Qi Sensing Naturally Arises

Back in his room, Duàn Yì shut the door tightly. Without even looking at the memory sword manual or cultivation method, he took off his shoes and lay down on the bed.

Holding the two secret manuals in his hands, he immersed his consciousness into the Longevity Lock at his neck. In a flash, he found himself in the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts.

With a sweep of his mental awareness, Duàn Yì quickly located the two newly generated secret manuals within the tower. Taking them out, he saw that one was the sword manual for Songshan Swordplay, and the other was the cultivation method for Ice True Qi. This made him marvel at the vast capabilities of the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts.

"Ice True Qi will be the focus of my cultivation and research from now on. I'll save it for last and first take a look at the mysteries of Songshan Swordplay."

Duàn Yì emerged from the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts holding the two manuals. He sat down cross-legged by the main entrance and began to read the sword manual. With the boost from his ultimate comprehension, he could recall everything he saw as if divinely aided. He quickly memorized the entire sword manual and gained a general understanding of it.

The sword manual, as a whole, could be divided into two parts, progressing step by step.

The first part, recorded at the beginning, was not the direct lineage of Songshan Swordplay but rather basic swordsmanship. It included thrusting, chopping, poking, slicing, lifting, flicking, cutting, and hacking—all essential techniques for anyone learning swordsmanship.

Countless sword techniques and endless sword dao in the future would all stem from these fundamental movements. The more solid and proficient one's basic swordsmanship, the more beneficial it would be for understanding and cultivating other sword techniques.

Major sword dao families and prominent sects known for their swordsmanship would always have their younger generations and disciples start with basic swordsmanship, never teaching advanced sword paths right from the beginning.

Duàn Yì could indeed skip this section and directly cultivate the later parts of Songshan Swordplay. However, without a solid foundation, while he might achieve great progress in the short term, he would inevitably hit a bottleneck at a certain level. This would be a shortsighted approach, not worth taking.

The second part of the sword manual then got to the main subject: the seventeen forms of Songshan Swordplay, comprising the outer nine forms and the inner eight forms, covering both slow and fast, long and short movements. It could be described as profound and extensive.

As Duàn Yì carefully read, he discovered that Songshan Swordplay was actually a general term. These seventeen forms were, in essence, seventeen distinct sword techniques, each with its own focus and style. The disciples of the Songshan Sect learned all of them.

The outer nine forms were purely sword moves that could be executed even without internal energy cultivation, though their power would be greatly reduced. The inner eight forms were methods of controlling the sword with Qi, where Qi followed the sword. Only those with accomplished internal energy cultivation could master them.

Furthermore, these inner eight forms could be considered the essence of the Songshan Sect's swordsmanship, characterized by their grandeur, dominance, and imposing presence.

Additionally, these seventeen forms were not separate and independent; they could connect and transition into one another. If one could master all of them and refine them, they would form a complex and powerful sword technique. While perhaps not comparable to the Nine Swords of Dugu, it was still a rare and valuable high-grade technique.

Zuo Lengchan had achieved this in the past, integrating all seventeen forms into a cohesive whole. His movements were solemn and majestic, like an unstoppable army charging forward.

Even Yue Buqun was at a disadvantage and in precarious danger before unleashing the Pixie Swordplay, which demonstrated the power of this technique.

More importantly, Songshan Swordplay alone was enough to support the foundation of a sect. Duàn Yì wondered if Bái Xī Wén had passed this technique down to the disciples of the Golden Cauldron Sect.

The more he studied it, the more eager he became. With a thought, Duàn Yì conjured a long sword in his hand with his mind. The blade was gleaming white and felt solid.

This was a trick Duàn Yì had figured out. It wasn't a real object but was formed by the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts based on his thoughts, much like his physical body located there.

He stood up and began to perform the sword techniques recorded in the manual, starting with a slow form from the outer nine, gradually increasing speed, and moving from the outer nine to the inner eight forms.

By the time he finished one full sequence, his entire body was sore and weak. Moreover, some techniques required special cultivation methods and True Qi to activate, so he could only mimic the movements without any actual power.

"As expected, it's different from the unrestricted smoothness I felt when learning Minor Capturing Hand. There are many more restrictions. Clearly, this sword technique is very advanced and complex, far beyond basic martial arts.

However, the fact that I could perform it completely on the first try shows that with my transcendent comprehension, Songshan Swordplay is merely a paper tiger. I'll master it sooner or later."

Duàn Yì wasn't actually planning to practice it yet; he just wanted to experience it first. If he were to truly practice, he would start with the basic swordsmanship recorded in the manual. With the support of the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts, he would quickly build a foundation and qualify to learn Songshan Swordplay.

With a thought, the long sword in his hand vanished. Duàn Yì took several deep breaths, calming his turbulent mind and restless blood. He then took out the cultivation method for Ice True Qi, which was the true foundation of his power.

The cultivation method recorded there was extremely detailed, divided into several stages, just like the sword manual. It included how to sense Qi, how to transform the void into reality, how to nurture internal energy, how to circulate it, and how to open up meridians and circulate Qi through the Heavenly Cycle.

However, it lacked the section on Essence Condensing and the cultivation methods beyond True Essence. He wasn't sure if all cultivation methods were like this or if Ice True Qi could only be cultivated to this extent.

During his reading, Duàn Yì discovered a crucial point: the internal energy nurtured by this cultivation method was not extremely Yin or extremely cold. Instead, it was very open and upright.

Only after cultivating internal energy was one supposed to use a special cultivation method to absorb Yin and cold Qi into the body, combining it with the internal energy to change the quality of the internal energy. Only then would it be considered true Ice True Qi.

In other words, although the first wisp of True Qi that Duàn Yì nurtured was pure, it lacked properties like coldness, heat, hardness, or softness. Only by absorbing cold Qi into the body with the special cultivation method afterward and combining it with this wisp of True Qi would it be considered an introduction to Ice True Qi.

After the initial introduction, the cultivation method was not complete. It required progressing through several stages to truly master Ice True Qi. These stages were not detailed here.

Following the cultivation method were the usage tips for the Ice Divine Palm.

Although called a palm technique, it was actually a method of utilizing and releasing Ice True Qi through palm movements.

There were three moves: "Chilling Aura," "Frosty Autumn," and "Ice Cellar, Snow Cavern." Each had its own profound mysteries, with power increasing sequentially. When used in conjunction with Ice True Qi, their power was immense.

Duàn Yì carefully savored the Qi Sensing section of the Ice True Qi cultivation method. Following the instructions, he sat cross-legged, placing his palms together in front of his chest. His breathing was faint and almost imperceptible. After twelve complete breaths, he changed his posture, and his breathing became short and forceful...

This Qi Sensing cultivation method consisted of six sets of movements, performed in rotation. Combined with breathing and visualization to generate Qi sensation within the body, consistent practice would eventually lead to the generation of Qi sensation.

According to the manual, even individuals with poor aptitude could generate Qi sensation after one to two years of practice. What happened after that was another matter.

However, Duàn Yì was different from ordinary martial artists. He possessed exceptional talent and was in the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts, benefiting from the ultimate comprehension boost. After performing the movements completely three times, he already felt his body slightly warm, as if immersed in warm water.

By the twelfth repetition, a warm current had generated within his dantian. However, it was very weak and not truly substantial, indicating that Qi sensation had formed but had not yet transformed from void to reality, truly generating True Qi.

According to the Ice True Qi cultivation method, the next step was to switch to the next level of the cultivation method's key principles and persist in cultivation, refining essence into Qi, to truly nurture True Qi.

Duàn Yì committed the feeling of this faint True Qi in his dantian to memory. With a thought, he returned from the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts to his physical body in reality.

Duàn Yì suddenly sat up from the bed, his expression solemn. He placed the cultivation method and sword manual he was holding aside, closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged, sensing the changes within his body. Unfortunately, his body was empty, and no Qi sensation had been generated.

In the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts, the practice of techniques was difficult to reflect in the physical body. Duàn Yì had already confirmed this. The only benefit was that the memory and experience shortened the time for cultivation and achievement, offering much convenience.

However, True Qi was different; it existed between reality and illusion, which was why he had held onto a sliver of hope.

Now that his hope was dashed, he was not disappointed.

Composing himself, Duàn Yì began to perform the movements according to the Ice True Qi cultivation method, breathing in and out, visualizing his dantian, and then continuing with the next set of movements and breathing patterns.

He continued this until the sky outside darkened. Duàn Yì's physical body finally produced the same sensation as in the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts.

A warm current generated in his dantian, yet it felt so ethereal and insubstantial. This was the manifestation of Qi sensation arising, marking his entry into the great door of internal energy cultivation.

In a single day, he had learned the body's meridians and acupoints, studied and experienced three advanced martial arts, successfully cultivated Qi sensation in internal energy, and even had surplus energy to continue cultivating.

Such an achievement, even if not unprecedented, could certainly be called that of a prodigy.

One must understand that some disciples of the Golden Cauldron Sect had not achieved this in a full year.