27: Chapter 27 Three Days

Chen Yuanji did not return to the Yaofeng Pavilion; he followed the black-robed Yao Race member through the northern district of Heavenly Demon City to a hidden courtyard behind the Demon Emperor Palace. An old scholar tree stood in the courtyard, with a stone table and stools beneath it, and a pot of steaming tea sat upon the table.

Granny Hu sat on a stone stool. "Sit," she said, pointing to the opposite stool. Chen Yuanji sat down but did not touch the tea on the table.

"You defeated Tie Sha, which exceeded many people's expectations." Granny Hu looked up, her eyes filled with scrutiny. "But you also exposed your own weakness."

"I know," Chen Yuanji said. "My attack power is insufficient. If I were facing a Middle Stage Shentong Realm expert who specialized in defense, I wouldn't be able to break through."

"It's not just your attack power." Granny Hu shook her head. "Your defense is also lacking. Although you caught Tie Sha's final punch, you wouldn't have been able to withstand it if he hadn't been hindered by your Entwining Force."

Chen Yuanji remained silent. Granny Hu was telling the truth; although his Neutralizing Power could dissipate most attacks, he still felt inadequate when facing a full-strength strike from the Shentong Realm level.

"In three days, how much can you improve?" Granny Hu asked.

"I don't know," Chen Yuanji thought for a moment. "But if I can achieve a Breakthrough to Dan Power, at least my attack power can double."

"Dan Power?" Granny Hu frowned. "Is that the fourth stage of the Internal Family Boxing you mentioned before?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible to break through a Realm in three days?"

"I don't know," Chen Yuanji spoke truthfully. "But it's worth a try."

Granny Hu watched him for a long time before taking a small porcelain bottle from her robe and placing it on the table. "This is a qi and blood pill from the Demon Emperor Palace's collection. It can significantly increase the power of your qi and blood in a short time." She paused. "The side effect is that you will be weak for three days after the effects wear off. Decide for yourself."

Chen Yuanji picked up the porcelain bottle and uncorked it. A dense medicinal fragrance wafted out. Stimulated by this fragrance, his qi and blood actually began to circulate faster on their own. "Good stuff," he said, tucking the bottle into his robe. "Thank you, Granny Hu."

"For these three days, you will stay here." Granny Hu stood up. "The courtyard is guarded by the Demon Emperor Palace guards. People from the Tiandao Sect cannot get in. After three days, you must leave."

"What about Xiao Hu?"

"I will take care of her." Granny Hu looked at him. "If you live, she has something to hope for. If you die, her Awakening might happen faster, but I do not wish for that."

Chen Yuanji nodded without saying much. After Granny Hu left, Chen Yuanji was alone in the courtyard. He sat cross-legged under the scholar tree and took out the martial dao source stone. The energy in the source stone was almost depleted, and the light of the ancient jade had dimmed considerably.

"Three days," he closed his eyes. "That's enough."

He wasn't in a hurry to take the qi and blood pill; instead, he first adjusted his state. Neutralizing Power was already mastered, and Dan Power was in sight. The inner core in his Dantian was already the size of a soybean, but to reach true Dan Power, the inner core had to be at least the size of a fist and able to store more than seventy percent of the body's qi and blood. In three days, it was impossible through normal Cultivation. But with the help of the qi and blood pill and the last bit of energy from the martial dao source stone, it might be worth a gamble.

Chen Yuanji took a deep breath, poured out a single qi and blood pill, and swallowed it. The moment the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, a scorching current rose from his Dantian like a volcanic eruption, spreading through his limbs and bones. Under the stimulation of this heat, his qi and blood circulated at ten times its normal speed, tempering every inch of his bones and muscles.

"Such overbearing medicinal power." Chen Yuanji gritted his teeth, urging his qi and blood to gather toward his Dantian. The vortex in his Dantian spun faster, drawing the qi and blood into the center bit by bit. The soybean-sized inner core grew slowly at a visible rate. For a day and a night, Chen Yuanji didn't close his eyes. He took the second qi and blood pill, and the inner core grew from the size of a soybean to the size of a peanut. On the second day, with the third pill, the inner core grew from the size of a peanut to the size of a longan. But Chen Yuanji's body also began to show side effects. The power of the qi and blood pill was too overbearing, and taking them consecutively caused fine cracks to appear in his Meridians. Every circulation of qi and blood was accompanied by a needle-like pain.

"Just a little more." He gritted his teeth and took the fourth pill. The inner core finally grew from the size of a longan to the size of a walnut. Still not enough. For true Dan Power, the inner core should be the size of a fist; walnut-sized was only half-step Dan Power.

On the morning of the third day, Chen Yuanji opened his eyes and took the last qi and blood pill from his robe. "The last one." He looked at the pill in his palm. "Success or failure, it all depends on this." He swallowed the pill. This time, the medicinal power was more violent than the previous four times combined. The scorching current was like a fire Dragon rampaging through his body. The cracks in his Meridians were stretched wider, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. Chen Yuanji clenched his teeth, focusing all his will to guide this violent power toward his Dantian. The vortex in his Dantian spun frantically, and the inner core grew rapidly under the impact of the violent medicinal power.

Walnut-sized.

Egg-sized.

Fist-sized.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion rang out in Chen Yuanji's mind, and his consciousness went blank for a brief moment. When he opened his eyes again, the world had changed. He could see the flow of essence in the air, the movement of insects three feet underground, and even a tiny crack on a wall a hundred yards away. This was true Dan Power! Within his Dantian, a fist-sized golden inner core rotated slowly, storing over seventy percent of his body's qi and blood. This qi and blood was no longer dispersed but had condensed into a singular whole, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

Chen Yuanji stood up and lightly clenched his fist. "Crack!" The air exploded in his palm with a crisp sound. He walked to the courtyard wall and pressed his hand against it—not using force, just a light press.

"Boom!" The entire wall collapsed with a crash, rubble flying everywhere. The strength of Dan Power was more than ten times that of Neutralizing Power.

"I succeeded." Chen Yuanji withdrew his hand, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate. Niu Dali pushed the door open and was stunned to see the collapsed wall. "Are you... tearing down the house?"

"Just testing my hand," Chen Yuanji said calmly. "Are the three days up?"

"They are." Niu Dali's expression grew solemn. "The people from the Tiandao Sect are already waiting outside. Zhou Xuanji came in person—he is in the Void-Piercing Realm."

Chen Yuanji nodded, took out the Guest Elder token Granny Hu had given him, and handed it to Niu Dali. "Return this to Granny Hu for me. Tell Xiao Hu that I'll be back."

Niu Dali took the token. "What do you plan to do?"

"I'll go out through the north gate and lead them away," Chen Yuanji said. "You go through the south gate and return to the Yaofeng Pavilion to wait for me."

"You're going to lead away a Void-Piercing Realm expert alone?"

"Not alone." Chen Yuanji looked up at the sky.

In the sky, a gray streak of light descended, transforming into a gray-robed old man—Elder Shen! His injuries hadn't fully healed, and his left arm was still in a sling, but his spirits were high.

"Kid, I heard you're going to make a run for it?" Elder Shen grinned. "This old man will accompany you."

Chen Yuanji looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Let's go."

The two walked out of the courtyard and headed toward the north gate. Behind them, the pursuers from the Tiandao Sect had already caught the scent of their prey and were rapidly closing in. The path ahead was uncertain, but Chen Yuanji's steps did not hesitate in the slightest.

With Dan Power achieved, he was no longer that youth who could only flee.