After a day of body training, Ryan Clark felt the strength of his body and soul before going to bed. He made a preliminary judgment that if he continued with this routine twice a day, in five months he would be able to enter the Nourishing Qi and Strengthening Soul stage. At the same time, his physical strength would far surpass what it was before. After all, the Ten Dragons Subduing Demon Fist and this medicinal formula were much better than the previous ones, allowing him to train areas he couldn't reach before, and even the effects on the same areas were much improved. Truly worthy of being content from a supreme technique. However, when practicing the Ten Dragons Subduing Demon Fist, he still felt he hadn't grasped the essence of the martial art and needed to work even harder.

In the following months, Ryan Clark kept to himself, rarely going out except for meals or to buy medicine, spending all his time in the courtyard. He practiced the Ten Dragons Subduing Demon Fist twice a day, and in his spare time, he reviewed the various spells this body had learned before. Both his body and soul improved greatly. He also recalled the knowledge and stories told by Old Brooks, preparing himself for future travels in search of immortality and enlightenment.

Chapter Five: The Method of Visualization

By April, Ryan Clark had little interaction with the neighbors, only exchanging a few words when he went out for meals each day. Aunt Bolton mentioned her daughter several times, but Ryan Clark's indifferent response made her drop the subject. With the neighbors, he only chatted about trivial matters, such as the emperor summoning virtuous people from all over the land to compile Daoist texts; Scholar Jiang composing another popular poem in Hangzhou; the new storybook by the wandering storyteller about the romance between a human and a ghost, which was retold daily in the teahouse and was extremely popular; the Red Cloud Immortal Lord Temple in Liangzhou being very effective for seeking marriage, though it was too far away; the widow surnamed Wu across the street remarrying a merchant from the Western Regions, whose high nose and deep-set eyes looked intimidating; and gossip about the Zhang family's long-windedness, the Li family's troubles, and the Wang family's lazy daughter-in-law, and so on.

On an early morning in late autumn, October, Ryan Clark drank the Qiankun Marrow-Transforming Soup and began practicing the Ten Dragons Subduing Demon Fist in the small courtyard. After so much practice, he entered the state quickly and could sense his body and soul more clearly.

Barbaric Dragon Twisting Waist, Azure Dragon Subduing Waves, Fire Dragon Burning the Heavens, White Dragon Freezing the Sea—each move further tempered his body. Yet, the feeling of not grasping the essence of the art grew stronger. For four months, he had not overcome this barrier, as if there was a pent-up energy in his heart that could not be released.

When he reached the Canglong Soaring in the Sky move, he suddenly entered a state of emptiness and clarity. His fists moved with his mind, his mind followed his spirit, his spirit followed his soul. Essence, Qi, Spirit, and Soul seemed to be closely connected. The feeling of not grasping the essence seemed to break all at once. Ryan Clark gathered all his strength, let out a loud shout, and unleashed the Black Dragon Playing in the Water move, as if breaking through a barrier. At the same time, he felt a vast, ancient, and profound dragon aura, as if he could control the water in the air with this punch.

After throwing this punch, the bones in Ryan Clark's body made a series of light cracking sounds that lasted for a while before stopping. This was a sign of power penetrating the marrow and connecting every joint—a sign of great achievement in body training. Ryan Clark had previously only been able to control his muscles and bones, but now he felt his soul power had greatly increased, becoming more sensitive and able to control the depths of his bones and the subtle corners of his body.

At this moment, many streams of heat rose from his bone marrow and seeped into his internal organs. Ryan Clark was overjoyed and did not dare to be careless. He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, guiding the heat through his five organs, along the twelve main meridians, and finally gathering it in his dantian. Only then did he finish his practice, his face full of joy, for he had seized this opportunity to break through to the Nourishing Qi and Strengthening Soul stage in one leap.

Moreover, since his body had previously opened the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, but his original soul had died and the internal energy had dissipated, this meant Ryan Clark did not need to painstakingly open the Eight Extraordinary Meridians one by one again, saving a great deal of time.

Generally speaking, for an internal martial arts expert in the martial world, accumulating internal energy and opening the Eight Extraordinary Meridians usually takes about fifteen years, and that's if the person is talented, focused, and trains diligently. Those with lesser talent take even longer. Many internal experts spend their whole lives unable to open the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Even those with extraordinary talent and great fortune need seven or eight years to accomplish this.

Why was Brian Foster able to open the Eight Extraordinary Meridians in just three years? There are three reasons: First, he practiced the true Daoist teachings, which are worlds apart from even the most advanced martial arts manuals—like the difference between immortals and mortals. Second, Daoist arts emphasize cultivation and nourishment; combat relies more on spells, talismans, and magical tools, while martial arts internal energy, no matter how advanced, is still focused on harming the enemy. Cultivation nourishes the soul, and a strong soul allows better control of internal energy, which in turn makes opening the meridians much more effective. Although internal martial arts also nourish the soul, their main purpose is to harm and repel enemies, with soul nourishment as a side effect. Different goals lead to different results. Third, Brian Foster was highly talented; otherwise, Old Brooks would not have chosen him as a disciple.

Now that Ryan Clark had entered the Nourishing Qi stage, the medicinal soup and baths could be stopped. Entering this stage naturally meant his body had reached a certain limit, and continuing would be harmful. The next step was to accumulate internal energy, transform the body's essence, and naturally replenish the body, slowly strengthening it. At the same time, he needed to increase his daily intake of meat to meet the needs of refining essence into qi. Once the twelve main meridians and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians were filled with internal energy, he would then open the smaller meridians, forming a great postnatal circulation. This would be the peak of the Nourishing Qi stage.