A scornful look appeared on Lin Mingyuan’s face, which Lin Yan quietly noted. He then said with a wry smile, "Brother Yuan, if even someone at the Half-Step Blood Exchange Realm is a failure, then I’m less than a failure."
Seeing Lin Yan’s wry expression, Lin Mingyuan asked, "Are there no Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists in your clan?"
"No."
"Ah, then I must not have explained it clearly. I’ve given you the wrong impression."
Lin Mingyuan chuckled, then chose his words carefully and explained, "After the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing comes Blood Exchange—you should know this much. However, when a Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist chooses to break through to the Blood Exchange Realm, the timing is different than it is within the Skin Smoothing Realm."
"For the Four Passes of Skin Smoothing, your Qi Blood needs to reach a certain standard to break through each pass one by one. However, after completing the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, you don’t need to cultivate to the absolute peak. After just a short period of cultivation, you can attempt to break through to the Blood Exchange Realm."
Lin Yan silently digested the meaning behind Brother Yuan’s words. ’So you can attempt to break into the Blood Exchange Realm right after the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. I never knew that.’
’So the reason those Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists in Guangping County Town—including my own master—haven’t entered the Blood Exchange Realm is mainly because they don’t have a Blood Exchange Realm Technique?’
’You can’t make bricks without straw?’
’But the Blood Exchange Realm... it can’t be that simple, can it?’
Seeing Lin Yan’s pensive look, Lin Mingyuan smiled and said, "Don’t get lost in your own wild thoughts. Listen, and I’ll explain it step by step. Then you’ll understand."
"I do have a lot of questions. Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Brother Yuan."
Lin Yan hurriedly expressed his thanks. Lin Mingyuan pointed to the water vat in the courtyard and said, "A person’s body is like a vat, and their Qi Blood is the water inside. There’s a limit to how much water the vat can hold. Once you reach the Peak of Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing, your Qi Blood can’t increase any further."
"To keep getting stronger, you have to take a different path. The so-called ’Blood Exchange’ isn’t about literally replacing the Qi Blood in your body; it’s a process of refinement and purification. It’s like forging iron. Pig iron has many impurities, making it brittle and soft, but after being repeatedly forged, the impurities are removed, and it becomes hard. Once you reach the Blood Exchange Realm, your Qi Blood no longer increases. Instead, you continuously refine it. This process is called the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation."
’Fourth Transformation? ...’
He was beginning to understand why Brother Yuan had called Lin Mingyu the biggest failure.
’If Qi Blood can’t increase in the Blood Exchange Realm, then the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing stage is the last chance to increase it.’
’Lin Mingyu probably tried to break into the Blood Exchange Realm not long after he reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing.’
"The stronger the Qi Blood, the stronger it will be after refinement."
"Exactly. You’re a quick thinker. That’s the gist of it."
A look of admiration appeared in Lin Mingyuan’s eyes. It was truly impressive that Lin Yan could grasp the relationship between the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing and the Blood Exchange Realm so quickly.
"A common Martial Artist, if they get their hands on a Blood Exchange Realm Technique, will immediately try to break through. But for disciples of families like ours—the Lin Family and the other three great families of Qing State Prefecture—we wait until our Qi Blood is at least halfway through its potential growth in the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. Only then do we attempt the breakthrough. Otherwise, your Qi Blood will be inferior to others, and your strength will be weaker than theirs even when you’re in the same Realm."
"The Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation is no easier than the Four Passes of Skin Smoothing. Each Transformation can trap many people for good. And if your Qi Blood isn’t strong, it’s like having an innate disadvantage. Any Martial Artist with real ambition would never choose to attempt the breakthrough right after entering the Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Realm."
"The reason I call Lin Mingyu a failure is because he started trying to break into the Blood Exchange Realm only a few months after reaching the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. With his level of Qi Blood, even if he did manage to enter the Blood Exchange Realm, he’d be at the bottom of the barrel at every Transformation, no matter how far he got. Furthermore, by not even reaching the halfway point with his Qi Blood, he has all but cut off any possibility of reaching the next Realm."
Lin Yan estimated in his mind. ’Lin Mingyu tried to break into the Blood Exchange Realm not long after reaching the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, and he didn’t even succeed. In terms of true strength, he’s probably even weaker than a powerhouse at the very Peak of Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing.’
’Beating a failure like that is nothing to be proud of.’
"Brother Yuan, Lin Mingyu should have known all this. Why was he in such a hurry to break into the Blood Exchange Realm?"
’If it were some other Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist from a county town with no backing or support, just being able to enter the Blood Exchange Realm in their lifetime would be a huge achievement. They wouldn’t care how strong they were within that realm. After all, even the weakest Blood Exchange Realm powerhouse is still in the Blood Exchange Realm—far beyond what a Skin Smoothing Martial Artist could ever challenge.’
’But as a disciple from the main family’s fourth branch, Lin Mingyu absolutely shouldn’t have done that.’
"This matter involves a certain affair within the clan. It’s not necessary for you to know about it."
Lin Mingyuan’s eyes darkened, clearly unwilling to discuss it further. He changed the subject, "Getting back to what I was saying—the reason I said that an ordinary Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist would immediately try to break through upon obtaining a Blood Exchange Realm Technique is because the stronger your Qi Blood, the harder it is to break into the Blood Exchange Realm."
After speaking, Lin Mingyuan once again pointed to the water vat in the yard. "It’s like the water in the vat. If you want to boil it, less water requires less firewood and less time. More water requires much more firewood and time. For many Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists without any backing, breaking into the Blood Exchange Realm is already difficult. If their Qi Blood is too abundant, their chances become even slimmer."
Lin Yan nodded. By now, he had a clear and intuitive understanding of the Skin Smoothing Realm and the Blood Exchange Realm.
’When to attempt the breakthrough to the Blood Exchange Realm—that is the crucial question.’
’The choice every Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist makes is based on a personal calculation of their own background and talent.’
’Less Qi Blood means an easier Blood Exchange, but your strength will be at the bottom of your Transformation level.’
’More Qi Blood means a harder Blood Exchange, but you’ll be stronger if you succeed.’
’Also, is your ultimate Martial Arts goal just to stop at the Blood Exchange Realm, or do you have higher aspirations?’

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