A surging warm current writhed ceaselessly within his abdomen, causing Zong Shou to break out in a heavy sweat that thoroughly soaked his outer robes.

Swallowing one Lian Tai Dan felt like gulping down a fireball. For a solid hour and a half, Zong Shou’s internal body was scorched as if by fire.

Yet, he felt no hardship, only exquisite pleasure. The impurities and filth within his body were expelled by the potent medicinal power, resulting in an indescribable sense of exhilaration. Even the stinging pain spreading across his limbs seemed less agonizing now.

He continued with the Tai Xi Ling Quan set, even as the surrounding gale whipped violently. With every punch thrown, there was a faint roar of dragons and tigers—fierce, dominant, and imposing.

This particular set of fist techniques had this very characteristic: if the Tai Xi was weak, the movements would naturally be soft and powerless. But once the Two Meridians of Tai Xi were established, the technique would naturally become mighty and ferocious, its potential immeasurable.

The principles of the Martial Way were all interconnected. The logic of the fist and the logic of the sword shared underlying similarities, even if the finer details differed. As Zong Shou channeled his movements, his fists carried a unique, flowing rhythm. There were few complex shifts, yet the overall effect was magnificent and overwhelmingly grand!

With every punch he struck, Zong Shou felt the warm current in his chest and abdomen discharge a bit more. More medicinal power seeped into the muscles of his lower torso, either dissipating or settling in latent reserves.

The Two Meridians of Tai Xi expanded by nearly double their previous size; true torrents now surged like a fountain, flowing ceaselessly.

The entire Lian Tai Dan gradually dissolved. Only the most essential, refined portion remained, refusing to scatter, gathering near his Qi Sea.

Zong Shou remained calm and unhurried. He softened his intent, cycling his vital energy throughout his body several times before exploding outward with sudden force.

"Shatter!"

With a roar sharp enough to cleave metal and stone, Zong Shou unleashed a punch of unparalleled ferocity. It ripped a piercing shriek from the empty air, and the residual shockwave struck the nearby partition wall.

With a thunderous boom, the Fan Yun carriage actually shuddered slightly. The partition wall, only recently repaired, now bore a faint, shallow imprint of his fist.

The concentrated essence of the medicinal power within him was forcefully dispersed, flowing into his nascent core (Yuan Tai).

At that moment, Zong Shou felt as if an iron weight had been placed in his chest and abdomen—impenetrably solid.

"This is true surging like a spring, a core like solid rock! The Tai Xi Ling Quan from Xueyi Temple and the Qi Ling Zong's Qi Ling Lian Tai Dan truly are a perfect match! Just this single pill has managed to completely remedy all my previous hidden flaws—"

Most of the Lian Tai Dan's potency was now spent. Zong Shou did not rest, however. Forcing down the fatigue, he switched to practicing the guidance technique he had created himself.

This was the second set, tailored for Martial Masters, targeting the four channels of Marrow, Bone, Blood, and Mind (Sui, Gu, Xue, Zhi).

It was still remarkably effective for dispersing the remaining medicinal power. The movements were still strange, focusing primarily on stretching tendons, bones, muscles, and meridians.

Only when the last trace of the warm current settled within him did Zong Shou cease his movements. He immediately took out a Qing Gou Talisman, activated it, and allowed it to absorb the sweat and grime, instantly restoring his entire body to cleanliness.

"The techniques of the Spirit Masters are truly convenient. They aren't just useful for combat; they can be applied to every trivial aspect of life. No wonder those Spirit Masters are all so incredibly lazy. To feel refreshed, a single Qing Gou Talisman suffices; why bother bathing? It’s a pity that Qi Xiao didn’t have many such talismans on him. My focus is cultivation right now; I have no free time to draw them myself—"

Setting aside these distracting thoughts, Zong Shou turned inward to observe his internal state, and a flicker of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes.

Not only were the hidden threats in the Two Meridians of Tai Xi completely purged, but they had also been significantly strengthened. With such a foundation, refining the Marrow (Lian Sui) should now come naturally. He could confidently aim for the Bone Wheel sooner, without needing to wait the full three months.

"For strengthening Tai Xi, the Qi Ling Zong's Qi Ling Lian Tai Dan is considered the best, second only to the Ren Ji Dan; the world calls it a sacred-grade elixir. I never believed the rumors before, but now I know they weren't false. Getting three of them at once was truly lucky. Next is Marrow Refining. That Blood Maniac Saint left twenty portions of Hu Sui Long Gu San at the San Lu Bank—made from the marrow of a second-tier fierce beast, the tiger, and the bones of a second-tier great serpent. However, when it comes to refining marrow and bone, the finest spiritual medicine in the Dong Lin Cloud Realm is the Yun Luo Dan from the Ling Yun Sect. But I probably won't need that one anymore—"

He gave a self-deprecating smile. While Zong Shou privately congratulated himself on his fortune, hundreds of miles away, the woman who had traded him the Tai Xi Dan had already sold the secret of his whereabouts for more than ten times the value of their original wager.

After a brief adjustment to stabilize his breath, Zong Shou took out another blue pill and swallowed it.

This Xue Hun Dan was indeed true to its name—ice-cold. The moment Zong Shou swallowed it, a profound chill shuddered through his body, the complete antithesis of the previous Lian Tai Dan.

Without needing his control, fine threads of icy energy drifted straight up to the Shen Xiao acupoint, entering his Sea of Consciousness (Hun Hai).

The Yin force of heaven and earth suddenly converged, enveloping his nascent spirit (Yuan Hun). As these frigid threads seeped in, they were instantly drawn into the vortex within the Hun Hai, transforming into minute particles of pure soul force.

Curiously, those impurities and fragmented soul forces, which were usually imperceptible, were ‘frozen’ into visible form under the infusion of coldness.

"This Xue Hun Dan really is effective!"

Zong Shou’s spirit immediately jolted, and he focused intently, beginning to eliminate them one by one.

In a short while, he had cleaned his entire Hun Hai. Unfortunately, the medicinal power of the Xue Hun Dan began to recede.

The changes occurring within his divine spirit filled Zong Shou with surprise.

"The total soul force has increased by about one-tenth, and the spirit is much purer. Wait—it's more than that! Even the lingering minor injuries left behind from previously forging my soul force with the Tian Jing Zhao Hun Shu technique have been repaired. I never expected such an unexpected benefit—"

It was just a shame that the drug's effective window was so fleeting, lasting only about half an hour in total.

Glancing at the vial in his hand, Zong Shou decisively put it away.

If it only increased soul force and purified the spirit, he would have used it continuously without hesitation. But since this item also had the capacity to repair his injuries, it could not be wasted so easily.

Just then, Zong Shou suddenly felt a strong intuition and looked ahead. He sensed a violent, powerful fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from the carriage shafts of the Fan Yun carriage, disturbing the area for dozens of feet around.

This lasted for about a quarter of an hour before gradually quieting down.

"What a pity, just one step away from reaching the Innate realm!"

Ever since they shook off the wolf pack, Yin Yang had been periodically falling into this state, constantly generating spiritual energy surges that invariably ceased moments later.

This was because his cultivation had reached the very threshold of the Innate Gate. The foundation Yin Yang had forged under the strictures of the Spirit Law restrictions was exceptionally robust; now, he was only a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the Innate realm and becoming an Innate Martial Master!

However, there was no need to rush this. If he failed this time, breakthrough would surely occur in a few more days.

"I wonder if I harmed him. If he can break through to the Innate realm purely by his own strength before the age of forty, shattering the Spirit Law restrictions, Yin Yang's future achievements would truly be limitless. I hope that bottle of Xue Yun Sui can help. This substance strengthens the fascia and nurtures flesh and blood; its effect is quite good—"

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Zong Shou felt a powerful wave of drowsiness and fatigue suddenly overwhelm him.

Even his iron will could not resist it. His head lolled to one side, and he plunged completely into dreamland.

In a hazy state, his consciousness traveled to an immensely vast, pitch-black expanse. He saw only silent, chaotic stillness all around, with no discernible boundaries.

"Where exactly is this?"

Zong Shou frowned slightly, then suddenly seemed to realize something. A small ball of light appeared before his eyes.

P.S.: Since Chapter 57 was updated yesterday, this chapter is compensation. Comrades, my ranking is about to drop two spots, and there are four days left until the new book list. Please lend this pioneer a hand! Also, we can appoint forum moderators now; the Hua Ji Xing Tian Xia book friends, and they are MM! Shamelessly asking for QQ numbers. Finally, I posted a picture of Chu Xue in the 'Work Related' section. C