Chapter 78

Hao Qi recalled the martial arts books he had read during his training, and then thought about his own martial arts, internal energy, and the various techniques he had learned. After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "In my opinion, the Inner Qi Realm is related to both the quantity and quality of internal energy. In terms of quantity, it must reach a level of quantitative change, which I estimate to be at least five to ten times stronger than that of ordinary internal energy practitioners. As for quality, I've noticed that internal energy can be compressed. Some books speculate that the Inner Qi Realm might involve compressing the intangible internal energy to the maximum extent, and when the quantity reaches a critical point, it's like compressing air until it turns into a liquid. This might be what the Inner Qi Realm is... However, after seeing your power, especially when you were fighting the Inner Qi Realm puppet for control of the body, and the weapons formed from condensed Inner Qi, I'm not so sure anymore. There must be some secret I don't know about."

Su Tuka nodded affirmatively, drained the cup of milk wine in one gulp, and then said, "You're partly right and partly wrong. First, the quality and quantity of internal energy are definitely correct. Let me give you a simple example. Look."

As Su Tuka spoke, he extended his hand. Not only Hao Qi, but everyone around him focused intently. In fact, Hao Qi and Su Tuka's conversation wasn't hidden from the others; they just couldn't hear it. But even without hearing, they could still watch the two men's body language. After all, the secrets of the Inner Qi Realm weren't something just anyone could hear or see. They might catch a glimpse of something from the two men's gestures, which would be a great opportunity.

Everyone saw a light flicker on Su Tuka's palm. The light was not blinding but soft and pale. In this light, a ball of light suddenly appeared on his hand. Instantly, Hao Qi and the other internal energy practitioners around him felt a pressure. The pressure wasn't strong, but it was definitely there. It was a bit abstract and subjective, but each internal energy practitioner felt it very clearly. If they had to describe it in real terms, it would be like a normal person standing at the edge of a cliff and looking down. Even if you know you're safe and there's a fence in front of you, you still feel a sense of fear, even terror. That's the feeling the light ball gave to all the internal energy practitioners.

"This is the beginning, and then it continues."

As Su Tuka continued speaking, the light ball on his hand began to change shape. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the light ball transformed into a small axe, about the size of an adult's palm. It looked vivid and intricate, like a child's toy. But as soon as the axe appeared, including Hao Qi, all the internal energy practitioners instinctively took a step or several steps back. When they came to their senses, they awkwardly stopped.

"This is the difference between the accumulation of quantity and the transformation of quality. Quantity and quality must reach a critical point, which is the foundation. But the Inner Qi Realm is not just about that. It's actually quite simple. Think of the water in the sea, which is endless and boundless. But do you know that there are also vast amounts of water underground in many places? For example, in the Green Sea, the underground water sources are even more abundant than those on the surface. But can you say that the underground water sources combined form the sea? This is actually the most important step and the greatest secret of the Inner Qi Realm... the mind!"

Su Tuka laughed and shook his head. "It's not about any divine being. We are martial artists, and I am a Guardian. I know more about ancient civilizations than you do. In my Su Tuka tribe, many people are materialists. This 'god' refers to your mind."

"As you know, internal energy is the result of a person's body being trained to its limit, allowing them to sense the free-floating energy in the world. As for what exactly this energy is, even I don't know. Perhaps Lan Ling'er does, as she is one of the most learned scholars among our Blue Sea Guardians. But that's not important. In short, when a person's body is trained to its limit, they can more or less sense this free-floating energy. By guiding this energy into the body and mixing it with the person's essence, energy, and spirit, a new form of energy is created. This energy is the life energy of humans, existing within the body and circulating through hidden pathways that cannot be found through dissection. These pathways are the meridians and channels in the body. These meridians cannot be found through dissection, but they are a real spiritual network within the human body. From then on, the body has an energy circulation system, and a person transforms from a being that relies on food for energy to a semi-energy being. This is the origin of the Internal Energy Realm."

"For an Internal Energy practitioner to reach a higher level and advance to the Inner Qi Realm, the quality and quantity of internal energy must first reach a certain critical point. This critical point is simple: it must be at least as strong as the Inner Qi ball I just condensed, which can be moved outside the body. If you can't do this, you will never achieve the Inner Qi Realm. But even if you can do this, it's not enough. At most, you'll be stronger than other Internal Energy practitioners, but you won't be able to form internal energy into shapes, which is the hallmark of the Inner Qi Realm."

"The true secret lies here. Essence, energy, and spirit are the three treasures of the human body. Essence and energy are the basic attributes of the body. For example, if someone has a good spirit and is very energetic, that's essence. If someone has a rosy complexion and good health, that's energy, or qi and blood. And spirit? Spirit is the thoughts in your mind. This is the only attribute of the body that can leave the body. I know some people have a strong sixth sense. When they're walking, they suddenly feel something is about to hit them from behind or above, and they instinctively dodge, even though they haven't seen anything. This is the spirit leaving the body, which can be called spiritual awareness or thoughts."

"Ordinary internal energy is a mixture of free-floating energy and the body's essence, energy, and spirit. Therefore, even when an Internal Energy practitioner has just achieved this realm, the quality of their internal energy can vary, which is a reflection of their innate talent. Everyone is different, though the differences are not significant. To achieve the Inner Qi Realm, you must strengthen your spirit and then set up an external energy circulation system outside your body. This is what determines the strength of an Inner Qi practitioner. Generally, the more complete the external energy circulation system, the stronger the practitioner. For example, Lan Ling'er's grandfather almost set up an 85% complete external energy circulation system, making him one of the strongest Inner Qi practitioners, much stronger than me. He had the potential to advance to the True Qi Realm, but his lifespan was limited, and he passed away before me."

Hao Qi was extremely excited and couldn't help but ask, "How do you train your spirit? And how do you sense it?" After asking, he regretted it because the content Su Tuka had just shared far exceeded the scope of his questions. He had already received a great opportunity and was still asking questions, which was quite shameless.

But Su Tuka didn't mind. He said without hesitation, "Discovering the spirit and training it are actually the same thing. Once you discover it, you naturally train it. Generally, there are two ways to train the spirit. The first is through stillness—complete mental calm. Don't think that just sitting still means you're calm. The human mind is extremely active and complex, with thousands of thoughts appearing in a second, but the brain selectively filters and ignores them. The term 'monkey mind' refers to this. The calmness I'm talking about is about calming your thoughts to the extreme. From thousands of thoughts per second, gradually reduce it to hundreds, then dozens. Generally, when the number of thoughts per second is less than ten, the true essence of your mind will emerge. This is the most genuine and pure thought in your heart, the origin of your thoughts. There are various terms for it, but they all refer to the same thing—your spirit. Each time you find your spirit and focus on it, you train it. Gradually, you can sense your spirit even when you have dozens of thoughts per second, then hundreds, and eventually even thousands. When you can sense your spirit even with thousands of thoughts per second, you can set up an external energy circulation system, and you will have achieved the Inner Qi Realm. This is the way of stillness."

"The second way is through action. When a person is in battle, excited, or seeking the truth by risking their life, or when they are protecting something, pursuing something, or seeking revenge, their thoughts become extremely focused and unified. Even if you have thousands of thoughts per second, they might all be related to what you're doing—protecting, fighting, sacrificing, or even killing. Whether it's desire, pleasure, or crime, when your thoughts reach their dynamic limit, they become unified, and you can sense your spirit. Then, like the way of stillness, you gradually train and strengthen it. Each time you sense your spirit, it's a form of training. Eventually, when you can sense it with just a single thought, you will have achieved the Inner Qi Realm."

"In short, the first method requires great perseverance. I once met a person from the Black Sea who had great perseverance. He sat on the top of the highest mountain, fasting for a year. When he was about to die of thirst and hunger, he finally sensed his spirit for the first time in stillness. He continued to sit in stillness for a hundred years and achieved the Inner Qi Realm just before he died. People with such great perseverance are suitable for the way of stillness. The other method requires a strong character. From what I can see, your perseverance is not exceptional, and you probably don't have the great perseverance to choose the way of stillness. However, you have a passionate heart and a fiery spirit. You can risk everything for what you protect, pursue, and believe in. You are very suitable for the way of action. This is my advice to you. Just remember one thing: persist in what you believe in, fight until the last moment, and have a clear mind. If you can achieve this, I believe the key to your breakthrough to the Inner Qi Realm lies in the four words 'know and act as one.'"

Hao Qi pondered for a long time, then bowed and said solemnly to Su Tuka, "I will take your advice to heart."

Su Tuka laughed and drank another cup of milk wine. At this moment, Hao Qi suddenly looked at Lan Ling'er, who was continuously picking and eating delicious food and talking to Su Shiyun. He then said, "One last question, unrelated to martial arts, I want to ask..."

Everyone watched as Hao Qi and Su Tuka finished their conversation. Afterward, Hao Qi left Su Tuka's side, and everyone looked at him with envy and jealousy. Unaware of their gazes, he walked directly to Lan Ling'er, gently rubbed her hair, and said nothing, just accompanying her as she enjoyed the food until the end of the banquet...

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