Nurture the Meridians, Teach Dou Techniques!

Chapter 7: Nurture the Meridians, Teach Dou Techniques!

In a clearing among the trees, Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Ze sat facing each other, their palms pressed tightly together.

Pure streams of Dou Qi flowed from Xiao Ze through Xiao Xun'er's palms, coursing throughout her body.

Xiao Ze's Dou Qi had a water attribute. Back then, he had only managed to transform his Dou Qi thanks to the cultivation method Xiao Xun'er had given him.

The cultivation method wasn't especially high-ranked, only Profound Tier Low Grade, but the Dou Qi it produced was gentle and easy to control.

If Xiao Ze had had a fire attribute, he wouldn't have dared to nurture Xiao Xun'er's meridians even after advancing to Dou Zhe.

Fire-attribute Dou Qi was scorching and violent. If he had let it enter another person's body, it could easily have caused serious harm.

Pale blue water-attribute Dou Qi gradually enveloped Xiao Xun'er, bathing her body in a faint blue radiance.

Her skin was already as fair as fine jade, and the blue glow made it all the more dazzling.

On closer inspection, one could even see the tiny, hair-thin blood vessels beneath her skin.

Both of them were focused on cultivating, their minds undistracted and their breathing steady.

Time flew by as they cultivated. After an hour, Xiao Ze slowly stopped sending her Dou Qi—not because his own had run dry.

Rather, Xiao Xun'er's body had reached its limit and could no longer withstand any further improvement.

Even the most potent tonic had its limits: the body's own limits. There was only so much it could improve in a short time.

Xiao Ze briefly sensed the Dou Qi within himself. He had used up about thirty percent.

Not bad. Compared to before he advanced to Nine-Star Dou Zhe, his progress was enormous.

Back when he had been Eight-Star Dou Zhe, nurturing her meridians for an hour had consumed about seventy percent of his Dou Qi. Now it had used only thirty percent.

Not only had the amount of his Dou Qi increased, its quality had improved greatly as well.

Xiao Ze had laid an even stronger foundation for Xiao Xun'er. As her strength increased in the future, it would be reflected back to him tenfold.

That was how Xiao Ze had developed a Dou Qi Vortex dozens of times larger than an ordinary person's!

His Dou Qi Vortex also absorbed Dou Qi with astonishing speed.

When he had blocked the Great Elder's strike earlier, he had actually gathered all his Dou Qi and used Swallow Return Strike to withstand it unharmed.

Afterward, his Dou Qi Vortex had absorbed Dou Qi at an incredible speed, replenishing his reserves.

That was what had given him enough Dou Qi to resist the pressure released by a Da Dou Shi.

And that was with Xiao Ze holding back the rate of absorption. If he had unleashed it fully, an extraordinary sight might have appeared, with Dou Qi gathering around him and pouring into his body.

That was something only high-ranking cultivators could do!

Of course, unless it was an emergency, Xiao Ze wouldn't use this ability.

The massive influx of Dou Qi placed an enormous strain on his meridians.

The first time he tried it, the meridians carrying his Dou Qi had ached painfully.

Xiao Ze's thoughts flickered past, and he looked at Xiao Xun'er across from him.

Because of his water-attribute Dou Qi, a faint layer of moisture now veiled her.

She looked as if she had just bathed, with the dampness not yet evaporated from her skin. Like a translucent gemstone, she radiated youthful vitality.

Xiao Xun'er's eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

The pale blue glow around her had already faded, but as her eyes opened, she seemed even more dazzling than the light itself.

Naturally beautiful was the perfect way to describe her.

When Xiao Xun'er opened her eyes, she saw Xiao Ze watching her without moving, and two rosy clouds rose to her cheeks.

"Brother Xiao Ze, have you had enough of looking at me?"

Xiao Xun'er teased him as she circulated her Dou Qi, evaporating the moisture on her body.

"Of course not. If I could, I would keep looking at you forever."

Xiao Ze laughed heartily, then stood up and stretched.

Behind him, Xiao Xun'er's eyes flickered, and a blissful smile spread across her face.

Forever?

I want to walk by Brother Xiao Ze's side forever, too!

"Brother Xiao Ze, I still have some questions about Swallow Return Strike. How can I improve further?"

Xiao Xun'er stood and asked him.

She had clearly seen at the Dou Technique Pavilion how Xiao Ze had used his Nine-Star Dou Zhe strength to block a Da Dou Shi's strike. Swallow Return Strike had played a crucial role.

"I remember you've mastered Swallow Return Strike to the Minor Mastery stage, but you're still some distance from Great Mastery. Show it to me, and I'll see where you need to improve."

Xiao Ze, of course, didn't refuse.

It was a Profound Tier Dou Technique Xiao Xun'er had taught him, specifically so he could teach her and help her master Swallow Return Strike more quickly.

"Sure!"

Xiao Xun'er nodded lightly, and golden Dou Qi began to rise around her.

Xiao Ze didn't hesitate. He struck toward her with a palm.

He held back, using about the strength of a One-Star Dou Zhe.

But the gap between a Dou Zhe and a cultivator in the Dou Qi stage was enormous, so Xiao Xun'er didn't dare underestimate him.

She took a deep breath, raised both hands with a determined gaze, and met Xiao Ze's palm with her own.

Bang!!!

Xiao Ze took a step back, his palm trembling slightly. About thirty percent of his strength had been reflected back at him by Xiao Xun'er.

Xiao Xun'er was knocked even farther back. Like a golden butterfly, she fluttered through the air before landing gently two or three zhang away.

Xiao Xun'er slowly let out a breath, then quickly returned to Xiao Ze.

They had both held back, so neither had been hurt.

"Brother Xiao Ze, what do you think? Is there anything I'm still doing wrong?"

"I think I see it." Xiao Ze nodded. "You've mastered it fairly well, but to improve further, you need to understand the essence of Swallow Return Strike."

"The essence of Swallow Return Strike?" Xiao Xun'er tilted her head, not quite understanding.

"Swallow Return Strike is essentially Borrowing Force to Strike. There are two key points: one is borrowing force, and the other is striking with force."

"You've done a good job balancing the two. But have you ever wondered why, even though you divide your effort evenly between borrowing and striking, you can only send about thirty percent of my strength back at me?"

A flicker of understanding appeared in Xiao Xun'er's eyes. "Are you saying I should adjust the balance between borrowing force and striking with force?"

"Exactly! If you're facing someone of equal strength or weaker, balancing the two lets you borrow their force perfectly and strike back. Their strength doesn't exceed your limit for borrowing force."

"But if you're facing someone far stronger than you, and their force exceeds that limit, not only will you get hurt, but the force you strike back with will be weakened!"

Xiao Ze offered an example. "When I faced the Great Elder, I knew he was a Da Dou Shi. There was an entire major realm between us."

"Even a casual strike from him was beyond my ability to withstand."

"So when I used Swallow Return Strike, I pushed the borrowing-force technique to its limit, borrowing all the force I could! I didn't even consider striking back."

"That was why I could withstand the Great Elder's strike with ease and emerge without a scratch."

"If you can perfectly adjust the balance between borrowing force and striking with force, then you've mastered Swallow Return Strike to the Great Mastery stage!"

Xiao Xun'er's eyes shone brightly as she listened.

As she watched Xiao Ze enthusiastically explain his experience, admiration flickered in her eyes.

In Xiao Xun'er's eyes, Xiao Ze seemed capable of anything.

So many problems that seemed impossible to solve became easy in front of him.

It was precisely Xiao Ze's extraordinary talent and insight that had won over Xiao Xun'er, who came from the Ancient Clan.

"Do you understand?"

Xiao Ze's voice rang out, warm as a spring breeze. Xiao Xun'er nodded firmly.

"I understand. I need to find the right balance!"

"Understanding and applying it are still a long way apart. I'll spar with you from now on. Let's get you to Great Mastery as soon as possible."

Soon, two figures darted back and forth among the trees.

They separated quickly after every clash, paused briefly, then charged at each other once more.