Martial Forms and Soul Artifacts (continued)

On the other hand, what made Si Ming and the others wary was that this world lacked pure Spiritual Qi and was filled with Yao Qi.

Generally speaking, the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is attribute-free energy. After being absorbed by martial artists, it is transformed into True Qi of various attributes. However, the difference in these attributes is only a difference in the form of expression, and there is no difference in essence. What is essentially different is Demon Power, Buddhist Power, and Power of Anomalies.

Simply put, True Qi is a broad-area energy, similar to type O blood, which can be given to others at will, but only type O blood can be given to type O blood; Demon Power and Buddhist Power are narrow-area energy, similar to type A and type B blood, which can receive blood transfusions from their corresponding blood type and type O blood, but cannot be given to others.

In practical applications, for example, the True Qi Machine of the Sea Continent is based entirely on True Qi as its energy source. Whether you cultivate Ice True Qi or Lightning True Qi, it can be converted into energy and stored. However, Buddhist Power and Demon Power cannot be used. If you want to use them, you need to use a specific type of True Qi Machine.

This is also one of the reasons why Buddhism did not flourish in the Sea Continent. If you want to be unconventional, that's your business, but others are not obligated to cooperate with you. For the same job, those who cultivate universal True Qi are given priority, while those who cultivate Buddhist skills are put last.

In the Sea Continent, the "political correctness" of catering to backward groups doesn't prevail. You can choose not to eat pork, either cook for yourself or go hungry. Don't expect others to give you special treatment. Just like in the 20th century, there was no such idea on Earth. Back then, the international norm was that backwardness meant being vulnerable to attack.

In this environment filled with Yao Qi, He Qichang, who had Demon Race blood in his body, didn't feel anything amiss. His ancestral internal Internal Cultivation technique contained traces of Demon Power, so he even felt like a fish in water here.

Murong Qing felt extremely oppressed. It wasn't that she couldn't absorb spiritual energy at all, but she still had to convert it, which was inefficient. At the same time, she had to guard against conflicts with the True Qi in her body. It was like eating rice full of sand. Although it could fill her stomach, it would also hurt her stomach. When she could endure hunger, it was better not to eat at all.

Si Ming's Blazing Yang Battle Art absorbs solar energy and is unaffected by the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. However, the problem is that this Spirit Domain seems to be in a state of perpetual night. The two moons in the sky haven't moved an inch even after several hours, so there's no energy to absorb. Fortunately, he doesn't rely on True Qi for his livelihood, and Internal Cultivation has always been his weakness, so it's not a big deal if he doesn't use it.

Murong Qing was skilled in medicine and gave the boy a simple treatment. First, she used freezing energy to stop the bleeding, and then she used her True Qi to clear the meridians, open up the blocked areas, and expel the foreign energy that had seeped in. This brought the boy out of danger, and the remaining injuries would have to heal over time.

The young man was astonished by Murong Qing's extraordinary methods. He had seen others treat more serious injuries than this before, but those were all based on Martial Form special abilities. This was the first time he had ever seen a beautiful woman heal herself without any tools.

He was beginning to believe that the other party genuinely didn't know what Martial Form was. If they already possessed such extraordinary abilities, what use would they have for Martial Form?

Thinking of this, the young man's heart stirred. His mediocre physique prevented him from acquiring a usable Martial Form, while the person before him had emerged unscathed after being swallowed by the Sandworm King, even tearing apart a mechanical body inside its belly. If he possessed such strength, he could go and seek revenge on that guy.

Undoubtedly, this is an opportunity for him. As long as he obtains another way to become stronger, he can bypass the limitations of Martial Form.

"My name is Xu Zhengyi. May I ask the esteemed names of my three benefactors?"

Murong Qing up. "Xu Zhengyi, what a great name!"

What's so good about such a straightforward and meaningless name? Si Ming thought to himself, but Beauty confidante was a righteous fanatic, and he felt like he could see a "favorability +10" label above Murong Qing's head.

If Si Ming were the kind of washed-up Long Aotian would kill your entire family if you dared to flirt with his woman, then Xu Zhengyi would be in trouble. Fortunately, he wasn't that petty. After introducing themselves, he said, "We come from the Sea Continent and know nothing about this place. Please tell us more about it."

Xu Zhengyi had already guessed this, so he wasn't surprised. He nodded and said, "I've heard of the Eastern Sea Continent. It's one of the Nine Continents, along with the Barbarian Continent."

Murong Qing suddenly asked, "Have you heard of the Glazed Temple and the Heavenly Martial Alliance?"

Xu Zhengyi thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I've never heard of it. May I ask where it's a famous school of martial arts?"

Si Ming and Murong Qing exchanged a glance, and the latter speculated, "Could it be a misunderstanding, just a coincidence that the names are the same, or perhaps the locals themselves don't know where they are and have been misled by the annotations left by their predecessors?"

Si Ming, "Actually, there is another possibility. The monks of Glazed Temple risked their lives to fight against the Black Tide and prevent it from engulfing the Barbarian Continent arts world of Black Tide. The Barbarian Continent I know is not the complete Barbarian Continent, but the Barbarian Continent that has not yet been eroded by the Black Tide. As for the places outside the Black Tide, I have never set foot there. If he is not lying, perhaps this is another part of the Barbarian Continent."

Then he asked Xu Zhengyi, "Do you have any legends here similar to those about demons destroying the world, or any records related to the end of the world?"

"Yes, it's said that several hundred years ago, or even several thousand years ago, I don't know the exact time, but it was a long time ago, the sky suddenly turned dark, and the Netherworld Insect Princess descended upon the Barbarian Continent with her army of black insects. They devoured crops and plants, consumed all living things, and even sucked the earth's nutrients, causing all the land to lose its fertility. From then on, no crops could grow on the land of the Barbarian Continent, all plants were eaten away, and ninety percent of the life on the land, including humans, became extinct."

"All the land has lost its fertility? Indeed, the land outside is very barren, only slightly better than a desert, but I thought only this area was like this. Is it the same outside?" Si Ming asked doubtfully.

"Yes, although it's not like nothing can be grown at all, the harvest is pitifully small. If an acre can produce half a bushel of grain, we're lucky."

"So little! What will you eat then?"

"Nutritional supplements." Xu Zhengyi took out something that looked like toothpaste from his bag. "One tube of nutritional supplements can provide an adult with a day's worth of energy. We commoners usually take nutritional supplements; they're very cheap. Only landlords and wealthy merchants can afford fresh and raw food."

As a descendant of a gluttonous empire, Si Ming could only be thankful that he hadn't transmigrated to such a place. Otherwise, it would have been worse than death. Just think about it: commoners could only eat nutritional supplements and had no opportunity to cook with precious ingredients, which meant that the culinary standards here were destined to be low. The famous dishes and snacks in history were all discovered by ordinary people by chance. Without these people, the small number of chefs couldn't do anything. You can't expect those landlords and wealthy merchants to cook and create delicacies, can you?

Noticing Si Ming's gaze, Xu Zhengyi defended his hometown, saying, "Although the nutritional supplement doesn't taste very good, its nutritional components are very complete, basically meeting all the body's needs. It won't cause malnutrition or overnutrition, and there are many flavors to choose from, including seafood, pork, curry, and so on. People who want to try new flavors can even try Sichuan peppercorn, bitter melon, or snot flavors..."

"Enough, enough, let's get back to the point," Si Ming said, afraid that if he continued listening, he would burst into tears out of pity. "What kind of power is this 'Martial Form' you're talking about?"

Xu Zhengyi looked thoughtful, then shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, this question is too profound for me to answer. Martial Form are as natural to us as air. From the moment I became aware of this world, I knew that Martial Form existed, but if you ask me to explain the essence of Martial Form, I can't say... It's a pity that if I had Martial Form, perhaps I could show it to my benefactor."

Murong Qing asked, "From what you've said, Martial Form seems to be a very common force in your world. Why don't you have it?"

"Because Martial Form have different attributes, only those with the same attribute of Spirit Root can use the corresponding Martial Form, and I don't have any Spirit Root."

"Are you referring to the five elements of Spirit Root: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth? And the idea that a single Spirit Root allows for rapid progress in the early stages, but later one gets stuck at a certain level and finds it difficult to advance, with only those possessing five Spirit Root being able to break through the bottleneck?"

Si Ming immediately thought of those cultivation novels. Could it be that the other side of the Barbarian Continent inherited a cultivation civilization?

However, Xu Zhengyi shook his head and said, "No, it's scaled, feathered, insect-like, and plant-like Spirit Root roots isn't necessarily better. Although having more Spirit Root means wider adaptability and the ability to use more Martial Form, the compatibility will inevitably decrease."

"You don't have Spirit Root, so you can't use Martial Form?"

Si Ming felt Anomalies sensation and looked the other person up and down, wondering if this kid was the protagonist of some story. Born a good-for-nothing with a blood feud, he was practically the golden rule of online novel protagonists.

"It's not entirely impossible. If it were Humanoid Martial Form, everyone could use it, including me. Unfortunately, Humanoid Martial Form are in high demand. Nearly a third of the people in our Barbarian Continent are without Spirit Root, which has led to a constant shortage of Humanoid Martial Form. This time, I risked coming to the Spirit Domain because the priest promised to pay me with a Medal Knight Martial Form... But now it seems that he never intended to pay me at all, and just used us as pawns to explore the path."

"Priest? Medal Knight? You're making me more and more confused. Is Martial Form a power system from the East or the West?"

"Um... how do you distinguish between East and West?" Xu Zhengyi scratched his head.

Si Ming thought for a moment and realized it was indeed difficult to explain clearly, "Alright, never mind, but how exactly will this priest give you the Martial Form? Is Martial Form something like a blessing? Or a permanent Divine Arts?"

"Actually, it has nothing to do with the priest. Martial Form from Soul Artifact. Only by touching Soul Artifact can one obtain Martial Form. The priest has a Holy Cross Medal, which can grant him three Medal Knight Martial Form."

"Well, another new concept has been added. What are Soul Artifact?"

"Well... I can't really explain it in detail, but as far as I know, they're either blessed by the gods or items that retain a powerful spiritual will; they're either treasures or divine weapons."

Upon hearing this, Murong Qing took out the Moon God's Tear and asked, "Is this Soul Artifact?"

Xu Zhengyi reached out and touched it, then shook his head, saying, "I can sense that this is a divine weapon of unparalleled rarity, but unfortunately, it is not Soul Artifact; it does not carry a powerful will."

"It seems that so-called willpower has nothing to do with Artifact Spirit," Si Ming said, taking out the Wheel-Turning King Sword and the Crimson Scorpion Evil Saber. "What about these two?"