Modified Version Void Sword Qi

November 9, 2013, 12:27 PM.

Su Qing'an achieved Sword Heart.

In just one hour, he reached the state of a still Mind Lake, where his mental state was completely tranquil.

Incredible. Although he didn't know how long it normally took people to cultivate Sword Heart, he could clearly tell that one hour was exceptionally fast.

According to the Void Sword Qi, the earlier one cultivates Sword Heart, the better. Adolescence is the prime time to temper the Sword Heart; the earlier, the purer the Sword Heart becomes. For adults to cultivate Sword Heart is like trying to grasp the wind with one's palm – utterly futile.

At Su Qing'an's age of 17, he was practically at the threshold of adulthood when he began cultivating. By all rights, not only should he not have been able to cultivate it quickly, but even cultivating it by March 2014, before the Honkai arrived, would have been a stroke of immense luck.

Is this the effect of my Soul Essence?

After ruling out all other possibilities, the answer pointed to his unique Soul Essence.

Atropos had said his Soul Essence was four times that of a normal person. Currently, he could infer that his Soul Essence likely influenced his observation skills, comprehension, memory, and so on – in more mystical terms, his aptitude.

Furthermore, his Mind Lake was exceptionally vast. It would be more fitting to call it a Mind Sea than a Mind Lake. This, too, was likely a change brought about by his Soul Essence.

Based on his own understanding, the existence of the Mind Lake represented a method of utilizing Soul Essence. Through this utilization, a connection could be established between the physical body and Qi (which was Honkai Energy), gradually increasing his adaptability to Honkai Energy to achieve the goal of resisting the Honkai.

Therefore, the states beyond Still Water – Unstained, Bright Mirror, and Void – were likely more advanced applications, methods to enhance Soul Essence.

With this understanding, Su Qing'an could also roughly grasp why men were supposedly limited to the Unstained realm.

Essentially, this was still a matter of innate Honkai resistance.

Even though Void Sword Qi could increase a person's Honkai resistance, there were limits.

And the higher one's Sword Heart realm became, the larger the passive cycle established with external Honkai Energy.

The Unstained realm was likely the calculated limit, based on the peak Honkai resistance increase achievable in the Still Water state and the average Honkai resistance of men.

Exceeding this limit would lead to madness, transforming into a Mortal.

Void Sword Qi was fundamentally a cultivation method derived from the scientific research and empirical findings of a previous civilization. Safety concerns were undoubtedly considered thoroughly, which is why the warning about men being limited to the Unstained realm was included.

However, even without the warning, one should theoretically be able to sense it during the cultivation process. But it was likely that there were quite a few humans who, disbelieving and preferring to challenge their limits, would ignore it.

After all, living in such a post-apocalyptic world, it was understandable not to accept being unable to proceed down a path simply because of one's innate limitations.

If this Void Sword Qi was the completely original version, Su Qing'an doubted he could cultivate to the Unstained realm. His vast Mind Lake allowed him to draw in Honkai Energy at a cycle far exceeding normal levels.

He had only just cultivated Sword Heart. If he continued to refine it with the Sword Heart Technique, he didn't know if the limits of his Soul Essence would exceed what his body could withstand.

Pondering this question, Su Qing'an opened the information panel left within his soul by Atropos.

[Name: Su Qing'an]
[Gender: Male]
[STR: 8.6]
[AGI: 8.5]
[VIT: 9.4]
[Soul Essence: 39.01]
[Honkai Resistance: 6 (Extremely Low)]
[Evaluation: A normal human male with no basic combat ability. His Honkai resistance is within the normal average for human males. Apart from his Soul Essence, you possess no other special traits.]
[Message: Your soul possesses something special. After two near-death experiences, it spontaneously elevated to four times that of a normal person. Make the most of this sole advantage to survive in the Honkai-ravaged world.]

Su Qing'an understood the difference in the Void Sword Qi bestowed by the God. Normal Void Sword Qi would primarily increase Honkai resistance and a small amount of Soul Essence. Yet, after just one hour of refining with the Sword Heart Technique, not only had his Honkai resistance doubled, but his three-dimensional stats had also increased to varying degrees.

At the same time, he instantly grasped the fundamental difference. The improvement in physical fitness also followed the basic laws of conservation of energy. Yet, he felt no hunger. The most likely explanation was that the modified version of Void Sword Qi had an additional way of utilizing Honkai Energy. While establishing a cycle with his body, it siphoned off a portion and converted it into an unknown energy to strengthen his physique.

"Am I cultivating immortality?" Looking at it now, the modified Void Sword Qi wasn't as bad as he had imagined.

Based on the current situation, it still followed the general framework of the original version: treating heaven and earth as the elixir field, the body as the meridians, and the Sword Heart realm as the valve, it almost completely avoided the possibility of going mad. It could be said to be as safe as possible. Not to mention, it even had the ability to strengthen the body.

"If Lord God didn't set a trap for me, I, Su Qing'an, would declare this Void Sword Qi the strongest." Muttering this, he got out of bed and stretched. Because he wanted to be formal for his first cultivation attempt, he had been meditating on his bed.

The process of cultivating Sword Heart passed in a blur. The physical enhancements from the Sword Heart Technique left his body not stiff, but refreshed and invigorated.

The God's revival had not refreshed his fatigue from staying up all night. Su Qing'an defined the God's revival as a simple reset by rewinding time.

In simple terms, the God had revived him to the state he was in before he began transforming into a Mortal, which included the negative effects of staying up late.

But now, whether it was due to the initial success of cultivating Sword Heart or the slight improvement in his physical condition, not only had his mental state returned to normal, but his dark circles had also faded considerably.

Looking at his handsome face in his phone's front-facing camera, Su Qing'an, who appreciated good looks, felt considerably happier.

"It's already half past twelve? Kiana probably hasn't eaten. Let's see what ingredients are left in the fridge." The youth said this with a smile.