Chapter 5: Tempering in the Lake (Middle)

  The movement of the lake water was almost imperceptible, otherwise, in Qin Yifan's current state, he would have been carried away by the flowing water. His entire body, except for his head above the water surface, was submerged, and from time to time, small fish swam past him, seemingly puzzled by his motionless appearance. These small fish and shrimp were not affected in the slightest, and there was no sign of pressure on them despite Qin Yifan's presence being so close.

  Time seems to have passed quickly, and the sun is already setting towards the west, with the sun having fallen on the mountain peaks over there. It's estimated that it will fall down after a stick of incense. Qin Yifan doesn't seem to have noticed the change in the sun at all, wholeheartedly resisting the sudden increase in pressure several times stronger than on land, enduring the increasingly intense and realistic battlefield scenes of bloodshed that he had experienced before, as well as various ominous and terrifying scenes that appeared out of nowhere. At the same time, he also has to endure the pain of his true yuan bursting in his meridians. The most critical thing is that he must also divide his attention to control the flow of his true yuan with great difficulty, otherwise it's hard to say how his true yuan will run wild in his meridians.

  The moon had unknowingly hung in the sky, and occasionally a few stars twinkled. The surrounding dense forest and bushes transmitted a burst of cricket chirping sounds, as well as some unknown animal footsteps, rustling softly. Qin Yifan, however, was at the most critical juncture, with his true yuan having circulated throughout his body for more than half the cycle, leaving only a tiny distance to complete one full circulation. But the pressure in his mind grew greater and greater, as if someone was controlling him, not letting him pass.

  Qin Yifan deeply understood the truth of "those who travel a hundred miles, half is ninety", and this last point could not be abandoned halfway. For mountain climbers, one misstep can lead to a great fall, which is a major taboo for martial artists, especially at critical moments. If they fail to complete their task, the best outcome would be to return to their original state, going back to the condition of being severely injured and having all their internal strength destroyed. Moreover, it might even be more miserable than before, when there was still some ability to defend oneself. This time, if he failed, it's likely that he would never recover again.

  In my mind, it's as if a large hammer is constantly pounding away, with waves of terrifying scenes constantly rotating in my brain like a carousel, and even a piece of eerie and dazzling scenery that makes people dizzy at first glance. It can't be avoided, even closing my eyes won't work, those scenes are directly stuffed into my mind. Amidst such chaos, the true yuan is still exploding non-stop, and the entire meridian is filled with what seems to be not true yuan, but a string of powerful firecrackers, from the position of the dantian all the way to the current location of the true yuan.

  The meridians were going crazy with swelling pain, and at the same time, there was a feeling of sudden coldness and heat. It felt like the outside of the body was being violently beaten by a group of people while practicing qigong. Never had it been so difficult before, but as soon as he entered the water, it became so intense? Was this monster really living in the water, or else why would it change so drastically just after entering the water at such a short distance?

  Qin Yifan could only rely on his strong will to barely hold on, thinking that he had already thoroughly adapted to the influence of this demon. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the water, he encountered such a situation. However, although the current situation is quite difficult, once he gets through it, the gain from tempering his True Yuan for a week will not be simple - it can be described as Qin Yifan's will being completely transformed.

  With his eyes closed, Qin Yifan couldn't see that around his body, at some point, a strange red glow suddenly appeared on the lake surface, tightly wrapping him inside. The surrounding lake water had already been dyed completely red, and the schools of small fish that were originally swimming around Qin Yifan's side had long since disappeared without a trace, even the underwater aquatic plants were stuck to the bottom of the lake, not having their original gentle swaying posture in the water.

  Qin Yifan is still working hard, only a little bit short of the final point. As long as he can hold on to this point, he can reap the rewards and no longer worry about any problems. But the pressure is so great that his meridians are in severe pain, and his true yuan is being tightly blocked at the last pass, struggling to control the true yuan from breaking through this point, but it's like hitting a solid wall, unable to advance an inch.

  Under the crimson glow, Qin Yifan's figure was as terrifying as a demon. If Qin Yifan could see himself, he would be shocked - wasn't this eerie red light the same one that appeared when he saw that person standing alone in the void fail for the last time? How did it appear on his own body? Had he already gained power comparable to that person's?

  The explosion of the true yuan is painful, but it's not without its benefits. At least, those obstacles in the meridians that couldn't be broken through will soon be shattered by the power produced by the explosion, and the flow will be restored. From this perspective, it can indeed be said to have turned a curse into a blessing.

  Few people can endure such suffering, and what's even more difficult is that while enduring the suffering, one cannot be distracted in the slightest, and must control the true yuan from flowing wildly under such conditions; if not, then all that can be done is to wait for the most pitiful outcome.

  Qin Yifan did not expect that just by entering the water, there would be such a change. If he had known, he would have been more cautious and started practicing closer to the shore. Now, however, there was no way to retreat, and it had already reached the final stage - if he didn't succeed, he would die trying; there were no other options.

  At the last juncture, in front of Zhenyuan, there was still a solid high wall standing like a tree. Qin Yifan didn't know where this obstruction came from. When he was on the shore, Qin Yifan could already make his whole body ignore those invisible obstacles and operate Zhenyuan, almost without being affected. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the water, it became such a scene.

  In any case, this barrier must be broken through; otherwise, Qin Yifan can only become like the person standing in mid-air, and although he won't disappear into thin air, it's very possible that he'll become a useless person.

  Now Qin Yifan seems to have vaguely understood that for anyone who practices martial arts or cultivates the Tao, when facing a breakthrough, there will always be some bottlenecks and difficulties. However, if they unfortunately encounter that demon in the lake, then unfortunately, it's estimated that the difficulty they face will increase by a hundredfold.

  It's just that Qin Yifan has slowly gotten used to the commotion brought by that demon over the years, and now he's facing even more intense changes. The grey flying ash-like expert was quite unlucky - he probably thought everything would go smoothly before, but at the most critical moment, he was affected by this demon underground and couldn't withstand the intense spiritual shock, so he got struck by heavenly lightning and turned to ashes.

  New book on the list, everyone recommends collecting and supporting, thank you all