Chapter 4: The Four Realms of Innate Qi

Some cultivators, upon their true qi entering the meridians, can instantly harmonize with the mysteries of heaven and earth, passing through the stage of induction. If one’s talent isn’t so extraordinary, then breaking through this level within a few months to a few years is still considered to be of superior quality. For those slightly less talented, it might take three to five decades to pass this stage, which is still considered to have some good fortune. As for those with even poorer talent, it’s not uncommon for them to spend seventy to eighty years, or even their entire lives, without passing the stage of induction. These people are often seen as having no hope in cultivation, either staying in the mountain gate to do odd jobs or being sent down the mountain to handle the mundane affairs of the sect.

When cultivators reach the level of sensing the qi of heaven and earth, they can develop a sensitivity to changes in the weather. They can sense when clouds will form, when it will rain, when the wind will rise in the east, and when snow will fall in the north, all with a mere thought. They can also have a vague premonition of future events, sensing impending disasters or good fortune. For sects that primarily focus on cultivating flying swords, reaching this level of sensing the qi of heaven and earth marks the beginning of refining the flying sword, making it as responsive as an extension of their own body.

In the Daoist tradition, the stages of fetal movement and qi entering the meridians are collectively referred to as postnatal methods, while the stage of induction is called innate, and it is further divided into four minor realms: controlling qi, spiritual communication, refining techniques, and unity with heaven and earth. These four minor realms, collectively known as the Four Realms of Innate Qi, have very distinct differences between each stage.

As for higher realms such as condensing sha, refining gang, and forming the elixir, for ordinary people, these are almost the realms of immortals, far beyond the reach of mortals. This is also one of the reasons why the last realm of the Four Realms of Innate Qi is called unity with heaven and earth.

After accepting all of Duan Gui’s memories, Bai Sheng couldn’t resist trying to experience what it felt like to be a true sword immortal. He repeatedly recited the Chicheng Heart Method in his mind, and to his surprise, it was unexpectedly easy. The true qi naturally broke through the meridians, dispersing into the heavens and earth, subtly connecting with everything within a radius of several dozen miles. This smooth and effortless feeling was vastly different from the arduous and obstructed attempts Duan Gui had experienced in his memory.

The entire world suddenly became vivid in Bai Sheng’s mind. Even without using his eyes, he could sense the chirping of birds, the fragrance of flowers, the lush green grass, the towering ancient trees, and the vibrant life around him. This vitality dispelled all the lingering nostalgia for his past and the worries about his new identity that had accumulated from his穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越" in English, but in this context, it means "crossing over" or "transmigration").

With a light command, the unique true qi of the Chicheng Sect flowed through his body like a mighty river. The inferior flying sword resonated with the true qi, emitting a faint hum, transforming into a few feet of dim yellow light, standing vertically in the air.

Even the strong gusts of wind at high altitudes could not affect this seemingly dim and dull sword light, which remained as steady as a rock.

Inside the sword light, Bai Sheng’s Chicheng true qi oscillated, forming layers of gentle force to counteract the impact of the heavenly winds. This was one of the sword control techniques he had mastered in "Sword Immortal 2," the most stable method of controlling a flying sword! Almost in the instant he broke through the induction realm, Bai Sheng consecutively broke through two more realms, crossing the controlling qi realm of the Four Realms of Innate Qi and entering the spiritual communication stage, barely able to activate the sword light.

"Indeed, this incantation is not a problem. Why did that idiot Duan Gui fail after trying thousands of times? If it were me, I would have already achieved the unity of body and sword, soaring through the nine heavens long ago. He actually spent so much time on such an easy stage of induction. No wonder his master looked down on him, and he’s almost thirty and still doesn’t have a wife."

Duan Gui, this unfortunate disciple of the Chicheng Sect, had worked extremely hard in his cultivation. Every bit of progress required immense effort and hardship, as if cultivation was an unimaginably difficult task. In Bai Sheng’s view, Duan Gui’s mind was like a muddle, clearly not needing to take so many detours, but he insisted on taking unnecessary turns, only to end up falling flat.

Bai Sheng, however, did not realize that his and Duan Gui’s experiences were different, and thus their mindsets were also different.

He had just crossed over from a xianxia game, still carrying a bit of the game’s ease, like the pure heart of a cultivator, which best matched the essence of the Chicheng Heart Method. Duan Gui, on the other hand, was constantly scolded by his master, seeing his senior and junior disciples surpass him one after another while he remained stagnant, with no progress. His strong attachment had become a major obstacle to his cultivation, far from the mindset of a cultivator. Moreover, Duan Gui’s talent was not very good. Although Bai Sheng was a bit introverted, his nature was lively and intelligent, ten times smarter than Duan Gui, and he could quickly master anything he learned from a young age. Of course, without Duan Gui’s twenty years of hard cultivation laying the foundation, Bai Sheng would not have been able to so easily break through the induction realm, known as the first major hurdle in cultivation.

With a long whistle from Bai Sheng, the dim yellow sword light suddenly transformed, swiftly cutting through a hundred feet, circling and striking, generating a balance of hardness and softness, performing various exquisite sword techniques rarely seen in the mortal world. However, due to Duan Gui’s limited cultivation, Bai Sheng could only make the inferior flying sword circle and spin within a radius of twenty to thirty steps around him, unable to freely use the high-level sword techniques from "Sword Immortal 2" or control the sword over long distances.

In "Sword Immortal 2," Bai Sheng was famous for his sword control techniques. He had spent countless hours and effort dissecting the sword techniques of various sects in the game, then recombining them to find the most suitable moves for himself.

In "Sword Immortal 2," most players used the system’s sword techniques, setting them as shortcuts and selecting them during battles to unleash flashy moves, saving both mental and physical effort. However, Bai Sheng believed that the essence of sword control lay in the four words "freedom and spontaneity." The system’s moves, though flashy, lacked flexibility and could not adapt to changing situations, wasting a lot of true qi. Sometimes, a single change could defeat an enemy, but the system’s moves would rigidly go through all seven changes. A slight downward movement could kill a monster, but the system would make the sword light move with mechanical precision, never deviating even after ten thousand repetitions. Only by mastering one’s own unique sword techniques could one truly grasp the essence of sword control.

In "Sword Immortal 2," there were many players who shared Bai Sheng’s thoughts, but very few could persist in not using the system’s sword techniques and instead refine their own unique techniques. These few were the true experts in the game, and among ten thousand players, there might not be even one such genius.

"Strange... Ah! No, that’s not right! I was right, this does work."

Previous Page AD begins

Previous Page AD ends