Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Heart Furnace Planting Lotus (Part 2)
According to the Secret Technique, the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed would now transform from a physical entity into an energy state and attempt to escape. It had to be sealed with Sword Intent, or all would be for naught.
Once this seed was stained by a person’s Qi Blood, it couldn’t be used by anyone else. It was a single-use item.
Among the artifacts Mr. Lanren left behind, the Cyan Lotus Sword shared this characteristic. Once the blade was bound by a blood sacrifice, it would connect to the user’s aura. Even in failure, it could not be purified, making it unique to its wielder.
The water-moon-colored Sword Qi that had long lain dormant within Yu Fei’s body shifted from illusory to real. A dense web of sharp sword light enveloped the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed, layer by layer.
He sensed the little thing freeze, seemingly startled by the sudden flash of Sword Qi. Its transformation into an energy state halted, and it reverted to its physical form.
In that brief delay, a torrent of Qi Blood surged from the wound the little thing had made, gushing out and drenching the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed, completely engulfing it.
With that, Yu Fei’s mind relaxed slightly. The most difficult step had been completed with surprising ease.
The Secret Technique described the process of fusing with the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed to forge a foundation in three stages.
The first challenge was stopping the seed from turning into an energy state the very instant it took root and the Qi Blood erupted. This tested the power of one’s Sword Intent—whether it could instantly intimidate the seed. If the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed managed to transform and wasn’t immediately forced back to its original state, the first step of the Heart Furnace Planting Lotus would be a failure.
Fortunately, his Sword Intent possessed the unique quality of shifting between illusory and real, allowing him to set an ambush in advance. That was how he’d so easily forced the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed back into its physical form.
Having reached this stage, the process of forging his foundation entered a long, drawn-out war of attrition. He would have to use his own Qi Blood to slowly grind down and refine the physical Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed.
Right now, because the little thing had just sprouted rootlets and was inextricably tangled with his Qi Blood, it was unable to transform into its energy state.
Seeing Yu Fei pass the first hurdle smoothly, Yan Sea breathed a sigh of relief.
According to all historical records of forging a foundation, the first and third steps were the most difficult. The second stage—refining the physical seed—was comparatively easier.
Yan Sea watched the seated youth, whose resolute expression seemed to overlap with the face of his youngest junior brother. He remembered his master on his deathbed, holding his hand and entrusting him with passing down the sword lineage...
’Master... your disciple has almost succeeded...’
He murmured to himself, his vision blurring.
"Quick, hook him up to the high-energy blood reactor! Yu Fei’s blood activity is dropping dangerously..."
The nurse shot to her feet, grabbed a needle, and plunged it into a vein in Yu Fei’s arm.
She then quickly activated the machine and adjusted the parameters. When a green light flickered on, she returned to her computer screen to carefully monitor the real-time data.
The entire process took less than a minute, her every move the very picture of professionalism.
Yu Fei remained perfectly still, his consciousness completely immersed in the struggle against the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed.
While the second step of forging his foundation wasn’t particularly dangerous, it was incredibly draining.
The refining process was like washing the seed over and over with his Qi Blood, trying to dissolve it. The main battlefield was the tiny rootlets it had grown. As time went on, Yu Fei gradually took control of these channel-like roots.
From then on, it was a long and arduous process of gradual refinement.
Time flew by, and three whole days passed in a flash.
During that time, two nurses worked in shifts, watching over Yu Fei.
He had been hooked up to every piece of auxiliary equipment available. The struggle against the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed kept his mind perpetually tense and exhausted, causing his control over his Qi Blood to become erratic, fluctuating wildly.
This made it clear that the Cultivation Technique Mr. Lanren left behind was actually incomplete. Under ancient conditions, it would have been nearly impossible for anyone to succeed.
Finally, as the grayish-black seed turned a vibrant red, Yu Fei completed the second, gradual stage of refinement.
He wearily opened his eyes, which were riddled with bloodshot veins.
Yan Sea had been watching over him for all three days.
"How did it go?"
A slow smile spread across Yu Fei’s chapped lips. "Teacher, I’ve completed the second step of refinement..."
"Good, good..."
A pure smile broke out on the dark-skinned, wrinkled man’s face.
Yan Sea recalled the information he’d studied. Generally, the second step of tempering the physical seed with Qi Blood took about five days. Yu Fei was progressing much faster.
He studied Yu Fei closely. The young man’s Qi Blood was immense, far beyond that of an ordinary person, and within that powerful flow was a faint, Yang-attribute aura.
Yan Sea had a flash of insight. ’That’s right! Su Yue told me that during his Body Refining in the void, Yu Fei was able to absorb a wisp of Supreme Yang Flame Qi at the moment of sunrise. That means his blood itself is extraordinary, which is why he could refine the physical seed so quickly.’
On the rooftop, the hidden Su Yue’s lips curved into a faint smile. Even in a state of deep meditation, she still had an instinctive reaction to certain news from the outside world.
"You’ve reached a point where you can rest briefly," Yan Sea said solemnly. "Don’t provoke the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed with your Sword Intent right now. It’s adapting to your Qi Blood and still possesses a weak, independent will. You should be fine for a short while. I’ll keep a close watch. If anything goes wrong, I’ll wake you immediately."
Yu Fei didn’t hesitate. He had been in a state of high-intensity confrontation for three days straight, and his mind was pushed to the brink of exhaustion.
"I’m counting on you, Teacher."
He then got up and said politely to the nurse, "Thank you for your trouble, as well."
Without looking up, the nurse replied, "You’re welcome. It’s my job. Just get some rest." Her voice remained as cool as ever, as if Yu Fei’s devastatingly handsome face had no effect on her whatsoever.
Working overtime was a universally despised affair. Not even a patient with otherworldly good looks could quell the resentment of losing one’s freedom.
Hooked up to various monitors, Yu Fei fell into a deep sleep.
This transitional period of the blood barrier was more like a prolonged tempering, which would eventually lead to a natural sublimation. During this time, a Martial Artist could make minute adjustments to keep their Qi Blood fluctuations within a safe range, ensuring they didn’t interfere with the blood’s final transformation.
As Yu Fei fell into a deep sleep, the nurse and Yan Sea became even more vigilant, ready at a moment’s notice to use the equipment to intervene with the state of his Qi Blood.
He slept for only about four hours before being jolted awake by the cold.
Opening his eyes, Yu Fei found himself inside a cooling pod. Clearly, he had just experienced a violent Qi Blood fluctuation in his sleep.
Now awake, Yu Fei actively reined in his Qi Blood, calming its turbulent state.
With his conscious effort, the violent fluctuation in his Qi Blood quickly subsided to a safe level. Only then did Yu Fei emerge from the cooling pod.
After taking a moment to recover, Yu Fei took the initiative and said to Yan Sea:
"Teacher, I’m ready for the next step." Everything was in place. He intended to make the final push.
Yan Sea’s voice was a little hoarse, but his reply was calm. "Alright!"
