Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1183: Chapter 1139: The So-Called Inner Qi

The next day, Lu Yu bid farewell to his sister-in-law at home, and Lul Xun bid farewell to his parents at home. They habitually prepared to visit their respective teachers as usual, only to remember after leaving home that today was technically a holiday.

”I might as well go find those two guys,” Lul Xun and Lu Yu both said, touching their empty stomachs. They always appeared at their teachers’ homes before the Yin Hour to attend morning lessons, so the Jia Family and Chen Family prepared breakfast for them.

Of course, Chen Xi basically couldn’t get up before the Yin Hour. He was more of a night owl, so he often threw the books he read at night to Lul Xun to read. Consequently, Chen Xi got used to annotating the books he read.

However, compared to other Great Confucian Scholars or Mountain Chiefs who establish academies, Chen Xi’s annotations were very likely made spontaneously and even sometimes contradicted themselves. In this sense, Chen Xi was not considered a very good teacher; at most, he broadened Lul Xun’s horizons and thinking.

Fortunately, Lul Xun was a talent in his own right. Sometimes it’s like that; it’s not the famous teacher who makes the disciple, but the disciple who makes the famous teacher. For someone like Lul Xun, any teacher only needs to provide enough resources and let him be, and he will grow on his own.

”Zijia.” ”Boyan.” Lul Xun and Lu Yu greeted each other from afar.

”Did your teacher also let you rest today?” Their questions were exactly the same.

”You say it.” They synchronized again.

Then they simultaneously shut their mouths, and Lu Yu spoke up, ”We might as well find a place to eat breakfast before we talk. Brother Ma was taken by General Xuu to learn archery from Old General Huang, oh, and a few days ago, Brother Ma shot off General Xuu’s hat.”

Lul Xun twitched his eye, always feeling that Lu Yu bullying Ma Zhong was a bit inhumane. Considering that fellow Ma Zhong shot off Xuu Chu’s hat, estimatedly, Ma Zhong was entirely pressed into the ground by Xuu Chu. But going to learn archery from Huang Zhong was a case of getting what you asked for.

”Oh, then let’s not wait any longer.” Lul Xun turned directly and walked towards West Street. Chen Xi habitually called all the places where food was sold West Street, so there were many West Streets.

On the other side, in Huang Zhong’s residence, the somewhat pallid-faced Huang Zhong was instructing Huang Xu and Ma Zhong in archery. At this time, Huang Xu had stabilized at the same level as Guan Ping, at the Qi Refining to Gang Peak.

To say, Huang Zhong originally intended to push his son to Inner Qi Manifestation at the cost of stagnating himself, but Huang Xu gave up. He believed he shouldn’t cut off his father’s Martial Arts path, and besides, he was confident in achieving Inner Qi Manifestation on his own.

After all, Huang Xu inherited Huang Zhong’s martial aptitude, and with Lyu Bu’s Ascending pointing a path for Martial Artists across the land, Huang Xu also hoped his father could reach the other side of Martial Arts.

”Not bad.” Huang Zhong stroked his beard, expressing considerable satisfaction with Huang Xu and Ma Zhong’s archery. He never expected his son to recover his archery to such a level just as his body recovered. As for Ma Zhong, to Huang Zhong, he was just an appendage, but indeed a good one.

”Hansheng, isn’t my Little Ma doing well!” Xuu Chu patted Ma Zhong’s shoulder with a silly grin. He brought Ma Zhong over to give him a chance, knowing Huang Zhong’s archery was indeed formidable.

”Not bad either.” Huang Zhong looked at Ma Zhong and nodded. He would give Xuu Chu face, but if Ma Zhong couldn’t keep up with his teaching pace, then Huang Zhong would guide him, but not much more.

[After the New Year, find a Centurion position for Little Ma with Lord Hansheng.] Xuu Chu thought with Little Nine in mind. He always found Ma Zhong very agreeable; mainly, Ma Zhong was simple-minded but righteous, which satisfied Xuu Chu.

”I invite you for a drink!” Xuu Chu was very pleased, patting his chest as he spoke. Then, he turned his head to Ma Zhong and said, ”You kid, just follow General Huang and learn well from now on.”

A smile surfaced on Huang Zhong’s pallid face as he looked at his fully engrossed son and Ma Zhong, ”From now on, you both must not use Inner Qi to strengthen yourself, and can only use the ordinary Great Yellow Bow. When you hit the target a hundred steps away, come to find me.”

”Yes!” Huang Xu and Ma Zhong both cupped their fists in a salute, then started practicing on the spot, while Xuu Chu pulled Huang Zhong along to drink.

Xuu Chu’s archery was fairly average, but as a Valiant General, he still knew enough that without Inner Qi, the Great Yellow Bow’s range was only sixty steps and cannot be shot beyond this range.

”General Xuu, are you wondering how to shoot a hundred steps without Inner Qi on the Great Yellow Bow?” Huang Zhong, seeing the curious look on Xuu Chu’s face, understood what he was thinking.

”Please, just call me Zhongkang, General Huang. I indeed want to know how it’s done without Inner Qi.” Xuu Chu nodded as he spoke.

”Then Zhongkang can call me Hansheng.” Huang Zhong chuckled as he spoke.

”Would Hansheng be willing to tell me how this is accomplished?” Xuu Chu cupped his fists respectfully. Such matters involved the secrets of others, and Xuu Chu couldn’t be disrespectful.

”Actually, it’s called the Divine among Essence, Qi, and Spirit. The Divine itself refers to all forms of Spiritual Will. A mighty Divine can sufficiently affect the Heaven and Earth Essence to directly produce effects.” As he spoke, Huang Zhong threw his sword out, and with a wave, the sword flew back to him.

”This sword, nearly turned into a Divine Weapon by the infiltration of my Inner Qi, possesses my Essence, Qi, and Spirit, akin to a part of my body, thus I can easily call it over,” Huang Zhong explained. ”Because I need this sword, and this sword contains my will, I can summon it.”

Xuu Chu was stunned, scratching his head as he hurled his Great Sword away, trying to mimic Huang Zhong’s gesture, but the sword only wobbled slightly, leaving Xuu Chu a bit embarrassed.

”Zhongkang, this method doesn’t suit you,” Huang Zhong shook his head. Xuu Chu’s blade too had been infiltrated by his strength to become a Divine Weapon, yet Xuu Chu could not achieve it. ”The body represents Essence for you; you should strengthen your body.”

Seeing Xuu Chu still confused, Huang Zhong sighed and said, ”In essence, Inner Qi is a force constructed by absorbing the Heaven and Earth Essence from the outside world. It’s not one’s own Essence Qi, whether it’s absorbed directly from the world or obtained from food. The first essence is not one’s own.”

”After having this Qi bridge, a person can channel the power of Spirit into life, at which point a weak Divine can only enter life to control life’s Essence Qi. This is what we commonly refer to as Inner Qi.” Huang Zhong imparted basic martial knowledge to Xuu Chu, though to be fair, few people in the world understood this.

It can be said that neither Guan Yu nor Zhang Fei actually understood. They only knew that fighting and killing could lead to breakthroughs, but they didn’t truly understand the underlying changes.

”So, Inner Qi Condensation is when Spirit enters the body?” Xuu Chu scratched his head, thinking back to the faint comprehension he had once reached. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendation ballots and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)