The Willing Take the Bait, Speaking of the Source Method, Five Qi Facing the Origin to Seek Balance

Beside the Fishing Old Man stood a woman in a simple, elegant green robe, a long sword hanging at her waist.

Her face was clear and beautiful, with a natural heroic spirit in her brows. At that moment, she frowned slightly, looking towards the cliff, and said with dissatisfaction:

"Master, look, they've scared all the fish away. I'll go tell them to be quiet!" As she spoke, her hand had already reached for the hilt of her sword.

"Whoa there, Xiao Yue, don't be hasty," the Fishing Old Man said, gently lifting his fishing rod, signaling her not to interfere.

"Those with destiny will naturally stay, and those without cannot be forced. The Way of Fishing appears calm, but its core lies in destiny. Those who wish to bite will take the bait; there's no need to interfere.

By the way, calculating the time, the Desire Flower should be blooming soon. You can set off to go get it."

A hint of surprise flashed in the green-robed woman's eyes: "Master, aren't you going with me?"

"Hehehe," the old man chuckled and shook his head.

"For such opportunities, we old folks are not suited to intervene. Whether you gain anything depends entirely on your own fortune and destiny."

Xiao Yue's expression turned serious, and she cupped her fists, saying: "Disciple will do her utmost to bring back that Desire Flower and offer it to Master!"

Upon hearing this, the old man's laughter grew louder, tinged with a hint of nonchalance. He spoke in a rambling manner: "Don't bother going after that Desire Flower. Firstly, you won't be able to get it, and secondly, I don't need it. When the time comes that I truly need it, it will obediently come to my hand."

Xiao Yue's brow furrowed even tighter, her red lips pursed. She was clearly somewhat dismissive of her Master's words, "you won't be able to get it."

She had always been quite confident in her own strength.

The Fishing Old Man seemed to see through her thoughts and continued:

"Don't underestimate the people of the world and end up losing your own life. It's best not to wade into that murky water. For this trip, you can just pick some flowers and herbs on the side.

If you happen to encounter the younger generation from Medicine Valley and they run into trouble, lend them a hand. Their Ancestor and I have some past connection.

Of course, do your best, but don't force it, and certainly don't put yourself in danger for it."

"Yes! Disciple will remember Master's teachings!" Xiao Yue bowed in response.

Before her voice even faded, she flicked her green robe, and with the grace of a startled swan, she soared up. Her toes lightly touched the surface of the river a few times, and she glided away across the water.

Watching her disciple's retreating back, the Fishing Old Man stroked the long beard on his chin, shook his head slightly, and let out a soft sigh:

"This girl probably didn't listen. Oh well, it's her nature, can't force it. What should be stopped can't be, what should be heard isn't heard. In the grand scheme of things, destiny has its own course~"

He no longer pondered further, his gaze returning to the fishing rod.

Not far away, the battle on the cliff continued, with stones constantly falling into the river, stirring up ripples.

Suddenly, a pulling force came from the fishing line.

"Hey! What did I just say? Those who wish to bite will take the bait."

Without any apparent effort, he casually flicked his wrist.

Splash!

A plump river fish, its scales shimmering silver in the sunlight, broke through the water. Its tail thrashed powerfully, arcing through the air.

Then, the fish landed precisely on a blue and white porcelain plate already prepared on the small boat.

The plate was already set with shredded scallions, ginger, and sauce for seasoning.

The moment the river fish landed on the plate, it had already been dissected.

When it finally settled on the plate, only the head and tail remained intact. The flesh in the middle was still attached to the bones, but the meat had been separated and sliced into transparent slivers as thin as cicada wings, neatly arranged atop the scallions, ginger, and sauce.

The Fishing Old Man picked up the fish body, which now only had its head, tail, bones, and skin, and casually tossed it back into the river.

As soon as the fish hit the water, it seemed unharmed. With a flick of its tail, it nimbly dove into the deep water and swam away leisurely.

Only then did the old man pick up a pair of bamboo chopsticks, grab a slice of sashimi, dip it into the sauce on the plate, and bring it to his lips, savoring it carefully.

A moment later, he nodded in satisfaction and said leisurely:

"Mmm~ The fish from this stretch of the Xi River water are indeed tender and delicious, with a firm texture. That Bald Donkey didn't lie to me after all."

Inside the tomb chamber.

Various True Qi swirled like mist, intermingling and flowing.

Among them, the Fuhu Fist True Qi was the most majestic, like the king of a hundred beasts, coiling around Chen Duan's body, forming a circulating core.

The remaining True Qi were like subservient tribes, prostrating themselves around it, supporting the main body, and collectively maintaining a relatively balanced structure of True Qi circulation.

This structure, though seemingly stable, was like a tower built of fine sand, filled with uncertain turbulence within.

At a certain moment, as if a gust of wind blew in, the core of the structure trembled slightly. The originally orderly flowing True Qi began to surge, on the verge of collapse.

Chen Duan seemed to have anticipated this. With a slight shift of his mind.

From the depths of his dantian, pure white Vast Qi rose in response, gently spreading out, quickly integrating and enveloping his entire body.

Under the miraculous effect of the Vast Qi, all the True Qi was bound by invisible rules and soothed.

After the turbulence subsided, the True Qi became obedient again, honestly returning to their designated circulation paths and maintaining the existence of the structure.

But it wasn't just the other True Qi; even the Fuhu Fist True Qi, which was the absolute core, was grasped by this Vast Qi, its sharp edges smoothed, falling under its tutelage and losing its initiative.

This could be described as peace within the seas and submission from all corners of the land. The Great Sage's Vast Qi, upon seeing this, felt quite pleased with itself.

But in the next moment, Chen Duan abruptly severed the Vast Qi and retracted all other True Qi.

The quiet room returned to its deathly silence, leaving only Chen Duan's long, steady breaths.

He sat cross-legged, lost in deep thought.

After this period of continuous attempts and failures, the general direction had become clear.

That was to use the internal energy of Fuhu Fist as the core and skeleton, and pure killing intent as the medium, to radiate and integrate all other internal energies.

This would establish a common connection, transforming many internal energies into one, forming a stable overall structure.

However, this structure could only be based on Fuhu Fist as the main body. After all, the word "kill" resonated with the fundamental principles of the Martial Path, having ties to the vast majority of True Skills and internal energies.

Yet, this alone was not enough.

Just as the human heart is prone to change, so too is internal energy. It's like a large family where everyone is related by blood, but different branches within that family still clash and conflict over resources or ideals.

This structure, while seemingly unified, was actually fragile. Once subjected to external shocks or internal imbalances, it risked collapse.

If it wasn't absolutely stable, it was absolutely unstable.

Thus, Chen Duan introduced Vast Qi, the "Great Sage." As expected, with Vast Qi's appearance and its characteristics, all unrest was immediately suppressed, and the structure became stable.

But this was followed by a new constraint.

This "Great Sage" held too much power. Its enlightening influence was too potent, causing all internal energies, including the core True Qi of Fuhu Fist, to become overly docile, losing their original sharpness and vitality.

Although stable, all internal energies lived under its tutelage, losing their vigor and infinite future possibilities.

How could a stagnant pool nurture a dragon?

He needed to find something that could restrain the "Great Sage's" absolute authority, yet not overshadow it. It couldn't shake the core position of Fuhu Fist, but rather complement it...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind.