Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 165 - 144: Yin Yang Drink, Guardian of the Heavy Mandate

"In the old days, learning was all done through master-apprentice instruction. No one knew what was missing or what was superfluous. Now, we summarize experience, systematize the knowledge, and document it. We produce hundreds, even thousands of times more successful students. Only with a sufficient number of Fighters can we continuously elevate the standards of combat. To treat the Secret Transmissions of the old era as priceless treasures—that’s just putting the cart before the horse."

Chen Chuan knew that every time Cheng Zitong brought up this topic, he was full of complaints and couldn’t help but grumble. He must have suffered quite a bit under the rules of that old era.

He picked up the documents and flipped through them. They were a collection of the more useful notes and insights left behind by former students. All of them were printed copies. They looked cheap, but their content was invaluable.

Cheng Zitong gathered his things, took a sip of tea from the table, and stood. "I’ve still got things to do at the school, so I’ll be heading back. If there’s anything you don’t understand, call me anytime. If I can’t figure it out, you can write a letter to Old He."

Chen Chuan rose and said, "I’ll see you out, sir."

After seeing Cheng Zitong off, Chen Chuan returned and settled into the training hall.

Over the next while, he would go to the training hall below for his daily regimen. During his breaks, he would come back up to read, sip tea, and admire the distant scenery.

The training hall also offered experienced Fighters as sparring partners, but that cost extra, and he didn’t feel it was necessary yet. If he needed someone to practice with, he just had to show his face at the school and find a few students. Sometimes, he could even ask the instructors; their skill and perceptiveness were generally much higher than anyone he could hire from the outside.

He would also occasionally make time to visit his company and clear out old assignments. Over time, the people at the school grew accustomed to his routine.

More than half a month went by, and by the end of April, he felt it was nearly impossible to make any further progress within the First Limit. By this time, he only had two of the Bone Beads from Qi Sai left.

He could feel that no matter how much he stimulated it, the growth of the Mutated Organization on his tendons, ligaments, and bones had slowed to a crawl.

This didn’t mean the Mutated Organization had stopped growing. Rather, its growth in a certain direction was being constrained by his Breathing Technique and Pile Force. If he were to relax his control, it would immediately start growing rapidly in other directions.

Reaching this point showed that his control over the Mutated Organization inside his body had become highly refined. It was like throwing a punch that he could also pull back. He couldn’t just let it fly without control, but he couldn’t hold it back so much that it lost all its power, either.

From the records Cheng Zitong had left him, he could tell this was a unique type of control exclusive to the Circulation Technique. Even if the Mutated Organization in one area lost a bit of control, he could use the Mutated Organization in other parts of his body to collectively rein it in.

Others weren’t so fortunate. They could only stimulate their Mutated Organization with extreme caution, nudging it forward bit by bit. The moment they lost control, it was like riding a berserk horse at a full gallop; all they could do was try to protect themselves, with no say in the direction. A single careless mistake could lead to a catastrophic loss of bodily function, so they had to be exceptionally wary.

To advance to the Second Limit, he would need to switch to new medicines and a new Breathing Technique to redirect the Mutated Organization. Only a higher-level Breathing Technique could lead it to the desired areas once he let go of his current restraints.

In the parlance of the old era, the First Limit was called "Primordial Truth Seed." The Second Limit, likewise, had a name: "Guardian of the Heavy Mandate"!

To put it simply, a Fighter at this stage was essentially cultivating a second life. Upon entering this realm, a Fighter’s combat power would increase dramatically.

The emphasis at this stage wasn’t on expenditure, but on preservation. Only by properly guarding and nurturing this second life could it truly become one’s own.

The first key step was "Jiajin Bridge, Shenggu Beam," where the Mutated Organization primarily grew into Mutated Tendons and Ligaments and bones. The key to the Second Limit, however, was "Vital Six Viscera and Five Zang Organs"! The Mutated Organization would spread into and transform the zang-fu organs, providing the Fighter with far greater stamina and a much stronger physique.

No matter how powerful one’s muscles and bones became, they still required support. The supply of nutrients, the flow of qi and blood, the circulation of breath throughout the body, and even every single exertion of Power—all of this consumption relied on the support of strong internal organs.

This was why those at the First Limit could typically only unleash their Power a few times in a single battle; their internal organs simply couldn’t take any more. There had been no shortage of such examples among his past opponents.

After mentally reviewing the key points for entering the Second Limit, Chen Chuan decided he would wait no longer. He would attempt the breakthrough today.

He stood, opened a box Cheng Zitong had delivered yesterday, and took out a cup filled with a viscous, colorless liquid, placing it before him.

The substance was called "Elixir Water," a medicine meant to help Fighters break through to the Second Limit.

Once drunk, it would stimulate the internal organs and accelerate the growth of the Mutated Organization there. In the old days, this substance was called the "Yin Yang Drink," implying that a single sip could separate life from death.

This was also because the concoction standards back then were poor, and each formula was regarded as a School’s Secret Transmission, mastered only through personal experience. Therefore, before drinking it, one also had to align with the Celestial Degree and Qi Number.

The workings of celestial calculations included the so-called "Six-Six Festival, Nine-Nine Assembly." Depending on one’s Cultivation Method, one had to choose a specific, suitable day and drink the Yin Yang Drink within a prescribed hour.

This wasn’t entirely without reason. The activity levels of a person’s zang-fu organs vary depending on the time of day. When placed on the grander scale of the changing seasons and the rhythm of the stars, aligning oneself with these cycles created a feeling of "acting in accordance with heaven" and "moving with the current." The psychological support this provided was immense.

Things were different now. This cup of Elixir Water was actually a nutritional fluid rich in High-Energy Nutrients, but it also contained a certain amount of toxic substances.

After it’s ingested, the Elixir Liquid is first broken down and absorbed by the stomach and intestines, entering the bloodstream to be transported to cells throughout the body. Meanwhile, the liver and kidneys convert and filter out the toxic components. The Fighter must then immediately use their Breathing Technique and Force Technique to mobilize their cardiopulmonary power. All the internal organs become involved in this process. This, in turn, intensely stimulates the underlying Mutated Organization that has already permeated them, causing it to spread and grow, spurred on by the Breath Force.

The reason this step was so difficult in the old era was the inability to master the proper dosage. A bit too much toxicity could lead to an overdose—with self-evident consequences—while too little would fail to provide the necessary stimulation. Repeatedly taking smaller doses could even cause the body to adapt, bringing progress to a permanent halt.

Most critically, the "water" was incredibly difficult to concoct. The ingredients were exceedingly rare and exorbitantly expensive, far beyond the means of an ordinary person. Things were different now, of course. As long as it was within the regulated dosage, the academy provided it free of charge.

Chen Chuan gazed at the cup of Elixir Water. Because the amount of Mutated Organization in his body was far greater than that of other students at his stage, he had asked Cheng Zitong to intentionally increase its toxicity during preparation. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be stimulating enough. ’In any case, even if it’s a bit too strong, it doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ’I have the Second Self. I can bear any excess damage.’

He reached out, picked up the cup, and drained it in a single gulp.

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