Chapter 35: Secret Art
The biggest trait when consolidating qi to form a Core was the coagulation of qi and blood into one, like a big pellet that was stored in the body indefinitely.
A flawless state such as this allowed qi and blood consumption to be minimized to the bare minimum. With that, the excess qi and blood would naturally separate and nurture the body, strengthening one's qi and blood levels.
Core Formation in the context of martial arts is different from the Golden Core phase of the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique, but they bring about similar results.
Core Formation focuses more on using the qi and blood to strengthen the physique. The Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique's Golden Core phase focuses on the gentle nurturing of primordial qi, surpassing innate condition and maintaining the body's pureness, promoting longevity and immunity to illnesses.
As for the difference between the two, it was like swimmers who were in the sea and amongst surging waves—one fights the waves with a strong physique while the other attempts to merge with the waters, attempting to be one with it.
Li Pin continued to practice the Xuan Pin Gate. As he experienced the extraordinary unification of the Core Formation, he worked to perfect the Core Formation part in the Xuan Pin Gate.
The time passed quickly and it was already afternoon.
When it was time for him to knock off from work, Xu Huan packed up and greeted Li Pin with a smile when he passed by him. "Still practicing, Master Li?"
"I'll head back in a bit," Li Pin replied.
Xu Huan sighed with emotion. "You have such great aptitude, Master Li, but you're still so hard working. It's no wonder you have got such accomplishments."
Xu Huan came from a family with a good background. They weren't that rich, but their assets amounted to tens of millions nonetheless. The key part was that the elders in his family had gone into politics. His eldest uncle had a seat in the Zanglong City's Public Prosecutors Office as head of the investigation department—a level-five official in the nation.
In comparison to the mayor of Zanglong City, the local council, and the Attorney General, who were all level-three officials, the difference between them was two levels. This was the reason Fang Lingjue had accepted him as a disciple and taught him with care. However, Li Pin was very different from him, so much so that Xu Huan couldn't feel proud of his status as a second-generation official.
Li Pin was currently in his peak breakthrough period, he could achieve Aura Force in the future.
Even if he could not achieve Aura Force, as long as he could shine in the Jiang Province Martial Competition, he could make a name for himself. Relying on the relationship with the Five Elements Sect and a few more years of experience in Zanglong City, there are high hopes that he could potentially be named the vice president of the martial society in the future.
He could be on par with his eldest uncle. Or even better, which was less likely but still possible, was that he could achieve Aura Force and contend for the position of president in the martial society. At that time, he would be second to only the big three, and on par with influential figures like the Investigations Department’s Deputy Attorney General.
"I see that you are not far from achieving Covert Force," commented Li Pin. "Continue with your practice and you should see a breakthrough in a few months."
Glancing at Li Pin, Xu Huan muttered, "I don’t know when that will be."
He felt that there was something different about Master Li, but he somehow couldn't put a finger on it.
It was only natural, however. Xu Huan hadn't attained Core Force and had not experienced the extraordinary unification of the Core Force and hence would not be able to pinpoint Li Pin’s level of achievement.
Xu Huan bid Li Pin farewell shortly later and left.
Li Pin also noticed that the janitor had arrived and started cleaning, so he didn't prolong his stay.
After returning to his condominium, Li Pin didn't immediately hop on the internet to browse for clips of Aura Force Grandmasters releasing Force. Instead, he took out the herbal medicine he made himself and took it with some water.
These herbal medicines were unlike the nurturing soups that Yingying sent. These were Blood-Seething Grass.
Blood-Seething Powder extracted from Blood-Seething Grass can allow a martial artist’s blood to boil and increase combat power immensely.
The effects of Blood-Seething Grass were naturally not comparable to the refined Blood-Seething Powder. However, Li Pin could feel his qi and blood becoming more active as he consumed the herbal medicine.
It wasn't just his qi and blood! Even his primordial qi was stimulated and more dynamic.
Li Pin focused as he observed the changes in primordial qi. Suddenly, he felt a tug appear, and he operated the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique.
He had a keen awareness that his primordial qi manipulation had become easier, and he even noticed that some parts of his body that the primordial qi wasn’t able to nourish before were now accessible for him to nourish, parts such as the bone marrow and internal organs.
In other words, he could direct primordial qi to nourish and heal more minuscule injuries, injuries more than muscle tears and bone cracks, in the future.
Li Pin smiled. "The timing is perfect."
Months of Core Formation would lead the qi and blood to peak, followed by internal training of the lungs, then qi and blood could rapidly grow. With Blood-Seething Grass to trigger primordial qi, his original plan of borrowing Samadhi Heart-Training Art, which was an organs-tempering secret art, can be brought forward.
I thought I had to wait till I achieved a foundational level after I developed the potential of my physical body. Then I could withstand the overbearing power of the Samadhi Heart-Training Art. The benefits of external intakes to cultivators are not to be underestimated.
However, this was within reason; plant essences could be used in alchemy to make pellets, and the human body was similar to a huge pellet. Plant essences would be refined in an alchemy furnace, and the human body was refined within the heavens and the earth.
If we were to look at things from a wider point of view—from the perspectives of stars—plants, people, and animals were all the same and there were no differentiations amongst them.
Just like how humans would only differentiate celestial bodies by meteorites, satellites, planets, and stars. If one were to go into further details, it'd at most be white dwarfs, neutron stars, and other star types. [1] They would not concern themselves with the species that roamed each planet and have them listed out one by one.
Under such circumstances, it was only within reason that people and plant essences were complementary.
The benefits of Blood-Seething Grass don't seem to stop here.
Li Pin silently felt the changes in qi and blood. Blood-Seething Powder extracted from Blood-Seething Grass allowed the qi and blood to become active and seething. If one wanted to describe this effect using scientific terms, it would be that one had become superconductive.
As the circulation of qi and blood accelerated, the depletion when they flow would also be lowered tremendously. Therefore, one would be able to exhibit stronger combat power.
Li Pin memorized this state with his ability to grasp and control his body accurately.
Unknowingly more than two hours had gone by and the effects of the Blood-Seething Grass had worn off.
A sense of weakness crept up on him. However, since he hadn't consumed the Blood-Seething Powder, the after-effects of weakness were not very obvious, and through the circulation of the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique, this weakness diminished.
Li Pin recollected the wonderful state he had been in when his qi and blood were active and seething after he consumed the Blood-Seething Grass. He immediately attempted to mimic that state by consciously manipulating his qi and blood.
Very soon, Li Pin was able to mimic the effects, but they were hardly noticeable.
If the level of the qi and blood seething achieved by consuming the Blood-Seething powder is measured by 30%, the same effect when Blood-Seething Grass is consumed would be 5.14%. My attempt to replicate the effect… only reached 0.32%. it was close to no effect at all, but …
Li Pin understood this was a process where practice makes perfect.
He consumed another portion of Blood-Seething Grass, he memorized the qi and blood activeness and qi and blood seething effects.
Effectiveness was 5.33%.
After the medical effectiveness had worn off, he tried to replicate the effects.
This time, the effectiveness had increased to 0.39%.
The difference was minute, only 0.07%.
Li Pin wasn't discouraged and smiled. As long as there are effects.
With more practice, he could turn that state into an explosive secret art, allowing him to have no more need to rely on the Blood-Seething Grass to enter into a state where his qi and blood were active and seething
Also, I sensed earlier that the only reason why there were side effects was because my body was not used to such an active qi and blood state. It was as if a normal person, who hadn't exercised for years, was made to run three thousand meters. After the run, the person would naturally be out of breath. All I need is more practice, and the side effects will gradually reduce.
Li Pin was very clear about the situation of the secret art.
Since this secret art is mimicked from effects brought by the Blood-Seething Grass, I’ll call it the Blood-Seething Secret Art.
1. All of the examples listed end with the word 'star' in Chinese. ☜
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