Zhuge Yuanhong looked at Teng Qingshan, his satisfaction growing the more he observed him: “Such tenacious character, neither arrogant nor restless, immense talent, coupled with true perseverance! With my meticulous guidance, reaching the Xiantian realm within ten years should not be difficult. Once Xiantian is achieved, one can perceive the world through the spirit, gradually advancing the realm... Given Qingshan’s nature, decades of hard cultivation might even allow him to surpass my own achievements. Perhaps in the future, our Guiyuan Sect can become the foremost power in Yangzhou, seizing Qinghu Island to replace them!”
To paramount experts, certain secret texts and treasures held little allure.
They were merely external aids.
At the level Zhuge Yuanhong occupied, internal cultivation was far more valued. And for someone at their echelon, finding a truly compatible disciple was exceedingly rare!
Treasures are easily obtained; disciples are not!
“Qingshan, from now on, you must dedicate yourself solely to cultivation and ensure you step into the Xiantian realm as soon as possible,” Zhuge Yuanhong instructed.
“Yes, Master,” Teng Qingshan responded.
As he spoke the words, confusion stirred in Teng Qingshan’s heart. He suspected he had already reached the peak of Houtian. In terms of cultivation realm, though he couldn't compare to Master Zhuge Yuanhong across both his lifetimes, he certainly wasn't inferior to that 'Ghost Fox,' Sima Qing. Yet, why was there no sign whatsoever of him breaking through to Xiantian?
“Master, how does one actually transition from Houtian to Xiantian?” Teng Qingshan inquired.
“Haha…”
Seeing Teng Qingshan’s eagerness, Zhuge Yuanhong couldn't help but laugh. “Very well, today I will tell you a little about it! Xiantian masters are extremely rare in this world; one rarely appears among millions! But Houtian peak experts number in the thousands. From this, you can understand how difficult it is to advance from Houtian to Xiantian!”
Teng Qingshan nodded.
Teng Qingshan had some understanding of population figures. His hometown, Yicheng, with a radius of a few hundred li, held two to three million people. Jiangning Commandery had roughly thirty million inhabitants. The entirety of Yangzhou likely housed three to four hundred million people!
“To advance from Houtian to Xiantian, the first requirement is to reach the Houtian peak!” Zhuge Yuanhong said with a faint smile. “The second is that the ‘Spirit’ within the human body's ‘Essence, Qi, and Spirit’ must be sufficiently strong! The third is to discover the method for ‘Spirit and Qi Harmony’! With these three prerequisites, combined with one's innate talent, willpower, and fortuitous encounters, one might step into Xiantian!”
Teng Qingshan silently committed these points to memory.
The method for ‘Spirit and Qi Harmony’? Teng Qingshan knew absolutely nothing about it.
“You should already understand reaching the Houtian peak. As for the second requirement, the ‘Essence, Qi, and Spirit,’ I must discuss this with you seriously!” Zhuge Yuanhong stated. “This ‘Essence’ refers to the body's vital essence, meaning Jingxue (Essence Blood). As we live, breathing the vital energy of heaven and earth, and consuming the five grains, all are transformed into the body’s Essence! In the human form, ‘Essence’ is the foundation!”
“This ‘Qi’ is the vital energy absorbed from heaven and earth, which, after being actively refined through cultivation methods, becomes Neijin (Internal Energy)! This is Qi, and this Qi can merge with Essence, strengthening the martial artist’s body. You likely already understand Neijin. But among the three, you must listen clearly to this ‘Spirit’!” Zhuge Yuanhong’s expression grew solemn.
Teng Qingshan listened intently.
This was directly related to whether he could reach the Xiantian realm.
“This ‘Spirit’! In common parlance among the mountain folk, it is called ‘spirituality’ or ‘mental energy,’ and among us martial artists, it is ‘Heart-Spirit.’ Some people feel dull and drowsy all day long—this is insufficient Spirit! Weak Heart-Spirit. But others are full of vigor all day, energized in everything they do—this is ‘abundant Spirit.’ Of course, this so-called abundance of Spirit is only relative to ordinary people.”
“Martial artists cultivating Neijin find that this Internal Energy naturally serves to ‘nourish the Spirit.’ Therefore, martial artists generally possess abundant Spirit! To reach Xiantian, the requirement for ‘Spirit’ is ten or even a hundred times higher than the normal state of mental alertness!” Zhuge Yuanhong explained. “This requirement is the most stringent, and almost all martial artists become stuck at this hurdle, unable to break into Xiantian.”
Teng Qingshan frowned: “Master, how can one know if the Spirit is strong enough to attain Xiantian?”
“A good question!” Zhuge Yuanhong laughed. “There is a very simple method to ascertain whether the ‘Spirit’ suffices for Xiantian!”
“What is the method?” Teng Qingshan pressed.
Zhuge Yuanhong smiled and extended a hand. A stream of deep azure light shot out from his palm.
Teng Qingshan felt a heart-trembling power emanating from the deep azure light and fixed his gaze upon it: “Xiantian True Essence! This is Xiantian True Essence! Master’s Xiantian True Essence is far stronger than that of ‘Sima Qing’! I feel my heart pound even before it touches me.”
The deep azure stream of light resembled an azure ribbon, circling Zhuge Yuanhong’s body twice before finally merging back into his body. Then, Zhuge Yuanhong looked at Teng Qingshan: “Qingshan, did you see it?”
“I saw it,” Teng Qingshan nodded.
“When your ‘Spirit’ can control Neijin, it signifies that you have one foot in the Xiantian realm,” Zhuge Yuanhong said with a smile. “Spirit and Qi Harmony refers to the ‘Spirit’ being able to merge entirely with Qi and control the circulation of Internal Energy. Naturally, this difficulty is immense! You must learn the method for ‘Spirit and Qi Harmony.’”
Teng Qingshan nodded.
“How does one achieve Spirit and Qi Harmony?” Teng Qingshan immediately asked.
“You must make the ‘Spirit’ powerful enough to break through the sealed Niwan Palace!” Zhuge Yuanhong explained. “The Niwan Palace is located within one's head! And the ‘Spirit’ is inherently hidden within this Niwan Palace. Since the Niwan Palace is sealed, the spirit of ordinary martial artists cannot break out.”
Teng Qingshan understood this principle. His previous life’s Chronicles of a Thousand Ages also mentioned the ‘Niwan Palace.’
Breaking the obstruction of the Niwan Palace allows the Spirit to merge with Qi, leading to transformation and entry into the Xiantian realm.
“Of course, there are secret methods to strengthen the ‘Spirit’ for breaking through the Niwan Palace! These are the methods for ‘Spirit and Qi Harmony,’” Zhuge Yuanhong chuckled. “These methods are secrets closely guarded by all major sects!”
“How did the earliest pioneering Grandmasters break through without secret methods?” Teng Qingshan inquired.
Zhuge Yuanhong replied, “If there were no secret methods, they had to create them! The secret methods of the various sects were all forged by some ancestor.”
Teng Qingshan marveled inwardly.
To use the ‘Spirit’ to control Neijin circulating outside the body seemed incredibly difficult.
“Qingshan, secret manuals are divided into three tiers: ‘Heaven-rank,’ ‘Earth-rank,’ and ‘Mortal-rank.’ You are already familiar with Mortal-rank manuals; those are for Houtian masters to practice,” Zhuge Yuanhong elaborated. “Earth-rank manuals contain methods for breaking through to Xiantian, and many Xiantian experts practice them. As for Heaven-rank manuals, they are naturally even more profound.”
Zhuge Yuanhong looked at Teng Qingshan: “Qingshan, Earth-rank and Heaven-rank manuals are matters of great importance; you need the agreement of the Elders before I can grant them to you! Therefore, regarding the manuals, I will wait until I officially accept you as a disciple before giving them to you.”
Teng Qingshan nodded.
A great sect naturally has its rules. Earth-rank and Heaven-rank manuals couldn't simply be handed over on a whim!
“Qingshan, let me tell you! Our Guiyuan Sect possesses two Heaven-rank manuals! Among them, the Guiyuan Heart Canon possesses the greatest power; it is the foundational secret text of our Guiyuan Sect!” Zhuge Yuanhong stated solemnly.
Even within the same rank, power levels varied. Teng Qingshan understood this; sometimes certain ultimate moves possessed immense might. His own ‘Dark Dragon Drill’ was exceedingly potent. “Does Master intend to teach me the Guiyuan Heart Canon?” Teng Qingshan mused inwardly. “The Guiyuan Sect, the Guiyuan Heart Canon—the name alone suggests its significance.”
Zhuge Yuanhong continued: “The Guiyuan Heart Canon is the text cultivated by the most experts throughout the history of our Guiyuan Sect. Over a thousand years, over ninety percent of those who reached Xiantian practiced the Guiyuan Heart Canon! Consequently, there are numerous books containing ‘Insights and Experiences’ left by past Grandmasters regarding issues encountered during its cultivation. This allows one to avoid detours during the process.”
“However… the Guiyuan Heart Canon is a sword technique manual!” Zhuge Yuanhong stated.
Teng Qingshan was stunned.
A sword technique? He practiced spear techniques! What use would this be to him?
Zhuge Yuanhong looked at Teng Qingshan: “Our Guiyuan Sect’s two Heaven-rank manuals are one for sword techniques and one for blade techniques. Therefore, Qingshan, if you wish to study the Guiyuan Heart Canon, you should ideally abandon the spear and take up the sword! In truth, the underlying principles are the same. Given your proficiency in the spear, you should pick up swordplay quickly.”
“Qingshan, what do you think?” Zhuge Yuanhong asked, looking at him.
Abandon spearplay? Learn sword techniques?
The thought flashed through Teng Qingshan’s mind, only to be instantly dismissed. The arduous training from his previous life’s Xingyiquan had been carried over and focused onto spear techniques in this life. With the long spear, he felt as if it were an extension of his own arm. Furthermore, he had only managed to transform three out of the Five Elements Fist techniques; two remained untransformed. But the Five Elements Spear Technique, as it stood, was clearly immensely powerful.
“Master, there is no need!” Teng Qingshan rejected the idea without much thought. “I still prefer the spear. Does our sect possess an Earth-rank spear technique manual?”
“We do, but it is only one: the Youyue Spear Canon!” Zhuge Yuanhong replied. “Qingshan, among all weapons—blades, swords, staves, and spears—the spear is the most difficult to master! Even on the Great Plains of Jiuzhou, the number of those who reach Xiantian while still using spear techniques is far fewer than those using blades or swords! Improving spear techniques is extremely difficult, and there is too little material to draw inspiration from.”
Zhuge Yuanhong looked at Teng Qingshan: “Qingshan, you must seriously consider this yourself! I plan to officially accept you as a disciple in the main hall of the Guiyuan Sect on September 21st! By that day, you can give me your answer.”
“Yes, Master!”
Teng Qingshan affirmed.
“Oh, yes, Qingshan, regarding this Spirit and Qi Harmony! When I say ‘Spirit’ can control Neijin, I don't mean you must reach the level I have; even if you can control it slightly, that suffices. If you can make the Internal Energy leave your body and control it slightly, then ‘Spirit and Qi Harmony’ is considered achieved. But don't rush; achieving this stage is very difficult. Once you receive the manual, follow the methods within and cultivate diligently. One day, you will succeed.” Zhuge Yuanhong then smiled, “Go back now.”
Teng Qingshan stood frozen on the spot.
Neijin leaving the body, able to control it slightly?
Then...
What about his ‘Dismal Flying Dagger’? Shooting the dagger so far, and then detonating the Internal Energy within it—what did that count as?
“Why are you just standing there like an idiot?” Zhuge Yuanhong sharply called out.