Practice begins with immortality

Ever since Wang Bai successfully broke through to the Outer Refining Realm and displayed his astonishing talent, many people have flocked to him, offering him gifts and money in an attempt to curry his favor. Even Huang Li was no exception, going so far as to offer his own vacant courtyard to Wang Bai.

This small courtyard is a pleasant place, perfect for a single person. It was Huang Li's previous residence. He had married two years earlier. His wife came from a modest background, but she was beautiful and a nice person, and they got along well. After their marriage, Huang Li bought a larger courtyard to live with her family, leaving the small courtyard empty.

Now, this small courtyard has become Wang Bai's residence.

As for the Qingcheng Warriors' Gathering mentioned in the letter, it was a very important event. Although the time and location of the gathering were not fixed, Wang Bo had overheard it during a conversation with Huang Li. Later, after making inquiries from various sources, he finally learned the specific time and location of the gathering.

"I have fifty taels of silver now, which is enough to buy a martial arts manual."

Wang Bo had already decided to buy martial arts. He only had strength but no skills, so he would be at a disadvantage if he fought against other martial artists.

In fact, with Wang Bai's current level, he can completely learn Huang Lixue's martial arts.

But firstly, Wang Bo's progress was too fast, which easily aroused suspicion. Secondly, Wang Bo planned to hide his strength so as to take the opponent by surprise during the battle.

As night fell and the lights came on, the entire city was shrouded in a hazy gloom. Wang Bai changed into a tight black suit, donning a bull-head mask. He quietly left the house and headed towards Ximen Street. His steps were light, and his figure quickly blended into the darkness.

He walked quickly into Wuyi Lane. The alley was quiet and narrow, flanked by towering walls, creating a feeling of oppression. After walking for a while, Wang Bai spotted seven or eight men in black lingering not far ahead. Their eyes were warily surveying their surroundings, as if waiting for something. Their presence made Wang Bai's heart tighten, realizing that there might be some danger lurking here. However, he didn't retreat, instead approaching with even greater caution.

A quarter of an hour later, Wang Bo saw that about fifty people had gathered in front of the house. They were all dressed in black and wore various masks on their faces, some with tiger heads, some with sheep heads, and some with horse heads... Each of them exuded a mysterious aura that made people feel uneasy.

Just as everyone was silent, someone suddenly spoke up, "It looks like everyone who should be here has arrived. It's too dark outside. Please come in and talk." The speaker was a tall, thin man with a deep, powerful voice, sounding like an experienced veteran. Hearing this, everyone followed him into the house.

Entering the house, Wang Bai found it to be a spacious room, furnished with a few tables, chairs, and beds, appearing rather sparse. The tall, thin man stood in the center of the room, looked around, and said, "This meeting will last for one hour. Once the transaction is complete, you can leave on your own. If you don't find what you want, please come to the dry well in the south of the city on the 20th of next month. The transaction will begin now, so please trade on your own." With that, he stepped aside and said nothing more.

……

"Father, how much are these secret manuals for?"

Wang Bai walked to a stall where four books were placed, namely "Machete", "Spirit Monkey Stick", "Silk-Wrapping Hands" and a book without a name and a little worn.

"Those three books are five taels each, and the last one is twenty taels."

"It's too expensive. You must have copies of these things. Make it cheaper."

"I can sell you those three books for three taels each, and this one will cost you the original price."

"What is this book that's so expensive?"

"It's a secret technique that can save lives at critical moments. My price is very fair."

……

As the two bargained, Wang Bai finally bought the "Spirit Ape Stick", "Mountain-Splitting Knife" and the secret technique for twenty taels. After Wang Bai left, the old man took out two secret books from the package and put them on the stall.

The next morning, as the sun rose, Wang Bai stood in the yard, holding a long stick in his hand. His body was slightly bent, like a nimble monkey, and every movement was full of natural rhythm.

He waved a long stick, the stick shadow danced like a snake, and the wind from the stick whistled as if to tear the air apart.

After practicing his stick technique, Wang Bai put away his stick and stood, then looked at the mysterious book of secret techniques. He gently flipped the pages and began to read carefully. As he read deeper, his brows gradually furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.

"So this secret technique is called 'Blood Release'. It stimulates certain acupuncture points to squeeze out the essence of the body, increasing combat power and even cultivation speed in a short period of time. However, this method damages the essence. An ordinary warrior will be damaged after using it once, and their foundation will be damaged. It will be difficult to make any progress in cultivation, and their lifespan will be greatly reduced. It is difficult for them to live past fifty. But unfortunately, I am not an ordinary warrior!"

With this in mind, Wang Bai began to practice this secret technique. He followed the instructions in the book, stimulating the specific acupuncture points. Then, a sharp, stabbing pain surged through his heart, causing him to groan. But he gritted his teeth and persevered. Finally, after a burst of intense pain, he felt a powerful force surge from his body.

As the secret technique unfolded, Wang Bai could clearly feel his life force slipping away, as well as the massive production of Qi and blood within his body. This feeling was both strange and terrifying. He knew he was overdrawing his vitality in exchange for a brief moment of strength. Not daring to relax, he immediately began to practice the Iron Armor Technique.

As the Iron Armor Technique was activated, the Qi and blood generated by the Blood Release Secret Technique began to continuously strengthen Wang Bo's skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. He could feel his muscles expanding, his bones strengthening, and his skin becoming more resilient. Simultaneously, the flesh, which had been shriveled by the Blood Release Secret Technique, quickly returned to normal under the shaking of the light ball, as if it had never been damaged.

Wang Bai stared closely at the changes before his eyes, secretly exclaiming in his heart: "It's amazing!"

After practicing, Wang Bai felt the surging power in his body constantly flowing, and his realm was greatly improved.

"How fast!" Wang Bai couldn't help but exclaimed, "The speed of my progress this time is so fast, it's completely equivalent to what I would normally achieve in a whole day of practice."

Afterwards, Wang Bai used the secret technique twice more in succession. Each time, he could feel the blood and qi in his body rapidly flowing, and his realm also rapidly improved. However, when he used the blood solution for the third time, he suddenly felt an intense pain, as if countless needles were piercing his head, giving him a splitting headache.

"It seems that the use of blood lysis is indeed a huge burden on mental strength." Wang Bai sighed in his heart.

However, even so, being able to use Blood Solution twice a day was enough to significantly increase his cultivation speed. Furthermore, as his strength gradually increased and the number of times he could use Blood Solution increased, he believed that in the future he might be able to increase it to four, five, or even more times.

Originally, Wang Bai estimated that without other aids, achieving Perfect External Refining would take at least three years. But now, through the use of Blood Solution, he saw hope of shortening that time. Even without those precious tonics, as long as he persevered, he firmly believed he could achieve Perfect External Refining within a year.