Movement and Stillness in Harmony

Inside the quiet chamber, heat waves roiled.

As the last of the Wolf King's qi and blood burned away, Jiang Chen's already abundant qi and blood rose to a new height. At that very moment, the sinews and bones throughout his body hummed, and his frame began to swell like an inflated balloon.

Sensing the change with keen perception, Jiang Chen's powerful soul force erupted.

"Suppress!"

Forcefully suppressing his rampaging qi and blood, Jiang Chen followed the momentum and used his will to tame it.

As time passed, the crimson lightning around Jiang Chen grew increasingly dense. Like true lightning, it continuously tempered his flesh, blood, and bones.

Under such conditions, Jiang Chen's swollen body gradually returned to normal. Yet its essence had already changed somewhat, giving rise to genuine copper skin and iron bones. When all the crimson lightning finally dispersed, Jiang Chen opened his eyes.

"Is this the power of a martial grandmaster? It truly is remarkable. I wonder whether this body of mine can now compare to Ironman Tu's."

Feeling the changes within himself, Jiang Chen smiled, then thought of Ironman Tu.

With the Bloodflame Art, he had greatly strengthened his qi and blood. Yet before advancing to grandmaster, his physique had not undergone a qualitative transformation. In terms of qi and blood alone, he might not have lost to Ironman Tu, but when it came to sinews, bones, and skin, he was far inferior to the exceptionally gifted Ironman Tu.

This gap was finally made up after he advanced to grandmaster. Tempered by true force, his previously somewhat unsteady foundation was thoroughly solidified, and his once ordinary flesh-and-blood body developed extraordinary traits.

"With the strength of a martial grandmaster, I now truly have the power to protect myself in this little patch of land ruled by the River-Sweeping Bandits. And this breakthrough has brought an unexpected delight as well."

After confirming the changes in himself, Jiang Chen left the quiet chamber.

Arriving in the courtyard, he stood still for a moment as all manner of insights surged into his mind. Jiang Chen immediately began practicing the Willow-Catkin Body-Nourishing Art. Over the past while, he had practiced this moving art countless times, becoming incomparably proficient. Performing it now, he encountered no obstruction whatsoever.

Yet compared with before, Jiang Chen's figure now possessed an added trace of ethereality. It was as if he had truly become willow catkins, moving with the wind, without the slightest deliberate intent.

"The human body is a small cycle, constantly in motion. What I need to do is use my own small cycle to match the rhythm of spiritual energy."

Forgetting himself completely, Jiang Chen immersed himself in his insights. After advancing to grandmaster, he finally understood what he had been lacking.

At that moment, the spiritual energy within the little courtyard was thoroughly stirred. Phantom willow catkins manifested—few at first, but steadily multiplying as time passed. Before long, it seemed as if snow were falling throughout the courtyard.

As the willow catkins continued to drift, the spiritual charm around Jiang Chen grew ever denser. During this process, he silently completed the tempering of his head.

When the final trace of spiritual charm formed and the spiritual charm around his body reached perfection, Jiang Chen finally stopped moving. In that instant, the willow catkins filling the sky vanished without a trace, as if everything had been an illusion.

"After becoming a grandmaster, my control over myself has risen another level, allowing me to comprehend the true essence of movement. This is also the foundation of the Willow-Catkin Body-Nourishing Art."

His gaze deep, Jiang Chen stretched out his palm and caught the last wisp of willow catkin.

"At this point, my Willow-Catkin Body-Nourishing Art has truly attained its true intent."

Seeing that the willow catkin in his hand did not disperse, joy rose in Jiang Chen's heart.

The Willow-Catkin Body-Nourishing Art and Spirit Pine Breathing—these two methods, one moving and one still—had both attained true intent. His affinity with and control over the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had both risen another level.

"I don't need Wolf-Poison Flowers. For me now, Qi Refinement is no longer difficult. So long as I am willing, I only need another month or two of polishing before I can easily advance to Qi Refinement."

Exhaling softly, he blew away the willow catkin in his hand and returned it to heaven and earth. Enlightenment arose in Jiang Chen's heart.

From the information he had gathered during this period, Jiang Chen knew that for cultivators, advancing to Qi Refinement was not so easy. Besides cultivation methods, they often required the aid of external things, such as spiritual medicines or treasured lands.

Before this, Jiang Chen had also been making plans, seeking further information on the matter. But now he knew he needed nothing at all. This was the extraordinary nature of the Qi Induction Technique he cultivated: as long as one comprehended the mysteries of movement and stillness, one could naturally step into Qi Refinement.

"Movement and stillness hold creation within them. White Crane Daoist once instructed the former owner of this body to cultivate the Qi Induction Technique diligently and not let his heart grow impetuous. There was clearly some hidden mystery within it."

"From my current perspective, even without attaining any true intent, one might still achieve Qi Refinement by diligently polishing oneself until spiritual perception reached perfection, then supplementing it with things like Wolf-Poison Flowers."

"If one attained the true intent of either, the odds of advancing to Qi Refinement would be quite high. If one attained both, advancing to Qi Refinement would simply be as natural as water flowing into a channel."

Looking back at the Qi Induction Technique, Jiang Chen gained fresh insight.

"Although all three methods can lead to Qi Refinement, the difference in quality is particularly clear. It will directly affect the quality of the true qi produced, even the entire course of cultivation in the Qi Refinement realm. After all, Qi Refinement is the refinement of a breath of true qi."

Recalling the obscure records in the Daoist scriptures, Jiang Chen immediately understood many things. His thoughts quietly spread outward as he began preparing for his future cultivation.

"Having gained both the true intent of movement and stillness, my comprehension of the Qi Induction Technique has reached an extremely high level. But this is not the most perfect state. Harmony between movement and stillness is the highest achievement of this Qi Induction Technique."

With his cultivation having reached this point, Jiang Chen gained a new understanding of the metaphors left within the Daoist scriptures. As for why they had not been stated plainly, it was most likely because the author did not wish disciples to reach too high and waste their cultivation for nothing.

"Harmony between movement and stillness holds creation within it, but how should I reconcile this stillness and movement?"

Standing where he was, Jiang Chen fell into deep thought.

"Forget it. I will leave it to fate. In any case, with my current state, I still need one or two months of polishing before advancing to Qi Refinement. I should simply cultivate step by step. If I can comprehend it in the process, that would naturally be best. If I truly cannot, there is no need to force it. Being too obsessed with such matters may not be a good thing. Perhaps that was also the original intention behind the author's refusal to state it plainly."

After a while, with no clue in sight, Jiang Chen withdrew his thoughts.

"Now that attaining Qi Refinement is certain, there is no need to wait for the second Wolf-Poison Flower to bloom. Research into Wolf-Poison Flowers should be put on the agenda. If they can truly be used to strengthen the foundation of my soul, that would be a tremendous boon for me."

As he pondered silently, Jiang Chen formed a plan for his coming cultivation.

Wolf-Poison Flowers could help cultivators break through to Qi Refinement. Although he had obtained one, he had not yet begun researching it, fearing he might waste this spiritual treasure and delay his own advance to Qi Refinement. Now, however, there was no need to wait any longer.