Chapter 5

Zongshou’s frown eased, and he once again adjusted his breathing. Sitting in the bathtub, he continued to guide the medicinal power within his body, gradually transforming it into spiritual energy, which permeated every organ and corner of his body.

At this moment, he was using the internal breathing guidance technique, a branch of the guiding technique. Without the corresponding movements and postures, it was naturally impossible to utilize every strand of spiritual energy to the utmost extent as the latter could.

Chuxue’s pulse-point massage technique was clearly a superior secret transmission. With her true qi as an aid, the speed at which she refined the medicinal power far exceeded his guiding technique by several hundred times. However, in terms of uniformity and fineness, it was far inferior.

At this moment, Zongshou was converting the medicinal power that had yet to be refined into spiritual energy. He did not hope that these medicines could cure his dual-meridian constitution, nor did he wish to further strengthen his bloodline origin, which would worsen the root of his illness. He could only do his best to strengthen his body.

He truly could not bear to waste these essences of medicinal power.

After about half a cup of tea time, Zongshou had already rinsed and combed through almost every corner of his limbs and bones. He only stopped when the pain in his meridians became almost unbearable.

Although this medicinal bath could strengthen the physical body and enhance blood and qi, it required a gradual process, slowly improving over time. It could not be rushed. A session every ten days was the most appropriate interval.

However, when Zongshou opened his eyes again and looked at the medicinal liquid around him, which still exuded a strong fragrance, he sighed once more.

He was extremely doubtful about whether the so-called 'famous doctor' truly understood pharmacology. The formula for the Five Ginseng Blood-Strengthening Decoction was simply extravagant, using nothing but precious and rare ingredients. However, the medicinal power that the human body could truly absorb was less than one-tenth.

If he were to prepare the medicine, the efficacy could at least be increased by three times. And if his body were intact without the dual-meridian illness, he could even use its power to directly open a wheel meridian and step onto the path of martial cultivation with his self-created internal breathing guidance technique.

"Unfortunately, I can't even perform normal internal breathing and circulation. The meridians within my body cannot circulate internal qi. If it were just pain, it would be fine, but I fear that the qi moving through the dual meridians would conflict with each other, potentially leading to death. Is there really no solution at all?"

After pondering for a long time without any results, Zongshou wanted to get out of the bathtub. Just as he stood up, a passage of scripture floated into his mind. It was not demonic writing, but ancient scriptures!

"Observe the way of heaven, understand the actions of heaven. The way of heaven is constant, and there is no place it does not return. There are favorable and unfavorable times in a month, and their effects have shapes. What is auspicious at one time can turn into inauspicious, and what is inauspicious at one time can turn into auspicious—"

"Why is it this Swallowing Essence Technique again?"

Zongshou's eyes suddenly widened, and his body froze. He was extremely familiar with this passage, which came from the *Swallowing Heaven Essence Transformation Sutra*.

It did not record martial arts but contained some profound scriptures and martial arts secrets. For unknown reasons, this heretical and rebellious book, which should have been completely banned by all holy places, had spread within the Divine Emperor game, albeit in a very limited range. This led to the deaths and injuries of a million players over three years.

By chance, Zongshou also obtained a copy of the *Swallowing Heaven Essence Transformation Sutra*. He did not dare to practice it rashly and had been exploring and improving it, but with little success. He could only borrow some of its essential points and integrate them into other martial arts. Over time, he had given up the idea of creating his own martial arts based on this scripture.

However, in recent days, perhaps due to his complete despair over his condition, Zongshou often found himself thinking about this scripture, unable to control himself.

"The way of heaven, it diminishes the excess and supplements the deficiency. My current dual-meridian condition, with my weak body and qi, perfectly aligns with this principle. If I practice this technique, I can surely step into the blue clouds and ascend to the heavens in one step, just like that person!"

The essence of the *Swallowing Heaven Essence Transformation Sutra* was to take others' essence power for oneself and absorb the essence of heaven and earth to improve oneself. This was the most detested by martial cultivators and spirit masters. However, Zongshou had no qualms about it.

A tool is in the hands of a person; if used well, it is good; if used badly, it is bad!

Against mortal enemies, one must use any means necessary. As for innocent people, Zongshou would not randomly take their essence power.

"Step into the blue clouds and ascend to the heavens in one step? Sounds good! What was the result for that person? He only lasted three years before his body split and he died. It was not so much that he fell to the combined attacks of those top experts, but rather that he died by his own hand. If you practice this method, how will you regulate your meridians and integrate those foreign true essences? It seems like a shortcut, but it is actually a path to ruin. Your true qi will be mixed, and in the future, it will be difficult to transcend death and enter the realm of immortal martial arts—"

"Have you not spent years painstakingly gathering many fellow practitioners to create your own guiding technique, all for this great method? Regulating meridians and swallowing essence are not impossible. Moreover, this Swallowing Essence Technique has been improved. Although its power has decreased, it no longer poses the risk of internal qi disorder."

"But this guiding technique is not yet complete! And the *Swallowing Heaven Essence Transformation* still has flaws. If my dual-meridian condition cannot be improved, practicing this method will only be like this Five Ginseng Blood-Strengthening Decoction—"

The two voices in his head argued incessantly, and Zongshou's expression changed rapidly, uncertain and unpredictable.

After a long while, Zongshou suddenly smiled and sat down again.

His mind was crystal clear, with survival as the top priority. If time allowed, he would naturally want to perfect it before practicing the *Swallowing Heaven Essence Transformation Sutra*. But did he have a choice now?

Chuxue and Yin Yang both said there was no need to worry, but this only made him more uneasy. If something unexpected happened, he needed to have some means to protect himself.

Moreover, if he only used it to absorb the essence of these medicines, the Swallowing Essence Technique should not cause any hidden dangers.

With his decision made, Zongshou immediately began to practice his breathing and circulation. He had studied this *Swallowing Heaven Essence Transformation* technique countless times and had imagined and rehearsed various scenarios.

At this moment, his practice was almost without any hindrance, as if he were on a familiar path, easily guiding the medicinal power in the water into his body. This step was called 'Swallowing Heaven.'

Next, he used the internal breathing guidance technique to control the warm currents within his body, transforming them into essence and spiritual energy. Then, he endured the pain and, following the heart mantra, made them flow continuously, compressing and purifying them step by step. This was the second step, 'Essence Transformation.' It sounded simple, but the process was extremely complex. The slightest mistake would result in all previous efforts being wasted.

When he had absorbed about seventy percent of the medicinal liquid in the bathtub, Zongshou felt as if his abdomen was about to burst. It was as if countless rats were uncontrollably rushing and wandering within his body. Cold sweat poured down his body, and all his wheel meridians felt as if they were splitting open.

However, Zongshou was not alarmed but rather delighted. His expression was solemn, and his eyes shone with divine light. He suddenly let out a light shout, saying the word 'Open.' He forcefully controlled the essence and spiritual energy he had refined countless times, directing them to collide with the point half an inch below his navel.

Then, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, a loud explosion in his ears, and his blood and qi suddenly reversed. His consciousness was lost, and he felt dizzy.

When Zongshou regained consciousness, a hint of joy immediately appeared on his face.

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