Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Transformation
No. 1 High School’s campus was enormous—about three times the size of No. 2 High School’s—and its various facilities looked brand new.
It was currently the holiday break, so aside from the school infirmary and the martial arts teachers on duty, the campus was nearly empty.
Because of the existence of martial arts, students could still break through to new realms during the vacation, so the school infirmary remained open year-round with staff on duty. The same went for the martial arts teachers.
As soon as Yu Fei and Su Yue arrived, they saw Yan Sea talking with a white-haired old man.
"This student of yours is truly remarkable," Zhao Zeyang sighed with emotion. Ye Feng was still at the Blood Tempering stage and would need another month or so to break through his pass. In his eyes, that was already exceptionally talented, taking only three months in total.
But Yu Fei had completed the Blood Pass in less than two months. It was truly unbelievable.
There were geniuses, and then there were geniuses.
What’s more, Yu Fei was a prodigy Martial Artist. If one day... he really became a Grandmaster, No. 1 High School’s top dog status wouldn’t be secure.
These thoughts were fleeting, a mere subconscious reaction born from years of survival instinct. He then chuckled self-deprecatingly. ’A first-realm Martial Artist has only just stepped into the world. Becoming a Grandmaster is a lifetime away. What does any of this have to do with a worn-out old man like me? My life is already nearing its end. It’s uncertain if I’ll even live to see that day. I’m just here out of curiosity to see a young prodigy.’
Yan Sea said humbly, "You praise him too much. A Martial Artist’s path isn’t defined by temporary speed, but by later persistence and hard work."
Zhao Zeyang strongly disagreed. "Ah... one step ahead, always ahead. The path of martial arts requires the spirit of seizing every moment..."
As they spoke, Su Yue and Yu Fei arrived.
Zhao Zeyang didn’t recognize Su Yue, and with his old, blurry eyes, he couldn’t gauge her depth. He just enthusiastically greeted Yu Fei.
"Such a handsome young man, truly a fine figure. I didn’t expect you to be crossing the Blood Pass so soon. Impressive..."
"You’re too kind, sir. It’s all thanks to my teacher’s nurturing."
Yu Fei was humble and polite. He remembered that the man was No. 1 High School’s head martial arts coach and also held a position at the Bureau of Education. It was his honor that such a senior figure was willing to come out and meet him, and Yu Fei could feel the man’s goodwill.
"Haha, let’s talk as we walk. I’ve already contacted Mr. Zhao at the school infirmary. We’ll follow procedure, get you registered, and then Yu Fei can break through without any worries."
Zhao Zeyang was very enthusiastic.
Yan Sea hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Zhao, there is one more thing I need to trouble you with."
Zhao Zeyang stopped and waved his hand dismissively. "It’s no trouble at all. Just say what you need. If I can help, I absolutely will."
"It’s like this. I am teaching Yu Fei my sect’s Cultivation Technique, which includes a Secret Technique that must be performed during the Blood Pass transformation phase. I need to be with him the entire time to watch over him."
Zhao Zeyang’s eyes widened. "A sect’s Secret Technique? He has the energy to learn other things?"
"Uh..."
"What a monster! But it’s not a big problem. I’ll have a word with Mr. Zhao."
The Blood Pass was different from other passes; its progress was controllable. After Mr. Zhao led them into a huge, laboratory-like room and left a young nurse with them, he left the scene to Yan Sea and the others.
The young nurse introduced the equipment they would need one by one.
The nurse wore a mask, and her tone was crisp and cool, tinged with a professional indifference. After all, she had to work while the entire school was on vacation, which was bound to be a little annoying. Moreover, dealing with a student from another school like Yu Fei felt even more like unexpected overtime.
"This is a cooling pod. If a Qi Blood eruption causes body temperature to exceed 60°C, physical intervention is required..."
"This is a high blood-energy reaction device. It’s used externally when Qi Blood activity is low to enhance blood vitality in a short time..."
"A biased-magnetic frequency modulation platform, to assist with the transformation..."
...In total, she introduced several types of auxiliary equipment.
Finally, she instructed, "During the Blood Tempering process, there is no specific order for using this equipment. Adjustments must be made at any time based on the Martial Artist’s state during the transformation."
Yan Sea nodded and said to Yu Fei, "Are you ready?"
Yu Fei was full of confidence. "No problem."
"Then let’s begin..."
Upon hearing this, Yu Fei began practicing his staking exercises to complete the final sliver of progress.
About ten minutes later, he felt a roar in his ears, followed by the sound of crashing waves of blood surging toward him. His vision turned completely red.
Yu Fei didn’t panic. He slowly stopped his staking exercises and sat cross-legged on the spot, quietly observing the changes within himself.
At that moment, the nurse hurried forward and placed ring-shaped sensors on his wrists and neck, then attached a special bowl-sized sensor to his chest over his heart. She then returned to a nearby computer and began intently monitoring the various data streams.
The Blood Pass was the last of the five passes in the first realm of martial arts. Martial cultivation was a path of life’s evolution and ascension, progressing layer by layer—from skin to flesh, sinew, bone, and blood—gradually achieving the extraordinary.
The core of first-realm cultivation was to use the guidance of staking exercises to cause all parts of the body to tremble subtly at a special frequency. This would screen and stimulate cells throughout the body to undergo benign mutations, generating the power of Qi Blood.
This frequency existed only within a general range; each person had to find their own specific point within it. The so-called mastery of staking exercises was precisely the control over one’s own frequency—something that could not be achieved through external force, but only through personal insight.
The Blood Pass transformation required using blood as a medium to link the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones, achieving a resonance that made them whole and unified. At a subtle level, this characteristic would then spread to the five viscera and six bowels, laying the foundation for second-realm cultivation.
During this period, a Martial Artist’s Qi Blood becomes extremely unstable. As the carrier of Qi Blood, the blood can sometimes cause the body’s internal temperature to skyrocket due to a Qi Blood outburst. Exceeding a critical threshold would cause irreversible damage to the internal organs, severing the path of future cultivation.
At other times, the Qi Blood would grow dormant and blood vitality would decrease, and a moment of carelessness could lead to a failed breakthrough.
In ancient times, the success rate for the Blood Pass transformation was only fifty percent. Many Cultivation Techniques would damage a person’s foundation to ensure a smooth breakthrough, leaving the Martial Artist with insufficient potential for future growth.
In the modern era, however, through scientific research into martial arts theory, various auxiliary devices have been created. The success rate for a Martial Artist’s Blood Pass transformation is now as high as 99.99%, and it causes no negative impact on their future.
The increase in the base number of Martial Artists further liberated the productive forces at the lowest level of the martial world. In practical terms, this was reflected in the growing number of registered Grandmasters in the Yu Kingdom each year, whose power grew ever stronger.
Yu Fei’s foundation was profound. In no time, he had controlled the activity level of his Qi Blood, maintaining it within a stable range—neither so high as to cause an eruption, nor so low as to become dormant.
Theoretically, a Martial Artist could complete the breakthrough autonomously without using any equipment.
Only then did he open his eyes, his expression calm as he looked at Yan Sea.
"Teacher, do we begin the fusion now?"
Yan Sea placed his fingers on Yu Fei’s wrist, feeling his pulse for a moment before shaking his head.
"Wait a little longer. Let the quality of your Qi Blood improve some more. The energy within your blood is still a bit weak."
