mijobooks Chapter 12 The Methods of Utilizing Energy Throughout the World
Chapter 12 The Methods of Utilizing Energy Throughout the World
Lin Zhuo doesn't value talent because he doesn't like to use a set of evaluation systems to confine anyone, as if geniuses can have a smooth life while mediocre people can only drift aimlessly.
After all, everyone encounters moments of helplessness, and problems won't magically solve themselves just because someone is a prodigy. Those who demean themselves as mediocre and readily give up on difficulties will eventually find themselves with nowhere left to retreat.
He only has the goal he needs to achieve, then assesses his own abilities, breaks down the steps to solve the problem, and hopes for a bit of luck or good fortune. If that still doesn't work, he'll try another path.
With this mindset, Lin Zhuo has come this far without encountering too many difficulties. Perhaps the biggest setback in recent years was the job interview this morning. He could have definitely passed if he had lied, but Lin Zhuo preferred to remain silent rather than say something insincere.
Now, he sits cross-legged in a quiet room, in this magic-free plane devoid of miracles, a solitary and unique player on the cross-network, a novice Qi Master, beginning his search for the Supreme Spirit within his heart.
Of course, he couldn't conjure up something out of thin air; he could only draw inspiration from his own experience and memories.
Players who specialize in Qigong in other worlds do the same thing, using creatures from civilizations, history, and mythology as material, or even real rare and exotic beasts from high-magic worlds.
If a cobbled-together monstrosity could be considered sublime, then in Lin Zhuo's mind there was only one answer: the answer came from humanity's home planet far away in the universe.
Dragon.
With the body of a serpent and the head of a camel, the claws of an eagle and the paws of a tiger, the scales of a carp and the ears of an ox, the eyes of a rabbit and the antlers of a deer. When large, it stirs up clouds and mists; when small, it hides its form. When it rises, it soars through the universe; when it hides, it lurks within the waves. It changes with the times, traversing the four seas, like a hero who has achieved his ambitions.
It perfectly integrates the thought patterns of the four types of true qi: [Destruction], [Divine Speed], [Body Protection], and [Mystery].
The supreme spirit he sought was named Dragon.
Determining the essence is the first step, just as a martial art cannot only have mental techniques, but also methods for channeling energy.
Lin Zhuo had already prepared for this, so he had a plan in mind.
The methods of applying force in martial arts can be categorized into a few types: hardness and softness, curvature and straightness, slowness and speed, sharpness and bluntness, coldness and heat, and emptiness and fullness. These six categories and twelve items can encompass everything. No matter how elaborate the application of the four types of true energy is, it will not go beyond these boundaries.
Veteran players have compiled cultivation tips for each type of energy. By combining them with the Supreme Spirit, it is possible to create a unique and extraordinary technique that can unleash the full potential of the body and make all martial arts techniques readily available.
Lin Zhuo opened the player panel.
[A new, unnamed, blank skill has been created. Please begin refining the skill's operational principles.]
Unlike the safe and stable "Flowing Qi Classic", the next exercise to be created is very dangerous. When practicing strength, it is like transforming mental energy into swords, spears, axes, and halberds. If it is allowed to circulate in the body, one careless move could result in internal bleeding and sudden death.
Therefore, many players choose to create skills in the virtual training room or low-level dungeons of the online game because they can revive for free after death.
Lin Zhuo's plan was to release his inner energy externally to avoid going astray, but this also greatly increased the difficulty of the practice.
Because a Qigong master of his level cannot yet inject his sensory abilities into his Qi. When Qi is circulating in the body, it can be detected through the nervous system, but once it leaves the body, it is like a wild dog being released from its cage, and you can only watch helplessly as it disappears without a trace.
It's not difficult to project one's energy. With focused concentration, one gathers energy in the palm and pushes it out, imagining one's mind breaking through the skin. Immediately, a colorless breath is exhaled from the palm, stirring the air in the room and producing a soft whistling sound.
[A practical demonstration has been detected; data entry is in progress]
Skill completion rate: 0%
[Skill Credibility 0%]
Lin Zhuo rummaged through the equipment storage cabinet and found a bundle of thick hemp rope. He picked out the shortest one, which was a little over two meters long.
This was a prop hanging from the ceiling, used for climbing practice, but now he uses it as a psychic indicator. The force exerted by projecting psychic energy can be clearly reflected in the trajectory of the rope.
He gripped the end of the rope and released his spiritual energy again and again. The limp and coiled rope danced in waves each time. After repeated practice, he finally mastered it and the rope straightened completely once.
Skill completion rate: 1%
[Skill Credibility 0%]
The three types of force—hardness and softness, curvature and straightness, slowness and speed—involve the movement of Qi in space and time. They are relatively easy to learn, but Lin Zhuo's practice is indeed too difficult, resulting in very slow progress.
By the time the long rope in his hand coiled freely like a live snake, stretching and contracting, advancing and retreating, launching surprise attacks and then slowly descending, more than two hours had passed.
The continuous refining of his inner energy severely depleted his vital essence. Even though he took several breaks to recuperate and replenished his energy by taking a lot of high-calorie food and drinks from the venue's recreation area, he still couldn't withstand such intense training.
Lin Zhuo's face was ashen, like chalk dust, his robes were soaked with sweat, and his hair was tangled in clumps like porcupine quills.
But he didn't want to slack off. He gained insights every second he practiced his strength, turning the theories he learned into practical applications. He overcame one small obstacle after another, and the joy in his heart was indescribable.
The skill completeness has reached 45%, and the credibility has reached 28%. These small but significant improvements are quite satisfying.
Knock knock—Min Peier knocked on the door from the outside, "Comrade Lin Zhuo, we are about to close."
"I'll practice some more."
"Okay, I'll leave the hallway light on for you. Remember to turn it off when you leave."
As the students' cheerful footsteps faded into the distance, Lin Zhuo silently circulated his internal energy until he was full of vitality. He then got up and went to the rest area again to scavenge for food, carrying the last few nutritional pastes and energy bars back home.
In the training room, the rope in Lin Zhuo's hands became increasingly agile and magical.
The three types of force—sharpness, coldness, heat, emptiness, and fullness—are unique, unpredictable, and ever-changing, which makes them extremely difficult to master. Fortunately, Lin Zhuo has gradually grasped the essence of them and has gained his own experience in using mental energy. He finally mastered them all after three hours.
It was nearly midnight, and sweat had pooled around Lin Zhuo's feet, so he had to take off his shoes and socks and put them aside. Empty drinking water bottles were also scattered all over the ground.
His metabolic activity tonight was equivalent to the total calories an average person burns in four or five days. His body was like a processing machine operating at high load for an extended period; his muscles were burning hot, his nerves were numb, and even his thoughts were hazy, as if in a half-dream state.
Skill completion rate: 99%
[Skill Credibility 75%]
With his limbs weak, Lin Zhuo slightly bent his knees and collapsed to the ground, lying in his own cold, sticky sweat, his nostrils filled with a damp, foul odor.
He was indeed completely exhausted, but he was unwilling to end it like this. He couldn't allow himself to be like someone who had only gone halfway through his journey.
Lin Zhuo tried to find a more comfortable position, lying down completely with his right hand still gripping the end of the rope, and then released the trickle of spiritual energy he had barely managed to extract.
The hemp rope, like a sleeping snake awakening at the beginning of spring, slowly slithered, raised its head, and swayed in the air, emitting a hissing sound like swords cutting through the air.
Driven by twelve different forces, the inanimate rope acquired a strange spirituality; it could be a tool, a weapon, and at the same time, it resembled a real living thing.
However, it still lacks a certain charm compared to a real living being. This slight difference makes the skill's completeness always 1% less, and the skill's credibility is missing the final piece of the puzzle.
Lin Zhuo closed his eyes to avoid looking at the lively ropes. Slowly, drowsiness crept in. He forced himself not to fall asleep, letting the last few brain cells he had left try to keep thinking.
He refined his mental energy and released it outwards. It was as if a thin, dark current flowed from his mind through his spine, surged into his right arm, emerged from his palm, and entered the rope.
The rope swayed and trembled gently in his hands.
Lin Zhuo himself was lost in a hazy dream, feeling as if he were suffocating in a damp liquid, then suddenly bursting out of his shell and transforming into a young snake that snaked across the grass, just as the hemp rope in his hand was quietly moving across the floor.