Two months passed like a fleeting white steed, and Qin Yu gradually realized during this period that everything was indeed as the system described.
Although on the surface his strength had not significantly improved, a subtle and profound change had occurred within him.
He clearly felt his heart becoming calmer, like a deep, unruffled lake.
This change in his state of mind directly manifested in the smoother circulation of his internal energy, which was now far more fluid than before, and this was likely the miraculous effect brought about by the growth of his “spirit.”
Over these two months, Qin Yu spent 400 points to purchase two practical abilities from the system's Myriad Worlds Mall: Basic Firearms Mastery and Basic Traditional Chinese Medicine Mastery.
The Basic Firearms Mastery ability granted Qin Yu marksmanship no less accurate than a special forces soldier, along with a deep understanding and application of various firearms.
Currently, Qin Yu still needed to conceal his extraordinary strength, and firearms mastery happened to be useful.
After all, as a rich young master, it was perfectly normal to enjoy firearms and practice shooting in his leisure time.
Furthermore, with “medicine and martial arts being inseparable,” Basic Traditional Chinese Medicine Mastery also held significant meaning for Qin Yu.
It could help Qin Yu understand his own physical condition more deeply and accurately.
One had to admire the extraordinary quality of abilities produced by the system.
Although named Basic Traditional Chinese Medicine, by the current standards of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Earth, Qin Yu could entirely stand on his own with this ability and open his own Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic.
At this moment, Qin Yu lay comfortably on the lush, soft grass, his gaze leisurely sweeping across the distant undulating mountains and forests, a wave of emotion welling up in his heart.
If he hadn't been reborn into the perilous Marvel World, how perfect and enjoyable would his current carefree life be?
Feeling a bit bored, Qin Yu idly opened the system's Myriad Worlds Mall and started browsing the pages.
Looking at the dazzling array of treasures on the page, his eyes were filled with longing, almost drooling.
This feeling was somewhat like browsing Taobao on a phone in his previous life, both longing for those desirable goods and feeling helpless due to a lack of funds—this familiar feeling was truly nostalgic.
Suddenly, among the elixirs, the “Heart Refinement Pill” caught his attention.
The Heart Refinement Pill, priced at three hundred points per pill, originated from a medium-level Immortal-Demon Plane.
In that plane, immortals and demons were in long-term opposition, constantly warring.
Since ancient times, major cultivation sects, to help their disciples cultivate their minds and prevent qi deviation, invented the “Heart Refinement Path” with the aid of formations and magical artifacts.
However, with the advent of the Age of Dharma Decline, cultivation resources became extremely scarce, and sects could no longer bear the immense resource consumption of the “Heart Refinement Path.”
Thus, a talented disciple, through unremitting research, gradually developed the Heart Refinement Pill as a secondary substitute.
But the Heart Refinement Pill was not flawless; it contained a trace of heart demon inducement.
If the user could not withstand its medicinal effects, they would undoubtedly die, and it was precisely for this reason that it was later gradually abandoned by cultivators.
“Holy crap, this risk is too high! It’s practically a classic case of ‘succeed or die trying!’ No wonder the system never mentioned this pill to me before.”
Qin Yu was startled, and cautiously asked the system, “System, will this Heart Refinement Pill be effective for my mind cultivation?”
The system replied in its usual cold voice, “It is effective.
As long as you can withstand the medicinal effects, one Heart Refinement Pill can help you break through to the Embracing the Dan Realm.
High risk naturally comes with high reward.
The system advises the host to consider carefully.
Given that martial arts cultivation cannot be temporarily improved, you can try starting from other aspects.
Why take such a great risk?
Do you not consider improving your bloodline or physique?”
“Damn it, if I had that many spare points, would I be wasting time talking to you here?
It's precisely because I'm poor that I choose to continue cultivating martial arts,” Qin Yu couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Everyone might be surprised by his statement “poor people choose to cultivate martial arts,” isn't it commonly said “poor in literature, rich in martial arts”?
But it also depends on the specific circumstances.
How could Qin Yu not covet powerful abilities like improving bloodline or physique?
But he knew that the starting price for improving bloodline or physique was ten thousand points; even if he sold all his “parts,” it would still be nowhere near enough.
Seeing that Qin Yu was still not giving up, the system reluctantly prompted again, “Given the host's current progress in mind cultivation, it is not recommended for you to use the Heart Refinement Pill directly now.
Once you encounter a bottleneck in mind cultivation, trying the Heart Refinement Pill might still give you a thirty percent chance of success.”
In fact, the system was right; given Qin Yu's current condition, if he rashly took the Heart Refinement Pill, the failure rate would be over ninety percent.
Helplessly, Qin Yu could only continue cultivating according to the plan given by the system.
Six months later, Qin Yu, leisurely fishing by the river, finally encountered the so-called mental bottleneck.
At this point, his state of mind seemed to have hit an invisible barrier; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't improve further.
Watching the bobber float up and down in the Water, Qin Yu knew that he was only one step away from breaking through to the Embracing the Dan Realm, but this seemingly short step had stumped countless exceptionally talented individuals.
Stepping over meant a significant elevation in the level of life, like stepping into heaven; but retreating could lead to eternal damnation, like falling into hell.
Qin Yu toyed with the Heart Refinement Pill, red like fresh blood, in his hand, understanding that it was time to make a decision.
He slowly stood up and began to assume the Tai Chi Hunyuan Pile stance, attempting to adjust his state to the best possible.
As his breathing gradually stabilized, he swallowed the Heart Refinement Pill in one gulp.
No sooner had the pill entered his mouth than, in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, countless bizarre illusions surged like a violent tide, fiercely assaulting his mind.
Sometimes, stunningly beautiful maidens appeared, seducing him with enchanting poses; at other times, sinister whispers of demons came, attempting to disturb his sanity…
Qin Yu dared not show any slack or contempt; he concentrated fully, held fast to his original intention, letting these heart demons assault him at will, while silently reciting the Daoist Tranquility Incantation.
Gradually, Qin Yu's mind became clearer and clearer, and he clearly felt his “spirit” growing at an astonishing speed under the assault of the heart demons.
He repeatedly stood in the pile stance, generating an endless stream of internal energy within his body, and the powerful force caused his Sun temples to bulge high.
After stopping the pile stance, Qin Yu quickly performed the Eight Extremities Fist.
His movements were agile, and the Eight Extremities Fist's eight deadly moves were displayed one by one: Yama's Three-Point Hand, swift and sharp, like Yama claiming a life; Fierce Tiger Climbing the Mountain, brave and fearless, like a fierce tiger emerging from the mountains; Three Disregards at the Gate, advancing bravely, heedless of life or death; Overlord's Hard Twist and Wrap, domineering and tough, like the might of an overlord; Welcoming the Sun Hand, skillful and flexible, going with the flow; Left and Right Hard Opening Gates, wide and expansive, with majestic momentum; Oriole's Double Snatching Claws, agile and fast, like an oriole pouncing on its prey; accompanied by the final deadly move, Standing Heaven-Piercing Cannon, which was even more astonishing in power and soaring in momentum.
Suddenly, inspiration struck, and Qin Yu felt his internal energy flowing wildly like an unbridled horse, his blood also joining the flow, and slowly, the internal energy and blood began to merge into one.
Qi and blood flowed like a surging, unending river.
Blood belonged to yang, and qi to yin; yin and yang intertwined, forming a massive and perfect circle.
“Boom,” accompanied by a thunderous roar like a sudden clap of thunder on flat ground, Qin Yu's “spirit” rapidly descended, plunging into the massive circle, quickly balancing the forces of yin and yang, successfully forming the illusory dan unique to the Embracing the Dan Realm.
Qin Yu excitedly “looked” inside his body.
Indeed, after breaking through to the Embracing the Dan Realm, he had gained the ability of internal vision.
He saw that the qi and blood throughout his body flowed orderly along the meridians, and his five zang and six fu organs were beating powerfully, full of vitality and vigor.
Not only that, the fusion of essence and qi made his “spirit” even stronger.
At this moment, centered on him, he could perceive even the slightest changes within a hundred-meter radius, seeing the subtle and knowing the profound.
What a miraculous ability this was!
No wonder that in the mundane World, after Zhang Sanfeng, the Embracing the Dan Realm became an unreachable legend; how could such a sublimation of life be achieved by ordinary people?
Most importantly, Qin Yu also mastered the unique skill of the Embracing the Dan Realm—Embracing the Dan Sitting the Hips.
This skill allowed the essence, qi, spirit, blood, and marrow of the entire body to condense and gather at one point, concentrating all the body's strength in the Dan Tian.
In combat, it could erupt with a bang, and the more internal force it contained, the stronger the erupted ability.
This was somewhat similar to Monkey D. Luffy's Gear Second in “One Piece,” except that Luffy's Gear Second came at the cost of consuming life force, while Qin Yu's Embracing the Dan Sitting the Hips relied on his own powerful qi, blood, and internal force.
Qin Yu eagerly checked the system's assessment of his strength.
Name: Qin Yu
Age: 17
Lifespan: 350 years
Combat Power: 650
National Arts Realm: Embracing the Dan Initial Stage
Pure Physical Strength: 6000 catties
Overall Evaluation: Novice Rookie
Seeing such a significant change on the strength display screen, from the previous Hua Jin Initial Stage to the current Embracing the Dan Initial Stage, his combat power instantly increased by nearly 400, his physical strength also increased by 1000 catties after breaking through to the Embracing the Dan Realm, and there was also an overall evaluation.
Although it was currently only “Novice Rookie,” Qin Yu was still incredibly excited.
He never expected that his combat power would increase so much after breaking through to the Embracing the Dan Realm.
Even though he was only at the Embracing the Dan Initial Stage now, Qin Yu was confident that he could easily defeat five or six Hua Jin Peak martial artists with one hand.
There was no way around it; such a huge gap existed between Hua Jin and Embracing the Dan.
“Ding-dong, congratulations to the host for advancing to Embracing the Dan, earning the title of ‘Novice Rookie,’ and receiving a reward of 10,000 points.
One Purple Dawn Congenital Skill (a genuine profound sect secret manual from a low-level martial arts plane, which accelerates the cultivation speed of internal force by absorbing the purple qi between heaven and Earth in the early morning).
Thirteen Grand Protector Horizontal Training (a body-refining cultivation method from a medium-level martial arts plane; this cultivation method focuses on physical defense, and upon great mastery, the physical body can defend against ordinary cannon attacks, and pure physical strength can reach thirty thousand catties).
Three months of training in the Black Domain of the Battle Through the Heavens Plane (you can bring back loot obtained by the host within three months).”
“This system prompt sounds so beautiful! This is great, I was just worrying about the points needed for my next cultivation, and I didn't expect the reward to come knocking on my door.”
Qin Yu was so excited he almost jumped up.
He could understand the system issuing a body-refining cultivation method, but suddenly giving him an internal energy cultivation method—Purple Dawn Congenital Skill—left him a bit confused, as there was no corresponding record in the National Arts knowledge system he had encountered.