22: Chapter 22: Hundred Refining Zang Yuan Method

Night was like ink. Inside a room facing the river at the Qinglu Town inn.

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged on the bed, but did not immediately begin to Cultivate as he usually did.

The sound of the Sha River outside the window was murmuring, mixed with the rustling of the reed marshes blown by the night wind in the distance, exceptionally clear in this silent night.

He closed his eyes, but in his mind, the scene in the tent during the day replayed repeatedly.

He Yunqi.

That pale, thin young man who leaned against the doorframe panting, yet dared to step forward at the desperate moment when Chief Administrator Chen ordered the stockade to be surrounded.

Everyone in the tent, including the knowledgeable Elder Sun, the steady and prudent Pharmacist Qu Fengchun, and even the authoritative Chief Administrator Chen... when He Yunqi appeared and said, "This is not a plague caused by heaven, but a poison caused by man," the looks in their eyes were all shock, admiration, and even a glimmer of hope for survival.

A young healer whose martial path had been crippled, who had turned to the medical path, yet did not forget his hometown, rushing back while sick in a time of crisis, pointing out a new direction with professional insight, and even willing to "personally test the danger."

Anyone who saw this would feel that this was a talented person with a tough Heart-Nature and benevolent medical skills.

Jiang Hanzhou stood in the corner at the time, just like everyone else, quietly watching He Yunqi's pale but determined face, listening to his clear analysis, and a trace of approval initially flashed in his heart.

However, at the very moment when He Yunqi became emotional, bowed, and his Qi was slightly disordered due to coughing and intense debate—

Jiang Hanzhou's glabella, with the far-surpassing perception brought by the 'Late Bloomer' fate, felt as if it had been lightly pricked by an extremely fine needle.

It was very faint, flashing and disappearing.

But it did exist.

That was not the stillness of Qi and blood that a cripple should have, nor was it the floating and scattered state of a chronically ill person.

It was a flow of Qi and blood hidden layer by layer by an extremely high-level technique.

Tenacious, solid, like a river surging under the ice, calm on the surface, but containing power that could not be underestimated deep down.

That was clearly a symbol of martial arts achievement!

Moreover, its degree of condensation was by no means comparable to someone who had just entered the Qi Nurturing Realm; it was at least the Late Stage of the Qi Nurturing Realm, or perhaps... even higher!

How could a young man who was said to have had his "Dantian Qi Sea broken, Meridians all damaged, and become a cripple" years ago still have such solid and hidden Qi and blood flow?

Either the claim that he was "crippled" back then was false.

Or he had a shocking encounter later, repairing his Dantian and Meridians, but kept it secret.

Either way, this He Yunqi was by no means as simple as he appeared on the surface.

"Interesting..." Jiang Hanzhou slowly opened his eyes, the flickering light of the oil lamp on the table reflected in his eyes, calm as water.

The epidemic at Shahe Stockade was confusing, He Yunqi possessed hidden cultivation but disguised himself as a crippled healer, and Chief Administrator Chen of Linjiang Prefecture seemed anxious but subtly revealed a different kind of weighing of pros and cons...

This pool of water was much deeper and murkier than the muddy Sha River itself.

Others were moved by He Yunqi's "selflessness," perhaps truly feeling that they saw hope.

But Jiang Hanzhou only felt it was strange.

A person who hid their strength and took the initiative to get involved in such an obviously troublesome or even dangerous event—their motive was likely not as simple as "benevolent medical skills" or "saving their hometown."

"However..." Jiang Hanzhou let out a breath and shook his head, "What does this have to do with me?"

He was just an Apothecary sent by the Canglang Water Dock to assist in handling the epidemic; to put it nicely, it was for training, but to put it bluntly, he was just there to help out and gain experience.

The protagonists were He Yunqi, Elder Sun, Chief Administrator Chen, and the life-and-death survival of Shahe Stockade.

He, Jiang Hanzhou, a "green" Third-Rank Apothecary, was unremarkable among this group.

Whatever secrets He Yunqi had, whatever he wanted to do, as long as it didn't implicate him, Jiang Hanzhou, and didn't endanger his life or cultivation path, he was happy to observe quietly from the sidelines and increase his experience.

Curiosity killed the cat.

In this dangerous world, knowing too much was sometimes a danger in itself.

His current Foundation was still far from deep enough.

The Gold Bone level of the Iron Bone Realm, combined with a few Martial Skills at Minor or Major Achievement, might be considered outstanding among the younger generation at the Three Rivers Estuary, but when placed on a broader level, in the eyes of those truly powerful forces that occupied one side and had deep Foundations, it was still not enough.

The top priority was to seize every opportunity to improve himself.

Having figured this out, the slight ripple in Jiang Hanzhou's heart caused by discovering He Yunqi's secret quickly subsided.

He closed his eyes again and sank his consciousness into his body.

The panel appeared silently, and the Martial Arts column was densely packed, recording the results of his recent hard training.

And in the Cultivation Technique column, besides the Perfection-level "Tidal Breathing Technique" and Major Achievement-level "Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength," the newly learned "Blood Fortifying Secret Record" was emitting a faint glow.

"Tonight, let's try the third one."

With a thought, the cultivation mantra and Qi and blood circulation diagram of the "Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method" from the Jade Slip given by Shen Hongxiu clearly unfolded in his mind.

Unlike the "Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength," which specialized in bone tempering, and the "Blood Fortifying Secret Record," which stimulated bone marrow to produce blood, the focus of the "Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method" was on the two words "Viscera Essence."

The five viscera and six bowels were the core hubs for the generation, storage, and transformation of human Qi and blood, and also the root of life.

Ordinary Martial Artists forged muscles, bones, and skin, but often neglected the strengthening of internal organs, leading to being strong on the outside but weak on the inside, an unstable Foundation, or suffering internal organ damage when encountering heavy blows or practicing violent Cultivation Techniques.

The "Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method" was aimed exactly at this point, advocating the use of a gentle and tenacious stream of Qi and blood, like a craftsman refining steel a hundred times, to repeatedly wash, soak, and nourish the five viscera and six bowels, making them gradually stronger, more resilient, and more vital, not only improving the efficiency of Qi and blood transformation but also enhancing the ability to resist various types of damage and prolonging the duration of the Peak state.

"Perfect. The 'Blood Fortifying Secret Record' improves the total amount and recovery of Qi and blood, the 'Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method' strengthens Qi and blood transformation and the Foundation of the viscera, complementing the Gold Bone tempering of the 'Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength'..."

Jiang Hanzhou was thoughtful. He had previously integrated many water-type Martial Skills to create "Tidal Shadow Thousand Hands," which was a successful "Fusion."

"Martial Skills can be fused, so can Cultivation Techniques... also be?"

A bold idea sprouted in his heart.

If he could Cultivate the Layered Wave Bone Tempering intent of the "Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength," the blood-making ability of the "Blood Fortifying Secret Record," the visceral refining effect of the "Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method," and even more body-forging Cultivation Technique essences that he might obtain in the future, to a certain Realm, could he, like Martial Skills, remove the dross and select the essential, melt them into one furnace, and form a super Cultivation Technique unique to himself?

This thought made his heartbeat accelerate slightly.

If he could really succeed, how solid would his Foundation be?

Among those of the same rank, I am afraid no one could compare to him in terms of vigorous Qi and blood, recovery speed, visceral strength, and bone toughness!

This would be another path to building an invincible Foundation opened up by the combination of the 'Late Bloomer' fate and his own Comprehension Ability!

Of course, the premise of all this was that he must first Cultivate these techniques to a sufficiently high Realm one by one, and deeply understand their essence.

"The road must be walked one step at a time."

Jiang Hanzhou suppressed the agitation in his heart, collected his mind, and began to mobilize his internal Qi and blood according to the introductory mantra of the "Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method."

Having the experience of cultivating the previous two techniques, plus the boost in Comprehension Ability brought by the third-rank fate, starting was not difficult.

He guided the Qi and blood, which had become more active and pure due to cultivating the "Blood Fortifying Secret Record," dividing it into several tiny and tenacious tributaries, avoiding the main offensive Meridians, and flowing slowly along several secret channels specifically for nourishing the viscera, towards the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys...

At first, the viscera felt a slight swelling and warmth, as if soaked in a spring with just the right temperature, comfortable and soothing.

But as the continuous and stable infusion and washing of the Qi and blood tributaries continued, the feeling gradually deepened.

It felt as if countless warm and powerful hands were gently yet persistently massaging every corner of the deepest part of the internal organs, dissolving and taking away the minute fatigue and Impurities accumulated from daily training and labor.

At the same time, the viscera themselves seemed to have been stimulated with some kind of potential, beginning to more actively swallow and spit out the essence of Qi and blood, undergoing slow and steady self-strengthening.

Time passed quietly in cultivation.

Outside the window, the sound of the Sha River remained, and the lights in the direction of Shahe Stockade were sparse, like a trapped beast lurking in the night.

Inside the inn room, the oil lamp had long since gone out.

Jiang Hanzhou's aura was calm, his face peaceful, only the Qi and blood in his body flowed murmuringly, like a quiet stream under the moon, without a majestic momentum, but with a tenacity and longevity that moistened things silently.

On the panel, a line quietly appeared:

【 Cultivation Technique: Tidal Breathing Technique (Perfection), Layered Wave Bone Tempering Strength (Major Achievement), Blood Fortifying Secret Record (Introductory), Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method (Introductory) 】

A night passed, and the east was already white.

Jiang Hanzhou slowly finished his cultivation and opened his eyes. The light in his eyes was restrained, becoming more and more gentle and clear.

He gently pressed his chest, feeling his heartbeat stronger, his breathing more sustained, and a kind of "solid" feeling from the inside out faintly emerged.

The "Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method" was beginning to show results.

He got up and pushed open the window.

The cool morning breeze carrying moisture rushed in, diluting the turbid air accumulated in the room from a night of cultivation.