Qi Condensation Initial Stage
It's already mid-June.
The cicadas chirped outside from morning till night, and sunlight squeezed in through the cracks in the window, casting a thin, long streak of light on the ground.
Ye An sat on the bed. The energy inside the Blood Essence Crystal had long been exhausted, and now it was just an ordinary Stone.
The progress of the Meridian Opening Formula was faster than he had expected—from 410 to 468, he had never stopped during this period.
[Meridian Opening Formula (Third Level): 468/500]
Black Tortoise Hall.
Everyone thought Black Tortoise Hall would never recover, but the atmosphere now is far more intense than before.
After Zhou Zhong lost to Song Qinglin, the Black Tortoise Hall disciples did not become depressed as expected. Instead, many of them began to practice even more diligently in the Martial Practice Ground.
Some people practiced on the ground before dawn, and some were even inspired to stay in the hall to practice until evening.
Fang Heng, a disciple who entered the Black Tortoise Hall at the same time as Ye An, was one of them.
The disciples of the Black Tortoise Hall all understood that the difference in cultivation level was obvious, but Senior Brother Zhou Zhong had lasted for nearly sixty moves before being defeated in that battle. This performance had inspired everyone to strive harder.
At this moment, Zhou Zhong was recuperating from his injuries. Lying in bed, he recalled the scene at that time. After being defeated by Song Qinglin, he stepped off the stage, his back to the Black Tortoise Hall disciples, but he dared not turn around.
When he heard the words "Chief Disciple Brother—you've held out for almost sixty moves, you're our Chief Disciple Brother!" coming from behind him, he froze. Turning around, he didn't see the expected scene of everyone leaving...
Instead, he saw that the Black Tortoise Hall disciples were still standing in the same spot, none of them had left, and they were all watching him.
Zhou Zhong felt that they should leave after losing, but they didn't; they stood there waiting for him to turn around.
Zhou Zhong opened his mouth, his eyes welling up with tears, as if he had caught something in that instant.
During the few days he was recuperating, disciples came to visit him one after another.
Someone brought medicine, a pot of tea, a special family recipe... all these actions told him that he was right.
The disciples who came to visit would all say something similar, "Chief Disciple Brother, take good care of yourself and we'll fight together when you're better."
As it turned out, Black Tortoise Hall had fully entered a period of arduous cultivation from that day onwards.
Every time Zhou Zhong looked at his junior brothers, he would say "good".
His voice wasn't particularly bright to begin with, and now it felt like something was stuck in his throat.
When he lay in bed, he often thought that he was not really qualified to be the Chief Disciple. He lacked talent, cultivation, and even the ability to protect resources.
But none of the people who came to see him mentioned the word "losing," as if they didn't take the competition seriously at all.
Zhou Zhong admitted that he had peed his eyes, not because he lost, but because someone was waiting for him when he turned around.
After Fang Heng finished practicing his skills, he remembered that Ye An hadn't shown up at the Black Tortoise Hall for a long time.
I heard that he has reached a critical stage in his cultivation and is currently in seclusion.
He wanted to visit this genius who entered the Black Tortoise Hall at the same time as him, and also to talk about the recent events in the Black Tortoise Hall.
Fang Heng knocked on the door and, after receiving permission, pushed it open and went inside.
Fang Heng didn't say anything else, but simply recounted the match between Zhou Zhong and Song Qinglin, and sighed, "Although Chief Disciple Brother Zhou lost, Black Tortoise Hall didn't lose face. Chief Disciple Brother has already shown the spirit of the Black Tortoise Hall. You don't know, now everyone in the Black Tortoise Hall is just like you, practicing all the time."
Fang Heng then explained the resource allocation situation.
Black Tortoise Hall now accounts for 15% and Azure Dragon Hall for 25%.
The Azure Dragon Hall won half a percent; originally it was a full percent, but after the sect leader gave the order, only half a percent was ultimately given.
After Fang Heng finished speaking, he glanced at Ye An's breathing, which was much heavier than his own, and smiled unconsciously, "Senior Brother Zhou will probably need another month to recover. I know you're at a critical stage in your cultivation, but you can go visit him when you have time."
Fang Heng didn't linger; he just wanted to tell Ye An about the recent situation at the Black Tortoise Hall.
Ye An sat in the room and listened to Fang Heng's words: Zhou Zhong is a good Chief Disciple, and the Black Tortoise Hall disciples are also quite considerate, they didn't kick him when he was down.
I will definitely visit Zhou Zhong, but not now.
Time flew by and it was already early Seventh Month.
The Blood Essence Crystal had long since become an ordinary waste stone, and the progress of the Meridian Opening Formula had also reached its final stage.
[Meridian Opening Formula (Third Level): 489/500]
[Meridian Opening Formula (Third Level): 493/500]
[Meridian Opening Formula (Third Level): 497/500]
[Meridian Opening Formula (Third Level): 499/500]
Just one more thing to go.
Ye An swallowed the last Meridian Opening Pill. The medicinal power dissolved in his body, and his Internal Energy surged towards his Dantian along the path that had been circulated countless times. Then, it was pushed outward from the Dantian. When the Internal Energy through the last section of the path, the Dantian suddenly trembled, as if something had been re-gathered. All the surging air currents began to gather inward and slowly condense in the center of the Dantian, forming an invisible Qi Vortex.
The moment this Qi Vortex began to swirl, Ye An felt his entire perception be elevated to a higher level.
Previously, he needed to "push" his True Qi through his meridians, but now the Qi Vortex guides the True Qi. When the True Qi surges out of his Dantian, it carries a spontaneous pulling force. He doesn't need to deliberately urge it; the Qi Vortex has already done most of the work for him.
He tried to send his True Qi to his fingertips. The moment the thought arrived, the True Qi was already there, so fast that it seemed to travel without any path. He raised his head and looked at the courtyard wall outside the window. Before, he could only see the patterns on the wall, but now he could see the tiny cracks between the patterns and the dust remaining in the gaps.
[The Meridian Opening Formula (Complete)]
Qi Condensation Realm, achieved!
The difference between the Meridian Opening Realm and the Qi Condensation Realm lies not in how much stronger one is, but in the application of True Qi. In the Meridian Opening Realm, True Qi is "moved," starting from the Dantian, passing through the meridians, and reaching the fingertips, like water flowing along a river. In the Qi Condensation Realm, True Qi is "gathered," not needing to travel through an entire meridian; with a thought, True Qi is already condensed at the fingertips. The Qi Vortex slowly rotates within the Dantian, and at this moment, one's True Qi can be projected outwards up to three feet.
This is without having practiced the Qi Condensation Technique.
Ye An slowly opened his eyes, looked down at his hands, and saw his True Qi gather and disperse in his palms, only to condense back in an instant.
The Qi Condensation Initial Stage is also known as Qi Vortex. The next step is the Mid Qi Condensation – Qi Vortex Cyclone transforms into the Qi Sea, expanding the Qi Vortex in the Dantian into an inner sea, and the amount of True Qi will increase several times.
At that time, his Profound Meaning will truly become a powerful weapon.
He was now standing on this side of the threshold of martial arts, and could clearly see the path ahead.
Ye An stood up. The sky outside the window was already bright, and sunlight slanted in from outside the courtyard wall, falling on the table.
I opened the window, and a gust of wind rushed in from outside, carrying the sweltering heat of early Seventh Month and the chirping of cicadas.
It's time to go see Zhou Zhong.
Ye An had always been looking forward to the Martial Arts of the Black Tortoise Hall.