Deep winter had set in, with cold winds howling across the land. Even in the Martial Realm, the cycle of the four seasons persisted. However, the trees, flowers, and grasses in the mountains and forests had long surpassed ordinary mortal plants, thanks to the nourishment of dense spiritual qi. Despite the bitter cold, the surroundings remained lush and vibrant with life.

Since returning from the library, Lin Zheyu had not gone outside again. Although the Martial Realm is mainly for martial artists, it still belongs to the cultivation world. Talismans, formations, and restrictions were everywhere. His courtyard was protected by a formation, which gave him a strong sense of security. If not for the need to compete for the vice hall master position, increase his authority, and exchange for higher-level techniques and scriptures, he believed he could stay hidden here for several years without issue.

If I stay hidden inside the Martial Realm, that old man from Soaring Cloud Pavilion probably won't be able to do anything to me, right?

But if he did that, it would essentially mean offending the other party completely. If he went outside in the future, he would need to act with extreme caution. Until he removed the mark Fan Hongwei had left on him, or until his strength surpassed the man's, Lin Zheyu could only endure in silence for now.

A gentle breeze drifted through the courtyard, carrying the fragrance of flowers. Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged in the yard, his expression calm and tranquil. Blood qi and true origin surged within his body as he verified the martial cultivation knowledge he had learned from the book, The Immortal Martial Cultivation Path. Ever since reaching the Grandmaster realm, the martial path he cultivated had already begun to diverge from traditional martial cultivation. Even so, The Immortal Martial Cultivation Path still provided him with tremendous help, allowing him to reorganize and refine the martial path he would walk in the future.

As the night deepened, Lin Zheyu remained seated cross-legged in the same spot without moving. The aura around him gradually weakened as the blood qi within him surged. Under his control, the true origin flowing through his meridians rapidly broke apart, separating into true intent, blood qi, and essence origin before returning to their fundamental state.

Blood qi was the foundation of martial cultivation. As his strength continued to rise, true origin became less and less useful to Lin Zheyu. Even if he completely decomposed all of it into blood qi, essence origin, true intent, and other forms of energy, it would have little effect on his combat strength.

The massive golden blood qi was incomparably viscous. As it rushed through his blood vessels at high speed, terrifying rumbling sounds echoed from within his body. Under Lin Zheyu's control, the blood qi surged toward the acupoints representing essence, qi, and spirit, only to mysteriously vanish from sight.

Just as he had previously suspected, one first had to nourish the divine repositories before opening them. However, he had never been able to find a proper method before. Only now, through the explanations within the Immortal Martial Cultivation Path, had he finally managed to figure out a viable method of nourishment.

***

Dawn gradually arrived. The Martial Realm also had day and night, and a streak of golden sunlight appeared on the distant horizon, slanting across Lin Zheyu's face. His eyelids fluttered slightly before he slowly opened his eyes. He let out a long breath of turbid air that carried a dense, bloody aura mixed with black impurities. These were the impurities refined out from the divine repositories while Lin Zheyu nourished them with blood qi.

Lin Zheyu carefully sensed the changes within himself and murmured softly, "After just a single night, my physique already feels a little stronger. Truly unbelievable."

It had been a very long time since he last felt such a noticeable improvement in his physique. This enhancement was a fundamental evolution of his body, not a temporary increase brought about by the golden runes or the augmentation of his golden-body techniques.

Lin Zheyu stood up and sat down at the nearby stone table. Taking out the technique manuals he had purchased from the library, he began flipping through them with great interest. These techniques were the primary cultivation techniques of many top martial sects and factions in the mortal world. Even at his current level of strength, they could still provide him with occasional sparks of inspiration.

Time passed slowly. Lin Zheyu's peaceful and monotonous cultivation life did not even last two days before it was interrupted.

The next afternoon, in the barren mountains and forests over twenty kilometers southwest of Yanwu City...

A terrifying boom echoed through the air as two figures collided high in the sky at astonishing speed. Qiu Kun erupted with terrifying blood qi fluctuations, strands of crimson aura spreading outward from his body. Every punch he threw sent rippling rings of scarlet shockwaves exploding through the air. Yet Lin Zheyu, who was facing him, emitted almost no overwhelming aura at all. Calm and composed, he handled Qiu Kun's storm-like barrage of attacks with effortless ease.

Lin Zheyu caught Qiu Kun's incoming wrist with his left hand and casually pulled it backward before driving his right fist straight into Qiu Kun's chest.

Qiu Kun was blasted backward. The powerful flow of blood qi within his body was abruptly disrupted by Lin Zheyu's punch, causing his blood qi to reverse violently as blood burst from his mouth.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Again!" Qiu Kun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes blazing with endless battle intent.

It had been a long time since he encountered such a powerful opponent. Lin Zheyu was so strong that Qiu Kun could barely sense even the slightest hope of victory. It was simply unbelievable. Even when facing Gu Yidao, the number one genius of the Martial Alliance, back when they were at the same realm, Qiu Kun had never experienced such pressure.

Qiu Kun stomped violently through the air. His battle intent, already climbing toward its peak, became even more terrifying as he shot toward Lin Zheyu like a cannonball.

"Fellow Xiao's strength is incredible!"

Zong Linjing stood proudly in the air as she watched the two clash once more, unable to suppress her admiration. She herself was considered a well-known genius within the Martial Alliance, yet compared to Lin Zheyu, she felt unworthy of the title.

"This is nothing yet. Back in the demon god barrier, Fellow Xiao had already displayed traces of the power of rules. After comprehending those rule fragments, the power of rules he now commands must be even more terrifying. And yet, up until now, he still hasn't revealed even the slightest bit of them," Bai Lin said slowly.

Watching Qiu Kun unleash every ounce of his power while Lin Zheyu remained completely relaxed, Zong Linjing could not help but say, "The gap is far too large. Strength, defense, speed, reflexes... he surpasses Fellow Qiu in every aspect. Is Fellow Xiao really only in the Divine Repository realm?"

"Mhm. His foundation in the Divine Repository realm is simply too deep. Just his control over blood qi and physique alone has reached an unbelievable level. I've known him for quite some time now, yet I've never once sensed any excessively violent blood qi fluctuations from him.

"It's almost as if... As if he never opened a divine repository at all. To control the blood qi and essence origin within the divine repository to such a degree... It's truly inconceivable." Bai Lin sighed softly before continuing, "Fellow Xiao's ambitions are enormous. The Martial Alliance may soon give birth to an unprecedentedly powerful martial artist in the Shackles realm."

"Indeed. Even Gu Yidao back then probably could not tame his blood qi and essence origin to such an obedient degree," Zong Linjing said.

The Divine Repository realm could be seen as a complete evolution for martial artists. When the Divine Repository was accessed, a martial artist's power increased significantly. Their blood qi energy became strong enough to replace true strength refined through spiritual qi, restoring it as the primary source of their power. While this transformed blood qi energy was more violent and formidable than true strength, it was also more difficult to control.

When fully unleashed, scarlet blood qi energy would spill out from a martial artist's body. This was the natural overflow caused by blood qi reaching an extreme level of power, much like how blood qi would automatically manifest as crimson blood qi dragons after undergoing Dragon Transformation in the Blood Qi realm.

Bai Lin voiced his speculation.

"This may be the true power of opening the spirit divine repository. Only with sufficiently powerful spiritual will can one completely control transformed blood qi energy while still in the Divine Repository realm."

He then turned toward Zong Linjing beside him and said with a smile, "Fellow Zong, haven't you been trying to open the spirit divine repository all this time? You should find a chance to seek guidance from Fellow Xiao."

"Mhm, I was thinking the same thing," Zong Linjing replied softly.

Although the difficulty of opening the spirit divine repository was unimaginably high, many martial artists throughout the years had still succeeded in doing so. The current alliance leader of the Martial Alliance, Gu Yidao, and Nie Zhiyu, who had tested Lin Zheyu's heart when he first joined the Martial Alliance, were among them. Having remained within the Martial Alliance for so long, Zong Linjing had naturally sought guidance from them long ago. Unfortunately, she still had yet to find the opportunity to open her own spirit divine repository.

Everyone's life path was different, and every martial path diverged in its own way. As such, the opportunity to open their divine repositories also differed from person to person. The experiences of others could only serve as a reference. In the end, one still had to rely on oneself.