Chapter 12 Healing
During this period of rest, the two have not completely lost touch with their training.
They attended every single one of Mr. Zhou's demon identification lessons, and Shen Lian even went so far as to repeatedly recount the details of his encounter with the "Ghoul Eater" during his night patrol.
Li Hu studied Shen Lian's notes repeatedly, memorizing the characteristics and weaknesses of various demons, and often discussed with him how to deal with them.
Shen Lian and Li Hu strictly followed the physician's instructions.
After his injuries had largely healed, Shen Lian began to practice the "Tiger-Taming Stance" every day.
After his battle with the "Ghoul," he realized his own shortcomings and trained even harder to improve his strength.
On the other side, Li Hu's injuries had also recovered to about 70-80%.
While high-intensity stance training with a knife is not yet possible, basic stance training and knife swinging are no longer a problem.
Moreover, the refinement of his blood and qi was even greater than before his injury, and there were even faint signs of him breaking through to the Body Tempering Realm.
"Brother Lian, I feel... I think I'm about to break through."
One afternoon, after finishing his practice, Li Hu said with some uncertainty.
Shen Lian sensed Li Hu's blood and qi, nodded and smiled, "Not bad, his blood and qi are solid, showing signs of breaking through to the Body Tempering Realm."
"real?"
Li Hu rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes full of anticipation.
Body Tempering Realm!
A true warrior!
Shen Lian nodded: "Commander Zhao once said that breaking through in martial arts sometimes requires external pressure. Your severe injury from the 'Ghoul Eater' and the shattered sternum actually stimulated your body's self-healing potential, which helped you break through to the Body Tempering Realm faster."
Li Hu asked excitedly, "When can I break through to the Body Tempering Realm?"
"No rush." Shen Lian gestured for him to sit down. "Tell me first, have you felt any changes in your body these past few days while meditating and regulating your breathing?"
Li Hu carefully felt it and said, "It's like... every time I do the breathing exercise, my lower abdomen gets hotter and hotter, like there's a ball of fire burning inside. Sometimes that ball of fire goes up along my spine, but it gets stuck at the back of my neck and can't go any further."
"That's the 'Jade Pillow Pass'," Shen Lian said, stroking his chin. "The first level of the Body Tempering Realm requires condensing your Qi and blood to a certain degree and breaking through the three passes of the Jade Pillow, the spine, and the coccyx before you can condense the Martial Dao Mark. The fact that you're stuck at the Jade Pillow Pass means that your Qi and blood are close to the critical point, just one step away."
Li Hu said eagerly, "Then I'll do it now..."
"Not yet." Shen Lian pressed him down and shook his head to indicate, "Your sternum is not fully healed yet. If you go all out to break through, your blood and qi will boil, which may injure the unhealed areas. Be patient and recuperate for a few more days. After the physician confirms that it is fully healed, then go all out to break through. You will definitely be able to step into the Body Tempering Realm in one fell swoop."
Although Li Hu was anxious, he knew that Shen Lian was right, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to Brother Lian."
Over the next three days, Li Hu focused even more intently on recuperating.
He sits quietly for an hour each morning, afternoon, and evening, guiding the warm airflow within his body according to breathing techniques.
Shen Lian then resumed his normal training.
Before dawn, he arrived at the small courtyard of the government office, took a deep breath, lowered his waist and dismounted, and assumed the "Tiger-Taming Stance" posture to begin his standing meditation practice.
After a period of rest, his injuries have completely healed, and his internal energy is even stronger than before.
The warm current within his dantian circulated through his limbs and bones with each breath, constantly tempering Shen Lian's physical body.
[Skill Point +1]
Just as Shen Lian was focused on his cultivation, a notification sound suddenly rang out.
[Host]: Shen Lian
[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm (1/10)
[Combat Strength]: 12~20
[Martial Arts]: Tiger-Taming Stance (Minor Success) (1/5), Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Beginner) (1/3)
Skill Points: 1
Having gained a skill point, Shen Lian pondered for a moment but did not choose to allocate it for the time being. Zhao Shan had already sent out a message that he would be teaching the second move of the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique".
He planned to wait until that time to use it.
Soon, the hour-long stance training ended. He straightened up, stretched his muscles and looked into the office. Judging by the time, Li Hu would also be getting up soon.
After examining Li Hu's body yesterday, the medical officer confirmed that Li Hu's sternum had completely healed and there was nothing seriously wrong with him, so he could participate in training normally.
Not long after, Li Hu pushed open the door and came out. He had changed into a clean flying fish robe, and his eyes were particularly resolute, revealing a sharp edge.
"Brother Lian!" Li Hu strode over, grinning sheepishly, "I feel exceptionally good today, full of energy!"
Shen Lian looked him over and nodded, saying, "Your complexion has improved a lot, but don't push yourself. Take it one step at a time. Today, go to the training ground and join the main group in their recovery training. See how Commander Zhao arranges things."
"Of course!" Li Hu nodded vigorously, slightly excited. "Brother Lian, I feel... that membrane is getting thinner and thinner, probably in the next few days!"
Shen Lian naturally understood that Li Hu was referring to breaking through the barrier of the Body Tempering Realm.
He patted Li Hu on the shoulder: "These things can't be rushed. We have to be steady and methodical so that we can have a solid foundation when we make a breakthrough."
"I see!"
Li Hu suppressed his excitement, knowing that he couldn't rush things at this moment.
After quickly tidying up, the two headed to the training ground together.
……
A group of trainee demon slayers stood in formation on the training ground.
Wang Lin stood at the front of the group, his posture upright and his aura steady. The people around him, such as Chen Yun, also had more powerful auras than before.
Clearly, everyone has improved to some extent during this period.
Zhao Shan appeared at the training ground on time. He was dressed in a black flying fish robe, with a cold expression and his gaze swept across the entire field.
He paused briefly on Shen Lian and Li Hu, then nodded.
"Everyone, begin standing meditation!"
Without wasting any words, Zhao Shan directly instructed everyone present to begin practicing standing meditation.
The numerous trainee demon-suppressing envoys stood still and quickly assumed their stances.
Shen Lian dismounted with a low back, his breathing very steady. After this period of reflection, his "Tiger-Taming Stance" was even more solid, and his lower body was as stable as a rock.
He could feel that when he practiced the "Tiger-Taming Stance," his muscles, bones, and blood were becoming stronger without him even realizing it.
Li Hu stood beside him, initially moving with some caution.
But soon, a familiar feeling welled up in his heart, and his stance gradually became steady.
Zhao Shan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
After this period of training, all the trainee Demon Suppressors present have made significant progress in their strength, and one-third of them have already broken through to the Body Tempering Realm.
Zhao Shan was quite satisfied with the result.
The one-hour stance training session ended quickly.
"This concludes our morning stance training," Zhao Shan said. "This afternoon, we will continue practicing the first move of the 'Subduing Demon Blade Technique,' the 'Mountain Splitting Stance.'"
"yes!"
The trainee demon slayers responded in unison and then set off for the dining hall.
"Shen Lian, Li Hu!"
Zhao Shan called out to Shen Lian and Li Hu, who were about to leave.
"Commander Zhao!" the two men greeted him with clasped hands.
Zhao Shan looked at the two of them and said, "You've just recovered from your injuries, so do your best in training. Don't overdo it and damage your foundation."
"Understood!"
Shen Lian and Li Hu both nodded, understanding Zhao Shan's meaning.
Inside the dining hall.
"I heard that the shop assistant from Li's Cloth Shop in the south of the city hasn't returned since delivering goods the night before last," a trainee Demon Suppressor said in a low voice. "Yesterday, someone found his load of goods near the mass grave outside the city, but he's gone."
"This is the seventh case this month, isn't it?" another person said. "The county government has been investigating for so long, but they haven't even found a clue."
Discussions about the "corpse-eating woman" incident in West Street have long since subsided, but the series of disappearances in Qinghe County have become the hottest topic in the dining hall in recent days.
Shen Lian ate his meal quietly, keeping these discussions in mind.
Li Hu leaned closer and asked, "Brother Lian, do you think these missing persons cases... are they the work of demons again?"
"It's hard to say!" Shen Lian shook his head and said, "There are too few clues at the moment, so we can't determine what the situation is."
"It's a pity we don't have law enforcement power, otherwise we could have gotten involved," Li Hu said with a hint of regret.
Trainee Demon Slayers can only act under the guidance of official Demon Slayers, and the power to enforce the law is a right reserved for official Demon Slayers.
"Once we become official Demon Suppressors, we'll be able to enforce the law and handle cases," Shen Lian said with a smile, his heart also filled with anticipation.
Li Hu nodded in deep agreement.