Feeling the immense power within his body, Lu Qing felt somewhat satisfied.
The state of muscle and bone is perfected.
This represents the strength of a martial artist's bones and muscles in the Acquired Realm, reaching their personal limit.
The next step was to continue refining the Qi and Blood, but it was no longer possible to improve it even slightly.
Even if one breaks through to the Inner Organ Realm, the strength of their muscles and bones will not increase significantly.
Unless one has a great stroke of luck and obtains some magical elixir, it is possible to break through the limits again and continue to strengthen one's muscles and bones.
However, Lu Qing had already consumed the Earth Vein Elixir, which greatly enhanced his aptitude.
His current bone and muscle strength is probably several times stronger than that of an ordinary person at the peak of the Bone and Muscle Realm.
It seems unlikely that it will be possible to find another elixir even rarer than the Earth Vein Elixir to further break through the limits.
The most reliable course of action is to solidify our foundation and then strive to break through to the Inner Organ Realm.
However, Lu Qing was certainly happy about the breakthrough to the Bone and Tendon Realm.
But what delighted him even more was another breakthrough.
Lu Qing picked up a green bamboo leaf and looked at it quietly.
At this moment, the bamboo leaves, which are ordinary to most people, are quite special to him.
The patterns on it, in particular, have a unique meaning.
"After cultivating for so long, I've finally grasped the basics of rune magic."
Lu Qing smiled as he gently turned the bamboo leaf in his hand.
However, at the moment when the Bone and Tendon Realm was cultivated to perfection, one could draw upon that perfect state of mind.
With a sudden realization, his rune path, which had been stuck at a bottleneck for some time, quietly broke through and he finally entered the realm of mastery.
He had deciphered a trace of the meaning of the three hundred mysterious runes in his mind, and could find corresponding patterns in the real world.
Speaking of which, since obtaining the inheritance of the Divine Talisman Sect, Lu Qing [N O V E L I G H T] has been cultivating the Way of Runes for quite some time.
This can be considered the most difficult method to cultivate among all the inheritances he has received.
Even with the aid of his superpowers, it still took him so much time to truly master the basics.
During these days, he observed all sorts of things in life.
Pots and pans, stones, leaves, flowers, weeds, gold and silver jewelry...
He would try to observe anything he could see from the perspective of a calm and clear-headed state of mind.
The more he observed, the deeper Lu Qing's understanding of the three hundred mysterious runes in the rune outline in his mind became.
Gradually, a vague sense of understanding began to emerge in his heart and slowly accumulated.
However, this insight reached a bottleneck not long ago and stopped progressing.
Lu Qing could sense that he was only one step away from truly mastering the Dao of Runes.
But this kick remained elusive.
The legacy left by the Divine Talisman Sect only states that this step can only be understood by oneself.
Because the Way of Runes is ever-changing and contains the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.
Every practitioner of the Way of Runes has their own unique insights and understanding of the connection between runes and the world.
Being too attached to the experiences of predecessors can easily lead to being trapped in constraints and hinder future cultivation.
This is why Lu Qing has been stuck at the beginner level for so long.
Now, taking advantage of his recent breakthrough in martial arts and the changes in his qi, blood, muscles, and bones, he was struck by a sudden inspiration and truly opened the door to the Dao of Runes.
"I was narrow-minded. The first sentence of the Divine Talisman Sect's tradition is that disciples should take all things in heaven and earth as their teachers. I only observed all things in the outside world, but forgot that human beings themselves are also included in all things."
Living beings are the most wondrous and incredible existences among all things in heaven and earth.
How can one create a spiritual symbol with a soul without understanding the mysteries of life?
Of course, the ability to create a talisman with a soul is a miraculous skill that ordinary rune practitioners cannot master.
Even within the traditions of the Divine Talisman Sect, this is merely regarded as a lofty pursuit.
Lu Qing now is even less likely to comprehend such profound mysteries.
He only gained a slight understanding of the circulation of qi and blood and the mysteries of the transformation of bones and flesh during his own breakthrough. He felt something in his heart and entered the path of runes.
He hasn't even mastered the simplest runes yet, let alone sketching spirit runes.
"However, now that I've grasped the basics of rune magic, I can finally start practicing that secret technique from the inheritance."
A glimmer of light appeared in Lu Qing's eyes.
Within the Divine Talisman Sect's lineage, there is a special secret technique that allows cultivators to cultivate divine soul power before reaching the pinnacle of the Acquired Realm.
However, this secret technique also has a threshold for cultivation.
First, the cultivator's physical fitness must reach at least the Muscle and Bone Realm level.
Only then can one withstand the pressure of tempering one's soul.
Secondly, the cultivator must have already entered the realm of rune comprehension and possess a mental strength that reaches a certain level.
Once both of these conditions are met, one still needs a rare and precious liquid like the Earth Vein Elixir to protect oneself before one can cultivate the secret technique.
Therefore, although the secret techniques of the Divine Talisman Sect can allow cultivators to cultivate divine soul power ahead of time.
However, the conditions for practicing this secret technique are equally demanding.
It is no less difficult than cultivating to the perfection of the Inner Organ Realm.
Fortunately, Lu Qing now meets all the requirements.
Seeing that it was still early, Lu Qing thought for a moment and then led Xiao Li into the mountains.
Before long, the man and the small beast arrived at the valley where the Jade Transformation Cave was located.
Looking at the valley filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, Lu Qing felt somewhat dazed.
This was his first time returning here since he left the valley last time.
When he left, he was still a martial artist at the Qi and Blood Realm.
Now that he has returned, he has reached the peak of the Bone and Tendon Realm, and his strength has increased immeasurably.
The reason his strength increased so quickly was largely due to the opportunities he gained in the cave.
After paying a simple respects at Li Weitian's grave, Lu Qing led Xiao Li into the cave behind the waterfall.
When he arrived at the Jade Transformation Cave, everything inside was exactly the same as when he left, without any change.
However, when Lu Qing looked at the runes in the cave again, he had a different feeling.
Last time, before he had cultivated the Way of Runes, he looked at the runes on the cave wall and, although he felt they were mysterious and profound, he couldn't see any secrets.
Now that he has mastered the basics of rune magic, looking at these runes again brings a flood of insights to his mind.
It evokes a sense of awe and reverence.
The mysterious being who created the Jade Cave was truly unfathomable in his mastery of runes.
Standing before the cave wall for a long time, Lu Qing felt that his understanding of the path of runes had increased considerably, and he had truly stepped into the door of the path of runes.
It seems I'll need to come to this cave more often to contemplate its secrets.
Lu Qing thought to himself.
He casually pushed open the hidden door of the cave and came to the hidden room where Li Weitian had passed away.
Everything inside was the same as before.
"Xiao Li, please protect me outside for a while. I'm going to cultivate for a bit, so don't let anyone disturb me."
Lu Qing gave Xiao Li some instructions.
The secret technique passed down through generations is quite risky to cultivate, and it is most important to avoid being disturbed by others.
Although this jade-like cave is located in a secluded place, it is virtually impossible for anyone to come here.
However, Lu Qing still cautiously instructed Xiao Li to protect him and ensure that nothing went wrong.
Seeing Xiao Li nod seriously, Lu Qing felt relieved and closed the door to the dark room.
Then, he sat cross-legged on the stone bed where Li Weitian had passed away and slowly regulated his breathing.
After adjusting his physical condition to its best, a jade bottle appeared in his hand.
It was the jade bottle containing the earth vein essence that he had taken out of here back then.
Without hesitation, Lu Qing poured a drop of Earth Vein Elixir into his mouth.
The spiritual liquid entered the stomach and quickly transformed into a vast, life-giving, and wondrous energy.
Lu Qing dared not delay and immediately began to use the method recorded in the secret manual, circulating his qi and blood in a peculiar trajectory towards the acupoint between his eyebrows.
As his blood rushed to his head, Lu Qing's face quickly turned bright red, especially the area between his eyebrows, which looked as if it were about to bleed.
However, his expression remained calm as he controlled the surging blood and qi with his powerful control.
This is extremely dangerous, as the area between the eyebrows is a vital acupoint on the body and should not be easily damaged.
Fortunately, his swordsmanship had reached the level of a Grandmaster, and he had grasped the principles of combining strength and gentleness, and being meticulous in every detail.
They have an extremely high level of control over their own bodies, able to control their Qi and blood, and refine and hone their acupoints according to the secret techniques.
During the polishing process, the strange life-giving energy transformed from the earth's spiritual fluid continuously flowed into the acupoint between the eyebrows, nourishing and stabilizing this mysterious place.
Throughout this process, Lu Qing carefully controlled his qi and blood, not daring to relax even slightly.
Even so, after a while, he still made a mistake.
The slight deviation in the control of Qi and blood caused damage to the acupoint between the eyebrows, almost causing it to collapse.
Fortunately, the strange energy transformed from the earth vein elixir protected the acupoint, preventing it from collapsing.
And it quickly repairs the damage, restoring it to its original state.
Feeling these changes, Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
This is the danger of this secret technique.
The human brain is extremely fragile, even for martial artists.
Even a powerful expert in the Inner Organ Realm wouldn't dare to casually channel their Qi and Blood into their head like that.
Because once the brain is damaged, the consequences are unimaginable.
At best, it can cause paralysis and mental impairment; at worst, it can lead to death.
If Lu Qing hadn't possessed the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, he would never have dared to cultivate this secret technique.
Having learned from this experience, Lu Qing became even more careful when working on the acupoints between his eyebrows.
In this state of intense focus, Lu Qing's mental energy was rapidly depleted.
But he remained calm and persistent.
Not long after, I felt the strange life force within my body begin to weaken.
Without hesitation, he immediately opened the jade bottle and poured another drop of Earth Vein Elixir into his mouth.
With the addition of this drop of spiritual liquid, he felt invigorated and continued his cultivation.
And so, Lu Qing diligently followed the secret method's mental techniques, circulating his qi and blood to refine his acupoints.
Whenever the energy of the Earth Vein Elixir weakens, pour a drop into your mouth.
It is unknown how much time has passed, but after Lu Qing consumed the fifth drop of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, and more than half of the energy of that drop of liquid was consumed.
He finally felt an invisible voice in his mind.
As if an egg had cracked, the acupoint between his eyebrows was finally opened up.
With this opening, Lu Qing felt that the whole world had changed.
However, before he could fully comprehend this change, the remaining strange life force energy in his body, along with the blood and qi power throughout his body, had already merged into the acupoint between his eyebrows.
A sense of weakness rose in Lu Qing's heart.
He dared not delay and immediately poured three more drops of spiritual liquid from the jade bottle and swallowed it.
The three drops of earth vein essence quickly transformed into life energy as they entered Lu Qing's abdomen, replenishing the deficiencies in his body.
The rest continued to be continuously poured into the acupoint between the eyebrows.
I have no idea how that tiny acupoint can hold so much energy.
And so, with the continuous supply of vital energy, a peculiar power slowly began to develop in the acupoint between Lu Qing's eyebrows.
When this strange power appeared, Lu Qing was shocked.
A sudden inspiration struck him, and without a second thought, he focused all his attention on his acupoints, merging with that peculiar power.
Then, with a bang, he fell into a strange state.
In a daze, Lu Qing slowly opened his eyes, not knowing how much time had passed.
His eyes held a look of understanding.
"So this is the power of the soul? It is indeed incredibly amazing."
At this moment, a wisp of lively and peculiar divine soul power was slowly moving around in the acupoint between Lu Qing's eyebrows.
Compared to the spacious brow chakra, it seems so insignificant.
However, this wisp of divine soul power was cultivated by Lu Qing after expending a great deal of earth vein spiritual liquid and going through many dangers, making it extremely precious.
And this wisp of divine soul power did not disappoint Lu Qing.
The world he saw at that moment had changed completely.
"Is this what Master meant by the primordial energy of heaven and earth?"
Sensing the faint flow of energy in the surrounding space.
Lu Qing knew that this was probably the primordial energy of heaven and earth that his master had mentioned before.
However, his current spiritual power is still weak, and he cannot yet clearly sense these primordial energies of heaven and earth.
Furthermore, because his physical body has not yet been cultivated to the point of perfect postnatal development and his energy channels are not yet open, he is unable to draw energy into his body and directly break through to the innate level.
However, after cultivating the power of the soul, Lu Qing also felt that the connection between his mind and body had become much closer.
This greatly enhanced his control over his body.
He is probably even better than those experts at the Inner Organ Realm.
At this rate, the day he breaks through to the Inner Organ Realm will probably be brought forward again.
Of course, these changes are actually secondary.
After cultivating the power of the divine soul, the truly important change, which is what Lu Qing values most, is...
That means he can finally begin his true cultivation of the Way of Runes.
The first step in cultivating the Way of Runes is to calm the mind and purify the heart, to sense all things in the world, to understand the commonalities between the patterns of all things, to verify them with the runes in the general outline of runes, and to find the opportunity to enter the path.
Once you've mastered the basics, the second step is the actual cultivation of runes.
However, the power of the soul is indispensable for this step.
Now, Lu Qing has finally met this requirement.
