Henry Carter couldn't help but cry out, instantly activating the Grand Qi Technique of the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll throughout his entire body! Blade-Shield Iron Scroll—Qi channels into the arms, transforming them into blades, while the body becomes an iron shield, harder than stone!

　　During punishment, he was not allowed to use the martial skills from the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll, but now, with gravity weighing down on him, he was no longer being punished! Henry Carter immediately unleashed the martial skills from the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll, infusing his body with true qi, making his body as solid as a shield.

　　It was said that when the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll was cultivated to its peak, the sharpness of the arms could rival that of a battle blade, and the hardness of the body was no less than an iron shield. Even though Henry Carter hadn't mastered this martial art to its utmost, his physical strength had already surpassed the ordinary. As long as he circulated true qi to protect his body, an ordinary wooden stick would only cause a slight pain and would break upon impact.

　　As Henry Carter circulated the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll, the pain on his buttocks was somewhat alleviated, though not completely. For an average person, double gravity was still bearable, and for a martial artist at the Qi Activation stage, it was no problem at all. However, a swollen buttocks at this moment truly affected his performance.

　　Once again, a surge of airflow rolled within the pill furnace, mixing with the spouting heat and the pleasant fragrance of medicinal pills. The purple medicinal aroma was slightly thicker than before, though still faint. It entered Henry Carter's body, and the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll, which had been operating as usual, suddenly accelerated, its power now a bit stronger than just moments ago.

　　This time, more of the medicinal fragrance was released, and Henry Carter was relatively closer. The aroma almost enveloped him. With gravity doubled, his breathing became heavier, requiring more effort than usual. With each deep breath, he inhaled even more of the medicinal essence into his body.

　　"This smell... it's really wonderful..."

　　Henry Carter couldn't help but sigh, suddenly feeling the stone gate within his body begin to tremble.

　　What? Henry Carter quickly circulated his qi to inspect the stone gate on his dantian. The mottled stone gate was shaking, and the once-bright fine lines on it were fading away bit by bit.

　　As the glowing lines disappeared, the stone gate shuddered, and Henry Carter immediately sensed a powerful suction from the other side of the gate. Even with the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll forcibly stabilizing his stance, the immense suction seemed to render all resistance useless.

　　Henry Carter felt as if he had become a blade of grass in a whirlpool, being sucked into the stone gate once again.

　　Am I really going to be sucked away like this? I don't even know what this place is called! A thought of unwillingness flashed through Henry Carter's mind, when a deep, ancient, and desolate voice sounded again: "Heavenly Court..."

　　Heavenly Court? What kind of place is that? Henry Carter asked in confusion. Am I going to be sucked into another strange place again? As this thought flashed through Henry Carter's mind in the whirlpool, he opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar environment. Darkness surrounded him, with only a faint glimmer of light at the window, accompanied by the heavy dampness of the room.

　　The confinement room! The familiar confinement room!

　　Henry Carter pinched his own face hard, and the pain told him he was very much awake!

　　The mottled stone gate still floated quietly above his dantian, as if it had always belonged there, as if it had always been there, not just a recent arrival.

　　Not a dream! Henry Carter took a sharp breath and found that the true qi stored in his body was almost depleted. He didn't have time to check anything else. Having finally reached the Qi Activation stage, he absolutely couldn't let his true qi dissipate completely, or a year of hard cultivation would be wasted.

　　Following the circulation route of the Blade-Shield Iron Scroll, Henry Carter gathered the little true qi left in his body, absorbing the abundant true qi from the world around him. The medicinal fragrance that had entered his body immediately merged with his own true qi, increasing its vitality by more than tenfold. The major acupoints around his body were more active than ever, and the world’s primordial energy entered his acupoints, joining the true qi within. Under the influence of the medicinal fragrance, it quickly melted and became true qi that truly belonged to him.

　　Absorbing this fast? And... it almost didn't require using his own true qi to refine the primordial energy he inhaled—it just turned into his own true qi.

　　Heaven and earth's primordial energy is different from true qi.

　　Primordial energy nourishes all things, but it is not the same as true qi. Martial artists who want to increase their true qi cultivation must absorb primordial energy and then, through their own martial arts techniques, refine it into true qi. Because different martial arts techniques absorb and refine primordial energy at different rates, the quality of the techniques naturally varies.

　　The Blade-Shield Iron Scroll's Blade Qi Shredding Chapter could indeed quickly shred and absorb primordial energy, but this speed... Henry Carter grimaced. Isn't this way too fast? Unless one cultivated the true "Four Extremes Armory"... but even then... could it really be this fast?

　　Four Extremes Armory? Henry Carter sighed. The royal family of the Yi Sect split the Four Extremes Armory into the "Blade-Shield Iron Scroll" and the "Spear-Sword Battle Art," and removed the crucial part in the middle, making it impossible for anyone to truly merge them.

Chapter 7: Expanding Meridians and Strengthening Veins

　　The royal family of the Yi Sect! Henry Carter let out a cold laugh. They are even more detestable than blood-sucking monsters. Every year they demand so much tribute from the Yi family, yet give nothing in return—only oppression and exploitation!