My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

Three months of seclusion passed by quietly.

When Liang Cheng pushed open the door of Courtyard Three on True Inheritance Peak, it was already the depths of winter.

Wintersweet had just begun to bloom in the courtyard, its faint fragrance wafting through the air.

He took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air. His entire aura felt perfectly balanced. The True Qi of his Broken Wave Technique surged endlessly through his Meridians, feeling even more condensed and potent than it had three months prior.

[Broken Wave Technique Second Layer: Great Success (14247/15000)]

[Profound Yin Sword Technique: Great Success (7011/12000)]

[Wind and Thunder Slash: Great Success (9352/12000)]

With the aid of the Crossing the Sea True Intent Fragment, his efficiency at converting Qi Blood and refining Medicinal Power had soared, allowing his Cultivation speed to far surpass that of ordinary Martial Artists in the True Qi Realm.

If not for the approaching New Year, Liang Cheng probably would have wanted to continue his seclusion.

’After so much constant conflict, now that I can finally cultivate in peace, how could I not seize every moment?’

"Brother Cheng!"

A delighted cry came from the courtyard gate.

Liang Cheng turned to see Yaya and Li Tieniu standing side by side at the gate.

Yaya’s belly was already showing a slight swell, and her face was flushed with a happy glow. Li Tieniu grinned his usual honest smile, his hands full of bags, large and small, packed with local goods.

"Are you two heading home for the New Year?"

"Yep, we’ve gotten everything settled here."

Li Tieniu scratched his head. "Yaya’s mother and my mother miss us. Plus, now that Yaya is pregnant, we decided to head back for the New Year a little early."

Liang Cheng’s gaze fell on his sister’s slightly swollen belly, and a warmth bloomed in his heart. "Good. I’ll have some Disciples from the Martial Arts Academy escort you back. Your mothers will be overjoyed to see you."

After Yaya and her husband left, Liang Cheng went to the backyard. Yang Wei was holding Yang An, chuckling as he played with the baby. Little Yang An’s big, dark eyes darted around, and when he saw Liang Cheng, he actually reached out his tiny hands and babbled.

Standing nearby, Lady Ning was grinning from ear to ear.

This year, as the new year approached, the house was filled with a liveliness it hadn’t seen in a long time.

On the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, the day of the Little New Year.

As the family sat around the table for their reunion dinner, Lady Ning looked at Liang Cheng and suddenly said, "Cheng’Er, you’ll be twenty after the New Year. Now that you’ve established yourself in the city, shouldn’t you be thinking about getting married and starting a family?"

Liang Cheng’s chopsticks paused in the middle of picking up some food.

"Mother, my heart is currently devoted to the Martial Dao. I haven’t given that any thought."

"The Martial Dao doesn’t have to stop you from getting married."

Lady Ning tried to persuade him earnestly. "I know your ambitions are great, but you still need someone to look after you, to share life’s warmth and cold. Just look at Yaya and Tieniu, isn’t their life wonderful?"

Just as Liang Cheng was about to brush her off, Yang Wei, who had been silent, suddenly put down his wine cup and spoke slowly. "Your mother has a point. A man can build a career and start a family; the two are not mutually exclusive. The Martial Dao is about cultivating the heart, and a peaceful home is also a part of that Cultivation."

He looked at Liang Cheng, his eyes holding the wisdom of experience. "However, this is something you must ultimately want for yourself. There is no benefit in forcing things before the right time and opportunity arrive."

Liang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and raised his cup to Yang Wei. "Master is right."

Seeing this, Lady Ning knew she couldn’t force the issue. She could only let out a sigh and say no more.

...

As the New Year drew near, the Martial Arts Academy was adorned with lanterns and colorful banners both inside and out.

This was the first time Liang Cheng had spent the New Year at the Martial Arts Academy.

On New Year’s Eve, Liang Cheng accompanied his mother in paying respects to his father’s memorial tablet, and then he joined his Master, Yang Wei, to see in the new year.

In the course of their conversation, Yang Wei remarked with great feeling that he had never imagined Liang Cheng would come this far.

Snowflakes drifted past the window while the charcoal fire kept the room warm. Yang An slept soundly in his cradle.

On the first day of the New Year, Liang Cheng took some pastries and braised snacks that Lady Ning had made herself, paid a visit to the head Master of the Martial Arts Academy, and finally made his way to the Back Mountain Alchemy Room.

Elder Huang was frowning in deep thought before a cauldron of newly refined pills. When he saw Liang Cheng enter, his eyes lit up.

"Perfect timing!"

Without another word, he shoved a Jade Bottle into Liang Cheng’s hands. "After you tested the last one, I spent three months improving the formula. I removed three of the most potent ingredients and added five harmonizing ones. This batch’s medicinal properties are thirty percent gentler, and the backlash is greatly reduced. You’re just in time to test it."

Liang Cheng looked at the pearly, jade-like Elixir in the bottle and gave a resigned smile. "Elder Huang, you want me to test an elixir on the first day of the New Year?"

"In the Cultivation of the Martial Dao, why should holidays matter?"

Elder Huang glared at him. "Enough nonsense. Eat it so I can see the results. What, are you trying to back out of our deal?"

Liang Cheng again tried to refuse, but he couldn’t break free from Elder Huang’s grip. With a pained look, he had no choice but to sit down cross-legged and swallow the Elixir.

As the Medicinal Power dissolved and spread, he found that it was, indeed, much gentler than the last time.

A warm current rose from his Dantian, spreading like a spring stream to nourish his entire body.

The Crossing the Sea True Intent Fragment began to operate on its own. Like a great tide, his Broken Wave Technique guided the Medicinal Power to temper his True Qi and nourish his Meridians. For a time, everything worked in perfect harmony.

Although he felt a slight pain in his Meridians, with Liang Cheng’s current physique, it was utterly negligible.

However, as time went on, the Medicinal Power grew increasingly potent. It seemed Elder Huang had learned his lesson, designing the Elixir to release its effects more gradually.

The Circulation of the Celestial Qi within Liang Cheng’s body spun faster and faster.

Two hours later.

When Liang Cheng opened his eyes, he felt utterly refreshed. The True Qi within him had grown even purer, and he had taken another step forward.

[Broken Wave Technique Second Layer: Great Success (14481/15000)]

Liang Cheng was astounded. ’A single Elixir had such a potent effect!’ But his shock was immediately followed by a pang of intense hunger.

He paid no mind to Elder Huang standing nearby. As if he had done it a dozen times before, he walked over to the Blood Warming Soup cauldron, ladled out a large bowl, and wolfed it down. Only then did he let out a breath.

’So satisfying.’

At that moment, Elder Huang came over to check his pulse. After a brief examination, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. The Medicinal Power is stable, without the drawback of that ferocious initial impact. I’d say this elixir is a success. It’s just impossible to make it any gentler."

Elder Huang let out a sigh.

Liang Cheng could read between the lines.

Without a certain level of Cultivation and a powerful physique, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to take this elixir.

Liang Cheng’s eyes darted, and a plan formed. He cupped his fists. "Elder Huang, could you sell me a few more of these Elixirs? Who knows, after taking them, I might gain some new Insights that could help you optimize the formula even further."