Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

With a creak, Shen Qi pushed open the half-closed door.

The snow on the steps was mottled from being trampled. An old servant was sweeping the courtyard when he looked up and saw Shen Qi. He quickly put down the broom and came to greet him.

"Master Shen, you've arrived. The master is resting in the backyard."

Shen Qi followed the old servant through the front yard to the bedroom door. The old servant announced his arrival and then opened the door.

The room was warm and cozy, filled with the aroma of medicine. Zhou Wenyuan sat back on the large bed, his face slightly pale. Several layers of white cloth were wrapped around his left shoulder, the edges of which faintly revealed traces of blood. Two maids dressed in blue stood carefully beside the bed, carrying copper basins and cloths.

Zhou Wenyuan looked up and saw Shen Qi step over the threshold, then waved his hand.

Two maids immediately picked up the basin of water, bowed their heads, and left the room, closing the heavy cotton curtain and lattice door tightly behind them.

"What are you doing running around at a time like this?" Zhou Wenyuan's voice was weak and lacked strength.

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the wooden box in Shen Qi's hand.

The rosewood has a delicate grain and exquisite carving, making it clear at a glance that it is of considerable value.

"What is this?"

Shen Qi gently placed the wooden box on the table, pulled over a round stool and sat down, saying with concern, "Since you are injured, it is only right that I come to visit you. These medicines are just a small token of my appreciation."

Zhou Wenyuan raised an eyebrow. Packed in such an expensive sandalwood box, this medicine must be quite expensive; it's far beyond what Shen Qi's meager salary could afford.

"Where did it come from?"

Shen Qi then briefly recounted how, during the chaos in the inner city yesterday, he found Yan Qing buried in the ruins of a restaurant, dragged him out and settled him in a grain shop, and how he had a chance encounter with him on the streets of the East Market today, and how Yan Qing sent his servants back to his residence to fetch medicine as a gift.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenyuan's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he couldn't help but laugh. This laugh aggravated the wound on his left shoulder, causing him to grimace again.

"Good lad, you're really lucky." Zhou Wenyuan caught his breath. "The Yan family has a well-known reputation and deep roots in Chengping County. Yan Qing has a bright future ahead of him. Forging this good relationship will bring you endless benefits in the future."

Shen Qi lowered his head slightly: "It was just a coincidence that I lent a hand. Young Master Yan values ​​loyalty and friendship, so I was merely passing on his kindness."

After saying that, he looked at Zhou Wenyuan's left shoulder and asked softly, "Is your injury serious, sir?"

"It's nothing, just a minor shoulder injury. I'll be fine after a few days of rest," Zhou Wenyuan said dismissively.

He turned his head, about to tell Shen Qi not to run around recently, but his gaze suddenly sharpened.

As the distance closed and the doors and windows inside the room were tightly shut, he keenly noticed that Shen Qi's breathing was somewhat heavy.

Shen Qi had just broken through to the next realm last night, and his internal energy and blood were like a newly born river, not yet able to control them freely. A trace of scorching blood energy leaked out with his breath, which was naturally noticed by Zhou Wenyuan.

"Stand up." Zhou Wenyuan propped himself up and sat up straight.

Shen Qi got up as instructed.

"Walk through the Spring Wood Exercise."

Shen Qi spread his feet apart, lowered his waist, and mounted a horse.

Without any hesitation, he directly activated the qi and blood within his body.

Qi and blood flowed through the twelve meridians. His skin quickly turned a reddish hue, as the blood and qi rose upwards.

Zhou Wenyuan sat on the bed, his gaze fixed on Shen Qi.

He saw that the qi and blood within Shen Qi's body were no longer wisps of mist, but had truly coalesced into a substantial torrent. His joints were connected, and his skin and flesh were as firm as iron. This was a sign that he was about to achieve mastery of the Body Tempering Realm.

"Receive," Zhou Wenyuan said.

Shen Qi exhaled a breath of turbid air, his qi and blood were drawn inward, and the crimson color slowly faded from his skin.

Zhou Wenyuan leaned back against the headboard, his expression changing several times before finally settling into calm.

He had practiced martial arts for thirty years and had met countless people in the Observatory. Even for a second-grade martial vein, it would take at least three to five years of hard work to cultivate one's qi and blood to the point where they could converge and flow, and the joints could be connected.

What about Shen Qi? He's only been involved in martial arts for a little over a month.

Such progress is truly astonishing.

It seems that what the Master said that day is true; Shen Qi's martial veins are not limited to the upper level.

Zhou Wenyuan's thoughts shifted slightly. He initially wanted to immediately go to the Master Jiang Xinyue and ask him to test Shen Qi's martial meridians again. But then he thought that the evil cultivators had just been pacified and everything needed to be rebuilt. If he bothered the Master with this matter now, it might annoy her, which would not be good.

It's not too late to report it after he breaks through to the Gang Sha Realm.

Zhou Wenyuan made up his mind but remained expressionless.

"Your Qi and blood flow smoothly, and your meridians are fully open." He looked at Shen Qi, "Your Body Tempering Realm is almost complete."

Shen Qi nodded: "I feel much stronger."

"It's more than just strength," Zhou Wenyuan said with a smile. "I originally thought that even with your excellent aptitude, it would take you a year or two to reach the threshold of the Gang Sha Realm. Now it seems I underestimated you."

He then changed the subject.

"Since you've progressed so quickly, we need to start preparing the medicinal herbs you'll need to break through to the second realm."

Shen Qi looked up: "Does breaking through a cultivation level require additional medicinal herbs?"

He had not obtained any information about the medicinal materials needed to break through the realm from the memories of the assimilated life threads. He had thought that as long as he accumulated enough qi and blood, he would break through naturally.

"Of course we need to." Zhou Wenyuan pointed to the chair next to him, gesturing for Shen Qi to sit down.

"The Body Tempering Realm trains the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, and gathers the body's Qi and blood. When the Qi and blood are abundant, one will naturally achieve mastery. But the罡煞 Realm is different."

Zhou Wenyuan raised his right hand, palm facing up.

He slightly spread his five fingers, and a wisp of pale white energy emerged from his palm, winding around his fingers like a gossamer thread before quickly solidifying into a constantly rotating, sharp vortex.

"To break through to the Gang Sha Realm, one must split Gang and transform Sha. What is splitting Gang and transforming Sha?" Zhou Wenyuan clenched his five fingers, and the vortex of Qi instantly dissipated. "It means dividing the abundant Qi and blood in your body into two. One part is released to the surface of the body, transforming into Gang Qi, used for attacking and defending against enemies; the other part is contained and gathered inward, condensing into Blood Sha, tempering the five internal organs."

"External strength and internal malevolence, yin and yang in harmony. Only when you reach this stage can you be considered to have truly stepped into the path of martial arts."

"But the transformation doesn't come for nothing." Zhou Wenyuan looked at Shen Qi, his tone becoming more serious. "This process requires a vast amount of vital energy as a foundation. The deeper your foundation and the more abundant your vital energy, the longer the transformation will take, and the more terrifying the consumption will be."

"For ordinary martial artists, breaking through is naturally optional. But your blood and qi scale far surpasses that of your peers. Even a first-grade martial vein would find it difficult to surpass your blood and qi at this juncture. Once the transformation begins, without a continuous supply of highly nourishing medicinal herbs, your blood and qi will be depleted midway. At best, it will damage your foundation; at worst, it will cause your meridians to rupture, and all your previous efforts will be wasted."

Shen Qi understood.

"I understand," Shen Qi nodded.

Looking at Shen Qi's calm expression, Zhou Wenyuan felt increasingly satisfied. He was neither arrogant nor impatient, and remained composed in the face of adversity; unfortunately, he was just stubbornly inflexible.

"You don't need to worry about the medicinal herbs." Zhou Wenyuan waved his hand, taking on the task. "Just continue refining your Qi and blood. I'll prepare the herbs for you."

"Thank you, sir." Shen Qi stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in thanks.

"Alright, stop standing around." Zhou Wenyuan waved him away, leaned back against the headboard, and looked tired. "Go back and practice your skills properly. Don't run around these next few days."

Shen Qi bowed and took his leave, then turned and pushed open the lattice door, lifting the curtain to step out.