7: Chapter 7 External Release of True Qi

Early the next morning, Ye Chen went to the Lin Residence.

The Scar-faced Guard was waiting at the entrance; seeing him arrive, he nodded and led him inside without a word.

This time, they didn't take the same path as before.

Passing through the front courtyard and bypassing a rockery and pond, they entered a more secluded courtyard.

Several clumps of bamboo were planted in the courtyard; as the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled.

In the center was a spacious meditation room with open doors and windows, revealing several prayer mats inside and calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls.

Lin Qingxue was already there.

She sat on a prayer mat by the window, wearing a moon-white training suit, her hair held up by a simple wooden hairpin, revealing her slender, pale neck.

A small table stood before her, with a teapot and two cups placed upon it.

"Sit," she said, raising her hand.

Ye Chen sat on the prayer mat opposite her. The Scar-faced Guard withdrew and closed the door.

"Drink some tea." Lin Qingxue lifted the teapot, poured two cups, and pushed one toward him.

The tea was pale green, with curling steam and a faint, delicate fragrance.

Ye Chen picked up the cup and took a sip. The tea was very hot, but as he drank it, the True Qi in his chest—still somewhat restless from his recent Breakthrough—gradually calmed down.

"Good tea," he said.

"Green Bamboo Spirit Tea; it can soothe the mind and stabilize Qi."

Lin Qingxue also picked up her cup, took a sip, and set it down. "You've had a Breakthrough?"

Ye Chen nodded. "Last night, Meridian Opening Fourth Level."

Lin Qingxue glanced at him; there was no surprise in her eyes, only a nod.

"Three days, from the first level to the fourth. Very fast."

"It's because of Miss Lin's excellent guidance," Ye Chen said.

"I didn't guide you in anything," Lin Qingxue shook her head.

"It's because you worked hard enough and were lucky enough."

She paused, then added.

"At the Meridian Opening Fourth Level, True Qi can be externalized, which is considered reaching the threshold of cultivation. But externalizing True Qi is not the end; it is the beginning. What that externalized True Qi can do and to what extent is the key."

Ye Chen set down his teacup and sat upright. "Please guide me, Miss Lin."

Lin Qingxue didn't speak immediately; she reached out her hand, palm facing up.

A speck of white light lit up in her palm.

It wasn't the faint light from Ye Chen's fingertips, but a solid, bright light.

The white light rotated slowly in her palm, condensing into a small cyclone; at the edges of the cyclone, the air distorted slightly.

"Do you see clearly?" Lin Qingxue asked.

Ye Chen nodded.

"The first step of externalizing True Qi is to let it leave the body."

The ball of white light in Lin Qingxue's palm slowly floated up, hovering three inches above her hand, spinning and emitting a faint humming sound.

"The second step is to control the externalized True Qi, making it move according to your will."

The ball of white light began to deform. First, it elongated, turning into a thin needle of light.

Then it widened, turning into a thin blade of light.

Finally, it dispersed into a dozen tiny specks of light, dancing above her palm like a swarm of fireflies.

Ye Chen watched without blinking.

"The third step," Lin Qingxue's voice was flat, but every word was like a hammer striking Ye Chen's heart.

"Is to bestow 'intent' upon the True Qi. Your thoughts, your will, are infused into the True Qi, so it is no longer an inanimate object but an extension of your body, a manifestation of your will."

The dozen specks of light stopped abruptly, then turned in unison, aiming at a bamboo stalk outside the window.

There was no sound.

A leaf fell silently from the bamboo. The cut on the leaf was as smooth as if it had been sliced by a knife.

The specks of light dispersed. Lin Qingxue withdrew her hand, picked up her teacup, and took another sip.

"Did you see clearly?" she asked.

Ye Chen was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I saw clearly."

"If you saw clearly, then try it," Lin Qingxue said.

"In the way that feels most natural to you, let your True Qi leave your body, then control it to do something. Anything will do, but it must be something you 'want' it to do."

Ye Chen took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The True Qi in his Dantian flowed slowly along his Meridians to his right hand. He extended his index finger, and at the fingertip, a faint speck of white light lit up.

It was very faint, much dimmer and smaller than Lin Qingxue's ball of light, but it was indeed lit.

He opened his eyes and looked at the speck of light on his fingertip.

Let it leave the body.

With a single thought, the speck of light trembled and floated up from his fingertip, hovering an inch above it, flickering like a candle flame in the wind.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ye Chen's forehead.

Control it.

The speck of light moved slowly, with great effort.

Gritting his teeth, he focused all his concentration on that speck of light, making it move left, right, up, and down.

The speck of light moved unsteadily, its path crooked as if it were drunk.

"Don't rush."

Lin Qingxue's voice sounded, very calm.

"Feel it. It is not a part of your body, but it listens to you. What you need to do is not to 'push' it, but to 'think' where it should go, and it will go there on its own."

Ye Chen closed his eyes and tried to relax.

The speck of light at his fingertip was no longer an object he was "controlling," but rather the place he "wanted" it to be.

He wanted it to move left, and the speck of light drifted left. He wanted it to draw a circle, and the speck of light began to circle.

Though it was still very slow and the path was still awkward, it was much smoother than before.

"Very good,"

Lin Qingxue said.

"Now, bestow 'intent' upon it. What do you want to do with it? Slice something? Ignite something? Or something else?"

Ye Chen opened his eyes and looked at the empty teacup on the small table.

He wanted to use it to leave a mark on the cup.

As soon as the thought arose, the speck of light trembled violently and then whooshed toward the teacup. It wasn't fast, but it was steady.

The speck of light landed on the wall of the cup; silently, a white mark as thin as a hair appeared on the cup's surface. It was very shallow, but it was definitely there.

The speck of light dispersed.

Ye Chen let out a long breath, feeling as if he were on the verge of collapse, his back completely drenched in sweat.

"For a first time, not bad," Lin Qingxue said. Her voice betrayed no emotion, but Ye Chen felt she was likely satisfied.

"Thank you for your guidance, Miss Lin," Ye Chen said, his voice a bit hoarse.

"It's because your own Comprehension Ability is good." Lin Qingxue set down her teacup and looked at him.

"Externalizing True Qi, controlling it, and bestowing intent—these three steps are the most fundamental and important ones on the path of cultivation. Many Meridian Opening Realm Cultivators are stuck at the first step their entire lives; they can externalize True Qi but cannot control it, let alone speak of 'intent.' You've reached the threshold in three days; your talent is not bad."

Ye Chen didn't speak; he just picked up the now-cold tea and took a large gulp.

"In next month's Great Competition, you will fight on behalf of the Lin family." Lin Qingxue changed the subject.

"Have you met Wang Teng of the Wang family?"

"I haven't met him, but I've heard of him," Ye Chen said.

"He is at the Meridian Opening Fourth Level, but he has been stuck there for half a year. His True Qi is very dense, and his control over it is not bad either."

Lin Qingxue spoke slowly.

"The Wang family's Blazing Sun Art is a fire-attribute Cultivation Technique—domineering and fierce. At the same Realm, you won't have the advantage in a direct confrontation."

Ye Chen nodded. He was aware of this.

"But you have your advantages." Lin Qingxue looked at him.

"Your Physique is special; you can absorb cold qi. Wang Teng's Blazing Sun Art is fire; fire fears water and fears ice even more. If you can integrate the absorbed cold qi into your True Qi and transform it into Ice True Qi, you can counter him."

Ye Chen's heart stirred.

"But the cold qi isn't your own; it's external," Lin Qingxue continued.

"What you need to do is not simply pour the cold qi into your True Qi; that would harm you. You must 'refine' it and make it your own."

"How do I refine it?" Ye Chen asked.

"Use your True Qi to wear it down bit by bit."

Lin Qingxue said.

"Like a whetstone sharpening a blade, smooth out the sharp edges of the cold qi and grind away its 'intent,' leaving only the purest 'cold.' Then, integrate this 'cold' into your True Qi."

She made it sound simple, but Ye Chen knew it would be difficult to do.

"This process is very slow and very difficult." Lin Qingxue looked at him.

"Furthermore, there are risks. When cold qi enters the body, the slightest mistake can damage your Meridians or even your Foundation. Are you sure you want to try?"

Ye Chen didn't hesitate. "I'll try."

Lin Qingxue nodded and didn't try to persuade him further.

She pulled a small jade bottle from her sleeve and placed it on the small table.

"This is an ice heart pill," she said.

"It can protect your heart Meridians and reduce the erosion of cold qi. Take one pill a day until they are gone. If you feel you can't hold on while refining the cold qi, take one."

Ye Chen picked up the jade bottle and opened it. Inside lay ten pale blue Medicinal Pills, emitting a cool medicinal fragrance.

"Thank you, Miss Lin."

"No need to thank me." Lin Qingxue shook her head.

"The stronger you are, the more cold qi you can help absorb from me. This is a transaction."

She spoke so bluntly that Ye Chen actually smiled.

"Yes, a transaction."

Lin Qingxue glanced at him, said nothing, and picked up her teacup again.

Outside the window, birds were chirping.