Chapter 13: The Spiral of Sovereign Qi
Xiao Chen sat cross-legged on the cold floor, his breathing slow and steady.
The room was silent.
Only the faint sound of wind outside the window could be heard.
He slowly recalled the words of the Heavenly Dragon Sovereign Art.
According to the manual, cultivation begins by sensing the spirit Qi of heaven and earth.
"I must first feel it..." Xiao Chen murmured inwardly.
"The spirit Qi in the air..."
He closed his eyes completely and focused.
At first, there was nothing.
Only darkness.
But he did not give up.
Minute after minute passed.
His mind became calmer.
Slower.
Deeper.
Then suddenly...
Something changed.
Tiny flickers of light began to appear in his perception.
At first, they were faint.
Almost invisible.
But slowly, they grew clearer.
White motes of light floated all around him like fireflies in the night sky.
Blinking.
Dancing.
Alive.
Xiao Chen's heart trembled slightly.
"So this is spirit Qi..."
He could feel it now.
Truly feel it.
Then the next step appeared in his mind.
The Heavenly Dragon Sovereign Art instructions echoed within him.
"Form the Invincible Spiral."
Xiao Chen took a deep breath.
An Invincible Spiral...
He did not fully understand what it meant, but he followed instinct.
Slowly, he began to circulate the Qi around him.
At first, it was chaotic.
The motes of light drifted randomly.
But then Xiao Chen forced his will upon them.
He guided them.
He gathered them.
And gradually...
A spiral began to form.
A strange rotating vortex of spirit Qi appeared around his body.
It started small.
But then it grew.
And grew.
Until it surrounded his entire body.
At that moment...
Ancient words suddenly began to echo inside his mind.
But something was strange.
The words were not just memories.
They were being spoken aloud from within his soul.
"The king commands a nation."
"An emperor commands kings."
"But the heavens command the emperor."
Xiao Chen's expression trembled slightly.
The voice continued, deeper and heavier.
"But the one who masters the Heavenly Dragon Sovereign Art..."
"Shall command the heavens..."
"And all things beneath it."
Boom!
At that instant, the spiral around Xiao Chen suddenly changed.
It expanded violently.
The surrounding Qi began to rush toward him at an insane speed.
Like a starving beast.
Like a black hole.
It devoured everything.
Xiao Chen's eyes snapped open in shock.
"This speed...!"
But he quickly calmed himself.
The next step appeared in his mind.
Open the meridians.
According to the Heavenly Dragon Sovereign Art...
He needed to open twenty-six meridian pathways before advancing to the next stage.
Xiao Chen frowned slightly.
The Azure Sky Cultivation Manual was different.
It stated that a normal cultivator only needed to open five meridians in the first stage of Body Strengthening Realm.
Then another seven in the second stage.
Slow.
Gradual.
Careful refinement.
But this technique...
It was completely different.
It forced all twenty-six meridians in the upper body to be opened at once before even advancing.
Xiao Chen took a deep breath.
"Let's begin."
He focused all the absorbed Qi into his first meridian.
Immediately, he felt resistance.
A thick blockage stood in the way like a wall.
He pushed.
The Qi turned sharp like a blade.
And forced its way through.
Pain briefly flashed through his body.
But he endured.
Crack!
The first meridian opened.
A strange warmth spread through his body.
Then a voice echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations. You have entered the first stage of Body Strengthening Realm."
Xiao Chen exhaled slowly.
He could feel it.
His body had become lighter.
Stronger.
Every muscle seemed to pulse with hidden power.
But he did not stop.
"One is not enough," he whispered.
He moved to the second meridian.
This time...
The blockage was stronger.
Much stronger.
But compared to the first, it was still manageable.
He pushed again.
Time slowly passed.
One meridian.
Two meridians.
Three...
Four...
Five...
After a long period of cultivation, Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes.
A confused expression appeared on his face.
He had already opened five meridians.
And he was halfway through the sixth.
"Hey, old man..." he called inwardly.
A tired voice immediately responded.
"What now?"
Xiao Chen frowned.
"Isn't this too easy?"
The old man suddenly went silent.
Then he sighed deeply.
"Fool..."
"Do you think everyone cultivates like you?"
"The only reason you are this fast is because of the Heavenly Dragon Sovereign Art."
"It devours spirit Qi at a ridiculous speed."
"To outsiders in your sect... this is impossible."
Xiao Chen paused.
The voice continued.
"For an ordinary disciple, reaching the second stage of Body Strengthening Realm from the first would take at least six months."
"Some may even take a year just to open five meridians."
Xiao Chen's eyes widened slightly.
The old man snorted.
"But you are different."
"With your peak-grade spirit root and this technique..."
"You can reach the second stage in about two weeks."
Xiao Chen finally understood.
So it was not that cultivation was easy.
It was that he was abnormal.
The old man continued.
"Talent matters a lot."
"Low-grade spirit root cultivators can only cultivate one to two hours a day."
"Mid-grade: five to nine hours."
"High-grade: nine to fifteen hours."
"Peak-grade: up to twenty-one hours."
He paused.
Then added coldly.
"But you?"
"You can practically cultivate for two days without rest if needed."
Xiao Chen's heart shook slightly.
He slowly nodded.
"I understand."
At that moment...
Footsteps sounded outside the room.
Elder Liu was approaching.
The door slowly opened.
Elder Liu stepped inside and immediately frowned.
"Why is your body covered in filth?"
Xiao Chen looked down.
Only now did he notice a sticky black substance covering his skin.
It smelled strange.
Unpleasant.
Before he could speak, Elder Liu's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Wait..."
"Have you broken through to the first stage of Body Strengthening Realm?"
Xiao Chen nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Elder Liu looked at him carefully.
"How many meridians have you opened?"
Xiao Chen paused for a moment.
Then said calmly:
"One."
He lied.
Elder Liu exhaled in relief.
"Good."
"That black substance is impurities being expelled from your body."
"It means your body is being refined."
He waved his hand.
"Come. You need to bathe."
Xiao Chen nodded and followed obediently.
But deep in his eyes...
A faint light flashed.
His cultivation journey had only just begun.