Chapter 409 - 293: Cultivation Technique

True Essence Skill. This was the basic Cultivation Technique Zhao Xing received on his third day after joining the Red Heart Sect.

The Cultivation Techniques of this world seemed to have significant differences from the Martial Dao of his previous life.

According to his memories, this Cultivation Technique was divided into two parts.

The first was the "Imperial Decree," and the second was the "Primordial Form."

The "Imperial Decree" was a recitation of divine names, much like a Taoist liturgical text. The "Primordial Form," on the other hand, was somewhat similar to the Pile Skill of his past life. However, it required one to perform corresponding postures and movements at different stages, all in coordination with the Imperial Decree. When performed in sequence, it resembled an ancient shamanistic dance.

’Imperial Decree? Is this sort of thing really useful?’

Doubt flickered in Zhao Xuanqi’s mind. The Martial Arts Secret Transmissions of Blue Star and the Divine General world had Heart Formulas and Mantras, but those generally used cryptic language to describe the physical sensations of a technique in motion or the corresponding mental state. The True Essence Skill was different. It had no such hidden meanings; it was purely a formal recitation, an Imperial Decree.

He searched through Zhao Xing’s memories, but the kid had only been exposed to this Cultivation Technique for a few days. He couldn’t even remember the Primordial Form postures properly, and his recitation of the Imperial Decree was spotty at best. His progress was dismal, to say the least. As for any deeper understanding, there was none. He only knew that after each session, despite the movements not being particularly difficult or awkward, his entire body would ache. To make matters worse, most of the Elixir Pill supplements distributed by the Red Heart Sect after practice had been stolen by his fellow disciples, leaving his body rather weak.

’I’d better try practicing it myself and see what happens.’

Zhao Xuanqi shook his head. Zhao Xing’s body had already recovered under the nourishment of his Life Primordial Qi—it was even stronger than before, so he wasn’t worried about anything going wrong.

He slowly got up from the bed. The ten-square-meter room wasn’t too cramped for one person. He walked to the center of the room, stood still, and, following his memory, assumed the opening stance of the True Essence Skill’s Primordial Form.

His feet were planted on the ground. One arm was raised above his head, palm facing the sky; the other was pressed against his lower abdomen, palm facing the ground.

There was nothing remarkable about the posture.

Then, Zhao Xuanqi began to chant the Imperial Decree from memory in a nearly inaudible voice while, as the Dharma Transmission Steward had taught, changing his Primordial Form stances in time with the recitation.

"Heartfelt Conversion Ceremony. Innate Main General, One Qi Divine Monarch, All Heaven Inspector General, Three Realms Selfless Brave Officials and Generals, Golden Eyes and Vermilion Hair, known as No. 35 Train Thunder God..."

Just then, Zhao Xuanqi’s pupils contracted slightly.

VMMMM!!

He could clearly feel it: the dense Primordial Qi of this world, which saturated the air around him, was trembling faintly, almost imperceptibly. It was as if his recitation had triggered some law in accordance with the Celestial Dao, causing a change in his immediate surroundings.

This fluctuation of Primordial Qi was exceedingly faint. An ordinary person, with their feeble Spirit, trapped behind the Life and Death Mystic Gate, could never have perceived its existence.

But Zhao Xuanqi had once condensed True Essence. Even limited by this body, his perception of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Naturally, this fluctuation could not escape his senses.

However, he couldn’t understand what was causing this change.

’The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi can be mobilized by an ordinary person just by reciting an Imperial Decree? How is that possible? What’s the principle behind it?’

Zhao Xuanqi was deeply confused.

In the Divine General world, one had to reach the high-level realm of Five Qi Tongxuan to even begin touching the threshold of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. This was achieved by using one’s immense Qi and Blood and Physical Ability to stimulate a magnetic field, manifesting as a rainbow-colored light. Even then, one could only mobilize it slightly; producing a physical effect on an ordinary person was exceedingly difficult. Yet, in the Divine General world, reaching that stage already made you a top-tier expert.

However, this didn’t mean that an ordinary person reciting an Imperial Decree was stronger than a Five Qi Tongxuan expert from his previous life. It would be more accurate to say they weren’t even on the same level. At least, intuitively, Zhao Xuanqi didn’t feel that the bodies of ordinary people in this world were any stronger than those from his past life.

A shortcut.

The Imperial Decree was a type of shortcut.

Soon, Zhao Xuanqi understood the principle behind this world’s Cultivation Techniques.

One recites the Imperial Decree to cause a slight change in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Then, by synchronizing the Primordial Form postures with this change, that faint fluctuation of Primordial Qi is made to interact with the body, achieving the effect of tempering it.

Of course, this wasn’t like the Body Exchange of the Divine General world’s initial realm, which drew in Primordial Qi for a complete Purification and Transformation. If a comparison had to be made, it was more like the Striking Technique of the Martial Arts Cross-Training realm.

The difference was that a Striking Technique relied on external blows—from a person or an object—to stimulate and strengthen the body. In contrast, this world’s Cultivation Technique used the resonance between the body and subtle Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi for stimulation.

’If that’s the case...’

Zhao Xuanqi mused.

Every Cultivation Technique has different levels of mastery. Whether it was the secret Striking Techniques or Pile Techniques of his past life, the most crucial aspect was mobilizing the body’s Qi and Blood. One had to swell the muscles, sinews, and skin of the targeted areas to meet the stimulation, thus maximizing the training’s effectiveness.

The True Essence Skill was no different. Only by perfectly integrating the Imperial Decree and the Primordial Form could one maximize the body-tempering effects of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

For an ordinary person unable to perceive the changes in Primordial Qi, this was like a blind man trying to describe an elephant. They could only rely on some vague, intuitive "feeling" to make adjustments. This tested not only one’s innate constitution but also their personal insight.

For Zhao Xuanqi, however, this was nothing. He could perceive the changes in Primordial Qi directly. Adjusting his own body to resonate with it would be child’s play.