Qi Ingestion Seventh Layer, Martial Fortune
The [Spark Instruction] circulated through his body on its own. Whenever his inner Qi passed through the Shendao Acupoint, Water Fortune Dragon Qi flowed in like a spirit spring, surging into the world of his Primordial Spirit.
Then a wondrous sight appeared.
Like the first raindrop to fall from the heavens at the dawn of creation, it brought life to all things and sent ripples spreading across the sea. Countless ripples gathered into waves.
Before the surging waves, a black fish swam with its head held high, its back cutting through the sea. With a gentle sweep of its tail, it seemed to draw ten thousand waves in its wake!
The roar of the tide rolled toward the ends of the world, growing louder as it spread farther and farther.
After an unknown length of time, the waves subsided. The little black fish swam back listlessly, seemingly exhausted, then rolled belly-up and played dead at Yu Tunzhou's feet.
The manifestation of Yu Tunzhou's consciousness stood on the sea, watching the waves sweep into the distance until they spent their strength and the sea returned to calm.
The waves had stopped, but a different presence had begun to permeate this world, though it was far too faint.
It was like the first stroke that dotted the dragon's eyes, only the ink was as pale as clear water.
Seeing this, Yu Tunzhou continued absorbing the Water Fortune Dragon Qi from the jade bottle.
All of a sudden, the [Spark Instruction] circulating through his body inexplicably ground to a halt.
No matter how violently the vortex around him churned, not the slightest trace of pure Qi from heaven and earth entered his body.
Yu Tunzhou opened his eyes in astonishment. He felt that even the air around him had grown thinner. His keen sense of Qi told him that he had actually sucked dry all the pure Qi in the surrounding area in one breath, creating a brief dearth of pure Qi.
That could happen?
Each advance in the [Spark Instruction] was accompanied by an expansion of the vortex, with its intensity and range increasing together. Normally, it wouldn't "suck dry" the surrounding Qi like this.
It seemed the Water Fortune Dragon Qi was indeed exceptionally effective.
At first, it had only doubled the speed, but as he took in more Water Fortune Dragon Qi, the [Spark Instruction] circulated faster and faster, so fast that his
While Yu Tunzhou was pondering this, the air around him had already returned to normal.
Yu Tunzhou stoppered the jade bottle and pushed open the door, stepping into the courtyard. The night wind swept through his sleeves and dispersed the stale, turbid air in the room.
The air didn't circulate well indoors. It should be better outside.
After glancing around, Yu Tunzhou pondered briefly, then followed the mountain path beside him toward the summit.
He often took this path. Whenever he couldn't sleep at night and felt downhearted, he would climb to the summit to watch the sunrise and ease his mind.
He hadn't been born with an unbreakable Dao heart. Over the past three years, his spirits had risen and fallen as well.
But he had been born in an orphanage in his previous life and had tasted every bitterness the world had to offer. He was used to chewing over and swallowing certain hardships alone, with no one to tell.
Occasionally, when his chest felt too stifled to bear, he would climb to the clifftop and take in the magnificent sunrise to comfort himself.
He made his way to the summit with practiced ease. After glancing at the pavilion nearby, Yu Tunzhou found a level spot at the edge of the cliff.
From this vantage point, half the town lay before his eyes.
He took out the jade bottle, circulated the [Spark Instruction], and resumed cultivating.
As he absorbed strands of Water Fortune Dragon Qi, the vortex centered on him didn't expand, but the rate at which it drew in Qi rose sharply. Like a water pump, it furiously swept up the pure Qi around him.
Fortunately, the wind was strong on the summit, and the air circulated far better than it did indoors.
The increase in circulation speed wasn't limitless. The limit was how much his meridians could withstand.
When even his meridians, which had been deepened and widened through Refining the True, began to struggle under the strain, he had no choice but to pause his absorption of Water Fortune Dragon Qi.
Only when most of the Water Fortune Dragon Qi passed through the Shendao Acupoint and joined a portion of his inner Qi in nourishing his Primordial Spirit did the circulation of the Spark Instruction slow down.
In the world of his Primordial Spirit.
Yu Tunzhou crouched and lightly touched Little Black's swollen belly with a fingertip. Little Black immediately flipped over and swam several circles around him, then suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a thin white jet of water that splashed beside his feet.
Yu Tunzhou couldn't help smiling. This little fellow could even spout water now?
He stared into Little Black's eyes and suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but the spark of intelligence in Little Black's eyes seemed increasingly vivid.
Was it the spirit-nourishing effect of entering meditation and Refining the True over this period, or was it the effect of the Water Fortune Dragon Qi?
Yu Tunzhou looked around. As thread after thread of Water Fortune Dragon Qi poured in, the sea beneath his feet was also undergoing some subtle, gradual change.
"Ambition is a word full of power..."
Yu Tunzhou murmured to himself as he gazed toward the meeting of sky and sea, as if he could see a Heavenly Peng spreading its wings and soaring into the distance.
Originally, he had only wanted to live and leave the town safely.
After learning how quickly his peers in town cultivated, he felt that his enemies weren't insurmountable. As long as he was cautious enough, leaving the town alive should no longer be a problem.
Although quite a few people in town were hostile to him, they weren't a united front, not to mention that he had made several friends in recent days.
But after learning the truth about the town today, Yu Tunzhou felt as though a wildfire had uncontrollably ignited in his heart.
It was as if a voice kept whispering in his ear-why not give it a try?
Try what?
Naturally, he would seek the Dao through martial arts with that peerless expert who had stood above all under heaven a thousand years ago, and engage in an invisible contest of the Great Dao.
The mere thought of this idea that had sprung from the bottom of his heart made Yu Tunzhou feel that he had grown a little full of himself lately.
Arrogant!
He was only a little better than his peers, yet he dared challenge the number one under heaven from a thousand years ago?
"Steady, I have to stay steady... I mustn't be rash."
Yu Tunzhou spoke to himself, warning himself.
Even if he truly had such ambitions, he should first sweep aside his peers in town.
All of a sudden.
The vortex centered on Yu Tunzhou abruptly expanded once more, only a day after its last expansion. Three chi, four chi...
It expanded and contracted several times before settling steadily at four chi across, a full twofold increase from before.
Compared to the previous vortex, it had doubled in size again.
Yu Tunzhou's consciousness returned to his body, and he carefully sensed the circulation of his inner Qi. The inner Qi in his Dantian had surged considerably, becoming far more robust than it had been yesterday.
In one night-no, half a night...
His Qi Ingestion cultivation had advanced from the early Sixth Layer to the Seventh Layer?
Even with his steady temperament, he couldn't help feeling dazed.
This was the effect of Water Fortune Dragon Qi?!
No wonder Ao Xiyu had taken the initiative to propose working with him!
He weighed the jade bottle in his hand and swept it with his Primordial Spirit perception. Finding that half the Water Fortune Dragon Qi in the bottle had already been used up, he couldn't help shaking his head.
Ao Xiyu had said that under normal circumstances, a person would reach the effective limit after consuming about fifteen percent.
And he had digested fifteen percent in a single night. No wonder his Qi Ingestion had progressed by leaps and bounds.
But most of that fifteen percent of the Dragon Qi had been transformed into nourishment for his Primordial Spirit. Only half had actually gone toward advancing his Qi Ingestion, so he probably wasn't bound by that fifteen-percent limit on its medicinal effect either.
Now, Yu Tunzhou extended his Primordial Spirit perception outward. It quickly reached the mountain pavilion behind him, which was roughly six meters from the edge of the cliff.
Compared to before, when it could only encompass the little thatched cottage, its range had nearly doubled as well.
Yu Tunzhou was both surprised and delighted. This substance could actually strengthen the Primordial Spirit too. According to Senior Brother Zhou, anything capable of significantly increasing the power of the Primordial Spirit could be considered a divine medicine.
It was because he had routed it through the Shendao Acupoint that he had turned the Water Fortune Dragon Qi into a foundation for nourishing his Primordial Spirit.
He wondered whether Brother Xie and the others could achieve the same effect...
Yu Tunzhou circulated the [Spark Instruction] for a while. As the vortex, now over four chi across, spun, it faintly took on the beginnings of a millstone.
This was only the Seventh Layer. If he reached the Tenth Layer, wouldn't that...
Yu Tunzhou couldn't help opening his mouth slightly.
Thirty-two chi-that converted to more than ten meters!
In the future, every time he circulated the Qi Ingestion Method, everything within ten meters would be caught in the vortex?
He seemed to catch a faint glimpse of what a majestic millstone on the battlefield meant: wherever it passed, not an inch of Qi remained!
Yu Tunzhou put away the jade bottle. What remained should be enough for him to use one more time.
Afterward, he remained seated at the edge of the cliff, quietly waiting for dawn.
The last of the night was nearly over, and a fish-belly white had appeared on the eastern horizon as the sky gradually brightened.
Wind swept the mountain mist past the ends of his hair. The young man's eyes were clear as he gazed quietly at the horizon.
With the sunrise, it was as though a brilliant red sun slowly rose in his eyes.
No matter how many times one saw such a sight, it was enough to settle the heart and mind.
At that moment, Yu Tunzhou gazed at the sunrise. The dazzling rosy light didn't make his eyes uncomfortable; instead, he opened them wider, for he had suddenly seen a sight unlike any he had seen before.
Amid the scarlet morning clouds filling the sky, golden streams of Qi wound and drifted slowly like dragons and serpents, profoundly mysterious.
It was a sight he had never seen before.
The Daoist Canon said: In spring, eat the morning glow; in summer, eat the midday yang; in autumn, eat the sinking yin; in winter, drink the night dew. Together with the dark and yellow Qi of heaven and earth, these made the six Qi.
Of these, the morning glow was the red and yellow Qi that appeared when the sun was about to rise.
Perhaps that was what he was seeing now?
Soon, Yu Tunzhou sprang to his feet, seemingly realizing what the golden streams of Qi he saw truly were.
They were...
Martial Fortune?!