Chapter 55: Profound Acupoint
Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Profound Acupoint
The root of the trouble at the Drunken Creek Pavilion was, in fact, planted by Chen Zhengtong.
Because his older brother was the Chief Steward of the Drunken Creek Pavilion, Chen Zhengtong often invited his martial brothers from the Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall to enjoy the music and dancing there.
As anyone who regularly visits such places knows, it’s an addictive habit.
You can’t just kick it.
The only way to stop is to go completely broke.
You pinch pennies where you can and splurge where you must, but if you have the money, you still have to go.
Later, even after Chen Zhengping had to stop his younger brother from bringing people in because Chen Zhengtong was always running up a tab, many disciples from the Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall continued to go in small groups, paying their own way.
Among them was a Closed-door Disciple of the Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall’s master, who became infatuated with a Courtesan from the Drunken Creek Pavilion and wanted to buy her freedom.
When the Courtesan heard this, she had no choice but to use the Celestial Fragrance Scripture to extricate herself.
From that day forward, the Closed-door Disciple’s mind became muddled. He fell into a sickness and was never the same, unable to leave his bed.
After the master of the Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall returned from visiting family in Bazhou and heard about the incident, he naturally refused to let the matter rest. He immediately used his connections to demand the Government Office launch a thorough investigation.
Martial arts hall masters generally didn’t have very high Cultivation.
For instance, the masters of the three major martial arts halls in Jingshan County Town were all only at Qi Realm Perfection.
Most of them were disciples from major Sects with orthodox Martial Dao lineages. They had chosen to remain in the county town and open martial arts halls only because they had failed to break through to the Spirit Realm on three occasions, leaving them with no hope of reaching a higher Realm.
In this world, the relationship between a martial arts hall and the County Magistrate’s Office was somewhat similar to that of a driving school and the government in his previous life.
To open one, you had to be someone with pull in the Government Office.
Besides, positions were limited and spoken for; it wasn’t as if just any expert at Qi Realm Perfection could open a martial arts hall.
Once the master of Tingtiao Martial Arts Hall made his move, he threw the Drunken Creek Pavilion into utter chaos.
The Nanjing Martial Bureau practically set up shop there for a full month.
Because the Closed-door Disciple was mentally unstable and unable to identify anyone, and the Drunken Creek Pavilion was highly experienced in handling such incidents, they had long since found a scapegoat and concealed all the evidence.
Naturally, the Nanjing Martial Bureau couldn’t find anything, and the matter was ultimately dropped.
But even so, the County Magistrate’s Office ordered the Drunken Creek Pavilion to shut down for three months.
’So he didn’t come back simply because he was caught up in all this?’
Chen Li’s focus wasn’t just on the incident itself, but more on Chen Zhengping.
If his brother truly had been delayed by business and that was why he hadn’t returned for their father’s funeral, it would be understandable.
’But if there was no other reason, and this was purely a calculated move, then I need to re-evaluate Chen Zhengping.’
...
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was May.
The rice seedlings had not yet been fully planted.
As Chen Li stood in the fields watching his family’s long-term and short-term laborers plant, a system notification suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Eldest son Chen Shouheng has achieved Martial Dao Blood Refining. Reward issued: Dragon Blood Bodhi Heart x5, 5 years of lifespan.]
Chen Li was slightly taken aback.
’That little rascal. He’s been home a year and has finally reached Blood Refining!’
’Let’s see... Shouheng is seventeen this year.’
’Force Cultivation at eleven, Marrow Refining at fourteen, Blood Refining at seventeen.’
’Such a pace would be the envy of countless martial artists.’
But Chen Li knew very well that Shouheng’s aptitude could only be considered average.
The Medicinal Cuisine he had consumed over the years was far better than what many others at the martial arts hall received.
Especially after returning home, he had an unlimited supply of both the Mysterious Black Tortoise Tribulation Secret Medicine and the Nine-Turns Essence Rejuvenation Marrow Heart Pill.
By a rough calculation, the silver taels spent on Shouheng over these seven years would have been enough to buy several hundred acres of fertile land.
’Such a money pit!’
Chen Li sighed to himself.
Soon, his attention returned to the system’s reward.
’Five years of lifespan is pretty common now.’
’Shouheng gets it when he breaks through, but Shouye doesn’t. It must not be tied specifically to the eldest son.’
Chen Li deduced that the reward was only given for a child’s *first* breakthrough into a new Realm.
Adding the twenty years of lifespan he was rewarded for his own breakthrough to the Spirit Realm, his total lifespan had now increased by thirty-five years.
With his Spirit Realm Cultivation, as long as he didn’t die from accident or disease, living to be one hundred and fifty would be a breeze. Adding these thirty-five years, his lifespan was now approaching two hundred.
Dragon Blood Bodhi Heart.
’What is this?’
Chen Li quickly found its description in the system.
Legend had it that this fruit grew when True Dragon Essence Blood dripped onto a Bodhi Tree.
The Bodhi Heart contained the essence of dragon blood, which could greatly accelerate the generation and transformation of qi and blood. Its surging Qi Blood Power could not only strengthen one’s vitality, but also temper the muscles and bones, and even feed back to nourish one’s Inner Qi.
To a Martial Artist in the Blood Refining Realm, it was a supreme tonic.
It even held immeasurable benefits for Spirit Realm masters.
"To think it’s such a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure!"
Chen Li was overjoyed.
Back at home, he retrieved one from the system.
The Dragon Blood Bodhi Heart was about the size of a baby’s fist and shaped like a heart.
Its skin was dark red and covered in golden, vein-like patterns. Holding it, he could feel a faint but resilient pulse, as if it were a slumbering heart.
Without hesitation, Chen Li immediately consumed a Dragon Blood Bodhi Heart.
The pulp melted the moment it entered his mouth, leaving no discernible taste, but as the juices slid down his throat, an indescribable torrent suddenly erupted within him.
An overwhelmingly powerful essence of qi and blood, like a river bursting its banks, instantly flooded his entire body.
Chen Li frantically circulated the Five Grains Qi Storage Technique to refine this sudden surge of power.
Through Introspection, he could clearly see his Inner Qi locked in a fierce struggle with a crimson torrent of dragon blood, each collision releasing an astonishing burst of energy.
This scattered energy gradually fused with his blood, flowing deep into his bone marrow.
His qi and blood grew robust and pure at a terrifying rate, and the strength of his physical body was undergoing an earth-shattering transformation.
Chen Li’s consciousness became highly focused as he poured all his effort into circulating the Secret Technique to break through the Profound Acupoint Pass.
Under the impact of this immense qi and blood, his Inner Qi erupted from his Dantian. It surged like a great tide along the already-cleared Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Main Meridians, rushing toward his Profound Acupoints.
POP! POP! POP!
Wherever the immense Inner Qi passed, one acupoint after another was forcefully blasted open.
Each time a Profound Acupoint was opened, it was accompanied by an extremely faint yet clear sound in Chen Li’s sea of consciousness, like a star being lit in an instant.
Each illuminated Profound Acupoint acted like a miniature Dantian, spontaneously generating a suction force that devoured the surging Inner Qi and stored it away.
The immense Inner Qi that had filled his meridians to the bursting point was quickly siphoned off and stored within the Profound Acupoints.
After a long while, Chen Li opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face.
The Inner Qi he had refined from the qi and blood of that single Dragon Blood Bodhi Heart had allowed him to open a full eighty-eight Profound Acupoints.
From the 19th year of Yuan Jia, when he broke through to the Spirit Realm, until now, he had only managed to open a total of one hundred and twenty Profound Acupoints.
By refining Inner Qi, he could open one acupoint every ten days or so, managing only about thirty-five or thirty-six a year.
And that was with the result of constantly consuming Medicinal Cuisine.
Previously, Chen Li had estimated it might take him ten years to reach the Second Level of the Spirit Realm, the Profound Acupoint Pass.
Now, with the Dragon Blood Bodhi Heart, that timeline would be significantly shorter.
After a brief rest, Chen Li placed another Dragon Blood Bodhi Heart into his mouth and began to refine it.
’Five Dragon Blood Bodhi Hearts.’
’One for my eldest son, Shouheng, and one for my second son, Shouye.’
’Three for myself, which should be just enough to break through.’
’As for Shouyue, she follows an Inner Cultivation Method, so she has no use for it at the moment.’
’As for Shoujing and Shouyi, it’s far too early for them. They’re still just helpless infants; that’s a matter for ten years down the road.’