Chapter 270 - 191: Ascension to Inner Qi, The Hidden Hand (2)

Chapter 270: Chapter 191: Ascension to Inner Qi, The Hidden Hand (2)

For those with weak or impure Qi Blood, the number of meridians and acupoints they can strengthen is limited. After being solidified by Innate Qi, their Qi Sea becomes even narrower.

This innate difference is impossible to overcome; their Inner Qi reserves will always be lower than those of prodigy Martial Artists.

Thus, in their cultivation beyond the Inner Qi Realm, they can only rely on fortuitous encounters and their own willpower for a chance to pull ahead, but it remains an incredibly difficult feat.

Enough of that. Yu Fei adjusted his condition to its absolute peak, focused his mind, and charged toward the Gate of Heaven and Earth that he could sense in the unseen void.

He met with almost no resistance, slipping through with incredible ease. Perhaps his accumulation was too deep, his preparations too thorough, and the foreplay more than sufficient. Like a seasoned pro, he easily completed the step that countless others only dreamed of, with none of the hesitation, pain, or flagging stamina of a novice.

The moment his consciousness entered this wondrous, ethereal place, an indescribably beautiful sensation flooded his mind—a tingling pleasure so intense his scalp went numb. He wished he could lose himself in it forever.

In post-natal life, one is mired in worldly affairs, drowning in them without self-awareness.

The Innate is the beginning of all things, a profound creation, transcendent and otherworldly.

A Martial Artist’s ascension to the Inner Qi Realm is a dual metamorphosis of body and soul. A spark of Innate spiritual light within one’s spirit-soul receives the blessing of creation, appearing from nothing. From then on, the divine soul remains ever-lucid.

Within the physical body, the meridians and acupoints, elevated and transformed by post-natal Qi Blood, are solidified by Innate Qi into a transcendent characteristic. They can then refine the world’s primordial energy into one’s own qi mechanism, also known as Inner Qi—mysterious, unpredictable, and innately miraculous.

Upon reaching the Inner Qi Realm, a Martial Artist can, in some situations, practically ignore the laws of physics. The principles behind this remain unexplained to this day, but it is a fact.

Yu Fei, at the Third Realm, could thrash a host of Inner Qi cultivators with his various techniques. But if he wanted to cross the surface of a lake, he would need to generate powerful, high-frequency thrusts with his legs, striking the water with the soles of his feet and using the surface tension to propel himself forward.

Yet even the weakest Inner Qi Realm cultivator could lightly touch the lake’s surface with their toes and, like a gust of wind, glide a great distance, even if not at high speed.

An expert at the Inner Qi Realm could use their Cultivation Technique’s properties to hover in the air for several breaths. But even if Third-Realm Yu Fei jumped higher than an expert, he would inevitably be pulled back down by gravity and land quickly once he reached his apex.

An Inner Qi Realm cultivator, however, could not only hover but also descend at a constant speed, and even turn in mid-air. This was a fundamental difference in their very essence of life.

The soul’s metamorphosis proceeded as expected, only Yu Fei’s was slightly different.

He possessed a special red-quality talent: [Spiritual Acuity].

[Spiritual Acuity]

Talent Quality: Red

Description: This is a miracle of the soul.

Effects:

1: Triples base Spiritual Power.

2: Raises soul quality by one tier.

This talent had appeared after he began cultivating the martial path. He had always felt his Qi Blood was somewhat uncoordinated and his mentality rather gloomy. After awakening his past-life memories, he had been controlling a child’s growing body with an adult’s mind, and a sense of aged weariness and robotic detachment had grown ever stronger within him.

Back then, as his young body achieved success on the martial path, his new and vibrant Qi Blood instinctively refused to be suppressed. Yu Fei chose to stop holding back. As the Qi Blood surged through him, he fell into a state of epiphany, sweeping away the weight on his soul and awakening this special talent.

The soul relies on the body yet also transcends it; they are two sides of the same whole, both parts of his self.

[Spiritual Acuity] was his true advantage as a person with memories of a past life.

Only after breaking through the Gate of Heaven and Earth did Yu Fei discover that a spark of Innate spiritual light had long existed within his spirit-soul. This was the true meaning behind his soul quality being a tier higher.

Previously, this spark of Innate spiritual light had been trapped within his post-natal body, obscure and imperceptible. Yu Fei had been utterly unaware of it.

Now, upon advancing, the pre-existing Innate spiritual light received a blessing from creation. It collapsed and condensed, forming a tangible golden particle. A brilliant light instantly illuminated the surroundings, carving out a three-foot-wide Sea of Consciousness with the golden particle suspended within.

All of this astonished him; it completely surpassed the descriptions in the school-issued [Guide to Inner Qi Realm Advancement].

Before he could investigate, the Fate-Defying Pearl suddenly burst forth from the murky spiritual space into the three-foot expanse of light. It lifted the golden particle formed from the collapsed Innate spiritual light, and the brilliant radiance instantly erupted, carving out a space ten feet in diameter.

From that moment on, his spiritual space had its own core, as if a new world had been born.

Then, Yu Fei suddenly saw his own meridians, acupoints, and internal organs. This was a fundamental ability of an Inner Qi Martial Artist: Internal Sight.

He saw a clear radiance flow in through his Baihui Acupoint. The meridians and acupoints, originally strengthened by Qi Blood, appeared bright red, pulsing rhythmically with its flow. Under the infusion of this clear radiance, however, a miraculous chemical reaction seemed to occur. The bright red transformed into a mystical, dream-like pale blue, signifying an evolution in the Martial Artist’s own energy.

This clear radiance was Innate Qi.

Yu Fei had strengthened an incredible number of meridians and acupoints. Solidified by the Innate Qi, they formed an exceedingly complex network of energy pathways. The light flickering from them was immense—their total volume was dozens of times greater than that of a Martial Artist who had only cultivated the mid-grade Circulation Divine Vein Scripture, and even three times greater than Li Jueyin and her peers.

Once the meridians and acupoints were solidified, a continuous stream of Innate Qi filled all the energy pathways. Then, the flow of clear radiance ceased.

Yu Fei’s spirits lifted. He knew the final step of a Martial Artist’s ascension to the Inner Qi Realm had arrived: Body Tempering with Innate Qi.

The mysterious and extraordinary Innate Qi spread evenly from the meridians and acupoints, seeping into his organs, limbs, flesh, muscles, bones, and blood. This was a sublimation of life, a leap to a higher plane of existence.

He could hear a subtle vibration coming from within. From this step onward, a Martial Artist would truly possess all manner of unbelievable abilities.

But as the Innate Qi passed through his heart, the slumbering Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed suddenly awoke and began greedily absorbing the clear radiance. Yu Fei instinctively felt a pang of loss. This was Innate Qi, the very thing that could alter a Martial Artist’s foundation! Even though he had received more than most, who would ever think they had too much of it?

Yu Fei tried to control it but was repelled. This shouldn’t be happening. According to Yan Sea’s teachings and the descriptions of the Tribulation Sword series of Cultivation Techniques, the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed should have been completely refined when he forged his Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation. The technique stated that before sprouting, the seed would remain in a chaotic, dormant state, incapable of communication. Only after he reached the Inner Qi Realm would the sword lotus unfurl its leaves and become a treasured tool to aid his cultivation.

But now...

’Something’s not right!’

The golden particle at the core of his divine soul, along with the innate feedback from his [Insight] ability, instinctively told him that a malevolent will had awakened within the lotus seed. And this will was definitely not the Primordial Energy Sword Lotus Seed he had refined—he could feel it in his very soul.

Yu Fei silently circulated his Illusory Sword Intent. The core of his divine soul vanished, leaving behind only an illusory flicker of spiritual light that looked like the real thing. Under his control, the Fate-Defying Pearl also disappeared from sight.

The golden particle, the core of his divine soul, was the very manifestation of Yu Fei’s will. The spark of Innate spiritual light he left behind was incredibly lifelike—indistinguishable from the real thing in both power and form, except that it was an empty shell.

After doing all this, the golden particle dimmed slightly, and Yu Fei felt a wave of fatigue.

But it was all worth it. A foreign will had suddenly appeared within his own body, one that seemed to have been lurking inside the lotus seed for a long time. The thought sent a chill through Yu Fei’s heart.

The Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed absorbed about a tenth of his Innate Qi. Yu Fei had no time to mourn the loss; he coldly observed its subsequent reaction.

Yu Fei had personally suppressed the lotus seed’s will back in the First Realm; it was definitely not this son of a bitch that had just popped up.

’Yan Sea said his master personally refined the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed. That old bastard must have tampered with it.’

’Ascetic cultivators? The enemies of Martial Artists? Sima Hong? Demonic Cultivation Techniques?’

All the pieces of information suddenly connected like lightning in Yu Fei’s mind. ’It’s a good thing that old bastard died when he did,’ he realized. ’That son of a bitch was no good!’

’This is a goddamn setup! And does Yan Sea know the truth?’

Even if he didn’t know all the details, it was clear that Sima Hong hadn’t taken in disciples to cultivate the Tribulation Sword out of the goodness of his heart—as the current situation proved.

Just then, the lotus seed trembled. A bizarre fluctuation shot directly into his spiritual space, causing the simulated spiritual light to flicker violently. It was an Enchantment Secret Skill. But the hidden golden particle remained as serene as if brushed by a gentle breeze, completely unaffected.