The Deity of War
chapter-24

Chapter 24: Even I’m Scared of My Own Aptitude

Under normal circumstances, pills could aid warriors in their cultivation, but they were also like food, there was only so much one could ingest in one sitting. Most importantly, pills contained not only essence and energy that were beneficial to warriors, but also impurities that could not be absorbed. These would accumulate within the warriors’ bodies, slowly becoming toxic in nature, and hampering their future rate of progression in cultivation.

However, Qi Ying didn’t have to worry about that. He had never reached the limit of his pill-consumption capacity, and he didn’t know if there was one. No matter how many pills he took, they always seemed to be insufficient for his insatiable bloodline. As for the aforementioned impurities, they would flow through his bloodstream, into his left arm, where over ninety percent of it would be absorbed. The rest that traveled into his body was simply negligible and could be expelled following a good sweat.

The ten Energy Containment Pills were soon completely absorbed.

Qi Ying used his internal inspection skill to find that his nine major acupoints were still yet to be filled.

In order to cultivate in the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, he had to at least fill all nine major acupoints and reach the pinnacle of the Ninth Strength Martial Stage.

“Ten Energy Containment Pills are enough to last a First Energy Martial Stage cultivator for a while, but they’re like peanuts to me…”

Qi Ying turned to his left hand with a resigned smile.

He stood up after that and did not take any more pills. Instead, he arrived at a patch of empty land outside the cave, then began to cultivate in the external section stipulated by the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method. At times, he sprawled to the ground, leaped for the heavens, or swung his fists through the air; while at other times, he would howl into the distance, or transform into a dark wolf. As he cultivated in the external section, the meridians within his body also contracted and expanded along with his muscles. His blood flow became faster and faster, thereby accelerating the circulation of energy…

One hour later, Qi Ying had completed six cycles of the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method’s external section. After unleashing his internal inspection skill again, he discovered that his ninth meridian was about eighty percent filled with energy; a slight improvement.

Cultivation for warriors was not as simple as just munching on pills and practicing the internal section over and over again!

Those who wanted to ascend to higher levels in their cultivation had to focus simultaneously on both their internal and external strength!

Qi Ying was well-versed in martial arts, thereby making it much easier for him to cultivate his external strength than others. As both his internal and external strength improved, his cultivation base also progressed at an alarming rate.

The reason for his insane rate of progression was not just limited to the fact that he was able to entirely absorb the power within pills. The fact that his aptitude was well above average, and the ease at which he could cultivate his external strength were also vital factors.

All of the power contained within the ten Energy Containment Pills had been completely absorbed, so Qi Ying opened another vial and consumed the twelve Energy Containment Pills within, before continuing in his cultivation…

The sun gradually rose higher in the sky, before setting toward the West after reaching its highest point.

Outside the cave, Qi Ying was thoroughly enjoying himself as he performed a series of Eagle Claw Hand techniques. A powerful aura was emanating from his body, and it only seemed to be growing more formidable with the passage of time.

Whoosh!

A burst of energy erupted from Qi Ying’s body, before spreading like gusts of wind, making the grass around him rustle in response.

An ecstatic look appeared on Qi Ying’s face.

He had finally reached the pinnacle of the Ninth Strength Martial Stage!

He could attempt to make a breakthrough to the Energy Martial Stage if he wanted.

For normal warriors, progressing to a new major rank in their cultivation base was a long and arduous process. They had to reach the pinnacle of their current rank first before expending a considerable amount of time on taking preparatory measures. This was the case, as making breakthroughs placed great strain on a warrior’s body. One could easily suffer a variety of detrimental effects during the process, such as regressing in cultivation base, losing one’s entire cultivation base altogether, or even death in worst-case scenarios.

But in Qi Ying’s case, that was not a concern. His constitution was even comparable to Yellow Tier beasts, so his physical body could only be stronger than the average First or Second Energy Martial Stage warrior, which minimized all potential risks.

As for the issue that an excessively quick rate of progression could result in an unstable cultivation base… he could just slow down after reaching the Energy Martial Stage in order to consolidate.

“Purple Energy Cultivation Method!”

Qi Ying sat down once again before pulling the Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation method, the Purple Energy Cultivation Method out from his spatial ring.

Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation methods could be considered to be extremely valuable items. Among the Energy Martial Stage cultivation methods, these were only inferior in rank to their Yellow Tier Perfected Rank counterparts. Even those of lineal descent in the four major families had only cultivated in Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation methods.

Furthermore, the Purple Energy Cultivation Method was held in high regard even among Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation methods, allowing warriors to form powerful and dense Purple Energy Vortexes. Those who used that cultivation method had more True Energy that was also of a higher concentration than warriors of the same cultivation base. However, cultivating according to this method required a huge amount of resources, making it an unfeasible option to underprivileged warriors.

Qi Ying quickly scanned through the Energy Guidance Mantra section in the Purple Energy Cultivation Method.

As the name suggested, the Energy Martial Stage was a stage where warriors cultivated their True Energy.

There was one prerequisite to this; one had to be able to guide the vital energy within heaven and earth into one’s body before transforming it into True Energy. Following that process, the True Energy would converge to form an energy vortex within the dantian.

Only after materializing an energy vortex would one be able to convert the energy within the major acupoints into True Energy, simultaneously opening up all meridians to create a True Energy circulation system.

The energy vortex to the True Energy circulation system was like the heart to the cardiovascular system.

Qi Ying memorized the Energy Guidance Mantra within fifteen minutes, and also discovered some short cuts. When he attended classes in the academy, he made sure to skip all of the history and practical combat lessons. The only ones he went to were those regarding cultivation protocols for cultivators. There, he managed to glean many energy guidance short cuts from the knowledgeable and experienced teachers.

Different cultivation methods required different energy guidance methods, but they were all quite similar.

The first step was to sense the vital energy of heaven and earth.

Only after sensing the vital energy of heaven and earth could one absorb it, thereby kicking off the process of creating True Energy, and an energy vortex within the dantian later on.

The Purple Energy Cultivation Method’s Energy Guidance Mantra required one to absorb “Purple Energy”. This Purple Energy appeared within the vital energy flowing from the East to the West, close to sunset. That energy would then act as a base to materialize True Energy. Qi Ying slipped on his shiny silver glove again, and left the cave before scaling the mountain.

When he reached the summit, the sun had already turned red, and its light was no longer quite as piercing.

“Phew…”

Qi Ying stood on the mountain peak, and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He began to search for the Purple Energy within heaven and earth as according to the Energy Guidance Mantra.

The instant he closed his eyes and activated the mantra, countless vibrant spots of light suddenly appeared in his field of vision!

‘Are these the constituent particles of the vital energy of heaven and earth?’

Qi Ying was quite surprised.

During his academy lessons, he had heard from the teachers that most Strength Martial Stage warriors took at least two to four hours, ranging up to several days before they could sense the vital energy of heaven and earth for the first time. Even extremely outstanding prodigies would require an hour or so to accomplish that… However, he had only just closed his eyes and activated his mantra, but he could already sense the energy!

‘My aptitude is way too scary!’