Book 3, Chapter 117: Accumulate Blood Essence, Building A Mental Foundation

The incense burner released a calming aroma in the living room, and the bamboo curtain swayed gently under the breeze. Through the arched doorway, Chen Chuan could see the meticulously pruned plants and flowers outside.

Occasionally, a cooling, comforting breeze blew in.

“I did see some things today, but I can’t tell what they were. I didn’t dig any deeper into them. I just steadied my mind and ignored them, like you told me to,” Chen Chuan said.

Cao Guiqi nodded in approval. “If you encounter abnormal sights when you reach the Third Limit through the old method, it’s a sign that you’re talented. If you’re able to keep your mind steady and not be influenced by those abnormal sights, it shows that you’ve passed the more difficult hurdle in reaching the Third Limit.

“That’s just what you have to face, though. As you train, these abnormal sights will occasionally come again, but it’s not a bad thing. They can be dangerous, but they’re also your training resources. As long as you can steady your mind and remain unaffected, you can polish and purify yourself, which will be beneficial for you.

“Mr. Ding, bring us the Studies of the Unusual.”

With a bow, Mr. Ding left. Soon, he came back with a book bound with thread. He handed it to Cao Guiqi, who motioned for him to hand it to Chen Chuan instead.

“This book contains records of rumors regarding the strange and unusual things Third Limit martial artists in the old era saw. It was kept in the royal family’s vault during the age of the empire. It also tells you the ways to deal with the sights. Read it when you’re free. Perhaps it will be enlightening for you.”

Chen Chuan took the book from Mr. Ding and thanked him. A brief glance showed that the book was written in a vertical fashion, and most of the words were written in a variant form of their current language. It was hard to read.

Fortunately, with the Realm Pass, he could scan the pages and have the screen display the text horizontally and make it much easier to read.

Cao Guiqi took a sip of tea before setting his teacup down. Then, he straightened his body and said, “You can take your time reading the book. Next, I’ll tell you what you need to pay attention to while training in the Third Limit.”

Chen Chuan set the book down and sat up straight with a serious expression.

“From the First to the Third Limit, each of them has their own area of focus. According to the old era, the First Limit requires you to strengthen your tendons and structure your bones. The Second Limit requires you to activate your organs and nourish your viscera. I’m sure that your mentor has taught you this before,” Cao Guiqi said.

Chen Chuan nodded at that.

“At the Third Limit, you need to focus on accumulating blood essence and building a mental foundation.

“Blood essence is the vital energy within the human body, but a martial artist’s ‘blood essence’ is connected to their mutated tissue. They can only nourish and refine it through special objects and medicine. Accumulating blood essence is of special importance. Usually, the amount of blood essence a martial artist has determines whether they win a fight or not.

“For example, Wei Wusheng’s body hardening. He focused on the accumulation of blood essence. His ability to reconnect severed limbs, growing back flesh, and returning from the dead were all due to him having loads of blood essence.

“The source of it all was his heart.

“As for building a mental foundation, it means to maintain a stable mental state at all times. Your mind has to become sharper and move smoother, thereby making you the true master of your own body.

“The extraordinary speed and coordination Third Limit martial artists have is due to this.

“Since our thoughts change all the time, and our focus occasionally scatters, we need to train our mind to make sure we can keep it steady at all times. There are special methods to do it. The abnormal sights you saw was one of them. That’s why I said that they aren’t a bad thing.

“Non-orthodox martial artists usually have a hard time steadying the mind. They can only polish their minds slowly through the crude, superficial way of multiple life-and-death battles. I have a technique here you can read up on when you’re free.

“You can purchase matching techniques from Martial Valor University. Try all methods and see which one suits you best. You can even use them at the same time, since it won’t have any negative effects. If you adopt multiple schools of thought and broaden your horizons, your mind will become stronger.

“If your mind has a solid foundation, you’ll be able to control the growth of your body. You won’t lose your youth, and you’ll live longer. Some martial artists don’t even need to take medicine to retain a youthful appearance, even though they’re already more than a hundred years old. It’s because of this.

“The source of it all is your brain.

“Blood essence and the mind complement each other. It’s best if you work on them both at the same time. Don’t focus on just one aspect, or you’ll end up crippling yourself.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan connected it with what he knew and sensed, and a lot of his questions were answered. A contemplative expression settled on his face.

Realizing that Chen Chuan was figuring things out, Cao Guiqi waited until he finished digesting everything and returned his attention to him. Then, he continued, “Now, I’ll tell you how to train.

“There are only two methods. First, it’s once again medicine. The government, companies, and the university will provide you with the medicine you need, but compared to last time, Third Limit medicine is custom-made. There are few channels to obtain them, and they’re really rare.

“You were Green Satchel Pharmacy’s drug tester, but your contract with them is now void, since you reached the Third Limit. You need to sign another contract with them if you want more medicine. It’s one way to obtain it. But companies like it might control you by supplying medicine to you. That’s why you need to consider it very carefully before making your decision.

“The other path is one that is hidden from the public. I, too, am unable to tell you about it, because I’ve signed an NDA. Be patient, though. In two months or less, the university or the Resolution Department will send someone to tell you about it in detail.

“You need to pick your future path carefully, but you’re currently at the stage where you’re just solidifying your foundation. You don’t have to think about it for at least forty days. I’ll give you a list of medicines you can use to regulate and nourish your body. Just buy everything from the university.”

Chen Chuan gave Cao Guiqi a fist-and-palm salute and said earnestly, “Thank you, Senior Cao.”

When the Resolution Department sent Cao Guiqi to be his teacher, Cao Guiqi was only requested to guide him to the Third Limit; he had no obligation to teach him anything that came after. Yet Cao Guiqi was still willing to give him guidance, and for that, Chen Chuan was truly grateful.

Cao Guiqi smiled and said, “Your path is going to be difficult, and I won’t be able to give you anymore guidance. You’re going to have to walk down your path on your own. But I’m older than you by a few years, so I can give you some suggestions. If you have any questions, you can ask me.”

Chen Chuan thanked him once again. Then, they no longer talked about the Third Limit. Instead, they focused on drinking tea and admiring the scenery while talking about the political situation in Central City. When the sun started setting, Chen Chuan left.

After sending Chen Chuan off, Mr. Ding came back and said, “You have a great eye, Young Master. Chen Chuan is only eighteen years old, but he has already reached the Third Limit. The moment he did, he defeated that horrible Wei Wusheng. He might be able to fulfill your dreams in your stead in the future.”

Cao Guiqi shook his head. “He has his own path to take. I’ve finished mine, and I won’t force others to continue it for me. I’m willing to help him because fate brought us together and because he is a good person. He’s worthy of my support.”

He took a sip of tea and said casually, “Remember not to tell him anything about me, Mr. Ding.”

The butler bowed deeply at that and said, “I’ll keep that in mind, Young Master.”

***

Chen Chuan wasn’t in a hurry to return to his room after leaving Motie Mountain. He drove slowly and admired the scenery around him.

After becoming a student at the main campus, he had been focused on training. Now that he reached the Third Limit, he was no longer under so much pressure and could have a rare moment to relax.

Chen Chuan had stayed in the university to train despite it being the holidays, but now that his problems were solved, it was time for him to go back.

With that thought in mind, he decided to go to Yangzhi City after a few days.

After some thinking, he sent a message to Wu Bei, Qi Gao, and a few other friends to tell them that he was going to leave Central City for some time. They could send him a telegram if they needed to contact him.

Once he returned to the Arcane Palace, he gave Dawncall some food and water and watched the creature happily dig in. Since he was going to go back, he couldn’t just leave this tiny thing here. He had to take it along with him.

Then, he sat down on the sofa and took a look at the list of medicine Cao Guiqi had sent him. He compared it to the list he copied at Wu Ruo and Phantom’s places. It contained the names of all the medicines they had kept.

As Third Limit martial artists, they had stashed away some Third Limit medicine, especially Phantom Form. He had quite a lot of it in his storeroom. Because of that, Chen Chuan already had most of the medicine Cao Guiqi had listed. Based on the amount they had, even if he used them every day, he would last a month or two. That meant he had enough for until he came back from home. He would think about how to procure more once he returned.

He was still a back-up law enforcer of the Resolution Department, so he had to tell the department before he left for a month or so.

He could do that tomorrow, though. Chen Chuan didn’t want to do anything else today. He just got up, set aside the list, returned to the sofa, and started reading the news from the niche channel.

***

At that moment, in the office of the vice chancellor’s assistant, Ling Jianxing watched the fight between Chen Chuan and Wei Wusheng on the screen.

A few minutes later, the video paused at the moment Chen Chuan stood by Wei Wusheng’s fallen body.

Ling Jianxing had an arm behind the sofa, and his knees were crossed. His eyes were full of approval. Based on his judgment, it hadn’t been too long since Chen Chuan reached the Third Limit. At most, it had happened two months ago, but it could also have just been a few days since he reached it.

From his check-in and check-out records, Chen Chuan had spent most of the past two months in his room. He had only come out to watch the tournament over the past two days. It was possible that he had been training hard to reach the Third Limit, and he had only done it a few days ago.

Yet right after reaching the Third Limit, he still possessed the power to defeat Wei Wusheng. Such talent was rare among Third Limit martial artists, and his growth potential couldn’t be measured.

Just then, someone spoke on his Realm Pass. “We’re sure that he’s a Third Limit martial artist now. What do you intend to do? Are you going to tell him now?”

“Not yet. Once he understands the real situation, we’ll seek him out. He might not accept what we have to tell him now, so we should wait,” Ling Jianxing said with a smile.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep