Chapter 113: Elixir Force

Vital energy surged like a mountain torrent, converging toward the dantian.

Boom!

At the same time, the dark energy permeating his entire body was drawn in by the flow of his blood and energy, merging into the dantian. Yang Xing felt a wondrous power rising from his core, sweeping through his body like a great flood. His blood felt like boiling magma, surging wildly through his meridians, while a pale yellow wisp of energy began to coalesce in his dantian.

The Xuanwu Energy!

Yang Xing’s body trembled slightly as he felt his strength growing continuously. He continued to channel his dark energy into his dantian. As the energy gathered, his dantian grew increasingly hot, as if it were magma ready to erupt at any moment.

Yang Xing took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He guided the energy with his blood, letting it flow throughout his body. As the energy circulated, he felt his body becoming lighter and his mind growing sharper.

A glow appeared above his destiny.

[Xuanwu Sutra, Second Layer (1/50,000): Ten practices a day; diligence makes up for lack of talent. Small accomplishment in three years, great accomplishment in five.]

Finally, Yang Xing felt a slight tremor in his dantian, and he opened his eyes.

"Is this the Dan Energy?"

A piercing light shone in Yang Xing’s eyes as a wisp of pale yellow energy hovered over his palm. According to Shen Lin, Ming Energy, Dark Energy, and Transformation Energy were merely the techniques of external martial arts; only upon reaching the Dan Energy stage could one truly be considered to have entered the realm of internal martial arts.

Internal martial arts focus on internal cultivation; this energy could nourish the body and be projected outward to injure enemies. In simpler terms, it was the "internal force" described in the legends of his past life—a realm that even Shen Lin had never attained.

Unable to contain his joy, Yang Xing channeled the energy and struck the wall in front of him.

Bang!

Though it was only a tiny wisp, the powerful force produced a thunderous sound. The wall of the quiet room shuddered, leaving a deep imprint of his five fingers.

"The power is this immense..."

One must realize that the walls of the quiet room were made of solid brick and stone, extremely sturdy, and Yang Xing had been more than half a zhang away from the wall. Looking at the imprint, Yang Xing thought to himself, "As long as my energy is sufficiently deep, grabbing objects or injuring people from a distance will be effortless."

Over the next few days, Yang Xing continuously familiarized himself with the Xuanwu Energy in his dantian. Reaching the Dan Energy stage was a process of accumulating that energy.

There are three major dantians in the human body: the lower, middle, and upper dantians. They are all connected by the twelve primary meridians. The more dantians one unlocks, the more abundant the internal energy becomes, and naturally, the greater one's strength. Furthermore, the more primary meridians opened, the smoother the flow of energy, leading to much faster recovery.

"There is still much I only half-understand..."

Yang Xing exhaled, rose, and left the quiet room. After changing into clean clothes, he headed toward the Xuanwu Courtyard.

...

In the Xuanwu Courtyard, Lu Shaoyou was instructing Wang Dong, while the other disciples were chatting or sparring.

Wang Dong asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, I heard the chief disciple of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard has become betrothed to Wang Longtang of the Wang family. Is this true?"

Recently, a major piece of news had spread through the Four Absolute Sect: the chief disciple of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard was betrothed to the young master of the Wang family. This caused quite a stir. The chief disciple of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard was one of the "Three Heroes," and Wang Longtang was not only the young master of the Wang family but also a renowned figure in the martial arts world, ranked among the "Four Outstanding." Both were among the top young talents in Hezhong Prefecture, and with their significant backing, the news naturally drew much attention.

Lu Shaoyou frowned slightly and said, "These matters have nothing to do with you. Focus on your training."

"Oh." Wang Dong nodded and went back to his practice.

Lu Shaoyou shook his head slightly. Wang Dong had good aptitude, but his character was lacking; with the slightest progress, his mind would drift, and he lacked focus. Through years of observation, Lu Shaoyou had realized that beyond talent and comprehension, character was crucial. Clearly, Wang Dong’s character still needed tempering.

Just then, Yang Xing walked in. He approached Lu Shaoyou and cupped his hands.

"Senior Brother!"

"Hmm." Lu Shaoyou nodded slightly. Just as he was about to continue instructing Wang Dong, he took a sharp look and exclaimed, "Junior Brother Yang, you have reached the Dan Energy stage!?"

Yang Xing had just broken through, and his aura was unstable. Since he wasn't using the "Breath Concealment Technique," Lu Shaoyou noticed the change instantly. As Lu Shaoyou spoke, the others in the courtyard looked over, their eyes filled with surprise.

Yang Xing had actually reached the Dan Energy stage? In the Xuanwu Courtyard, Yang Xing had never been particularly conspicuous; he was almost invisible. No one expected him to break through to the Dan Energy stage.

Yang Xing nodded. "I only broke through recently. I’ve been stabilizing my foundation during this time, so I didn't tell you immediately, Senior Brother. I hope you can forgive me."

Hiding one's true strength is not the same as being foolish. Now that he had reached the Dan Energy stage, there was no need to hide it.

"It is no matter; I understand." Lu Shaoyou laughed heartily and added, "I will go tell Master this good news right now." With that, he hurried toward the back courtyard.

Huang Zhen was usually very mysterious; aside from Lu Shaoyou and his son Huang Yang, no one was allowed to enter the back courtyard.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Yang!"

"Congratulations!"

The others stepped forward to offer their well-wishes. Most disciples looked on with envy, though a few remained unimpressed.

Wu Dali and the others felt a flash of gloom. Regardless of whether Yang Xing could progress further in the future, he was now someone far beyond their reach. They remembered when Yang Xing first joined the inner courtyard; they hadn't thought much of him, knowing he had 'bought' his way in, possessed only mediocre talent, and lacked a powerful background. Most of them had been selected for the Xuanwu Courtyard, had decent talent, and came from wealthy families that could support their basic cultivation needs. Now that Yang Xing had reached the Dan Energy stage, they were facing expulsion and would soon have to leave the Four Absolute Sect. The difference between them was like heaven and earth.

Zou Chong shook his head, thinking back to his 'solicitation' of Yang Xing, finding it laughable.

Guo Cuicui’s expression didn't change much, but her heart was in turmoil. Yang Xing had only joined a month or two after her, yet he had reached the Dan Energy stage while she was still standing still.

Wang Dong, upon hearing Lu Shaoyou, was initially surprised but soon returned to his indifferent expression. If Yang Xing could reach the Dan Energy stage with mediocre talent, then he, with talent far surpassing Yang Xing's, would surely reach it as well. Moreover, as they progressed, his own potential would definitely exceed Yang Xing's. Thinking this, he became the most sincere in his congratulations.

Yu Baoquan was calm and unimpressed; even at the Dan Energy stage, there were differences in strength, and he felt he still held many advantages over Yang Xing. As for the Second Senior Sister, Shao Qiuju, and the others, they were not in the courtyard today.

Before long, Lu Shaoyou hurried back out.

"Junior Brother Yang, Master wishes to see you."