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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: The Path of Strength

Lu Fan's third marriage had been a lively affair, celebrated by the entire island. Content with his growing family, he soon turned his attention back to his cultivation experiments. With plans to strengthen his body, he decided to visit the cultivator market near his family's main island.

The market buzzed with activity as merchants showcased various rare materials and artifacts. Among them, Lu Fan found a Blood Stone, a small but potent item containing the condensed essence of a high-grade beast. This particular stone came from a Level 2 Wood-type Deer Beast and cost him 40 spirit stones—a considerable expense. Recognizing the potential of this rare item, he also bought Level 1 Deer Beast blood and various types of animal blood sold cheaply in the market. With his purchases in hand, Lu Fan returned home, eager to begin his experiments.

Once back, he set up his array, placing the Blood Stone in the center as a magnetic focal point. Watching the qi flow, he observed faint patterns forming around the stone, drawing in spiritual energy. Intrigued, he decided to experiment by placing ordinary Deer blood in the array, carefully matching the patterns he had seen. To his astonishment, the ordinary blood began to transform, taking on the faint essence of a Blood Stone, though only at a very low level of qi concentration.

Emboldened by his initial success, Lu Fan repeated the process with Level 1 Deer blood. This time, it yielded a true Level 1 Blood Stone—an incredible result, as Blood Stones were typically only found in beasts at the Foundation Building stage, which was Level 2 or higher. This discovery was monumental. The Blood Stone had the potential to increase body strength directly, similar to how spirit stones fueled qi cultivation. However, each Blood Stone was costly; at 40 spirit stones apiece, he'd need around 1,000 Blood Stones to reach the Foundation Building stage in body tempering—an amount sufficient to train two typical Foundation Building cultivators.

Determined to save on costs, Lu Fan continued producing Level 1 Blood Stones in his array, using the ordinary Deer blood he had purchased. After creating a sufficient batch, he sat in the center of the array and activated his Blood Tempering Art. To his delight, he found that the array's enhanced qi flow significantly boosted the efficiency of his practice, allowing him to absorb the Blood Stones' energy at an accelerated rate. Within a single day, he broke through into the Body Tempering realm, gaining strength comparable to an early Qi Cultivator.

Over the following days, Lu Fan poured his resources into purchasing more Level 1 Deer blood, pushing his body tempering further. With dedication and the array's assistance, he reached the mid-level Qi Body Tempering Realm. Each step in body refinement brought him closer to a level of physical resilience that even ordinary cultivators struggled to attain.

Two months later, Lu Fan revisited his hidden array site to check on its progress. To his satisfaction, the low-grade spirit stones he'd left in the array had transformed into mid-grade spirit stones, each valued at 100 low-grade stones. Seeing the success, he replaced the mid-grade stones with fresh low-grade ones, ensuring that his secret formation would continue its work, slowly but steadily amassing resources for him.

Armed with his new physical strength and a steady flow of resources, Lu Fan returned home, knowing he had taken another decisive step toward mastery. With body tempering progressing smoothly, he felt prepared to face greater challenges and continue expanding his influence across the cultivation world.