Ascending to Immortality by Slaying Spirits

Chapter 3: Body Refinement and Qi Induction
Upon entering, one is greeted by a martial arts training ground, where dozens of apprentices are practicing their punches, the sounds of their movements echoing throughout the room.

Hou Guang led Lin Le to a corner, where they stood face to face.

"Today I will first teach you the White Ape Tongbei Fist," Hou Guang said. "Once you have mastered the basics, I will teach you the White Ape Spear."

Hou Guang added, "Of course, the martial arts school won't count your time before you start learning the White Ape Spear."

"Okay." Lin Le nodded.

"Now I'll demonstrate the White Ape Tongbei Fist for you, starting stance." Hou Guang stood relaxed and began to practice the fist techniques: White Ape Offering Fruit, White Ape Extending its Claws, White Ape Somersaulting...

Lin Le watched from the side, and after Hou Guang finished his set of punches, Hou Guang asked Lin Le, "How much of it did you remember?"

Lin Le recalled for a moment and said, "All of them."

"Your memory is not bad," Hou Guang praised. "But just remembering isn't enough. You need to be able to fight properly. Show me how you fight."

Lin Le recalled the events as he typed, while Hou Guang watched from the side, a hint of surprise gradually appearing in his eyes.

In the past, there have been arrogant teenagers who claimed to have memorized everything, but when it came to actual combat, they made numerous mistakes.

Lin Le, on the other hand, played flawlessly, his movements were very close to the standard.

After Lin Le finished playing, Hou Guang couldn't help but ask, "Junior Brother, what's your name?"

"Lin Le," Lin Le replied.

Hou Guang then asked, "How old is Junior Brother Lin?"

"Fifteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning)," Lin Le said.

Hou Guang thought to himself, "Fifteen in the traditional Chinese age reckoning, which is fourteen in the actual age reckoning, isn't too late."

"Junior Brother Lin, you fought really well just now." Hou Guang clapped his hands. "I didn't fight as well as you the first time."

Lin Le said calmly, "Senior brother is too kind. I just relied on my good memory and memorized it by rote."

After awakening to the mystery of his birth, his memory indeed became much stronger, almost like he had hyperthymesia. He could recall anything he had ever seen if he wanted to.

“Memory is also a talent. Having talent is a good thing, it’s better than not having talent.” Hou Guang sighed. “Let’s continue. Junior brother, you have a good memory, so it’s much easier for me.”

"Okay." Lin Le nodded.

After an afternoon, Lin Le had already mastered both the dynamic and static exercises of the White Ape Tongbei Fist under Hou Guang's guidance.

"Alright, you've now completely mastered the White Ape Tongbei Fist. It's getting late, so I'll teach you the White Ape Spear tomorrow." Hou Guang clapped his hands and said to Lin Le, his expression seemingly a bit colder than before.

"Okay." Lin Le nodded and turned to leave.

Watching Lin Le leave, Hou Guang shook his head slightly: "What a pity."

What's a pity? It's a pity about Lin Le's physical constitution.

During the instruction, Hou Guang also examined Lin Le's bones. He had a lower-middle-grade bone structure, which meant he had a chance to develop blood and qi, but without a lot of resources to help him, it would be difficult for him to become a cultivator.

Lin Le didn't look like someone who was extremely wealthy. He probably had some family fortune, but not much, otherwise he wouldn't have come dressed in hemp clothing.

Back at the inn, Lin Le ate dinner, opened the window, and let the moonlight stream in.

Immersed in the inner vision of my supernatural powers, I saw that there was already a drop of dew on each of the two lotus leaves.

One is the Sun and Moon Elixir, refined from the essence of the sun and moon; the other is the Qi and Blood Essence Elixir, condensed from his own dissipated essence.

Although it was only recently acquired, the miraculous power of the lotus incarnation was already beginning to manifest.

He could skillfully refine the essence of the sun and moon, which ordinary people could not absorb; the Qi and Blood Elixir, which he collected from his own dissipated essence, was also, from another perspective, a body that had been made flawless by supernatural powers, so that no energy would leak out.

Lin Le focused his gaze on the Qi and Blood Elixir, and then chose to use it.

With a slight sway of the lotus leaf, the precious liquid of vital energy dripped into the seemingly calm lake water.

Lin Le also felt something was wrong with his body, so he exited the inner world and practiced boxing in the room that had already been tidied up.

The white ape offered fruit, the white ape reached out its claws, the white ape flipped over... As the punches began, Lin Le could feel a small ball inside his body constantly moving around with his strength, bringing a tingling sensation to his muscles, as well as a slight itching, as if his muscles were growing.

Snapped!
On the third attempt, as Lin Le threw a punch, a crisp sound came from his arm.

The first of the nine strikes of Tongbei Quan signifies that Lin Le has truly mastered the art of Baiyuan Tongbei Quan.

However, this only means that he has entered the basics of boxing, but it does not mean that he has entered the realm of body refinement.

The Body Refinement Realm is a term used to distinguish martial arts practitioners from the proper Qi Induction Realm.

To enter the Body Refinement Realm, one needs to hone their physical body to the limits of an ordinary person, being able to lift a 500-pound boulder with both arms.

Next comes the generation of blood and qi, which nourishes the body and opens the secret realm.

During this period, there are four minor signs, known as the Four Limits, which are Blood Qi Thin Veil, Blood Qi Wolf Smoke, Blood Qi Like a Dragon, and Blood Qi Baking Furnace.

Once one breaks through a certain limit, one is considered to have achieved mastery and can be called a martial arts master. One can even attempt to break through to the Spirit Platform Secret Realm and become a cultivator.

However, the success rate is less than one in a hundred, and the Lingtai is located in the heart. If the impact fails, at best, one's vital energy will be severely damaged, and at worst, one will die on the spot.

Therefore, most people only dare to attempt to break through to the Spirit Platform after they have mastered the third level of martial arts. At that point, they have a 50% success rate.

After completely refining the Qi and Blood Elixir, Lin Le clenched his fist: "I wonder where I am now?"

Even before the calamity occurred, he could already lift a 180-pound stone, which was no less than that of a normal man who worked hard all year round.

To this day, I don't know whether I've regressed or progressed.

'I'll go check out the martial arts school tomorrow,' Lin Le thought to himself.

Standing at the window, Lin Le gazed at the bright moon, his fists clenching unconsciously.

"Wait, wait a little longer!" Lin Le muttered to himself.

He was of average to below-average bone structure. Not only Hou Guang knew this, but he himself knew it too. How could his father not have examined his bones?

However, with the lotus incarnation present, he was confident that he was no worse than those with superior aptitude, and that surpassing them was not impossible.

I've heard that those with superior physical constitutions can hone their bodies to the peak of ordinary people and generate blood and qi in just one month. This seems to be just under normal supplementation conditions. With the help of precious medicines, it can be even faster.

'You have precious medicine, I have precious elixir; neither is inferior.'

Lin Le looked at the lotus leaf that was condensing the Qi and Blood Elixir and thought to himself.

The next day, after having breakfast, Lin Le went to the White Ape Martial Arts School to practice martial arts.

Because we arrived early, there weren't many people in the training ground.

Lin Le walked straight to the stone locks on the side, picked one out and chose one weighing 140 jin to warm up.

Lin Le assumed a horse stance, gripped the wooden pole with both hands, and with a soft shout, he generated power from his waist and used his arms to lift the 140-pound stone lock.

Lin Le tried lifting 160 jin (approximately 80 kg), and was still able to lift 180 jin (approximately 90 kg).

'Heavy, but it doesn't seem to be my limit.'

Lin Le looked at the two hundred-pound stone lock next to him and exerted force with both arms again.

This was Lin Le's limit; he could feel and hear his muscles groaning.

boom!
Lin Le threw down the stone lock, took a few deep breaths, and in the end, he still couldn't lift it, but it did go above his eyebrows. He estimated that his strength was around 190 jin.

Despite enduring hunger and hardship during his days of fleeing, Lin Le's strength not only didn't decline but actually increased to 190 jin, which truly exceeded his expectations.

'Is the Qi and Blood Elixir really that effective?' Lin Le pondered.

After thinking about it for a moment, Lin Le shook his head slightly. Why think so much? He'd know once he used it again tonight.

After testing his strength, Lin Le began practicing his boxing.

(End of this chapter)