128: Chapter 127 Qi’s Puzzle [Extra for Alliance Hierarch Yi Sheng Yu] 128: Chapter 127 Qi’s Puzzle [Extra for Alliance Hierarch Yi Sheng Yu] The trio of Hou Niao finally completed their initial patrol, which was somewhat sluggish.
Wang Mian was somewhat puzzled, “Why don’t we just strike directly at the Suqiu Ksitigarbha Palace?”
Hou Niao glanced at him, “Because I don’t want to die in a rat hole, nor do I want my junior brother to fall there.”
He paused and then explained, “Now is the period when the giant rat clan is most on guard.
They have just made a big move and, feeling guilty like thieves, will surely bunch up their strength and hunker down in their rat holes to watch the situation.
If we start our actions against them now, it will only make them tense up even more.
We need to let them relax, and our primary task at the moment is cultivation!
While those with ill intentions are shrinking back and watching, we need to focus on enhancing our own strength, not endlessly provoking them.”
Hou Niao looked at Fang Yazi, “Yazi, what is the most outstanding quality of a good hunter?”
Fang Yazi answered without hesitation, “Patience!
In pursuit of prey, a good hunter can endure for months, all for that final lethal strike.”
Hou Niao nodded, “Exactly!
We will extend the investigation and use time to change certain things.
It’s now the deep winter when it’s cold enough for hibernation, so let’s give them the time to fatten up.
When spring comes and not just the spring flowers bloom, but also the hearts that have lain dormant all winter, they will think that everything is over and no one will pursue them anymore, which will be the perfect time for them to come out to stretch and cause trouble.
That’s our opportunity.”
Wang Mian hesitated, “What about Master Xiang?”
Hou Niao dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand, “Since this matter has been entrusted to me, then it will be done my way!
There is no Master Xiang here, only Master Hou!
The situation at the Fang Family’s Castle is similarly sluggish, and the Town Government lineage has been unable to open up prospects; they too are waiting for variables.
My idea is that once we start, it has to be like a sudden, fierce storm, and we can’t stop and land up with half-cooked rice.”
Master Hou had gained some renown after the battle at the Sealed Moon, and of course, they didn’t care much about such fame—the key was that they genuinely couldn’t beat him;
Wang Mian thought that after reaching the Essence Building Realm, his swordsmanship could keep up with Master Hou’s pace, but now it seemed there was an increasing gap; there was no need to mention Fang Yazi, as he joined the Quanzhen Sect specifically to follow Hou Niao.
Rhythm is something that Hou Niao had comprehended—sudden rain doesn’t last the morning, and sporadic wind doesn’t last the day.
Blindly advancing with aggression is not the essence of cultivation, and this truth applies whether to swordsmanship, conducting oneself, or even to cultivation itself.
He is now changing the rhythm of his sword technique, and this pertains to the current situation in Yinling in a parallel fashion.
It’s necessary to slow down, let the giant rats relax, allow oneself to focus on cultivation, and also drag out the situation for those who want to exterminate the giant rat clan without making any sacrifices.
Where’s the sense in that?
How can one hope to exterminate a sworn enemy while remaining uninvolved?
“The colder weather brings clearer thinking, during these months, everyone should think hard about any good methods?
“Pulling the military might from Jin City’s central command is no achievement, anyone can do that.
But isn’t gathering the forces of Yinling Town Government and the Patrols together a bit too conspicuous?
Is there a way for just the three of us to complete this task?”
Hou Niao laid out his request and then washed his hands of the matter, choosing a fortress at random to focus on his cultivation.
Meanwhile, he let his two junior fellow disciples patrol the entirety of the territory on his behalf – it was an opportunity not to be wasted.
After all, once this mission was completed, he had no reason to keep them around; eventually, they had to set off on their own paths.
His cultivation progress had reached a critical stage, the Bursting Dantian Stage.
Many people imagine the dantian as a vessel, thinking that cultivation is simply the process of incessantly pouring spiritual power into this container until it’s full.
However, the so-called vessel is not a real entity but a space in the mind of every cultivator.
It is neither the stomach nor the bladder!
Just how much spiritual power does it take for the dantian to be full?
There is no fixed amount.
It is a conceptual entity that could be infinitely large or infinitely small.
Everyone’s dantian is different, and even for the same person, the dantian differs at various stages of life.
This variation correlates with the cultivator’s understanding of the Dao, life, and the world.
Thus a situation arises where if a cultivator secludes themselves from the affairs of the world and indulges in their small universe, their dantian could quickly become filled – simply because their Dao is not grand enough!
This ‘container’ might be filled by one bucket of water for some, while others might need three, five, or even more, which is determined by their differing awareness of the world.
It’s a paradox: the larger the container, the harder it is to fill, but once filled, the foundation becomes incredibly solid, crucial for the future course of cultivation.
Whereas a smaller container allows for rapid progress in cultivation but lacks a sturdy base, making advancement more difficult as one ascends.
This is an issue every cultivator faces in the Essence Building Stage.
In their hearts, all cultivators wish to expand their dantian as much as possible without affecting the speed of their ascent to the Upper Realm.
It is a gamble, with opportunities and risks coexisting.
If the dantian is expanded too much, it may never be filled; if expanded too little, one remains unsatisfied.
Seeking the perfect balance amidst this oscillation is the joy of cultivation.
This process begins when the dantian feels nearly seventy percent full, which is referred to in the cultivation circles as Qi’s puzzle.
The method involves beginning a violent infusion once the dantian is seventy percent full, testing the limits of one’s dantian.
The capacity might stop at the usual hundred percent, but it might also continue to climb: one hundred and twenty percent, one hundred and fifty percent, or even two hundred and three hundred percent.
Hou Niao was at the point where he felt that both his dantians were about seventy percent full.
This could be the truth or an illusion, and it all depended on how far he could push in a violent surge.
His philosophy was not to force it; not to insist on expanding the dantian to a certain size or chase after the speed of ascension.
When the timing felt right, he would just go for it, let things take their natural course.
His cultivation progress was already behind others.
It was normal for people at his age to reach the Fasting Stage; he didn’t have time to pursue perfection, especially when this perfection had no limit.
From entering the Essence Building Stage to his dantian being seventy percent full, it took him less than four months, which wasn’t bad—he could be considered a modest genius, disregarding his age.
Wang Mian had advanced to the Essence Building Realm just around ten days after Hou Niao, which meant that he might also tackle Qi’s puzzle during this cold winter season.
Fang Yazi was the latest of all; his dantian was not even fifty percent filled.
Whether he could overcome this obstacle before the bloom of spring was uncertain, but he hoped to succeed because if all three of them reached the Grain Avoidance Stage while dealing with Ksitigarbha Palace, it would undoubtedly be the greatest assurance for their survival.
Solving Qi’s puzzle was also the final step of the Essence Building Realm; when a cultivator felt that their dantian was overflowing with nowhere to store more, they would have reached the legendary state where they could subsist on the energy of wind and dew, needing no mortal food, sustaining their body’s basic needs with just the breath of spiritual essence.