Golden Water Art

Chapter Ten: Golden Water Art

This could not continue. Lorist decided to use a troublesome method from battle qi cultivation to break through his current predicament: switch to a mid-tier battle qi of the same attribute, advance to Silver Rank first, then switch back once he obtained the later sections of the Blazing Flame Battle Qi manual.

This method was not without precedent, but it severely tested a cultivator's perseverance and focus. Even battle qi of the same attribute differed in the hexagram blood circulation formed by their major bloodline nodes, especially in the arrangement of the smaller internal bloodline nodes. If special variations were involved, such as connections through unusual bloodline nodes, it became even more headache-inducing. A cultivator had to forget their former habits and start from scratch in learning a new cultivation method.

It truly was an extremely troublesome matter.

Blazing Flame Battle Qi, as its name suggested, ought to be Fire Attribute battle qi. This was because the copied Battle Qi Manual Lorist carried had no explanation whatsoever. Only those four large characters were written on the cover. Inside were merely the cultivation methods for the Bronze and Black Iron ranks' hexagram blood circulation formed by major bloodline nodes.

Lorist spent a hefty sum to acquire a mid-to-high-tier Fire Attribute battle qi manual: Blazing Fire Battle Qi. It was said that this battle qi could be cultivated to Silver Three-Star. Yet when Lorist eagerly opened it, he was dumbfounded.

The hexagram blood circulation formed by the major bloodline nodes of Blazing Fire Battle Qi was vastly different from that of the Blazing Flame Battle Qi he cultivated. The major bloodline nodes were not even located in the same places. How was he supposed to cultivate that?

At first, Lorist thought this was simply the difference between high-tier battle qi and mid- or low-tier battle qi. But upon thinking it over, he realized that was wrong. No matter how different they were, battle qi of the same attribute should not differ much in the arrangement of their major bloodline nodes. To figure out what was going on, Lorist went to great lengths to acquire several more mid-tier Fire Attribute battle qi manuals. After comparing them one by one, he found that their hexagram blood circulation formed by major bloodline nodes was largely similar to that of Blazing Fire Battle Qi. They had absolutely nothing in common with the hexagram blood circulation described in his Blazing Flame Battle Qi manual. This indicated that the Blazing Flame Battle Qi he cultivated was very likely not Fire Attribute.

What the hell? If blazing flames weren't fire, then what were they?

With no other choice, Lorist obtained several mid-tier battle qi manuals for Metal Attribute, Water Attribute, Wood Attribute, and Earth Attribute. He even managed to get mid-tier manuals for Light Attribute and Wind Attribute. After carefully studying them, he discovered that Blazing Flame Battle Qi had nothing whatsoever to do with battle qi of any of those attributes. This result left Lorist baffled. He began to wonder whether he had overthought things. Perhaps Blazing Flame Battle Qi really was Fire Attribute, but because it was high-tier battle qi, its cultivation method differed so greatly from those mid-tier Fire Attribute battle qi.

However, something happened during this period. Since his battle qi cultivation had made no progress and the academy was on break, Lorist decided to relax. He formed a small adventuring party with several close friends from the academy and went to the Sunset Mountains to hunt low-tier magical beasts.

There was a rare low-tier magical beast in the Sunset Mountains called the Golden Horn Fire Fox. Its fur changed color with the seasons, becoming redder the colder the weather became, and it fetched a high price on the market. Its tiny golden horn, in particular, gave off a faint fragrance and could ward off mosquito and insect bites when worn on the body. There was also a rumor that grinding the horn into powder could improve a man's stamina. Well, everyone knew what that meant, so there was no need to spell it out. As a result, Golden Horn Fire Foxes were highly sought after and were nearly extinct in the Sunset Mountains.

Lorist and his companions were very lucky. They actually found the trail of a Golden Horn Fire Fox. It took them three days and three nights of tremendous effort to finally kill it. Just as they happily prepared to leave the mountains, they discovered they were being watched.

Places like the Sunset Mountains, suitable for adventures and magical beast hunting, had always been lawless wildernesses where the skies were high and forests dense. Conflict among humans and the strong preying upon the weak were unavoidable. While hunting magical beasts, avoiding becoming prey themselves was common knowledge among all adventurers and mercenaries.

Originally, Lorist and the others had not planned to venture deep into the mountains. They only intended to kill a few low-tier magical beasts around the outskirts, which would attract no attention. There was no profit in them, so no one would target them. But now that they had caught a Golden Horn Fire Fox, they had drawn the attention of highway robbers.

Seven Silver Rank mercenaries blocked their path. They belonged to a medium-sized mercenary group from a small town at the foot of the Sunset Mountains. Their reputation was poor, and they had always acted as both soldiers and bandits. Most likely, one of Lorist's companions had let something slip while purchasing supplies in town, catching their attention and prompting them to send seven Silver Rank experts.

There were only five people in Lorist's group: three Black Iron rank and two Silver Rank. Thus, the seven mercenaries not only demanded that Lorist's group hand over their spoils, but also ordered them to strip naked, keep only their underwear, and get lost. They clearly thought they had them beaten. Fatty Shi was there as well, still only Silver One-star. The money-grubbing fat man exploded with rage the moment he heard that. Without a word, he drew his sword and charged. Seeing that things had come to this, the others followed suit, and a fierce battle erupted in the forest.

The seven Silver Rank mercenaries suffered a terrible setback. No one had expected that after only a few exchanges, three of the mercenaries facing Lorist would be down. Of the remaining four, two barely managed to withstand Lorist's sword attacks. The other two, besieged by Fatty Shi and the other three, were drenched in sweat and cried out miserably.

The robbery ended when Lorist's sword pierced through the back of the last fleeing mercenary. Of the seven Silver Rank mercenaries, two were dead and five injured. This was also the first time Lorist had killed someone since arriving in Galintea. To his surprise, he felt no discomfort whatsoever, not even nausea or the urge to vomit.

The enraged Fatty Shi displayed his true miserly nature perfectly. Whether they were dead or alive, he stripped all seven mercenaries clean, not even leaving them a single pair of underwear. This unexpected haul allowed all five of them to make a small fortune. There was another unexpected discovery as well: the last mercenary Lorist killed while he was fleeing carried a high-tier Earth Attribute battle qi manual, Heavy Mountain Battle Qi.

However, none of those present cultivated Earth Attribute battle qi, while Lorist still had no idea what attribute his Blazing Flame Battle Qi belonged to. Thus, this high-tier Earth Attribute battle qi manual was useless to them, though selling it would still earn several hundred gold coins.

Fatty Shi remembered that Lorist had been collecting battle qi manuals of various attributes to study in preparation for breaking through the Black Iron Tier. Moreover, in the recent fight, Lorist alone had defeated five Silver Rank mercenaries. If Lorist had not displayed such might, the five of them would have been in real trouble against seven Silver Rank mercenaries. So, with everyone's agreement, they gave the Heavy Mountain Battle Qi manual to Lorist as a reward for his great contribution.

After dividing the spoils, the five of them fled overnight, putting the Sunset Mountains far behind them. Upon returning to Molent City, Lorist carefully studied the high-tier Earth Attribute battle qi manual. After comparing it with the mid-tier Earth Attribute manual he had, the results showed that high-tier and mid-tier battle qi followed the same lineage. For battle qi of the same attribute, the hexagram blood circulation formed by major bloodline nodes was generally located in roughly the same places. The difference was merely that when high-tier battle qi entered the Silver or Gold rank, the smaller bloodline nodes and unusual bloodline nodes within the hexagram underwent more complex changes.

Lorist scratched his head in frustration. His research into Heavy Mountain Battle Qi proved that the Blazing Flame Battle Qi he cultivated was definitely not Fire Attribute. Otherwise, the locations of the major bloodline nodes forming its hexagram blood circulation would not differ so drastically from those of mid-tier Fire Attribute battle qi.

On one side, he had cultivated Blazing Flame Battle Qi to the peak of Black Iron Three-Star, with no further manual to continue his cultivation. On the other, he could not determine what attribute Blazing Flame Battle Qi belonged to and did not dare casually switch to another mid-tier battle qi manual. The longer this dragged on, the more his body's movement speed lagged behind his reaction speed. Lorist absolutely did not want to find himself aware of something while his body responded a beat too slowly.

What should he do? How was he supposed to cultivate from now on? Lorist could neither eat nor sleep in peace. Sigh... what exactly is wrong with this damn Blazing Flame?

On one sleepless night, Lorist suddenly recalled his grandfather teaching him to cultivate the Golden Water Art in his previous life. His heart jolted. That's right. Why not try cultivating the Golden Water Art? For me, that is the true ancestral martial art!

In his mind, scenes from the past appeared one after another: his grandfather holding a willow branch as he guided their training, Lorist and his cousins standing in horse stances in the courtyard, sweat pouring down their bodies. Training secrets, circulation routes, the general outline of the Golden Water Art, diagrams of the human body's acupoints, the Golden Water Sword Art... Lorist had never imagined he could remember all of it so clearly. It was as if those memories had been carved into his bones and were now completely unfolding before his eyes.

Tears streamed down Lorist's face as he stood there in a daze, as though possessed...

After a long, long time, Lorist rolled out of bed. In the pale silver moonlight shining through the window into the room, he planted his feet shoulder-width apart and assumed a horse stance.

Golden Water Art, Manifest Force First Form: Sheer Cliff Thousand Ren.

Focus the mind, calm the heart, three exhalations and one inhalation. Gradually enter emptiness, forgetting both self and surroundings...

Suddenly, it was as if a red sun had risen from the vast ocean, its light illuminating all directions. The sea was calm and the rivers clear, without a single ripple. In the next instant, winds howled and waves surged. Rolling tides raised hundred-foot waves that crashed with mountain-toppling force against a towering cliff standing proudly amid the ocean. The peaks were blade-sharp, shattering the endless waves. Majestic and unyielding, they stood like vajra.

No one knew how long passed before the raging waves finally began to weaken. The tides gradually settled, and soon the ocean became as smooth as a mirror once more, undisturbed by any ripple. Only that hundred-foot cliff remained as it had always been, standing tall and proud over this stretch of heaven and earth...

Lorist slowly opened his eyes, both shocked and delighted. He was shocked because his progress had been too fast. In his previous life, he had trained bitterly for three years under his grandfather's stick before reaching this point, before he could form the vision of a cliff and ocean in his mind. Yet in this life, it was his first time cultivating the Golden Water Art, and he had entered the hall in a single step. It was simply unbelievable.

He was delighted because he had grasped the first Manifest Force form. With diligent practice, he would be able to cultivate the second Manifest Force form, Flowing Years Like Water, within three months. In his previous life, the first form had taken him three years, and the second had taken six. Then he joined the army. He trained intermittently in the military but never reached the third Manifest Force form, Iron Horses Golden Spears. After leaving the service and returning home, he took over his father's small handicrafts factory and completely forgot about cultivating the Golden Water Art. Even when he did remember, he would practice for a few days before stopping again. This had to be one of his greatest regrets from his previous life.

In truth, cultivating the three Manifest Force forms of the Golden Water Art was not complicated. The first form circulated qi through the twelve primary meridians. The second and third forms opened the eight extraordinary meridians, joining them with the twelve primary meridians to form a grand circulation. Once that was achieved, one could reach the peak of Manifest Force and hope to break into the realm of Dark Force.

However, there were two difficulties in cultivating the first Manifest Force form. The first was Qi Sensation. One had to first develop Qi Sensation before circulating qi through the twelve primary meridians. The second was forming the vision of a cliff and ocean during circulation, using the force of raging waves crashing against the cliff in the illusion to temper and solidify the mind. Upon great mastery, one would remain unflustered even if Mount Tai collapsed before one's eyes.

Lorist had never expected to accomplish it in a single leap. At that moment, he felt clear-headed and refreshed. Though his body was drenched in sweat, he felt extraordinarily light and nimble. Carried away by excitement, he drew his sword and began to dance. He felt his body move as his thoughts commanded, his sword arriving wherever his mind reached. His joy was beyond words. That sluggish sensation of his body failing to keep up with his reactions was gone at last.

Sheathing his sword, Lorist decided to strike while the iron was hot and circulate the Golden Water Art through the twelve primary meridians for one minor circulation to consolidate his gains. Just as he prepared to assume a horse stance, his expression abruptly changed. Where did all my battle qi go?

The battle qi that had originally filled his bloodline had silently vanished. Lorist broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly sat down to meditate. As usual, he cultivated Blazing Flame Battle Qi for a while, and then sensed battle qi filling the hexagram blood circulation formed by his major bloodline nodes again. But before Lorist could breathe a sigh of relief, he discovered the battle qi was fading away. It soon vanished without a trace.

What was going on this time? Lorist felt that nothing ever went right for him. Why did his battle qi keep causing problems? He cultivated Blazing Flame Battle Qi several more times, but the result was always the same. Forget it. Lorist was utterly disheartened. I won't bother with it. I should just practice the Golden Water Art instead.

After assuming his horse stance, just as he prepared to circulate qi for a minor cycle, Lorist felt the inner qi within his meridians was abundant and swollen, nearly overflowing. Eh? Why does this Qi Sensation feel so familiar? Lorist calmed himself and investigated carefully. He nearly fainted. Wasn't this battle qi? How had it all moved into his meridians? No wonder his Golden Water Art cultivation had progressed so quickly. It was because of the battle qi.

Lorist had no idea whether using battle qi to cultivate the Golden Water Art was good or bad. However, it was obvious that his physical strength and mobility had improved, allowing his body to keep up with his reaction speed. From this point onward, Lorist could only continue cultivating the Golden Water Art and see what would happen.