Chapter Seven: The Realm of Vital Energy

Just as the energy from the Azure Spirit Liquid was about to be completely depleted and Ye Cheng was preparing to withdraw from his cultivation, a surge of energy, purer than before, flooded into his body. He immediately understood that this was the work of Old Mu beside him.

He hastily steadied his mind, only to find that there was no need for his guidance at all; he could only watch as the energy circulated through his body on its own.

As the energy continued to pour in, he felt the channels within his body swell with vital energy. Ye Cheng couldn’t help but smile wryly; it turned out that all the energy he had absorbed during past cultivation had merely been lying dormant within him. Thankfully, it was finally proving useful now.

A faint sizzling could be heard as blood lines surfaced on his arm and quickly solidified. The third blood line climbed up the youth’s arm, followed swiftly by another.

Several minutes later, Old Mu withdrew his spiritual energy. His figure appeared even more insubstantial, the expenditure from this session far greater than what he would have considered trivial in his former state. Now, such a loss of strength was not so easy to recover.

Seeing Ye Cheng's steady and powerful breathing as he continued to adjust to the surge of blood energy within, Old Mu’s withered face revealed a trace of satisfaction, and he thought to himself, “This boy’s temperament is quite remarkable.”

Consolidating the blood energy within did not take long. After about half an hour, Ye Cheng, still seated cross-legged, slowly opened his tightly shut eyes.

Having formed the blood lines, Ye Cheng appeared more energetic than before, his delicate features tinged with a healthy flush.

He blinked, surveying the now sharper view of his small room, and smiled slightly. He knew well that after entering the Blood Energy Realm, every aspect of his physical abilities had been enhanced.

“How does it feel?” Old Mu asked with a gentle smile.

“It feels great,” Ye Cheng replied, nodding. He extended a fair hand and clenched it into a fist; instantly, the spiritual veins within him that had just been activated began to boil, surging with power that even startled him. Under his delighted gaze, several crimson blood lines appeared one after another.

“One, two...”

While cultivating, Ye Cheng had felt his blood energy boiling and knew he had broken through to the Blood Energy Realm, but he hadn’t expected to instantly form eight blood lines.

He was dumbfounded.

Eight blood lines—what did that mean? It meant that with just two more, he would step into the Minor Accomplishment stage of the Blood Energy Realm, a level only a handful of young members in the entire Ye Family Village had reached.

“This power…”

He realized that the energy within him was already comparable to Ye Wei, who had condensed more than ten blood lines. Ye Cheng stood there, murmuring in astonishment.

“Heh, you noticed, didn’t you?” Old Mu asked with a faint smile. When Ye Cheng nodded, he continued, “You absorbed so much energy this time. If you only gained the ordinary strength of eight blood lines, wouldn’t all my efforts have been wasted?”

At those words, Ye Cheng suddenly noticed that Old Mu’s body had become even more transparent. He realized that the energy he’d just received had come from the old master’s very soul. His eyes reddened at the thought.

“Teacher, are you alright?”

“Don’t worry. For your teacher, this is nothing that a little rest won’t fix,” Old Mu waved his hand dismissively. Instantly, a red scroll floated in the air and drifted toward Ye Cheng. “Most of the martial techniques I possess are beyond your current ability, but this one should suit you for now. Take it and use it. My strength is greatly depleted, and I need time to recuperate. When I awaken next, I’ll be testing the results of your training.”

Without waiting for a response, Old Mu transformed into a beam of light and disappeared into the jade stone.

Watching Old Mu depart so abruptly, Ye Cheng understood that his master had sacrificed far more than he let on. He took the red scroll, which dissolved into a stream of information that poured directly into his mind.

“Thunderburst—an advanced mid-tier martial skill. When perfected, it rivals the basic level of upper-tier skills. Movements as swift as lightning, with internal cultivation of hidden force…”

Reading the introduction, Ye Cheng was overjoyed. The most powerful technique in his family was the upper-tier skill used by the old patriarch, yet Old Mu had casually given him something comparable to an upper-tier technique.

Composing himself, Ye Cheng let out a long breath, relieved that his physical troubles were resolved. Suddenly, memories of scornful faces and Ye Wei’s past threats surfaced, stirring his tranquil heart. He clenched his fists.

“Wait for me at the coming-of-age test in two months…”

After gathering his thoughts, Ye Cheng glanced at the still-bright sky outside, quickly changed clothes, and hurried toward the back hills. The martial technique from Old Mu was a temptation he could not resist.

He had been unable to practice martial skills before, but that had changed. Now, every moment must be seized for training.

In the following two months, Ye Cheng trained alone in the small forest on the back hill during the day, returning to his cabin at night.

He was not the only one striving during this time; the other young members of the Ye family were also racing against the clock to cultivate. Those who had yet to form a blood line pressed hard for a breakthrough, hoping to pass the coming-of-age test. Those who had already formed blood lines worked to increase their strength and dreamed of impressing their elders at the exchange matches following the assessment. During this period, Ye Ming was also taken by Ye Hong for intensive training, so he remained unaware that Ye Cheng had already broken through. He was still planning to deal with Ye Wei on Ye Cheng’s behalf.

…

At dawn, a pale mist shrouded the entire town of Luoyang, lingering for a long time.

“Thunderburst!”

A clear shout rang out in a secluded grove on the back hill of the small town.

Zooming in, one could see a figure covered with ten blood lines weaving nimbly through the woods. The thorns and brambles posed no obstacle at all.

In the next instant, the figure halted before a robust tree nearly eight inches thick, flipped in midair, braced a hand on the ground, and swept his right leg toward the tree.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Several muffled thuds resounded, sending wood chips flying as cracks rapidly spread across the trunk. The tree shook violently and then, with a creak, toppled over.

The one who had just launched the attack pushed off the ground with both hands, using the rebound to land lightly on a nearby boulder.

Looking at what he had accomplished, Ye Cheng's fair face broke into a broad smile. In these two months, this was the first time he had fully unleashed the advanced mid-tier technique. The martial skill, which could rival upper-tier techniques, had indeed exceeded his expectations. Though he had only cultivated the second level of hidden force, this destructive power was enough to match the peak of the Minor Accomplishment stage in the Blood Energy Realm.

The martial skill “Thunderburst” comprised three levels of hidden force. In these two months, Ye Cheng had not only reached the second level, but had also occasionally practiced the foundational techniques taught by the Ye family. Though he had been busy with martial skills, his blood energy had surged, and he had condensed two more blood lines, officially entering the Minor Accomplishment stage.

Turning, he glanced at the charming young girl sitting on a green stone, her nose buried in an ancient book. Tilting his head with a smile, Ye Cheng called out, “Ling’er, the coming-of-age test will start soon. We should head back.”

“Big brother, you’ve finished your practice?” the girl replied, raising her delicate face and closing her book with a sweet smile.

When she first heard that Ye Cheng had formed blood lines, her face had been filled with delight for days; her lovely smile was as radiant as a blooming lotus, leaving many young men of the Ye family transfixed.

“Yes, let’s go back and show those guys how hard I’ve worked these past months.” Ye Cheng walked over, picked up the jacket lying beside her, and headed in the direction of the Ye household.

“Heh, they’re in for a big surprise…”

The girl trotted after him, keeping pace at his side. They chatted as they made their way down the mountain together.