A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch-Chapter 175 - 146: Martial Bones Begin to Emerge, 24 Vertebrae

Bai Qi never imagined that he would experience the sensation of near-death for the first time in this world.

It wasn't because of a powerful enemy or some crisis, but rather... a breakthrough?

The initial blood transformation upon stepping into the Bone Stage indeed gave one the terrifying experience of walking before the Ghost Gate Barrier.

Blood continuously drained from his body, his hands and feet gradually turned cold, leading to weakness and near fainting... it almost reminded Bai Qi of that old saying. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

There is great fear between life and death.

"Focus, circulate your energy, channel your strength."

The calm voice of Ninghai Zen reached his ears, and his slightly furrowed brows relaxed, thinking:

"The path I have walked, Ah Qi can naturally walk too, nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qi stuck his head out of the scorching water, savoring the invigorating feeling as the renewed warm blood coursed through his limbs and bones, as if clearing a clogged river channel, flowing unobstructed.

His once weak breaths became strong and powerful again, with his heart pounding in his chest like a drum.

Surging vitality revived his body, akin to a parched field receiving nourishing rain, and his muscles, which were once golden and jade-like, glistened under the penetrating moisture.

"So this is blood transformation?"

Bai Qi clenched his fist, feeling the surging force running through his fingers and palms, strong enough to crush solid iron balls into rubble, and if he encountered Black-armed Apes again, he could smash their heads with a single blow.

"How did I defeat Yang Meng? If he went through blood transformation like I just did, I wouldn't have stood a chance!"

Stepping into the Bone Stage marks a significant enhancement of physique and strength for a practitioner.

First, their energy seems inexhaustible, making it possible to sustain days of intense fighting and running without issue.

That's because the blood marrow flows continuously from the muscles and bones, supplying endless strength, as if infused with the vigor of dragons and tigers.

As long as the bones can still produce blood, it's like having rows of eight-cylinder engines fitted in.

"The Second Training Initial Success version of me could easily handle three of the Perfect Tendon Barrier version of me."

Bai Qi increasingly felt the significant differences even within the same Four Major Training Levels.

He closed his eyes, fully concentrating, and could clearly "see" the diagram of his own body.

Every muscle and bone, every inch of flesh and skin, appeared as if examining a clear print in the palm, yet he could not delve further to see the internal organs and viscera.

Once the initial blood transformation was complete, the muscles and skin tightly bonded, making the entire body dense, so much so that even without circulating energy, the boiling hot water could no longer cause any harm.

Splash!

Bai Qi stood up from the large copper vat, leaping out, while freshness and lightness swept over him.

"The good news is, your foundation is not bad, just a bit worse than mine back in the day."

Ninghai Zen gestured with two fingers, smiling faintly:

"The bad news is, you'll have to endure this pain several more times."

Bai Qi was unconcerned; as long as he could significantly enhance his strength, enduring hardship was nothing.

The masses of this world, many ordinary folk, are unwilling to endure hardship mainly because they don't see the reward.

"Master, there are so many fierce spirit monsters in Longkang Mountain, why only choose two Black-armed Apes that aren't much of a threat?"

Bai Qi asked, puzzled.

"Haven't you heard the saying 'Greed swallows the elephant'? As your Master, capturing a two-thousand-year-old Big Flood Dragon and bathing in its blood isn't hard, but I'm afraid your body can't handle the supplement and you'll explode into meat pulp on the spot."

Ninghai Zen said with a half-smile:

"How much you can handle dictates how much you can consume. If you can temper your physique to the extreme, surpassing me, and complete ten blood transformations, you might withstand the essence of a two-thousand-year-old Big Flood Dragon."

Ten times?

Bai Qi's scalp tingled, feeling the urge to take back his previous bold statement.

Just one time felt like a brush with death.

Ten times?

A person would be utterly done in.

The true feeling of near-death was no joke, with its terrifying nature.

"No need to rush, before spring, we can do about six transformations. Tomorrow, we'll head back into the mountains, head north, there's a five-hundred-year-old Mountain Demon."

Ninghai Zen issued another task, and despite often getting lost going out, at this moment it was as if he had clairvoyance.

It was as if he marked every spirit monster in Longkang Mountain, knowing their whereabouts like the back of his hand.

...

...

In the following dozen days, besides the considerable progress in various martial arts skills, the arts of cooking and butchering broke through repeatedly.

Mountain Demon, Golden Toad, Silver Wolf... from five hundred years elevated to seven hundred years, various spirit monsters met their demise one after another.

Even though Bai Qi had entered the Bone Stage, greatly increasing his appetite, the flesh and blood rich with essence was still too much to consume.

After sharing it with his master Ninghai Zen and his younger brother Bai Ming, there was still a large surplus.

He could only distribute some to the surrounding neighbors and sell the rest to the meat shop in Hunting Tiger Manor.

"Butcher Hu, cut me three pounds of Silver Wolf meat. Tsk tsk, since this Master Bai came, the whole manor hasn't lacked good meat."

"Indeed, he goes hunting into the mountain every few days, and this Master never misses going out in any weather, leaving by noon and returning at night... Many Swordsmen and Darts Masters, knowing how abundant the good meat is in our manor, come from afar just to buy!"

Butcher Hu skillfully cut and deboned the meat, handing it to a well-known middle-aged local Swordman. Only these practitioners could afford to eat the flesh and blood of spirit monsters, ordinary folks wouldn't spend big money on it.

"I just hope this Master Bai stays a while longer; thanks to him, I've reached First Training Great Success, and I'm preparing to break through with blood transformation."

The middle-aged Swordsman had hope flashing in his eyes, a yearning to cling to a powerful support.

...

...

"Hiss!"

Bai Qi was completely unaware of his punctual daily visits to Longkang Mountain, hunting a spirit monster each day, which boosted the economic development of Hunting Tiger Manor.

He placed his hands on the edge of the large copper vat, his face contorted, with steam billowing off his entire body, like a large furnace with the lid removed. The scorching Qi Blood almost seemed to take form, creating rippling red flames.

This was the sixth blood transformation.

"Damn, that hurts like hell!"

Even after five experiences, Bai Qi still felt the sensation of Qi Blood pouring out like a sluice gate opening, a terrible feeling of being drained dry, leaving him intensely weak and powerless.

But ultimately, he accumulated enough experience to manage keeping his breathing rhythm, chest heaving dramatically, with every pore freely absorbing the true blood elixir stewing in the vat.

This time, his Master personally took action and killed a nine-hundred-year-old winged speckled leopard.

Therefore, the intense stimulation from the sixth blood transformation was nearly the sum total of all previous ones combined.

Every inch of flesh seemed to flow like waves, as if the inside of his body was crawling with countless ants, gnawing at the bones radiating golden jade luster.

His arms, chest, abdomen, waist, and back, with the major tendons jumping and twitching, oozed beads of blood and sweat.

Bai Qi kept his eyes tightly shut, having discovered an excellent way to combat the pain.

Settling his mind, he concentrated on the ink talisman and recited those sixteen words.

"Accomplish the path, from mortal to saint, from start to finish, then ascend to true..."

All the sufferings seemed to fade away, no longer lingering on him.

Various skills surfaced, emitting various glows.

The one growing the fastest was undoubtedly cooking and butchering.

[Skill: Cooking (Proficient)]

[Progress: 117/800]

[Effect: Mouth-watering, deliciously memorable]

...

[Skill: Butchering (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Progress: 254/800]

[Effect: Bone-chopping, limb-disjointing—everything is possible]

...

"Huh, the martial bone is already forming? He's indeed my disciple, Ninghai Zen's, walking every step more steady than others."

Ninghai Zen's eyes shone like they had penetrating light, seemingly seeing through the robust body sitting inside the large copper vat undergoing refinement, witnessing a vertebra at the spine emitting radiant brilliance.

"If the body from top to bottom can unite as one, the Twenty-Four Section Great Keel! Truly extraordinary, a wonder, and absolutely exceptional!"

This is the pinnacle talent taught by Tongwen Hall's three major true arts!

"Could it be I really need to get Ah Qi a Flood Dragon? Nu Yun River's Water Monarch is so stingy, holding a grudge just because I pulled a few tendons of its grandkids."

Ninghai Zen rubbed his chin, pondering:

"If we don't find Qiu Changtian, it won't be easy to succeed with joint efforts.

How do I make him want me to go... this is troubling."