The piece of Extremely Yin Wood on Yu Hu could restore Qinglian's Demon Soul. It contained pure Yin Qi and was a rather special type of Yin Attribute Spirit Wood.
Therefore, even though it was just a small, palm-sized piece, it was extremely valuable. If someone who knew its worth saw it, it could sell for well over a thousand taels of silver.
Yu Chen and his family were just ordinary people. Logically, it should have been impossible for them to come into contact with a Spirit Wood of this caliber. There had to be a story behind it.
This was why Xu Qing had asked.
"It... it was a gift... from an old... old Daoist."
Under Yu Chen's piercing gaze, Wang Cuilan could only brace herself and tell the truth. "That day, I had just returned from the temple when I ran into an old Daoist on the road. This old Daoist looked like a beggar. He blocked my path and said my son would face a great disaster in the future."
"At first, of course, I didn't believe him. But then the old Daoist mentioned many things about our family. He even correctly deduced my son's birth date and time."
"So I came to believe him."
"Most importantly,"
"this old Daoist just gave me a Wooden Token with Yu Hu's birth date and time carved on it. He didn't even charge me a single coin. That's why I had Yu Hu wear it."
"You damn woman, how dare you hide something so important from me."
Yu Chen was furious.
"The old Daoist told me not to mention it to anyone, not even you. I was afraid something bad would happen to our child, so I never dared to say anything."
Wang Cuilan lowered her head.
"An old Daoist."
Xu Qing mused, sizing up Yu Hu. 'There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. That old Daoist must have had some ulterior motive for gifting a Wooden Token made from Extremely Yin Wood.'
'But...'
'What could that old Daoist possibly be after?'
'Forget it.'
Xu Qing shook his head, glanced at Yu Chen, and said, "Let me try to do something about Yu Hu's condition. Of course, I can't guarantee it will work."
"Brother Xu, I'm truly counting on you."
Yu Chen bowed deeply.
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded, took Yu Hu from Yu Chen's arms, and said, "The two of you wait outside. Don't come in unless I call for you."
"Yes, yes."
"Understood."
Yu Chen and Wang Cuilan nodded quickly.
The door to the room closed.
Inside the room, Xu Qing placed Yu Hu on the bed, took out the Evil Ghost Mask, and with a thought, summoned the Divine Woman Evil Ghost to stand by the bedside.
"Can you save him?"
Xu Qing asked directly.
"Yes, Master."
The Divine Woman Evil Ghost's voice was hoarse. "However, I can only purge the Yin Qi that is constantly eroding his body. I cannot remove the Magic Spell that has already taken root in his mind."
"Hm?"
Xu Qing frowned and looked at the Divine Woman Evil Ghost. "'Magic Spell'? Isn't he just being eroded by Yin Qi?"
"No."
The Divine Woman Evil Ghost shook its head. "The Yin Qi invasion happened last night, but the Magic Spell has been in place for four years. It is now completely rooted in his mind and cannot be removed, unless..."
"Unless what?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Unless Master can find a master from the Daoist School or a master from Confucianism. If not, a powerful Qi Cultivator could also do it. Only then can it be eradicated."
The Divine Woman Evil Ghost said.
'I don't have that kind of connection right now.'
Xu Qing shook his head. "Just purge the Yin Qi from his body for now. We'll deal with the Magic Spell later. If what Wang Cuilan said is true, I believe that old Daoist will show up again someday."
"Yes."
The Divine Woman Evil Ghost responded.
VMMMM!
Then, the Divine Woman Evil Ghost stood by the bed and took a deep breath, sucking all the Yin Qi out of Yu Hu's body. Yu Hu's pale face gradually regained some of its color.
'Good.'
Xu Qing nodded in satisfaction.
"Return."
Immediately, Xu Qing recalled the Divine Woman Evil Ghost into the Evil Ghost Mask.
"You can come in."
At that moment, Xu Qing called out to them.
"Brother Xu, how is our child?"
...
The door was pushed open.
Yu Chen and Wang Cuilan rushed in.
Just then, Yu Hu's eyes fluttered. He slowly opened them and saw Yu Chen and Wang Cuilan. In a weak voice, he called out, "Dad, Mom."
"Master."
Yu Hu also saw Xu Qing.
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded and said, "You can go home now. Have him rest well for a few days, eat some nutritious food to build his strength back up, and he'll be fine in a few days."
"Thank you, Brother Xu! Thank you, Brother Xu!"
Yu Chen was immensely grateful.
...
Similarly, Wang Cuilan was on the verge of kneeling on the ground.
To be honest, Xu Qing hadn't expected this. When he took on his first disciple, he thought Yu Chen was just an ordinary man with some business Talent, and Yu Hu was just the son of an ordinary merchant.
But as it turned out, it seemed there was some secret surrounding Yu Hu.
It was indeed quite unexpected.
That morning, after seeing Yu Chen and his family off, Xu Qing left Qingbei Town and returned to White Dwarf Mountain, standing before the same anthill.
"Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique."
VMMMM!
Xu Qing pricked his fingertip, squeezed out a drop of blood, and cast the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique, forming a Beast Taming Blood Spell. He successfully tamed eight ants at once.
[Experience +1]
Although he had successfully tamed eight ants at the same time, he only gained one Experience Point. The condition for gaining Experience was one point per successful casting of the technique.
Then, Xu Qing stomped on all eight ants, killing them.
A piercing pain shot through his mind.
'Again.'
Xu Qing squeezed out another drop of blood and continued casting the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.
...
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
An hour later, in the blink of an eye.
[Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV4: 30/80.]
'Time to go back.'
Xu Qing felt a dull, throbbing pain in his head; he had reached his limit. He couldn't continue grinding for Experience, so he left White Dwarf Mountain and returned to his courtyard in town.
"Baji Fist."
After a short rest, Xu Qing began his daily Fist Technique training.
...
[Experience +1]
...
[Experience +1]
...
With each completed routine, Baji Fist's Experience Points increased bit by bit. It was getting closer and closer to leveling up; it wouldn't be more than a few days.
At night, Xu Qing began practicing the Life-taking Thirteen Swords.
When he had time, Xu Qing would also practice his Snake Body Technique and other skills.
You could say, Xu Qing's days were extremely full, his schedule packed from morning to night.
Time flew by.
「Four days later.」
In the morning.
"Hoo..."
Xu Qing exhaled a breath of turbid air. He had just finished a set of Baji Fist and was slowly concluding his stance. With a flash in his eyes, the information for Baji Fist appeared in his mind.
[Baji Fist LV7: 640/640 (Upgradeable!)]
"Upgrade Baji Fist."
Xu Qing said.
VMMMM!
The Encyclopedia of All Things shimmered with a fluorescent light.
The next moment, countless small, black figures seemed to appear before Xu Qing's eyes. These figures were endlessly practicing the Eight-Level Fist. Unconsciously, Xu Qing's consciousness seemed to enter a mysterious space.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Inside this mysterious space, Xu Qing continuously practiced Baji Fist, constantly deducing and refining the Eight-Level Fist, making Baji Fist more perfect, more profound, and more powerful.
RUMBLE!
Finally, Baji Fist broke through a limit, reaching another level. Along with it, Xu Qing's own strength broke through, advancing from the Peak of An Jin to the Huajin Realm.
"Baji Fist."
BANG! BANG! BANG!!!
Xu Qing's eyes snapped open, a brilliant light flashing within them. Power now flowed freely through him, able to spread to every corner of his body.
'So strong.'
'Incredibly strong.'
Clearly, Xu Qing had broken through the limits of An Jin and stepped into a whole new Realm. He had advanced from the Peak of An Jin to the Huajin Realm, becoming a true Huajin Martial Artist.
[Baji Fist LV8: 0/1280 (This is a profound Fist Technique that combines fighting and training methods. Its movements are fierce and powerful, simple and unadorned. Its force is swift and explosive. It refines the muscles, bones, and flesh. Its Power permeates the muscles and bones, circulating throughout the entire body. Once mastered, one can step into the Huajin Realm.)]
"Hoo..."
Xu Qing opened his eyes. His gaze was burning as he sensed the changes in his condition and his Power. It was as if by closing his eyes, he could see his own internal organs, faintly achieving a state akin to Introspection.
At this point, Xu Qing finally understood what Huajin was.
As the name implied, after stepping into the Huajin Realm, one's Power could circulate throughout the entire body. One could even use this Power to regulate the internal organs, clearly perceiving and mastering every organ both inside and out.
This way, as long as one continued to train with the mysteries of Huajin, one could extend their Power to the "four tips" of the body—the teeth, tongue, nails, and hair. An Jin would permeate the entire body, reaching a Realm where not even a feather could be added to one's weight, nor could a fly land without being detected.
You could say, this was gradually stepping into an Extraordinary Realm.
"Huajin."
A slight smile touched Xu Qing's lips. 'I've finally made it. All those days of hard training weren't in vain. And now that I've reached the Huajin level, the strength of my physical body is much greater than that of an ordinary person. The difference is extremely obvious.'
It was important to understand that previously, for Xu Qing, whether it was Ming Jin, An Jin, or even Huajin, Power was a type of energy that existed somewhere between the Void and reality. It would only coalesce and manifest when used; otherwise, it remained in a Void-like state.
Moreover, at the Ming Jin and An Jin levels, although physical strength was enhanced, the difference wasn't too pronounced. Some people with special physiques or innate Divine Power might not have even stepped into the Ming Jin level, but their physical strength could rival that of someone who had mastered An Jin.
Because of this, when Du Cangying had examined Xu Qing's body, he hadn't noticed anything unusual. He had no idea that Xu Qing had already reached the An Jin level.
But things were different now.
Xu Qing had stepped into Huajin. After entering the Huajin Realm, he could use his Power to regulate his organs and temper his body. Not only could this extend his lifespan, but the strength of his body would also undergo a significant change.
Therefore, if Du Cangying were to examine Xu Qing's body again, he would sense that his physical strength was abnormal and thus determine Xu Qing's Realm.