Chapter 69: Forcing Through the Checkpoint

Old Yue’s words were resolute, but the moment he considered Zuo Lengchan’s current martial prowess, a wave of anxiety washed over him. “Zuo Lengchan has possessed the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual for several years now. His skills must be fathomless by this point. If he insists on having his way, what should we do…”

Hearing this, Zheng Jian offered comfort. “Don’t worry, Master. As long as I’m here, I won’t let Zuo Lengchan’s schemes succeed!”

Old Yue understood that everything now rested on Zheng Jian’s shoulders. In the past, he might have had a fair chance against Zuo Lengchan, but now, all his confidence had vanished. His worries were not without reason.

…

That night, Zheng Jian returned to the Cliff of Reflection. The cool night breeze flapped his robes, making them billow and snap.

“There’s some pressure now,” Zheng Jian muttered to himself. Still, he was not without hope. By his estimate, his odds against Zuo Lengchan were about forty to sixty—he held the forty.

“No, I can’t slack off now. Even if it’s last-minute, I have to make the most of this month and strive to completely master the second stage of Innate Force!”

Resolute, Zheng Jian entered the cave to begin his arduous training. His swordsmanship had reached a bottleneck; only by refining his inner energy could he progress further.

This supreme art, which directly pursued the innate state, was Zheng Jian’s greatest reliance in facing Zuo Lengchan, and the key to countering the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.

After his great battle with Ren Woxing, Zheng Jian had stepped into the second realm—refining qi into spirit—but he was still some distance from mastery.

He sat cross-legged, palms and soles facing skyward, silently running through the Innate Force technique. Pure innate true energy surged through his meridians, each cycle strengthening and widening the paths for qi, growing in power with each circulation.

At the same time, strands of true energy split off, probing the extraordinary eight meridians.

Each time qi was generated, it would complete a circuit through the Ren and Du channels, returning to the dantian. This was known as a great cycle. When tranquility was complete, qi would arise anew, and the world would respond.

In these moments, one must not be startled or disturbed. When the energy is full and ready to return, guide it with the mind—one inhalation sends the spirit energy surging to the crown, one exhalation brings it sinking to the dantian. This is a single cycle. Guard it with the mind, in utter stillness and illumination, letting all awareness dissolve into meditative absorption. This repeated process is called refining essence to replenish the brain.

The key to mastering the second stage was unblocking the Ren and Du meridians, bridging heaven and earth within oneself.

When a person is in the womb, these two channels are open, but after birth, with the first breath, they are blocked.

Most martial artists, after opening the twelve regular meridians, can be called experts. To unlock the eight extraordinary meridians is to become a top internal master. This was precisely where Zheng Jian was stuck.

As the true energy circulated longer, he felt a gentle warmth in his dantian and a surge of primal energy.

The primal energy, instead of dispersing outward, rose to the central palace, merging with spirit, misty and unmoving, drawing him into deep meditation. After a while, the energy stirred again, a wave of heat flowing from the dantian through the tailbone, up the spine, crossing the Jade Pillow and reaching the brain’s core before descending once more to the dantian. In these moments, spirit followed qi, not by conscious effort, but as a natural response.

When the true energy reached the barrier between the Ren and Du channels, it felt as if a wall blocked the way.

In the past, Zheng Jian would condense his energy into fine threads and try to wear down the obstacle bit by bit. But now time was of the essence, and he resolved to break through by force.

After cycling his energy twelve times, Zheng Jian felt his essence, energy, and spirit had all reached their peak.

“This is it!”

He rallied his true energy and rammed it against the barrier.

With a thunderous crash, his vision went black, and his true energy erupted in chaotic tumult.

Beneath his blue robe, veins bulged across his skin, and faint traces of blood seeped from beneath the surface.

Gritting his teeth, Zheng Jian forced down a “Wuchang Pill.” As the medicine melted, its warmth eased his pain somewhat.

Looking within, he saw a tiny fissure in the blockage of the two channels.

“It’s working!”

Delighted, Zheng Jian endured the agony. Though the pain of forcefully breaking through was excruciating, it brought him hope.

“Damn it, I’ve always tried to take shortcuts in cultivation. When have I ever suffered like this…” Zheng Jian gasped, complaining, for by nature he was lazy, often relying on the system's instant mastery. Only now, in bitter practice, did he realize the hardship of true internal training.

Especially with this kind of forceful, unnatural breakthrough, the suffering was all the greater.

“Zuo Lengchan, you’re really putting me through hell!”

He managed a wry smile and began another assault on the barrier.

Once, twice, three times…

He lost count of the attempts. Each time, the pain nearly made him lose consciousness, but stubbornness drove him on.

At last, the barrier had been whittled down to a mere sliver. Zheng Jian’s heart leapt—this would be the final blow!

Summoning all his true energy, he hurled it toward the remaining blockage in his Ren and Du channels.

A thunderous shock reverberated in his mind, then a wave of indescribable comfort swept through his body, and his mind fell into tranquil clarity.

In his meditation, a white light as bright as mercury spun between the two channels, naturally completing over three hundred cycles before coming to rest.

“It’s done!”

Sensing the smooth, unhindered flow of true energy within, Zheng Jian breathed a slow sigh of relief and opened his eyes. For a moment, a milky haze seemed to swirl in his gaze. When he blinked again, his eyes returned to normal, but the deep clarity of his black and white pupils was like limpid autumn water, imbued with the effortless essence of the Dao.

His clothes were drenched, as if pulled from a river, but Zheng Jian merely smiled, unconcerned.

Now, having truly mastered the second stage of Innate Force—refining qi into spirit—he felt both his inner world and the outer world transformed. He no longer feared heat in summer or chill in winter; his spirit was full, his mood buoyant, content and at ease. The elation was beyond words.

In his mind, he reviewed the description of the third stage—refining spirit to return to the void—but it remained a mystery. He understood that this was the realm of the innate, a brand new stage, and it was natural that he could not yet comprehend it.

When he emerged from seclusion and Lin Pingzhi brought up his meal, Zheng Jian learned that ten full days had passed.

Ten days in closed-door training—this was a first for Zheng Jian, but the gains were immense and well worth it.

Lin Pingzhi couldn’t help but notice that Zheng Jian’s presence had changed. There was a new air of transcendence about him, an effortless grace in the way he stood.

“Senior Brother, have your skills improved again?” Lin Pingzhi asked.

“I’ve made some progress, yes. What, you noticed?” Zheng Jian replied with a gentle smile.

“Heh, not really. I can’t tell, but you do feel a lot more approachable now,” Lin Pingzhi scratched his head.

“Good. That you can see the change means you’re making real progress in your own training. Come on, let’s go down the mountain,” Zheng Jian said, uncharacteristically offering praise.

…

(End of chapter)