Dawn broke in the east, the morning dew shimmering faintly.
A thick fog filled the grand courtyard of Qingzhu Hall, swirling gracefully in the air. The crystalline morning sun twinkled with a clear, piercing light.
Gazing out the window was a black-haired young man, already dressed in a long robe. Beside him, an arm as fair as a lotus root dangled over the edge of the quilt.
Zi Yun's hair was a mess. Noticing the empty space beside her pillow, she sleepily rubbed her eyes and sat up. The blankets rippled as she moved. Seeing the figure before her, she mumbled, "Your Highness... I'll get up right away..."
Lu Mingyuan turned back and smiled. "It's all right. I just woke up early today. You can sleep a little longer."
With that, he picked up his saber and walked out with a serious expression.
After a whole night of effort, he was just a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the Third Floor of the Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture and entering the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm.
A moment this important naturally had to be treated with care.
He was halfway out of the main hall when he was startled.
There was a woman perched high up on a tree branch above him, sitting in a meditative posture.
"Miss Yun, don't you need to sleep?"
Lu Mingyuan asked, speechless.
Yun Qinghe had changed out of her green Daoist Robe and was now wearing a common blue palace dress. Her profile remained as coldly beautiful as ever. Her snowy hair was tied in a high ponytail, cascading down her back, and her hands, forming a Taoist Technique seal, rested on her knees. She couldn't conceal the naturally ethereal and untainted Immortal Qi that surrounded her. Like a Fairy descended to the mortal realm, she possessed a unique and captivating charm.
Without opening her eyes, she said flatly, "The first rays of the morning sun carry the Innate Purple Qi. Using the Five-Qi Converging-Origin technique can strengthen a Qi Cultivator's foundation."
"Sleep is merely for those with insufficient qi and spirit. Half an Hour of meditation can make up for seven days of exertion. I have no need for sleep."
When Lu Mingyuan didn't reply, she finally opened her eyes and looked down at him.
"What, have you decided you want to learn the ways of the Taoist Sect?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head. "No, I just think that life would be a lot less fun without sleep."
"Tsk."
Seeing that her attempt to show off had fallen flat, Yun Qinghe's lips twitched.
She had come down from her mountain on her master's orders, on a secret mission.
Everything in the mortal world was quite new to her. Most people she met would wear respectful expressions and address her as "Fairy."
Lu Mingyuan was the first person not to flatter her like that.
Yet, she didn't find Lu Mingyuan annoying. In fact, he seemed much more agreeable than he had the previous night.
'How strange,' she thought.
Lu Mingyuan noticed her staring at him and couldn't help but touch his face.
'Did I get more handsome?' he wondered.
'Or is this the effect of my Peach Blossom Luck?'
"Are you going to practice your martial arts?"
"Yes."
Yun Qinghe leaped down. It was as if invisible hands were holding her, allowing her to float in mid-air before landing gracefully as if stepping on lotuses. She stretched, revealing her exquisite curves, and said, "I plan to look around the Imperial Palace."
"Go ahead, if you're not afraid of being discovered."
"With my Qi Concealment Skill, that won't be a problem. The whereabouts of the Fifth Prince is the real key."
Lu Mingyuan knew her Realm was high and that it wasn't his place to worry, but he still advised, "If anyone asks, just say your name is Bai He."
"Bai He..." Yun Qinghe mulled over the name and nodded lightly.
"Alright."
...
Once in the backyard, Lu Mingyuan began with his fist forms as usual, which served as a good warm-up to loosen his muscles and bones.
Ever since tasting the benefits of martial arts, his desire to grow stronger had become more urgent. With his current strength, he could easily defeat a member of the Imperial Guard, sending them flying ten meters.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He was practicing the Mountain-Shaking Fist Technique.
This fist technique was developed through insights gained on battlefields and from watching rain in mountain valleys. Its momentum was like a collapsing mountain. Once one cultivated Fist Gang, it was said they could use the stones of one mountain to attack the cliffs of another.
It was divided into four forms, each one like a different heaven.
Standing like a mountain, poised like a pine, his boxing stance left no openings for an opponent to exploit.
As Lu Mingyuan practiced the Mountain Shaking Fist again and again, he gradually felt a change in his body. His Powerful Qi flowed along with his blood, making a rushing sound in his meridians. This meant his Powerful Qi could now penetrate deep into his bone marrow, signaling another great leap in his strength.
A single punch could shatter the century-old decorative rock in the backyard.
With the progress boost from the "Red Heart" trait, his improvement was incredibly fast!
Afterward, he sat down to practice his breathing exercises, absorbing the last remnants of the Flame Bone Sunflower Essence in his Dantian.
WHOOSH! The red Powerful Qi rushed completely into his bone marrow, signifying another breakthrough in his realm.
Not only could he advance the Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture by eating, but he could also "feed" the cultivation technique's progress by strengthening his own Martial Arts Qi.
The result was the same either way.
[Life Master: Lu Mingyuan]
[Cultivation: Martial Dao Third Realm (Washing Marrow)]
[Cultivation Techniques: Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture - Abnormal Eating Chapter (Fourth Floor: 0/5000), Mountain Shaking Fist (Great Success), Fiery Fire Saber Technique (Perfection)]
[Fate Grids: Trapped Dragon in the Abyss (Refinement Level 12%), Reading the Room (Refinement Level 20%), Martial Artist (80%), Fated to be Seductive (Refinement Level 10%)]
[Life Chart Traits: Dragon Raising Its Head (Basic Level), Hidden Dragon (Middle Level), Recognizing People (Middle Level), Peach Blossom Luck (Basic Level)]
[Opportunity: Blue-level Opportunity triggered]
The Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm. In this realm, Washing Marrow is like frost, and blood is like mercury. It meant he could now look inside his own body, using his Powerful Qi to cleanse his bone marrow and fuse with it.
An Outer Strength Martial Artist has incredibly tough skin and flesh. An Inner Cultivation Martial Artist has bones and sinews like iron, with Powerful Qi flowing freely through their meridians. But a martial artist who has undergone Marrow Washing is in a different league entirely. It's a watershed moment, a subtle realm where one can control their heartbeat, blood flow, and breathing. Their strength can multiply several times over, making them comparable to a Qilin Guard.
Every member of the Great Yan Qilin Guard is an enemy to a hundred men. In the Imperial Guard, they would undoubtedly be a Captain or a junior general.
However, the Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture made his bone marrow even denser, like mercury, yet lighter in weight. His qi and blood coalesced into one, making him far more powerful than a typical martial artist in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm.
But the points required had also jumped to five thousand, more than double the previous amount.
[Mortal White Fate Grid - Martial Artist, Refinement Level has reached 80%]
A line of text appeared before his eyes, symbolizing another increase in his refinement of the "Martial Artist" Fate Grid.
Almost at the same time he entered the Third Realm, a true-form Visualization Image of a Taotie, rendered in blood-red flames, suddenly manifested in his mind.
The Visualization Image made his normally calm blood begin to boil, imbuing it with a spiritual quality, as if it had come alive.
A large amount of hot blood gathered, slowly forming a small, blood-red figure in his Dantian!
Lu Mingyuan was stunned. He hadn't expected such a strange development.
The little blood figure looked similar to him, but it was crude, like a clay doll, with only a basic frame.
He quickly consulted the Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture and found out this thing was called a Blood Gluttonous Avatar.
The Blood Gluttonous Avatar, as its name implied, was an avatar condensed from the blood of a Taotie. It was said that the Taotie, relying on this Divine Technique, could split into thousands of copies and devour an ancient immortal Kun in just seven days.
"In the northern darkness there is a fish whose name is Kun. The Kun is so huge, I don't know how many thousands of miles it measures."
The body of an ancient immortal Kun was ten thousand times larger than a normal Kun, said to be the size of a star.
Its main purpose was still eating, just by splitting into many selves to do the eating.
A thought crossed Lu Mingyuan's mind.
The little blood figure appeared in his hand, only half a finger tall.
It could go to places he couldn't and eat things he couldn't eat.
He could also feed it. Just like him, the more it ate, the bigger it would get.
However, its sensory range was very short, only about one li.
If it went beyond that distance, it would turn into a lump of Dead Blood, losing all vitality.
But Lu Mingyuan was clearly thinking further ahead.
'Can it cultivate in my place?'
'Or maybe... could it leave the Cold Palace and do things for me?'
...