It was night in Xuanji Palace.
Jiang Li sat cross-legged on a ditation cushion, lifting one hand lightly to release the Qi he’d obtained from Zhang Daoyi.
At the sa ti, Innate Qi surged from the palm of his hand like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, rging with the thread of Qi. The pure Primordial Qi swiftly transford, bolstering it. In a short ti, it transford from a re thread into a cloud of mist, floating quietly.
Different from Zhang Daoyi’s demonstration of Yin Yang Balance, this True Qi was in terms of purity, no less than Jiang Li’s Innate Qi. However, it lacked the malleable strength.
One might even say it had no malleability at all, being extrely exclusive. The still mist would not allow any Qi chanism to penetrate it. Only the most pure, like distilled water, Innate Qi could rge with it.
And once any other elental Essence Qi was too strong, this Qi would reveal a formidable aggressiveness.
Jiang Li silently converted to Innate Fire Qi, flicking his fingers to shoot it out.
The intense Qi Force made contact with the mist-like Qi, instantly triggering a reaction. The mist turned into fluctuating flas, burning vigorously without any Fla Qi, pressing down on the Innate Fire Qi in an even more dominant form.
The stronger the enemy, the stronger I beco.
Especially when facing Evil Energy...
Jiang Li flicked his finger, instantly changing it, and his Innate Qi beca tainted. Once immaculate, now it was stained with black, a sinister poison expelled from him.
That True Qi showed extremity, stretching like a living creature into a fla-like form, rushing over, colliding with this foul poison, crushing it, tearing at it, devouring him. Nourishing itself with evil to strengthen its own righteousness, the more vile the enemy, the stronger I beco.
The more evil the Essence Qi, the more it was overco by this Qi. The Qi of demons, ghosts, and monsters were like this, as were sinister poisons, and even more so the Five Vile Qi.
This True Qi was born for Demon Cleansing, with the fundantal purpose to eradicate evil, and it tolerated not a speck of impurity.
It’s too extre.
It was precisely because of this extremity that Jiang Li had not progressed much. But this ti, things were different.
Jiang Li released both palms, eight distinct streams of Essence Qi shot out from his fingertips like eight sharp swords, stabbing simultaneously into the Demon Cleansing True Qi that was devouring the toxicity.
Previously, Feng Ziyang had flicked his fingers repeatedly, with Sword Qi formation penetrating into the Sword Orb, but Jiang Li was now applying a direct and multifaceted force, eight qi at once, stabbing forcefully into the Demon Cleansing True Qi.
In an instant, this True Qi writhed like a Dragon and Snake hit in its sore spot, reacting aggressively according to the attributes of the eight streams of Essence Qi. Whether fierce, yielding, agile, or steady, it revealed no change in attribute, yet it expressed all transformations of Qi Force.
However, Jiang Li discerned the subtleties and was prepared.
He manifested two mighty dragon arms covered in Scale Armor on his shoulders, holding the Wind Queen Compass together, the four plates spinning, constantly calculating the variations of Qi Force, the eight qi advancing and retreating, evolving repeatedly, contending with the Demon Cleansing True Qi.
This was precisely the thod taught by Feng Ziyang - Minister Fu Shan.
Lying in ambush at its mountain, to subjugate as a minister does.
Jiang Li, reading into the na, surmised that the thod was ant to make the subject submit as a mountain lies prostrate; not sounding particularly impressive at first glance but quietly containing a domineering nature.
Although Feng Ziyang had stated that what he taught was only the surface of "Minister Fu Shan," it was enough for Jiang Li to see its domineering aspects.
The eight qi intertwined, they suppressed the strong and attacked the weak, continuously pressing down on the transformations of the Demon Cleansing True Qi, and they did not obliterate without leaving space, but instead opened a Life Gate, leaving a path of retreat, forcing the insentient True Qi to escape like a living being, to show variation once again.
Thus, with repeated stimulation, he mastered its transformations.
At first, Jiang Li was sowhat awkward, but as he grew more familiar, he ultimately subdued the Demon Cleansing True Qi and then...
Nurous Eight Trigram Array Plates appeared at the sa ti, surrounding the controlled Demon Cleansing True Qi, beginning to dissect and analyze.
Splitting it into two to represent duality, suspending one to represent trinity, dividing among four to represent the four seasons, using the Da Yan Transformation to analyze the essence of True Qi, enurating its variations.
If Zhang Daoyi practiced the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique through enlightennt, then Jiang Li was directly dissecting and analyzing it. Once he completely penetrated the nature of this Qi, the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique would be halfway accomplished.
As for the other half, it was the mystery of the integration of the Five Vile Qi with Yin and Yang.
And so, Jiang Li imrsed himself in constant calculations, forgoing sleep and food, and unbeknownst to him, ti quietly slipped by.
"The ti has co."
A soft and lodious voice drifted into Jiang Li’s room, startling him from his state of sleepless absorption.
The ti has co? What ti?
His brain made a sluggish turn, and Jiang Li’s vision cleared, ’Ah, it’s ti for Yun Jiuye’s Promotion Ceremony.’
Three days had passed quietly, and Jiang Li spent these three days ceaselessly calculating the variations of the Demon Cleansing True Qi, forgetting to eat and sleep. If not for his extraordinary physical condition and Divine Soul, he might have dropped dead by now.
Even so, Jiang Li felt exceedingly tired.
He had used at least thousands of pages just for recording. It was only because he possessed the Karma Collection that his room wasn’t overflowing with paper.
However, corresponding to this, Jiang Li’s gains were not insignificant. He had already been able to control the Demon Cleansing True Qi.
Though he was still far from being able to reverse-engineer the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique—his current progress being less than one percent—who else but Jiang Li could boast the Divine Farr’s appearance and "Qi Tomb"?
Jiang Li opened his mouth to breathe, sucking the ball of Demon Cleansing True Qi back into his body and transporting it to his Lower Dantian.
In three breaths’ ti, Jiang Li’s Lower Dantian was brimming with Demon Cleansing True Qi.
Without a Cultivation Technique, it didn’t matter; Jiang Li could still strengthen his Demon Cleansing True Qi. Thus, with control thods, though it was difficult to replicate the operation of refining Five Vile Qi to supplent himself, he could now use so functions of the Demon Cleansing True Qi.
For example, fearlessness of Five Vile Qi of the sa magnitude.
The next ti he encountered Zhang Daoyi, even without using the Divine Sword Thunder Protection High-frequency Technique, Jiang Li was confident he could break his evil Qi protection.
The cost, however, was that the Essence Qi in his Lower Dantian beca fixed as Demon Cleansing True Qi, unable to freely change properties.
One by one, the Array Plates dissipated, the phantom of the dragon arm vanished, Jiang Li put away the Wind Queen Compass, and then used Innate Qi to transform into dicine that nourished Essence Elent and Divine Essence, dispelling fatigue. By the ti he left, he was once again a vigorous man, showing no signs of exhaustion from overnight cultivation.
Lastly, he glanced at the Karma Collection that had popped up a prompt for Dao Fruit integration. Jiang Li left his residence and made his way to the front hall, where Elder Tianxuan’s figure entered his sight once again.
She was still reclining lazily on her jade throne, seeming sowhat indolent as she took an interested look at the stack of Array Plates in her hand.
Gongsun Qingyue was within the Array Plates, trapped by Elder Tianxuan with the "Sleeve Universe" Great Divine Power, currently trying to break the Array Plates with Sword Control in an attempt to escape.
"This ti Qingyue went out, and I don’t know what luck she encountered, but her progress has been significant. Whenever she’s able to co out, she will be able to advance to Sixth Rank," Elder Tianxuan said leisurely.
’It must be the effect of the book "one of the escapee".’ Jiang Li guessed in his heart.
Gongsun Qingyue, unlike Jiang Li, who was always out and about, had more ti to study "one of the escapee" and from it, gleaned the knowledge of Yi Dao. The Alchemist Dao Fruit that she had absorbed was adept at Mystical Divination Skill. The combination of both ant she was like a fish in water, enabling her to not only increase her strength but also to integrate her Dao Fruit.
Elder Tianxuan trapped her with the Array Plate not only to force her into contemplation but perhaps also to lend her a helping hand.
As a master, she was quite competent.
"It seems master-sister won’t be able to attend the ceremony," Jiang Li replied.
Gongsun Qingyue hadn’t erged from seclusion yet, clearly unable to attend the ceremony. This could lead outsiders to believe Tianxuan Hall was being petty, all the more reason for Jiang Li to attend.
"Maybe she will advance to Sixth Rank at the sa ti as Yun Jiuye."
Elder Tianxuan said with implication, "If that’s the case, soone might have a difficult ti."
The ’soone’ naturally referred to himself, Jiang Li.
’Given master-sister’s background, she has likely chosen her Dao Fruit well in advance, and even the Promotion Ceremony has been prepared, just lacking an east wind. Indeed, it’s possible she could advance to Sixth Rank in one fell swoop, but to say there will be difficulties... heh.’ Jiang Li chuckled internally.
If Gongsun Qingyue were to advance, his competitive master-sister would probably be raring to get one over on Jiang Li, leading to another good struggle.
But that was rely Gongsun Qingyue’s thought—if she wanted to make it a reality... I’m afraid master-sister might not have that strength.
’I still don’t know who will be riding whom.’
Jiang Li thought casually to himself and bowed to Elder Tianxuan, "Then, disciple will head to Yunlai Island first."
He bid farewell to Elder Tianxuan, left Xuanji Palace, and suddenly rembered sothing.
He hadn’t cast a divination.
As Jiang Li’s strength improved, or perhaps as those plotting against him grew stronger, divination had gradually lost its potency, to the point where Jiang Li had almost neglected this skill he had learned.
Further, with non-stop deductions over these past three days, Jiang Li had been overwheld, only now rembering this matter.
’This won’t do, even if it’s inaccurate, it is still a reference point. One must not lose their initial resolve due to increased strength,’ Jiang Li murmured to himself internally.
What ant losing the initial resolve was no longer acting according to one’s conscience.
Jiang Li, retrieving his initial resolve, cast a divination with his compass and, after calculating, had a result.
Thunder Earth Yu, Upper Zhen and Lower Kun, the spring thunder roared, the earth shook, urging everything to grow; for whoever obtained this hexagram, if they complied with heaven and acted in ti, everything would be auspicious.
’Thunder... quite fitting, in line with the Heavenly Tribulation. But it’s not spring now. How am I supposed to comply with heaven... surely, they don’t expect to assist the Heavenly Tribulation in striking down the elder brother, do they?’
Jiang Li found this thought sowhat ludicrous.
He, Jiang, was for once reluctant to get involved, to be a good Samaritan, and must control himself to avoid another trip to Si Fan Valley, or even being caught on the spot by the Sect’s high echelons.
’Perhaps, this divination is mistaken.’
Jiang Li reached this conclusion and began to prepare for any contingency.
As long as it wasn’t attacking his elder brother, then he would comply and act in ti. If he was to be set against his elder brother, then don’t bla Jiang for defying heaven and changing fate.
In this regard, Jiang’s flexibility in making judgnts was comparable to that of the Guild Master Xiong.
It all ca down to changing with the heart.
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