Existence: cultivating through enlightenment

After a short time.

As he was walking forward, he stopped in his tracks.

Only a dozen meters apart from him, Ling Xu met a beast like the ferocious rabbit but with double its size.

It was alone but he felt that even if he fought multiple ferocious rabbits it wouldn't compare to the difficulty of defeating just this one.

It had two muscle packed legs with noticeable explosive strength and teeth much bigger than the tiny ferocious rabbits he encountered before.

Ling Xu doubted whether fighting was possible.

But before he could decide on it the beast noticed him and took the lead without giving him a chance.

As it moved, Ling Xu noticed something behind the beast.

"What is that?" behind the beast that had started jumping towards him, he saw a table against the end of the path.

And above it laid down a weapon.

"I have to take that weapon to survive" he said seeing some hope again.

After all, he didn't have the confidence to hurt the beast with his bare hands.

But wanting to take the weapon and being able to do so were two different matters as the beast he had in front was blocking his path.

Ling Xu activated his skill and was shocked.

He saw it slow down as he realized that it looked to be going just a little slower than the ferocious rabbits if he didn't see them with his skill.

It not only doubled it in size but it almost doubled it in speed.

"That's some dangerous speed!"

When the beast was near, it tried to take a big bite from Ling Xu's body.

He avoided it with difficulty as he took several steps back.

The only reason he managed to do so is because its movements were more direct and predictable than the ferocious rabbits.

He then punched its face, trying to wound it.

The beast didn't seem to feel his punch as it threw another bite.

He managed to avoid it again just by a hair's breadth, and then he hit again at the same spot.

"Alri…" Ling Xu's face tensed as he realized that hitting the beast again didn't do anything as it just managed to make the beast angry.

He fell to the ground after the beast violently pushed him using its body weight.

Ling Xu couldn't breathe as he was pounced by it.

He rolled to the side as the beast jumped past him making it so he had no obstacle between himself and the weapon.

"Now is my chance!" he thought as he ran with all his might.

The beast reacted very slowly as its body structure made it difficult to rotate.

[You have obtained Small Dagger (low grade semi-treasure).]

Ling Xu didn't listen as he avoided a bite that came to his neck.

He then attacked with his new weapon giving the beast a sense of danger. The rabbit, not planning on letting itself lose its advantage, threw its right claw as he had an advantage in speed.

Although its attack came later it arrived before Ling Xu's dagger.

But to the beast's surprise, Ling Xu received the rabbit's paw with his left hand.

He felt the difference in strength as it pressed hard against his hand making him feel a lot of pain. It didn't end there as between Ling Xu's fingers the rabbit beast pressed its claws making his hand bleed continuously.

Still, his right hand holding the small dagger didn't stop. It continued on its path as Ling Xu's greeted teeth even made a cracking sound. The beast's face changed its color as the dagger landed in its eye. Ling Xu pressed with all his strength as he pierced through and his hand entered its head.

[You have killed an Adult Ferocious Rabbit (2nd stage of Blood Qi).]

It couldn't even scream as the rabbit had a horrible expression before it died.

"I can finally breathe…ugh!!" falling to the ground to take some air and rest, Ling Xu felt the pain from his hand that was bleeding out.

[You have entered the 1st stage of Blood Qi.]

Without giving him time to arrange a piece of his clothes to stop the bleeding, he heard the message.

"What is this now?" inside Ling Xu's body, a dim light of energy was awakening but he wasn't able to feel it as it grew within his blood slowly strengthening his body every time it passed through his veins.

Although he wasn't aware of it, as his body became stronger and was constantly stimulated by the energy awakening inside his blood, he felt full of energy as if he hadn't just gone through a fight between life and death.

After less than a minute passed, Ling Xu stood up and moved once again as he felt the changes his body had undergone. He tried making a few punches in the air and run a bit to see the difference from before.

"This is what it meant when the system said that I could become stronger, now I feel that with my increase in strength and speed I can kill the adult ferocious rabbit using my small dagger without suffering as much as before."

Ling Xu had officially entered on the path of cultivation as he had entered the first stage of the Blood Qi realm.

Before he stopped rejoicing over his changed body, he felt even better as re realized that his left hand's wounds had stopped bleeding and closed after entering the first stage.

He felt a burst of confidence from the sudden satisfaction of having his body being transformed and he soon called for the status panel.

[Name]: Ling Xu

[Realm]: 1st stage of Blood Qi (0%)

[Cultivation]: Basic Blood Circulation (available)

[Skills]: Enhanced Synapsis (high grade)

Ling Xu noticed the text that said Basic Blood Circulation changed from unavailable to available, his mind focused on it as another message from the system appeared.

[Do you want to learn Basic Blood Circulation technique?]

"I want to learn it." he didn't doubt for a second as he almost yelled, full of expectation about what it would bring to learn this technique.

Ling Xu felt a stream of knowledge suddenly entering his mind as he began to organize it. It took him a few minutes to manage to understand the general knowledge and the method he required to use it.

"This Basic Blood Circulation technique is a method meant to guide in the refinement of the body, as I circulate my blood qi through the indicated veins my body will become stronger."

Ling Xu learned several concepts that he never imagined that he would need to know in his life. For example, when he said blood qi he referred to his blood which had awakened when he entered the first stage of Blood Qi.

Ling Xu received knowledge about how to refine his body in the nine stages of the Blood Qi realm.

The nine stages of the Blood Qi realm are divided into three steps and each lasts for three stages of the realm.

From the first to the third stage comes the first step where he will have to refine his muscles.

From the fourth to the sixth stage comes the second step where he will have to refine his organs including the skin.

And from the seventh to ninth stage comes the third stage and the most difficult as there comes the refinement of the bones.

Every time he advance a stage not only will his body become stronger but the amount of blood qi he has will increase.

To make sure every breakthrough increases his strength and blood qi reserves the best they can, Ling Xu has to make sure that his body is refined to the limit and no further refinement is possible until he advances to the next stage.

This is absolutely necessary to have enough blood qi so it lasts every fight without decreasing his strength. As blood qi is not only meant to refine the body but it is its source of energy.