章節 21: Sword to Qi
編輯: Nyoi-Bo Studio
[Grade 2 field: Two acres.
Fertilizer Storage: One bag
Spirit root source (1): Bay tree (...)
External spiritual root (0): None
Spirit plant: ...]
The three little dots needed to be tapped and expanded to see the detailed information for the bay tree: Crazed Bull Heavy Fist, completed; 12 Paths Spring Kick, achieved; "Yu Sword Skill, 67 percent..."
The same was true for the spirit plants.
After the "..." had been expanded, a list of all the vegetables and fruits grown in the greenhouse appeared.
Overall, nothing had changed.
Except for an additional bag of fertilizer in the fertilizer storage.
"I only get ONE bag of fertilizer by fertilizing the field with a spirit beast?" Chi Qiaosong was more than a little dissatisfied. He worked hard to hunt down that gigantic beast, and if he had sold it, he would have gotten at least $7,000 or $8,000, if not over $10,000 in total.
And yet, using it to fertilize the field only yielded one bag of fertilizer.
The return on investment seemed a bit low.
The field itself was capable of yielding a bag of fertilizer a month. When the field was at Grade 1, it was able to yield a bag of fertilizer every month. Now that it had been upgraded to Grade 2, it still yielded a bag of fertilizer a month. Its yield had not increased because of the expansion of the field.
However, on second thought, one spirit beast equating to one bag of fertilizer was not that bad of a deal.
After all, the future cultivation of more advanced martial arts may require several, or even several dozen, bags of fertilizer for just one specific set of skills. At that time, a bag a month would not be enough.
Therefore, fertilizers had to be accumulated in large quantities.
"But this bag can't be saved. I have to use it." Chi Qiaosong decided resolutely.
A light fell on the bay tree, and immature, green fruits began to grow quickly, turning black and emitting a delicious aroma.
The fruit melted immediately in the mouth.
As before, there was not much taste to it.
The next moment, various changes in the Yu Sword Skill flashed continuously through Chi Qiaosong's mind. He couldn't help but pick up the wooden sword, leap out of the greenhouse, and begin practicing the sword under the great tree outside the fence.
One move at a time.
Each move was made with great precision.
At first, he moved slowly and deliberately. Each sword move took a long time to complete.
Then, his speed gradually accelerated. When it reached its fastest, each sword swing brought on bursts of afterimages.
At that moment, the T-shirt and the elastic joggers he wore did not affect his temperament in the slightest. Like when Xu Jingyang wielded the sword, he moved like a fearsome immortal descending from the heavens.
The sneakers on his feet stepped rhythmically in different directions, driving the whole body in sync with the movements, as the sword in his hand echoed with that special rhythm.
At that moment, something seemed to urge the body to move.
However, immersed in that state brought on by the martial arts fruit, Chi Qiaosong did not realize it. Instead, he followed the inspiration in his heart and practiced the Yu Sword Skill with various speeds and combinations.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Once he was freed from that special state, he opened his eyes. He saw that the wooden sword in his hand had been pulverized, and only half of it remained.
"I feel great!"
The achievement of the Yu Sword Skill did not transform his physique too obviously. But, he could feel that the subtle parts of his body had a makeover.
Sensitivities in the joints, as well as coordination in the limbs, all had different degrees of improvement.
If the achievements of the Crazed Bull Heavy Fist and the 12 Paths Spring Kick gave him physical power, then the accomplishment of the Yu Sword Skill gave him the gentleness to balance it.
There was a gentleness in its power.
Power and gentleness coexisted in harmony.
"In the Beginner Rank of the Wrestler Plane, I'm second to none!" The corners of Chi Qiaosong's mouth turned up, and he was extremely pleased with himself at that moment. He had achieved three physical martial arts, which was unheard of.
Practitioners of entry-level physical martial arts could only reach the Beginner Rank of the Wrestler Plane and no further.
As for stacking his skills infinitely in the future, it was hard to say whether or not he could rush toward the Intermediate Rank of the Wrestler Plane. At least at that moment, Chi Qiaosong felt that his strength had not changed too much.
"Big brother!"
"Big brother!"
Two tender voices pulled Chi Qiaosong back to reality.
It was Chi Qiaowu and Wen Moshan who had come together after breakfast. "Big brother, what are we doing today?"
"There is not much to do today. You two warm up and practice." Chi Qiaosong gave them his best straight face and sent the two to practice on their own. For these two youngsters, he had given up any thoughts of serious training for them.
Their aptitudes were deplorably lacking and not even close to where he was before.
Clearly, the Chi family bloodline was not suited for martial arts. He was only able to continue to climb up by relying on the Golden Finger.
"We still have to practice the basics? Big brother, can you teach us...sniff, sniff...a few tricks to kill the enemies?" Chi Qiaowu's eyes were opened wide as he sucked his snot back into his nostrils.
What a shame that a kid his age still had a runny nose.
Chi Qiaosong thought about it for a while and said, "You guys practice the basic stance first while I make some wooden swords. Later, I will teach you guys the Yu Sword Skill and use that as a foundation for you."
The Crazed Bull Heavy Fist was too aggressive. Without the appropriate physical fitness, it was pretty difficult to tackle.
Comparatively speaking, the Yu Sword Skill was relatively mild. As Xu Jingyang said, this swordsmanship was most suitable for self-cultivation.
"Yes, yes!"
The two little punks were overjoyed when they heard this.
Sword training was definitely cooler than sparring.
Two branches of the wild peach tree on the mountain had been chopped off.
It seemed that he had a special liking for the wooden swords made of wild peach wood. All the wooden swords he had made himself were made from the branches of the wild peach tree. The wild peach tree was ugly-looking, and the fruits it bore were always green and hard and never seemed to ripen.
After some chopping, cutting, and shaping, three wooden swords were made, and he distributed one to each of the two children. Then, Chi Qiaosong began to teach them in earnest.
Teaching was a way for him to summarize what he had learned so far. The achievement of the Yu Sword Skill had given him too much knowledge that it was difficult to digest all at once. So, after he had taught them a few simple moves, he would give Chi Qiaowu and Wen Moshan plenty of time to practice them slowly.
He found a big rock and sat on it with his legs crossed. Then, he began to sort out the knowledge of the Yu Sword Skill.
The morning sun had already been beating down on them since eight o'clock. Now at nine o'clock, even sitting in the shade was too hot. Sweat was pouring down his face continuously.
"I remember when I was practicing the sword just now, there seemed to be some other movements. What was it exactly?"
He was thinking of the things that he hadn't noticed moments ago.
Closing his eyes and pondering carefully, suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind, "It's the energy fluctuation!"
In that condition just now, he clearly felt the energy fluctuation and the function of his organs. It was a mysterious and curious feeling, which seemed to occur simultaneously physically as well as mentally.
The wooden sword was placed across his legs.
He no longer thought about the issues related to the Yu Sword Skill and turned his attention to reciting the Purple Cloud Serenity silently instead. To cultivate its content, he had already memorized this scripture about cultivating internal strength.
"...The heaven is as clear as the earth, and all things are covered with dust... Those who climb high must watch the sunrise, as the rays of a thousand suns are shining, illuminating the entire universe... Alas, the dust has settled!"
He recited that passage of scripture silently.
Nothing had yet appeared, but Chi Qiaosong was not in a hurry. He continued reciting it a second time and, at the same time, continued to urge the Guidance Technique taught by his teacher, Liu Chun, trying to warm up his inner energy.
Twice, then thrice.
When the scriptures were recited silently for the fourth time, the Guidance Technique that had been unsuccessful previously finally had a slight change.
That was the body, under the effect of the Guidance Technique, sensing a tingling sensation. It was unclear where it was from: either from the innards or somewhere from the limbs and bones.
Then, it was as if a trace of Qi was pulled out and deposited somewhere inside the body.
"Qi!"
Even with his eyes closed, Chi Qiaosong raised his brows in surprise.
Finally, he could feel the existence of Qi, pulling away somewhere in his body, and it roamed around everywhere inside. Then, with the help of the Guidance Technique, he could activate it.
However, it was faint and elusive, not yet fully realized.
This was an energy fluctuation.
Moments later.
When the energy fluctuation stabilized in his body, he suddenly opened his eyes and laughed silently to himself. "How fortunate! Purple Cloud Serenity actually has the power of Qi!"
-- 收到的禮物