"Hoo..."
At his command, the three thousand students on the mountainside began breathing in unison. Their vast breaths gathered into a current, and today's morning cultivation session commenced once more.
Jiang Xuan, who had long been fully prepared, entered meditation at the same time.
Yet unlike the others, who directly used breathing techniques to absorb spiritual energy, Jiang Xuan first completed the final synchronization between his mind and the Azure Glaze Sword in his hand. Then, using Qingli as a medium, he began drawing in the natural spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
"Ring..."
As Jiang Xuan's divine intent flowed into it, the reawakened Azure Glaze Sword immediately let out a clear sword cry. Then Qingli, its blade trembling faintly, used its resonance to stir the wood-element spiritual energy within sixty meters, drawing it all toward Jiang Xuan.
Although more than half of that spiritual energy was absorbed by Qingli's blade, the remainder flowing into Jiang Xuan's body was still several times greater than what he could absorb through ordinary breathing.
This also gave rise to a realization in Jiang Xuan's heart.
Looking at it this way, Spirit Materials are actually far more compatible with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth than human bodies are—of course. Plant-based Spirit Materials are born of heaven and earth and grow in nature, so they are naturally closer to the laws of heaven and earth than humans.
Their lifespans are also exceedingly long. They can easily live for hundreds, even thousands of years.
But where there is gain, there is loss. Though close to nature and blessed with long lives, they also possess one great weakness... they find it difficult to develop intelligence.
Humans, on the other hand, have never been most praiseworthy for the strength of their bodies or the length of their lives, but for their abundant spirituality and wisdom passed down without end.
The stray thoughts that had arisen in his mind were swiftly severed by Jiang Xuan's Clear-Heart Sword Intent.
Holding his sword as he meditated, Jiang Xuan first circulated the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art after drawing the natural wood-element spiritual energy into his body.
Because he remained synchronized in Unity of Man and Sword, the natural spiritual energy mistakenly regarded Jiang Xuan as part of Qingli. This sped up his refinement by several degrees.
Yet halfway through cultivating, his love for the sword caused Jiang Xuan to instinctively begin circulating the One Qi Sword Art.
"Whoosh!"
At Jiang Xuan's command, the spiritual energy undergoing Cosmic Cycle Circulation within his body first gathered into a single stream. Then, like a flying sword leaving its sheath, it rapidly coursed through his meridians, completing its circulation.
Doing this was actually extremely dangerous.
This world had no such notion that spiritual energy could not harm its own user.
Gathering spiritual energy into the shape of a sword made it incomparably sharp, and its circulation was so swift that the slightest mistake could pierce the meridians and damage them.
This was also one reason why Cultivators feared interruption most during cultivation, and why Sword Cultivators were so difficult to cultivate.
Fortunately, this danger, which others avoided like the plague, was nothing worth mentioning to Jiang Xuan.
The profession bonus of [Clear-Heart Sword Disciple] made his mind clear as a mirror, while he and the sword were as one—thus, even the sword current formed from spiritual energy within his body was an extension of the sword in his hand, a part of himself.
Wherever his thoughts went, the sword current followed. No matter how swiftly it circulated, there was absolutely no possibility of it harming him.
When spiritual energy gathered into a sword shape, the tempering effects of blood and qi were not particularly effective. However, the tempering efficiency of spirit and intent increased dramatically.
But his present cultivation was still not the entirety of the One Qi Sword Art.
"Buzz!"
As Jiang Xuan's thoughts shifted again, the sword current that had been endlessly surging through his meridians suddenly turned at his command and plunged directly into his liver.
The liver belongs to wood, and Qingli belongs to wood as well. Using wood-element Sword Qi to nourish the liver is the most compatible method.
"Buzzz—!"
The sword current entered his liver, and immense wood-element spiritual energy instantly swept through it, bringing a faint stabbing pain. Yet this stimulation was also the beginning of transformation.
Under the specialized circulation method of the One Qi Sword Art, the spiritual energy and his liver continuously merged and tempered one another. A thread of pure wood-element life-origin qi slowly began to emerge from within his liver.
Furthermore, through the ability of [Clear-Heart Mirror], Jiang Xuan clearly saw several faintly glowing points appearing upon the liver that had been stimulated by Sword Qi.
Those were hidden secret apertures within the five viscera, as well as the Aperture Opening method of the One Qi Sword Art.
This cultivation art was not merely a sword technique for slaughter and battle, but a complete qi cultivation method. Its method of opening apertures was to stimulate the five viscera with Sword Qi, allowing the hidden secret apertures within the organs to reveal themselves directly.
With his mind clear, Jiang Xuan had long memorized the general principles of this cultivation art by heart:
The first step in cultivating the One Qi Sword Art is to first condense a breath of Innate Qi, then refine that qi until it is purer—only when the qi is pure and untainted can it merge with the five viscera without harming the internal organs or contaminating their origin.
The second step—or perhaps the third step—is to use this breath of Innate Qi to stimulate the five viscera in sequence, nurturing the corresponding Five-Element Origin Qi.
Once the five qi are complete, they may be united into one, forming Innate Origin Qi.
And throughout this process, not only will my Sword Qi grow stronger, but the secret Apertures within the five viscera will also be opened one by one. The power of the One Qi Sword Art will depend on the number and depth of the Apertures opened.
Even here, this was still not the end of the cultivation art.
The five viscera, the Five Elements, and the human body are inseparably linked. Take the lungs, for example. They are the ministerial official, the root of qi, the canopy of the body's qi circulation. In the body, they correspond to the skin; their radiance lies in the body hair; they open into the nose; their emotion is grief and sorrow; their fluid is tears; they are paired internally and externally with the large intestine, and they correspond to autumn.
The spleen is the official in charge of granaries, the foundation of acquired nature, and the source of qi and blood transformation. It is associated with flesh in the body, governs the limbs, manifests in the lips, opens into the mouth, corresponds to thought in emotion and saliva in fluid, is paired internally and externally with the stomach, and corresponds to late summer.
The heart is the sovereign official...
Each of the five viscera had its own duties. Tug one hair and the whole body moved; they were connected to every inch of flesh and every meridian in the human body. Through these connections, the Apertures the One Qi Sword Art could open were by no means limited to the five viscera. It could follow the links between the organs and the rest of the body, spreading throughout every limb and bone.
This was the general principle behind the One Qi Sword Art's Aperture Opening.
However, although the five viscera are closely linked to the human body, starting from the internal organs and attempting to reach the skin, hair, flesh, and pores ultimately adds another layer of obstruction.
Moreover, this method uses Sword Qi to stimulate the internal organs. One careless mistake could damage the Five-Organ Essence. This is also why the One Qi Sword Art is ultimately lower in grade than the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art.
The latter circulates qi with balance and gentleness, carrying no risk of qi deviation. No matter what one's Root Bone may be, one can cultivate it. It can also steadily open every Apertures throughout the body step by step, and switching to higher-grade cultivation arts later will pose no obstacle whatsoever...
Overall, the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art was superior to the One Qi Sword Art. Unfortunately, while the former was excellent, its strengths lay in versatility and accessibility, with comprehensiveness at most added to the list.
In terms of compatibility with Jiang Xuan, however, it could not compare to the One Qi Sword Art. After all, Jiang Xuan had become a Clear-Heart Sword Disciple and had achieved Unity of Man and Sword with Qingli. For him as he was now, the dangers of the One Qi Sword Art could basically be ignored, while all its benefits could be fully claimed.
Therefore, Jiang Xuan intended to focus on cultivating the Innate One-Qi Sword for the foreseeable future.
Of course, this did not mean he would abandon the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art.
For ordinary people, cultivating a single cultivation art was most suitable—merely cultivating an art was not enough; one also had to raise it to a higher realm. One high-level cultivation art was more useful than a hundred low-level ones.
Thus, almost no one cultivated multiple arts simultaneously—the cost-effectiveness was simply too low.
But Jiang Xuan was different. He had the Profession System.
Because I became a Clear-Heart Sword Disciple, the path of the One Qi Sword Art is smoother for me at present.
Once I become a Qi Refiner in the future, cultivating the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art will likewise grant me the corresponding bonuses.
The profession's specialized bonuses allow me to cultivate two, even three cultivation arts at once without obstruction.
However, "he who grasps at too much cannot chew it all" makes sense as well. For me, cultivating two arts at once is already the limit. Any more would simply waste time.
His thoughts turned in no more than an instant.
Jiang Xuan swiftly cut away all distracting thoughts, returning his focus to his liver. He concentrated on sensing the sword current's continued stimulation of it, as well as the Apertures becoming increasingly distinct beneath that stimulation. Then, using the Wood-Element Origin Qi nurtured by his liver together with pure wood-element spiritual energy, he slowly nourished those newly revealed Apertures.
Wood governed vitality and naturally provided a nourishing bonus to the liver Apertures that also belonged to wood. Under the effect of like sources begetting one another, Jiang Xuan only needed to expend seventy percent of his Spell Power to steadily nourish the Apertures to a solidified state.
Furthermore, after achieving Unity of Man and Sword, Jiang Xuan had drawn a great quantity of wood-element spiritual energy into his body through the Azure Glaze Sword's attraction toward natural spiritual energy. The abundant spiritual energy, coupled with his compatibility with Qingli, meant that he converted vastly more Spell Power than ordinary people.
With all these factors combined, before the morning's cultivation had even ended, Jiang Xuan had steadily opened three secret apertures in his liver.
With the remaining time, I'll be able to open two more Apertures. That makes five... If I can open another five this afternoon, that'll be ten Apertures in a day. Thirty in three days—just enough for an excellent rating!
An excellent evaluation was within reach, and a trace of anticipation appeared in Jiang Xuan's eyes.
However, his cultivation had not been smooth sailing all the way.
The One Qi Sword Art was ultimately a sword cultivation art of slaughter and battle. While peerlessly sharp, its cultivation process could also easily damage one's own origin.
Just as now, Jiang Xuan could feel that his liver had already reached its limit—the One-Qi Sword stimulated it to reveal the Apertures within it, after which Jiang Xuan had extracted a great deal of his liver's origin qi. This had greatly drained his liver. Even with spiritual energy replenishing it, he could still feel a faint ache in it.
I can't keep setting my sights on the liver. It needs to rest.
With that thought, Jiang Xuan turned his attention to his heart.
He chose his heart for two reasons. First, the heart was the sovereign official and the root of life, the great ruler of the five viscera and six bowels, with abundant origin. Second, the heart belonged to fire. In the cycle of the Five Elements, wood gave birth to fire, so he could use the abundant wood-element spiritual energy within his body to fuel the Heart Fire.
With a thought, Jiang Xuan guided all the surging wood-element spiritual energy in his body into his heart.
"Boom!"
As the wood-element spiritual energy entered, the qi and blood within Jiang Xuan's heart instantly ignited, transforming into blazing Heart Fire.
The searing flames sent a burning sensation spreading through his meridians and filling his body and mind. Yet the results were immediate—using Heart Fire to refine spiritual energy, this most violent and direct method, refined all the spiritual energy entering Jiang Xuan's body into pure Spell Power in an instant.
Then, this condensed fire-element Spell Power surged toward the secret apertures revealed within his heart and began slowly nourishing them.
With [Clear-Heart Mirror], Jiang Xuan could easily observe the Apertures within his own body.
The heart was also part of Jiang Xuan, so it would naturally be observed by [Clear-Heart Mirror].
What made Jiang Xuan marvel was that the heart truly deserved its title as the sovereign official and great ruler of the five viscera and six bowels. There were actually as many as nine Apertures within it.
One had to know that there had only been seven secret apertures in his liver just now.
The Nine-Aperture Heart Palace and the Seven-Aperture Liver Palace—this does fit the numbers of the Five Elements and the dignity of a sovereign.
Fire was the origin of human civilization, the most violent force between heaven and earth. It was also the power of creation, the supreme method for refining all things upon the path of cultivation.
Alchemy required fire, artifact refinement required fire, and even tempering the body and cleansing the marrow could not do without the aid of flames.