Chapter 150: Unblocking the Third Principal Meridian

"Exotic beast blood essence?"
Yang Xing asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
Exotic beasts were creatures dozens of times fiercer than wolves, tigers, and leopards. They usually haunted deep, secluded mountains and ancient forests, and their numbers were extremely scarce.
Up until now, Yang Xing had never encountered a single exotic beast.

"The method mentioned earlier can only neutralize two different types of inner energy techniques. For three or more, it still depends on one's talent and luck."
Shang Lujing said with a smile, "However, if you use the blood essence of an exotic beast for harmonization, you can harmonize three, four, or even more."

Leaving Yang Xing aside, the other three people present all became interested at this moment.
Xiang Meng couldn't help asking, "Elder Shang, can it really harmonize three or four or more techniques?"

Shang Lujing waved his hand. "It merely reduces the repulsion. There are still huge risks involved, so you shouldn't think of it as something too miraculous. Besides, how many people have the energy to practice three or four techniques simultaneously and obtain such a large amount of exotic beast blood essence?"
"Furthermore, I only saw this method in an ancient book; its truth remains to be verified."

Hearing this, all three of them shook their heads.
Cultivating a single technique already demanded all their effort and energy, let alone a second or third one. Moreover, reducing the repulsion only lowered the danger rather than eradicating it entirely; risks still remained.
As experts who had long established their reputations, the three of them naturally wouldn't easily put themselves in danger.
Besides, exotic beast blood essence wasn't something easily acquired.

Yang Xing silently committed Shang Lujing's words to memory.
Soon, the group chatted idly for a while longer before rising to depart.
........

After leaving the Sanhe Escort Agency, Yang Xing took a carriage straight to the Scripture Repository.
The pavilion guardian, Uncle Dai, was lying on a grand master's chair, resting with his eyes closed.
As Yang Xing appeared, many disciples around the Scripture Repository cast sideways glances at him, immediately breaking into low whispers.

"That's Yang Xing!"
"Is he the newly appointed senior head disciple of the Xuanwu Branch?"
.......

Yang Xing paid no attention to the surrounding discussions.
After all, he was no longer the unknown nobody of the past; he was now the senior head disciple of the Xuanwu Branch, and naturally, wherever he went, he would attract attention.
Yet, no fool would dare to step forward and provoke him.
The senior head disciple of the Xuanwu Branch was, after all, a senior head disciple. Even ordinary prefects had to treat him with courtesy, let alone regular disciples.

Yang Xing arrived at the third floor of the Scripture Repository, browsed the bookshelves for a long time, and finally took away the first three layers of the inner energy techniques of the *White Tiger Scripture*, along with two volumes of personal notes.
These two volumes of notes were both the cultivation experiences and insights of Dan-realm experts from the Four Absolute Sect.
The notes were not thick, but the cost of making rubies and copies was even more expensive than the third layer of the technique itself, costing a staggering two thousand silver taels per volume.
Fortunately, after becoming the senior head disciple of a branch, copying materials in the Scripture Repository enjoyed an eighty percent discount.

Having finished copying, Yang Xing headed to the Tianyuan Tower.
Seeing Yang Xing, Qi Ruolan smiled and said, "Senior Brother Yang, what wind blew you here today?"
"Senior Sister Qi, let's dispense with the mutual flattery."
Yang Xing waved his hand and said, "I've come this time to purchase some items."

Qi Ruolan asked with a puzzled look, "What items?"
Yang Xing inquired, "Do you have any exotic beast blood essence?"
"Exotic beast blood essence?"
Qi Ruolan's delicate brows furrowed slightly before she shook her head. "We don't have such a thing."

Yang Xing was somewhat surprised. "Oh? Even the Yunliang Pavilion doesn't have it?"
The Yunliang Pavilion was a place specialized in selling and auctioning items. It was not only extremely famous within the Four Absolute Sect but also enjoyed a modest reputation throughout the prefecture city, making it the most profitable establishment of the White Tiger Branch.
The inner armor Yang Xing had previously purchased came precisely from the Yunliang Pavilion.

Qi Ruolan said softly, "Senior Brother Yang, to say nothing of us not having it, even the Qianhuan Pavilion doesn't have it."
Yang Xing's brow tightened. "Why is that?"
Qi Ruolan took a deep breath and explained, "Exotic beasts are exceptionally powerful by nature, and extremely rare. They usually lurk and hide deep within secluded mountains and ancient forests."
"The blood essence of an exotic beast is also called heart blood. Once the exotic beast dies, or if the blood leaves its body for more than two hours, it turns into vapor and dissipates. To this day, there is no known method to preserve exotic beast blood essence."
"If you want exotic beast blood essence, you must slaughter a living exotic beast yourself and extract it directly."

Hearing this, Yang Xing instantly understood why the other three had lost interest.
Harvesting exotic beast blood essence was, to a certain extent, no simpler than the other two methods.

Yang Xing cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, I understand."
Qi Ruolan did not ask about Yang Xing's purpose; this was her code of conduct—ask what should be asked, and do not ask what shouldn't be asked.
Qi Ruolan lowered her voice and said, "The sect grand assembly will be held very soon. I heard that Senior Brother Jia might distribute the 'spoils' obtained from the Tianhe Sect."

Hearing this, Yang Xing felt a stir in his heart. "How will they be distributed?"
The Tianhe Sect possessed a total of thirty-three pavilions, the majority of whose medicinal pills, martial arts manuals, and sect gold and silver had been taken away by the Four Absolute Sect, the Wang family, and the Golden Feather Guards.
Whatever leftovers were taken by other forces and jianghu figures were merely scraps.
From this alone, one could imagine just how massive the benefits obtained by the Four Absolute Sect were.

Qi Ruolan shook her head and said, "The specifics are not yet clear. Aside from Huang Zhen, the heads of the other three branches are all actively contending for it from the sect master."
"I see."
Yang Xing nodded.

Since even the branch heads had personally stepped into the fray, it seemed the "spoils" were bound to be astonishingly vast.

Subsequently, Yang Xing returned to the Yang family courtyard, sat cross-legged on the bed, and opened the notes of the Four Absolute Sect expert.
These were the notes of a Dan-realm expert from the Xuanwu Branch, recording his feelings and experiences in opening up the meridians within his body.
Study makes one progress, but it seemed he didn't really need it.

"Today, I shall open the third primary meridian."
After reading for a short while, Yang Xing took out a premium Four Absolute Pill and popped it into his mouth.
The medicinal pill entered his abdomen and instantly transformed into a warm current.
Soon, this surge of warmth poured into his four limbs, a hundred bones, and five viscera.
The vital energy and blood within his body grew turbulent and surging, vibrating and overflowing.

Yang Xing resembled an old monk entering meditative stillness; his eyes were slightly closed, and his breathing gradually grew steady and long. A faint aura radiated around his body.
Suddenly, a massive surge of inner energy gushed from his Dantian. His heart grew exceptionally tranquil, yet his body involuntarily began to tremble.
At this moment, it was the critical juncture of breaking through realms; he had to maintain his calm and concentrate his mind.

Yang Xing cast all distracting thoughts out of his mind. The inner energy churned within his Dantian like a surging river.
He guided this stream of inner energy, causing it to circulate continuously within his body, relentlessly pounding against his third primary meridian.

Boom!
Everything fell naturally into place without a single hitch.
Yang Xing directly opened the third primary meridian, and instantly, the inner energy within his body grew even more robust, increasing by roughly twenty percent compared to before.
Whether lower Dan-realm, middle Dan-realm, or upper Dan-realm, colloquially speaking, they were merely three stages of accumulating inner energy.
Every time a primary meridian was opened, the inner energy within the body grew deeper—this was a quantitative change.
Only by opening both the Conception and Governing meridians would a true qualitative change occur.
However, Yang Xing was still a certain distance away from that qualitative transformation.

.......