The Qi Sea was where Spiritual Energy resided. Every cultivator had to learn how to make use of their own Qi Sea.
Since one had to learn how to use it, the first step was to see it and understand it.
That was the threshold for the second level of the Qi Devouring Art.
In fact, the reason it was called a "sea" was because the Qi Sea was vast—immensely vast!
Those of the Demonic Path differed from those of the righteous path. Demonic cultivators had always sought to become a world unto themselves, and the Qi Sea was the foundation through which they seized Spiritual Energy from heaven and earth.
Put simply, so-called "Qi Devouring" meant swallowing Spiritual Energy into one's Qi Sea.
Yet throughout history, despite the countless people who cultivated demonic arts, no one had ever been heard of filling their Qi Sea to the brim.
Thus, in the minds of demonic cultivators, the Qi Sea was often limitless.
Since it was limitless, one naturally could not see its end at a glance. Yet with that same glance, some people saw more while others saw less.
Some were narrow-minded; at first glance, they might see only something the size of a water vat.
Others had far-reaching vision; at first glance, they might see a babbling stream.
Since ancient times, many peerless geniuses had stood apart from the rest the first time they "saw" their Qi Sea.
Take Shen Yan, the current Sect Master of the Demon Sect. As a mighty Eighth Realm expert, he would have been a level eighty-something big shot in a game. How much had he seen at the second level of the Qi Devouring Art?
It was said that he had seen a river!
And now that Lu Xun had broken through in public, everyone naturally wondered: how much would Little Martial Grand-Aunt see at first glance?
Lu Xun, standing atop the high platform, knew nothing of everyone's curiosity.
Because...
—he had seen nothing at all.
The sect entrance ceremony ultimately concluded in an orderly fashion. The disciples returned to their respective peaks to cultivate, but the Sect Master and several Peak Lords did not leave. They all stared at Lu Xun.
Lu Xun had been watching his rapidly soaring Reputation Points. Feeling everyone's gazes, he only felt as though thorns were pricking his back.
Why did I sense such a strong whiff of gossip in their eyes?
He did not see much of an otherworldly master's aura in these top figures from the Demon Sect's various peaks. Like ordinary people, they had their own joys, sorrows, anger, and curiosity.
How should he put it? They looked exactly like a bunch of shameless old folks.
But how much Qi Sea one saw for the first time was technically a private matter. They indeed wanted the juicy details, but as juniors, they did not know how to bring it up.
So they simply kept staring at Little Martial Uncle. If he was willing to say it, he could say it. If not, that was fine too.
They had just watched him break through in public. It was making them itch with curiosity.
Lu Xun was utterly baffled and had no idea what was going on. In the end, Shen Yan stepped forward and asked Lu Xun and Mao Nanbei to return to Back Mountain to rest first.
After Mao Nanbei and Lu Xun left, Gongshu Pan, the Thunder Peak Lord and concurrently the Law Enforcement Elder, frowned and said, "Do not make things difficult for Little Martial Uncle. If he is unwilling to say it, perhaps it is because he saw too little."
"Senior Brother Gongshu, I do not think so. Little Martial Uncle is Mister's disciple, and his temperament is extraordinary. I think it would not be surprising if he saw a stream, a lake, or even a river!"
The speaker was Luo Wanqiu, the Peak Lord of Water Cloud Peak. She looked like a voluptuous, beautiful woman, and time seemed not to have left too many traces on her.
She was rather partial to Lu Xun, after all. Little Martial Uncle was just so handsome.
If she had been on Earth, she would have been one of those young heartthrobs' fangirl moms.
"My intuition agrees with Junior Brother Gongshu." Sima Chuan, the Peak Lord of Evergreen Peak, said. He was the oldest among them and also the First Senior Brother of their generation.
Yue Heshan, the Peak Lord of Leap Peak, suggested, "In that case... why not open a betting pool?"
He meant they should place bets.
"Excellent." Several Peak Lords spoke in unison. Even Sect Master Shen Yan, after putting on airs for a moment, could not resist joining in.
Only Gongshu Pan, who also served as the Law Enforcement Elder, frowned and said unhappily, "Article Thirteen of the sect rules clearly states that such behavior is not encouraged. Violators must pay five hundred Spirit Stones!"
"Senior Brother Gongshu, do not be such a killjoy. Not encouraged does not mean forbidden. I will pay the five hundred Spirit Stones!" Yue Heshan, who had first proposed it, immediately said.
Though he was a charitable gambling king who lost every bet he made, he was still obsessed with gambling.
"Yes, yes. A little gambling is good for the mood." A group of shameless old folks each took out five hundred Spirit Stones and placed them on the ground.
After pondering for several seconds, Gongshu Pan silently took out five hundred Spirit Stones as well.
Naturally, Lu Xun had no idea what was happening over there.
He did not know that after those shameless old folks had all placed their bets, Shen Yan was appointed as their representative. Over the next few days, he would head to the Back Mountain Study to fish for information and ask Little Martial Uncle exactly how much he had seen at first glance.
And the stakes were quite high.
On the Paper Crane, Mao Nanbei sat beside Lu Xun and stared at him without blinking.
"Fourth Senior Sister, have you not seen enough?" Lu Xun asked with a smile.
His sect Reputation Points had now surged past eighteen hundred, putting him in an excellent mood.
Back then, he would have had to diligently run so many sect missions to earn this much Reputation Points!
Unfortunately, opportunities for so many Demon Sect Disciples to gather were rare. Fortunately, he was someone skilled at seizing every opportunity to show off.
When he used to play games, Lu Xun had never missed any chance to stand out.
He had no gaming guild behind him, nor did he have a studio. He was a lone wolf. If he did not make a name for himself, how could he attract attention? How could he receive so many gaming commissions?
It was not that he liked showing off. He simply enjoyed making easy money.
"No choice. I have to make a living." That was Lu Xun's inner monologue.
Mao Nanbei shifted her little butt closer to Lu Xun and said, "Little Martial Brother, tell me secretly. How much did you see?"
After saying that, she did not forget to add, "I promise I will not tell anyone else!"
Lu Xun froze. What did I see?
"Fourth Senior Sister, what exactly are you asking?" Lu Xun probed.
"The Qi Sea, of course! Stop playing dumb! Hurry up and tell me, how much Qi Sea did you see at first glance?"
Only after hearing her say that did Lu Xun remember the matter of the Qi Sea.
When he used to play games, most players were obsessed with mindlessly leveling up, but they still had some understanding of the cultivation system in Heavenly Dust.
Lu Xun did know about this, but it had slipped his mind for the moment. Knowing was one thing, but when playing a game, all one had to do was press the level-up button. Where would one get so many profound experiences?
But he had truly seen nothing just now. The instant he leveled up, everything went black before his eyes. The surroundings had been pitch-black, and his vision only returned after quite a while.
Pitch-black darkness naturally meant there was nothing at all. Did that not mean he had seen nothing?
Thus, no matter how the little loli pressed him, Lu Xun chose to keep silent.
He had his pride too.
Later, the little loli even began throwing a bit of a tantrum. Only after Lu Xun promised to grill several more fish for her later did her anger subside, and she said that he should add more spice to the fish this time.
Sitting on the Paper Crane, Lu Xun looked down upon the land below.
He was broad-minded by nature, so he was not saddened.
So what if he had not seen anything? Not seeing it did not mean it did not exist.
How much one saw at first glance was merely a standard for judging one's talent. It was much like counting how many ripples one had, but it was not absolute.
Though he had seen nothing at all, he was even in the mood to joke to himself:
"They say everyone sees a different Qi Sea. What if mine is black?"
(PS: Thanks to big shot CzLB for the hundred-thousand Qidian Coin reward. It directly pushed this book to third place on the signing rankings! I am happy. I like being on top.)
Before you continue