Yan Ping was pleasantly taken aback by Anji’s insightful conclusion, which she had arrived at simply by listening to Yanxia’s explanation. Mingfeng’s claim that his youngest daughter was bright was an understatement. Anji’s intelligence was not just bright and sensible. It was a profound wisdom that allowed her to see beyond her years.
"Part of it is related to yin and yang," Yan Ping confirmed. "However, that’s not everything there is to the nature of qi. You’re still missing something vital. Remember, qi is the energy of life surrounding us and can be found almost anywhere. It is also found in the air, rocks and water."
Cooing at the cute child, Hong Nian Niang giggled.
"Little Anji, your teacher is so strict! If you can’t figure it out, you can always ask big sister for help," the mischievous Vermillion Bird sect leader offered.
Smiling gently, Anji politely refused her offer.
"I appreciate Set Leader Hong’s offer. However, if I seek answers without working for them, I will never be able to master their insights. Anji will continue thinking about it. Thank you, Elders, for all your guidance. I hope you can continue guiding me if I have any doubts again."
She was such a sweet and humble child. How could anyone not love her? Even Bai Dajin, who was not fond of children, liked her. Compared to her brother, who had a Yang Body and an unruly attitude, Anji was like a gentle peony flower that could weather the harshest storms and bloom beautifully again next spring.
"Don’t think so complicatedly, kiddo. The nature of qi is as it sounds like. Nature simply exists. We don’t create it," the White Tiger sect leader offered her another hint and glanced at Yan Ping, who remained silent. It should be alright to give the girl this much, right?
Although Yan Ping had lived for a long time and could foresee many things that most others could not, she never thought Bai Dajin would be interested in teaching someone else something other than martial arts. He must be really fond of Anji to offer her such useful advice. This content belongs to novel•fire.net
While Anji mulled over the nature of qi and what it could be, the match between Hao Yizhen and Yu Jiang took a fierce turn.
Seeing how Yu Jiang was slowly gaining the upper hand with the precision and control of her weapons, giving Hao Yizhen no opportunities to close in with her sword, Liu Yanxia’s junior sister made a risky gamble and leapt high into the air, out of the needle’s reach. She needed to make a big area attack that was powerful enough to buy her enough space to close in and corner her opponent with a checkmate.
"Phoenix Gale!" Hao Yizhen covered her sword with a qi aura and, with a powerful swing from the air, sent it flying towards Yu Jiang.
While the forceful wind pressure forced Yu Jiang to give up her advantageous position, the sect leaders watching knew who the final victor would be even without seeing it to the end. Liu Yanxia sighed in disappointment and looked away when Yu Jiang activated her Petal Dance footwork to reposition herself directly beneath Hao Yizhen, who was still in the air.
Using her needles to embed themselves into the stone tiles of the main courtyard, providing her with the foothold she needed, Yu Jiang channelled qi into her feet to step on the threads, propelling her forward and changing her direction midair when she had to dodge another sword strike aimed at her.
Anji held her breath as Hao Yizhen took too long to recover from two consecutive explosive attacks that missed their marks. Unlike Yu Jiang, who was always in a great position, Hao Yizhen became too desperate and overextended herself, using a power she was not suited for or accustomed to. Her overconfidence and miscalculation eventually lead to an opening that Yu Jiang could exploit.
Throwing her needles instead of risking a close-combat confrontation, Yu Jiang sent them flying past Hao Yizhen in different directions. At first glance, it appeared as if she missed. Either that, or she was aiming to confuse Hao Yizhen. However, Anji quickly realised why Yu Jiang had missed it deliberately. The needles were attached to threads that quickly wrapped around and slowly restricted the range of Hao Yizhen’s movements as she descended to the ground.
Like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web, the victory eventually fell into Yu Jiang’s hand. Even if she had only been learning from Hong Nian Niang for less than a year, she was able to defeat someone who had been diligently learning a sword style for years.
"The match is set!" Zhao Mingfeng announced. "The winner of this match is Yu Jiang from the Vermillion Bird Sect."
As the two exhausted ladies bowed to each other as a sign of respect, Anji replayed what she saw in her mind. The nature of qi cannot be created. It simply exists. If it exists in things that contain life, even if it did not breathe, could the nature of qi truly be nature itself?
No. That would not be right either, as death is part of nature. However, qi is the energy of life. Yet, it could appear in many ways and transform into different things based on the user. The raw form of life energy is drawn into the cultivation core and converted into a power that cultivators use. Yet, why were there so many different ways for cultivators to use that same energy? Some preferred to enhance their bodies internally, while others preferred to transfer them externally. Could it be talent?
"Nature simply exists," Anji repeated Bai Dajin’s words from earlier. "If it simply exists and nobody created it. That means it’s endless."
Feeling very close to the answer, Anji ignored the announcement about new participants for a new round of martial arts exchange. There is always an end to everything. The concept of yin and yang was about achieving the ultimate balance. However, there was a clause that what was yin contained a little yang and vice versa. It was very difficult for two polar opposites that repel each other like a magnet to come together harmoniously. The biology of men and women differed in that sense and not just physically.
"It’s affinity," Anji realised. "The nature of qi is a person’s natural affinity."
Yan Ping’s hand shook. How could a girl of less than fifty moon cycles derive the correct conclusion that many others had taken years to understand? Although Anji received a lot of hints along the way, wasn’t she too fast?
Similarly, Yan Ping was not the only person shocked by Anji’s brilliance. Zhao Wanting clasped a hand over her mouth with one hand and looked at her husband, who had a complicated look in his eyes. Nobody would doubt his youngest daughter’s brilliance after today. He knew such a brilliant flame could not be kept under wraps for long. However, he always hoped that Anji would take her time growing up. For this reason, they never taught her how to read or write, although he turned a blind eye to Mingshen’s tutoring. Children had to leave the nest one day, but the Zhao’s hoped to keep Anji with them for as long as possible. Sadly, the world had other plans for her and with every step Anji took towards maximising her potential, she also inadvertently grew a step further from their protection.
Lost in deep thought, Anji’s mind branched out to different possibilities now that she had grasped the basic concept. The crystals on her bracelet glowed lightly as she lost sight of the world before her. Although she did not activate the Heavenly Eyes, the more observant sect leaders sitting close to Anji noticed a spec of rainbow lights dancing in her eyes.
Silently, Hong Nian Niang shot Zhao Mingfeng a confrontational look. However, the Celestial Dragon patriarch shook his head and begged her not to ask questions with his gaze. The heartbroken look in his eyes explained everything.
The Vermillion Bird Sect Leader finally put all the pieces together as she studied Anji, who was close to attaining a new level of enlightenment in the middle of a casual martial arts exchange demonstration. From Yan Ping’s visit and declaration to take Anji as her disciple to the Celestial Dragon Sect’s overprotective behaviour, Hong Nian Niang did not know if she should pity Zhao Wanting or congratulate her for giving birth to such a genius.
Although there were many kinds of geniuses in the murim world, Nian Niang had never encountered a genius like Anji before. Yu Jiang could be considered a talented discovery on her travels. The child was a genius, mastering the Petal Dance technique in only three months. However, she could not hold a candle to Anji, who rivalled the wisdom and understanding of sages at such a young age.