The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

"Kid, let me say one more thing."

Liu the Cripple looked at Ye Sheng with a complicated expression and said in a deep voice, "The path of martial arts cannot be accelerated by drugs. If the foundation is not stable, there will surely be great trouble in the future."

Ye Sheng paused, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "I'll remember this, thank you for the reminder, Master Liu."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

Back in the shed, Ye Sheng looked at the medicinal herbs and pills in his hand with a resolute expression.

He knew Liu the Cripple was right. But for him now, the right path was too far and too slow.

What he wants is power that he can grasp right now!

Late at night.

Inside the shed, Ye Kai was already fast asleep. Ye Sheng barricaded the door shut with a wooden stick and checked the window cracks again.

Tonight, he will begin his true "seclusion".

He sat cross-legged in front of the fire, with the medicinal herbs that Liu the Cripple had brought him laid out before him.

The old ginseng exuded a strong earthy and medicinal aroma; just smelling it was enough to invigorate one's spirits.

Ye Sheng did not immediately use the most precious old ginseng. He first cut off a thick slice of astragalus and held it under his tongue.

A gentle medicinal power slowly dissolved, flowing into the abdomen along with the saliva, and a warm feeling spread throughout the body.

He closed his eyes and immediately began to circulate his internal energy.

With each breath, the medicinal power was drawn in and integrated into one's own blood and qi.

Ye Sheng felt that the heat flow, which was originally as gentle as a small snake, seemed to have grown thicker and was flowing faster through his meridians.

An hour later, Ye Sheng opened his eyes, and the progress on the panel jumped.

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 16/100 → 18/100]

One hour, two points of progress. Twice as fast as before!

Ye Sheng's eyes lit up, but he wasn't satisfied. This speed was still too slow.

His gaze fell on the small porcelain bottle containing the "Qi and Blood Pill".

Liu the Cripple once said that one pill is equivalent to three days of hard training.

Without hesitation, Ye Sheng uncorked the bottle and poured out a black pill. The pill felt slightly heavy in his hand, with a rough surface, and a strong medicinal power mixed with the smell of blood rushed into his nostrils.

He threw the pill into his mouth and swallowed it without even using water.

The next second, Ye Sheng's face turned bright red.

The pill, unlike the mild and soothing Astragalus membranaceus, felt like a red-hot medicinal lump rolling into his stomach!

A violent and unparalleled surge of heat exploded out, completely unguided by the [Internal Breathing Technique], like a herd of wild horses, rampaging wildly along his limbs and bones.

"Well!"

Ye Sheng let out a suppressed groan. He felt his blood vessels, meridians, and bones being torn apart and burned by this violent force.

Beneath his skin, veins bulged and throbbed like earthworms, and his entire body was flushed red.

His jaw clenched so hard it made a grinding sound, and the beads of sweat that had just appeared on his forehead were evaporated into wisps of white vapor by the intense heat on his skin.

Pain! It was an indescribable pain!

This is not cultivation at all; it's more like self-harm!

A thought flashed through Ye Sheng's mind: Could Liu the Cripple be trying to trick me?

But he immediately dismissed the thought.

He endured the tearing pain and frantically circulated his [Internal Breathing Technique], trying to guide and regulate the violent medicinal power.

Once, twice, three times...

His guidance was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the face of that violent drug power; the heat surged through his defenses time and time again, rampaging through his meridians.

Ye Sheng's consciousness began to blur, and he felt that he might be burst by this force at any moment.

No! We can't give up!

He bit his tongue hard, and the sharp pain instantly brought him back to his senses.

"ah--!"

Ye Sheng let out a low growl like a wild beast, no longer trying to "guide" the medicinal power, but using all his willpower like a dam to forcibly "block" the heat flow, forcing it to flow into his dantian.

This process was even more painful than before; he felt as if his lower abdomen was about to explode.

But he chose to stubbornly hold on.

The robust physique gained from mastering the basic stance training and the subtle "sword intent" condensed from mastering the basic sword techniques both transformed into a part of his mental will at this moment, preventing him from collapsing in pain.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Sheng gradually "polished" the violent medicinal power, making it more docile, and it began to passively flow into his dantian.

The panel in front of him was beating wildly at an unprecedented speed.

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 28/100]

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 35/100]

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 47/100]

……

With each jump, Ye Sheng felt he was one step closer to collapse, but also one step closer to success.

When the last trace of medicinal power was refined and flowed into his dantian, Ye Sheng was soaked in sweat as if he had been pulled out of the water.

He collapsed to the ground, not wanting to move a single finger.

Inside the shed, there was a strange smell, a mixture of sweat and medicinal properties.

Ye Sheng rested for a full half hour before he could barely recover.

He glanced at the panel.

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 78/100]

One Qi and Blood Pill increased my progress by a full sixty points!

A look of horror flashed in Ye Sheng's eyes.

Worth it! Absolutely worth it!

Although the process was so painful, like going through hell, the results were ridiculously strong!

Without stopping, he struggled to sit up, put another piece of astragalus in his mouth, and began to circulate the [Internal Breathing Method] to recover and consolidate his strength.

The gentle medicinal power flowed throughout his body, repairing his damaged meridians and calming his restless blood and qi.

Another hour passed.

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 81/100]

Ye Sheng opened his eyes and felt that his fatigue and pain had dissipated considerably.

He looked at the nine remaining Qi and Blood Pills in the porcelain bottle, his eyes burning with fervor.

He poured out another one and swallowed it without hesitation.

The same potent drug, the same excruciating pain.

This time, however, Ye Sheng was experienced. He no longer tried to forcefully block it, but instead used a more gentle approach, like taming a wild horse, gradually wearing down the drug's wildness and guiding it onto the right track.

The process was still painful, but he was able to stay conscious with difficulty.

The numbers on the panel started jumping rapidly again.

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 89/100]

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 95/100]

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 99/100]

Just a little bit more!

Ye Sheng roared inwardly, focusing all his attention into his dantian.

He "saw" that his dantian was like a chaotic sea of ​​qi and blood, churning endlessly.

Under the impact of the violent medicinal power, a strange change is taking place in the center of this sea.

Qi and blood are being compressed and condensed...

[Internal Breathing Technique: Beginner 100/100]

boom!

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Ye Sheng's mind.

He felt as if a spark had been ignited deep within his dantian, in that chaotic sea of ​​qi and blood, and all the qi and blood were frantically collapsing and condensing towards that point.

Finally, at the center of that sea of ​​qi and blood, a very thin yet incredibly strong line condensed.

Internal strength!

This is internal strength!

At the same time, the handwriting on the panel changed drastically once again.

[Skill: Internal Breathing Technique (Beginner)]

[Progress: 1/500]

[Effects: Guides Qi and blood to condense internal strength, strengthens the body, and enhances explosive power.]

[Derivative Talent: Qi and Blood Perception (Passive)]

[Effect: You have gained some perception of the strength of your own and others' Qi and blood, and can roughly judge the opponent's strength and realm.]

Become!

I've finally mastered the [Internal Breathing Method]!

Ye Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them.

He opened his palm, and with a thought, the faint golden internal energy in his dantian flowed slowly through his meridians to his palm.

He felt his palms become burning hot, filled with a domineering and powerful force.

He stood up, walked to the wall, and seemingly casually slapped the wall made of ship planks.

He didn't use much force; he simply attached that trace of internal energy to his palm.

"puff."

A soft sound.

The old, sturdy ship plank was as smooth as tofu; his palm pressed in about an inch, leaving a clear imprint. Around the palm print, the wood fibers had carbonized, emitting wisps of smoke.

Ye Sheng looked at his own palm, then at the palm print on the wall, and his breathing became rapid.

This is the power of internal strength!

This is only a trace of internal energy. If one were to condense all the blood and energy in their body into internal energy, how terrifying would its power be?

At this moment, a powerful sense of confidence welled up from the bottom of Ye Sheng's heart.

He felt like he had been reborn.

If he were to face that Ironback Jackal again now, he would not be as pathetic as last time. In fact... he was confident he could kill it within ten moves!