Zhou Xuan laid Little Stone flat on the ground and stood up.
"Ye Changqing."
"Hmm?"
"You just explained how the false meridians inside awakened mortals work. Channels scoured out by vow power replace their natural meridians."
Ye Changqing froze for a moment, then understood.
"You want to use that method on Little Stone?"
"Not just Little Stone." Zhou Xuan glanced around at all the Spirit Sword Pavilion disciples lying on the ground. "Everyone."
Ye Changqing frowned.
"It's not the same, Zhou Xuan. Mortals have no spiritual energy inside them. They're blank sheets of paper, so vow power meets little resistance when scouring through them."
"These people have cultivated Sword Qi and circulated spiritual energy. Their meridians are full of old injuries and residue. Forcing vow power into them would be no different from pouring molten iron into a cracked porcelain vase."
"Then smash the vase first."
Ye Changqing's breath stopped for a beat.
"You want to destroy their old meridians?"
"There's no point keeping something that's already ruined."
Zhou Xuan's tone was calm.
"It's just as well their old meridians have shattered. Saves me doing it myself. I'll use Taiyi Divine Power to clear away the debris, then draw vow power in and start scouring from scratch."
"Do you understand the risks?"
Ye Changqing lowered his voice.
"Clearing meridians with Taiyi Divine Power is like taking someone apart and putting them back together. If even one junction doesn't line up, they'll die on the spot."
"That's why I'm doing it myself."
Ye Changqing fell silent for a long while.
"Even if you can control it precisely enough, vow power and Sword Qi are two entirely different things. Force them together, and they're extremely likely to repel each other."
"I won't force them together." Zhou Xuan crouched beside Little Stone again