Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 212: Chapter 180: Qi Blood First Transformation

In the moonlight, Xie Yuan quietly got up and went out, careful not to disturb anyone.

With the Celestial Concealment Skill active, he silently executed the Cloud Dragon Step. He swiftly left the Outer Courtyard, following the winding mountain path as he snuck toward the guest courtyard halfway up the mountain.

Although Situ Qin had left, the steward had seen how well he got along with her and simply left the courtyard in his care.

Thus, thanks to Situ Qin, Xie Yuan now had a place where he could be alone. For training in the middle of the night, it was far better for avoiding prying eyes and ears than the secluded cliff near the Outer Courtyard.

CREAK.

Xie Yuan pushed open the courtyard gate. Once inside, he turned and shut it, his form reappearing in the moonlight.

The courtyard was spacious. On one side, a stone table and chairs sat beneath a flowering tree.

The night wind rustled, and the tree swayed gently. A few petals drifted down, landing on the stone table in the tranquil silence.

He was the only one here. Xie Yuan crossed the courtyard. As he passed the stone table, he gently brushed the petals from its surface before quietly walking to the adjacent meditation chamber and opening the door.

Inside the chamber was a single tea table with a tea set, an incense burner, and a meditation cushion beside it. The room was spotless, without a trace of clutter.

He entered the room and sat on the cushion. With a flick of his fingers, he used a fire starter to light the Concentration Incense and took a gentle breath.

Xie Yuan’s expression was serene. The Concentration Incense Situ Qin had left was even better than the one compounded by the Sword Sect. His mind, already tuned to its optimal state, was now as placid as a lake, without a single ripple. He could face any eventuality.

’It’s time to break through.’

Xie Yuan took a porcelain bottle from his robes, removed the stopper, and poured the last crimson Blood Dragon Pill into his palm.

He gave his hand a little swirl. The perfectly round pill spun in his palm, its surface flawlessly smooth. It faintly emanated an exotic fragrance—a truly wondrous medicine.

’Without the help of these three pills, a breakthrough wouldn’t have been an issue, but slowly accumulating enough Blood Qi to saturate my body and reach the peak of External Training would have taken at least another two or three months. If I got tied up with chores on the mountain and couldn’t dedicate myself to cultivating, it might have even taken four or five.’

A major realm was a major realm, after all. Even for someone like Xie Yuan, breaking through wasn’t so simple. The bottleneck itself might not have been an insurmountable barrier, but the patient, grinding work was still required.

Of course, for anyone else—even the other disciples of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s Outer Sect—forget about cultivating their Blood Qi to completion for a smooth breakthrough in four or five months. Just advancing from the Fourth Training to its peak within a year, ready to challenge the next realm, was something they could only dream of.

After all, in a Major Sect like the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, a smooth breakthrough to the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm was a guaranteed ticket into the Inner Sect as a Core Disciple, with the right to learn advanced Swordsmanship.

In truth, for most people, trading a few priceless pills just to save several months of hard work wouldn’t necessarily be worth it.

But for a talent of Xie Yuan’s caliber, time was precious. The sooner he broke through, the sooner his cultivation speed and progress would ascend to a new level. In the long run, this would create a massive snowball effect.

As for Situ Qin, if money could buy it, it was of little consequence. After all, she had already gone through one Grandmaster Level Protective Treasure and simply replaced it.

Xie Yuan was in absolute awe of the young heiress’s immense wealth, but he was also deeply grateful for her generosity.

Thinking of the charming mistress who had recently occupied the courtyard, a faint smile touched his lips. He then took a deep breath, raised his hand, and tossed the Blood Dragon Pill into his mouth.

He had taken a Blood Dragon Pill twice before and was already very familiar with its potency.

He felt a roar in his abdomen as another blood dragon surged to life. Xie Yuan’s brow merely twitched. With practiced ease, he expertly guided the draconic Blood Qi along his meridians. It circulated throughout his body, spreading pure Blood Qi to nourish his limbs, organs, and bones.

Xie Yuan’s eyes were shut tight. His face was flushed crimson, and his skin took on a ruddy glow, a clear sign that his Blood Qi was rapidly building.

The core of Blood Qi in his chest expanded rapidly, causing the sea of Qi and Blood in his middle Dantian to throb with a dull ache. It felt as if it were approaching its limit, like a kettle about to boil, the sound of the water changing.

’Almost there! The breakthrough is tonight.’

Though his Qi and Blood surged violently, Xie Yuan’s mind remained perfectly lucid. It was at critical moments like this that one absolutely could not afford to become muddled or panicked.

Fortunately, he was fully prepared and aided by the Concentration Incense. With his mental fortitude, he wouldn’t make the same mistake as some cultivators who, unable to restrain themselves at the crucial moment, failed at the last second. That was the best-case scenario; at worst, they could suffer from Qi deviation or even explode and die.

Xie Yuan simultaneously circulated his body-nourishing technique. His internal energy soothed the agitated Blood Qi while also protecting his meridians and organs, preventing them from being damaged by the immense pressure of his nearly-full reserves.

The silver moon in the night sky rose to its zenith, then began its slow descent to the west.

The Blood Qi in Xie Yuan’s chest continued to build, and his entire body became saturated. He was slowly approaching the final moment.

’Easy now, easy... Here it comes!’

Suddenly, Xie Yuan’s entire body turned crimson. His sweat evaporated into a fine mist, making him look like a freshly boiled shrimp.

Tiny beads of blood even began to seep from his pores. He had reached the absolute limit, unable to contain a single drop more.

This was the most dangerous moment. If one cultivated slowly on their own, the increase in Blood Qi wouldn’t be so violent, making the process much safer but also making it difficult to reach the true limit. Blood Replenishing Elixirs like the Blood Dragon Pill were highly effective, helping a Martial Artist reach that limit with ease, but their power came on fast and fierce. If not guided properly, the worst outcome was one’s body exploding. Therefore, anyone who used a Spiritual Medicine for this final push had to be fully prepared and confident in their ability to break through the barrier.

Xie Yuan, of course, had mentally rehearsed this moment countless times. The instant he felt his Qi and Blood swell restlessly to their absolute limit, he immediately assumed the posture of a seated Arhat with his palms pressed together.

His entire body was now crimson, like a blood-red Arhat. His expression was solemn and sacred, his brows knitted tightly as he activated the refining aspect of the Golden Bell Shield. He surged his body’s full store of Qi and Blood to temper his flesh and trigger the metamorphosis!

[Golden Bell Shield · 3rd Layer: (1998/2000)]

1999...

2000.

[Golden Bell Shield · 3rd Layer: (2000/2000)]

There were no accidents, no difficulties. Xie Yuan didn’t experience the great realm barrier that others spoke of.

Once his Qi and Blood reached their limit and he applied the corresponding tempering method, it didn’t take long at all. Xie Yuan’s Golden Bell Shield pushed past the peak of External Training, shattered the bottleneck, and entered the next realm.

[Golden Bell Shield · 4th Layer: (1/5000)]

A sudden tremor ran through Xie Yuan’s body, and he began to shake uncontrollably.

His skin, muscles, bones, and even his internal organs all began to transform with astonishing speed. His skin grew tougher, his muscles stronger, his bones denser, and his organs more resilient. In an instant, his body’s overall strength skyrocketed.

Xie Yuan’s aura also changed rapidly. His refined features became more resolute and mature, and his frame grew slightly taller. It was as if he had transformed overnight from a handsome youth into a dashing young man. This added a touch of masculine gravitas, making his already striking appearance even more charismatic.

If Situ Qin had been there, her eyes would have surely lit up, and she would have found him even more handsome.

As the transformation settled, the crimson hue of Xie Yuan’s skin gradually faded, returning to its original fair complexion. The Blood Qi that had reached its limit was reabsorbed back into his body, converted into nourishment for his metamorphosis.

After an unknown amount of time, the tremors subsided, and Xie Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

A brilliant light flashed in his eyes as he exuded an unprecedentedly powerful aura.

His powerful frame radiated a sense of immense strength even while seated. The still-turbulent Blood Qi stirred the air around him, whipping up a small whirlwind inside the chamber. Had any other Martial Artist been present, they would have easily sensed Xie Yuan’s formidable physique and his unconcealed cultivation realm.

The Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, First Transformation!

’My strength and physique are on a completely different level from before. It feels like I have a whole new body! So this is metamorphosis?’

Xie Yuan stood up and keenly noticed that his perspective had changed.

’I actually grew taller!’

He clenched his fists, feeling them brimming with power, eager for a test.

Luckily, he remembered this was the guest courtyard he was managing—if he broke anything, he would have to fix it himself. He paused for a beat, then shot forward like a true whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, he was out the door, across the yard, and standing at the cliff’s edge.

’My speed has more than doubled, and my strength...’

Gazing out at the endless sea of clouds beyond the cliff, Xie Yuan’s eyes gleamed. He clenched his fist, drew back his arm, and roared.

"BREAK!"

Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist, Qian Rune Skill!

A wave of unprecedentedly immense force erupted from him. The clouds before him were blasted apart, a huge hole torn through them by the force of his fist!

This fist technique finally felt worthy of its name—it truly felt as if it could shake mountains!

Xie Yuan’s eyes shone brightly as he drew the standard-issue sword from his waist.

’No time to find a saber!’ Wolf King Howling at the Moon!

The roar of a great wolf seemed to rush toward the moon in the sky. A blade of dark light slashed through the clouds. The vapor, already churning from the force of his fist, was abruptly split in two. A sharp fissure lingered between the two halves like a wall of air, refusing to close. Drifting clouds collided with it and were sent reeling back.

Xie Yuan’s expression grew even more excited. Without pausing, he slashed diagonally, and a jet of Sword Qi shot through the air, piercing the air more than ten feet out from the cliff.

He couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh. He sheathed his long sword and forcefully clenched his fist.

The force of his fist, the energy of his blade, the Sword Qi—he had completely mastered them all and could unleash them at will.

Projecting one’s energy externally with such incredible power was one of the hallmarks of the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm.

Xie Yuan was ecstatic. ’No wonder they say a chasm separates the major realms,’ he thought. ’Just with this ability to project energy, how many External Training cultivators is one Metamorphosis Realm expert worth? They wouldn’t even have to fear a siege! It was just like when Shen Longteng cleaved the Vajra Sect’s gatehouse with his saber, and they still didn’t dare retaliate on the spot.’

Coupled with the complete metamorphosis of his physique, which had at least doubled his strength and speed, Xie Yuan finally understood. The power of the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm was on a completely different plane from that of the External Training realms.

’Now, a single casual punch from me would be impossible for an External Training practitioner to block!’

Even his former self, whose power had already faintly surpassed the limits of his old realm, was nothing compared to who he was now. Three of his past self ganging up on him would be effortlessly slaughtered. There was no chance of victory.

He had previously thought he could contend with an expert in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm by relying on his Sweeping a Thousand Armies technique. Now, it was clear that while the move had sufficient destructive power, he was utterly outclassed in every other respect. His chances of victory would have been slim to none, unless he was up against someone who only trained their body without cultivating their energy.

’I’ve tested my other killing moves, so now...’

Eager to continue, Xie Yuan pulled out the wood-chopping axe he had specially brought along. He gripped it tightly and took a deep breath.

The Blood Qi throughout his body began to boil, and he channeled every last drop of it into the axe!

Sweeping—a Thousand Armies!

Xie Yuan swung with all his might. A terrifying, crescent-shaped arc of light shot out. With a shudder-inducing shriek, it tore through the air, shattering the long clouds and plunging deep into the cloud bank. All the overlapping layers of white vapor before the cliff were dispersed, and his view was suddenly clear!

Brilliant light flared. With the clouds obscuring his vision gone, a crimson sun broke through the sea of clouds.

Xie Yuan stood at the cliff’s edge, raising a hand to shield his eyes.

The golden light bathed him, casting a long, powerful shadow behind him.

The morning sun was rising. Before him lay a whole new world.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!