Chapter 19

Indeed, Lingxu Zhenren lived up to his reputation as a great master of Daoist qigong. In just the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he had seen through the martial arts techniques that Qingxuan had inadvertently combined and had guessed the underlying principles with remarkable accuracy. However, he was still wrong about one point: it wasn't that Qingxuan had practiced Tai Chi while cultivating the "Qi Nurturing and Essence Cultivating Technique," but rather that the young Daoist didn't think much of the "Qi Nurturing and Essence Cultivating Technique" at all. He had only combined the breathing techniques of the "Qi Nurturing and Essence Cultivating Technique" with his Tai Chi practice out of boredom.

Of course, this beautiful misunderstanding would not be revealed unless Qingxuan himself, for no good reason, wanted to invite trouble.

The knowledgeable abbot of Qingyun Temple naturally understood the benefits of this enhanced technique, especially for the sect. Possessing such a unique technique that could nourish the meridians, expand the blood vessels, and improve one's basic physical constitution meant having a solid foundation for the sect's prosperity, which was just around the corner.

Thinking of this, Lingxu Zhenren was overjoyed.

After Qingxuan had practiced the breathing techniques of the "Qi Nurturing and Essence Cultivating Technique" and performed Tai Chi for nearly half an hour, he finally received a response from his master.

"Good, very good, excellent!" Lingxu Zhenren exclaimed three times, standing up and pacing around the room excitedly, clapping and laughing.

"Indeed, my disciple has a deep well of good fortune. By imitating the movements of a crane, you have glimpsed the profound truths of our Daoist techniques. Although some of the movements are a bit forced and the transitions are somewhat stiff, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter... Even if we don't know whether these movements are related to the activation of your meridians, they still demonstrate that you have made a great contribution to the sect. I will practice them a few times and study their mysteries in detail. You may go back for now..."

"Yes, Master." Seeing his master eager to practice, Qingxuan felt a weight lifted from his heart, relieved that he had passed this hurdle.

"Xuan, wait a moment—"

Just as Qingxuan was about to leave, he was called back by Lingxu Zhenren.

The old Daoist pondered for a moment, then looked intently at Qingxuan and said slowly, "Since your meridians and acupoints have loosened, you now have the opportunity to cultivate more advanced internal techniques—"

Hearing this, Qingxuan was overjoyed. His long-held dream was finally about to come true.

Lingxu Daoist stood up and fumbled with the Tai Chi diagram on the wall. A series of "creaking" sounds followed, and a square hole about a foot wide appeared in the center of the diagram.

Qingxuan was surprised to find a secret compartment here.

He opened his mouth wide in amazement.

The old Daoist searched the hole for a while and then took out several books.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed again, the old Daoist stroked the books in his hands and sighed. Then, with a solemn expression and a voice full of authority, he said, "Qingxuan, the fourteenth-generation disciple of the Kunwu Sect, come forward to receive the command—"

Qingxuan was greatly startled and knelt down in fear, saying, "Disciple is here."

Lingxu Zhenren's expression was solemn as he continued, "My disciple Qingxuan, I, as the thirteenth-generation disciple of the Kunwu Sect and the current acting sect leader, hereby impart to you the secret manuals of our sect, the 'Kunwu Primordial Jade Technique' and the 'Qingyun Thirty-Six Sword Techniques.' I hope you will study and practice diligently, inherit our sect's supreme techniques, and avenge our past grievances. When you achieve success, you will bring glory to our sect."

"Disciple will remember this."

Qingxuan bowed deeply and crawled forward on his knees, raising his hands to the sky, and solemnly received the precious manuals of his sect.

These were the supreme techniques of a sect that had once been among the top ten.

Qingxuan was extremely excited, almost to the point of tears.

"Rise." Lingxu Zhenren waved his hand, and Qingxuan felt a surge of true qi lift him into the air.

Qingxuan was once again amazed, thinking to himself, "I have long heard that my master's internal strength is profound, but I have never seen it in action. Today, I see that my master has reached the point where his internal strength can be externalized, making heavy things seem light, and it feels as substantial as a physical force."

Externalizing internal strength is a hallmark of the "Transformation Realm" in the "Three Postnatal Realms." The fact that his master could use it so effortlessly, with a force that felt substantial, suggested that his master's realm had long surpassed the Transformation Realm and entered the Great Perfection stage of the True Qi Realm.

"Xuan, come forward. I will impart the heart techniques to you."

"Yes."

Qingxuan, who had just rejoiced at obtaining the supreme techniques, was now even more alert, realizing that the sect's techniques were not fully recorded in the books and that there were even more secret heart techniques to be imparted.

It made sense. After the sect had suffered a great calamity, the surviving master would not have simply recorded the techniques in a book. The oral transmission of heart techniques was the sect's means of survival.

"Disciple, you must remember the heart techniques I impart to you and never forget them."

After Qingxuan nodded in agreement, Lingxu Zhenren said, "The supreme techniques of our Kunwu Sect are high-level Daoist martial arts. We have always been very selective in choosing disciples, and even after selecting them, we must observe them for several years before imparting these techniques. This time, considering your great contributions to the sect and your unwavering loyalty, I have decided to impart these techniques to you. Remember, your senior brother served me for over twenty years before obtaining these techniques. Now that you have obtained them so easily, you must be extremely cautious."

Qingxuan's expression became serious, and he respectfully agreed.

Lingxu Zhenren took back the two manuals from Qingxuan's hands, gently opened them, and first looked at the "Kunwu Primordial Jade Technique." Each page showed a bare-chested strongman sitting cross-legged, with several lines drawn on his body. The lines were of different colors, seemingly representing certain qi circulation routes.

"This 'Kunwu Primordial Jade Technique' is our sect's foundational technique. From the lowest to the highest, it includes the 'Primordial Jade Technique' for the 'Three Foundation Realms,' the 'Condensing Jade Technique' for the 'Three Postnatal Realms,' the 'Taiyi Mystic Primordial Technique' for the 'Pre-natal Realm,' and the final complete version, the 'Taiyi Mystic Primordial Condensing Jade Technique,' which can be cultivated in the 'Void Return Realm' and is said to enable one to break through the heavens and travel through space. It is a top-grade internal technique of the purple level—"

Qingxuan, listening silently, was even more excited to learn that the technique could extend to the Void Return Realm and was a purple-level technique. He was almost ready to rush back to his room and start practicing immediately.

"However, during the great calamity of our sect, I only learned the 'Primordial Jade Technique' and the 'Condensing Jade Technique' from your great-grandmaster. The other two techniques were lost in that calamity—"

Qingxuan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head...

Lingxu Zhenren sighed deeply at this point, and Qingxuan, the young Daoist, also felt a wave of disappointment. After a moment of sighing, the old Daoist regained his spirit and continued, "Despite this, you must not underestimate this technique. Even though only the first two levels of the 'Taiyi Mystic Primordial Condensing Jade Technique' remain, it is still one of the best internal techniques in the world. Most techniques, although they have different cultivation methods, produce internal strength that is not much different in nature, only varying due to the individual's constitution. However, there is a category of techniques called 'unique techniques' that can give these attribute-less internal techniques special attributes, such as fire, ice, poison, cold, or various metal attributes. Our sect's 'Taiyi Mystic Primordial Condensing Jade Technique' gives our internal strength a very special attribute, which can be called 'jade.'"

"Jade?" Qingxuan was greatly puzzled. He had heard of "fire," "ice," and even "wood" and "earth" attributes, but what kind of attribute was "jade"?

"Exactly, the 'jade' attribute. 'Jade' can ward off evil. Therefore, our 'Taiyi Mystic Primordial Condensing Jade Technique' is one of the two great demon-subduing techniques in the world, known as 'able to overcome all evil, able to break all spells, and able to dispel all poisons.' Before our sect was established, our ancestor traveled the world and encountered a powerful demon from the Blood Sect. Several experts were drained of their life force by the Blood Sect's 'Blood Demon Technique.' However, when our ancestor intervened, he was not afraid of this terrifying technique. No matter how hard the demon tried, he could not extract any internal strength from our ancestor and was instead cut in half by a single sword strike, disappearing from the world thereafter—"