to make the most of his time to continue cultivating, refining as much as he possibly could.
But not long after he entered meditation, he opened his eyes again, his thick eyebrows furrowing together.
‘Hmm?’
‘The blood qi here... why does it seem to have grown weaker?’
Looking doubtful, Xiao Wu stood up and scanned his surroundings.
What he saw left him completely dumbfounded.
When they first stepped into this “Dragon Blood Essence-Infusing Pool” the day before yesterday, the blood qi permeating the air was so thick it was almost tangible, nearly turning into a bloody mist and rain.
But now...
That massive blood qi was entirely gone, and the mist in the air had visibly thinned.
Even the syrup-like blood pool beneath their feet had dropped by a layer, and its originally deep crimson color had become much clearer and more translucent.
Xiao Wu was filled with disbelief and couldn't help but murmur:
“Is that it?”
“The Wang family hyped this place up to the high heavens, even bringing up the names of Taidi and the Sea-Overturning Daoist Monarch...”
“And in the end, it only had enough energy to open a single acupoint for me before running dry?”
“Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao!”
Just then, Wang Xuanyang's shouts came from not far away.
Seeing Xiao Wu stand up, he hurriedly waded over through the water.
This young master of the Wang family also had a look of shock and uncertainty on his face.
“This... this isn't right!”
Wang Xuanyang said in utter astonishment:
“The Family Head said himself that the majestic blood qi here would be enough for each of us to open one or two acupoints!”
“So how is it that before I've even opened my first acupoint, the blood qi has already thinned to this extent?!”
Xiao Wu glanced at him and retorted in a flat tone:
“You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask?”
As they spoke, Luo Tangyin, who had been sitting alone in the distance, also stood up.
Her beautiful face carried a slight frown. Looking at the thin blood qi around her, she was clearly not very satisfied either.
Soon after, Ji Ning, Shen Xiuhan, and Lin Sheng also woke up one after another, gathering together with faces full of doubt.
Xiao Wu asked with concern, “Tangyin, did you successfully break through to the Anjin Rank?”
Luo Tangyin nodded slightly, a hint of regret in her tone:
“I woke up just as I entered the Anjin Rank. The blood qi here is no longer enough to cultivate the Taichong acupoint to perfection, let alone open the second acupoint, the Guanyuan acupoint...”
“Reaching the Anjin Rank is already good enough; at least this trip wasn't in vain.”
Xiao Wu shook his head slightly, offering a soft word of comfort.
Then, he shifted his gaze toward Ji Ning, who was standing to the side.
Ji Ning stood with his arms crossed, his face slightly dark as he shook his head.
“I opened the Guanyuan acupoint, but for the third one, the Tinggong acupoint, the blood qi was insufficient, so I couldn't form it.”
“As long as there are some gains, that is fine.”
Xiao Wu sighed. Then, he turned his gaze to Shen Xiuhan:
“Brother Shen, what about you?”
Rate on N.U.
