How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?

Chapter 285 - 155: Refining the Essence, Innate Qi

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

The Martial Arts Hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

But Lin Ye’s heart was not stirred by his breakthrough to Meridian Opening Perfection.

To him, it was merely a natural progression—a necessary step on the path to greater heights.

Lin Ye felt a probing gaze fall upon him.

He turned his head and met Dongfang Zhen’s intrigued eyes.

"Mr. Lin, congratulations." Dongfang Zhen’s voice was low but filled with certainty. "You’ve fully opened all Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Reached Meridian Opening Perfection?"

Lin Ye was slightly taken aback.

He hadn’t expected Dongfang Zhen to be so perceptive. Even the most subtle fluctuations in his Qi and Blood hadn’t escaped his notice.

Though they spoke softly, their voices clearly reached the old man on the lecture platform.

Lin Hanshan’s ears twitched. For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed his usually expressionless face.

He stepped down from the platform and walked directly to Lin Ye.

In an instant, the attention of every student in the Martial Arts Hall was drawn to them.

"You’ve reached Meridian Opening Perfection?" Lin Hanshan’s voice was still cold and hard, but Lin Ye knew it was just an act.

Lin Ye nodded.

"Very good."

"The method for breaking through to the Gang Condensation Realm is recorded in the miscellaneous section of the *Tai Xu Two Principles True Understanding*."

"Since you’ve achieved perfection, I will explain it to you today, ahead of schedule."

His words stunned the entire hall.

Many students looked on with envy.

"Unlike most mainstream concepts, from the perspective of the *True Understanding of the Two Principles*, the so-called Gang Condensation isn’t a simple compression of Qi and Blood. Its essence is to return to the origin, to trace back to the innate."

"In the Vein Opening Realm and before, the Qi and Blood flowing within a Martial Artist’s body is all postnatal qi."

"What is postnatal? Eating the five grains, drinking the water of heaven and earth, breathing the air of the mountains and rivers—this is all postnatal. No matter how pure this energy becomes, its source is ultimately postnatal."

"These things are the foundation of a person’s existence in the world, but they are also shackles that prevent further progress."

Lin Hanshan’s voice echoed in the quiet Martial Arts Hall, each word seeming to carry a strange magic.

"And the first step to entering the Gang Condensation Realm consists of just four words: separate wheat from chaff."

"You must drastically reduce and discard the postnatal Qi and Blood in your body, completely eliminating all postnatal impurities within it."

"This is all to find that single sliver of... Innate Qi! The qi that existed in the source of your life while you were in the womb, before you took your first breath of mortal air, before you ate your first bite of worldly food!"

This theory overturned the understanding of almost everyone present.

Eavesdropping from the side, Dongfang Zhen could no longer hold back. He spoke up, "Mr. Lin, forgive my impertinence, but according to what I’ve learned, the principle of the Gang Condensation Realm is to eliminate a large amount of useless Qi and Blood, then highly compress the remainder to induce a qualitative change."

"This theory of yours about the innate and postnatal is something I’m hearing for the first time. It’s quite novel."

As soon as his voice fell, Zhang Daoxuan, who was sitting on the other side, also leaned in.

"A brilliant perspective."

"This argument coincides with the Daoist concept of ’returning to the innate’ that I’m familiar with. The world believes that cultivation is just a fantasy, but perhaps it’s simply that they haven’t reached the necessary realm."

In the Martial Arts Realm where Lin Ye lived, there were, as of yet, no true Cultivators.

However, there were people like Zhang Daoxuan, who came from Daoist sects.

These great families and clans all firmly believed that the more ancient something was, the stronger it was.

The Daoist scriptures and ancient martial arts left behind by their ancestors must hold a deeper meaning.

Lin Hanshan shot a glance at the two who had interjected and snorted coldly, but he wasn’t truly angry.

"All paths lead to the same source; different roads lead to the same destination."

He turned back and continued explaining to Lin Ye, "What Dongfang Zhen said is an explanation from the perspective of modern martial arts science, and it isn’t wrong."

"Eliminating, compressing, and then inducing a qualitative change is essentially the same as what I call ’discarding the coarse to keep the essence’ and ’returning to the origin’."

"You just need to remember that what you must do now is prune the extraneous branches. Only by giving something up can you gain something in return."

Upon hearing this, understanding dawned on Lin Ye.

’If I compare all the Qi and Blood in my body to a towering tree, then what I need to do now is personally chop off over ninety percent of its twigs and leaves, leaving only the core, the most fundamental trunk.’

’No wonder my control over my Qi and Blood has been continuously improving in the later stages of the Vein Opening Realm, to the point where I can manipulate it in units of 0.1 on the Qi and Blood index.’

’If I can’t even achieve microscopic control over the energy inside me, how could I possibly talk about pruning and discarding!’

’And no wonder! No matter how many Source Crystals I used to refine my Qi and Blood, besides making the Pseudo-Gang Sha more condensed, there was never a qualitative change.’

’The limit of postnatal Qi and Blood is the Pseudo-Gang Sha form!’

"When all your postnatal Qi and Blood has been ’pruned’ and only the purest Innate Qi remains in your body, a Qi Sea Vortex will naturally form within your Dantian."

Lin Hanshan’s voice rang out again.

"The vortex is the foundation of the Gang Condensation Realm. Only the Dantian Qi Sea can store Innate Qi."

"During the preparatory stage, your meridians have not yet been transformed by the Innate Qi, so they cannot retain it."

"If the total amount of Innate Qi you refine is insufficient to form a vortex, it means the Qi Sea has failed to open. You won’t be able to retain the qi, and this breakthrough attempt will be considered a failure."

"Failure only proves that your foundation in the Vein Opening Realm was unstable, that both the quantity and quality of your Qi and Blood were lacking. You would have to start over and build a more solid foundation."

As he said this, Lin Hanshan gave Lin Ye a deep look.

"Therefore, breaking through places almost draconian demands on the total amount and purity of the Qi and Blood a Martial Artist accumulates during the Vein Opening Realm."

"Those who rush through the Vein Opening Realm without building a proper foundation are destined to fail in their attempt to break through to the Gang Condensation Realm."