True Qi Condensed into Gang Energy

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As expected, the days that followed returned to the way they had lived together in the small courtyard of the Crown Prince Residence's residence.

Minghe sat on the blue stone by the pool for several days and nights without moving at all.

Qin Yi has also been making the most of his time to cultivate, but his cultivation is not purely about quiet meditation.

The schedule is generally as follows: meditate and cultivate in the evening; practice staff techniques in the morning to strengthen muscles and bones; and practice transformation techniques in the afternoon.

This kind of cultivation is actually the true combination of movement and Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul, rather than the corrupted concept of dual cultivation... Although there is a yin and yang between the tomb chamber and the pool, which are only a few feet apart, the two sides have not seen each other even once in several days.

Minghe had long since Grain Avoidance and needed no food.

Qin Yi wasn't originally in this state; he not only needed to eat, but also needed to ingest a great deal of nutrients to provide for his body's training. However, he had pills to replenish the energy his body needed, which were in some ways even more effective than eating, so he didn't need to go out to find food.

It's just that my mouth is so bland it's practically bird's nest.

The so-called cultivation is manifested in the gradual elimination of various desires, from the desire for food and drink to the desire for love, power, greed, and even lust. Qin Yi has always believed that this is the case. Cultivation is about gradually approaching a state of no desires and no wants.

He couldn't help but complain to Liusu, "Is this what they call 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'? In pursuit of immortality, I can't even touch delicious food anymore. I'm even more of a couch potato than when I was living in the village. No wonder you said I'm suited for cultivation."

Liusu smiled and said, "That's a misunderstanding."

"Hmm? Tell me more."

"Take the desire for food as an example. If you Grain Avoidance for a long time and don't need to eat, you will gradually lose interest in food, and this desire will fade away. But that doesn't mean you have to abstain from it. Forbidding yourself from eating would be an attachment. True cultivation is to eat when you should eat and sleep when you should sleep. Don't deliberately pursue food, and don't deliberately forbid yourself from eating. That is the way."

Liusu paused for a moment, then explained, "I think you are suitable for cultivation because you are inherently free from attachment and delusion. You enjoy a comfortable life, but you don't deliberately pursue it. You like good food and wine, but you don't get greedy. You like beautiful women, but you don't toss and turn at night. When you cultivate, your mind is free from distractions. You are focused but not stubborn. You are consistent and have always been like this. You are simply born with Dao Heart."

"Turns out I'm pretty awesome." Qin Yi stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then asked, "Then why do Buddhists and Daoists observe precepts?"

"At the beginning of spiritual practice, desires should not be indulged, therefore one should observe the precepts. When one reaches a certain point, one should know what should be abstained from and what should be left to nature. If one does not know this, one is not practicing properly. Of course, there will be some specific differences in their respective paths. Some people practice joy meditation but do not eat meat. I will not go into details about that."

"I feel like you're instigating me to do something, but I have no proof."

"It's not necessarily instigation, but are you feeling a little more at ease now?"

"Yes." Qin Yi smiled and said, "Maybe I'm just too worldly. I still can't understand that kind of transcendence. On the contrary, I'm a little afraid of that state. Now that you've said that, I feel much more at ease. It feels like I can just be myself."

"I still think Minghe isn't like a human being."

"Um..."

"Actually, she may not even have a clear understanding of herself. I wonder if her sect has Heart Reflecting Mirror like Cheng Cheng's, otherwise it would be interesting to see herself in it."

Qin Yi didn't say anything, but with a shout, he threw a punch.

A sound like an air explosion followed the punch, with a faint hint of wind and thunder, and at the same time, a slight cracking sound like a person pressing their knuckles could be heard.

It's been almost ten days, and Qin Yi has used the Spiritual Qi here to push his Innate True Qi to the later stage, with even better results than in the previous months.

Although he had only recently broken through to the Innate Realm and theoretically still had a long time to perfect, in reality, his True Qi was still merely mortal cultivation energy, not comparable in quality to the rich immortal Immortal Dao Spiritual Qi within this Blessed Land. This was cave abode where even cultivators at the Radiant Sun Realm could benefit, and Soaring Cloud Realm, at the Minghe Soaring Realm, was cultivating here and reluctant to leave. The difference between this True Qi was immeasurable.

In the mortal realm, it might take ten or twenty years to cultivate one's True Qi to perfection, but here it only takes a few days.

A real leap forward.

Qin Yi is currently breaking through the Muscle Tendon Change Stage, preparing for the True Qi Transformation.

Among his several cultivation stages, body tempering is the threshold from Body Refining to tendon transformation. Once crossed, the Innate True Qi will be completely integrated into the tendons and bones, without needing to be deliberately distinguished, as the internal and external are naturally blended into one.

From now on, it will no longer be called "True Qi" but "Gang Qi).

This is the pinnacle of mortal martial arts. From here on, there is no longer any concept of innate or acquired martial arts, only the stages of tendon-changing and bone-forging. Continuing down this path marks the advancement of mortal martial arts into sword-wielding martial arts.

Ordinary people, without the opportunity, simply cannot cross this step of True Qi Transformation.

Even Qin Yi needed to use the abundant Spiritual Qi here to strengthen his bones and temper his meridians. He would normally need some targeted medicinal baths to aid him, but where could he find those now? It was better to just fight it head-on.

Liusu watched Qin Yi sweating profusely without saying anything more.

Qin Yi's martial arts foundation had nothing to do with it; it all came from that Nameless Secret Manual, which merely provided guidance.

It knows what the secret is, but it just doesn't want to tell you.

Of all the Martial Cultivation methods it knew, none surpassed this Nameless Secret Manual. The manual was powerful enough to achieve Body Refinement to Sainthood when mastered to its full potential, but it was only half complete; it would have to wait and see if it could find a way to make up for it later.

In Liusu's mind, she never took the lack of Cultivation Method seriously; she figured she could just make up for it herself later.

"Drink!" Qin Yi roared, his True Qi condensing as if it were a tangible substance, his green robe bulging as if it were about to explode, and his True Qi was already showing signs of transforming into a powerful force.

Qin Yi breathed a sigh of relief and took off his blue robe.

This blue robe was a gift from Cheng Cheng. It has good Technique Method protection, but its physical protection is so-so. Qin Yi was really afraid that if the robe tore open, he would have nothing to wear.

After taking off his clothes, Qin Yi looked down at his own body.

In fact, his physique, which appears slightly thin on the surface, is actually quite well-defined and robust when you take off his clothes. His biceps are very thick, and he is not as delicate as he looks on the outside.

Liusu then said, "How does the phrase 'a beast in human clothing' apply to you?"

"Pah, uncultured." Qin Yi ignored it.

Cultivation is all about breaking through; I'm too lazy to argue.

Just as he was about to continue exercising, he suddenly paused. At the entrance of the passage, Minghe stood there somewhat awkwardly, blushing as if she had unexpectedly seen him undressing.

Qin Yi withdrew his fist speechlessly. "What brings you here, fellow Daoist?"

"Um... I heard a loud crackling sound of Gang Qi in the room, and I figured you were probably True Qi Transformation. I have a pill here that can help with this, so I've come to give it to you."

Minghe tried her best to maintain a calm expression, but the way she avoided looking at Qin Yi's body betrayed her inner shyness.

Qin Yi stepped forward and took the pill, watching her expression with interest. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you've found it useful, fellow Daoist." Minghe scurried back into the secret passage as if fleeing for her life. "Then I won't disturb your cultivation any longer."

"Hey," Qin Yi called out into the secret passage, "I'm not as stingy as you, you can look around as you like."

There seemed to be a "thump" sound coming from the secret passage; it was unclear whether Minghe had bumped his head.

Qin Yi couldn't help but laugh.

Although it was said to be a peaceful and undisturbed cultivation, a subtle ambiguity was always secretly growing between the tomb and the pool.

I've hugged you, I've pressed you down, and no matter how much I try to convince myself, the time we meet again will always be different.

Moreover, although the two seemed to have spoken frankly and go their separate ways, they had actually hinted at a crucial matter that caused a very subtle change in their relationship—that is, Qin Yi had admitted that he had desires for Minghe.

Living together in a fellow Daoist's cave abode and cultivating on your own is a completely different experience from sharing a room with a man who clearly has desires for you.

On the surface, their relationship remained the same as that of fellow Daoists, but in reality, it could never go back to what it was before.

At least in front of Qin Yi, Minghe is not that far away.