Qi

Biodata

Power Progression

Duan Ming's Documented Development

Nature and Cultivation

• Universal presence: Everything possesses Qi; the difference lies in its strength and whether it can be controlled 1 2.
• Growth through practice: Diligent cultivation increases the Qi within the body. Training while maintaining an active Qi state is described as the best way to improve it 2 41.
• Control over concentration: Gathering Qi is comparatively straightforward. The harder skills are directing it at will and mobilizing it quickly 5.
• Physical demands: Sustained use causes fatigue, pain, sweating, and trembling. Experience does not eliminate the body's endurance limits 5 7.
• Formal instruction: Divine Power Schools admit students whose developable potential meets their requirements, then teach them to use Qi 1.

Abilities and Applications

Physical Reinforcement

Qi strengthens whichever part of the body receives it 5 6.

• Strength: Concentrating Qi in a hand greatly increases striking power; even a small amount can be sufficient to shatter a rock 5.
• Speed: Gathering Qi in the feet or legs increases movement speed 5 11.
• Defense: Spreading Qi over the body's surface improves resistance to injury 5.
• Localized protection: Huang Shanya concentrates most of his Qi in his left hand to catch Ghost Samurai's katana, although the blade still wounds him 46.
• Power without Divine Marks: Du Qinggang shatters the ground with a slow, light step using only his own Qi 5.

Qi Perception

Gathering Qi in the eyes strengthens vision sufficiently to see Qi around bodies and weapons 5 33.

• Practitioners use this method to assess an opponent's Qi strength and visible color 21.
• Duan Ming identifies Peng Sisi as possessing at least three Divine Marks after seeing her blue Qi 32.
• Qi visibility does not necessarily establish Divine Mark activation: Du Qinggang displays white Qi while relying on his unamplified strength 41.

Weapon Enhancement

Qi can envelop a weapon, increasing its combat effectiveness 12 21.

• Duan Ming coats an ordinary saber in Qi while fighting the Human-Faced Spider, enabling devastating cuts 12.
• The twin-blade fighter channels Qi into his hands and short blades to make the weapons sharper 21.
• Zhang You concentrates all his Qi in his right hand and broadsword to maximize his attacks against the Four-Eyed Ghost 33.

Divine Marks

Divine Marks amplify a practitioner's Qi. Activation requires making the Qi within the body resonate with the mark 5 6.

• Maximum: A person can possess up to seven Divine Marks 2.
• Talent requirement: The number a person can awaken depends on talent; some never progress beyond their first mark 2.
• Activation requirement: Awakening a mark does not guarantee the ability to use it. Insufficient Qi and control initially prevent Fang Cheng from activating his second mark 6.
• Strength benchmark: Three awakened marks generally qualify someone as a very powerful Divine Power Master 2.
• Unequal strength within the same rank: Qiu Yan and the twin-blade fighter both possess two Divine Marks, but her Qi far surpasses his 25.

Interaction with Powers of God

Powers of God are special abilities distinct from both Qi and Divine Marks. They may awaken alongside a Divine Mark, generally the third, though earlier awakenings occur 21 25 26.

Limitations and Combat Trade-offs

• Concentration sacrifices coverage: When Zhang You gathers all his Qi into his attacking hand and weapon, the rest of his body loses its Qi protection 33.
• Defense is not invulnerability: Duan Ming judges that even timely Qi reinforcement would not prevent a direct punch from the Four-Eyed Ghost from incapacitating him 33.
• More Qi does not guarantee victory: Duan Ming overcomes the twin-blade fighter's greater Qi through superior speed and saber technique 21 22.
• Cultivation time matters independently of marks: Zhao Qinghai's four years of accumulated Qi allow him to overpower Fang Cheng without activating his Divine Marks 38.
• Strong reinforcement has limits: Huang Shanya's Qi prevents Ghost Samurai's attacks from immediately cutting him apart, but repeated wounds ultimately prove fatal 44 46.