A month passed within Lin Sheng's secluded courtyard.
The outside world remained distant, completely separated from him by the layers of Grandmaster-level formations that continued to conceal the fluctuations of his cultivation. Inside that isolated space, however, Lin Sheng's body was undergoing another transformation.
He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his breathing slow and steady as the enormous quantity of Qi-Blood circulated through his body. The first dragon had already settled around his heart, constantly revolving through the organ and nourishing it with every circulation, while this 5th Blood Exchange had pushed his Qi-Blood toward another qualitative transformation.
Then Lin Sheng suddenly felt something.
His attention immediately shifted toward his spleen.
There was something there.
A faint but rapidly intensifying pressure had appeared deep within the organ, accompanied by a familiar sensation that caused his eyes to open.
"Wait..."
His consciousness sank into his body.
The Qi-Blood within his spleen was becoming increasingly dense, and from within that vast crimson circulation, a shape was gradually taking form.
Lin Sheng's eyes widened.
"A second dragon?"
How was this possible?
He had already understood that his first dragon had been born from the transformation of his Qi-Blood like Wolf Smoke, but he hadn't expected every subsequent Blood Exchange to produce another one.
Then the answer became obvious.
His fifth Blood Exchange had done it.
The enormous quantity of nourishment he had extracted from the Rank 4 serpent corpse had allowed his foundation to continue transforming at an astonishing speed, and rather than merely strengthening the first dragon, the new Qi-Blood had undergone another independent transformation.
A second dragon slowly emerged within his spleen.
Its body was slightly smaller than the first, yet it possessed the same crimson scales and enormous vitality.
For a moment, Lin Sheng simply stared.
Then the two dragons noticed each other.
The first dragon, which had been peacefully circling his heart, suddenly raised its head.
The second dragon turned toward it.
Lin Sheng's expression became strange.
"...Are they going to fight?"
The two enormous Qi-Blood dragons stared at one another.
Lin Sheng's imagination immediately produced an absurd image of two dragons colliding inside his body, claws tearing through Qi-Blood, scales exploding, and an enormous shockwave sweeping through his internal organs.
If that actually happened, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Even his current physique couldn't casually withstand the collision of two forces containing millions of jin of power inside his body.
A single uncontrolled impact could destroy his organs from within.
Lin Sheng's expression became increasingly solemn.
Then something unexpected happened.
The first dragon simply retracted.
Its enormous body shrank, its head lowered, and it returned toward the region surrounding his heart.
The second dragon did the same.
It curled around his spleen and settled there peacefully.
The confrontation ended before it even began.
Lin Sheng stared blankly for several breaths.
"...That was anticlimactic."
He immediately shook his head.
"No, what am I thinking?"
He raised his hand and slapped his forehead.
"Why did a part of me actually want to see them fight?"
A faint helplessness appeared in his expression.
"Human curiosity really is dangerous."
He couldn't help laughing at himself.
Still, the discovery was important.
If the fifth Blood Exchange had produced another dragon, then perhaps his previous theory was correct.
"Does that mean every exchange will create another dragon?"
Lin Sheng's eyes gradually brightened.
If that was true, then his remaining Rank 4 serpent corpse was far more valuable than he had initially estimated.
His gaze shifted toward the enormous corpse stored inside his treasure abode.
Almost half of it remained.
The sight alone made him feel slightly more relaxed.
He had been devouring it relentlessly.
The serpent's flesh had already been processed into countless Qi-Blood pills through his flames, each one carrying an extremely dense medicinal essence.
Technically, these were Rank 4 Qi-Blood pills.
Lin Sheng had also incorporated various medicinal herbs into the process, using the Great Medicine Art to fuse their properties with the serpent materials and improve the efficiency of absorption.
The original materials were already extraordinary.
After being refined by his flames and combined with the medicinal herbs, their potency had increased even further.
Instead of eating the enormous serpent corpse directly, Lin Sheng could now consume the refined pills in controlled quantities, allowing his body to extract the nourishment much more efficiently.
He had no intention of wasting even a trace.
The Five-Year Appointment was approaching.
Every bit of strength mattered.
Two months passed.
By then, Lin Sheng had completed his sixth Blood Exchange.
As expected, another transformation occurred.
This time, the new Qi-Blood didn't immediately interact with the other two dragons.
It remained within his lungs.
The third dragon slowly took shape, its crimson body curling around the organ while its movements caused the lungs to expand and contract.
Lin Sheng observed it carefully.
"It looks like it's breathing."
The dragon's body rose and fell alongside his lungs, absorbing and releasing Qi-Blood with every breath.
It looked almost alive.
Yet Lin Sheng could feel that it wasn't an independent lifeform.
It was simply an extremely advanced manifestation of his Qi-Blood.
The dragon was connected to his lungs in a way that made the entire organ stronger with every circulation.
Four months later, Lin Sheng completed his seventh Blood Exchange.
This time, he had already predicted where the transformation would occur.
His kidneys.
The seventh exchange was different from the previous ones.
It represented another qualitative transformation, meaning the fourth dragon should naturally possess a higher quality than the previous three.
Lin Sheng couldn't help becoming cautious.
He had already confirmed that the dragons could recognize one another.
Although they had not fought previously, there was always a possibility that the qualitative increase might cause the fourth dragon to become aggressive.
If that happened, his internal organs could suffer disastrous consequences.
Lin Sheng watched closely as the Qi-Blood within his kidneys began transforming.
The energy became denser.
More profound.
Then a dragon gradually emerged.
Its scales were noticeably more lifelike than those of the previous three dragons, each individual scale appearing almost tangible as crimson light flowed across its body.
Lin Sheng's expression became serious.
The fourth dragon opened its eyes.
It sensed the other three.
For several breaths, nothing happened.
Then it simply curled around his kidneys and settled down.
Lin Sheng blinked.
"...That's it?"
The dragon continued circulating Qi-Blood.
There was no confrontation.
No struggle.
No collision.
It simply remained there, strengthening the kidneys with every circulation.
Lin Sheng slowly relaxed.
Perhaps the four dragons were simply manifestations of the same origin and therefore had no reason to fight.
That explanation made far more sense.
As he continued observing them, Lin Sheng suddenly noticed something else.
His organs were changing.
At first, he thought they were merely being nourished.
But after examining the transformation carefully, he realized that wasn't accurate.
They were being refined.
The first dragon continuously nourished his heart, the second strengthened his spleen, the third circulated through his lungs, while the fourth was refining his kidneys.
The transformation was subtle, but it was happening continuously.
Lin Sheng could feel the difference.
His organs were becoming stronger.
More resilient.
More vigorous.
Even his vitality seemed to be increasing.
Then a thought emerged in his mind.
His lifespan.
Lin Sheng's expression gradually became thoughtful.
"This isn't merely physical strengthening."
He had finally understood what was happening.
His Jing was being improved.
Not simply his physical strength, but the fundamental origin contained within his body.
The foundation of every living being could ultimately be divided into three great treasures.
Shen, Qi and Jing.
They were different manifestations of the same underlying origin, and although each cultivation system tended to emphasize one of them more strongly, none of them truly existed in isolation.
A breakthrough that fundamentally strengthened one treasure would inevitably affect the others.
Foundation Establishment was a perfect example.
When an immortal cultivator crossed into Foundation Establishment, their Shen transformed as spiritual sense became divine sense, their Qi transformed as gaseous spiritual Qi became liquid magic power, and their Jing also strengthened as their physical foundation underwent a corresponding transformation.
The improvement to Jing might not be as dramatic as the transformation of Qi, but it was still an improvement to the practitioner's fundamental origin.
That was why breakthroughs could increase lifespan.
The practitioner wasn't merely gaining more energy.
Their entire existence was being strengthened.
Lin Sheng's eyes became increasingly profound.
"Then it isn't necessary for all three treasures to be cultivated through the same path."
A martial artist could strengthen their Jing through external cultivation.
An immortal cultivator could strengthen their Qi.
A cultivator of the spirit could strengthen their Shen.
As long as the improvement reached a sufficiently fundamental level, it would eventually affect the practitioner's overall origin.
Even someone who primarily refined their spirit could potentially extend their lifespan.
Because lifespan wasn't merely determined by the strength of flesh and blood.
It was determined by the condition of one's origin.
Lin Sheng looked inward once again.
The four Qi-Blood dragons continued circulating quietly through his organs.
His heart was stronger.
His spleen was stronger.
His lungs were stronger.
His kidneys were stronger.
And all of them were slowly feeding back into his overall Jing.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
"So that's what cultivation really is."
He closed his eyes again.
The four dragons continued their circulation, and deep within his body, his foundation quietly advanced toward an even higher level.