stjorthotic Chapter 23 Gathering True Qi
Chapter 23 Gathering True Qi
When Lin Fan opened the door, Zhou Lan was carrying dishes out of the kitchen. She saw her son rushing into the room with a sandalwood box in his arms. He hadn't even changed his shoes properly; one sneaker was left in the entryway, and the other was still hanging on his foot.
"Hey, dinner's ready—"
"Mom, I'm not eating yet, I have something to do!"
The bedroom door closed and clicked shut. Zhou Lan stood frozen in the living room, carrying the dishes, then turned to look at Lin Jianguo on the sofa. Lin Jianguo turned a page of his newspaper, not even looking up: "Never mind him, he's practicing his boxing. Your son is a martial arts champion now; practicing boxing is more important than eating."
Lin Fan sat cross-legged on the bed, the sandalwood box on the desk unopened. He couldn't worry about the small cauldron right now—he could study the things slowly, but the changes in his martial soul couldn't wait a moment longer.
When his martial spirit opened its eyes for the first time, his comprehension underwent a tremendous change. The martial arts textbooks that used to seem like heavenly books became as simple as one plus one equals two, and the basic movements of the Returning Mountain Fist, which took him three months to master, he learned in just one hour.
This time, the Martial Soul opened its eyes for the second time and even swallowed a dragon shadow. What could it be?
He turned on his computer and quickly logged onto the martial arts forum. The forum homepage still had those familiar sections. He went straight to the "Martial Arts Teaching" section and found a video he had never seen before—"Mountain Collapse Fist Practical Teaching," a low-grade Xuan-level fist technique, a whole grade higher than the Mountain Return Fist. He had never encountered it before.
He stared intently at the screen, watching it once, twice, three times. Then he closed his eyes and mentally went through every detail of the video from beginning to end.
The power generation path of the Mountain-Crushing Fist—is clear. The fusion point of true qi and fist power—is also clear.
But the feeling was no different from when he watched the Returning Mountain Fist video last time. After watching the first page of Returning Mountain Fist last time, the sudden enlightenment and clarity were like a lightning bolt that cleaved through all the fog in his mind.
This time, when he saw the Mountain-Crushing Fist, his comprehension speed was still top-notch—he could completely deduce it in his mind after watching it three times, a level that is quite exaggerated among ordinary martial artists.
But it didn't go any faster than "its former self." Its comprehension didn't improve again.
Lin Fan opened his eyes, jumped off the bed, and stood still in the room. It wasn't comprehension.
What does opening your eyes this time bring?
The dragon shadow sucked into the vortex, the giant dragon coiling out of the golden pillar of light, the vortex that appeared out of thin air in the palm of the mysterious woman, like a miniature version of the Milky Way—these couldn't all have just been a fireworks display for him.
He took a deep breath and, for the first time, actively summoned his martial spirit.
Previously, he always kept his martial spirit inside his body. It was a natural state that didn't require any extra effort, just like an ordinary person wouldn't pull out their shadow every day to look at it.
But things are different now; he needs answers.
The air behind them trembled slightly. A phantom female figure appeared in mid-air, dressed in white as snow, with long hair like a waterfall, and an exquisitely beautiful yet serene face.
She was like a white jade statue just unearthed by archaeologists from an ancient tomb, every line so precise it seemed otherworldly.
Yet it possesses a kind of perfection that transcends precision and can only be described as "divine."
Her eyes were closed, just as before—she closed her eyes again after the vortex swallowed the dragon's shadow.
Lin Fan turned around and looked up at the mysterious woman floating in front of him. This was the first time he had ever examined her so closely and so intently.
A radiance. The Martial Soul possessed an extremely faint radiance, like the last trace of moonlight diluted a hundredfold.
Was the light there before, or did it appear after he opened his eyes for the second time? He wasn't sure.
Because he had never summoned his martial spirit before to examine it closely. Previously, he only felt disdain and helplessness towards it.
A sleeping woman, whose rank could not be determined and who offered no power boost, was only useful as a laughingstock. Until the appearance of the Bodhi seed.
Until she opened her eyes for the first time.
He retracted his martial spirit into his body.
The room became quiet again, with only the occasional bird calls coming from outside the window.
Lin Fan sat back down on the edge of the bed, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and drank half of it, the icy liquid sliding down his throat.
He found himself somewhat like someone who had just opened a package only to find another box inside, and within that box was yet another box, with a sign that read "Open for a surprise." There was a surprise, but he had to try it himself.
The next morning, Lin Fan got up at five o'clock as usual, changed into his training clothes, and went downstairs to the old spot in the community that he had booked for more than a month.
Several old locust trees still stood in the morning mist, and the sign that the property management had hung up, which read "Trees under maintenance, please do not approach," had been blown askew by the wind and was hanging askew on the trunk.
He stood under the tree, took a deep breath of the crisp, dewy air, and then began the opening stance of the Returning Mountain Fist.
He stepped back half a step with his right foot, lowered his center of gravity, and twisted his waist and hips. He had practiced this set of movements countless times, and every detail was etched into his muscle memory. He could perform it flawlessly even with his eyes closed.
When he threw the first punch, the muffled sound of the wind whistling through the air was the same as usual. The second punch was the same. But starting with the third punch, he sensed something was wrong.
The speed of blood and qi circulation suddenly increased dramatically—not just a few fractions faster, but more than doubled.
If his blood and qi were previously a tamed river flowing at a constant speed in a fixed channel, now it's as if three times the amount of water has been suddenly injected into this river, causing the river level to rise abruptly and the flow rate to accelerate dramatically.
His blood and qi surged and roared, washing over his meridians and bones. The feeling of being baked from the inside out by heat was like having a small, burning furnace inside his body.
He stopped punching and stood still, catching his breath. The speed at which his blood and energy circulated was so fast, faster than he had ever experienced before.
The Returning Mountain Fist is a high-grade Yellow-level martial art, and its efficiency in circulating Qi and blood has an upper limit—just like a faucet, the amount of water that can be output is limited even when the valve is fully opened.
But now, even though it's the same Returning Mountain Fist and the same third-level perfect realm, the efficiency of blood and qi circulation is much higher than yesterday.
Try a different style of boxing.
He put away the stance of the Returning Mountain Fist, his spine arched segment by segment starting from the tailbone, his arms were slightly bent, and his five fingers were loosely clenched into claws—Dragon Fist, Azure Dragon Emerging from the Water.
The instant his fist pierced the air, he heard a deep, resonant sound, like a whistling voice coming from the depths of the clouds in the far distance.
It wasn't his imagination; he heard it clearly. It was exactly the same dragon roar that came from the small cauldron in the main hall of the Sun family the day before yesterday, only the volume was much lower, as if it was enveloped by something and hadn't been fully released.
Immediately afterward, a very faint golden phantom flashed past in front of his fist—it was the outline of a dragon, only the size of a palm, with blurred scales and claws, disappearing in an instant.
Lin Fan remained rooted to the spot in his punching stance, staring at the air in front of his fist for a full five seconds. That dragon shadow.
The dragon shadow that flew out of the dragon-patterned cauldron, roared to the sky, and was then sucked into the vortex in the mysterious woman's palm—it did not disappear.
It is still inside him, fused with his Dragon Fist.
So, the surge in the speed of blood circulation is also due to this dragon soul?
He stood there for a long time, then slowly lowered his fist. One by one, his guesses surfaced in his mind, only to be confirmed and pieced together.
When his martial soul opened its eyes for the first time, he kept guessing what ability it was, and later he saw it with his own eyes and found the answer—comprehension. This time, when his martial soul opened its eyes for the second time, he originally thought it was a second enhancement of comprehension, but it wasn't.
This change was more subtle; it didn't occur when he was "learning boxing," but rather when he was "practicing boxing."
Simply put, his comprehension hasn't changed, but his cultivation efficiency has.
The Returning Mountain Fist is still the same Returning Mountain Fist; the grade of the fist technique has not changed, the structure of the moves has not changed, and the principle of power superposition has not changed.
But when he throws the same set of punches, the amount of qi and blood he mobilizes is much greater than before, and the efficiency of tempering his physique is much higher than before.
All of this was thanks to that dragon soul.
Lin Fan resumed his stance and continued practicing his punches.
This time, he wasn't testing with confusion, but with unwavering determination. The Returning Mountain Fist came one punch after another, the Dragon Form Fist came one move after another...
The locust tree leaves were shaken by the force of his punch and fell down in a rustling sound. His feet repeatedly rolled over the bluestone slabs on the ground, leaving two shallow marks on the stone surface.
The more he practiced, the more intense his movements became. His internal energy and blood grew hotter and hotter. The energy and blood surging in his meridians seemed to be ignited by the dragon soul. Every meridian was burning hot, and every muscle and bone was trembling.
From 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., except for a quick bite to eat at lunchtime, he practiced for nearly ten hours straight. Before, he would have stopped practicing after three hours.
It's not that I lack perseverance, but that the efficiency of qi and blood tempering is limited. Practicing for too long can be counterproductive, as the body needs time to digest and absorb the nutrients.
But today, he practiced for ten hours and felt he could continue practicing.
In the evening, Lin Fan was practicing the eleventh move of the Dragon Form Fist, "Cloud Dragon Probing Claws". When he threw a punch, he suddenly felt his blood and qi surge violently, as if something had exploded deep in his bone marrow.
After the shell cracked open, a purer and more condensed energy surged out from the crack, quickly filling every meridian in the body.
That's not Qi and Blood—Qi and Blood are hot, surging, like magma flowing through the blood vessels.
True Qi.
He broke through to the Qi Condensation Realm.
Lin Fan withdrew his fist and stood up, looking down at his hands. He could feel his true energy flowing freely through his meridians, without needing to be consciously controlled, as natural as breathing.
He clenched his fist, and his inner energy naturally gathered at the tip of his fist, causing a faint glow to emanate from the skin covering his knuckles.
The Body Refinement Realm is about tempering the body and strengthening the blood and qi, pursuing the limits of power.
The Qi Condensation Realm is achieved after the Body Refinement Realm reaches its peak, where Qi and blood are condensed into true Qi, and the power of the physical body is sublimated into the power of energy.
Only martial artists who have reached the Qi Condensation Realm can truly be called "martial artists," because only by possessing true Qi can they unleash the full power of martial arts above the Xuan level and truly confront demonic beasts head-on.
According to the school's teaching schedule, the three years of high school are all spent in the Body Refinement Realm. After entering the Martial Arts University, under the guidance of professional mentors, it is normal to complete the breakthrough to the Qi Condensation Realm in one to two years.
Someone with exceptional talent like Zhao Xiaoyue might be able to grasp the basics by the first semester of their freshman year.
For someone like Du Fei, who studied at an ordinary martial arts university, breaking through in the second semester of his freshman year would be considered as being at the middle level of his class.
Lin Fan, during the summer vacation less than a month after the college entrance examination, gained weight from 300 jin to 3000 jin and broke through from the Body Refinement Realm to the Qi Condensation Realm.
One day. He crossed the threshold from a quasi-martial artist to a true martial artist in just one day.
Lin Fan stood under the old locust tree, his training clothes soaked with sweat and dried several times, a thin layer of salt frost forming on the fabric. He looked down at his fists and suddenly chuckled.
It wasn't a wild, ecstatic laugh, but a laugh that rose from the depths of my chest, hot and irrepressible.
At a normal training pace, although the Returning Mountain Fist is a high-grade Yellow-level martial art, its grade is ultimately limited.
Relying on the Returning Mountain Fist to temper one's blood and strengthen one's physique, it would conservatively take at least a summer to break through from the peak of the Body Refinement Realm to the Qi Condensation Realm.
This is already considered a very fast pace—after all, it only took him a month to go from 300 jin to 3000 jin, which was only possible because of his extraordinary comprehension after his martial soul awakened, allowing him to master both the Returning Mountain Fist and the Dragon Form Fist to the point of perfection and subtlety.
But comprehension can only help him "learn quickly," not "practice quickly."
The speed of training depends on the grade and power of the fist technique, not on how many days it takes you to learn it.
But it's different now.
Using the same boxing style, the same movements, and at the same level, the efficiency of his blood and qi circulation was several times greater than before.
This means that no matter what kind of boxing style he practices in the future, his cultivation speed will far exceed that of martial artists of the same level.
What others achieve in a day, he might achieve in an hour.
All of this is thanks to his martial spirit.
Who said his martial spirit is useless?
Does failing a test mean there's no rank? Does a sleeping woman mean she has no combat power?
Lin Fan shook his head, banishing these thoughts from his mind. He didn't want to dwell on the past anymore.
He only cares about one thing now—this is only the second time he's opened his eyes.
Will the Martial Soul ever open its eyes again? The third time, the fourth time...
If he finds something like the Bodhi Seed and the Dragon Pattern Cauldron again, will his Martial Soul awaken again and grant him even greater power?
Antiques. Antiques. Treasures. His two awakenings of his martial spirit were both due to touching items imbued with ancient, mysterious power.
The Bodhi seed was a Buddhist relic that sold for 80 million at the Black Moon Auction, while the Dragon Pattern Tripod was a small bronze tripod that had been gathering dust in a corner of the Sun family's antique shelf.
Some of these seemingly ordinary antiques and artifacts possess a power that is imperceptible to ordinary people.
His martial spirit seems to possess eyes that can see this power, and a mouth that can devour it.
He'll have to be careful about these kinds of things from now on.
But we can't worry about that right now.
Lin Fan snapped out of his thoughts and stretched his wrists.
He needs to learn how to master true qi.
He knew nothing about how to circulate, compress, release, or coordinate with fist techniques after condensing true energy.
Although Dragon Form Fist and Returning Mountain Fist contain some rudimentary techniques for utilizing qi, these are only suitable for those in the Body Refinement Realm and are insufficient for those in the Qi Condensation Realm.
We need to get some textbooks.
Lin Fan picked up his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and found the number of Su Yunlan, the director of the admissions office at Shanghai Martial Arts University.
The female director, who wore gold-rimmed glasses, had argued fiercely with the vice president of Kyoto University of Martial Arts outside his house over a student. Before leaving, she specifically told him, "Contact me anytime if you need anything."
"There's no limit to the support Wuhan University in Shanghai provides for key seeding programs." He initially thought it was just polite talk, but he didn't expect to have to verify it so soon.
I answered the phone after it rang twice.
Su Yunlan's voice was as crisp and clear as ever: "Lin Fan? What's up? Changed your mind and want to come to the Genius Camp?"
"Director Su, I'd like to request some first-year textbooks from you," Lin Fan said directly. "They're about cultivating true qi in the Qi Condensation Realm, as well as basic practical combat theory—the more comprehensive, the better."
"Understood." Su Yunlan's voice regained its crispness.
"I'll have someone pack and ship the textbooks today, by express delivery, they should arrive tomorrow."
However, Lin Fan, I would still like to personally invite you to participate in the summer genius camp at Shanghai Wuda University.
This genius camp is specially prepared for the top freshmen from all provinces across the country. It is equipped with instructors at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm. The curriculum covers true qi circulation, practical combat, and martial spirit development. It features small class sizes and free room and board.
"Director Su, I probably won't be able to go during the summer vacation," Lin Fan said.
"Why?" Su Yunlan's tone was genuinely confused. "With your talent, once you enter the Genius Camp, you'll definitely be able to break through to the Qi Condensation Realm before the start of your freshman year and become a true martial artist."
When you enter the school, you'll be the top seed among the freshmen, and all resources will be tilted towards you—”
"Director Su."
Lin Fan hesitated for a moment; he didn't really want to say it.
It always sounds a bit like bragging to talk about breaking through to the Qi Condensation Realm, but Su Yunlan was pouring her heart out on the other end of the phone, drawing up a blueprint for the Genius Camp for him, and all of it was stuff he no longer needed.
"I am already a martial artist."
This time, the other end of the phone was so quiet that Lin Fan thought the line had been disconnected.
He glanced at his phone screen; the call timer was still ticking.
"Director Su?"
"...It's nothing, I just need a moment to catch my breath." Su Yunlan's voice rang out again, but for the first time, the professional competence in her tone was overshadowed by a genuine shock.
"Less than a month after the college entrance exam, you broke through to the Qi Condensation Realm by studying at home?"
"I was lucky."
Director Su mentioned this, and we need to verify it. You should come to Genius Winner.
"Alright!" Lin Tian sighed. It seemed he had no choice but to go. After asking for the location and time, he began preparations.