I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 74 - 73: Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism Becomes Primordial Qi

Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism Becomes Primordial Qi

The winter sun was bright, scattering like flecks of gold across the courtyard, filling it with a gentle warmth.

The crabapple tree had shed all its leaves. Its bare branches reached out diagonally, casting faint, ink-like shadows on the mottled wall.

A light breeze rustled the slender branches, making it seem as if the tree itself were dozing lazily in the balmy air.

Zhao Tianxing held a Long Saber, swinging it with a WHOOSH as he practiced the forms of the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber.

"Faster!"

"Faster still!"

"Too slow!"

Cao Feng, seated on a chair in the corridor, urged him on at the top of his lungs, "Can’t you feel that searing heat roasting your flesh and bones?"

"That’s the medicinal power of the ’great medicine’ you just ate! You have to circulate your qi and invigorate your blood with all your might to guide that power and absorb it into your body!"

"You fool! Your Step Technique is wrong... You’re tripping over your own feet! The enemy hasn’t even made a move and you’re already falling over!"

"Unbelievable! You botched that ’Dark Clouds Overhead’ move just now, too!"

Cao Feng corrected Zhao Tianxing’s mistakes while simultaneously telling him to speed up.

Chu Fan stood to the side, silently watching the scene unfold.

He hadn’t started circulating his qi and blood yet, but he could already feel his entire body being roasted as if by a scorching fire.

The ’great medicine’ Master Cao had brought, while not as miraculously effective as the half-stalk of wild mountain ginseng Tianxing had, still allowed him to feel a wondrous power flowing through his limbs and bones.

WHOOSH!

In the center of the yard, Zhao Tianxing finished his last strike and stood with his saber at rest.

His face and bare arms were flushed crimson from the power of the ’great medicine’.

Cao Feng nodded slightly.

Zhao Tianxing’s talent for Sword Technique was indeed a cut above the average person, and his recent Sword Techniques had some merit, but he was far from being exceptionally gifted.

In the future, if he focused on archery and supplemented it with Sword Technique, he could still make a name for himself on the Martial Dao.

Cao Feng inclined his head slightly, giving a signal.

Chu Fan’s figure blurred, and he immediately strode into the center of the courtyard.

He gripped his saber in his right hand, his left arm slightly extended, and stood firm like a sturdy pine tree.

The bright sunlight glinted off the blade, reflecting a cold, sharp light.

The corner of Cao Feng’s mouth twitched upward.

Compared to Zhao Tianxing, he was actually a little more expectant of Chu Fan’s Sword Technique.

’Back then, Chu Fan managed to enter the Seven Stars Gang precisely because of that Firewood Splitting Saber Technique.’

But on second thought, Cao Feng felt his anticipation was a bit ridiculous.

’Even if Chu Fan’s talent for the Sword Dao is immense, his Cultivation is only at the Blood Nourishing Realm right now. He’s only been practicing the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber for a little over twenty days. What is there to look forward to?’

...

"Begin!"

With a flick of his wrist, Chu Fan snapped his Long Saber upward.

The back of the blade rested against his arm, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. This was the opening stance of the first stage, Thunder Sting: "Clouds Parting and Sun Shining."

Immediately after, he shifted his Sword Momentum. A cold light flashed through the air, sweeping before him like the wind scattering fallen leaves—it was "Wind Rolling Up the Remnant Clouds"!

BZZZ—

As the Sword Technique landed, the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

The snow piled up in the corner of the wall came sliding down with a RUSTLE.

Chu Fan’s Sword Techniques were swift, steady, and vicious. One strike flowed into the next, as smooth as moving clouds and flowing water.

Cao Feng, who had been leaning back lazily in his chair, shot upright with a SWISH!

"How is that possible!"

He stared intently at Chu Fan’s Sword Techniques.

The more he watched, the more shocked he became; the more shocked he became, the more delighted he was!

Compared to Chu Fan, Zhao Tianxing’s earlier Sword Techniques seemed as crude as a farmer’s clumsy motions.

The Sword Force of the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber placed an enormous strain on the practitioner’s body and needed to be paired with the five stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Therefore, when he had first taught Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing the Sword Technique, he had only passed on some basic forms.

When he gave them the Sword Manual for the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber, he only intended for them to spend time memorizing its contents.

He never expected that in just over twenty days, Chu Fan would have practiced the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber to such a level!

His Sword Techniques and Step Technique were simply flawless!

The Sword Techniques are the bones.

The Sword Force is the soul.

In terms of Sword Techniques alone, Chu Fan’s Sword Technique had surpassed even many members of the Cao Family who had practiced the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber for ten years!

’How is this possible!’

Just then...

Chu Fan’s face and arms also turned crimson, stimulated by the surging medicinal power of the ’great medicine’.

His movements grew faster and faster!

And his Long Saber began to emit a sword light more than two meters long!

CRACK!

The moment he saw that sword light, the teacup in Cao Feng’s hand shattered with a CRACK!

Tea soaked his sleeve.

But he didn’t even notice, his eyes glued to Chu Fan’s movements!

"Master Cao, you..."

Zhao Tianxing, standing to the side, was taken aback.

But Chu Fan seemed lost in his Sword Cultivation. Not only did he not stop, but his speed actually increased!

’Hot!’

’So hot!’

Chu Fan instinctively gathered his Qi Blood Power and infused it into his Sword Force.

Sword Qi crisscrossed the courtyard!

Time slowly passed...

BOOM!

When the final move came, Chu Fan’s Long Saber unleashed a sword light over two meters long, cleaving through the snowdrift in front of him with a single strike!

Snowflakes flew everywhere...

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Cao Feng shot to his feet, roaring with laughter. "Good lad! I knew your talent for Sword Cultivation was astonishing, but I still underestimated you!"

"I haven’t even had a chance to teach you the subsequent Sword Techniques, yet you’ve reached this level with just a Sword Manual!"

"Good, good, good!"

He said the word "good" three times, his excitement palpable.

He looked at Chu Fan, and the more he looked, the more he felt a sense of regret they hadn’t met sooner.

When Chu Fan first came to the Seven Stars Gang, he had performed a Bone Touching and, seeing that Chu Fan was a bit old and had ordinary potential, turned him away.

The second time Chu Fan came for a Bone Touching, he recognized him and was even a little annoyed, wanting Qingxue to throw the man out...

But now...

Cao Feng walked over and clapped Chu Fan hard on the shoulder, making him wince in pain.

"You kid..."

Cao Feng’s chest heaved, his eyes slightly red. "Fourfold Blade Force..."

"In less than a month, you’ve mastered the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber to this extent!"

"Your talent for Sword Cultivation is the kind seen only once in a century!"

Beads of sweat formed on Chu Fan’s forehead, but his expression remained calm. "It is all thanks to Master Cao’s guidance. This disciple merely practiced a few extra times."

"Guidance, my ass!" Cao Feng cursed with a laugh. "When I taught you the Sword Technique, you hadn’t even reached Blood Nourishing. I only taught you the basic forms and didn’t even dare let you try to integrate Sword Force."

"Yet you, with only a Sword Manual, managed to integrate Fourfold Blade Force in such a short time?!"

"Good! From now on, the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber will likely flourish in your hands!"

Cao Feng laughed heartily.

To be honest, he had felt a pang of regret earlier when he’d split the mountain chicken in two, giving one half to Qingxue and Cao Yan, and the other to Chu Fan and Tianxing.

After all, a ’great medicine’ like that was a rare find, not something one could obtain just by chance.

If he had eaten it himself, it would have been of greater use—it could both increase his Cultivation and extend his life.

But thinking of how Chu Fan and Tianxing needed the ’great medicine’ for Refining Essence and Marrow and Strengthening Tendons and Bones, he had chosen to part with it, excitedly bringing it over as soon as it was roasted.

Now, seeing Chu Fan’s progress in the Sword Dao, he felt that giving them the ’great medicine’ had been an extremely timely decision!

And he himself felt as exhilarated as if he had eaten ten ’great medicines’!

Just then, Zhao Tianxing also walked over, an excited look on his face, winking at Chu Fan.

Chu Fan caught his breath. "Master Cao, after eating that mountain chicken, my whole body felt like it was on fire, even more intensely than during the medicinal baths..."

"That’s natural," Cao Feng said. "I told you, this is a great medicine that has absorbed the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism... I couldn’t even bear to eat it myself, and you might not be able to buy it even if you had the money."

"With your constitutions, it will take at least half a month to fully absorb the medicinal power from this half of a chicken."

"Not only can it help you with Blood Refining, but it can also go on Strengthening Tendons and Bones... Even for those like Qingxue and Cao Yan, who have already achieved Mortal Transformation, eating it is greatly beneficial!"

"Senior Brother Cao and Senior Sister Qingxue have already achieved Mortal Transformation?" Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing asked in unison, their faces filled with astonishment.

They had long known that Cao Yan and Li Qingxue were talented and powerful, but they never expected them to be *this* powerful—

Mortal Transformation meant, at the very least, that they had broken through the five stages of Foundation Establishment!

How many people in all of Cyan Yang Ancient City had achieved Mortal Transformation?

Previously, while eating in the dining hall, Chu Fan had heard someone say that even the Incense Masters of the Seven Stars Gang had yet to achieve Mortal Transformation!

’No wonder when Li Qingxue said she would kill Zhou Ye, Zhou Ye didn’t dare make a peep.’

’With that kind of power, even if Zhou Ye’s uncle, Incense Master Zhou, showed up, Li Qingxue would still cut him down. How would Zhou Ye dare to be so insolent?’

"No need to be envious."

Cao Feng slung an arm around Chu Fan’s shoulder. "With your and Tianxing’s talent, it won’t be long before you two also achieve Mortal Transformation."

"During this time, you must train even harder..."

"Practice the Twelve Forms Fist and the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber more often. That’s the only way for your bodies to absorb the Spiritual Mechanism from the ’great medicine’."

"Spiritual Mechanism..." Chu Fan said thoughtfully. "Master Cao, will the Spiritual Mechanism transform into our Qi Blood Power?"

"No." Cao Feng’s answer was simple and direct. "Spiritual Mechanism can increase a Martial Artist’s qi and blood and strengthen their tendons and bones, but it cannot be converted into Qi Blood Power."

"It transforms into another kind of power..."

"A power that can only be sensed and used after achieving Mortal Transformation."

"We call it... Primordial Qi!"

As soon as he finished speaking...

Cao Feng made a grasping motion in the air with his right hand and shouted softly, "Dragon-Catching Hand!"

A power that made Chu Fan and Tianxing’s hearts palpitate condensed between his five fingers, forming a translucent giant hand that directly snatched a Stone lock two zhang away from the three of them!

WHOOSH!

The Stone lock flew through the air.