Seeing the End at a Glance

The next day, early morning.

The great sun rose from the distant sky, its golden rays bursting forth, melting away the chill from the mountains for miles around.

"Rumble..."

A faint, almost imperceptible ape roar emanated from the human figure sitting cross-legged in the small room, deep and powerful.

Chen Xuan was fully focused, practicing the Little White Ape Trick.

A snow-white stream of Immortal Qi was circulating within his body, moving rapidly along a special trajectory. Occasionally, sharp golden-white light would flash from the Immortal Qi, stirring up some mysterious power, but it would quickly extinguish...

This trick is actually so difficult to learn?

Chen Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed. This was the first time he had encountered something like this, so he had spent a full half-night carefully studying it. Only after feeling that he had completely grasped it did he confidently begin to practice.

He had thought it would be a matter of course.

But reality had dealt him a heavy blow. The trick's progress was extremely slow, barely reaching the introductory stage.

No wonder the great monk practiced for several years and still couldn't get started, ultimately ending up crying bitterly in the rain.

Chen Xuan muttered to himself, pondering for a moment. He then said, "The problem lies in the aptitude of this body... the talent is a bit insufficient."

He had always believed himself to be a genius, but at this moment, he began to doubt himself.

He had clearly understood the trick thoroughly and knew how the Immortal Qi circulated within the meridians of his body, but his body couldn't react in time and couldn't provide the resonance needed, causing the trick's progress to be slow.

If my body's aptitude could keep up, I would only need to run this Little White Ape Trick once to successfully cultivate it...

Chen Xuan vaguely sensed the limit of this body's aptitude: "Ten days, at least ten days, before I can initially master this trick."

Undoubtedly, he was still a genius far surpassing the great monk and the fat yellow man. Mastering a trick in ten days, no matter where it was, would be a feat that would make people drop their jaws.

But he was stopped here, unable to make any further progress.

If his bone structure and aptitude weren't holding him back, he could have done much better!

Chen Xuan pushed the door open and looked up at the sky, a sense of melancholy unexpectedly rising in his heart.

Is this the peak of my talent...?

He had practiced martial arts in Willow Town for three years, and everyone considered him a genius. Any boxing technique, he only needed to see it once to fully grasp and perform it.

But at this moment, the bone structure and aptitude that he had once been so proud of were gradually proving insufficient when facing tricks in the Qi Refiner realm...

A sense of disparity arose in Chen Xuan's heart. This was not frustration, but rather stemmed from an absolutely clear realization...

Qi refining was a much longer path than practicing martial arts, but with his aptitude, he probably wouldn't be able to reach the end. One day in the future, his progress would completely stop.

"King, King Immortal... I've collected everything from the four Qi Refiners. Please see if any of it is useful."

In the courtyard, the middle-aged man with a broken leg named Chen Ganshui approached, holding a pile of items in his hands, looking slightly fearful.

Chen Xuan glanced over. There were the Pu Dao weapons of Zheng Tu's three brothers, the jade prayer beads from the great monk's hand, and even the silk-woven kasaya had been stripped off...

"Where are the bodies of the four people?" Chen Xuan asked.

"They've been moved outside the courtyard. Some people's bodies couldn't be put back together..."

Chen Ganshui replied in a low voice, then secretly glanced at the young Qi Refiner's appearance. It seemed vaguely familiar, and his voice was also similar.

But it wasn't the same person. This Qi Refiner in front of him claimed to be named Wang.

That young, inexperienced boy who had voluntarily left the village three years ago and resolutely walked into the hundreds of miles of wilderness had probably died in some corner long ago...

Yesterday, this Immortal named Wang had gone on a killing spree here, like a ghost or god. It was absolutely impossible for him to be that sunny boy from the past.

"Oh."

Chen Xuan nodded, then finished the meat porridge breakfast brought by the young woman in one gulp. He stood up and said, "Move them to the entrance of the village and hang their bodies from the trees. No need to bury them."

"Ah..."

Chen Ganshui was stunned.

Chen Xuan had already started walking outside. When he reached the doorway, he seemed to remember something and suddenly turned back, saying:

"If anyone has an opinion, tell them to come find me."

A moment later.

Chen Xuan walked into a wealthy household and found Chu Huo Gun, asking directly:

"How long did it take you to cultivate tricks back then?"

The three members of the Chu Family were eating breakfast. Chu Huo Gun chewed on his coarse grains, squinting at Chen Xuan, and said proudly:

"After this old man Ascended back then, I learned the ancestral Little Firebird Trick. I achieved something in half a year, shocking half of Red Crow City. Who didn't call this old man a young genius?"

"That counts as a genius?"

"...Xiao Wang, you are rude!"

Chu Huo Gun immediately became anxious, his beard bristling and his eyes wide. "In my era, besides the handful of geniuses who Ascended with six thousand jin of strength, who could compare to me! Even that sly old man from the Li Family was beaten by me when he was young!"

Recalling his youthful glory, he was about to boast a little, but was interrupted by the arrogant young man's rude remarks, which greatly displeased the old man.

Chen Xuan pulled up a small bamboo chair less than knee-high and sat down, leaning towards the dining table. He asked again,

"What about those geniuses? How long did it take them to practice the tricks?"

Chu Huo Gun thought back and replied irritably, "It only took a few short months, hmph! Xiao Wang, although I admit your talent is a cut above mine when I was young, you might not necessarily be better than those people!"

Those people were the favored children of an era. Chu Huo Gun was a cut below them when he was young, but because of that one cut, he was left far behind in the latter half of his life...

"This is also..."

Chen Xuan scratched the back of his head, wanting to say it was nothing special, but seeing Chu Huo Gun's angry expression, he decided against it.

The gap between geniuses is sometimes far more exaggerated than the gap between ordinary people and geniuses.

He was now clearly aware that even if his root bone aptitude had limits, in the Red Crow City area, he was still far ahead for the time being, not inferior to anyone.

There might not be a way to increase aptitude in this world... The first time I put on the Feathered Robe, my physique underwent a complete cleansing of marrow and washing of essence, and my aptitude increased significantly as a result.

Chen Xuan muttered to himself, his confidence greatly boosted. Then, he stared at Chu Huo Gun and whispered,

"Old Chu, I have a treasure, and I want to trade something with you."

Chu Huo Gun rolled over from the dining table, his ears perked up.

"What treasure?"

"A trick..."

Chen Xuan whispered a few words. Chu Huo Gun's eyes immediately lit up. He turned to the girl beside him and said, "Qing Ling, go get paper and a pen from the bag. Your Grandpa Xiao Wang has something good for me."

"Ah, Grandpa Xiao Wang?"

Chu Qing Ling blinked her peach blossom eyes, confused. How did Brother Xiao Wang become her grandpa?

This seniority was too messy, wasn't it?

Chu Huo Gun urged repeatedly, "Hurry, hurry! Xiao Wang is my good brother, very strong. Yesterday, he even displayed divine power and suppressed a bunch of petty people. Such a true hero of a man should naturally be on equal footing with me!"

A moment later, Chen Xuan wrote with flowing strokes, drawing half of the Qi circulation diagram for the [Little White Ape Trick].

"Trade or not?"

Chu Huo Gun asked in a low voice, "Where did this trick come from?"

Chen Xuan explained, "Several years ago, I met a monk in the mountains who taught me a Qi refining method... I'm just a wild cultivator from the mountains, with limited knowledge, and I don't know if it's good or bad. After interacting with you these past few days, I've gained some insight and realized this might be the legendary trick..."

Chu Huo Gun was stunned, "Last time you said it was a Taoist..."

"...Do you want to trade?"

"...Trade!"

Chu Huo Gun had no reason to refuse. A small family had struggled for generations to obtain one trick, which they usually hid away like a treasure. But now, someone was offering another trick. Unless he was a fool, he wouldn't give up this opportunity.

Before long, Chen Xuan traded for Chu Huo Gun's [Little Firebird Trick], which cultivated Fire Virtue Red Qi.

"Xiao Wang, you're truly my lucky star! Every time I see you, something good happens!"

Chu Huo Gun was in a great mood. The first time they met, they roasted fire and ate meat in the heavy snow. The second time, he saved his life. Now, the third time they met, he brought such a great gift. How could he not be happy!

Then, he voluntarily shared some cultivation experience with Chen Xuan: "The Five Elements mutually restrain and generate each other. Fire refines true gold, and the conflict is great. If you want to cultivate both White Qi and Red Qi, you must be prepared to retreat when faced with difficulties..."

Fire Virtue Red Qi seeks to "burn mountains and boil seas, eliminate the three thoughts."

Metal Virtue White Qi seeks "the Great Dao is like heaven, all methods are one sword." Some Buddhist sects, sword officials, and a portion of martial artists like to follow this path of Qi refining.

Most who cultivate Red Qi have fiery tempers, seek revenge for any grievance, and refuse to suffer any loss. Those who cultivate White Qi, on the other hand, have cold personalities, to the point of appearing obsessive, and will never turn back once they've decided on something.

The former thinks the latter wears a deadpan face all day and is inhuman, while the latter doesn't have as many emotions, but if provoked, they will directly fight to the death.

From this, it can be seen that Red Qi and White Qi are difficult to be compatible.

"I have a sense of proportion."

Chen Xuan nodded. He had a clear understanding of his own aptitude and believed that what the 'geniuses' in Red Crow City shied away from, he would definitely be able to advance further... He could spend three years diligently practicing the basic martial arts of the secular world, so was he afraid of these difficulties?

Then, he returned the favor and voluntarily shared some of his shallow insights into the Little White Ape Trick with Chu Huo Gun.

He quickly left here and returned to his residence, carefully studying the two different types of tricks. In the end, he still decided to practice the Little White Ape Trick first and began to cultivate in seclusion.

But that very night, the small courtyard suddenly fell into chaos.

"Roar roar!"

Under the night sky, a bronze horse with a crooked mouth and slanted face burst into the quiet courtyard, jumping around anxiously and calling out loudly to Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan pushed open the door, first telling the Chen Ganshui family next door, who had been woken up by the noise, not to come out. Then he asked the bronze horse, "I told you to hide outside the village, why did you come here and show yourself? All the Qi Refiners saw you."

"Roar roar!"

The bronze horse couldn't care less. She raised her hooves, impatiently telling Chen Xuan that something big had happened outside!!!