Daoist Visualization Method

Only after discussing the establishment of Mount Hua Academy with his master, his master's wife, and his teacher-especially how to secretly transport the treasure buried at Guan Family Fort back-did Tian Hao return to his cultivation.

His main task now was to cultivate and improve his strength. He did not need to concern himself with anything else; even secretly bringing back the treasure from Guan Family Fort was Old Yue's responsibility.

But on the third day after Old Yue left, Tian Hao went alone to see his beautiful master's wife.

"You want to cultivate internal arts?"

After hearing why Tian Hao had come, Ning Zhongze was deeply surprised.

Her husband had examined Tian Hao's innate aptitude three years ago. Not only was his Innate Qi almost exhausted, but his Acquired Qi was also extremely sparse, inferior even to an ordinary person's.

In such a condition, he had no hope of condensing internal energy. Even if he brought Embrace Origin Force to full mastery in the future, condensing internal energy would still be difficult.

"I'd like to try. Please use your true qi to help regulate my Acquired Qi, ma'am."

Tian Hao bowed as he made his request.

Of course, regulating his Acquired Qi was secondary. The key was making skin contact with his master's wife and downloading her Innate Attributes.

With her Innate Attributes stacked onto his own, he was confident he could reach Minor Achievement in Iron Shirt and full mastery in Embrace Origin Force within three months.

"All right, we'll do as you wish!"

Unwilling to dampen her disciple's enthusiasm, Ning Zhongze brought over a chair and motioned for Tian Hao to sit.

She extended a slender, fair finger and pressed it against Tian Hao's exposed chest. Her true qi passed through his Shanzhong Acupoint and traveled throughout his meridians and acupoints, guiding the Acquired Qi within.

Although Houtian True Qi could not increase Innate Qi, it could guide Acquired Qi, prompting a cultivator's body to produce more Acquired Qi within a short time and fill their meridians and acupoints.

This was precisely why Houtian Realm experts were several times stronger than Inner Qi Realm experts.

Likewise, increasing Acquired Qi could help with the condensation of internal energy.

However, Tian Hao's meridians had never been widened and were exceedingly narrow. Passing through them was difficult enough, let alone forming a complete circulation to guide his Acquired Qi.

Even with Ning Zhongze's cultivation, it took her a full four hours to complete a single treatment, and the expenditure was considerable.

"This treatment will keep your Acquired Qi abundant for half a year. If you still can't condense internal energy within that time, you must not try again. Otherwise, it will only harm your body."

Ning Zhongze warned him while circulating her energy to recover what she had expended.

Acquired Qi did not arise from nothing. It had to be extracted from the body, taking a considerable toll.

This was essentially a form of Refining Essence to Transform Qi—and a forced one at that. The strain on the body was easy to imagine.

Tian Hao could only endure it because he had a strong body and practiced external arts. An ordinary person subjected to this would inevitably become weak and ill.

"Thank you for your help, ma'am. I'll remember your warning."

Closing the clothes he had opened over his chest, Tian Hao thanked her respectfully. At the same time, he silently resolved that he would never let the Mount Hua Sect, his master, or his master's wife meet the ends they had suffered in the original story.

"I forgot to ask: which Daoist text gave you the principles behind that self-hypnosis method?"

Recalling the self-hypnosis method her daughter had brought her the day before yesterday, Ning Zhongze's expression grew intent as she asked seriously.

"It came from an ancient book I found at Guan Family Fort. It was badly damaged. Unfortunately, I fell into the water on my way to Mount Hua, and all the writing inside was blurred beyond recognition."

Tian Hao spun his tale with a perfectly straight face. Naturally, he would not admit that the principles of self-hypnosis came from his previous life.

It was a rather miserable story. Back when he had been a slave forging iron at Guan Family Fort, they truly had not treated people as human beings. They allowed only eight hours of sleep each day, and anyone who dared doze off while forging would be whipped.

To avoid the whip, he could only find ways to improve the quality of his sleep.

Fortunately, he had suffered from insomnia for a while in his previous life, researched plenty of information, and obtained a self-hypnosis method.

Practicing it in his previous life had achieved little, but who would have thought it would work wonders in this world? It let him enter deep sleep and improved his sleep quality.

Now he only needed four hours of sleep each day to stay energetic all day long, and he felt there was still plenty of room for improvement.

"That was very likely a Daoist visualization method, specifically meant to cultivate the mind."

Looking regretful, Ning Zhongze had originally wanted to see whether that ancient book still existed. If it truly contained a secret Daoist visualization method, they would have struck gold.

Such secret arts were far more precious than martial artists' internal cultivation methods. Unfortunately, they were closely guarded Daoist secrets that ordinary people had no chance of seeing.

"A Daoist Visualization Method?"

Tian Hao asked curiously. He had heard a little about visualization methods in his previous life. They were described in profoundly mystical terms, but stripped bare, they were merely a means of self-hypnosis.

Yet in this world where martial cultivation existed, its visualization methods were surely anything but simple.

"The true dominant powers in today's world are Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. All three have been passed down for thousands of years, each with its own heritage. Visualization methods that cultivate the mind form the core of their foundations.

"Once mastered, they grant all manner of incredible powers. Rumor has it that our Martial Will, such as Sword Intent and Saber Intent, also counts as a kind of visualization method. Unfortunately, it lacks a complete system."

After giving this brief explanation, Ning Zhongze could not help yearning for such arts.

As a swordswoman, she naturally hoped to develop the legendary Sword Intent. Unfortunately, she had never encountered the opportunity.

"Martial Will!"

Lost in thought, Tian Hao felt he ought to put serious effort into researching his self-hypnosis method. Perhaps he could cobble together a visualization method!

"Please rest, ma'am. I'll take my leave!"

Seeing the fatigue on his beautiful master's wife's face, Tian Hao did not linger. He left the room and returned to his cave.

Tian Hao

Spirit: 2.5+31

Qi: 0.1+23

Essence: 2.5+14

Destiny: -100-125

With a thought, he summoned the Heaven-Defying Mirror, which only he could see. The new figures displayed on it left Tian Hao immensely satisfied.

His conjecture had been correct. The Heaven-Defying Mirror could indeed keep stacking other women's Innate Attributes onto his own, and there were a full thirty-six slots.

As long as he could gather thirty-six girls saddled with miserable fates, he could defy heaven, reach the pinnacle of martial cultivation, and even live forever.

Not to mention that each person's Innate Attributes could continue to improve. The future held promise!

"Tomorrow, I can resume practicing Horizontal Crab Iron Shirt."

Looking at his fair skin, which had finished its transformation, Tian Hao clenched his fists. He decided to begin the next stage of Horizontal Crab Iron Shirt tomorrow and strive to reach Minor Achievement within three months.

By then, not only would his skin become as tough as leather, but the strength of his muscles and bones would rise another notch. His combat strength would inevitably soar.

Calming himself, Tian Hao took out a martial manual and studied it carefully.

He had found this manual in a hidden compartment in the bedroom of Guan Xiong, the lord of Guan Family Fort. It was a manual of external saber arts handed down through the fort for many years.

Supposedly, Guan Family Fort's heritage came from Guan Yu, the Martial Sage of the Three Kingdoms era, and included some of his saber arts. This Martial Sage Dragging Saber Slash was one of Guan Yu's three famed signature techniques.

Of course, that was only a legend. No one could verify whether Guan Family Fort's heritage truly came from Guan Yu, but this Martial Sage Dragging Saber Slash was genuinely powerful.

Ever since obtaining the manual, he had been studying and practicing it, even incorporating it into his forging techniques.

In truth, it was a method of using internal force to stimulate the muscles and bones, increasing explosive speed.

At the Entry-Level Realm, it increased explosive speed by thirty percent. At Minor Achievement, it doubled that speed, while at full mastery, it tripled it.

He had only recently reached Minor Achievement, giving him the lethal strike that even Linghu Chong had been forced to evade.

Unfortunately, his own strength was too low. Even with his explosive speed doubled, he still could not defeat Linghu Chong in a single blow.

What was even more regrettable was that he had failed to obtain Guan Family Fort's inherited Azure Dragon Force. That was undoubtedly an exceptional external art on par with Mount Hua's Embrace Origin Force.

What a pity!