Wang Qi spent his first night in the training camp cultivating. With the lesson of what had happened before still fresh, he worried that if he fell asleep, he would no longer be able to control his internal qi, turn it into force, and shake the mosquitoes off.
Still, he gained a great deal that night. At the very least, he could now react the instant a mosquito touched his skin, directing his internal qi to the spot and turning it into force to shake it off.
His control over his internal qi improved considerably through that entire night of effort.
He had barely reached the point of wielding it as naturally as his own arm and fingers, but Wang Qi was still dissatisfied. Ideally, he wanted to reach the state where "a thought stirred, and inner force arose of its own accord."
Truth be told, he had reached a rather awkward crossroads.
He had cultivated Lesser Yang Qi to the highest realm of "First Yang Arises." Without a more advanced cultivation method, all he could do now was continue accumulating internal qi through Lesser Yang Qi.
Yet if he wanted to advance further in his cultivation, he faced a choice...
He could convert all his internal qi into inner force. Then he would immediately become a gifted martial artist who cultivated both internally and externally, with his physical strength increasing dramatically in an instant.
That was also Wang Dashan's path, the path of a pure martial artist.
Originally, he should have done the same without hesitation, but the "cruelty" of reality made him feel that a spellcaster's spells were important too.
Spellcasters cultivated spiritual force by using internal qi as a lever to move Heaven and Earth Origin Energy. When that displaced Heaven and Earth Origin Energy combined with internal qi, it was called "spiritual force."
A martial artist's inner force was simpler and more direct. It could nourish and strengthen the body, working upon its very foundations.
A spellcaster's spiritual force, however, was more efficient and mysterious. The various spells it powered were wondrous and extraordinarily useful.
This made it difficult for Wang Qi to choose. After all, although he had learned only one incantation, he already knew that a spellcaster's spells were more convenient for improving his quality of life.
That was why he was working so hard to reach the state where "a thought stirred, and inner force arose of its own accord."
He decided not to convert all his internal qi into inner force for the time being. If his control over his internal qi could reach that level, it would suffice for his present circumstances.
At this point, Wang Qi had no particularly clear plans for his future, so he was in no hurry to lock himself into one path. Continuing to cultivate Lesser Yang Qi would strengthen him anyway, even if it was a little slower.
In this way, he remained neither arrogant nor impatient, steadily tamping down his foundations... Though he could not forge ahead with fierce momentum for now, he could make his foundations incomparably solid. Whatever choice he made in the future, he would then be able to face it calmly.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, as the eastern sky was just beginning to brighten, the veteran officers started dragging the recruits out of bed.
With curses and blows, they finally got everyone up.
After a quick wash, the monotonous life of the military camp truly began for Wang Qi.
First came a morning march through the mountains. After returning, he began dull, tedious archery practice... They shot arrows all morning. It seemed that Bandit-Quelling Commandant Lin had rather high standards for his archers' marksmanship.
The grunts and shouts of the spear soldiers and sword-and-shield soldiers nearby had already stopped twice, yet the archers were still drawing their bows and shooting without pause.
Then, after their afternoon rest, they actually had "academic lessons"!
Several military marquises each led a "class," explaining basic knowledge about marching to the recruits while interspersing it with simple literacy lessons.
Wang Qi understood all of it as soon as he heard it. Unlike the others, who lacked an education and had to puzzle over things for ages before learning anything, he found himself with little to do during this period.
Utterly bored, he resumed his earlier research into the Water-Cleansing Spell.
He remembered Scribe Zhao's reminder from the previous night not to forget the fundamental incantation.
Of course, he could not chant aloud in class, but he kept practicing silent casting.
The difference was that this time, he did not focus solely on the movements of his tongue. He also silently recited those syllables in his mind...
Again and again, again and again... His interest in the Water-Cleansing Spell naturally drew him into complete absorption.
...Scribe Zhao and Commandant Lin were enjoying a little downtime, only to find themselves feeling helpless once again... Well, whenever they sensed those familiar, monotonous fluctuations of spiritual force, they knew a certain someone must be practicing the Water-Cleansing Spell again.
Although it was only a very simple spell, having it cast so brazenly and repeatedly nearby still left the two of them feeling rather irritated.
But they had already taught Wang Qi the spell. Surely they could not forbid him from practicing it?
Scribe Zhao cautiously glanced at Commandant Lin, whose forehead veins were twitching as though he were suppressing certain impulses. With no better solution himself, he could only hope that unfortunate boy would pray for his own good fortune.
Wang Qi, meanwhile, really did discover something through his practice. During his focused efforts, he finally realized that each recitation of the incantation did more than help generate spiritual force-it also guided his mental power.
It was only because his mental power was abundant enough that he discovered this subtle secret during a chance experiment.
Thus, his attention shifted entirely from his internal qi to his mental power... Compared with internal qi, which was invisible but could still be sensed, mental power was something far more intangible.
Only then did Wang Qi grasp the true meaning of Scribe Zhao's earlier words... The incantation truly was the foundation of a spell, containing endless mysteries. He really should not have discarded it so quickly.
So he began silently reciting the incantation over and over, searching for the sensation of his mental power fluctuating along with it.
He realized that, as he practiced more spells, this might also prove an effective way to strengthen his mental power.
The others attended an "academic lesson" and frowned miserably at the "homework" they were assigned.
Wang Qi, meanwhile, spent the entire lesson reciting his incantation, leaving him dazed, his head swollen and his limbs weak.
These were signs of overusing his mental power, something Wang Qi knew well. Back when his attempts to leave his body had failed, he had spent a stretch of time in this very sorry state.
He did not mind. He knew that some exercise was the best way to shake off the fatigue now... Mental exhaustion of this degree could be effectively relieved through aerobic exercise.
Perhaps this was the principle of the body nourishing the mind. Whatever the reason, it had never failed Wang Qi.
The time until dinner was free for them to spend as they pleased. Wang Qi glanced at the sky and judged that there were roughly two hours left.
Of course, this was also a chance for the soldiers to seize the time and catch up with or surpass the others. Thus, while quite a few chose to return to their tents and rest, many also chose to remain on the drill ground and continue training.
The thirty new squad leaders were summoned by Scribe Zhao, who would be responsible for teaching them to cultivate Blazing Sun Qi in the shortest possible time.
"You, out!"
With a stern face, Scribe Zhao pointed at Wang Qi from a distance, then pointed outside the tent, looking utterly merciless.
Wang Qi was bewildered. He had no idea how he had offended anyone this time... Unwanted, he could only slink out of Scribe Zhao's tent. Then he spotted Xu Sanlang, who was geared up with several others and seemed ready to leave camp...
His eyes suddenly lit up.
Then he shamelessly sidled over and asked, "Military Marquis, can I come with you?"
Xu Sanlang's cheek gave a sharp twitch. "Do you know what we're going to do?" he asked.
Wang Qi nodded knowingly. "Judging by your outfits and equipment, officers, I imagine you're heading into the mountains to hunt some game. Could you take me along? I'm a decent shot, and I have plenty of hunting experience."
He hurried to sell his merits, because he had suddenly thought of where the meat soup served at every meal came from...
The meat soup was good, but he felt that he was still growing. Having whole chunks of meat to eat would be best.
So, to improve his quality of life, he once again defied Wang Dashan's teachings without hesitation and became the bird that stuck its head out...
After all, keeping a low profile really was less important than eating meat.
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