How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?

Chapter 287 - 155: Refining the Essence, Innate Qi

After passing through several doors, Lin Ye finally arrived at the last, isolated bath chamber.

The steam here was even thicker, so dense he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

In the center of the chamber was a massive pool, large enough to hold a dozen people. Wisps of hot steam rose from the water, but strangely, there wasn’t a single person inside.

It wasn’t until Lin Ye drew closer that he realized how bizarre the water in the pool was.

It was distinctly separated into three layers.

The top was a thin layer of purple foam, constantly churning with fine bubbles.

The middle layer was a translucent golden-yellow, thick and viscous, emitting a strange glow within the steam.

And the bottom layer was a milky-white sediment, perfectly still without the slightest ripple.

Dongfang Zhen was likely still in the outer shower area. Lin Ye didn’t wait and stepped into the pool.

The moment his toes touched the water, a bone-chilling cold shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head!

The water was clearly steaming, yet it felt as if he had stepped into ten-thousand-year-old glacial ice.

Lin Ye waded deeper.

When his body was fully submerged up to his chest, the cold had yet to fade when another, completely opposite sensation suddenly erupted.

An indescribable, searing heat ignited from within, as if his organs had been tossed into a furnace. In an instant, his Qi and Blood were on the verge of boiling!

Hot and cold sensations alternated wildly inside him, assaulting every last one of his nerves.

Before he could even adjust to this bizarre trial of ice and fire, an even more intense stimulus arrived.

Waves of sharp pain, as if he were being pierced by countless fine needles, emanated from every inch of skin in contact with the topmost purple foam.

This stinging pain didn’t remain on the surface. With every breath, it madly penetrated his body, spreading along his meridians until he felt a tingling numbness deep in his bones.

He finally understood why there was no one else here.

’Where the hell is the relaxation in this? This is just straight-up torture!’

Lin Ye gritted his teeth, enduring the hell of ice and fire on one hand, and the agony of a thousand piercing needles on the other.

Just as he was starting to suspect that Dongfang Zhen was intentionally messing with him, a figure walked in.

Dongfang Zhen, equally naked, saw Lin Ye’s expression and gave a knowing smile.

He entered the pool with steady steps, his movements gentle, taking care not to disturb the water’s distinct layers.

Lin Ye’s attention was instantly drawn to the scars covering Dongfang Zhen’s powerful physique.

The scars crisscrossed his body, gruesome and intimidating.

A few were clearly left by the tearing of sharp claws, but most were patches of dark scorch marks, as if he had been repeatedly seared by a terrifying electrical current.

Dongfang Zhen seemed to notice Lin Ye’s stare. He nonchalantly pointed to the longest, deepest claw mark on his chest.

"This one’s from a sneak attack by a Blood Wolf Race chieftain."

Then he pointed to the scorch marks and grinned.

"As for the rest, they’re all from being struck by lightning as a kid."

"My family all urged me to get cosmetic surgery to remove them, saying I’d never find a wife otherwise. I couldn’t be bothered. Scars are a man’s badge of honor, haha!"

Lin Ye understood.

From their earlier sparring match, it was clear that Dongfang Zhen, just like him, had extensive real-world combat experience against the Celestial Abyss Race.

It was even possible... that he had more experience than Lin Ye himself!

After all, Lin Ye had yet to truly encounter a chieftain-level powerhouse from the Celestial Abyss Race!

Dongfang Zhen didn’t dwell on his past experiences, instead beginning to explain the pool’s strange properties to Lin Ye.

"Mr. Lin, this pool is called the Three Talents Medicine Pool."

"The bottom layer you see is Cold Jade Marrow Milk. Its purpose is to cool down your Qi and Blood when it’s about to boil, calming it."

"That golden middle layer is called Red Refining Golden Juice. It’s a spirit brewed from a rare fruit found in the Celestial Abyss Realm."

"The searing heat and churning Qi and Blood you’re feeling? That’s its effect."

"As for the top layer, that’s what I mentioned before—a special concoction blended with the poisonous blood of the Hui Snake Race."

"The Hui Snake Race’s poisonous blood is intense, but prolonged immersion greatly stimulates cellular activity, increases Qi and Blood, and strengthens the meridians. It’s extremely beneficial for Martial Artists."

Dongfang Zhen paused, then his tone shifted.

"Of course, that’s just a side effect."

"For a Martial Artist like you, Mr. Lin, preparing to break through to the Gang Condensation Realm, it’s the most divine of medicines."

"Because it can dissolve Qi and Blood!"

Hearing this, Lin Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

He immediately looked inward and, sure enough, felt the purple toxins that had seeped into his body slowly consuming his Qi and Blood!

Dongfang Zhen continued his explanation.

"One component makes your Qi and Blood boil, while another forcibly suppresses it. This violent fluctuation makes it easier for you to identify the impure, useless parts within your Qi and Blood."

"Then, using the Viper Poison Blood, you can completely dissolve the useless Qi and Blood that you’ve actively separated. This will vastly accelerate your progress in refining your Critical Qi and Blood."

"Oh, and by Critical Qi and Blood, I mean that uh... that Innate Qi Mr. Lin was talking about!"

Dongfang Zhen deliberately switched to a term Lin Ye would understand.

Lin Ye understood instantly.

The Three Talents Medicine Pool was the perfect tool to help a Martial Artist complete the first step of the Gang Condensation Realm: separating the wheat from the chaff!

Without this external aid, trying to identify, separate, and then eliminate the post-heaven Qi and Blood on his own would be far less efficient.

Understanding this, Lin Ye no longer hesitated. He endured the discomfort and pain, completely immersing his focus within his body.

Following the method Lin Hanshan had taught him, at the exact moment the Red Refining Golden Juice stimulated his Qi and Blood to a boil, he precisely separated a wisp he had identified as useless.

The Viper Poison Blood lingering in his meridians immediately assaulted it, completely dissolving the useless wisp of Qi and Blood in an instant.

Finally, suppressed by the Cold Jade Marrow Milk, the agitated Qi and Blood subsided, and the next cycle began.

The overall progress was incredibly fast!

Lin Ye’s Spiritual Power was already far beyond ordinary, and his Qi and Blood, having been tempered by a large number of Source Crystals, was already of high purity.

The portion deemed useless by the *Tai Xu Two Principles True Understanding* wasn’t actually that large.

After the first awkward attempt, the process soon became familiar. Lin Ye gradually mastered the rhythm. With each cycle of his Qi and Blood swelling and receding, of heating and cooling, he was able to separate more and more useless Qi and Blood at once.

It was then that a series of system notifications began to ring in his mind.

[Ding! External toxin detected. You have lost 0.21 Strength!]

[Ding! External toxin detected. You have lost 0.17 Agility!]

[Ding! External toxin detected. You have lost 0.22 Endurance!]

The notifications kept coming.

Lin Ye could clearly see his three core attributes on his status panel slowly decreasing at a visible rate.

This was clear feedback that the total volume of Qi and Blood in his body was indeed declining.

"Mr. Lin, this phase of breaking through from Meridian Opening to Gang Condensation is probably the toughest time you’ll face since becoming a Martial Artist."

"During this process, the Qi and Blood you’ve worked so hard to cultivate will constantly drain away, and your strength will continue to decline."

"But rest assured, I’ve been through this. When you finally eliminate all the post-heaven impurities in your body and break through to the Gang Condensation Realm..."

"Your strength will be many times greater than it is now!"

Dongfang Zhen’s voice rang out, reassuring him.

Lin Ye nodded.

He was already mentally prepared.

This process wasn’t just physical torture.

It was also an unprecedented trial for a Martial Artist’s mental fortitude.

From the moment one becomes a Martial Artist, the only goal is to grow stronger.

From only being able to dent a sheet of iron with a punch, to shattering boulders, all the way to Lin Ye’s current ability to run at near-subsonic speeds.

But now, he had to personally cast aside the fruits of his own bitter cultivation.

To deliberately damage his own cultivation base, to watch his strength slip away before his very eyes... it was truly an awful feeling.