At thirty-two years old, Wei Tu had finally broken through from the Qi Perception Realm to the True Qi Realm, marking his official entry as an Internal Energy martial artist.
"This progress… is quite decent."
With his inner vision, Wei Tu observed the changes within his body. Threads of white True Qi, as fine as silk, gradually converged in his meridians, intertwining, compressing, and condensing.
A few moments later, among the pure white internal energy, a new strand of pale yellow energy emerged—denser, more resilient than before.
"So, this is the True Qi of martial arts."
Wei Tu muttered to himself.
From external to internal, his path had led him to the Qi Perception Realm, and according to the traditional external martial arts path, the next stage would be to stimulate his body using internal energy, tempering the marrow, and nurturing innate Qi—only then could he step into the Xiantian Realm.
However, things were not always so absolute.
The external and internal martial paths were intertwined. Each contained aspects of the other.
He had generated internal energy through external training, meaning he could now choose either of the two paths—the external method of tempering his body to reach Xiantian, or the internal method of cultivating True Qi to ascend.
Both roads were now open to him.
And the transformation from internal energy to True Qi officially placed him in the True Qi Realm, which belonged to the internal cultivation path.
(External cultivation path: Qi Perception, Marrow Tempering, Xiantian, Grandmaster. Internal cultivation path: Qi Perception, True Qi, Xiantian, Grandmaster.)
Wei Tu had trained in the Marrow Refining Sutra for over a decade. Through the process of tempering his marrow, he had inadvertently refined his internal energy, ultimately leading to its transformation into True Qi.
"Most True Qi in martial artists is said to be pure white, just like internal energy. But mine… it's pale yellow?"
"Could it be…"
Wei Tu's thoughts immediately turned to the Five Yuan Spirit Body manual, the immortal cultivation technique that required him to cultivate the Earth Yuan Body.
He speculated that the reason for his yellow-colored True Qi was directly related to the Five Yuan Spirit Body manual.
Aside from this technique, he couldn't think of any other reason for his True Qi to change in appearance.
"This immortal technique… it must have been subtly altering my True Qi attributes, just like how it helped Fu Zhizhou and Kou Liang sense their Qi and step into Qi Perception Realm."
Wei Tu deduced.
Moreover, he could feel that his pale yellow True Qi contained a trace of earth-like steadiness—a robust, weighty aura.
This sensation gave him the distinct impression that his body had become stronger.
The change was subtle.
But as someone who had already reached perfection in external body training, he had complete control over every inch of his physique.
"Let's test this out."
"If this pale yellow True Qi really enhances my body, then it might actually accelerate my Marrow Tempering progress."
Wei Tu's eyes flashed with excitement.
Marrow Tempering was a delicate and lengthy process. It couldn't be rushed. Even those who tried to force rapid results would still take at least a decade to fully refine their marrow.
Any reckless shortcuts might result in irreversible damage, rendering their cultivation efforts useless.
Some unfortunate individuals—like his martial ancestor, Shi Ming—had even died from rushing the Marrow Tempering process.
But if his physical resilience significantly improved, allowing his body to withstand more forceful marrow refinement, then the time required for this process would naturally be reduced.
Martial artists with exceptionally strong physiques could complete Marrow Tempering in just a few years, rather than the usual decades.
With this thought in mind, Wei Tu immediately took action.
He directed his pale yellow True Qi throughout his body, letting it flow through his limbs, bones, and internal organs.
A moment later, Wei Tu noticed that every part of his body touched by this yellow True Qi was visibly reinforced—his bones became denser, his organs tougher, his muscles sturdier.
Even though the effect was faint, he clearly felt it.
His speculation had been correct.
This True Qi was subtly enhancing his physical endurance.
For the next half a month, Wei Tu remained focused entirely on this new discovery.
Wei Tu continued to cultivate his pale yellow True Qi, refining his body and enhancing his physical resilience with consistent practice.
Then, he attempted Marrow Tempering once again. This time, he noticed a significant difference—the process had become at least thirty percent easier compared to before.
"Marrow Refining Sutra (43/100): Fifteen cycles per day, thirty years to completion."
At that moment, Wei Tu focused his thoughts on his Golden-Purple Destiny, checking the progress of the Marrow Refining Sutra.
"From 41% half a month ago to 43% now… My guess was right. This pale yellow True Qi does indeed accelerate my progress in cultivating the Marrow Refining Sutra."
A hint of excitement flashed across Wei Tu's face.
At the same time, he decided on a name for this pale yellow True Qi—"Earth Essence True Qi."
The name was derived from the Earth Yuan Body, the key aspect of the Five Yuan Spirit Body manual.
A few days later.
Wei Tu sent out invitations, summoning Kou Liang, Fu Zhizhou, and Wei Fei for a gathering at Xuanhe Tower.
When they met again this time, both Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou remained largely unchanged—calm, focused, and still dedicated to their pursuit of immortality.
But the other two had gone through noticeable transformations.
In just a few months, Kou Liang's demeanor had changed dramatically. His brows were raised, his posture confident—his entire presence was full of spirit and vigor.
By contrast, Wei Fei seemed dejected, sitting in the corner drinking alone. A lingering scent of women's perfume clung to him, making it clear where he had been spending his time.
Seeing this scene, Wei Tu furrowed his brows slightly and sighed.
He still remembered how, during their last gathering a few months ago, Wei Fei had been full of energy and determination.
Four years ago, after learning that Fu Zhizhou had used the immortal cultivation technique to sense Qi, Wei Fei had sworn off indulgences, dedicating himself fully to martial training.
But fate had played a cruel joke on him—just as he had been pushing himself toward a breakthrough, Kou Liang had beaten him to it.
Now, Kou Liang had stepped into Qi Perception Realm first, while Wei Fei remained stuck in place.
In terms of age, Wei Fei was only one year older than Kou Liang. They were practically the same.
Failure itself wasn't the issue.
What hurt most was when someone just like you succeeded—while you remained behind.
Wei Fei's will had been crushed.
Fu Zhizhou glanced at Wei Tu, as if silently asking: Should we still invite Wei Fei to future gatherings?
Wei Tu didn't answer.
He withdrew his gaze from the group, fell into momentary contemplation, and then spoke about his recent breakthrough into the True Qi Realm.
"Earth Essence True Qi?"
Fu Zhizhou was momentarily stunned, then ecstatic. He eagerly pressed Wei Tu for more details on its properties and effects.
This was, without a doubt, the best news they had received since starting their training in immortal cultivation techniques over a decade ago.
If Wei Tu had already manifested Earth Essence True Qi, then didn't that mean he was on the verge of fully condensing the Earth Yuan Body?
Immortality was no longer just a dream!
Wei Tu carefully considered his words before explaining everything in detail.
Fu Zhizhou had chosen to follow the internal martial path after sensing Qi, focusing on nurturing his internal energy rather than external body training.
And the next major breakthrough for an internal martial artist was precisely the True Qi Realm.
As Wei Tu spoke, Fu Zhizhou took out a brush and paper, meticulously recording every detail.
Since this concerned True Qi, neither Kou Liang nor Wei Fei could add much to the conversation.
But fortunately, Fu Zhizhou was thorough with his questions, covering everything they wanted to know as well.
After the banquet, the group dispersed.
"Second Brother, wait a moment."
Wei Tu turned his horse and rode after Wei Fei, who was heading back to Qingmu County.
"Third Brother, what is it…?"
Wei Fei pulled the reins, glancing back at Wei Tu, his expression deliberately neutral.
—He knew why Wei Tu had stopped him.
It was to offer him words of comfort.
Having known Wei Tu for over a decade, Wei Fei understood his character better than most.