Chapter 336 - 212: Qi Blood Second Transformation

Chapter 336: Chapter 212: Qi Blood Second Transformation

The veins on his skin bulged, visible to the naked eye. They writhed like snakes, emanating a terrifying aura.

Xie Yuan’s skin turned crimson and his muscles swelled, making him look a full size larger.

The muscles beneath his skin spasmed and trembled uncontrollably. This continued for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before the commotion finally subsided, and the crimson color faded from his body.

Xie Yuan’s eyes flew open. A sharp glint flashed within them, revealing an intimidating aura that slowly faded back to a state of calm.

He waved his hand, feeling the immense power contained in the casual movement, and remarked with a sigh,

"Truly, each transformation is like scaling a new mountain. Every breakthrough is a true metamorphosis."

Xie Yuan felt as if he had once again gone through the same kind of metamorphosis he experienced when breaking through from External Training to the Qi and Blood First Transformation Realm. His physique had grown explosively stronger. His strength and speed were on a completely different level than before. If he were to fight his past self now, it would be an utter rout.

With such a great increase in his physical constitution, the upper limit of his Qi and Blood had also expanded. Even the middle Dantian that stored his Qi and Blood seemed to have become vast and boundless.

’He saw that the points required for the next breakthrough had doubled. And that wasn’t even factoring in how the 5th Layer of the Golden Bell Shield was inherently more difficult to cultivate. ’Looks like the difficulty is more than just double,’ he thought.

But...

Xie Yuan gave a slight wave of his hand, and a brilliant golden light erupted around him, forming what looked like a massive, inverted bell that enveloped him completely.

The golden light was dazzlingly bright, yet stable and firm, exuding an aura of indestructibility that was strangely reassuring to behold.

Xie Yuan extended a finger and flicked it lightly. The golden light rippled like the surface of water. The chime of a great bell echoed through the room, its Buddhist tone deep and heavy, the resonance lingering long after. For a moment, the small cliffside courtyard felt as if it had transformed into a temple.

He withdrew his hand, and the golden light instantly receded, shrinking until it was just a thin layer over his skin, hidden from view.

On closer inspection, however, one could almost see a golden light suffused within his skin, giving him an inexplicably sacred air that commanded respect. If not for his full head of hair, he might have been mistaken for a grandmaster monk.

’Being able to project it outside my body means the Golden Bell Shield has finally reached a new level of proficiency. The Defense Power has increased immensely.’

Xie Yuan smiled in satisfaction. A quick estimate told him the Defense Power of his Golden Bell Shield was truly astonishing. An enemy at the same realm would have a very hard time breaking through it. And by the time they figured out a way, Xie Yuan would have already come at them with either his Long Sword or his great axe. His initial goal when he began his training—to first be able to take a hit before dealing one out—was now perfectly achieved.

The defining characteristic of the Qi and Blood Second Transformation Realm was the ability to condense Qi Force until it was almost tangible and project it outside the body, unleashing unfathomable power.

An idea struck Xie Yuan. He took up his sword, walked into the courtyard, and channeled his energy. A golden Sword Aura, over a foot long, erupted from the blade. It burned like a golden flame, seeming to purge all evil, its power astonishing.

However, the Sword Aura couldn’t be sustained for long. After just a moment, Xie Yuan felt he was losing control and had an urge to unleash it. He pulled his sword back, retracting the Sword Aura, and let out a breath.

’The power of Sword Aura is truly incredible! If I can learn a special technique to unleash it, it would be like Senior Sister Ning Zi’s "Rainbow Piercing the Sun" strike—almost impossible to defend against.’

He didn’t dare to experiment with it here. If he accidentally demolished a courtyard wall, it would be difficult to explain.

But even without testing it, the aura flickering at the sword’s edge was enough to prove its might. It would increase the Long Sword’s killing power by at least thirty percent.

If Sword Aura was already this powerful, how magnificent would the Sword Qi Manifestation of the Qi and Blood Third Transformation Realm be? At that stage, the manifestation could be sustained stably, making one’s sword techniques incomparably deadly. Recalling the duel between the chief disciples at the inter-sect tournament, Xie Yuan’s heart filled with anticipation.

Xie Yuan then tried to create a Sword Aura using his Body-Nourishing Art. This time, the blade emitted a cyan light. It looked peaceful and pure, but it concealed great power. Using an Inner Power technique felt different from using an external one; this cyan light was far more subdued than the golden flame. Unfortunately, his cultivation of the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill was still insufficient to generate a Sword Aura.

After testing his post-breakthrough strength, Xie Yuan was deeply satisfied. He had undergone two metamorphoses and was now not far from the pinnacle of the human form. Only one more transformation remained.

’Ten thousand progress points... two and a half years of practice should be enough. By then, I’ll be just twenty years old, a Martial Artist in the Qi and Blood Third Transformation Realm. I imagine I won’t be considered weak anywhere.’

[Chopping Wood: (7761/100,000)]

[Golden Bell Shield, 5th Layer: (1/10,000)]

[Body-Nourishing Art, 5th Layer]

[Eight Trigrams Mountain-Shaking Fist, Minor Success: (588/3000)]

[Moon-Cutting Axe, Minor Success: (739/3000)]

[Celestial Concealment Skill, Minor Success: (3017/5000)]

[Black Celestial Book: (107/1000)]

[Cloud Dragon Step, Mastery: (196/2000)]

[Rushing Wolf Saber Skill, Perfection]

[Cloud Mountain Sword Form, Perfection]

[Cloud Dragon Nine Forms, Minor Success: (563/5000)]

[Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill, 4th Layer: (899/2000)]

[Cloud-Entering Sword Skill, Mastery: (18/2000)]

All his bitter work, accumulated over days and months, combined with the gains from the Slaughter Tower ruins, had been fully absorbed. The seeds of his labor had finally sprouted, blossomed, and borne fruit.

His Golden Bell Shield had successfully advanced to the 5th Layer, making him a genuine Martial Artist of the Qi and Blood Second Transformation Realm. As he had just tested, his fundamental strength now completely surpassed its previous level.

The Body-Nourishing Art had also reached the 5th Layer. This profound Daoist technique, which silently protected his entire body and provided a ceaseless supply of Inner Strength, had finally reached its last recorded level, granting him a substantial boost in power.

Unfortunately, this was as far as the Daoist’s version of the Body-Nourishing Art went; the thin booklet had no further content. Without a new clue, Xie Yuan’s panel couldn’t unlock any subsequent levels. It seemed that, just like with the Iron Cloth Shirt and Golden Bell Shield, he would need some kind of catalyst to have a chance at comprehending the next stage. He didn’t even know if the Cultivation Technique, which the Daoist had claimed to have "casually adapted," even had a continuation.