527 Practicing Qi to Achieve the Heaven-Connecting Realm

The group of martial artists carrying swords and sabers circuited the Courier Hostel, waiting anxiously. They hoped Darkness Palace and several of the large Divine Sects would confirm Mr. Su and Lady Jiang's identities as Qi Practitioners as soon as possible. That would give them the courage and hope to risk their lives.

The five of them were not in the mood to talk, all of them crushed by the restrained atmosphere. Just before the young man with a scar on his forehead was about to lose out to such a feeling and storm the hostel, they felt a crushing pressure descending upon them. It was so terrifying that they were shuddering physically and mentally. Their vision darkened and their mind froze as they contemplated the breath.

The five of them were not in the mood to talk, with all of them being crushed by the restrained atmosphere. Just before the young man with a scar on his forehead was about to lose out to such a feeling and storm the hostel, they felt a crushing pressure descending upon them. It was so terrifying that they were shuddering physically and mentally. Their vision darkened and their mind froze as they contemplated the breath.

The golden yellow mechanical dragon glittered with reflected sunlight. Divine Sun Stones were its eyes; the essence of Chinese Astrology Jin were its claws. It had stiff, elaborate joints, looking partially dead and partially withered.

"Crimson Dragon!"

"It's a wyrm automaton!"

"It's one of the 36 Secret Devices of Darkness Palace!"

The shocked exclamations came one after another as they watched the golden dragon landed inside the Courier Hostel with their mouths open.

"Su and Lady Jiang, my name is Zhu Kui. I'm here to pay you two a visit," said an emotionless and aged voice, the sound coming from behind the wall. It was neither courteous nor arrogant as if it was a cold and unfeeling stone speaking.

"Zhu Kui?" The group of martial artists exchanged glances and saw the horror reflected in each other's eyes.

"P-Principal Zhu has personally come!"

"No wonder Crimson Dragon is here..."

They began to discuss in low voices, unable to control their emotions.

To them, the Principal was an Immortal-like figure that had zero connection to mere mortals. It would still be acceptable if it was an Earl who came. Even if Earls were capable of altering mechanisms into Sky-destroying Cannons, the destruction would be confined to a cannonball destroying a house. It was still something that the martial artists could grasp!

There were fewer than 20 Principals in the entire Darkness Palace and every single one of them was promoted as exceptionally outstanding Earls. Each of them was taught a unique impartation of one of the 36 Secret Devices of Darkness Palace. Those devices were either capable of destroying entire cities and causing the collapse of mountains, mysterious and arcane, or terrifyingly powerful. In short, the Principals were similar to the Divine Masters of Divine Sect. They were no longer ordinary humans after obtaining a slice of heavenly power!

To think that such a big shot would come here in person!

Did the impartation of ancient Qi Practitioners pique his interest or was he here with plans of suppressing this incident and put a neat end to things?

Witnessing Meng Qi flicking the flying sword had left them in awe and shock as if they had seen a monster. Even so, the glory of the Principals spanned over tens of thousands of years and was rooted deep in everyone's hearts. They could not help shuddering when they saw Zhu Kui arrive at the hostel, thinking that disaster was likely in store for Mr. Su and Lady Jiang.

Suddenly, they saw a puff of white cloud floating down, descending in front of the hostel entrance. The person was wearing a bamboo crown and a blue robe that was elegant in its simplicity. The cuffs were lined with unique patterns of the cloud. He was a person who would leave a lasting impression on anyone who saw him.

The Taoist had the air of a destitute yet dignified scholar. Under his jet-black hair was a pair of wizened eyes.

"D-Divine Master Guo is here as well!" the boorish-mannered woman cried.

Divine Masters, like Principals, could call for wind and rain as well as make soldiers out of ordinary items. Divine Masters who could summon lightning and thunder were also Immortal-like figures in their eyes!

Even if martial artists could connect with the heaven, surely there would still be a gap between mere mortals and Immortals?

Divine Master Guo grinned at the guards at the entrance, saying, "I'm Guo Feihu, here to pay my friends, Su and Jiang. Can you please pass on the message?"

His manner was relaxed without the slightest hint of shame over having to visit in person. Furthermore, he was even observing all the rituals and norms as a sign of goodwill for Zhu Kui.

Zhu Kui's cold and indifferent voice came from within, saying, "Guo Feihu, just come in if you're here for a visit. Why bother putting on a show?"

The entrance creaked open to reveal the scene inside the hostel.

The main entrance opened directly into a large square paved with stones as the hostel often had to host a variety of large mechanical objects. It was a clean and neat place. To put it in Meng Qi's words, it was a 'parking lot'...

The golden dragon was lying in the middle of the square. 'Crimson Dragon' Zhu Kui remained seated on the back of the dragon, while Chang Huan, the Earl, had already stepped down from it. Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei were seated on a platform that came out of god-knows-where, allowing them to be on eye-level with Zhu Kui.

The golden dragon unleashed its might with its eyes, made out of Divine Sun Stone, staring at Meng Qi. There was a suffocating heat swirling in the air. Zhu Kui waited calmly without speaking. If not for the arrival of Guo Feihu, the scene would have looked as if it was frozen in time.

Meng Qi was no stranger to such a move. Some would call it displaying one's power to offset future conflicts. Some would call it demonstrating one's might to suppress the opponent's momentum, as a way of gaining an advantage in the negotiations. The interests of a weak-looking person would, after all, be placed in the back of one's mind.

It was the same scenario as with the rest of Meng Qi's battles. He would push his momentum to its peak and engage in a mental war with his opponents in an attempt to suppress their minds!

Guo Feihu, with his feet on the puff of cloud, cupped his hands and bowed. He floated to the platform and smiled widely at Zhu Kui.

Unable to maintain his stance due to Guo Feihu's interruption, Zhu Kui finally opened his mouth to say, "My two friends, did you say that you've received the impartation of ancient Qi Practitioners?"

"Yes. We've had obtained it in a certain isle in the South Sea but the tide had swallowed the isle after," Meng Qi replied, lying blatantly with a sincere expression.

He was seated cross-legged on the platform, with the sleeves of his green robe fluttering with the wind. Paired with the lovely, eye-catching Jiang Zhiwei beside him, he looked like someone who had stepped out of a painting.

With the entrance wide open, the group of martial artists outside was finally able to peek into the square. The guards were also so curious that they forgot to close the door and kept a close eye on what was going on.

Zhu Kui continued to question them. "The orthodoxy of Qi Practitioners has been lost for many years. How can we be sure that you're not swindling us?"

"Swindling?" Meng Qi chuckled. "With enough power, one wouldn't need to claim to have an impartation of Qi practitioner to be well-regarded. What reason is there for us to lie? We can just use any one of the dead sects as our shield."

"Good point." Zhu Kui's expression was calm as he slowly nodded. "With enough power, huh. Darkness Palace had always treated everyone equally but only if you have enough power."

He reiterated the words 'with enough power' twice in the tone of a person who had occupied the top spot for many years.

He paused momentarily before saying indifferently, "Why don't you two try attacking me with your strongest power? Show me the strength of ancient Qi Practitioners."

Zhu Kui appeared calm and poised riding on the back of the dragon. His words and manner all carried an air of confident matter-of-factness.

"Tsk, trying to show off in front of me..." Meng Qi stared at him without a change in his expression.

"Principal Zhu, are you sure you want me to attack you with full strength?"

"Putting on airs, trying to get us to attack you with our strongest power?"

"Would you like a taste of the Big Bang Technique or Anatta Sword?"

"This is the first time I've ever received such a request!"

Trying to smooth things over, Guo Feihu chimed in to say, "There's actually a simple test to distinguish a Qi practitioner. They refine the five elements of their heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney of their minds, uncovering the mysteries of their physical bodies, dual-cultivating their nature and destiny, and forming an Inner World within themselves. Wouldn't it be clear if either one of them expresses their interior scenery? There's no need to resort to a battle."

One who could flick a flying sword should be capable of expressing his interior scenery unless his cultivation was in the arts of physical protection skills.

"Inner World..."

"Expressing interior scenery?"

The eavesdropping group of martial artists outside exchanged glances. The terms were foreign and incomprehensible to them. Nevertheless, they were relieved that Mr. Su and Lady Jiang would not have to fight Principal Zhu!

Zhu Kui made a decision without waiting for Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei's replies. "That's a good test. I'll decide if I want to take on your strongest attack after you demonstrate the mythical prowess of Qi Practitioners."

The implication of his words was that they could just save the effort if the impartation that they had received was not strong enough. He would just accept them and give them ranks of nobility. The whole affair would just end up with Darkness Palace obtaining yet another impartation.

Meng Qi suddenly chuckled, looking rather playful. He turned his head to glance at the spying martial artists outside. His gaze hammered fear deep into their hearts.

"Why did Mr. Su look at us?"

"Though the path to Taoism is clouded, a person who lives in harmony with nature will be able to respond to the constellations above and complete the Inner World within oneself," Meng Qi said in a relaxed manner.

Divine Master Guo nodded gently as he listened. This was one of the foundations to the arguments of Taoism: it would be difficult to achieve sanctity without expelling one's Nether Spirits. It was not something that could be said lightly.

"It's hard to comprehend the many layers to the arcane Inner and Outer Worlds. To cultivate one's Inner World, one would have to refine the five elements of their heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney of their minds, and temper their physical bodies. To use one's Inner World to manifest an exterior universe means to express one's interior scenery, also known as the path of practicing one's Qi..." Meng Qi spoke frankly and reassuringly as if he was preaching Taoism instead of demonstrating it.

The martial artists at the entrance listened in stunned silence, finally comprehending what it meant to express one's interior scenery. However, for Meng Qi to put it so incredibly, just how mythical was it?

Frowning, Zhu Kui was waiting for Meng Qi to make a wager of some sort when he saw the latter patted the platform. He said, in a decidedly neutral voice,

"As long as I have the wind, so will the universe!"

The sound of his voice had barely faded when all of his Aperture acupoints opened, causing the void to rock.

Whistling sounds abruptly erupted in the air as ferocious gales began swirling, sowing dust everywhere.

The wind swept the faces of the martial artists and penetrated their ears at the same time Meng Qi had spoken.

The leaves of the large trees lining the square scattered and swirled in the air. The wind was so fierce that everywhere on the streets, the pedestrians' sleeves were billowing.

Inside Darkness Palace, Xie Xuan had just finished handing over his Scholar certification when a wind came blowing in through the window, scattering all the papers.

Zhu Kui's expression turned solemn as he heard Meng Qi continue tapping on the platform.

"As long as I have the clouds, so will the universe!"

With the rise of the wind, clouds bubbled up to fill the sky. The changing clouds shrouded the entire Yongzhou.

Meng Qi slowly stood up.

"As long as I have the thunder, so will the universe!"

Boom!

The white clouds darkened, with silver lights sizzling and jumping from within. The howling sounds were so terrifying that the martial artists shuddered, abruptly startling them.

Smoothening his beard, Guo Feihu began to sense his surroundings. If he unleashed his own Dharma and summon wind and rain, he could produce such an outcome as well. So could the secret device, Rain God, of Darkness Palace. However, Su Meng showed no signs of using any techniques and was able to cause such great disturbance in the weather with mere movements. He was indeed terrifying!

Meng Qi took a step forward.

"As long as I have the rain, so will the universe!"

Xie Xuan stared at the darkening sky outside the window and said worryingly to the person next to him, "Would there be a torrential rain?"

Howling sounds interrupted his words as heavy rain began pouring like slivers of silk, splashing water on the ground as they fell.

"As long as I want the sun, the skies will be bright!" Meng Qi took another step forward as his breath and Aperture acupoints shifted. He himself seemed to be the Grand Sun itself.

The torrential rain ceased instantly as the clouds gave way to spilling sunshine against the backdrop of a clear sky.

The dumbfounded martial artists were shuddering, though not out of fear but excitement.

"T-This is the Inner World of a martial artist who has connected to the heaven?"

"This is the externalization of one's interior scenery!"

"How is this any different from being a genuine Immortal?"

Xie Xuan stared a the pool of water on the patio before turning his eyes upward at the sky. He felt as if he was dreaming.

Guo Feihu and Zhu Kui stared at Meng Qi who was standing on the platform, feeling a destructive power oozing from every part of him. It was as if he was a miniature sun, pressuring the void around him.

Meng Qi stepped forward once again and spoke in a clear voice.

"Principal Zhu, why don't you come and attack me?"