'Three Qi Vortexes... This defies all logic. It certainly wasn't easy, but I still managed it.'
A full two hours later, Ning Jiang opened his eyes, a flicker of fear in their depths. Just moments ago, he'd had a brush with death at the Ghost Gate.
To condense three Qi Vortexes inside one's body... even he could never have created such a world-shocking, heaven-defying Cultivation Technique.
A peerless Cultivation Technique like this was naturally not something that could be mastered easily.
Just a moment ago, his Dantian had nearly exploded, almost leading to his utter demise.
'If anyone else tried to cultivate this Technique, they would undoubtedly die a gruesome death. Even for me, with all my experience as a Venerable, it was a near-fatal endeavor.'
Ning Jiang muttered to himself. The very fact that he would use the phrase "a trip to the Ghost Gate" spoke volumes about the danger he had just faced.
He closed his eyes and looked inward, observing his Dantian.
Inside his Dantian, three Qi Vortexes spun unceasingly. They were as black as ink, like mysterious nebulae, and faintly emanated a will that sought to devour the heavens. Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was drawn in, and upon entering the vortexes, it was rapidly transformed into pure True Qi.
Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi is actually a chaotic form of Energy containing a large amount of impurities, making it unusable in its raw state. The purpose of a Qi Vortex is to refine it, purging these impurities to extract the essence and transform it into True Qi.
'Compared to the Yuqing Qigong I cultivated before, this is a full thirty-six times faster!'
Ning Jiang made the assessment in his mind. The Yuqing Qigong was the Ning Family's Cultivation Technique, the one he had previously practiced. Now, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill was a staggering thirty-six times faster!
What did thirty-six times faster mean? It meant that one day of his Cultivation was equivalent to thirty-six days of his old practice!
In comparison, even his Myriad Stars Flying Immortal Technique fell slightly short on this point.
The Myriad Stars Flying Immortal Technique only condensed a single Qi Vortex. However, it was exceptionally refined and focused, making the vortex incredibly powerful and capable of reaching a thirty-fold speed.
The Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, on the other hand, condensed three Qi Vortexes. A single one of these vortexes provided a twelve-fold boost. While individually weaker than the vortex from the Myriad Stars Flying Immortal Technique, the three combined reached a terrifying thirty-six-fold speed, surpassing it.
One must understand that the Myriad Stars Flying Immortal Technique was already a Top Level Celestial Skill in the world. Back then, Ning Jiang had been able to contend with Great Emperors, and this ancient Celestial Skill had played a massive role in his success.
And now the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill was even stronger. How frightening was that?
The crucial point was that the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill devoured all things. It could consume and refine anything, making it incomparably domineering and terrifying. Cultivated to its peak, it could swallow the heavens and devour the earth.
Furthermore, a faster speed of refining True Qi meant a faster rise through the Cultivation Realms.
Before, it would take several months to advance a single layer in his Realm. Now, with a thirty-six-fold speed, he could do it in just a few days.
In this world, the most precious thing is Time.
Time waits for no one; he had to seize every moment.
Another point was the total amount of True Qi.
The higher the Level of a Cultivation Technique, the greater the amount of True Qi one possessed. Typically, for every grade a Martial Artist's Cultivation Technique was higher, their total True Qi would increase by thirty percent.
For a Martial Artist, True Qi was especially crucial. For example, if two Martial Artists were locked in a deadly battle, the one who ran out of True Qi first was almost certain to die.
Besides the difference in quantity, there was also a difference in quality. To use an analogy, if the True Qi from a Low Grade Technique was wood, then the True Qi from a Top Grade Technique was a sword. How could wood contend with a sword?
At the same Qi Cultivation Third Layer Realm, someone practicing a Top Grade Technique could easily defeat a Cultivator using a Low Grade Technique.
The gap between the two was like an insurmountable chasm.
'The first volume of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill is Mortal Level Top Grade. In terms of both the quantity and quality of True Qi, it is absolutely among the best in the world for its Level!'
'Once I step into the Postnatal Realm, I can cultivate the second volume, which will be Profound Level Top Grade.'
'With the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, my Cultivation will rise quickly.'
Ning Jiang closed his eyes and activated the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill with all his might. The three black Qi Vortexes in his Dantian spun frantically. He was like a black hole, and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surged madly into his body.
After a while, Ning Jiang temporarily stopped his Cultivation.
'Next up is dealing with the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse.'
Ning Jiang hadn't forgotten the main issue. This Black Jade Fire Poison Curse had tormented the original owner of this body to the brink of death. Each time the fire poison flared up, it felt like millions of sharp needles surging overwhelmingly through his flesh and blood, a pain so intense he wished he were dead.
He calmed his mind and qi, observing his body's condition. He soon discovered that his internal organs, and even many of his meridians and blood vessels, were faintly turning into Black Jade.
The Black Jade Fire Poison Curse absorbed a person's True Qi to strengthen itself, eventually turning the body into a statue of Black Jade!
'Devour!'
The three Qi Vortexes in his body spun, and an immense suction force emerged, instantly spreading throughout Ning Jiang's entire body. Following that, the Fire Poison Power within him was drawn out, heading toward the vortexes.
Why was the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill so domineering? Because this Cultivation Technique could even devour and refine fire poison.
It devoured all things!
If it were the Myriad Stars Flying Immortal Technique, it could only temporarily suppress the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse.
As for the Yuqing Qigong that Ning Jiang had previously cultivated, it was even worse. It was utterly routed by the fire poison, causing his Cultivation to drop continuously. The difference between Cultivation Techniques was clear to see.
Streaks of red thread, visible to the naked eye, surged toward the three black Qi Vortexes in his Dantian. Upon entering the vortexes, they were slowly refined. Compared to refining Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, refining the fire poison was much slower.
Different types of Energy had different refining speeds.
This situation didn't last long. The Black Jade Fire Poison Curse seemed to sense danger and immediately went berserk.
An agony intense enough to make one break down in tears erupted in every inch of his flesh, yet Ning Jiang remained unmoved, his will as unshakable as a mountain.
His body became a battlefield. The Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill pressed forward relentlessly, devouring the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse bit by bit. Even at only the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, this incomparably domineering Celestial Skill was not something the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse could withstand.
「A night passed.」
Throughout the night, Ning Jiang was as still as an ancient Buddha. Although his body endured unimaginable pain, he didn't so much as blink.
'The Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill is truly worthy of its name. It's so domineering.'
Ning Jiang slowly exhaled. Over the night, the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse had been forced into a steady retreat; it was no match for him at all.
Finally, as if understanding that the tide had turned against it, the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse, which had spread throughout his body, gave up its resistance. All of its energy gathered together, condensing into a single mass.
Faced with this condensed mass of the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse, Ning Jiang couldn't dissolve it in a short amount of time. His Cultivation was still insufficient.
It was like a turtle withdrawn into its shell; you couldn't do anything unless you could break the shell.
But Ning Jiang wasn't too concerned. As long as his Cultivation rose, dissolving this curse would be a simple matter.
After a night of struggle, the meridians and blood vessels that had been eroded and were beginning to petrify had all returned to their original state. At the same time, the bones in his left arm had fully healed.
Furthermore, his Cultivation had advanced from the Qi Cultivation Third Layer to the Fourth Layer!
'The Black Jade Fire Poison Curse grew strong by devouring my True Qi Cultivation in the first place. Now that I'm devouring it back, it's really just returning to its rightful owner. However, even if I devoured the entire curse, my Cultivation would at most recover to the Eighth or Ninth Layer. It would be impossible to return to my previous Postnatal Middle Stage.'
This was because of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill. The more Top Level a Cultivation Technique was, the more Energy was required to raise one's Cultivation.
For example, to advance a single layer of Cultivation, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill required at least several times more Energy than the Yuqing Qigong, if not more.
Of course, the former's combat power was also far superior to the latter's. At the same Realm, ten Cultivators using the Yuqing Qigong would be no match for Ning Jiang.
「By now, it was morning.」
Ning Jiang stood up and stretched his body. As he exerted strength, the major tendons in his body vibrated like a bowstring, emitting a low, powerful thrum.
This was the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer: Muscle Training.
The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Layers of Qi Cultivation focused on the tendons, skin, and bones, respectively.
The Fourth Layer involved refining True Qi into the major tendons throughout the body. Starting from the neck, it extended down the back, through the waist, thighs, and calves, all the way to the heels. Each tendon became as powerful as a steel whip. Once mastered, the tendons would be as hard as iron yet as soft as cotton.
At this stage, a single punch could unleash a thousand pounds of force.
A person's Power depends largely on their major tendons. The reason an ox is so strong is due to the toughness of its sinews.
It's the same principle as how a person becomes crippled if their hand and foot tendons are severed.
SHIING.
Suddenly, a sword was unsheathed in a flash of cold light.
The Ning Jiang of this world was a Sword Cultivator to begin with. As for the former Venerable Ning Jiang, he was a master of Myriad Techniques.
"Big Splash Wind Sword!"
Ning Jiang executed a Sword Technique. His blade moved like a torrential storm, sweeping forward.
Dozens of consecutive strikes were unleashed in a furious barrage, covering all directions with swift and ferocious attacks.
Once this Swordsmanship was unleashed, it was so fierce and sharp that not even a splash of water could get through. Every strike was a Swift Sword, and every move was lethal!
"Brother, when did you master the Big Splash Wind Sword to the point of Perfection?"
Ning Yu'an, having slept through the night, was now awake and looked much more spirited. Her beautiful eyes were wide with astonishment as she stared at Ning Jiang without blinking.
The Big Splash Wind Sword was a Mortal Level Top Grade Martial Technique of the Ning Family.
So-called Martial Techniques were Combat Techniques, different from Cultivation Techniques.
A Cultivation Technique was for absorbing and storing True Qi, while a Martial Technique was for applying and releasing it.
Every time a Martial Technique was used, it consumed True Qi from the body. Some Top Level Martial Techniques could drain one's entire True Qi reserve in a single use, which was why it was naturally better to have as much True Qi as possible.
With abundant True Qi, one could use Martial Techniques at will.
In addition, the higher the quality of a Martial Technique, the stronger the attack power it could unleash.
As for the Perfection that Ning Yu'an mentioned, it was a Realm of mastery for Martial Techniques.
There were four Realms to mastering a Martial Technique: Entry Level, Minor Achievement, Great Success, and Perfection.
Entry Level meant one had only recently begun learning it, practicing for just a few days. When used, it had form but no spirit. To put it simply, it was all for show—flashy but useless.
There was a saying in the Cultivation Realm: "A hundred days for Minor Achievement, a thousand days for Great Success." This meant that reaching Minor Achievement in a Martial Technique required a hundred days of diligent study, while Great Success demanded a thousand days of hard work.
After reaching Great Success, the technique possessed both form and spirit, and its power was completely different.
As for Perfection, it was no longer a matter of Time. The key was the word "enlightenment." Many people could spend their entire lives unable to bring a Great Success Martial Technique to Perfection, always falling just short.
In a battle between experts, that small difference could mean the difference between life and death!
The original Ning Jiang had practiced the Big Splash Wind Sword for over nine hundred days just to reach Great Success, and then had made no progress for more than a year. But now, he had reached Perfection!
Perfection meant it was flawless and complete, with no openings. Form and spirit were one, allowing it to be used at will. Every move and stance was perfectly natural.
In the entire Ning Family, only two people had cultivated the Big Splash Wind Sword to Perfection, and both were from the older generation.
Among the younger generation, Ning Jiang was the first!