Guidance Technique

On the open-air balcony, Qin Lin sat in a chair with Xu Qing on her lap. He held a pastry in each hand and began eating.

Watching Xu Qing's adorable expression as he ate, Qin Lin felt especially at ease and warm inside.

"Slow down. They're all yours." Qin Lin patted Xu Qing's little belly.

"Of course they're mine. What's yours is mine. It's all mine." Xu Qing wasn't the least bit shy about it. He was quite the little tyrant.

"Mm-hmm, they're all yours." Qin Lin's heart was sweet with happiness.

After Xu Qing finished off a whole table of pastries, his stomach hadn't bulged in the slightest. When Qin Lin patted it, it still felt perfectly flat.

"Linlin, you're a War General Level Warrior, right?" Xu Qing wiped his mouth and turned to ask.

"Mm. Intermediate War General. Why?" Qin Lin replied.

In fact, she had become a full-fledged Warrior at nineteen, and it had taken her only three years to break through to Junior War General.

That speed wasn't particularly fast, but it certainly wasn't slow either. She was far stronger than most Warriors, with only a slight gap between her and the geniuses.

However, after breaking through to Junior War General, she had stepped away from the path and become a university teacher.

After becoming a university teacher, she rarely trained. She kept up with physical exercise, but her strength improved very slowly. She hardly ever visited the Limit Dojo in downtown Jiangnan Base City—some years, she might not show her face there even once or twice.

Still, she didn't particularly care.

So, over the years, her strength had only risen by one small step, from Junior War General to Intermediate War General.

Even in the Limit General Hall in downtown Jiangnan Base City, an Intermediate War General was only middle-of-the-pack.

Aside from the War Gods and high-ranking War Generals, they were among the strongest Warriors.

"Here's the thing. I want you to teach me how to train," Xu Qing said.

"Sure, no problem." Qin Lin had wondered what he was going to ask. It turned out to be about training.

Xu Qing could tell she'd misunderstood. He shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I've never actually trained before. You know about the Guidance Technique, right? That's what I mean. I want you to guide me in practicing it."

At that, Qin Lin looked extremely surprised. "Xiao Qing, are you saying you've never practiced the Guidance Technique?"

"Mm. But I do have one. Sister Xin bought it for me earlier. It's in my bag." Xu Qing nodded, then climbed down from her lap and went into the living room to get it.

Watching Xu Qing leave, Qin Lin's eyes filled with confusion. "He's never actually trained before, so how did he become a Warrior so quickly?"

Normally, after passing the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, a person would receive the most basic method for cultivating genetic energy.

The first time a Quasi-Martial Artist used the genetic energy cultivation method to absorb the free-floating cosmic energy in the air, their physical abilities would improve dramatically in a short time.

A better Guidance Technique would have an even greater effect. It wouldn't be difficult for someone's physical abilities to reach the level of a Beginner Warrior right away.

But they only had one chance for that: the first time they absorbed cosmic energy.

Yet Xu Qing had never trained and had never absorbed cosmic energy, but he had still become a Warrior. There was only one possible explanation: Xu Qing was a genius.

Could this be what Xu Xin meant by those things she said before? Qin Lin wondered.

"Linlin, look. This is the Guidance Technique Sister Xin bought for me. It's called Heaven-Man Unity." Xu Qing returned with a book in his hands.

Qin Lin took the book. The words Heaven-Man Unity were printed on the cover. "Not bad. It's a first-rate Guidance Technique."

Most of the first-rate Guidance Techniques on the market had been created and developed by the world's strongest and second-strongest experts, Hong and Thor.

With a Guidance Technique, one could absorb cosmic energy more effectively and improve one's strength as a Warrior.

"Linlin, is there anything I should pay attention to when practicing a Guidance Technique? And what does it feel like?" Xu Qing asked.

"Different Guidance Techniques have different methods of practice. But your Heaven-Man Unity looks a little like a Daoist technique from Huaxia. It doesn't have a fixed method; it focuses on your state of mind and emphasizes Unity of Heaven and Man. I can't guide you on that, because I don't understand it either. You'll have to figure it out yourself."

"What I can tell you is that practicing a Guidance Technique means absorbing cosmic energy. When you succeed, you'll feel cool streams of energy seeping into your body. It's very comfortable, like your body's being cleansed," Qin Lin explained.

Qin Lin's explanation made Xu Qing's eyes light up. "Is it like the inner power in novels?"

"Mm, something like that, but they're definitely different in essence." Qin Lin nodded.

"I'll try it now." Intrigued, Xu Qing took the Guidance Technique over to a nearby seat and started reading.

Qin Lin didn't disturb him. She was eager to see how Xu Qing's first attempt would go, too.

The time it took to successfully absorb cosmic energy during one's first attempt at a Guidance Technique varied from person to person. It might take a few minutes, ten minutes, or even an hour.

There was no doubt that the longer it took, the better.

It took Xu Qing a little over ten minutes to finish reading the Guidance Technique. He had grasped the general idea.

"Unity of Heaven and Man, a mind as still as water? That means I need to empty my mind, right? I don't think it'll be too hard." Xu Qing put down the book, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

When it came to entering a state of emptiness, Xu Qing could do it with ease.

Whenever he spaced out, he was usually in that state, though other people couldn't tell. He also entered that state when he dozed off during class.

As the seconds ticked by, Xu Qing quickly entered a state of emptiness.

"Huh?" Qin Lin immediately noticed that the aura around Xu Qing had changed. He seemed to have merged with the air.

She was astonished. Had he succeeded already? It had only been a few minutes.

Could Xiao Qing be a Peerless Genius? Qin Lin stared at Xu Qing without blinking.

In Xu Qing's perception, wisps of strange energy surged toward him from every direction, then seeped into him through the pores all over his body.

This strange energy was cosmic energy.

Just as Qin Lin had said, it felt cool and very comfortable.

At the same time, the cells in Xu Qing's body stirred, sending out an astonishing hunger as they devoured all the cosmic energy that entered him.

As the cells in his body devoured the cosmic energy, the genes inside them began to evolve.

In that moment, Xu Qing's skin, muscles, and bones all underwent profound changes.

Xu Qing felt as if he were floating among the clouds. His body and soul felt blissfully refreshed, from the inside out, with not a single part of him left untouched.