Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Cloud Whale Breathing Technique (A Humble Request from the Readers for the First Subscription)
Page (1/3)
On the Illusion Plaza, Xu Chen and the two others stepped out from the pillar of light.
They boarded the spirit boat, heading toward the Daxi Sect below.
“Junior brother, sorry for holding you back,” Li Chengfu said, gazing at the fierce wind outside the spirit boat, his mood low.
His contribution in the Ancient Battlefield this time was nearly zero.
“As long as you’re aware of that, just focus on improving your strength when we return.”
“At the very least, you can keep up with Junior Brother Xu when fleeing,” Zong Changshou added leisurely.
“You too,” Xu Chen replied.
The spirit boat passed through the fierce wind zone, and the Daxi Sect came into view on the land below.
As the boat drew near, Xu Chen suddenly remembered a question he had yet to ask.
“Senior brothers, aside from sect contributions, are there any other ways to exchange for higher-level Qi and Blood Foundation cultivation methods?”
“Yes, the points you earned in the Ancient Battlefield can also be exchanged,” Li Chengfu said.
“Junior brother can go directly to the sect’s Scripture Repository, show your disciple token, and your Ancient Battlefield points will be displayed. This is more convenient than sect contributions.”
“In that case, please take me to the Scripture Repository, senior brother.”
“No problem.”
Neither Li Chengfu nor Zong Changshou had ever suggested that Xu Chen practice their family’s Qi and Blood Foundation method.
Outside the Scripture Repository of Daxi Sect, Xu Chen waved farewell to the two.
Inside the repository, he found the same supervisor who had led him to the underground chamber standing guard.
“So it’s you again,” the supervisor said with a strange expression upon seeing Xu Chen approaching.
“Senior, I want to find a more advanced Qi and Blood Foundation cultivation method. Ideally, I want to reach a level above Four Dragons in cultivation strength,” Xu Chen stated straightforwardly.
“Above Four Dragons? Place your disciple token here and let me see,” the supervisor pulled out a formation plate.
Xu Chen placed his token on it.
A light screen appeared above the plate.
Sect contributions: zero; Illusion Valley points: 257; Human Realm Ancient Battlefield points: 738.
Seeing the Ancient Battlefield points, the supervisor’s expression showed a hint of emotion.
“Someone like you, your master hasn’t granted you a suitable Qi and Blood Foundation method?”
“No.”
“You should ask for one quickly. Even if your talent is low, your master shouldn’t let you worry about your Qi and Blood Foundation method.”
The supervisor returned the disciple token.
“I have no master.”
Hearing this, the supervisor paused, then stood up.
“Follow me.”
He led Xu Chen to a secret chamber on the floor dedicated to Qi and Blood Foundation methods.
Inside, there were 36 display stands, each showcasing a Qi and Blood Foundation method.
“These are all above Four Dragons. With your Ancient Battlefield points, you can exchange for one. Choose carefully,” the supervisor said before leaving.
“There are 36 in total,” Xu Chen recalled the introduction he had read about the Daxi Sect before joining.
“No matter, I’ll choose first.”
He approached the first stand, reading the detailed introduction.
“Mountain Body: a Qi and Blood Foundation method focused on defense and protection. When cultivated to the unity of form and intent, it grants the power of Four Dragons and Five Tigers—firm as mountains, with heavy strength.”
“Five Elements Holy Spirit Body: a more advanced Qi and Blood Foundation method derived from the Five Elements Body. When cultivated to the unity of form and intent, it grants the power of Four Dragons, advances to the Treasure Body stage, and its cultivated divine powers and spells are as formidable as if aided by heaven.”
Xu Chen paused at the Five Elements Holy Spirit Body before moving on to other methods.
“Choose one with power between Four Dragons Five Tigers and Five Dragons Qi and Blood strength; otherwise, I won’t be able to master the Star Body Method’s clone,” he thought.
His goal was clear: find a method that could increase combat power and Qi and Blood strength.
In that hall, he quickly reviewed all 36 methods.
“Dragon Elephant Sky Stepping Diagram, Cloud Whale Breathing Method, and Mountain Moving Triple Technique—these three are most suitable.”
“All can reach Five Dragon Qi and Blood strength at the unity of form and intent,” Xu Chen considered, uncertain which to pick.
“But the Dragon Elephant Sky Stepping Diagram requires training with others in a secret realm of the sect, which isn’t convenient.”
“The Cloud Whale Breathing Method has many variations; it’s somewhat difficult to enter.”
“The Mountain Moving Triple Technique is the purest body refinement method, and entering it might be even harder than the Cloud Whale Breathing Method.”
Only these three met his standards, but each had limitations or training challenges that left Xu Chen unsatisfied.
Page (2/3)
“Then it’ll be the Cloud Whale Breathing Method, difficulty and all,” Xu Chen decided after a moment’s thought.
“This method, when cultivated to the unity of form and intent, makes the Qi and Blood as abundant as the sea. After advancing to the Treasure Body stage, the dantian expands several times over.”
“That’s pretty good.”
Xu Chen took out the jade slip for the Cloud Whale Breathing Method and left the chamber.
“You’ve got good taste choosing the Cloud Whale Breathing Method. If you can reach the unity of form and intent, advancing to the Treasure Body stage will be much easier later on,” the supervisor said as he unlocked the jade slip.
“This Qi and Blood Foundation method requires 600 Ancient Battlefield points.”
Placing the disciple token on the formation plate, Xu Chen’s Ancient Battlefield points instantly dropped by 600.
“Thank you, senior.”
“No problem. Leave now and don’t disturb my rest,” the supervisor said with a slight squint, waving his hand.
“Understood.”
Back at the dojo outside his cave dwelling, Xu Chen immediately entered a focused state of cultivation.
According to his calculations, the path to mastering the Star Body Method was now clear.
The Yin-Yang Six Turns, Cloud Whale Breathing Method, and Star Body Method could be connected seamlessly.
With no more worries, Xu Chen quickly immersed himself in cultivation.
One month later, inside the Saint White Space.
Xu Chen stood before the bronze door of the Yin-Yang Six Turns and slowly pushed it open.
The sun and moon hung suspended; half the space was night, the other half day.
His clone stood where day and night merged.
Before Xu Chen could speak, the clone said first:
“Cherish this time well.”
After this strange sentence, the world began to shatter, and his soul was pulled into an unknown realm.
In a fairyland, a six-year-old child swung on a swing atop a splendid flower-covered mountain.
Here, sun and moon coexisted; the child swung with the sun in front and the moon behind.
In the midst of this alternation, Xu Chen felt an unusual sensation.
Before he could react, the world shattered, and he returned to the Saint White Space.
A flood of insights about the Yin-Yang Six Turns filled his mind.
“What’s going on? Is that it?”
The insights were complete, but the brief cutscene left Xu Chen puzzled.
“Forget it, better digest these insights first.”
At the dojo, a ghostly full moon appeared behind Xu Chen, soon transforming into a golden sun’s shadow.
As the sun and moon rotated, Xu Chen’s aura shifted accordingly.
After an unknown length of time, the shadows vanished, and Xu Chen slowly opened his eyes.
His left eye displayed the golden sun’s shadow; his right eye showed the full moon’s radiance.
“This Yin-Yang Six Turns isn’t simple,” Xu Chen sensed the change in his strength.
“Looks like it enhanced my power by about Six Tiger levels.”
“Boom!”
A giant armored puppet fell like a meteor after a single palm strike from Xu Chen.
Soon, the puppet returned.
“Power: Three Dragons, Nine Tigers, Nine Bulls,” the training puppet’s mechanical voice rumbled.
“That’s even more than I expected. Not bad.”
A faint smile appeared on Xu Chen’s face.
“At this rate, with the right Qi and Blood Foundation method, I should be able to quickly advance through the Qi and Blood stage.”
“Once I conquer the Saint Sun Treasure Body clone, I’ll advance to the Treasure Body stage.”
“Then, after cultivating my skills and divine arts, I’ll be unstoppable!”
“Much faster than I anticipated.”
Lying in a corner of the dojo, Xu Chen felt a surge of excitement.
Page (3/3)
“Now all that remains is the Cloud Whale Breathing Method.”
Xu Chen took out the jade slip and placed it gently on his forehead, beginning to study the Qi and Blood Foundation method.
Fifteen minutes later, he closed the jade slip.
“Seems a bit difficult. Thirty-six types of breathing techniques, each with 108 small variations.”
“You have to master the first twelve breathing techniques fully to be considered initiated.”
“Difficulty is difficulty, but it’s still better than the Dragon Elephant Sky Stepping Diagram, where you have to go to a secret realm every day and train with others watching the same diagram.”
Xu Chen lay back on the recliner, slowly attempting the Cloud Whale Breathing Method.
Each breath held countless variations.
As he practiced, his entire body’s Qi and Blood power began to mobilize.
The first breathing method went smoothly, but by the second, his Qi and Blood power struggled to keep up.
By the third, his Qi and Blood power lagged completely and showed signs of confusion.
Xu Chen immediately stopped and began calming his restless Qi and Blood power.
“Practice slowly, there’s still plenty of time.”
He was confident he could master the Cloud Whale Breathing Method within six months.
Night fell inside the Saint White Space.
Xu Chen practiced the Fish-Dragon Transformation Dance Secret Technique, battling his Star Body Method clone.
Each move matched the other blow for blow.
Behind him, the shadows shifted—sometimes a raging sea, sometimes the sun and moon’s silhouettes.
One yin, one yang; one virtual, one real; one hard, one soft—Xu Chen’s fighting style now held a subtle new dimension.
“Boom!”
The fifteen-zhang-tall Star Giant’s shadow suddenly swung its palm.
Xu Chen’s shadow shifted; a Sacred Ape appeared with the full moon behind it.
The Sacred Ape, like a martial arts master, used softness to overcome hardness, receiving the Star Giant’s palm strike.
“Pfft!”
Xu Chen spat blood, but his abundant vitality quickly healed his internal injuries.
They continued fighting, exchanging hundreds of moves.
Until Xu Chen’s Qi and Blood power could no longer sustain the secret technique, and his vitality was drained, the clone struck him, turning him into a mist of blood.
His consciousness condensed back inside the Saint White Space, where Xu Chen sat cross-legged on the ground to review the battle.
“Yin and Yang transformations, combining hardness and softness.”
“Not bad, there’s still room to improve my combat power.”
Xu Chen was very satisfied with his performance.
“Now I just need to strengthen my raw power.”
In a luxurious tavern at the Daxi Sect’s Human Market.
A round table nearly ten zhang in diameter was set with 108 dishes.
Xu Chen, Li Chengfu, and Zong Changshou gathered there.
“I didn’t expect you to improve so much in just a month, junior brother,” Zong Changshou said with a warm gaze.
“I’ve had some insights,” Xu Chen replied.
“But honestly, the two of you have progressed even more than I have.”
Since cultivating the Cloud Whale Breathing Method, Xu Chen could gauge others’ Qi and Blood power through their breath alone—limited to the Qi and Blood stage, of course.
Just by observing the two, Xu Chen noticed they had each increased at least one Dragon level of Qi and Blood power.
“To avoid holding you back, I’ve only focused on increasing my Qi and Blood power,” Li Chengfu said with a wry smile.
“In overall strength, I’m not even worth one finger compared to you, junior brother.”
He had hoped to find a good teammate to cooperate with and seize this great opportunity.
Unexpectedly, the good teammate turned out to be a great powerhouse instead.
(End of chapter)