Chapter 217: Chapter 117: Breakthrough to the Entering the Realm of Strength, Qi Blood Transforming Force, Microscopic Control

Back when he refined the gloves of the white-robed man from the Moon Worship Sect, he had obtained the Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand and the Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step. His Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand had since reached Perfection and undergone a Second Limit Break, while his Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step had only just broken through from Small Success to Great Success.

Those last few Experience Points for the Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step, in particular, had cost him an immense amount of painstaking effort.

Chu Fan subconsciously glanced at the panel in his mind.

The Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture, the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture, and now the newly acquired Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique...

All three were legendary Divine Power Secret Manuals of unfathomable power.

But they were all like flowers in a mirror or the moon on the water—visible, yet untouchable.

The frustration of possessing a treasure mountain he couldn’t enter gave him an unprecedented urgency to break through the five stages of Foundation Establishment.

Sighing, Chu Fan turned his attention back to the Eternal Night Arm Armor.

Even if he couldn’t cultivate the Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique for now, this arm armor was by no means an ordinary item.

He ran his hand over it carefully, discovering that its material was unique. It felt like neither gold nor iron, yet it emanated a sense of indestructibility.

’Although I have the Vajra Undying Body to protect me, an extra layer of defense is never a bad thing.’

He recalled his past battles against ranked masters of the Mortal Transformation Realm.

On the surface, it looked as though he was the underdog defeating a stronger foe, killing or heavily wounding powerful enemies on multiple occasions. In reality, it was mostly thanks to the formidable physique granted by his Vajra Undying Body, as well as surprise tactics.

When his enemies underestimated his physical strength and defense, close-quarters combat often yielded surprisingly effective results.

The Eternal Night Arm Armor would undoubtedly make his brawling tactics both more threatening and more secure.

He rolled up his left sleeve and fitted the arm armor onto his forearm.

Something even more magical happened—the arm armor, as if alive, automatically tightened and adjusted itself, fitting the contours of his arm perfectly. It was neither loose nor uncomfortably tight.

’This is no ordinary weapon, indeed,’ Chu Fan thought with admiration.

He pulled his sleeve down over the arm armor, drew his long saber with his right hand, took a deep breath, and with a hardened gaze, viciously swung the blade down on his own left wrist!

CLANG—!

Sparks flew!

The expected sound of metal striking metal rang out, but what was more astonishing was that the moment the blade touched the arm armor, the dark patterns on its surface suddenly lit up with a deep blue glow.

A seemingly paper-thin, yet incredibly solid, blue halo instantly covered the arm armor’s surface, completely blocking the long saber’s strike!

"Just as I thought!" Chu Fan withdrew his saber, delight flashing in his eyes as he looked at the unharmed arm armor, its blue light slowly fading.

The arm armor’s defensive power far exceeded his expectations. It didn’t rely solely on its tough material; it was more like a Magical Treasure that could actively generate a protective layer of energy!

He tried to call out to the sleeping Paperman, wanting to ask about Magical Treasures, but there was no response.

Resigned, Chu Fan walked out of Liang Qiu’s residence.

’The five stages of Foundation Establishment... Only the Entering the Realm of Strength is left. I have to break through as soon as possible!’

His resolve to become stronger grew even firmer in his heart.

「Nine days later...」

As night deepened, Chu Fan finished practicing the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber in the courtyard and returned to his room.

Inside, Mrs. Zhang had already prepared a large tub of steaming, dark-green medicinal soup.

A thick, bitter medicinal smell permeated the air.

Chu Fan removed his outer shirt and submerged his body in the scalding medicinal liquid.

A searing heat instantly enveloped him, as if countless fine needles were piercing his pores.

But he was long used to it and didn’t even frown.

He closed his eyes, held his breath, and focused his mind, circulating his cultivation technique to assault the crucial realm of "Entering Force."

[Cultivation: Fifth Stage of Foundation Establishment, Entering Force 94%]

His consciousness sank into his body, where he could "see" the ceaselessly surging Qi Blood Power in his dantian and meridians.

He wasn’t far from a breakthrough...

Assaulting the Entering the Realm of Strength presented three hurdles, each like a vast chasm.

The first step: condense thirty-six strands of pure Qi Blood Power.

For an ordinary person, this was incredibly difficult, requiring immense and patient effort to slowly purify and compress the power.

But for Chu Fan, who had achieved a Third Limit Break and reached the Perfection realm in his Twelve Forms Fist, manipulating his Qi Blood was as easy as moving his own limbs.

With a single thought, seventy-two strands of Qi Blood Power, condensed like small red serpents, were already rearing their heads and hissing within his meridians with casual ease.

The second step: fuse the seventy-two strands of qi and blood to form a "Qi Blood River."

This required immense control and a solid foundation.

If one’s foundation was unstable, forcing the fusion would only cause one’s qi and blood to go berserk, resulting in self-injury.

In the preceding days, Chu Fan had already used his mind as a guide, urging the strands of qi and blood to entwine, collide, and merge. He had already fused seventy-two strands of qi and blood to form a "Qi Blood River."

A far more majestic and turbulent crimson "river" had already taken form and was surging through him!

With over twenty days of cultivation and his profound foundation, he had advanced through the first two steps with unstoppable momentum.

The difficult part was the third step—

Transforming Qi Blood into Force and mastering it with microscopic precision.

"Force" was not simply the external release of qi and blood. It was the process of forging, compressing, and condensing the vast energy of qi and blood into a higher, more refined form of power that possessed greater penetration and versatility.

Furthermore, one had to be able to precisely control every nuance of this "Force," as easily as moving one’s own fingers.

Light or heavy, hard or soft, fast or slow—all controlled by a single thought.

This step relied purely on comprehension and diligent cultivation.

Neither medicinal baths nor Treasure Plants were of any use in this final step.

Either you grasped it, or you didn’t.

If you couldn’t grasp it, you couldn’t.

This was different from Blood Refining, Bone Marrow Forging, and Bone Tempering.

Chu Fan was not in a hurry.

However, he placed great importance on this step.

It wasn’t just because this step was crucial for his breakthrough, but also because it was vital for increasing his power.

Chu Fan knew full well that although he had made it look easy when killing several Martial Artists of the Entering the Realm of Strength, he had actually relied on the terrifying physique granted by his Vajra Undying Body—which far surpassed others of his rank—and the element of surprise in battle.

If it came down to the exquisite application of Qi Blood Power and the understanding and control of "Force," he was still far behind Martial Artists in the Entering the Realm of Strength.

Once he broke through this bottleneck, it would not only mean his control over his Qi Blood Power had reached the "Microscopic" realm...

More importantly, he would also be able to guide and utilize the vast, ocean-like physical power of his Vajra Undying Body with greater precision.

At that time, his strength would take a qualitative leap!

Chu Fan focused his mind, immersing his entire consciousness in the surging "Qi Blood River" within him. He tried to use his Mental Power as a hammer and his will as an anvil to continuously temper this immense power.

The medicinal power seeped through his skin, strand by strand, nourishing his meridians and bringing with it a more intense, throbbing ache.

But this, in turn, helped him stay focused.

’Condense!’

Chu Fan gave a low shout in his mind, guiding a portion of the "Qi Blood River" to accelerate and compress along a specific path through his meridians.

At first, the qi and blood merely flowed passively, as untamable as a wild horse.

He remained patient, trying again and again. His Mental Power was highly focused as he carefully perceived every subtle change in the flow of qi and blood, searching for that mysterious, elusive opportunity to transform it into "Force."

Time slipped by quietly as he cultivated. The medicinal liquid in the wooden tub gradually cooled, its color fading.

Suddenly, within the surging Qi Blood River, a minuscule strand of energy—distinctly different from ordinary qi and blood—was separated out!

It was more solid, more contained, like an invisible steel needle brimming with immense piercing power!

Success!

The first strand of "Force"!

[Cultivation: Fifth Stage of Foundation Establishment, Entering Force 97%]

The progress bar had changed again...

Joy bloomed in Chu Fan’s heart, but he immediately steadied his mind, not daring to relax.

Controlling this strand of "Force" was far more difficult than condensing it.

He carefully guided this faint strand of Force, letting it circulate at his fingertips.

At first, the Force was as slippery as an eel, difficult to control.

The slightest lapse in concentration and it nearly spiraled out of control and dissipated.

He held his breath and focused his Mental Power to the absolute limit, using it like the finest engraving knife to meticulously carve out his perception and control over this power.

Slowly, the strand of Force began to obey him.

He tried making it accelerate and rotate, then had it gently touch the upper rim of the wooden tub.

PFFT!

With a nearly inaudible sound, a minuscule hole, almost invisible to the naked eye, appeared on the inner wall of the hard wooden tub.

’So this is the power of "Force"...’

Chu Fan opened his eyes and looked at the tiny hole, a flash of understanding in his gaze.

Although he had only managed to condense a single strand and his control was far from masterful, it was undoubtedly a crucial beginning!

He knew that he would now need to spend more time patiently grinding, continuously condensing more "Force" and learning to control it as effortlessly as his own limbs.

He stood up in the tub, water droplets rolling down his well-defined muscles.

Chu Fan clenched his fist, feeling the newborn, unique power within him, and was filled with anticipation for the realm that lay beyond his breakthrough.

He stepped out of the wooden tub and continued to cultivate inside his room.

Time passed, bit by bit...

As the morning sun shone in through the window, Chu Fan’s body suddenly released a powerful aura with a BANG!

However, despite such a major commotion, no strong wind was stirred up...

It wasn’t like his previous breakthroughs, which had always formed a whirlwind around him!

[Cultivation: Fifth Stage of Foundation Establishment, Entering Force 100%]

’The Entering the Realm of Strength... I’ve done it...’