Chapter 3493 — The Utterly Unfathomable Heavens?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"And this bird—when the seas move, it will journey to the Southern Darkness. The Southern Darkness is the Pool of Heaven. Vast and profound, boundless and measureless, it is great because it embraces all; the sea admits a hundred rivers..."
Yet this was only the first volume of the Southern Darkness Divine Art's mental cultivation verses—the Chapter of Qi Transformation. From the description, one could transform the spiritual qi of heaven and earth for one's own use, but nowhere did it say how to circulate true qi, nor how to employ it.
In other words, the mental cultivation art Wang Xinyan was practicing could absorb true qi, but could not use it. All she could do by circulating these verses was draw in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and the true qi of others; when it came to summoning true qi for combat, that was beyond her.
Without the corresponding mental verses, Wang Xinyan could neither circulate nor unleash her true qi, and so it could not serve her. One could only say her cultivation level had risen—but she was a harmless sort of expert.
Even so, Wei Zhao was satisfied. He needed nothing from Wang Xinyan; it was enough that she could stay by his side. Her greatest contribution was to assist his own cultivation, speeding his progress.
Though he had no use for it now, it might serve him one day.
So Wei Zhao said, "Since this art suits you, begin cultivating now. Absorb my true qi and make it your own, and once I have raised you to the peak of the late Earth-rank, you may take the Qi Gathering Pill!"
"Then... will absorbing your true qi harm you?" Wang Xinyan asked with some concern.
"No. The true qi I give others replenishes swiftly—I am unlike other cultivators," Wei Zhao said. "So have no scruples. Simply circulate the verses."
"All right, then let me try." Wang Xinyan nodded and began attempting to circulate the art according to the verses of the Southern Darkness Divine Art. The verses were not difficult to comprehend, and under Wei Zhao's guidance she mastered them with ease.
Though somewhat clumsy, it did not hinder her cultivation.
"Good. Now you may begin absorbing the stamina true qi I channel to you!" At this, Wei Zhao circulated the Xuanyuan Dragon Taming Art, seized Wang Xinyan's wrist at the pulse gate, and began transmitting stamina true qi into her...
A suction force unlike anything before began to devour the stamina true qi Wei Zhao sent over.
The speed of absorption somewhat surprised Wei Zhao. He had transmitted true qi to others before, yet never so violently—Wang Xinyan was practically wrenching the stamina true qi out of him!
Fortunately, the spiritual qi within Wei Zhao's jade pendant space was inexhaustible; he was merely serving as a conduit. Even so, Wang Xinyan's absorption clearly outpaced his supply, and so no small amount of Wei Zhao's own stamina true qi was drawn away as well.
Of course, Wei Zhao did not mind overmuch. Where the jade pendant space fell short in any given moment, his own body made up the difference. Even if it were drained entirely, he did not care—he had the jade pendant space and could recover at any time.
As all know, a cultivator's stamina true qi is limited; once used, it is depleted and must be restored over time before it brims again.
Some special cultivators are exceptions, however—alchemists, for instance. When their stamina true qi is exhausted, they can overdraw it, drawing out the portion reserved for breaking through levels.
But once that portion is overdrawn, the cultivator's rank falls.
Wang Xinyan, conversely, was likewise such a case. Like Zhang Naipao before her, she could actively absorb the stamina true qi from others' bodies, forcing them to overdraw it passively and thus drop to the lowest rank.
It was by this very trick that Zhang Naipao had once roamed the martial world without a rival—until he met Wei Zhao, this freak, and his road as an expert was cut short halfway.