CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: PURPLE GOLDEN SKILL

The energy within him stirred, and Qi Xiu sat cross-legged on the ground. Suddenly, three inches below his abdomen, in the Purple Mansion within his Dantian, a clear spring welled up from within. Trickling streams burst forth from the Qi Spring, flowing through his meridians. The dense and rich flow of energy permeated every pore, weaving an impervious net within Qi Xiu’s body, sweeping through his entirety, leaving no corner untouched. The Inner Qi traversed every part of his body until it reached Qi Xiu’s legs.

Here, a mysterious and formless Inner Qi lay dormant.

As if sensing a threat, the shadowy energy slumbering within the flesh, blood, and meridians of his legs slowly surfaced. The faint black aura warily watched the Ziyang Inner Qi as it swept down through the meridians.

The next second, the two energies met.

In an instant, like fierce sunlight on snow, the Ziyang Inner Qi, like a raging torrent, completely swallowed the faint black shadowy energy. However, it was only for a moment; the shadowy energy was then spat out, as if rejected.

Having evaded engulfment by the Ziyang Inner Qi, the shadowy energy retreated once more into the flesh and meridians, no longer surfacing.

On one hand, due to its different nature, the Shadow Without Equal evaded assimilation by the Ziyang True Purple Golden Skill. On the other hand, the Sun Observing Strengthening Skill and the Air-Piercing Point Strike were not so fortunate. Seemingly due to their similar natures, the meager Inner Qi cultivated from these two martial arts was instantly swallowed by the Ziyang True Purple Golden Skill. The entries on the proficiency panel vanished instantly. The two martial arts were passively integrated into the Ziyang True Purple Golden Skill.

Like a commanding general inspecting his troops, the Ziyang Inner Qi swept and scrutinized Qi Xiu’s entire body. Then, like fledglings returning to their nest, the Ziyang Inner Qi coiled and surged back into the Qi Spring within Qi Xiu’s Dantian’s Purple Mansion.

The Qi Spring stabilized, yet Qi Xiu slowly closed his eyes.

Within the sea of his consciousness at this moment, the Ziyang True Purple Golden Skill, Crimson Sand Palm, Sun Observing Strengthening Skill, and Air-Piercing Point Strike—the entire contents of one True Cultivation Power and three martial arts—collided like a colossal tornado tearing through heaven and earth. In the moments of their fierce collision and friction, they recombined and integrated into new content.

A Divine Marvel continually emerged from deep within his body, flowing into his sea of consciousness, igniting flashes of insight within Qi Xiu’s mind. These insights facilitated the perfect fusion of the four martial arts.

A faint radiance shimmered on his skin. The purplish-red Inner Qi continuously refined, the red light within it shedding like an old husk. The purple hue grew increasingly pure and vibrant.

The fusion of the True Cultivation Power and martial arts lasted even longer than the breakthrough to the Condensation Realm, stretching from bright dawn to blood-red sunset, until the last trace of the dying sun’s afterglow also dissipated on the horizon.

Qi Xiu, whose eyes had been tightly closed, suddenly opened them. A flash of majestic and commanding purple light flared for an instant before vanishing, scorching the air and leaving behind a burnt, acrid smell.

HUFF... He exhaled a breath. Tens of meters away, the mountain wall looked as if scorched by fierce flames, instantly turning it charred black.

Gradually reining in the True Cultivation Power’s Qi Force, the purple hue in Qi Xiu’s eyes faded, yet his pupils still held a domineering, sharp, and imposing glint, as if looking down from a great height.

He slightly lowered his head, opening his palms. The Qi Spring in his Dantian trembled. Inner Qi, now a hundredfold thicker and purer than before, surged out, coalescing into two faintly visible purplish-red sparks in his palms.

Observing the residual redness on the Inner Qi, Qi Xiu looked thoughtfully at it in his palm.

The integration of the three martial arts into the True Cultivation Power had enhanced the Ziyang True Purple Golden Skill, but it wasn’t enough. To bring about a qualitative transformation in the Ziyang True Purple Golden Skill, it had to be fused with other True Cultivation Powers, or be integrated into another True Cultivation Power itself.

Qi Xiu turned his gaze to the proficiency panel. A brand-new name imperiously took the top spot, second only to Calligraphy.

[Purple Golden Skill]

The original Ziyang True Purple Golden Skill was a True Cultivation Power focused on nurturing life and bolstering vitality. Its strength lay in its abundant Inner Qi, capable of nourishing the five viscera, protecting the six bowels, healing internal injuries, enhancing self-recovery, and increasing stamina. But once it merged with the fierce and intense Crimson Sand Palm—a cruel and treacherous martial art—it was as if a fuse had been lit.

A caged tiger had suddenly awakened its primitive wildness: Pure Yang transforming into Extreme Yang!

The tyrannical and ferocious Purple Golden Inner Qi became incredibly volatile. The original Crimson Sand Inner Qi seemed like mere cupping therapy in comparison.

With such fierce Fiery Energy, wouldn’t one palm strike reduce a person to ashes on the spot?

After dispersing the Inner Qi, Qi Xiu stretched lazily, his eyes calm. At last, he had a True Cultivation Power as his foundation.

Next, he would advance through the three stages, utilizing the properties of the Original True Will to condense a Dao Seed, making the final preparations to enter the Initiate Realm.

...

"Baoho County has suffered consecutive disasters, leaving its people in hardship. County Magistrate Song, his heart filled with compassion, could not bear to see his people suffer. With his own savings, he purchased rice for disaster relief. Starting today, every resident of Baoho County may come to receive half a pound of yellow millet and one pickled vegetable daily!"

A resonant and lofty voice spread across the entire square. After a brief silence, the tens of thousands of Baoho County residents gathered there suddenly erupted into a tsunami of jubilant cheers.

After the demon scourge and the West Wind Army’s siege of the city, two-thirds of the families within the city had exhausted their oil and rice reserves. Many had already begun to tighten their belts. They went from three meals a day to two, and then to just one. If they continued to endure, people would soon starve to death.

Half a pound of yellow millet might not be much, but when boiled into porridge, it was just enough to keep a family of three from starving. It was definitely life-saving food. Adding a pickled vegetable made it an even greater blessing, for that meant precious salt.

"Our Baoho County finally has an upright and noble official!"

"County Magistrate Song, we people of Baoho County will never forget your great kindness and virtue for the rest of our lives!"

"Child, quickly kneel and kowtow to County Magistrate Song!"

"Yes, kowtow to County Magistrate Song!"

With a few leading the way, the commoners in the square knelt in droves, kowtowing towards Song Tingye.

"Please, everyone, rise. I, Song Tingye, have been incompetent and failed to secure disaster relief grain from the imperial court," Song Tingye said, approaching an old man with white hair and beard and helping him up.

"But rest assured, everyone. As long as I, Song Tingye, am in Baoho County for even one day, I will not allow a single commoner to starve to death!

"If I break this vow, may Heaven and Earth disown me!"

His words stirred the crowd even more; many were moved to tears of gratitude. The white-haired old man gripped Song Tingye’s hand tightly, his lips trembling, tears flowing incessantly.

At the edge of the square, in an inconspicuous alley corner, Qi Xiu, sleeves tucked, watched the scene with a peculiar expression. What on earth is this new County Magistrate up to?

Without the overwhelming flood of information common in his previous world, the people of this era were relatively naive. Song Tingye’s act of donating his entire fortune to save the populace earned him endless praise, and many hailed him as a living Bodhisattva.

But to Qi Xiu, with his modern mindset, County Magistrate Song’s actions were exceedingly strange. A County Magistrate, newly arrived in his jurisdiction, had done nothing else before spending his entire fortune to purchase and distribute grain.

Not even a living Bodhisattva would do this. This whole performance... it felt like he was deliberately trying to win people over. But why try to win over a crowd of dirt-poor commoners, who barely have enough to eat?

Pondering for a moment, Qi Xiu frowned, his gaze lifting towards that sincere and benevolent figure. A cult?

...