Chương 30: Qi vs Spirit Essence

The power of the qi revolved around one's life force.

Through diligent training in martial arts, practitioners learned to synchronize their movements with their qi flow, enhancing the power and efficiency of their techniques.

They discovered the subtle nuances of timing, rhythm, and precision, allowing them to execute their attacks with unparalleled accuracy and effectiveness.

Moreover, martial arts served as a vehicle for cultivators to explore the depths of their qi manipulation abilities.

Advanced practitioners could infuse their strikes with qi, unleashing devastating attacks that could shatter defenses and incapacitate opponents with a single blow.

As cultivators progressed in both body cultivation and martial arts, they unlocked higher realms of power and technique.

They delved into esoteric disciplines such as internal alchemy, where they refined their qi to transcendental levels, and inner vision, where they attained spiritual enlightenment and mastery over their inner world.

Ultimately, the synergy between body cultivation and martial arts allowed practitioners to reach unparalleled heights of strength, agility, and resilience.

They became formidable warriors, capable of facing any challenge with unwavering confidence and skill, their bodies and minds honed to perfection through years of arduous training and discipline.

In the Dadangar five-kingdoms cultivation world, body cultivation techniques did indeed exist in the past. However, they relied on Spirit essence as their primary source of power.

This distinction meant that the body cultivators of Dadangar were essentially a specialized subset of Spirit cultivators. Instead of channeling Spirit essence to cast Spirit Spells, they utilized it to refine and strengthen their bodies.

In contrast, the body cultivation technique outlined in the Everwood inheritance book diverged significantly from this norm. It brought to Aksai's attention the existence of another energy source within him.

The power of Qi.

Unlike Spirit cultivators who predominantly utilized Spirit essence, this technique revealed the untapped potential of Qi, a form of energy not commonly exploited by practitioners in his realm.

Qi Fusion Arts offered Aksai a comprehensive approach to martial arts training, seamlessly integrating physical conditioning with his daily activities.

By harmonizing body and qi, he developed heightened physical prowess, mental clarity, and spiritual resilience.

***

After embarking on the path of Qi Fusion Arts cultivation, Aksai redirected his focus towards honing his alchemy skills. This decision was spurred by the discovery that Qi Fusion Arts offered elixir recipes designed to rapidly boost a practitioner's qi without jeopardizing their physical well-being.

While some individuals in Wuyum County might hesitate to embrace a cultivation technique rooted in a different energy system than Spirit cultivation, Aksai, already stagnating at the 7th stage of the Spirit Refining realm, saw it as an opportunity rather than a divergence. His progress in Spirit cultivation had been sluggish, prompting him to eagerly invest his hard-earned resources in exploring this new path.

For Aksai, the utilization of qi in the cultivation process was not a hindrance, but rather a boon. Unlike Spirit cultivation, which relies on a finite reserve of Spirit essence, Qi Fusion Arts drew upon an infinitely renewable source—qi. This meant that practitioners would always have a reservoir of energy to tap into, even if their Spirit essence was completely depleted, providing a vital lifeline in moments of dire need.

Furthermore, Qi Fusion Arts offered an unexpected benefit: the ability to seal one's Lifeforce at its peak. While this didn't directly extend one's lifespan, it held profound implications for Spirit cultivation. In the Dadangar five-kingdoms world, where cultivators typically needed to achieve a breakthrough into the 2nd rank before reaching the age of 50, this sealing technique offered a loophole. Body cultivators who mastered this skill could retain their Lifeforce at its zenith well into their later years, effectively bypassing the age restrictions imposed on Spirit cultivators.

With this newfound understanding, Aksai realized that his journey in body cultivation not only offered a viable alternative to Spirit cultivation but also significantly increased his prospects of reaching the Foundation Building Realm.

***

Initially, Aksai couldn't perceive the presence of qi within his body. However, gradually, he began to notice subtle changes in the composition of his blood as he delved deeper into his body cultivation practice.

His blood grew denser and darker over time. Almost as if turning into a red wine.

Though Aksai had yet to fully imbue his flesh and bones with qi, he sensed that he was nearing the threshold.

However, he also realized that the basic martial arts techniques integrated into the Qi Fusion Arts were insufficient.

Despite two years of practice, he felt the need for more advanced martial arts to complement his body refinement and expedite his progress.

Understanding that Qi Fusion Arts served as a foundational technique, Aksai sought additional martial arts to augment his training. However, due to the fundamental differences between Qi Fusion Arts and Spirit essence-based systems, he struggled to find compatible martial arts skills.

Reluctant to attract unwanted attention, Aksai refrained from further exploration in the local markets after initial research. The concept of a body cultivation technique utilizing a different energy paradigm was unprecedented in the Dadangar five-kingdoms subcontinent. Revealing his possession of the Qi Fusion Arts could potentially invite trouble he wished to avoid.

This foreign body cultivation technique, with its ability to seal Lifeforce, held immense allure even for Spirit cultivators uninterested in body cultivation.

The prospect of building a foundation even after the stipulated age limit would undoubtedly attract significant attention and envy, potentially leading to undesirable consequences for Aksai.

How many pills existed in the Dadangar subcontinent that could allow Spirit Cultivators to seal their Lifeforce? That too without triggering any side effects in the process.

And could a normal Spirit cultivator ever hope to get their hands on such elixirs?

The introduction of a Lifeforce-sealing Qi-based technique to the masses of the Dadangar five-kingdoms subcontinent would undoubtedly create a significant upheaval in the cultivation world.

Pill-making houses and elixir-selling organizations would experience a sharp decline in revenue.

Moreover, the likelihood of Spirit cultivators establishing a successful foundation and advancing into the 2nd realm would increase, disrupting the prevailing balance of power.

Aksai would be viewed as the primary disruptor of the cultivation world if such a scenario unfolded.

However, instead of bringing him any benefits, it would thrust him onto the target list of numerous old monsters and ambitious cultivators seeking to ascend in their ranks.

Aksai was not someone who worked for community welfare. He had zero interest in being seen as a legendary hero who released such a groundbreaking technique to the masses "after" his ill-fated death.

Why attract unnecessary trouble that would hinder him in his path to progress and farming?