Becoming a Martial Saint: Starting with the Mountain-Breaking Fist

Chapter 97 Breathing Techniques

What is the state of enlightenment?

The ultimate state is the fusion of the outward-expressing power of Ming Jin (manifest strength) and the concealed, internal power of An Jin (hidden strength), which is integrated into one.

Achieve harmony between inner and outer worlds, and switch between states of mind with ease.

When he was in the Ming Jin stage, Duan Xuan often felt that once his strength was released, it was difficult to retract it.

However, his control over the outward force is very limited.

The deaths of Lang Tian and his son Hua Jianghai were only possible because of the trap.

Duan Xuan found it difficult to defeat the others in terms of strength.

Upon entering the realm of hidden strength, the control over one's strength becomes exquisite, allowing one to conceal it within various parts of the body.

Once the power is transferred, there is an opportunity to inject energy into the other person's body.

Destroying its skin, breaking its bones, and destroying its marrow—this is Duan Xuan's understanding of martial artists with hidden strength.

The "transformation of strength" (化劲) enhances a martial artist's ability to control their muscles and manipulate their power several times over.

Most importantly, the energy flows smoothly and without any obstruction in either a swing or a breath.

Of course, this is what Duan Xuan heard.

Following the steps he knew well, he took the first pill. The Vital Blood Pill surged through his body like a torrent, instantly causing his blood and qi to become agitated.

In the cold weather, Duan Xuan's skin, which had been slightly red from the cold, quickly turned bright red, and the veins in his skin appeared and disappeared.

The first gust of steam rose outwards from above.

With the added benefit of the breathing technique, Duan Xuan's speed in absorbing pills and dissolving qi and blood far surpassed that of before.

Moreover, the impurities in the elixir are expelled through breathing at a unique frequency, leaving only the purest part.

In less than an hour, Duan Xuan had absorbed all the medicinal effects of the Vitalizing Blood Pill.

"Drink!" Duan Xuan roared, his voice booming like a bell. His aura surged outwards.

Then, Duan Xuan performed the first move and first stance of the Breaking Mountain Fist.

After taking the pill, his body swelled up dramatically, as if his blood and qi had been inflated.

Each punch and strike was powerful and domineering, and the sound of the wind from the punches could be faintly heard.

With multiple enhancements, just by completing the entire set of Breaking Mountain Fist once, the points for Breaking Mountain Stance Skill have already increased by 3.

Then, Duan Xuan took another Vitality Pill.

The increased Qi and blood in the body are far from beginning to decline.

At that moment, a pill, like a bomb, was forcibly poured into his body.

With a loud bang, Duan Xuan felt as if his body had been thrown into an oven, and if the heat were any higher, he would be burned at any moment.

This pain burned his internal organs relentlessly, as if trying to reshape his meridians, growing ever more ferocious.

Duan Xuan gritted his teeth, not stopping his breathing rhythm. Three inhales and one exhale, and the pain lessened.

With each breath, he solidified his strength. However, still in a state of internal energy, he experienced a sense of blockage when switching between internal and external forces.

Whenever a feeling of blockage occurs, the Qi and blood will react violently, forcing Duan Xuan to slow down his movements.

By the time Duan Xuan finished the second round of the Mountain-Breaking Fist, his cotton-padded clothes were already soaked with sweat and wrinkled, and they had also become much heavier.

[Breaking Mountain Stance Skill: Mastery (2999/3000)]

"Very good, but not good enough!" Duan Xuan stepped onto the boxing stance, picked up a bag from the side, inside which was a rather exquisite box.

This is also a pill, but it was specially developed by Renhetang for Duan Xuan to break through to the Transformation Realm.

When Zhou Wei broke through to the Transformation Realm, he used the precursor to this kind of elixir.

Nowadays, the elixir contains the Rejuvenating Herb.

The rare, fifty-year-old medicinal herbs, such as the Cold-Breaking Grass and the Cloud-Soothing Grass, can help Duan Xuan enhance his resistance to cold and improve his spiritual strength.

Any single herb would be priceless in the medicinal market; let alone five hundred taels, even a thousand taels wouldn't be enough to buy a fifty-year-old medicinal herb.

Even if Ren Wanqing and Ren Yun didn't say anything, Duan Xuan could guess it.

These must be materials that Renhetang prepared for a member of the family who had the potential to break through to the Transformation Realm. Even if there were many, they would definitely not exceed two plants.

After condensing it into a single pill, the two gave Duan Xuan some instructions.

It is only necessary to take it when one's Qi and blood are approaching the level of Transformation, and the body has reached its own limit in terms of Qi and blood.

Once you break through to the Transformation Realm, the resulting benefits far exceed those of ordinary Transformation Realm.

Duan Xuan dug his feet into the ground, his chest heaving rhythmically, his blood and qi surging wildly into his body.

Duan Xuan didn't know how long he could maintain this state, but he could still persevere. Another hour passed. Duan Xin and Zhou Fang stood by the stone platform, covering their mouths, their eyes filled with heartache.

Although Duan Xuan in front of them did not scream, the expression on his face and the red marks on his body told them that he was in pain, in great pain!

Suddenly, in a split second, Duan Xuan stopped breathing and froze on the spot.

But his breathing did not stop; it continued through his pores, his skin, and even his internal organs.

His consciousness continued to breathe, greedily absorbing the surrounding yang energy and blood.

At the same time, Duan Xuan took that unique pill.

In an instant, the system's values ​​seemed to thaw as if ice had been broken.

It made a cracking sound, and the last bit of value loosened.

"Drink it!" Duan Xuan roared desperately.

But, incredibly, he managed to reduce the volume of his voice to the absolute minimum. Even Duan Xin and Zhou Fang, who were standing not far away, could only hear a faint sound.

The snow was still falling heavily.

A few seconds ago, snowflakes landed on his head, either being evaporated into air currents or blasted away by the force of the air.

At this moment, the heavy snowflakes had not yet fallen, but strangely hovered around Duan Xuan, as if supported by an invisible film.

It didn't melt, nor did it bounce; it just floated there quietly. To Duan Xin and Zhou Fang, this scene was nothing short of a miracle!

Duan Xuan slowly opened his eyes. He gently clenched his fist, and his bones crackled and popped, more lively than firecrackers during the New Year.

From the feet to the legs, from the legs to the dantian (lower abdomen), from the dantian to the chest cavity, and finally stopping below the brain!

The anomaly was not over. The moment Duan Xuan opened his eyes, he heard Xiao Gu and Zhou Fang's heartbeats, thumping rapidly and violently.

With a slight twitch of his ears, he heard a sound of wind he had never heard before, blowing the snow and gently altering its descent.

With another push, Duan Xuan heard two vendors selling candied hawthorns arguing fiercely over the price of the candied hawthorns on the road dozens of meters away.

With a whoosh, the visual and auditory sensations returned, and Duan Xuan's eyes became crystal clear, like blue crystals.

The visual impact was equally striking. The shapes of the snowflakes were clearly visible even from three or four meters away.

He gently clenched his fist; the wind didn't stir, and no sound was heard. Yet, the wooden dummy placed five meters away shattered from the inside.

This is the technique of Qi that one can only obtain upon entering the third threshold of the Transformation Realm!

Duan Xuan walked to the only two wooden dummy stakes as if possessed, and raised his hand.

I recalled the punch that Master Chen Feng demonstrated when I first joined the Poshan Martial Arts School on this day last year. My mind moved at will, and my intention controlled the punch.

Snapped!

Duan Xuan threw a punch, then withdrew it and returned to the spot where he had already melted the snow beneath his feet, leaving a patch of paving stones.

Duan Xin and Zhou Fang watched from a distance.

The little girl skipped over and circled the wooden dummy, giving a soft "hmm".

With a curious touch, the inside of the little hand instantly crumbled into dust, just like withered wood.

At her touch, the entire wooden dummy shattered into pieces.

Duan Xin was so frightened that she took a step back.

"Wow, amazing, sister-in-law, Xuan'er has broken through to the Transcendent Realm!" Duan Xin exclaimed joyfully.

"Transformation into internal energy!" Zhou Fang didn't understand, but Duan Xin had told her during their conversations these past few days that there were three thresholds in martial arts, and this was the last one.

"My son—he's done!"

Duan Xuan nodded gently, his consciousness sinking back into the system.

Humanity rewards diligence, and Heaven rewards those who help themselves.

【Trap: Perfection (1700/2000)】

【Hunting: Perfect (1300/2000)】

[Mountain-Breaking Stance Skill: Perfected (3/10000)]

[Broken Mountain Fist: Dacheng (2303/3000)]

【Hidden Wolf Hunter: Mastery (2026/3000)】

[Nine Yang Breathing Technique: Minor Success (20/10000)]

"Nine Yang Breathing Skill—what's going on? It actually increased by over a thousand points?"