Chapter 260 - Peeking into the Pugilist World (2/2)
”It couldn't be helped, I don't think many people can be Qin Yun's match.”
The fox spirit cooed at Zero's honesty and hugged him tightly, almost to the point of suffocation. Titor excused himself to return and rest while Zero struggled to break free from the hold. Once he was free, Qin Yun told him that it was his duty to unfreeze everything before lunch.
”Think of this as part of your training. I want you to push the yang qi out of your body just enough to heat the ice and not burn the forest. Don't do it too quickly or it will explode.”
Zero was reminded of how he tried to use fire on the clay back at Trigression Falls and nodded. It wouldn't be good to be impatient, haste made waste.
Qin Yun watched as Zero concentrated. The qi Zero exuded was very gentle like spring after a long winter. She sighed and relaxed, basking in the warmth. Zero was very gifted in cultivation just like how he was a good magician. What she did earlier was merely show Zero a peek into the pugilist world. She knew that the teen had chosen to walk the path of a doctor. However, she didn't know if he wanted to pursue the path as a cultivator or magician seriously. Maybe it was because Zero's potential hasn't been maximised which allowed him to use both magic and qi. However, eventually, she knew that he was going to have to choose. Those who wielded magic couldn't cultivate and the same happened for those who chose the cultivation path.
Hua Tuo was a cultivator which explained why his grasp on healing magic wasn't as good. However, Zero still had the option to abandon either one. She didn't want to teach the boy too much seeing as he was a fast learner. If Qin Yun explained the concept of developing the inner world, it was like the final nail to the coffin. Zero would never walk the path of a magician again once his inner world was developed.
Unknown to her, Zero already had a flourishing inner world that tended to itself without him needing to conscientiously monitor its development. Ba Guai was an intelligent creature that drew on its master's learning and experiences to grow new things. The octopus had learnt that rivers can be created from lakes and volcanoes can give birth to hot springs. Large rocks when filled with life can become mountains and so on and so forth. It also created a cycle of day and night all by itself. There were different weathers as well that reflected Zero's feelings. Most of the time it was sunny in Zero's inner world but whenever Zero thought about Solo, it became cloudy.
Zero drew on Ba Guai's volcano to bring out a steady supply of yang qi. He allowed the energy to circulate in his body and only released it gradually once the temperature exceeded his normal capacity to feel comfortable in it. It was tough exercising patience but worth it by the end of two hours when Zero heard the gentle trickling of water in the unfrozen river.
He opened his eyes and saw that while there were still some leftover frost and snow on the ground and trees, he did a good job to turn that dreary winterscape into a beautiful early spring even though it was actually autumn on Endow Hill.
He looked at Qin Yun who nodded in satisfaction at the work. Zero's control had improved even though the boy sometimes struggled with the concept of patience. There were a few occasions when Zero allowed the heat to spiked up too much but he soon pulled it back under control when it happened and the fox spirit couldn't have found a better student.
”Well done, let's head back for lunch. I think your basic qi training with me is done. You have very good control of qi and I will leave the rest to Hua Tuo to teach you. He should be back in the village by tomorrow. I hope today's short match was an eye-opener for you.”
Zero thought about it. He still had some questions. ”What was the water bullet thing just now? Did Titor charge water with qi? Are you alright?”
Qin Yun cooed at the doctor's concern. ”Yes, I'm fine. That was basic qi channelling through a medium. The water was temporarily charged with yin qi to make it act like ice for a while. Once the yin qi escapes, it is back to becoming water.”
Zero nodded and took notes while they walked back to the village. ”I see... what about the compressed ball of air? Isn't that too dangerous to be used in a match?”
Qin Yun laughed. ”Oh yes, it is. It can create a small crater if I actually went ahead to use it. You can call it a bluff. I was trying to get Titor to surrender with it. It's basically air trapped within a barrier of yin surrounding it while I charge the insides with yang. Once I let go of the qi barriers surrounding that air, it will explode like a bomb.”
Zero shuddered. That sounded way too dangerous.
”However, an expert like Hua Tuo would be able to easily counter that because it's a very basic qi manipulation technique. Good cultivators are able to counter each other's moves if they have a good grasp of the Ba Gua. For each move, there will be a counter move. In a fight between pugilists, you will often see masters competing in a battle of attrition if they are equally tied. Some pugilist masters only lose because of the nature of the body they cultivate. For example, a bad match for someone with a frost body like mine would be Amon who has a fire type element. While I can use yang qi to fight fire with fire, it is not my strongest element. It could delay time but if the battle dragged out, I would lose.”
Zero nodded. Elements also played a huge role in cultivation on the upper echelons just like magic. ”Are people born into certain attributes when they cultivate?”
Qin Yun shook her head. ”Everyone starts off in tune with everything in nature. Specialisation is a choice for masters. You can choose to cultivate equally in all fields but it takes too long for even experts. Unless you are Buddha, I don't think anyone can pull it off successfully.”
Zero grinned. ”That makes things a lot easier to understand. Thanks, Qin Yun! I learnt a lot today.”
The fox spirit smiled and Zero felt happier knowing that it would be possible for him to cultivate all elements equally. Ba Guai was a product of training that Hua Tuo designed with Buddha's help. Surely asking for an all-rounded cultivations style wasn't impossible.