Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Zhao Jiu and Liu Rouwei did not stop in Linfen. After hurriedly replenishing their supplies, they headed straight for Chang’an.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Chang’an was already within sight. With no need to hurry any longer, they loosened their reins and allowed their horses to stroll along while they admired the scenery.

It was late in the tenth lunar month. Snowflakes drifted through the air, and the northern lands would soon be blanketed in silver. It had only just been early autumn when they left the Capital, yet they had traveled all the way into winter. After everything they had encountered and all the unexpected changes along the road, they could not help feeling deeply contemplative.

It was not until darkness had completely fallen that they leisurely led their horses into Chang’an, the ancient capital of nine dynasties.

Although it was winter, Chang’an remained as prosperous as ever. Wine-shop banners fluttered in the wind, while eateries and restaurants blazed with light. Pedestrians filled the streets, and the clamor of carriages and horses never ceased.

In the distance, the warm chambers of the brothels glowed invitingly. The scent of rouge and powder mingled with the falling snow, dyeing Chang’an a drunken crimson. Within the entertainment quarters and theaters, the fragrance of wine and tea accompanied graceful dances and gentle songs. Strings, flutes, Reed Pipes, and bamboo pipes blended with the sighing wind, making the entire city seem to drift toward immortality.

It was not heaven, yet it seemed more heavenly than heaven itself.

It was unquestionably the mortal world, yet it seemed nothing of this world!

Zhao Jiu, however, was in no mood to admire such beautiful scenery.

Ever since he entered Chang’an, he had felt that the barrier to the Third Rank had nearly been worn away. All he needed was to swallow several Foundation-Nourishing Pills. With their formidable medicinal power, his breakthrough to the Third Rank would be virtually guaranteed.

The Martial Dao of this world was divided into nine ranks. From the Ninth Rank through the Fourth Rank, a martial artist merely cultivated his own body. Only upon entering the Third Rank, when Internal Qi transformed into True Qi, could a martial artist use that True Qi to commune with heaven and earth and nurture a personal “Momentum.”

Zhao Jiu had entered the Martial Dao through the Taiqing Yuxu Scripture, using the Dao to shape his martial cultivation. His Internal Qi was deep and pure, and his foundation was exceptionally profound. His flesh, sinews, bones, and skin had long since been fully tempered.

However, when he killed Jiang Ruhai, he had forcibly broken through his limits and suffered internal injuries as a result. Over the past several months, he had continuously nurtured his body both internally and externally with Foundation-Nourishing Pills and White Jade Flesh-Regeneration Pills. Even so, he had not dared to attempt a breakthrough to the Third Rank.

Now, the barrier before the Third Rank was already as thin as a cicada’s wing. Nevertheless, after his battle with Gu Yuan, Zhao Jiu still had many concerns about attempting the breakthrough.

He did not dare delay.

He quickly found a quiet inn and asked for two Superior Guest Rooms. After ordering a full table of food and wine for Liu Rouwei, he ignored his own hunger and hurriedly sat cross-legged on the bed.

He unified his inner and outer self, bringing his body and spirit into harmony. Then he circulated the Taiqing Yuxu Scripture and carefully searched for the lingering injuries hidden within his body.

Afterward, he swallowed several White Jade Flesh-Regeneration Pills and circulated his Internal Qi through complete cycles to absorb their medicinal power.

Two hours passed. Zhao Jiu had lost count of how many circulation cycles he had completed when the persistent injury left behind by his previous forced breakthrough finally began to dissolve.

Zhao Jiu was overjoyed when he sensed the change. He immediately swallowed his final White Jade Flesh-Regeneration Pill and continued dissolving the lingering injury.

Half an hour later, his Internal Qi began flowing more and more smoothly. The stubborn injury gradually melted away like solid ice and accumulated snow until it disappeared completely.

Zhao Jiu released a long breath.

The sensation of his Internal Qi circulating freely without the slightest obstruction was like soaking his entire body in a hot spring during the bitterest depths of winter. Warmth and comfort filled every part of him, making him want to shout, “Wonderful!”

As the lingering ailment disappeared, his internal injuries were also gradually repaired by the continuous circulation of his Internal Qi.

The barrier to the Third Rank, which had already been as thin as a cicada’s wing, was now riddled with holes. Zhao Jiu was infinitely close to reaching the Third Rank.

He did not hesitate.

Zhao Jiu took the remaining four bottles of Foundation-Nourishing Pills from his Storage Space and placed them in front of him. He opened them one by one, intending to break through to the Third Rank in a single unbroken push.

One Foundation-Nourishing Pill after another entered his stomach. Their powerful medicinal energy transformed into Internal Qi and coursed through every limb and bone.

His flesh grew denser, his sinews and bones became stronger, and the membranes beneath his skin gradually approached perfection.

The transformation was like an ordinary teacup gradually turning into an iron kettle. It became sturdier, more spacious, and more stable.

Breaking through to the Third Rank was like pouring a cup of water into the vast sea. It brought about a complete transformation from the inside out.

Once his flesh, sinews, bones, and skin had been fully tempered, his Internal Qi gradually began transforming into True Qi. The newly formed True Qi first flowed into his meridians and Major Acupoints.

Zhao Jiu continued consuming Foundation-Nourishing Pills. Supported by an unending stream of medicinal power, the transformation proceeded exceptionally smoothly. In a little over an hour, all his Internal Qi had been converted into True Qi.

However, transforming Internal Qi into True Qi was only the starting point of the Third Rank.

The most important difference between the Third Rank and the Fourth Rank was that a Third Rank martial artist could commune with heaven and earth and nurture his own Momentum.

The Taiqing Yuxu Scripture was gentle and refined, making it especially suitable for communing with heaven and earth.

Without hesitation, Zhao Jiu circulated the Taiqing Yuxu Scripture and began establishing a connection with heaven and earth, strand by imperceptible strand.

This was not something that could be rushed. Some people failed to establish a complete connection with heaven and earth despite cultivating for their entire lives, while others accomplished it in a single instant.

The mysteries involved appeared to follow no discernible pattern.

Zhao Jiu naturally did not dare to become impatient. He slowly attempted to establish the connection.

Heaven and earth seemed like rootless duckweed drifting beyond his grasp, while he was like a drowning man desperately reaching upward. No matter how hard he tried, he could find nothing solid to seize.

Zhao Jiu did not become discouraged.

Like someone carefully threading a needle, he patiently and cautiously searched for the invisible end of the thread.

Gradually, a trace of enlightenment seemed to emerge.

Zhao Jiu did not dare disturb it. He continued circulating his True Qi, allowing it to flow slowly through his meridians and Major Acupoints as he attempted to use that faint enlightenment to connect himself with heaven and earth.

The sensation gradually deepened.

Zhao Jiu’s entire state suddenly changed. He became like a pool of stagnant water—calm, silent, and utterly undisturbed.

Gradually, his True Qi became like a single droplet merging into the sea. Zhao Jiu seemed to develop something in common with heaven and earth.

The sensation grew increasingly clear. Zhao Jiu could now distinctly perceive that heaven and earth were different from what they had once been.

The mountains before him were no longer merely mountains.

His vague realization gradually became tangible. The vastness of heaven and earth seemed at last to have accepted the tiny mote of dust that was Zhao Jiu.

Several hours later, strands of a profound and mysterious aura began radiating from his body.

In that instant, Zhao Jiu opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed from them as his imposing presence burst outward, shaking the snow from the eaves and sending it scattering through the air.

Success!

Zhao Jiu was ecstatic.

He had now established a connection with heaven and earth, and his entire body felt as light as a feather.

He lightly stamped his foot and circulated his True Qi. The step appeared weightless and unsteady, yet it carried the might of Mount Tai. When his foot touched the floor, however, it did not even stir a speck of dust.

At the Third Rank, a martial artist was as mighty as a celestial!

Outside the window, a ray of dawn entered the room. The sky was already beginning to brighten.

Zhao Jiu was delighted. He had broken through to the Third Rank in a single night, which proved that his talent could hardly be considered poor.

He recalled how, years ago, he had once seen someone beside a river tap the air twice beneath his feet, borrowing force from empty space to cross the Qinhuai River, which stretched several hundred zhang across.

Now that Zhao Jiu had also entered the Third Rank, he wanted to indulge himself for once.

He pushed open the window and faced the snow-filled sky.

With a light tap of his feet, he circulated his True Qi. Heaven and earth seemed to possess a faint yet strangely familiar quality.

He leaped a hundred zhang in a single bound. While still in midair, his True Qi surged, allowing him to borrow force from empty space.

His Momentum was like a collapsing mountain.

BOOM!

The air exploded around him, and in an instant, he appeared several li away.

“Hahahaha! Heaven and earth are mine to roam freely!”

Zhao Jiu laughed without restraint.

He then slowly descended to the ground and walked back to the inn one step at a time, treading across the snow.

Once he returned, he ordered a full table of food and wine and calmly began to eat.