"Master is indeed exceptionally talented, having grasped the 【Water-Swallowing Breath Technique】 so quickly."
Lu Qing sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy in the surrounding space and was pleasantly surprised.
The 【Water-Swallowing Breath Method】 was specially selected by him from the Li Huo Sect's lineage, and it should be the most suitable breathing technique for his master.
The word "Li" means fire and water, which is a method of cultivating both fire and water through the breath.
It just so happens that Master once comprehended the concept of water and fire complementing each other, and has innate true energy of both water and fire in his body, making him perfectly suited to cultivate this 【Water-Swallowing Breath Technique】.
After a brief fluctuation of spiritual energy, the surrounding space returned to calm.
The old doctor opened his eyes, his eyes filled with amazement.
"Master, how are you feeling?" Lu Qing asked hurriedly.
"This Qi-absorbing method is indeed mysterious. It follows the path of circulation through the meridians and acupoints, and it is much more refined than the martial arts method of refining the primordial energy of heaven and earth," the old doctor said.
“Indeed, the Qi-absorbing method is far superior to the innate methods of martial arts in terms of Qi cultivation.” Lu Qing nodded in agreement.
The innate techniques of martial arts also involve absorbing and refining the primordial energy of heaven and earth to strengthen oneself.
However, its refining method is a bold and straightforward approach, relatively simple and crude.
The absorbed spiritual energy of heaven and earth enters the Qi aperture directly. The martial artist then uses the power of their soul to refine it little by little, making it their own.
The method of absorbing qi is different. After spiritual energy enters the body, it does not directly enter the qi aperture. Instead, it first travels through the meridians and circulates throughout the body before finally settling in the dantian qi aperture, where it is slowly refined and transformed into one's own spiritual power.
Comparing the two, it seems that the Qi-absorbing method only has one more step than the innate method—circulating Qi throughout the body—but it is precisely this step that makes the two cultivation methods so different.
The circulation of Qi throughout the body involves various meridians and acupoints, which are mysterious and complex, and the system is extremely vast and complex.
It can be said that the reason why the various methods of absorbing spiritual energy by cultivators are so different and have different effects is because the meridians and acupoints that circulate when refining spiritual energy are different.
"The way of circulating meridians and acupoints is extremely mysterious and difficult to fathom, even in the eyes of us in the Innate Realm. I never expected that our predecessors had already thoroughly studied it and even created all sorts of mysterious methods of absorbing qi. The wisdom of the ancients is truly unfathomable and awe-inspiring," the old doctor exclaimed.
“Master, we don’t need to belittle ourselves,” Lu Qing said with a smile.
"This method of absorbing qi appeared in the ancient era of cultivation when spiritual energy was abundant."
In that era, there were many people with extraordinary abilities who could fly and escape into the earth. With their foresight, creating cultivation techniques was naturally much easier than in our time.
Now that spiritual energy is reviving, if we live long enough, we might be able to create such a cultivation method through careful study.
“That makes sense.” The old doctor nodded. “Although our predecessors were amazing, we modern people are not necessarily inferior to them. Otherwise, we in the medical field would not have been able to accumulate so many prescriptions and pharmacology to benefit the world.”
"By the way, Master, you just comprehended the 【Water-Swallowing Breath Technique】. How does it feel? Can you absorb and refine spiritual energy now?"
"It can't be that fast." The old doctor shook his head and said, "This 【Water-Swallowing Breath Technique】 is extremely profound. I have only just grasped it slightly. If I want to master it, I'm afraid I will need to study it for several more days."
"To be able to grasp the basics in just a few days is already quite fast. Master, your aptitude is truly remarkable," Lu Qing praised sincerely.
This is a method of cultivating immortality. To be able to gain understanding upon contact with it shows that Master's comprehension was extraordinary, even in that era of cultivating immortality.
"Even your teacher is making fun of you," the old doctor said with a laugh.
"Doctor, Brother Lu Qing, it's time to eat!"
Just as the master and apprentice were chatting, Ma Gu's voice came.
"Alright, let's go get something to eat first," the old doctor said.
Lu Qing nodded, and the master and apprentice jumped off the boulder and walked towards the carriage.
After dinner, it was already dark, so Lu Qing and the others simply set up their tents on the spot and prepared to spend the night in the woods.
After the tent was set up, the old doctor rested first and entered a meditative state to continue to ponder and comprehend the 【Water-swallowing Breath Method】.
Lu Qing and Ma Gu and the others chatted around the fire.
“Brother Lu Qing, I’ve checked the itinerary. We should be able to enter Yunzhou in two days at most. Yunzhou is the territory of the Liuyun Sect. What are you planning to do?” Ma Gu asked.
“No need to do anything,” Lu Qing said. “We’ll just go directly to the Liuyun Sect’s location as marked by Master Fang.”
"Are we just going to barge right through like this?" Magu asked in astonishment.
"Um."
Magu took a light breath.
After a few breaths, he smiled wryly and said, "You truly are worthy of being called Brother Lu Qing."
He had initially thought that Lu Qing and the old doctor had some elaborate plan, but he never expected that their method would be to simply rush in headfirst.
However, when he thought about how Lu Qing had only been practicing martial arts for a short time and was only at the Qi and Blood Realm, he dared to go alone to break into Happy Village and slaughter the entire village, he felt relieved.
Given Lu Qing's personality, this is indeed his style of doing things.
Thinking about this, Magu also felt a surge of excitement.
He also found the actions of the Liuyun Sect extremely distasteful, as they even slaughtered civilians; how was this any different from the actions of evil sects?
If we could really teach the Flowing Cloud Sect a lesson, just thinking about it would be very satisfying.
As for Wei Zian, young and impetuous, and having just proven his strength, he knew even less about fear.
Knowing that they were going to cause trouble for a major sect, I felt nothing but excitement.
Anyway, even if the sky falls, Lu Qing and the old doctor will hold it up; he just needs to follow along.
This was also the instruction given by our ancestors when we left home.
After chatting for a while, the group went to rest.
Nothing was said that night.
The next morning, after having breakfast, Lu Qing and the others set off again.
For the next two days, the carriage was on its way.
Fortunately, Lu Qing and the others were not ordinary people, and even Xiao Yan's physique was extraordinary.
Otherwise, they might not be able to withstand such a long journey.
On the morning of the third day, after Lu Qing had prepared breakfast, he noticed that his master had not yet come out.
He walked to the side and began practicing health-preserving boxing to loosen his muscles and bones.
Xiao Yan, who also got up early, followed him and practiced in a very similar manner.
In the past two years, although Lu Qing has not formally taught Xiao Yan cultivation, he has taught her a simplified version of a health-preserving boxing routine.
This set of simple health-preserving exercises doesn't involve overly complicated movements, nor does it require stimulating qi and blood. You can simply practice it in coordination with your breathing rhythm.
However, the training effect is quite good, and it is very suitable for children to use to lay a foundation. It was specially simplified and designed by Lu Qing for Xiao Yan.
The brother and sister were practicing their boxing seriously, while Xiao Li lay lazily on a tree stump nearby, watching them.
As for Magu and his apprentice, they were also practicing their skills on the other side of the woods.
"Since refining the Earth Spirit Pearl, under the nourishment of this earth-element treasure, my physical body and soul have been slowly strengthening, and now they have almost doubled, and they haven't stopped yet."
I wonder just how powerful my physical body and soul will become once I reach my limit.
Lu Qing practiced his boxing while simultaneously sensing the changes within himself.
During this period, under the constant nourishment of the Earth Spirit Pearl.
His physical attributes and spiritual power have been greatly enhanced.
It is almost twice as powerful as before.
Even so, he has not felt any slowdown in the rate of enhancement.
Lu Qing couldn't even imagine how powerful he would become after this transformation reached its limit.
At that time, he probably wouldn't even need to enter a perfect burst state; with just his physical strength, he would be able to contend with those at the Innate Realm.
After practicing his boxing for a while, Lu Qing wondered why his master was getting up later than usual today.
Suddenly, he sensed that the spiritual energy in the surrounding space was becoming restless and rapidly converging towards a certain location.
And that was the tent where Master lived.
"Master has broken through?"
Lu Qing was overjoyed and immediately stopped practicing his boxing, going to his master's tent.
In his spiritual perception, the spiritual energy within a radius of about one mile was drawn together and poured into the tent.
Inside the tent, a powerful aura emanated, subtly concealed yet incredibly potent.
After a while, the smell inside the tent gradually dissipated and calm returned. The curtain was lifted and the old doctor came out.
The moment Lu Qing saw the old doctor, his eyes lit up.
The master's aura was ethereal and unpredictable, possessing a more peculiar quality than before.
"Master, have you broken through to a higher level?"
"Not bad." The old doctor nodded. "After several days of study, I was fortunate enough to make some progress and finally managed to absorb and refine spiritual energy to cultivate a wisp of spiritual power."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing was overjoyed.
He immediately activated his supernatural ability and focused his gaze on his master.
Out of respect for his master, Lu Qing rarely used his supernatural abilities to investigate him.
However, his master's breakthrough this time was no small matter, so he couldn't help but investigate.
Then he saw a rich golden light of supernatural power emanating from his master.
【Chen Songqing: A highly skilled, kind-hearted, and respected physician—a truly excellent old doctor.】
【Cultivation Level: Peak of the Lesser Completion of the Innate Realm, True Qi with Water and Fire Attributes.】
【Those who possess the power of merit can attract good fortune and avoid misfortune, and have profound blessings.】
【Exceptional comprehension; minor mastery of innate abilities.】
【By comprehending the essence of the harmony between water and fire, and mastering the innate true energy of both elements, allowing them to merge and complement each other, cultivation speed and power will greatly increase.】
【His Dao foundation is beginning to emerge; he possesses both water and fire elemental powers.】
He has indeed cultivated spiritual power!
Moreover, not only has he cultivated spiritual power, but his cultivation level has also broken through to the peak of the Lesser Completion of the Innate Realm, and he is only one step away from the Greater Completion of the Innate Realm.
"Master, what differences do you perceive between this spiritual power and innate true energy?" Lu Qing asked.
The old doctor pondered for a while.
He said, "In terms of power, spiritual energy is a notch stronger than innate true energy. Of course, it is also more difficult to cultivate."
Moreover, perhaps because the world has changed, I can sense that the connection between spiritual power and the laws of heaven and earth is now closer.
"I see." Lu Qing nodded thoughtfully. "That carefree hermit once said in his notes that after the spiritual energy was depleted, the world was shackled, and martial artists could only cultivate up to the perfect innate realm at most."
To break through to the next level would be extremely difficult, almost impossible.
Now that the world is changing and spiritual energy is reviving, Master, you can sense that spiritual power is closely connected to the rules of the world.
It seems that if we want to break through to a realm beyond the Innate level in the future, we will have to start with spiritual power.
At this point, Lu Qing thought of Li Weitian again.
Li Weitian comprehended a higher level of understanding from the array runes in the Jade Transformation Cave, and ultimately died while attempting to break through the barrier.
At the time, Li Weitian was still very resentful, believing that if he hadn't fought with others when he was young, he would have wasted too much time.
If he were given a little more lifespan and could fully comprehend the runes in the Jade Transformation Cave, he would surely be able to break through and reach the realm beyond the Innate.
In retrospect, it was just Li Weitian's delusion.
The constraints of heaven and earth destined him that even if he comprehended that level of understanding, he would never be able to truly step into it.
However, Li Weitian never knew this truth until his death, nor did he know whether it was a blessing or a curse for him.
"Master, now that you possess both innate true qi and spiritual power, will it have any impact on you?" Lu Qing suddenly thought of something.
"It's alright for now." The old doctor shook his head. "Whether it's spiritual power or innate true energy, it was all cultivated by me, imbued with my divine will, and completely under my control."
They share the same origin and will not conflict.
Furthermore, I could even vaguely sense that once I gained a deeper understanding of the 【Water-Swallowing Breath Technique】, I could nourish my spiritual power with innate true energy, allowing it to grow rapidly without harming my cultivation.
"It's actually possible?" Lu Qing's eyes lit up. "So, does that mean that even though the spiritual energy isn't abundant yet, Master, you can still break through quickly, reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage, and enter the Foundation Establishment stage?"
wrong!
However, Lu Qing quickly realized something was wrong.
If the problem of spiritual energy scarcity could be solved so easily, then the carefree hermit wouldn't have been so desperate, and those powerful cultivators of the cultivation era wouldn't have vanished into thin air.
"It's not that simple."
Sure enough, the old doctor smiled and said, "Humans are born from heaven and earth, and this is true even for us cultivators."
If I transform my innate true energy into spiritual power now, I can quickly improve my Qi Refining cultivation.
"It's fine for a short time, but over time, I'll definitely lose control of the spiritual energy dissipating from my body, because the rules of heaven and earth haven't changed and matured to that point yet."
"I understand now. It's like a person in a dry, scorching desert. No matter how much water they drink, it will eventually dissipate due to the lack of moisture in the air and the hot environment." Lu Qing suddenly realized.
The old doctor nodded: "Although it's not quite right, the principle is pretty much correct."
So perhaps this is why those powerful cultivators from ancient times disappeared.
Because the world has changed, it can no longer accommodate such powerful cultivators.
After chatting with his master for a while, Lu Qing gained a lot.
Similarly, Master's breakthrough was also a pleasant surprise.
This made their upcoming trip to Yunzhou much safer.
