Chapter 414 - 79: Qi Manipulation Skill 2

Soon enough.

"That’s Senior Brother Lu Chao."

"Coach Zheng’s senior brother."

The brief words struck the hearts of the crowd like stones. The new disciples, their faces filled with shock, watched him being welcomed and led away with reverence and longing.

All these emotions were reflected in his heart.

Lu Chao’s expression flickered. He realized that at some point, he had become the very person others looked up to with reverence and longing.

"Senior Brother Lu, you’re a legend in our club now. Many of the new disciples know your story."

Song Yan and the others accompanied him the entire time. As they led the way, he explained with a smile, "With you here today, I’m afraid many of the students will be asking for your autograph."

He said it with a hint of exaggeration, but the sincerity and respect in his words were genuine.

Lu Chao gave a helpless smile and followed them into the corridor, heading toward the backyard where Ge Hongfeng and the others were waiting.

Zheng Wu, despite being a coach, was not in the main hall. However, someone was quickly sent to the quiet room upstairs to inform him, asking him to take a break and come meet them.

Through this unspoken understanding, Lu Chao could feel the subtle changes his strength had brought about.

All this respect stemmed from it. Even personal connections were built on the foundation of Life Energy development.

Eventually, he suppressed these extraneous thoughts.

He walked into a spacious, classically styled backyard and saw Ge Hongfeng and the other two masters.

"Master Ge."

"Elder Chen, Elder Feng."

Lu Chao greeted them in turn with a cupped-fist salute.

The three Superpower Level masters of the club were sitting inside a mahogany pavilion. A glass canopy sheltered it from the elements, its climate control system maintaining a constant temperature in the backyard.

Amidst the swaying flowers and plants, the crimson glow of dusk pierced through the transparent canopy, bathing the area in light.

"Xiaolu, come, come."

Ge Hongfeng, his face wreathed in smiles, stroked his beard and stood up, walking around the stone table under the pavilion to welcome him.

After several months of recuperation, his injuries were mostly under control, and he could walk freely.

"Young Lu."

"Come, have a seat."

Chen Xuanxing and Old Feng also smiled kindly, gesturing for him to take the empty seat at the stone table.

A short while later, as Song Yan and the others bustled about, the aroma of tea filled the air, mingling with the fresh scent of the backyard’s flowers and plants.

Lu Chao could see the three masters looked troubled and recalled the members of the Xu family he had seen earlier.

During the small talk, he took the opportunity to ask about the situation.

"Sigh... There’s no point in hiding it from you."

Ge Hongfeng sighed. Dressed in a silver, traditional martial arts robe, he spoke in a world-weary voice, "The Xu family came to see us just now. They were hoping to ask Old Chen to make a trip with them into the wilderness to harvest a few Superpower Spirit Plants."

As he spoke, the three masters exchanged a look.

He stroked his beard, sighed softly, and shook his head without another word.

At his side, Old Feng, looking troubled, chimed in, "It’s not that we don’t want to help."

"For one, the Beast Tides are rampant, and Beast Kings appear from time to time, so it’s far too dangerous. For another..."

"The Giant Bear Club has some friction with us. Recently, they’ve been trying to set up a tournament to challenge us, so we really can’t spare anyone."

’So that’s how it is.’

Lu Chao understood, and some of his confusion dissipated.

’No wonder Xu Fengnian and his people looked so haggard and distressed earlier. It seems Master Ge and the others turned down their request.’

Nodding, Lu Chao didn’t comment further.

He wasn’t particularly close with the Xu family. He had received a gesture of goodwill from Xu Fengnian in the past, who had gifted him knowledge on several types of Superpower Potions. Later, because he had offended the Tan family, their relationship gradually grew distant. In reality, there was no real offense or grudge between them.

As for the club’s relationship with the Xu family...

When Li Gusha had come to cause trouble, the Xu family hadn’t sent any of their Superpower Level members to help. Lu Chao could guess some of the reasons why.

After that, during the idle chatter, they noticed he didn’t want to discuss the matter further and tacitly changed the subject.

Eventually, they learned the purpose of Lu Chao’s visit.

"The secret to projecting Qi Flame externally..."

Chen Xuanxing was dressed in a white, cloud-patterned martial arts uniform. His hair was thick and dark with flecks of gray, making it hard to believe he was over fifty years old.

Without holding anything back, he pondered for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Since Old Feng and Old Ge are both here, I’ll just explain it again."

"It would be a good thing if you two could break through to the Exploration Level."

At his calm words, Ge Hongfeng and Old Feng exchanged a smile. They had asked him about this matter in the past but had never been able to grasp the key principle.

But now.

All eyes turned to Lu Chao.

He stood up, offered a cupped-fist salute to show his gratitude, and then sat down quietly to listen as Chen Xuanxing began his instruction. "The so-called Qi Flame is, in essence, a manifestation of the human body’s power being aggregated with high efficiency."

"Espers call it the Genetic Spring, and Armored Transformers see it as Life Energy, but they are all fundamentally the same thing—a miraculous phenomenon born from the development of one’s Life Energy."

Chen Xuanxing’s eyes shone like stars as he opened his palm.

A white Qi Flame condensed in his palm, gradually solidifying until it resembled a flowing cloud.

"The Limit-Breaking Level involves breaking the body’s limits, causing your Life Energy to undergo a transformation and become more condensed. This is a qualitative improvement in your Qi Flame."

"As for the so-called Exploration Level, that is about exploring your own potential to better utilize this Life Energy."

WHOOSH!!

He thrust his palm forward, and the white, cloud-like stream shot out from his body, tearing through the air.

With a loud RUMBLE,

the Qi Flame, like a cannonball, struck a large rock, blowing it to pieces.

"Projecting your Qi Flame externally is fundamentally an improvement in your method of utilization. Of course, this is partly because the Qi Flame is so condensed that it won’t easily disintegrate or disperse midway."

"But more importantly, your Qi Manipulation Skill undergoes a qualitative change."

BUZZ!

Lu Chao watched as the Qi Flame on Chen Xuanxing’s body rapidly gathered, swirling around him like a flowing cloud.

Then, with a mere thought from the master,

the flowing cloud changed shape, at times like the wind, at others like water, looking incredibly lifelike.

"Qi Manipulation Skill?" Lu Chao’s gaze sharpened as he seized upon the key term.

Chen Xuanxing nodded slightly and explained, "The skill of controlling your Qi Flame is the Qi Manipulation Skill. You practice an advanced Martial Arts technique from the Superpower Bureau; there must be a corresponding section on it in there."

"Limit-Breaking, Exploration, and Transcendence—these three levels, from first breaking the limits of life to then transcending the self, from condensing the Qi Flame, to projecting it externally, and then to aggregating it, are all fundamentally about improving your Qi Manipulation Skill."

"The more efficiently you use your Qi Flame and the better your methods, the more you can temper every cell in your body, compensate for your weaknesses, and thus break through to a new upper limit of life."

Chen Xuanxing’s tone grew serious. "The reason it’s said that you must be able to project your Qi Flame externally to break through to the Exploration Level is that this act requires your body to reach a certain level of coordination. This causes a qualitative transformation in your Qi Manipulation Skill. Only then can your Life Energy be tempered to a higher degree, allowing you to break new limits..."

The further he explained, the more profound the concepts became. Old Ge and Old Feng exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly.

This was especially true for Old Feng, who had long since reached the peak of the Limit-Breaking Level but had been unable to grasp these key principles and take that final step.

In stark contrast,

Lu Chao had already activated his [Flow State] talent, temporarily boosting his comprehension by several notches.

Combined with his past accumulation of knowledge, he gradually began to understand the profound points in the master’s explanation. He was even starting to grasp some of the key principles of the 2nd Floor of the Ten Thousand Spirits Martial Arts Skill, [Thousand Refinements].

’I see.’

Lu Chao’s eyes burned with understanding. "Qi Manipulation Skill is the technique, while one’s physique and spirit are the foundation."

"A Martial Artist’s path to superpower is to use physical tempering to strengthen their Life Energy—what we call the Martial Arts Flame."

"Once the Qi Flame and physique are strong enough, they meet the minimum threshold for Qi Manipulation Skill, allowing for better utilization of the Qi Flame, which in turn continues to temper the physique..."

’Oh?’

Chen Xuanxing was momentarily stunned, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

’He’d asked me about this once before, but his reaction was no different from Old Feng’s and the others’.’

’But now, he already understands?’

"Young Friend Lu truly is a genius."

He murmured in admiration, his eyes filled with profound appreciation.

’It’s a shame I didn’t meet him sooner. How wonderful would it have been to take him as my disciple?’

’He suddenly understood some of Old Ge’s complicated feelings.’

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Chen."

With a slight smile, Lu Chao expressed his gratitude once more.

He suddenly felt that the Exploration Level might no longer be a major challenge for him.

’The only thing I lack now is the accumulation and improvement of my Life Energy.’

In other words.

The Exploration Level.

Was no longer far away.