Chapter 332: Refining Blood into Qi
"Martial arts and magic talismans change with the times, which is the change of 'skills'; the body ages and decays, and training and growth are the changes of 'people'; the sun, moon, and stars exist from eternity, and all follow the same principle of alternation, which is the change of 'heaven and earth'."
Huan Ge raised three fingers, then retracted them one by one. "Then what is the unchanging sect? Not mentioning martial artists, among humans, is there anyone who firmly believes in something unchanging?"
"It's nothing more than your heart." Chu Hengkong said.
"That's right! Skills are taught by others, circumstances are uncontrollable, and 'what you want to do' is something you decide for yourself. A firm will never changes." Huan Ge shouted, "So, for a martial artist, what exactly is will? How do we judge a martial artist's ambition?"
"Of course it's just a matter of emotion..."
Qi is the fusion of honed martial arts skills and life energy. For a warrior on the Path of Unity, it serves as a unique "identification." Everyone's Qi is unique. A Transformer on the Path of Unity can easily change their appearance, yet remain identifiable thanks to the unique nature of their Qi.
Chu Hengkong recalled the previous battle. He had escaped danger the first time by relying on pure willpower to draw his sword. "So, even chaos can't affect willpower?"
"Nothing in this world is certain! It's just that a firm self is much more difficult to change than a physical structure. Imagine a warrior who hasn't experienced great ups and downs, how can his temperament change drastically? This is something that even time cannot reverse. Is your current temperament much different from that of ten years ago?"
"Yes." Chu Hengkong nodded.
"Really?! Anyway, there shouldn't be any directional changes after this, right? Right?"
"It should be so..." Chu Hengkong pondered, "That's why it is said that Yiqi Qianqiu is the key."
When talking about the secret techniques for tempering one's will and spirit, one must inevitably mention Wu Xiu's Yi Qi Qian Qiu and Can Xin Zhe's Qian Ye Shun Xing. These two secret techniques have very different directions, but the core of both is to strengthen and apply one's will and spirit itself.
He really couldn't learn Shunxing's style, but he had been practicing Qianqiu very well. Now, using Qianqiu has basically become an instinctive reaction. Chu Hengkong really didn't know how to go further.
Huan Ge put his hands on his hips and sighed exaggeratedly, "So, you quick-learning cultivators...are you still smug and thinking you're so good? You're actually almost on the wrong path!"
"Oh, that's true."
Huan Ge drank a cup of tea with a suspenseful look on his face, and looked around: "Everyone, what I'm about to tell you is our sect's internal secrets. Please stand aside..."
[This is my bookstore, you idiot, say it again if you have the guts.]
"Okay, I'm really sorry. I'll find another place to stay, so please don't throw water on me or my clothes will get wet..."
Huan Ge cringed in his apology like an elementary school student, while the big seal splashed water at him from the pool. Gulibo, who was watching the fun, sighed, "The manager's intimidation is unusually strong."
"After all, we watched this guy grow up, just like the kid next door," said Dudu Otter. "Let's talk business with the Divine Guards, kid next door."
"Eh? Can't you just rent a room in the bookstore? I really don't want to go to a place with such a strong school atmosphere—I know, I'll leave. Don't steal my honey dumplings! You ate half a plate in one bite! That's too much!!"
Huan Ge quickly grabbed a half-filled pot of fruit tea and a half-filled plate of dumplings (the plate was only half full), then walked out of the bookstore dejectedly. Chu Hengkong left a note saying he was going out to practice and followed him to the Third Team headquarters.
Cui Ke was out of town today, but Huan Ge seemed to have considerable authority, so he requested a secret room at headquarters without any formalities. He sat across from Chu Hengkong and said, "Let me ask you, when Ji Qiufeng taught you the One Qi Thousand Autumns technique, did you demonstrate it by self-mutilation?"
"Not really."
Huan Ge patiently coaxed him, "When I fought you before, my strength was also reduced to the third level of Seismic Point. Logically, I could have acted just like you. But why didn't I succeed?"
Chu Hengkong did some calculations and then confidently replied, "You are too confident."
"No! That's not how Yiqi Qianqiu is used later on!!"
Huan Ge slammed the table in anger, and the heavy bag on his back began to shake. "You're used to using Yiqi Qianqiu to trade injuries for injuries. Don't you often take the initiative to endure injuries in daily fights to force out your own will?"
"yes."
"If I don't do this, I'll often have to suppress my own condition in advance and fight against a strong enemy with my physical strength at the limit, right?"
“Yes, I do.”
Huan Ge's eyes were serious. "To bear the wound in battle is to ask the enemy to hurt you instead of killing you. To plan a strategy is to ask the enemy to arrive late instead of arriving early. In any case, you are always looking at the enemy's style. As a martial artist, is your life and death, success or failure, in your hands or the enemy's?!"
Chu Hengkong was shocked when he heard this. He was silent for a full half minute before he said, "It almost went astray."
"You finally realize it," Huan Ge sighed. "I was quite surprised to see you self-harming, because Ji Qiufeng wouldn't be blind to the risks. But then, seeing you handle the battle with such ease, I realized you've been through so many fierce battles that you've had to resort to unconventional tactics to survive. Habits become second nature, and if you don't want to change, there's no point in anyone else saying anything!"
"But Yiqi Qianqiu is a method of using war to support war. I can't think of a better purpose."
"You only know one side of the story." Huan Ge walked around the conference table. "The Seismic Point 3 cultivators learned for thousands of years, and indeed, they use it in such extreme ways. Because Heart Sword cultivators must go into battle, those evil demons are so formidable, they must use the weak to defeat the strong. This is to control their own lives in desperate situations."
But if you have overcome numerous dangers and are no longer weak, then using the old thinking of 'using the weak to defeat the strong' would be a waste of time. In a chaotic situation, who can be considered strong?
Chu Hengkong opened his eyes and smiled, "Stay calm in the face of danger. Those who have the confidence to deal with all variables are the strong ones!"
Huan Ge stopped and said sternly, "That's exactly what you say! A strong person's state should be determined by themselves. When to be stable, when to be high, it all depends on their own thoughts, just like a will that controls nature. For cultivators like me and Ji Qiufeng, if we can use the One Qi for a Thousand Years, we won't need to be injured or suffer pain."
"Look, the technique of one qi lasting for thousands of years!"
Huan Ge only made a simple posture without any unnecessary movements, but his momentum suddenly surged in just a moment.
Chu Hengkong's pupils turned red, and the remaining consciousness of the Immortal Machine was even activated on the spot. But Huan Ge's expression remained unchanged, breathing calmly, and he casually said, "Three times."
His aura rose again, a terrifying aura condensed within his body, his presence causing the surrounding air to almost solidify. Chu Hengkong was about to express his admiration when Huan Ge continued, "Five times!"
A thunderous roar echoed from the Divine Guard headquarters. The air, unable to withstand the intense pressure, exploded, followed by a sharp and piercing aftermath. This was the Divine Guard's Level 1 alert! Every member dropped their tasks, screamed, and stood up, ready for battle! Requests for support poured in like snowflakes to the captain who was out on the run!
Huan Ge quickly withdrew his hand, walked out, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry everyone was frightened. It was a false alarm..."
"Can you please be more careful?!" "I'm having a heart attack!" "Is this a secondary pulse sequence? Please be aware of it!"
Huan Ge apologized profusely, then retreated with his head spitting from his mask, wiping his hands away. "Hey! Anyway, that's it. Do you understand?"
"Your Yiqi Qianqiu can now control the degree of its strengthening at will, so you no longer need to injure yourself..." Chu Hengkong pondered. "This means that you can adjust your physical state at will, without having to rely on serious injuries to force it... So, have you also cultivated your body into willpower?"
"Just a little bit off! The correct answer is——"
"It's still wrong. Cultivating an elemental body like that is even more of a wrong path." Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up. "You have found a way to merge. The mind and body are one, and only then can you do whatever you want."
Huan Ge turned to one side in an exaggerated manner.
"It really scares me that a genius has reached this level..."
Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up: "How do you do it? How do you refine the will and energy into your body?"
"Ahem!" Huan Ge cleared his throat. "The idea is generally correct. To control our will and energy, we need to draw upon something omnipresent within our body: our blood! The next step in Yiqi Qianqiu is to refine our will and energy into our blood. Or, in other words, to refine our blood into will and energy... transforming it into our unique 'qi and blood.'
You need to gradually transfer the pressure from the outside in, just like refining external forces, and use your will and energy to "refine" your skin, flesh, bones, and even your internal organs..."
Huan Ge said grimly, "At first, you'll feel your muscles dissolving, like you've become a hollow shell. Later, your internal organs and nerves will also be obliterated, and the loss of sensation will make you doubt your own existence. But you'll still be able to move like a normal person, because the functions of your muscles, nerves, and internal organs will be replaced by 'qi and blood'..."
At the end of the practice, even the brain that holds memories will disappear, and the symbol of being "I" will dissipate! Between the deft hands, the strong bones, and the heart of Xu Lie, only the Qi and blood will flow... As long as there is breath, the blood will not dry up, and as long as the blood does not dry up, the vitality will not die. That is the true Qi that lasts for a thousand years!
Huan Ge sneered and trembled for a while, then sat down and said, "Isn't it terrible? Now you change your mind and—"
Chu Hengkong stared at his fingertips that had turned into blood in a trance.
"Why are you trying it yourself before I even start teaching you? Are you trying to kill yourself, you idiot!!!"
"Because I think this method is really good..."
Huan Ge pointed desperately at his head: "Don't you have any concerns?! Your brain will fall off! The symbol of your self will disappear!"
"It's a good thing to lose a major weakness."
"Wow..."
Chu Hengkong felt completely unburdened. "Besides, my brain also turns into my blood after being refined, so it's not lost anyway. After refining it, my blood also has memory capabilities, which means I've evolved. That's a great thing."
Huan Ge turned around, quietly took off his mask and wiped the sweat off his face.
(Ji Qiufeng, I finally understand why you're so stingy with your teachings... Given this kid's comprehension and character, if I accidentally tell him too much, he might even figure out the cultivation methods of the Mortal World cultivators...
In other words, if you're not careful, you could become a mediocre teacher who forces others to surpass their training standards by several large points! This is too terrifying!
(End of this chapter)
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