Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Admonition
The profound methods for nourishing the Qi of the five viscera stress the importance of timing, location, and human harmony. They use the spiritual essence of heaven, earth, and all creation to nurture the internal organs, often focusing on the cycles of generation and restriction between the Five Elements and their corresponding organs.
For instance, the heart belongs to the element of fire. When it becomes active, it grows fierce, causing Qi and Blood to surge and harm the body. Thus, it must be supplemented with gentle medicines, while the mind’s intent focuses on tranquility to subdue the "monkey mind," allowing the heart to attain the power of Tongxuan.
However, the Five Evils Technique Zhao Xuanqi now employed was the exact opposite. While it also stressed timing, location, and human harmony, its purpose was not to nurture, but to assault!
Since the heart meridian is of the Fire Attribute, one chooses high noon when the sun is at its fiercest. One uses a roaring fire to prepare the medicine, consumes a pill of the Fire Attribute, and stimulates the Blood Fire within the body. Spiritually, one mimics the intent of a divine fire born of manic joy, causing all five fires to gather and assail the heart meridian.
It was... utterly insane.
"To think such a terrifying technique exists... Everyone else tries every method imaginable to restrain their Heart Fire and weaken their ’monkey mind,’ but this Five Evils Technique does the exact opposite. Under the stimulation of these five fires, won’t that ’monkey mind’ completely break its chains and leap beyond the three realms, outside the Five Elements?"
Peng Weishan whispered.
These five fires weren’t for nurturing, but for assault!
If the Heart Fire was the "monkey mind," then this act was tantamount to helping that "monkey mind" achieve Divine Communication and escape its confines!
Even a Martial Artist at the level of Five Qi Tongxuan would likely have their heart run rampant under this degree of stimulation. They would end up bleeding from all seven orifices, dying from heart failure and ruptured blood vessels.
He couldn’t imagine how one could possibly subdue Heart Fire of this intensity.
DONG! DONG DONG! DONG DONG DONG!
Inside the large copper cauldron, steam swirled. The medicinal liquid within was nearly boiling. Zhao Xuanqi had assumed the Turtle and Snake Form, his entire body completely submerged in the concoction.
The frightening foundation from his All-Body Extreme Breakthrough Cross-Training didn’t just grant his body incredible power; it also raised his physical resistances to an astonishing degree.
Though not completely impervious to fire and water, as long as he avoided the extreme heat of the steam, his muscles, skin, and membranes would not sustain significant damage even while fully submerged in boiling water.
But just because his flesh and skin wouldn’t be harmed didn’t mean his internal organs could withstand such high temperatures.
Under the stimulation from all these factors, the Qi and Blood throughout his body began to run wild. His heart beat faster and faster, the terrifying thumping transmitting through the medicinal liquid and the copper cauldron until it was audible across the entire courtyard.
Ripples spread across the medicinal liquid in time with his heartbeat, and the copper cauldron began to vibrate faintly.
"A heartbeat of this intensity..."
Shi Huai’an’s expression was conflicted. The Black Tortoise Sect was renowned for its powerful Inner Cultivation techniques, and he himself had reached the Five Qi Tongxuan realm, having already tamed his Heart Fire Qi. Yet he knew that even with his Tongxuan abilities, his own body would face severe consequences if his heart were to beat with such frequency and force.
The others were also intensely curious, but they couldn’t see what was happening inside the cauldron from their position. So, one by one, they leaped lightly onto the courtyard wall to look down from above.
However, between the swirling steam and the opaque liquid, they could only make out a rough silhouette.
Inside the liquid, Zhao Xuanqi’s hands moved like nimble snakes, continuously striking points all over his body. His muscles trembled faintly, and veins bulged on his skin. Under his control, they could see bulging channels of blood circulating around his body in a bizarre-looking display.
Through the murky liquid, much was obscured. The onlookers could only turn to Xu Ji, hoping he could provide an explanation.
"The Five Evils Technique is also part of the Mystic Tortoise Inner Breath. The Black Tortoise is both turtle and snake; its intent lies in the transformation and unification of the firm and the gentle. The essence of the Five Evils Technique is also this intent of firm and gentle. The five fires represent the firm, so one must use Force as the gentle, the body as the gentle, and technique as the gentle to seek balance."
"In other words, one must use various means—acupoint strikes, applying Force, circulating Qi, Blood Circulation, and so on—to rein in the torrent of Qi and Blood and suppress the rampaging heart. At the same time, one has to absorb the nourishing properties of the medicinal liquid to rapidly repair bodily damage. It might even involve using localized bloodletting to control blood flow. But the hardest part is controlling one’s will. Amidst the raging Heart Fire, one must find a sliver of the Meditation Realm. It’s like trying to manifest a trace of compassion while in Hell. The details involved are extraordinarily complex."
"This isn’t something you can accomplish just by having the right Secret Transmission and methods. It requires a powerful physical foundation, a deep understanding of the body’s workings, extraordinary comprehension, and immense willpower. There are many paths and methods in this world that you can know, but cannot walk. The rarest achievement is the Unity of Knowledge and Action."
"I understand now why Elder Zhao had us observe his training. He’s likely warning us that even if we obtained his methods, we could never successfully practice them. This is to completely crush any ulterior ambitions we might have..."
Xu Ji said, his voice filled with emotion.
Everyone fell silent at his words. They all knew they could never complete such a terrifying training regimen.
Xu Ji’s guess was correct. Zhao Xuanqi had indeed let them watch his training for the express purpose of crushing any such ideas.
Was Hundred Beasts Fist difficult?
That depended on the tier. The Hundred Beasts Fist was divided into Secret Transmission cultivation methods of different tiers. The difficulty varied greatly between them, as did the power one wielded after mastering them.
To reach the peak of Hundred Beasts Fist, one undoubtedly had to walk the highest-level cultivation path, the difficulty of which was unimaginable.
In his past life on Blue Star, among the entire lineage of the Hundred Beasts Fist, those who could walk this path and reach a profound realm could be counted on two hands—and Zhao Xuanqi had been one of them.
Furthermore, in his previous life, Blue Star had no so-called Rare Beast Materials. One could only rely on ordinary Medicinal Materials and their own talent to advance. Even so, Zhao Xuanqi had still reached the pinnacle of the Hundred Beasts Fist. Now, reincarnated in this world and cultivating it all over again, the path he walked was countless times easier than in his past life.
But he was an exception. For ninety-nine percent of people, even with the aid of Rare Beast Materials, this path remained as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
「About a Quarter Hour later.」
The medicinal liquid in the copper cauldron began to lose its color, and Zhao Xuanqi’s body suddenly shuddered.
SPLASH!
The medicinal liquid in the cauldron instantly churned, splashing everywhere, as Zhao Xuanqi leaped high out of the water with a single, fluid motion, landing on the ground.
He wore only a pair of shorts, revealing a powerful physique with muscles as chiseled and defined as granite. His entire body was crimson, with veins bulging as if ready to burst. His hair stood on end, giving him a frightening appearance.
WHOOSH!!
His muscles suddenly convulsed, and the Gang Qi radiating from his body blasted away all the liquid clinging to his skin and hair. It sprayed onto the nearby ground, leaving his body completely dry.
"Get ready. We’re starting the next session."
Zhao Xuanqi said, turning to the crowd.
’There’s another one?’
The crowd was stunned. A training regimen this intense was something most could only endure once a day. After all, there was a limit to how much Secret Medicine the body could process, and physical endurance had its breaking point. After such high-intensity training, one needed a period of rest to digest the nutrients from the Secret Medicine and repair the damage done to the body.
Continuous high-intensity training would easily wreck one’s body.
"In a Quarter Hour, we begin the next session."
Zhao Xuanqi didn’t elaborate. He took out another Medicine Brick, stuffed it directly into his mouth, and sat cross-legged on the ground.
GURGLE! GURGLE!!
His stomach and intestines went to work, his formidable digestive system rapidly breaking down the nourishing Secret Medicine he had swallowed. It was converted into a massive amount of nutrients that began repairing the damage from his training at a terrifying speed.
A Quarter Hour later, the training resumed, its intensity undiminished.
A second time...
A third time...
A fourth time...
For three full hours, from high noon until three in the afternoon, Zhao Xuanqi did not stop his Five Fire Heart Refining training until the sun’s rays began to weaken and the Yang Qi of the Celestial Fire receded.
In that time, he had performed the training, at the same intensity as the first session, a total of six times.
The onlookers in the courtyard had watched for three solid hours. Their expressions had shifted from initial shock to gradual numbness. As they watched Zhao Xuanqi finish his sixth session of the Five Fire Heart Refining technique only to immediately begin practicing Black Tortoise Gangsha Breathing to further strengthen his internal organs, they could only stare at him as if he were a monster.
’Is that even a human body?!’
