Chapter 9

Yue Buqun's expression gradually became serious. He redirected a strand of true qi and carefully felt the nature of the true qi in Yue Fangxing's dantian. Upon closer examination, he immediately noticed that this true qi was different from ordinary true qi. First, this true qi was gentle and rich, clearly originating from a righteous path, harmless to the body, and seemed to have the same miraculous healing effects as the Purple Mist True Qi. Second, this true qi was exceptionally refined, though not as refined as his own decades of cultivation, it was certainly not something a beginner could possess.

Yue Buqun couldn't help but think, "Could it be that some other martial arts expert transferred this true qi into Xing'er's body? However, not only have there been no experts visiting Huashan recently, but the true qi in Xing'er's body clearly doesn't seem to be from an external source. Instead, it seems to have been condensed from within, from the outside to the inside, from the outside to the inside..."

As Yue Buqun thought about this, his heart stirred, and his expression became even more serious. It was well known in the martial arts world that external skills were difficult to cultivate. Not only did they require years of diligent practice and excellent physical fitness, but the biggest challenge was how to transition from external to internal cultivation. Even the strongest external skills could not make one a top martial arts expert without internal cultivation. Most experts who practiced external skills never reached the stage of transitioning from external to internal, and those with such talent usually chose to cultivate internal skills instead. Who would choose to endure the hardships and uncertain future of external skills? There were many people in the martial arts world who practiced external skills, and a few were famous, such as a sect leader surnamed Xue from the Cult of Devils, who had cultivated the Golden Bell Cover and the Thirteen Invincible Techniques to their utmost, claiming that no one except the Cult of Devils' leader could break them. However, there was no word that he had transitioned from external to internal cultivation.

External skills were inherently powerful, and once one could transition from external to internal and find a suitable internal cultivation method, diligent practice for a period would certainly make one a top expert in the martial arts world. Some of the current internal and external cultivation methods in the martial arts world were inspired by external skills, but these methods, while incorporating some external movements, were primarily focused on internal cultivation. For example, the Shaolin Temple's "Yi Jin Jing" had some effect on the body, but its core was still an internal cultivation method. If Xing'er had truly transitioned from external to internal, his future potential would be limitless. However, at his young age, his bones and muscles were not fully developed, and he shouldn't have reached the stage of transitioning from external to internal. He stopped thinking and asked Yue Fangxing, "Xing'er, how did you get this true qi in your body?"

"Xing'er, listen to your father and explain carefully," Ning Zhongze, who noticed her husband's increasingly serious expression, also felt a sense of unease. When she heard her husband's question, she, well aware of the dangers of internal cultivation, became even more serious and sternly instructed Yue Fangxing. The atmosphere around them became heavy, and Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan, standing nearby, dared not even breathe loudly.

Yue Fangxing knew little about true qi. Seeing his parents' serious expressions, he thought there might be something wrong with the true qi he had cultivated, so he did not hide anything and recounted in detail how he had practiced the Twelve Postures of Yi Jin. However, he could not mention his past life, so he claimed that he had created the postures by studying the Huashan sect's texts. Given the numerous texts of the Huashan sect, Yue Buqun could not claim to have read them all, and the Twelve Postures of Yi Jin had changed significantly from his past life, making it plausible to say he had created them. Just as Yang-style Tai Chi, though a branch of Tai Chi, could be considered an original creation by Yang Luchan, as there was no Yang-style Tai Chi before him.

Yue Buqun was greatly moved by Yue Fangxing's answer. Over the past two years, he had been busy teaching Linghu Chong and had not paid much attention to his son's cultivation progress. He usually saw him reading more often. He never expected that his son had created a set of movements and cultivated true qi on his own. He had seen the movements his son practiced two years ago and thought they had some martial arts flavor but were not extraordinary, so he did not pay much attention, thinking it was just a child's play. He did not expect that his son had cultivated true qi through those movements, and based on Xing'er's description, the breathing method he had created was likely a rare form of qi guidance, with some guiding functions in the movements. However, this guiding method was not yet complete, and while it could help sense and condense internal qi, it was insufficient for cultivating true qi. It seemed that the movements were a combination of internal and external cultivation that could produce true qi, not just external skills. He wondered why his son had cultivated true qi so quickly and whether it was a coincidence. If not, this skill was quite remarkable. For his son to create a method that could cultivate true qi at such a young age, his future was boundless. He then instructed Yue Fangxing to perform the movements again carefully.

Yue Fangxing, upon hearing his father's instructions, adjusted his posture and breathing, and began to practice. However, as soon as he started, he felt the true qi in his dantian moving erratically, trying to enter his meridians. Since his meridians were not yet open, the true qi could not enter, causing him pain, and he had to stop and explain the situation to Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun, upon hearing this, thought for a moment and said, "It seems your breathing method is triggering the true qi, but you cannot fully control it. Since your meridians are not open, the true qi has nowhere to go. For now, do not use the breathing method and try again."

Yue Fangxing followed his father's advice and performed the movements without the breathing method, completing them smoothly. He felt a flow of qi within his body, and after the practice, the true qi in his dantian grew slightly. Yue Buqun noticed that the movements had changed significantly from two years ago and seemed to have a harmonious quality with nature, reminiscent of his previous enlightenment. He nodded in approval, thinking that his son must have completed the movements after his enlightenment. No wonder everyone envied such opportunities! It seemed that combining the breathing method he had created would make the effects even more noticeable, though there were still some flaws and imperfections, likely due to his limited experience.

Yue Buqun was very satisfied, but to avoid making his son arrogant, he said sternly, "Xing'er, for a young boy to create these movements and cultivate true qi is already quite impressive. However, there are still many aspects of these movements that can be improved. Since you have already cultivated true qi, these movements lack a subsequent cultivation method and can only serve as an auxiliary practice. I will teach you an internal cultivation method later, and you should focus on practicing it. Remember, the path of internal cultivation is extremely dangerous, and you must not make arbitrary changes."

Yue Fangxing, hearing his father's serious tone and knowing that his creation was based on the work of predecessors, and that the path of internal cultivation was profound and beyond his understanding, respectfully agreed.

"Xing'er, have you thought of a name for these movements?" Yue Buqun asked.

"Father, I have already thought of a name. I call them the Twelve Postures of Yi Jin," Yue Fangxing replied.

Yue Buqun, upon hearing this, asked, "The Twelve Postures of Yi Jin, do they have any relation to the Shaolin 'Yi Jin Jing'?"

Yue Fangxing replied, "There is no relation. The Shaolin 'Yi Jin Jing' is unparalleled. I just took the meaning of strengthening the tendons and bones. These movements have some effect on the tendons and bones."

Yue Buqun, upon hearing this, was struck by a thought: Xing'er's meridians are more resilient and transparent than Lingshan's, and his physique is much more robust. They were born on the same day, so there shouldn't be such a significant difference. I thought boys grew faster, but it seems not. Could it really be related to these movements?

With this in mind, Yue Buqun asked Yue Fangxing for the detailed cultivation methods of the Twelve Postures of Yi Jin, including the breathing method, and began to practice them himself. His practice was different from Yue Fangxing's, as he incorporated his own understanding and decades of martial arts experience, making it more natural and harmonious, reflecting his deep understanding of Confucian principles, while Yue Fangxing leaned more towards Daoist principles. Yue Buqun practiced the movements several times, and by the third time, the harmonious and natural quality became even more pronounced, and some of the movements were slightly different from what Yue Fangxing had described, even including some that Yue Fangxing had deleted, which Yue Buqun restored.

Seeing this, Yue Fangxing was greatly shocked: The wisdom of predecessors cannot be underestimated. Although I felt these movements were very suitable for me, they still have significant shortcomings and may not be suitable for others. The original Twelve Postures of Yi Jin, which were promoted as a national fitness qigong in my past life, must be suitable for most people and harmless even if practiced poorly. However, in this life, the purpose is martial arts cultivation, and the modifications I made, while some were inferior, others were more suitable for martial arts cultivation. My father, with decades of cultivation, has a foundation that I cannot match. I spent two years, building on the framework from my past life and combining it with my enlightenment, to feel that the modifications were very suitable for me, leading to the cultivation of true qi. My father, after just three practices, grasped the essence and made improvements, some of which were even enlightening to me. His skills far surpass mine, and even after ten more years of practice, I might not reach his level.

After practicing three times, Yue Buqun stopped and carefully felt the changes in his body. He had used the breathing method to guide the true qi, and the route was not complex, only moving back and forth within the twelve main meridians, without involving other meridians. At first, it felt somewhat unsmooth, but it became smoother over time. He felt that the true qi did not increase but became more refined, and his meridians were less swollen.

Yue Buqun was delighted. Over the past two years, his progress in practicing the Purple Mist True Qi had slowed significantly, unlike the rapid progress he made a few years ago, indicating that he had reached a bottleneck. As the highest-ranking martial artist in the Huashan sect, he had no one to guide him, so he could only follow the methods described in the books. Recently, he felt that his internal cultivation had stagnated. A few days ago, he tried to move an additional cycle of qi, hoping to make progress, but his meridians could not withstand it, showing signs of damage. Fortunately, he stopped in time, and the Purple Mist True Qi had healing properties, or he would have needed to rest for a few days. Even now, his meridians still felt swollen. He was skilled in qi cultivation and knew that this was not a good sign, so he had spent the past two days reading and cultivating qi, guiding Linghu Chong in his martial arts while thinking about his next steps. He never expected that his son would unintentionally solve his problem. Although the Twelve Postures of Yi Jin had a minimal effect on his meridians, they effectively alleviated the swelling and pain. After some time, he could move an additional cycle of qi daily without issues.

At Yue Buqun's current level, he was already one of the top experts in the martial arts world, and each step forward was extremely difficult. Even moving an additional cycle of qi daily would accumulate significantly over time. Moreover, he felt that this cultivation method would be more effective if practiced from a young age. Linghu Chong and Yue Fangxing, who had already cultivated their internal qi and opened the twelve main meridians, should also be able to practice it. This would likely make the Huashan sect's disciples' internal cultivation surpass that of other sects, and the revival of the Huashan sect seemed promising!

Thinking about this, Yue Buqun felt a surge of excitement. For years, the burden of the entire sect had been on his shoulders, and he had been walking on thin ice, striving to maintain it. Although he never forgot the goal of reviving the sect, he had no clear plan. Now, seeing a glimmer of hope, how could he not be extremely excited! He became even more determined to value this set of movements.

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