Promise!

Chapter 192, Eight Meridians

The Iron-Skinned Pig King, a beast at the Yi Jin realm, was killed. The scraps were stewed into a soup and distributed to over a thousand elite soldiers. They took the meat back to share with their wives, children, and elderly parents. As a result, Zhuang Jin's reputation in Linji County grew even more prominent, and the battle between Zhuang Jin and the Iron-Skinned Pig King became a popular topic of conversation among the people of Linji.

However, ordinary people can only listen to the excitement; unless they are martial artists who have opened their meridians and experienced it firsthand, it is difficult for them to appreciate the significance of killing that iron-skinned pig king.

After dealing with the Iron-skinned Pig King, no other strange beasts at the Yi Jin realm appeared in Linji County; at most, they were at the Refining Flesh realm, which made things much easier.

In the two neighboring counties, Qinghe County has not heard of any strange beasts at the Yi Jin realm this year, which seems to be due to good luck. However, a silver wolf king at the Yi Jin realm has appeared in Wanliu County. It is said that the first attempt to capture it failed, which aroused the other party's vigilance. Subsequently, the magistrate of Wanliu County, the county governor of the Shen family, and the heads of the two wealthy families led their troops to search the mountains and seas, causing chaos and turmoil.

Compared to other counties, Linji County is under the jurisdiction of Zhuang Jin. In this year of great energy surge in the prefecture, the Yi Jin realm beast was killed by lightning. It is as stable as a mountain. The environment in all aspects is the best among the seven counties under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Prefecture. To this day, it still attracts many people from other counties to move here.

Time flies, and it's time for the year-end medicinal herb offerings again. As is customary, Zhuang Jin oversaw the route, alternating between land and water routes, and everything went smoothly without any major incidents.

In the blink of an eye, more than four months had passed, and it was the end of February in the fifty-third year of the Qian Yuan era.

February 29th.

On this day, Zhuang Jin received news from the prefectural city, a personal letter from the family head Shen Xianhong: Recently, traces of a Yin-Yang Dragon, a strange beast at the Bone Forging Realm, have appeared in the waters bordering Qinghe County of Diannan Prefecture and Yunchuan County of Donghu Prefecture!

The Yin-Yang Flood Dragon is a unique species born from the mating of the Netherworld Python and the Crimson Serpent. On land, it manifests as Yang, possessing fire energy; in water, it manifests as Yin, capable of spewing out cold energy... This unique species is even more gifted than the Iron-skinned Pig King that Zhuang Jin killed, and it is almost certain to condense a beast pearl at the Bone Forging Realm!

As for the Beast Pearl, as a secret medicine that can be used to break through to the Innate Realm, it can help awaken the Innate Spiritual Light in the first stage of the Three Innate Realms... Since it involves the Innate Realm, its value is immeasurable, which is why it alarmed Shen Xianhong to write a letter personally!

The discovery of this Yin-Yang Dragon was somewhat coincidental. In recent months, fishermen in Qinghe County had caught fewer fish and shrimp, and many unidentified creatures had been causing trouble, resulting in numerous shipwrecks. The livelihoods of the people in Qinghe County had been greatly affected. At the beginning of the year, one of the ships that were delivering medicinal herbs capsized. Gradually, the discovery gained attention.

At this time, another medicinal herb field in Qinghe County was attacked. Martial artists below reported that a Crimson Serpent at the Yi Jin realm had appeared. The magistrate of Qinghe County, the county governor, and the heads of two wealthy families led troops to surround and kill it. However, the Crimson Serpent became extremely ferocious, killing countless people. Finally, it entered the water with ease, and it was then discovered that it was actually a Yin-Yang Dragon at the Bone Forging realm.

"No wonder no strange beasts at the Yi Jin realm have appeared in Qinghe County this year. Two tigers cannot share one mountain. I'm afraid that Yin Yang Jiao sensed its presence and ate it directly?"

Zhuang Jin shook her head slightly and continued reading.

In the letter, Shen Xianhong stated that he would stay in the prefectural city with the leader of the Medicine King Gang and would not take action. The Shen family sent their fourth son, Shen Xujing, and the head of the General Affairs Department, Mu Mingxi, while the Medicine King Gang sent their leader's younger brother, Shi Jie.

It is also said that the location where the Yin-Yang Flood Dragon appeared this time is the border between Yunnan and Donghu Prefectures. According to the rules, the Yan family, a powerful clan in Donghu Prefecture, can also get involved in such an opportunity and will probably send people as well. If the Nascent Soul martial artists on the Hidden Dragon Ranking in the prefecture are traveling nearby and happen to catch up, they can also participate in the competition for this opportunity. The local powerful clans cannot stop them.

Even with just one point, everything will be limited to what is innate.

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly upon seeing this.

A martial artist specializing in fetal breathing can briefly merge with the world under the guidance of advanced breathing concealment techniques, becoming invisible through martial intuition. Those at the innate realm can do this for even longer. However, in the prefectural city, what he sensed was the intense presence of Shen Xianhong's innate realm, as vast as mountains and as deep as the sea, permeating the heavens and the earth, which remained constant.

The purpose of doing this is twofold: first, Shen Xianhong is the backbone of the Shen family, and doing this is equivalent to setting up a strong banner, which will reassure all the retainers and the entire Shen family; second, it is to echo the Medicine King Gang Leader from afar, so that they can sense each other and keep each other in check at all times.

To put it simply, Shen Xianhong and the leader of the Medicine King Gang were keeping a close watch on each other. The two of them were locked down in the city. As far as Zhuang Jin knew, there were only three people in the two families who were openly practicing the Fetal Breathing technique: two from the Shen family and one from the Medicine King Gang, and all of them were at the seventh level.

Of course, the Shen family has refined a batch of Tongxuan Pills, so they may now have eight meridians.

Against this backdrop, Zhuang Jin, after breaking through to the Fetal Breathing Realm in the county town below, was truly fearless. That's why, after breaking through last year, he demonstrated his strength and value to Teng Yuansong, hoping to obtain information about the Three Gates of the Innate Realm and experience in breaking through to the Innate Realm through this person's channels... However, he underestimated the power of aristocratic families to block the secrets of the Innate Realm, and thus failed.

"The letter from the family head, Shen Xianhong, is quite interesting. It doesn't give specific instructions, telling me whether to go or not; it seems to just be informing me of the news and leaving the decision to me."

Zhuang Jin understood: Shen Xianhong was unaware of his current cultivation level. If he were stuck at the sixth level of the Meridian Opening Realm, this news could act as a catalyst, creating a sense of urgency in him and potentially leading him to take the Profound Enlightenment Pill...

Because it is clear that only those at the embryonic breathing level are qualified to get involved in such matters.

"Shen Xianhong didn't say it directly, nor did he force me to go. This shows his subtle grasp of the situation, giving me ample freedom and the right to choose for myself. That way, even if I couldn't resist taking the Tongxuan Pill, and later learned that using a breakthrough pill would create hidden dangers for the three innate gates, making it almost impossible to break through to the innate realm, I wouldn't be able to hold a grudge."

'Going with the flow, achieving multiple goals at once, and remaining unscathed—such a style is indeed characteristic of that family patriarch!'

'However, Shen Xianhong probably wouldn't have imagined that I have no bottleneck, don't need the Profound Enlightenment Pill, and yet possess the strength to participate in this event.'

Zhuang Jin sighed inwardly, deciding to attend this event: 'This is a rare opportunity; it's truly a momentous occasion not to be missed.'

However, his target wasn't the Yin-Yang Flood Dragon's beast pearl: 'That Yin-Yang Flood Dragon is being watched by many parties; it's too conspicuous. Even if I kill it and obtain the beast pearl, should I hand it over to the Shen family?'

'What would I get in return if I handed it over to the Shen family? Most likely, a battle merit and some high-end resources I don't need. Even in the best-case scenario, if I secretly obtained the beast pearl and didn't hand it over to the Shen family, I still don't have the recipe to concoct the secret medicine.'

These items were strictly controlled by powerful and influential families.

'Furthermore, the secret medicine concocted with the beast pearl is somewhat helpful for awakening innate spiritual light. Is awakening innate spiritual light considered a bottleneck? If so, I might not really need this stuff!'

Zhuang Jin's target was the arriving martial artists at the Nascent Soul stage: 'Through this platform, I hope to find a way to trade and obtain information on the three stages of the Innate Realm, and gain experience to break through to the Innate Realm.'

'The bargaining chips could be the Profound Pill, or my value in uniting forces during this Yin-Yang Flood Dragon incident… Hmm, with my strength, I might not have the ability to get someone the Yin-Yang Flood Dragon Beast Pearl, but I certainly have the ability to sabotage things and prevent them from getting what they want.'

In short, everything is for one goal: information on the three innate gates and experience in breaking through the innate barrier!
'The meditation techniques for the first eight meridians of the Black Fiend Technique conclude by stating: Once one awakens their innate spiritual light and opens the Xuan Guan (mysterious gate) acupoint, the breakthrough process begins. Facing the last two of the three innate barriers, failure leads to death. This demonstrates the extreme danger of breaking through to the innate level.'

Zhuang Jin learned about these things in advance precisely to make some preparations: 'After all, while my talent has no bottlenecks, ensuring I can enter a breakthrough state without encountering any, doesn't guarantee the breakthrough process will be safe, or that the breakthrough will definitely succeed!'

'I will go this time, but not now.'

He secretly estimated: 'Let's set the date for three days from now!'

'I'm closest to Qinghe County, no need to rush. That Yin-Yang Dragon isn't easy to catch... Most importantly, for me now, every three days brings a whole new world!'

……

Rewind to the day before Zhuang Jin received the letter, in the Shen family residence in Yunnan Prefecture.

Shen Xianhong summoned his fourth son, Shen Xujing, and Mu Mingxi, the head of the General Affairs Department, who had come this time. He first said to Shen Xujing, "Your eldest brother is in seclusion and is breaking through the bottleneck from the seventh to the eighth meridian. He will have an opportunity in the future. Your eighth and tenth brothers have not yet opened their meridians."

"If you obtain the beast pearl of that Yin-Yang Flood Dragon this time, it will be yours to use."

As he spoke, he looked at Mu Mingxi and said, "I'll leave this to Master Mu this time." "You flatter me, Patriarch! I was given the Tongxuan Pill before, but I received it without having done anything to do so. Even though the Medicine King Gang is facing a formidable enemy, I still feel unworthy of it... This time, I'm determined to get the Yin-Yang Dragon's beast pearl for the Fourth Young Master!" Mu Mingxi said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Mu Sizheng doesn't need to feel too much pressure. It would be best if he could get it, but it's okay if he can't. The bottom line is: the Medicine King cannot help him."

Shen Xianhong paused for a moment, then said, "I have other plans. You may have extra help this time, but don't have too high hopes. Just proceed as normal."

……

West of the city, the Medicine King Gang.

Shi Yong also gave Shi Jie some advice: "You know that our Medicine King Gang's true reliance is... With the Yin-Yang Dragon's Beast Pearl, it would be even better. If not, you can still try your luck in the future."

"That being said, we cannot not go this time, otherwise it will arouse the suspicion of the Shen family. Fortunately, you recently broke through to the Eighth Meridian Realm, so your safety on this trip is guaranteed. Try to hide your realm as much as possible this time... The bottom line this time is that the Shen family cannot obtain the Beast Pearl."

"Don't worry, brother, I know!"

……

Donghu Prefecture.

"The appearance of this Yin-Yang Dragon at the border of Diannan Prefecture and my Donghu Prefecture is a great opportunity; how can we miss it?"

Yan Shilin looked at the boatmen and said, "If you can arrive within five days, you will each receive a reward of thirty taels of silver; if you arrive in four days, you will each receive a reward of fifty taels; if you arrive in three days, you will each receive a reward of one hundred taels!"

Upon hearing this, the boatmen were all energized. They all knew that this eldest son of the Yan family was impulsive and straightforward, but he was a man of his word and never went back on his word.

Suddenly the boat's speed increased dramatically, and it continued downstream, with the scenery on both banks rushing by.

"How wonderful! How wonderful!"

Yan Shilin laughed loudly, clapped his hands, and sent a wine vat spinning away: "Director Fang, drink this vat of wine! Let's join forces this time to compete for the Yin-Yang Dragon's beast pearl!"

"Hahaha, good! Young Master has seven meridians, and I have eight. If we join forces, we will definitely be able to take that beast pearl this time."

Fang Lifu reached out and took the bronze vat, tilted his head back and poured the wine in, which then flowed down his neck.

……

Huaihua Prefecture was a prefecture that bordered Diannan Prefecture.

"Oh, a strange Yin-Yang Dragon has appeared at the border of Diannan Prefecture and Donghu Prefecture?!"

A young man in white heard the traveling merchants discussing the matter. After confirming it with a silver ingot, he snapped his white jade folding fan with gold and silver threads, whistled, and a small dot quickly fell from the sky. When it got closer, it turned out to be a golden eagle with wingspans of more than ten feet.

The man spun in mid-air, rode the wind, landed on the golden eagle's back, and flew away with a whoosh.

A gasp of surprise came from inside the teahouse.

"The golden eagle and the white jade fan with a thousand threads... I remember now, this is Ning Tongxuan, the twelfth on the Hidden Dragon List of Cangzhou City, known as the 'Smiling Scholar' who can kill with a wave of his fan while talking and laughing!"

"It's this person?! I heard that the Hidden Dragon Ranking only selects the 100 most powerful Nascent Soul Realm martial artists from Cangzhou. Only the very top Nascent Soul Realm martial artists with a sliver of hope of achieving Innate Realm can make the list, let alone this twelfth place!"

"Qinghe County is bustling this time, it's a pity I can't see it!"

……

March 2nd, Linji County.

"I've finally completed the accumulation of the seventh meridian, the Ren meridian!"

Zhuang Jin thought that going to Qinghe County might not be safe with the Seven Meridians Realm, so as to be on the safe side, he would intensify his cultivation for the next three days and planned to break through to the Eight Meridians Realm first.

The reason he was able to complete the Ren Meridian realm accumulation so quickly was that he used the bone-forging realm beast bones he had purchased through Fu Shousong's channels, the beast tendon ointment he had left over, and the formula to accelerate realm accumulation. With these three methods combined, he completed the Ren Meridian realm accumulation in just over four months.

The cost was: the use of various resources, amounting to as much as three or four hundred thousand taels of silver!

—Actually, just the cultivation resources of the superior-grade Black Yuan Powder only cost thirty to forty thousand taels of silver. The rest is mostly the price to accelerate cultivation, but it is worth it. Now the Medicine King Gang and the Shen family each have their own plans. Time waits for no one and there is no time to lose!

"The twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians are complete today!"

Zhuang Jin closed his eyes and focused his mind, channeling his inner energy into the Du Meridian, the last of the eight extraordinary meridians. He followed the Du Meridian from the lower abdomen, through the spine, to the top of his head.

hum!hum!
As the Du Meridian is opened, it is as if a fetus is born with two umbilical cords connecting heaven and earth, or as if two bridges are built. The primordial energy of heaven and earth flows wildly back up the Ren and Du Meridians like a tornado, transforming into surging internal energy.

The twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians are all opened up, becoming perfectly integrated, like a network that runs throughout the body, restraining the raging internal energy. In the rapid cycle, the internal energy seems to be cheering and jumping for joy, completing the final leap to the Great Realm of Energy Accumulation, and at the same time, giving the body a deep and thorough baptism.

After a full cup of tea's time.

Zhuang Jin opened his eyes: "In the past, after each breakthrough in the Qi Condensation and Meridian Opening realms, I always felt that my body was not in harmony or complete, as if a piece of the puzzle was missing. Now that the Ren Meridian has been opened, the last piece of the puzzle has been completed, and I truly have nothing to lack!"

He suddenly stood up, and the filth of the Yi Jin Fa Sui instantly turned into dust and fell away. His whole being was sharp and piercing, like a sword drawn from its sheath, and anyone who looked at him seemed to be hurt.

……

On that day, after giving instructions and making arrangements, Zhuang Jin secretly left Linji.

From a high altitude, one can see people converging on Qinghe County from all directions, a scene of great upheaval and dramatic unfolding.

……

(End of this chapter)