Chapter 571
Using oneself as a furnace to refine heaven and earth into one color
Chapter 571 Using oneself as a furnace to refine heaven and earth into one color
The darkness before dawn is the deepest.
Wenchuan District, Qingshui Bay East Beach.
The tide is rising.
Black waves crashed against the shoreline, one after another, with a thunderous roar.
In this untouched area, a figure stood silently in knee-deep water.
He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of red shorts.
The waves roared in, crashing violently against the steel-like muscles, instantly shattering into a cloud of white foam.
Yet they were unable to budge the body in the slightest.
He was like a pillar stabilizing the sea, his feet deeply plunging into the mud and sand of the seabed, his knees slightly bent, his spine like a great dragon running through it segment by segment.
The whole person exudes a strange tension that is both relaxed and taut, which is exactly the ultimate state of "rooting to the ground" in internal martial arts.
What's most surprising is that, despite being in the icy cold seawater, his skin had a color like a red-hot iron.
It's as if there's a blazing furnace hidden inside, radiating astonishing heat outwards continuously.
sizzle-
The moment the seawater touched his skin, it instantly vaporized from the terrifying heat, sending up plumes of white smoke.
A strong wind blew in, and the white smoke was instantly swept up to the dark, distant sea, where it mingled with the waves.
After an unknown amount of time, the figure's shoulders slumped slightly, and his eyelids slowly lifted.
In an instant, two cold flashes of lightning seemed to streak across the dim sea.
His eyes shone terrifyingly in the darkness, exuding a chilling and oppressive aura.
"call----"
Fang Cheng let out a long breath.
The white arrow pierced the darkness before them, only to be quickly dispersed by the sea breeze.
Then, he raised his hand to wipe the water and sand off his face, gazing calmly at the horizon where the sea meets the sky.
It was dawn, and the faint bluish-gray light of day was peeking through, heralding the approach of a new day.
Three full days have passed since the Illuminati team-building event ended that night.
During this period, apart from visiting Uncle Lin at an unlicensed clinic once to see him for surgery, he basically worked non-stop between three places.
During the day, he traveled between the two new bases of the Illuminati, reviewing the construction progress, discussing matters with Lin Chuqiao and the professor, fulfilling the duties of a leader.
In the evening, he would return to his home on Old Factory Street and push his physical strength to its limits, refining his body over and over again.
In particular, the progress bars for the skills "Contortion" and "Qigong" have reached their limits, and a breakthrough is just around the corner.
Therefore, in addition to completing his regular morning exercise routine, he also practices Qigong and contortion for at least five hours every day.
As for Shen Wei, who was temporarily staying at home, he was picked up by Ah Le yesterday afternoon.
According to Ah Le, he has found the traitor who betrayed them, has solid evidence, and is preparing to contact several elders in the gang to clean house.
Upon hearing the news, Shen Wei, despite his still-healing leg injury, hurriedly returned to the East City Club in his wheelchair.
Fang Cheng had little interest in such feuds and vendettas within the martial arts world and couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them.
After seeing Shen Wei off, he continued to immerse himself in cultivation without any slackening.
Last night, while practicing Qigong in the living room, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.
That feeling was like looking through a thin layer of window paper.
You can vaguely see a wider world beyond the door, but you're always missing that final touch—a finger poking through it.
His intuition told him that the opportunity to break through his own limitations had arrived.
It just so happens that the skill of "Qigong" has reached a critical point for upgrading.
To avoid making too much noise during the breakthrough and attracting unnecessary attention, Fang Cheng drove to Haitian Garden overnight.
After a short rest, I got up at 4:30 a.m. sharp and went to the beach for my usual morning run.
After completing several fitness skills exercises, I began to focus on Qigong practice.
This training has continued until now.
With a slight thought, a pale blue light screen quietly appeared in the darkness.
[Qigong lv2 (496/500)]
Looking at the numbers on the panel, Fang Cheng's gaze darkened, and he looked down at the log records below.
It has been more than an hour since I started practicing standing meditation, but the log only shows one message: "Experience +1".
In other words, from last night until now, the progress bar has barely moved, as if it has been blocked by an invisible barrier.
This feeling of being on the verge of scoring but unable to deliver the final kick is particularly frustrating.
Fang Cheng's eyes were deep and thoughtful as he frowned.
It seems like I'm just a little bit short of breaking through to the next skill level.
But it was precisely this lack of skill that made it seem like he was doing useless work, unable to make any progress no matter how hard he tried.
Is it really only possible to slowly accumulate experience over time through painstaking effort?
No, absolutely not!
The feeling of inspiration I had last night resurfaced in my mind.
Fang Cheng raised his eyes and looked at the surging sea in front of him.
The night had not yet faded, and the waves continued to crash against the shore, their deep roar echoing between heaven and earth.
At this moment, his state was like this sea shrouded in darkness.
On the surface, it appears calm, but inside it is accumulating astonishing power, struggling to find an outlet.
At its most advanced level, martial arts cultivation involves comprehending and imitating the rules of heaven and earth.
Qigong, in particular, is a profound and mysterious skill that emphasizes the unity of inner and outer, and the integration of spirit and body.
It is by no means possible to reach the legendary realm of transcendence simply through grueling practice.
"What exactly is missing?"
Fang Cheng muttered to himself.
He remained calm and composed throughout.
I just had a vague feeling that what was missing was crucial to me.
Perhaps it also involves the future development of Qigong skills after their upgrade.
As he pondered deeply, Fang Cheng's gaze fell upon the blurry horizon in the distance.
This is a critical juncture in the transition between day and night.
The darkness on the eastern horizon, which was originally as thick as ink, seemed to have been torn open by a force.
A faint wisp of pale white light is emerging from where the sea meets the sky.
The originally deep and frightening black sea surface was thus shrouded in a hazy filter.
This subtle change in the celestial phenomena, however, was like a thunderclap to Fang Cheng.
"When Yin reaches its extreme, Yang arises; when adversity reaches its lowest point, prosperity follows!"
Fang Cheng murmured, vaguely grasping that fleeting glimmer of inspiration.
The universe operates in a constant state, and all things in nature are not static, but rather seek balance through continuous change.
Darkness at its extreme becomes light, and cold at its extreme becomes warmth.
I used to only pursue power and explosiveness, and was immersed in the destructive force of my fists.
Like fire, it burns fiercely and vents its anger recklessly.
This is actually a low-level approach; it's going against the natural order of things.
A true master should not simply fight against the forces of nature, but rather go with the flow and use the power of heaven and earth to forge their own path.
With that thought in mind, Fang Cheng took a deep breath and stopped focusing on the numbers on the panel.
He then calmed himself completely, sensing the surging, ceaseless heat within his body once more. He closed his eyes slightly and adjusted his breathing.
The breath was long and steady, subtly harmonizing with the surging waves.
With each inhale, the surrounding mist seemed to be swallowed by a giant whale, forming a visible vortex that entered his nasal cavity.
With each exhale, a scorching wave of air bursts forth as his chest rises and falls, forcefully pushing back and dispersing the crashing waves in front of him.
This is not purely physical strength, but a concrete manifestation of the high integration of spirit and true energy.
It is the interference effect on the natural environment that occurs when the life magnetic field becomes strong enough.
As his mind opened up to the outside world, Fang Cheng no longer deliberately suppressed the violent and restless power within him.
Instead, he followed the emerging energy between heaven and earth and completely released the restraints on his true energy.
boom--
A cluster of pure, almost flawless golden flames burst forth from every pore.
It enveloped his entire body, as if transforming him into a golden statue.
The icy, bone-chilling seawater around them instantly boiled upon contact with this innate masculine energy.
"Puff puff--"
Within a radius of several meters centered on Fang Cheng, the sea surface surged violently, as if a pot of boiling water had been turned upside down.
Large plumes of thick white steam rose into the air, but were not dispersed by the sea breeze. Instead, they swirled around Fang Cheng as if they possessed a spirit.
From a distance, it looks as if an active volcano has sprung up out of nowhere on the dark sea.
No, to be more precise, it was a sun breaking through the darkness!
Fang Cheng twitched his brow and opened his eyes again.
In the darkness, two beams of light, almost tangible, shot out from the pupils.
Since the internal energy is like fire and the external environment is like water.
Why not emulate the rising sun that is about to burst forth?
When one thought is clear, all other thoughts will fall into place.
At this moment, the microcosm of the human body resonates with the macrocosm of heaven and earth.
As the first light of dawn gradually spread across the sky, Fang Cheng's long-accumulated true energy responded to the call of dawn and erupted without reservation.
He would transform himself into the sun and boil the sea into clouds.
In this darkest hour, he was like a rising sun from the sea, radiating boundless light and possessing unparalleled dominance.
The surrounding seawater was being boiled by the terrifyingly high temperature, and white steam surged like a wall of clouds, almost completely obscuring his figure.
Just as the water and fire were raging, Fang Chengfu had a sudden inspiration. He slowly waded through the seawater with his feet, and with his hands forming a circle, he assumed the starting stance of a fist technique.
Focus your energy in your lower abdomen and concentrate your mind on the universe.
Tai Chi, Cloud Hands, rise!
This movement mobilized the body's energy.
The white steam that had just risen was transformed into wisps of energy as the palms moved, coiling around the sides of the hands.
This time, he did not deliberately pursue lethality, but instead completely integrated his mind into the surrounding environment.
As the arms moved smoothly and roundedly, the water vapor that should have scattered and escaped was forcibly captured by an invisible magnetic field.
Fang Cheng's fist stance slowly rotated, and the thick steam swirled around it, intertwining and entwining with the golden flames.
They no longer dissipated, but instead condensed layer upon layer around the outer edge of that golden halo.
Inside was a raging fire, and outside was a vast expanse of water vapor.
Water and fire are inherently incompatible, but under Fang Cheng's almost "Taoist" boxing intent, they present a wonderful symbiotic state.
This is precisely the image of water and fire in harmony, and yin and yang in balance, as described by Taoism.
Compared to the grand scale of their training session at Cuihai Lake, the current commotion was even more imposing, yet also more focused and restrained.
There was no violent shockwave, only a heavy, oppressive sense of terror that quietly permeated the surroundings.
At the same time, the panel flashed.
The long-dormant notification message finally started to pop up.
[You have gained a profound understanding of the natural law of the mutual generation of water and fire; Qigong experience +1]
[You are attempting to build your own unique aura, Qigong experience +1]
………………
Fang Cheng's movements slowed down until they came to a complete stop.
His aura reached its peak at this moment.
A semi-transparent field, several meters in diameter, slowly took shape on the sea surface with him as the center.
The waves crashed against the shore, but were driven away by an invisible force; the raging winds swept through the area as if hitting a wall, unable to penetrate this world at all.
Within this space, a circulation system has been formed that is independent of the outside world.
Golden flames erupted to form the core, while vast water vapor enveloped it to form a wall.
Water and fire blend together, creating a perfectly rounded barrier where water and fire intertwine.
The intense flames scorched the water vapor, turning it into a thin white mist. The mist condensed into dew when it met the wind, then fell back onto the fire and began to rise again.
Under his will, the two, one hard and one soft, one hot and one cold, achieved a perfect dynamic balance.
The moment this aura field was fully formed.
The long-awaited red sun finally broke through the last layer of clouds and leaped out of the sea.
Ten thousand golden rays pierced the sky like sharp swords, pouring onto the vast sea and also shining into Fang Cheng's strange field constructed of true energy.
The first wisp of pure yang purple energy in the world resonated with the innate true fire within Fang Cheng's body.
A wondrous sight was born.
Sunlight pierced through the dense spherical water mist, and after countless complex refractions and scatterings, it stirred up an extremely dazzling ring of light around the golden flames surrounding Fang Cheng.
The seven-colored rainbow light flowed endlessly, like the halo of wisdom behind the heads of gods and Buddhas.
With each breath, it expands like a wheel and contracts like a bead.
At this moment, Fang Cheng's figure became blurred and sacred amidst the interplay of light and shadow.
He was no longer just a martial artist; he seemed to have transformed into the ruler of this sea.
Every gesture and movement of his stirred up extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth, demonstrating the natural laws of the balance of water and fire and the coexistence of yin and yang.
This is the aura of a master—using oneself as a furnace to refine heaven and earth into one color.
As the last wisp of insight merged into his heart, Fang Cheng slowly withdrew his stance, pressing his palms lightly down and sinking his Qi into his Dantian.
"receive."
He silently recited a command, his intention flashing like a blade, instantly severing the violent output of true energy.
In an instant, the golden flames and mist that filled the sky surged back like a whale sucking in water, all disappearing into his body and returning to calm.
The boiling sea calmed down instantly, leaving only the soft sound of a gentle breeze rustling through the waves.
The rising sun pierced through the clouds and shone unhindered on Fang Cheng.
The glistening beads of sweat on his skin shimmered like jewels in the morning sun.
He exudes a profound and insightful understanding of the ultimate principles of the universe.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Deep within his pupils seemed to lie two great suns, their golden light so dazzling that one dared not look directly at them.
That is the outward manifestation of energy and spirit overflowing to the extreme.
At the same time, a line of dazzling golden characters slowly unfolded before our eyes.
[Congratulations! Through extraordinary effort and a profound understanding of the principles of nature, your skills have broken through their limitations, and you have successfully advanced to the Grandmaster level!]
[Qigong lv3 (0/1000)]
(End of this chapter)