Centrifugal Separation Method (Thanks to Dream Chaser for the donation and monthly ticket; two chapters today, and another tonight)

"Xiangwu, you already know what counts as breaking through to an Elite Warrior, right?"

Su Hao nodded. "I know. Father already told me. As long as I can make the Blood Qi inside my body move, create a new transformation, and surge out of my body, I'll have successfully advanced to an Elite Warrior."

"Many of the warriors in Tea Mountain Outpost are Elite Warriors, and you know them all. For example, Captain Uncle Yong, Uncle Old Li, and Uncle Gao. When you first look at them, can you spot the difference between them and ordinary people?"

"The difference?" Su Hao frowned. He had never deliberately thought about it before.

Other than being stronger, what difference was there between ordinary people and Elite Warriors?

Unable to figure it out, Su Hao sent his consciousness directly into Marble Space and had Little Light arrange the ordinary people and warriors of Tea Mountain Outpost on opposite sides for comparison, observing their differences.

Very quickly, Su Hao discovered a clue.

"Their aura is different!"

Powerful warriors certainly had stronger auras than ordinary people. There was no doubt about that, and that was surely not what Wu Yuntian was asking about.

As he thought, Su Hao's eyes suddenly lit up. He said directly to Wu Yuntian, "I know! Their mental bearing is different. Elite Warriors have greater vitality, spirit, and vigor."

A rare smile appeared on Wu Yuntian's face. He nodded. "That's right. Vitality, spirit, and vigor. And the key to opening the gates of an Elite Warrior is precisely vitality, spirit, and vigor!"

Su Hao scratched his head again. From the look of it, they had reached the Mind Studies part again. It seemed martial arts and Mind Studies were inseparably linked!

Seeing Su Hao's bewildered expression, Wu Yuntian finally laughed aloud. "Actually, it isn't hard to understand. First, think about one question: why do you think Blood Qi cannot move?"

Su Hao thought seriously for a moment. Without external force to push it, Blood Qi lay within the body. How could it move? Unable to understand, he shook his head. "I don't know."

His relationship with Wu Yuntian was more like that of teacher and student than father and son. Whenever he did not understand something, he asked.

Wu Yuntian said, "Because Blood Qi is not under your active Control."

Su Hao was somewhat puzzled. Couldn't he Control the eruption of Blood Qi? Still, he quietly listened to Wu Yuntian's explanation.

Wu Yuntian casually picked up a stone, held it in his hand, and asked Su Hao, "Who controls this stone right now?"

"Father does."

"Why?"

Su Hao obediently answered, "Because the stone is in your hand."

"That's right. Because Control over the stone belongs to me, not you. If I want it to move, it moves. If I want it still, it stays still. Blood Qi is the same."

Saying this, Wu Yuntian tossed the stone to Su Hao and continued, "Your Blood Qi is like this stone. Its Control is currently in your body's hands, not your consciousness's hands. What you need to do is seize Control of your Blood Qi back from your body's hands. Then, if you want it to move, it moves; if you want it still, it stays still—free and following your heart."

Su Hao caught the stone and suddenly understood. "So that's how it is."

All of a sudden, he realized that his old man was truly amazing. Wu Yuntian could always use such vivid methods to teach him things so abstract, letting him quickly understand the underlying principles. He must have put in no small amount of effort.

Wu Yuntian continued, "To grasp Control of Blood Qi in your hands, it's simple. As long as your consciousness is stronger than your body, you can seize that Control. Therefore, you need to strengthen your consciousness—your vitality, spirit, and vigor."

Su Hao nodded again. "Then how do I strengthen them?"

This was the key. Theory was important, but methods were just as important.

Wu Yuntian said, "Before I explain how to strengthen your vitality, spirit, and vigor, I need to emphasize some cultivation precautions. They are very important."

Su Hao listened attentively.

"Three strictnesses, four diligences, five abstinences: be strict with yourself; strictly keep your word; strictly uphold principles; think diligently; study diligently; act diligently with caution; be diligently respectful; do not contend recklessly; do not speak excessively; do not quibble; do not deny yourself; do not indulge your desires."

Wu Yuntian asked sternly, "Remember them?"

Su Hao nodded and directly recited the three strictnesses, four diligences, and five abstinences once more.

Wu Yuntian nodded. "Then I'll teach you how to cultivate your vitality, spirit, and vigor."

Aside from the fixed hour he spent strengthening his bones each day, Su Hao devoted all his remaining time to improving his vitality, spirit, and vigor. Following Wu Yuntian's method, he began his daily quiet cultivation and experiments.

Training vitality, spirit, and vigor could no longer be gamed like converting Blood Qi. It required steady, down-to-earth accumulation. Little Light, the electronic Assistant, could only help Su Hao summarize the changes each day and select the most efficient method, allowing him to constantly adjust his state.

Once Su Hao threw himself wholeheartedly into training his vitality, spirit, and vigor, time passed extraordinarily quickly. He became increasingly radiant and full of energy. To him, Control over his own body gradually grew stronger as well. Things like controlling the contraction of a particular Muscle or controlling his heartbeat became exceedingly easy.

One day, half a year later, Su Hao tried once more to Control the Blood Qi in his body. He had expected it to remain as motionless as ever, but the portion of Blood Qi under the Control of his consciousness actually shifted a fraction in the intended direction. That tiny movement sent Su Hao into wild joy.

Although it moved only slightly before returning to stillness, Su Hao understood that he had succeeded. After half a year of uninterrupted quiet cultivation, his vitality, spirit, and vigor had finally reached a critical point. As long as he continued working hard, the Blood Qi in his body would soon begin moving within him.

Su Hao gathered his scattered thoughts, sat down again, adjusted his body and mind to their best state, and trained his vitality, spirit, and vigor.

Another half year passed. Su Hao was nine years old.

By then, he could freely Control the Blood Qi within his body and make it circulate according to the patterns of the "Nine Palaces Blood-Intercepting Manual."

However, he was not yet a true Elite Warrior. At most, he counted as half of one, because although he had made his Blood Qi circulate, he still had not completed its transformation and enabled it to flow outside his body.

According to the "Nine Palaces Blood-Intercepting Manual," he needed to rapidly vibrate his Blood Qi to make it complete its transformation.

But Su Hao felt that this transformation was about to be achieved. The transformation would happen today.

His entire mind sank into his body. The Blood Qi within him circulated independently at nine special positions in accordance with the "Nine Palaces Blood-Intercepting Manual," rapidly vibrating.

As the Blood Qi vibrated at high speed, it slowly secreted a special substance that seemed both gaseous and liquid.

Su Hao knew that this colorless special substance was Elite Blood Qi.

Once Elite Blood Qi formed, it was stably stored in the special locations within his body and could be drawn upon at any time.

After a while, Su Hao discovered that the conversion speed from ordinary Blood Qi to Elite Blood Qi was too slow.

This vibrational method was far too inefficient. At this rate, he might not even finish converting all the ordinary Blood Qi in his body in a full day.

Su Hao frowned and carefully observed the conversion process, trying to uncover its underlying principle.

Then he suddenly realized that this process looked familiar. Wasn't it just chemical impurity separation? Perhaps I can do it like this!

Su Hao thought of how a washing machine spun water out of clothes, using high-speed Rotation and centrifugal force to quickly dewater them.

No sooner thought than done. Su Hao immediately tried to Control his Blood Qi into Rotation. Soon, the Blood Qi formed nine vortices, spinning faster and faster.

When the Blood Qi reached a certain rotational speed, a special substance was suddenly flung out from the Blood Qi vortices. It was Elite Blood Qi. Its quantity rapidly increased, while the Blood Qi vortices were quickly consumed, shrinking smaller and smaller until they vanished.

The locations of the Blood Qi vortices had already been completely converted into Elite Blood Qi.

"Does this count as a successful conversion? So miraculous! This is the change in Blood Qi's nature Father spoke of!"

"The original vibrational method is far too inefficient at converting Blood Qi, while my method, like a washing machine spinning out water, is more than ten times as efficient. Through high-speed Rotation, using the Centrifugal Separation Method to separate impurities, I can quickly extract this Elite Blood Qi from ordinary Blood Qi."

Su Hao first gave himself a thumbs-up for his own cleverness.

Then he curiously observed the newly acquired colorless substance—Elite Blood Qi.

He tried making the Elite Blood Qi move and found it even easier to Control than ordinary Blood Qi.

This Elite Blood Qi needed only a thought to reach any location in his body.

Su Hao casually picked up a Short Blade. Elite Blood Qi surged out along his arm and crawled over the entire blade. He aimed it at the stone floor and gave it a light jab.

"Puff~"

The Short Blade sank in like it was piercing tofu, disappearing all the way to the hilt.

"This is absurd!!" Su Hao was completely stunned.

Was this the power of Elite Blood Qi? It was far too strong—no less formidable than the legendary true Qi or inner force!