Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

Chapter 87 Extreme Realm (Please subscribe!)

Three months later.

Qian Deren stood outside the main hall in the backyard, pacing anxiously back and forth.

Inside the room, three doctors were whispering around the bed, where Qian Shouyi was lying.

The Qian family patriarch had his eyes closed, his face was deathly pale, his chest was wrapped in bandages soaked with blood, and his breathing was weak.

"Young Master," a physician emerged from the room, his face grave, "Our ancestor's injuries... three ribs are broken, and the most fatal blow was that palm strike, which damaged his heart meridian. I've already used the best wound medicine and internal bone-healing pills, but whether he'll wake up......"

He paused, then didn't continue.

Qian Deren took a deep breath and cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you all. Please do your best to treat him, no matter what."

The doctor nodded, turned around, and went back into the house.

Qian Deren stood outside the door for a moment before stepping through the corridor and heading towards the accounting room in the front courtyard.

Inside the accounting room, Qian Qingyu was facing a stack of account books, her abacus clicking away.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, her eyes, so like Qian Shouyi's, were bloodshot.

"How is your father?"

Qian Deren replied in a hoarse voice, "...Unconscious."

Qian Qingyu's grip on the abacus tightened suddenly.

Three days ago, three caravans returned from Yulin Road, escorting a batch of medicinal herbs and exotic animal meat worth 200,000 taels of silver—this was the largest business deal the three caravans had made since establishing themselves in Changxi Prefecture. If the handover went smoothly, they would not only earn a substantial profit, but also gain access to the upper echelons of the Changxi Prefecture Chamber of Commerce.

Qian Shouyi personally led the team.

As they reached the Caohe River section, more than thirty masked men dressed in black suddenly emerged from the reeds on both banks.

Three were at the peak of the Transformation Realm, and three were at the Great Completion of the Transformation Realm.

They formed battle formations, advancing and retreating in an orderly fashion, clearly a well-trained killing formation.

Qian Shouyi fought two against one, protecting the caravan as they retreated, risking his life to safeguard the goods.

However, at the last moment, he was ambushed by a martial artist at the peak of the Transformation Realm, who struck him in the back with a palm.

"The goods..." Qian Qingyu's voice trembled.

"We couldn't save them." Qian Deren closed his eyes. "Two of the elite martial arts masters escorting the team were also killed. My father is seriously injured and unconscious, and all the other guards are wounded."

Where is that shipment now?

"At Anshun Inn at the Caohe Ferry," men were stationed day and night to guard it. But the Caohe Gang had spread the word—"Bring out Chen Jianghe, the retainer of your three families, so we can see what he's really made of."

1

Qian Qingyu suddenly stood up.

"The Caoshui Gang!" she gritted her teeth. "Those bandits, if no one dared to back them up, when would they dare to touch goods worth two hundred thousand taels? There must be someone directing them!"

Qian Deren nodded.

He said in a deep voice, "I have already sent people to investigate. Behind the Caoshui Gang is a certain force within Changxi Prefecture. The statement they made... is clearly aimed at Chen Jianghe."

"Charge him?" Qian Qingyu frowned. "Who has he offended, a disciple of Lingmu Academy?"

Qian Deren remained silent for a moment.

"Do you remember what happened at Blackwind Cave three months ago?"

Qian Qingyu was taken aback.

"Sun Hongyao of the Golden Prison Academy died in the cave." Qian Deren's voice was extremely low. "Her grandfather, Sun Yuhai, was an elder of the Golden Prison Academy. It is said that he was extremely protective of his own. His granddaughter died and he was implicated in the crime, and he couldn't swallow this insult."

Qian Qingyu's expression changed slightly: "You mean... the Sun family is behind the Caoshui Gang?"

"They might not directly attack, but fueling the flames and using others to do their dirty work is their specialty," Qian Deren said. "The Caoshui Gang wants Chen Jianghe to show himself. If he goes, he'll be walking into a trap; if he doesn't, his reputation will be ruined, and the life-or-death friendship between the three families and him will become a joke."

"From then on, no one dared to form an alliance with the three families."

Qian Qingyu suddenly stood up: "I'll go find a master of the Gang Jin realm! In Changxi Prefecture, as long as you can afford the price, I'm not afraid of not being able to find someone! Lingmu Academy only knows how to run away and treat illnesses, what use is Chen Jianghe's mastery of the Hua Jin realm?"

Qian Deren looked at her and slowly said, "Qingyu, do you know how much silver it costs to hire a master of the Gang Jin realm?"

Qian Qingyu gritted her teeth: "Any amount is fine! These three families have staked most of their fortunes on this shipment. If the goods are lost, if Father doesn't wake up... I will definitely avenge this..."

'

Qian Deren interrupted her: "The cash we have in our accounts is only enough to treat Father's injuries and keep the business running. We simply can't afford to hire a master of internal energy."

Qian Qingyu was stunned.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

The tent fell into a deathly silence.

After a long silence, Qian Deren said softly, "I'm going to Qingyan Mountain."

"Brother!" Qian Qingyu exclaimed urgently, "You're going to find Chen Jianghe? What can a mere Grandmaster of Internal Energy do?"

"It's not about sending him to his death," Qian Deren shook his head. "We need him to step in and mediate with the fellow disciples of Lingmu Academy. Although Lingmu Academy isn't known for its violence, it's still a legitimate branch of the Xingyi School. If a disciple from Lingmu Academy intervenes, the Caoshui Gang might not dare..."

""

"Mediation?" Qian Qingyu sneered. "Brother, when did you become so naive?"

She stepped forward, staring at Qian Deren: "Those bandits from the Caoshui Gang want Chen Jianghe! If he goes, he'll be sent to his death; if he doesn't go, the alliance between the three families and him is a joke! This is an open conspiracy! An unsolvable open conspiracy!"

Qian Deren remained silent.

After a long while, he raised his head.

"We still have to go."

"Before my father fell into a coma, he only said one sentence—tell Jiang He not to come."

Qian Qingyu trembled: "Father...he..."

"He knew it was a trap." Qian Deren closed his eyes. "So he preferred to bear the consequences himself rather than let Chen Jianghe take the risk."

He turned and walked towards the door.

With his back to Qian Qingyu, his voice was hoarse: "But if the goods are lost, the three families will be finished. Father's hard work over the past twenty years, the situation that the three families have finally managed to establish in Changxi Prefecture, will all be gone."

"I went to beg him. I begged him to find a way, to coordinate with my fellow disciples, to... even if it was just to stand at the Caohe ferry crossing and let those bandits see that he, Chen Jianghe, was not just an empty name written on paper."

"As for whether he lives or dies, wins or loses after he arrives—"

—

He paused, then didn't turn back.

"I can't control that anymore."

Qian Qingyu stood inside the accounting room, watching her brother's figure disappear outside the courtyard gate.

She looked down at the abacus in her hand.

Chen Jianghe...

'

Lingmu Academy, west of Disciple Peak.

Chen Jianghe, Independent Institute of the Central Committee.

He was shirtless, his blood surging through his body, and his muscles were sharply defined in the moonlight, each undulation revealing astonishing power.

At this moment, his eyes were slightly closed, and his breathing was long and deep. The internal energy within him flowed like a great river, guided by the "Profound Understanding" mental technique of the third level of the "Rejuvenating Tree Technique," washing over his meridians again and again.

"Tongxuan".

This is a crucial step in transitioning from "transformation" to "spirit".

It requires the foundation of perfect and flawless transformation of energy, to comprehend the mysteries of energy changes, to induce a qualitative change in qi and blood, and to nurture the first strand of pure and refined "罡气" within the body.

Once the skill is mastered, one enters the initial stage of Gang Jin (罡劲).

Chen Jianghe was immersed in this profound realization.

He could clearly feel that the internal energy within him was undergoing some inexplicable change.

It is no longer simply the power of qi and blood, but has begun to merge with the mind, will, and even something deeper.

Suddenly, "Boom!"

It felt as if some barrier within my body had been quietly broken through.

A warm current surged from the dantian and instantly flowed through the limbs and bones.

[Destiny: Diligence is rewarded by Heaven; success is inevitable]

[Current Skill: Withered Tree Rejuvenates (Profound 1%)]

Peak of Transformation Realm.

Chen Jianghe slowly opened his eyes.

He could clearly sense an unprecedented power surging within his palm.

He stood up, his gaze falling on the long spear in the corner of the courtyard.

After three months of arduous training, the Tian Shu Breaking Formation Spear technique has reached a minor level of mastery.

[Current Skill: Tian Shu Breaking Formation Spear (Minor Success 50%)]

In these three months, he has further mastered the Three-Body Stance and the Five Elements Fist.

[Current Skill: Three-Body Stance (Extreme) → Hunyuan Three-Body Stance (Beginner 1%)]

[Effects: The body's Qi and blood are integrated into a unified whole, and the foundation is as solid as a mountain.]

Hunyuan San Ti Zhuang (a type of stance training)?

When martial arts are practiced to the extreme, they can even evolve into other martial arts?

He focused his attention on sensing.

The Hunyuan San Ti Zhuang (混元三体桩) is completely different from the Xun San Ti Shi (寻三体式).

The ordinary Three-Body Stance is about "standing" to establish a stable foundation, allowing qi and blood to sink into the dantian, and strength to reach the limbs.

The Hunyuan San Ti Zhuang (Primordial Three-Body Stance) allows the body's Qi and blood to completely merge into one, becoming inseparable.

When practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), the whole person is like a naturally formed ancient cauldron, impervious to external forces, and internal strength arises spontaneously.

He tried to stand in the Hunyuan Santi stance.

In an instant, the blood and qi in the body suddenly condensed into a stream, rising from the dantian, flowing through the limbs and bones, and finally returning to the dantian.

After one cycle, the effect was even more significant than a regular hour of practice!

He then looked at the Five Elements Fist.

[Current Skill: Five Elements Fist (Extreme) → Five Elements Mixed Yuan Fist (Beginner 1%)]

[Effect: The five energies are perfectly integrated and unified, resulting in a smooth and unimpeded flow of power.]

Five Elements Mixed Yuan Fist.

The five elements of chopping, striking, drilling, cannoning, and horizontal movement are perfectly integrated and unified, with no distinction between them in sequence, forming a seamless whole.

He tried to throw a punch.

This punch, which may seem like just an ordinary straight punch, suddenly unleashed a combination of splitting, collapsing, drilling, cannoning, and horizontal force halfway through its length!

The combined power of the five forces is more than doubled!

Chen Jianghe withdrew his fist, looked at his hands, and a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

Extreme Realm —

He had never heard his master mention that martial arts, when practiced to their fullest potential, could evolve into something new.

When his master taught him the Five Elements Fist, he only said, "The Five Elements rotate, and the power is boundless," but he never said that if the Five Elements Fist is practiced to its extreme, it will become the "Five Elements Hunyuan Fist."

His destiny of "heaven rewards diligence" seems to have enabled him to achieve more than just twice the results with half the effort in cultivation.

Instead, at the very moment when he had mastered each technique to its limit and there was no possibility of further progress, he quietly opened a new door.

Behind the door lies another world.

Chen Jianghe remained silent for a moment, then slowly clenched his right fist.

He didn't know just how powerful the "Hun Yuan San Ti Zhuang" and "Wu Xing Hun Yuan Quan" really were.

But he knew that any martial art in the world that could be called "Hun Yuan" was no ordinary art.

He looked up and gazed at the verdant mountains beyond the courtyard wall.

"If one could also master the Twelve Forms Fist to its ultimate level—"

He paused, then didn't continue.

But deep within his eyes, there was a hint of fervor that even he himself was unaware of.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Chen Jianghe looked up.

The gate was pushed open.

Qian Deren stumbled in, his face pale.

"Rivers!"

His voice was hoarse, and those two short words conveyed an indescribable sense of panic.

Chen Jianghe's heart sank.

He stepped forward and took Qian Deren's arm: "Brother Deren, what is it?"

Qian Deren gasped for breath, trying to keep his voice steady: "The caravan—has been robbed. The Caoshui Gang has set an ambush."

"Three peak-stage Transformation Realm experts and three advanced-stage Transformation Realm experts surrounded and killed my father."

His Adam's apple bobbed, and a look of pain flashed in his eyes: "Father—seriously injured and unconscious."

"Those men immediately declared, 'Bring out Chen Jianghe, the retainer of your three families, so we can see what he's made of. If he dares to come, we'll return this batch of goods as is. If he doesn't come, from now on, every time I see your three families on my journey, I'll rob them.'"

Chen Jianghe's pupils contracted sharply: "Where is your father now?"

"In the backyard of the West Street branch of the Chamber of Commerce. The accompanying doctor has examined him and said—that his internal organs have been damaged and his qi and blood are disordered. Although his life is not in danger, no one can say for sure when he will wake up."

Qian Deren's Adam's apple bobbed. "Jiang He, I know this shouldn't involve you. The Caoshui Gang is clearly after you; there must be someone behind them. I'm not here to ask you to risk your life, I just want to ask you—"

He paused, then said with difficulty, "I would like to ask you, as a disciple of the Xingyi Sect, to mediate. Even if it's just asking the teachers of Lingmu Academy to write a letter expressing their stance and letting the Caoshui Gang know that the three families do indeed have ties with the Xingyi Sect—"

"Enough." A clear, cold female voice rang out from outside the door.

Qian Qingyu strode into the courtyard.

Instead of her usual pale yellow shirt, she wore a black outfit, a long sword at her waist, and her eyes were filled with anxiety and anger.

"Brother! I thought it over and over and decided to come anyway." She walked up to Qian Deren and grabbed his sleeve. "Are you confused? The Caoshui Gang is clearly setting a trap to lure Chen Jianghe out! If he goes, he'll be playing right into their hands! If he doesn't go, at most he'll be called a coward, but at least his life will be spared! There's still hope."

She turned to Chen Jianghe, speaking rapidly: "Chen Jianghe, I'm not targeting you personally. But ask yourself honestly, even with your advanced level of Internal Energy, how many opponents of the same level can you defeat? The Caoshui Gang that day consisted of three peak Internal Energy cultivators and three advanced Internal Energy cultivators! Once their battle formation is complete, even a beginner-level Qi Refining cultivator could hold their own! What are you going to do? Are you going to your death?"

Chen Jianghe looked at them.

Looking at Qian Deren's hands covering his face, looking at Qian Qingyu's reddened eyes, looking at the helplessness and despair of this brother and sister at this moment.

He recalled that three months ago, Qian Shouyi, leaning on his cane, personally climbed up to this small courtyard.

"I need to borrow your flag to deter those petty scoundrels who covet the three trade routes."

"If you ever encounter an insurmountable obstacle in the future, as long as I am alive and as long as the three families still have a breath left, I will not let you fight alone."

The old man's departing figure in the twilight.

Chen Jianghe closed his eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no trace of emotion in them.

He looked at Qian Deren and asked in a low voice, "Brother Deren, where is the headquarters of the Caoshui Gang?"

Qian Deren suddenly looked up.

Qian Qingyu's expression changed drastically, and she stepped forward to block him: "Chen Jianghe! Are you crazy?!"

Chen Jianghe did not look at her.

He simply looked at Qian Deren, waiting for an answer.

Qian Deren's lips trembled: "Jiang... Jianghe—you—"

"Master Qian is seriously injured and unconscious because of me." Chen Jianghe interrupted him, his voice still calm. "The Caoshui Gang said that if I go there, they will return the items in their original form. So I'm going."

He paused: "As for whether I can come back alive—"

"

He raised his hand and pressed it against his chest.

There, deep within the dantian, the extremely fine and faint nascent form of qi, condensed at the peak of the Transformation Realm, was slowly circulating.

"That depends on whether they have the ability to keep me here."

Qian Qingyu stared intently at him.

Her eyes churned with too many emotions: anxiety, anger, disbelief, and a trace of something she herself was unwilling to acknowledge, suppressed deep within—

hope.

She took a deep breath, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Chen Jianghe's wrist.

"Chen Jianghe, listen to me." Her voice was extremely low. "Don't you understand who's behind the Caoshui Gang? That old bastard from the Sun family couldn't swallow his anger after his granddaughter died, but he didn't dare to openly harm you, a disciple of the Lingmu Academy, so he could only use someone else to do his dirty work!"

"If you really go to Caohe, even if you come back alive, you'll be badly injured! The Sun family can just send a few assassins to kill you. Who can say anything then?!"

Chen Jianghe looked at her.

He didn't pull his hand away from hers, but calmly looked back at her: "Miss Qian."

He spoke, his voice low: "When Patriarch Qian took care of my master, mother, and Uncle Liu, did he ever ask if it was worth it?"

"Besides, they've only disrupted the trade routes of three companies so far. If I back down this time..."

He paused.

"Are they going to harm my family again? Or my comatose master?"

Qian Qingyu was taken aback.

Chen Jianghe gently withdrew his hand and clasped his hands in a fist salute to her: "You two siblings can wait for news at home."

He picked up his gun, turned around, and walked towards the courtyard gate.