Modified Version of the Void Sword Qi

November 9, 2013, 12:27 p.m.

Su Qing'an had mastered the Sword Heart.

In just one hour, he had reached the State of Still Water, where his state of mind merged with his Mind Lake.

Incredible. Although he had no idea how long it usually took an ordinary person to master the Sword Heart, he could clearly tell that achieving it in one hour was an outstanding speed.

According to the Void Sword Qi, the earlier one cultivated the Sword Heart, the better. Adolescence was the optimal period for tempering the Sword Heart; the earlier one began, the purer it would become. For adults to cultivate the Sword Heart was like trying to grasp the wind with their palms—nothing but futile effort.

At seventeen, Su Qing'an had begun cultivating right at the threshold of adulthood. Logically speaking, let alone mastering it quickly, it would have been a blessing from heaven if he had managed to do so even by March 2014, before the Honkai descended.

Was this the effect of Soul Essence?

After ruling out every possibility within himself, the answer pointed toward the only thing that made his Soul Essence special.

Atropos had said that his Soul Essence was four times that of an ordinary person. For now, he could infer that Soul Essence affected his powers of observation, comprehension, memory, and so on—in mystical terms, his aptitude for enlightenment.

Moreover, his Mind Lake was exceptionally vast. Calling it a Mind Sea would probably have been more accurate. This should also have been a change brought about by his Soul Essence.

Based on his own understanding, the existence of the Mind Lake represented one method of using Soul Essence. Through this application, one could establish a connection between the body and qi—that was, Honkai Energy—gradually increasing one's adaptability to Honkai Energy and achieving the purpose of resisting the Honkai.

Therefore, the so-called Dustless, Clear Mirror, and Void states above the State of Still Water in the Sword Heart were probably all more advanced applications and methods of enhancing Soul Essence.

With this interpretation, Su Qing'an roughly understood why men could only advance as far as the State of Dustless.

At its core, this was still a matter of innate Honkai Energy resistance.

Although the Void Sword Qi could increase humanity's resistance to Honkai Energy, there was a limit.

With every increase in one's Sword Heart realm, the passive cycle established with the Honkai Energy of the outside world became greater.

The State of Dustless was probably the limit carefully calculated from the peak increase in Honkai Energy resistance achievable in the State of Still Water and the average Honkai Energy resistance of men.

After exceeding this limit, one would suffer cultivation deviation—in other words, become a Zombie.

The Void Sword Qi was essentially an exercise method developed by the Previous Civilization after conducting scientific research and summarizing its principles. Safety had undoubtedly been considered in great detail, which was why it specifically warned that men should stop at the State of Dustless.

Even without the warning, one should theoretically be able to sense it during cultivation. But there were surely plenty of people who refused to believe in limits and liked to challenge their own boundaries.

After all, they lived in an apocalypse like this. Knowing there was a path ahead but being unable to walk it because of an innate limit—and being unable to accept that—was only natural.

If this Void Sword Qi had been the complete original version, Su Qing'an doubted whether he could have reached the State of Dustless. His enormous Mind Lake made the cycle of the channel through which he drew in Honkai Energy far greater than normal.

And this was only right after mastering the Sword Heart. If he continued using the Sword Heart Technique to temper his Sword Heart, he did not know whether the limit of his Soul Essence would exceed the limit his body could endure.

As he pondered this question, Su Qing'an opened the information panel Atropos had left within his soul.

[Name: Su Qing'an]

[Gender: Male]

[Strength: 8.6]

[Agility: 8.5]

[Constitution: 9.4]

[Soul Essence: 39.01]

[Honkai Energy Resistance: 6 (Extremely Low)]

[Evaluation: An ordinary, normal human male with no basic combat ability. Your Honkai Energy resistance is within the normal average range for human males. Other than your Soul Essence, you have nothing special.]

[Message: Your soul possesses a special quality. After undergoing the trials of death twice, it automatically sublimated to four times that of an ordinary person. Use this sole bargaining chip to live through the apocalypse of the Honkai.]

Su Qing'an understood. What made the Void Sword Qi bestowed by the Lord God different was that normal Void Sword Qi should only increase Honkai Energy resistance and slightly enhance Soul Essence. Yet after merely one hour of tempering with the Sword Heart Technique, not only had his Honkai Energy resistance doubled, even his three physical attributes had improved to varying degrees.

At the same time, he almost instantly understood the fundamental difference. The improvement in physical fitness also followed the basic law of the conservation of energy, yet he did not feel hungry at all. The most likely possibility was that the modified version of the Void Sword Qi contained an additional method of using Honkai Energy. While establishing a cycle between the Honkai Energy and his body, it siphoned off part of it and transformed it into an unknown energy that strengthened his body.

"Am I cultivating immortality?" As things stood, the modified version of the Void Sword Qi was not as problematic as he had imagined.

Judging from the current situation, it still followed the original version's overall framework: treating heaven and earth as the dantian, transforming the flesh into meridians, and using the Sword Heart realm as a valve. This almost completely eliminated the possibility of cultivation deviation. It could be said to be as safe as it got—not to mention that it also possessed the ability to strengthen the body.

"If the Lord God didn't plant any traps for me, then I, Su Qing'an, am willing to call this Void Sword Qi the strongest." He complained aloud as he got out of bed and stretched. Since it was his first time cultivating and he wanted to be more formal, he had previously sat cross-legged on the bed.

The process of cultivating the Sword Heart passed almost in the blink of an eye. The physical enhancement brought by the Sword Heart Technique not only left his body without any stiffness, but instead gave him a refreshed, invigorated feeling.

The Lord God's resurrection had not erased the fatigue from his sleepless night. Su Qing'an defined the Lord God's resurrection as nothing more than a reset that rewound time.

In simple terms, the Lord God had revived him in the state he had been in before he began transforming into a Zombie, which included the negative effects of staying up all night.

But now, whether it was because his Sword Heart had just formed or because of the slight improvement in his physical fitness, not only had his mental state returned to normal, even his dark circles had faded considerably.

Looking at his handsome face in the phone's regular camera, Su Qing'an, a self-proclaimed lover of beautiful faces, felt considerably more cheerful.

"Is it already half past twelve? Kiana probably hasn't eaten yet. I'll go see what ingredients are left in the fridge." As he said this, a bright smile spread across the young man's face.