Chapter 5. Running and Running… (1)
Muwui had heard of achieving the small success of the qi refinement stage, then a large success of the qi refinement stage as one trained in a cultivation technique. He couldn't remember the exact details, but he was pretty sure that's how it was.
And at this time, he was finally able to reach a minor qi refinement stage.
Of course, he could only assume that he did. He didn't even know what the small success of the qi refinement even meant. In Muwui's memory, he only remembered that it let him 'converse with the body'. Whatever that meant.
And the large success of the qi refinement… he didn't even remember anything about it.
"What the hell was that spine vein thingie again? He said it was good to clear it up, but what's that supposed to mean again? Can't remember…."
But he could tell that it had something to do with his current situation.
He could just tell. He could tell that there was far more to this than just the small success of the qi refinement stage.
Something like conversing with nature or whatnot.
They were all just hard words, but it really did feel like he was getting closer to something.
In reality, Muwui never really learned the specifics of a martial arts technique. He didn't even know the names of the fundamental veins in his body.
Why would he? He was barely scraping by during the war.
The only reason he knew what path the qi went inside his body was thanks to the tutelage of his sworn brother. When that wasn't enough, Muwui learned by having his brother draw dots on the places where the qi needed to flow.
But the power of learning from experience was terrifying.
The act of feeling with the body.
In other words, experimenting on one's own body.
Each and every qi deviation, big or small, would give him more and more knowledge about how qi should be handled. Even now, the cultivation technique he was using was far better than what Dapeng had taught him.
"The Muwui cultivation technique is pretty good, innit?"
There was a grin on Muwui's face.
He could feel how amazing his technique was after achieving a minor qi refinement stage.
The reason why he was able to progress so much was because of, once again, his qi deviations.
It was because Muwui didn't know how dangerous qi deviations were, and it was also because the foundational cultivation technique he created derived from the Muwui cultivation technique from was exceedingly simple.
Because it was simple and safe, the qi deviations were few and far between (relatively, of course) and weak at that. Plus, every time he experienced a qi deviation, he would decide to try using a different vein instead of going the same path as before. That helped.
Not only that, his veins became much more durable thanks to his qi deviations.
When he noticed this, he wondered if he could train his veins as well.
If his veins were more powerful, he probably wouldn't have suffered from qi deviation when he used that movement technique?
That was the conclusion he came to as he lay there unconscious.
Is it even possible to think while being unconscious, you ask?
Well, with practice, yeah.
The training of the veins.
If he was going to train with cultivation techniques anyway, why not strengthen the veins while he was at it?
"It's a good idea, innit? Even if I get qi deviation, it's going to hurt less."
He really had a talent for saying insane shit in the most casual manner.
In any case, he decided to start off his insane training with a relatively safe(?) qi deviation that only ended with having his mouth twist up.
He could train his veins by practicing martial arts, but Muwui was far more comfortable with more practical methods, like punching a tree to form calluses.
Well, it was more that he was trying everything he could because he didn't know jack shit.
Idiots were always brave, after all.
A shout emerged from Muwui's lips.
A change finally started taking place after quite some time.
"Ohhhhh!"
Training his veins along with collecting qi have had a special effect on his body.
The rate he was collecting qi had experienced some development.
The amount of veins in his qi circuit had increased, but the amount of qi he gathered in response had increased by several times as well.
Of course, this wasn't an instantaneous change.
At first, he had started off by adding veins that were being circulated when using his movement technique into his cultivation technique.
That wasn't all.
He even added the amount of active veins when fighting with a sword.
That was when he realized that there were even more veins in the body than he thought.
Of course, after this, he began to think.
He felt out the possible paths he could take with qi in his body.
They weren't that hard to find.
After all, his body remembered everything.
It remembered every single qi deviation it experienced. The pain Muwui felt became a wonderful pillar in his head.
There were so many paths to try.
Because he was experimenting with so many paths, he learned how to accelerate the speed of the qi in his body as well.
Of course… that wasn't really a good thing. He experienced a few more qi deviations before he could grasp the proper speed his qi had to move in.
It might've been better to stop, but… Muwui had seen to much to stop.
Like now.
"How nice."
Muwui slowly stood up.
He lifted his foot, and slowly activated his movement technique. His body moved like that of a speeding lion's. His speed was beginning to accelerate.
What started off as the Flying Horse Technique could no longer be called that.
Wind had started to blow through the path Muwui took.
The cave was small, but it still allowed Muwui to imagine the battlefield. To imagine the streets in his childhood.
He ran some more.
And more time passed.
Countless minutes, countless hours…
Muwui ran and ran, without stop.
The stars above passed just as fast as he ran.
Chapter 5 p2