It was nearly noon, but the sky was as dark as ink, heavy and without a sliver of light.
Days of heavy snow had blanketed the world in a thick, silver coat.
The bluestone path outside the courtyard had long since vanished, buried under the snow.
Stepping on it produced a crunching sound, the snow deep enough to cover their ankles.
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing walked side by side.
Chu Fan was silent, and Zhao Tianxing said nothing either.
The cold wind swept past the withered branches outside the courtyard, whistling and moaning like soone weeping in the shadows.
Swirling flurries of snow, bone-chillingly cold, whipped against their faces.
Zhao Tianxing’s eyes shone, unable to conceal his delight.
Chu Fan was not as excited as him, but the corners of his mouth were also turned up in a faint smile.
When he left the wood-chopping yard, he already knew why Master Cao had sent Zhao Tianxing to find him...
Early this morning, Tianxing had broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm!
This was why Master Cao had summoned them both: he intended to pass on the thod for Blood Refining.
All of this was exactly as Chu Fan had expected.
As the two stepped into the courtyard, they saw Cao Feng standing under the veranda. It was Master Cao, and he had obviously been waiting for a long ti.
"Co!"
Cao Feng, beaming, waved them over.
His face was flushed, and he slled faintly of alcohol—he had clearly had a few extra drinks to celebrate Tianxing’s breakthrough.
The two followed Cao Feng into the room.
Cao Feng sat down with an imposing air, picked up a teacup from the table, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Tianxing, your breakthrough this ti was a few days late."
"You little rascal..."
His tone shifted, taking on a hint of mock complaint. "If you hadn’t been in such a hurry to practice your fist techniques after stabilizing your Qi Blood, and instead let your Qi Blood Power peak, you might have broken through five or six days ago!"
After speaking, he waved his hand dismissively. "But it’s fine. A few days earlier or later makes no great difference."
Zhao Tianxing smiled without a word.
Had he not known that Chu Fan had broken through before him, he would likely have been overco with smugness.
"Chu Fan, don’t overthink it either."
Cao Feng turned to Chu Fan and said slowly, "Before Tianxing joined the Seven Stars Gang, his Qi Blood was already vigorous enough to rival the Blood Nourishing Realm. He already had the foundation for this breakthrough."
"Your talent for fist techniques surpasses his. As long as you continue to work hard, it won’t be long before you can break through to the Blood Nourishing Realm as well."
Hearing this, Zhao Tianxing’s smile faded. He turned and silently looked at Chu Fan, his expression complicated.
Chu Fan, however, ignored his gaze and simply gave Master Cao a slight nod.
"Here, take these."
As he spoke, Cao Feng took two palm-sized wooden boxes from his robes, handing one to Chu Fan and one to Zhao Tianxing. He added, "Inside these boxes are sixty Blood Refining Pills."
"Although Chu Fan hasn’t broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm yet, it’s only a matter of ti."
"I don’t play favorites."
"Also, continue drinking three bowls of the Blood-Nourishing dicine Soup every day as usual. It’s greatly beneficial for restoring your Qi Blood, reinforcing your foundation, and for Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence."
Blood Refining Pills!
Sixty of them?!
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing glanced at each other, both seeing the ecstatic joy in the other’s eyes.
Neither of them had expected Master Cao to be so generous!
Sixty Blood Refining Pills... after a quick calculation, that was probably worth thirty taels of silver!
Just as they were thinking this, they heard Cao Feng speak again. "Don’t you dare compare my Blood Refining Pills to the ones sold by the Seven Stars Gang..."
"The quality of my pills is far superior to what the Seven Stars Gang sells."
"Even if you had the silver, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to buy any this good."
"Blood Refining Pills are used to temper your Qi Blood. Tianxing, when you’re attempting to break through to the Blood Refining Realm, take one pill in the morning and one in the evening. Don’t take any more than that!"
"Chu Fan, you haven’t broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm yet, so you can’t take these Blood Refining Pills. Just save them for now."
"Thank you, Master Cao! We will rember your teachings!" Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing bowed together in thanks.
"It’s not enough." Cao Feng, however, shook his head, his expression growing more serious. "The Blood Refining Realm is far more difficult to reach than the Blood Nourishing Realm."
"I have a prescription here. Take it..."
As he spoke, he took a yellowed slip of paper from his sleeve and handed it over. "To break through to the Blood Refining Realm, in addition to diligently practicing the Twelve Forms Fist, you must also take two Blood Refining Pills daily and buy the dicinal herbs on this list for a dicinal bath."
"It’s not that I can’t afford these herbs, but I won’t pay for them for you."
"There is a limit to how much I can help you."
His gaze swept over the two of them, and his tone grew heavy. "A person must ultimately rely on themself!"
"Yes! We will take it to heart!" Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing’s eyes were filled with gratitude.
Cao Feng continued, "I heard that the two of you plan to go test your ttle in Ming Marsh after Tianxing breaks through to the Blood Nourishing Realm."
"Excellent. The young should be daring..."
"By not fearing hardship and adventuring out in the world, you can broaden your horizons and improve your skills."
"Tianxing originally ca from a Hunter’s family. Even before he started Martial Arts, he could already hunt tigers and leopards. Now that he has broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm and his archery is strong, common jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards are naturally no cause for fear."
His tone shifted, and his expression grew serious again. "But Mist Marsh is no small matter. It’s rife with hidden dangers, and every step is fraught with peril."
"Tianxing, when you get there, you must take good care of Chu Fan!"
"Don’t let it be that two of you go, and only one returns!"
"..." Zhao Tianxing heard this and turned to look at Chu Fan again, his expression complicated.
’With this guy’s skills, does he really need to look after him?’
Chu Fan’s expression flickered, and he suddenly asked, "Master Cao, now that Tianxing has broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm, if he reaches Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist, could he kill soone in the Blood Refining Realm without using a bow and arrow?"
Hearing this, Zhao Tianxing’s eyes went wide with shock and bewildernt. ’Chu Fan is really overestimating !’
’Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist?’
’He’s only just barely reached Five Elents Small Success.’
’He’s a world away from Great Success in the Twelve Forms!’
"Soone in the Blood Nourishing Realm killing soone in the Blood Refining Realm? Easier said than done!"
Cao Feng shook his head and said slowly, "There is indeed a world of difference between Great Success and Small Success in the Twelve Forms Fist..."
"Once a Cultivator achieves Great Success in the Twelve Forms, their overall strength will increase dramatically... their speed, power, technique, and Body Technique will all far surpass what they were before."
"But even so, it is still incredibly difficult to kill a Blood Refining Realm Martial Artist while only at the Blood Nourishing Realm."
"Martial Artists of the sa Realm already have varying levels of strength, to say nothing of fighting across Realms."
He paused, then added, "However, if you’re facing a Blood Refining Realm Martial Artist who has not yet achieved Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist, or for that matter, one who has not reached Great Success in other Martial Arts of a similar level, you might be able to hold your own. It wouldn’t be an impossible fight."
’I could hold my own?’
A sharp glint flashed in Chu Fan’s eyes as he began to calculate secretly.
Cao Feng continued, "A Blood Nourishing Realm Martial Artist’s strength, speed, and even their five senses are all inferior to a Blood Refining Martial Artist’s. This is the difference between Realms."
"However, the overall boost from achieving Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist can compensate for part of this gap."
"It is also no easy task for a Blood Refining Realm Martial Artist to kill a Blood Nourishing Realm Martial Artist who has achieved Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist."
"Ultimately, who can kill whom depends on the individuals involved."
Chu Fan imdiately followed up, "Then what if Tianxing reaches Perfection in the Twelve Forms Fist? Could he kill a Blood Refining Realm Martial Artist then?"
"..." Zhao Tianxing blinked. Sothing about this felt a little off.
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