Chapter Thirteen: The Ninefold Airway

  The atmosphere in the carriage on the way back was quite strange.

  As the young ladies, Xu Bingning and her maid Xu Xiaolin, stared unblinkingly at Gu Qing sitting in front of them, their gaze was as if they were looking at a prehistoric monster.

  However, Gu Qing's mindset at this moment had almost reached the state of being as calm as ice and unmoved by the collapse of heaven, under their gaze that lasted for nearly ten minutes, she remained in a contemplative state, without even lifting an eyelid.

  "Seventh Young Master!"

  After a long time, Xu Xiaolin, who couldn't sit still, finally couldn't help but speak up first.

  "En?" Gu Qing raised her head and smiled at her, nodding slightly.

  Xu Xiaolin opened her mouth, and Xu Bingying, who was still a bit hesitant, immediately followed up with a question: "Gu Qing, you... honestly answer me, what level of cultivation have you reached now? Eight levels? Nine levels? Or the peak of nine levels?"

  Gǔ Qīng shook his head, but didn't say a word.

  Xu Bingning slightly furrowed her brow: "Gu Qing, what do you mean by shaking your head? Are you unwilling to speak or unable to speak? Don't forget, we are husband and wife with heaven and earth as witnesses. What is it that I shouldn't know?"

  "Yes, young master, just say it, satisfy our curiosity."

  Gu Qing smiled lightly and shook her head: "It's not that I don't want to say it, but I just don't know how to say it."

  "I don't know what to say? What does it mean?"

  "After a moment of contemplation, Gu Qing said: 'If I must say it, the current level of cultivation should be at the fifth layer of Qi Refining.'"

  "Airway Fivefold!?" Without thinking, Xu Bing and Xu Xiaolin both almost simultaneously vetoed: "This is impossible!"

  Xu Bing nodded and said, "When you struck down Huang Hao, your speed was indeed fast, but if a master with fivefold internal energy were to train diligently, they could also achieve that level. However, Ye Xueqing is originally a master with sevenfold internal energy who has opened up her meridians. I can see that when she stabbed out with her sword earlier, it was completely with all her might, without holding back in the slightest, and it was as swift as a stormy wind. In such a situation, you not only used an extraordinary method to break off her sword but also counterattacked. This kind of technique is something that even an ordinary master with eightfold internal energy who can simulate true energy cannot accomplish! Therefore, you have at least reached the realm of ninefold internal energy."

  "Now that you already know I've reached at least the ninth level of Qi circulation, why ask again?"

  "I want to know your true strength, so you won't make us worry and be frightened like today again."

  Xu Xiaolin looked at her own young lady with some surprise, unexpectedly she still cared about her brother-in-law?

  Reflecting on her behavior at the banquet, it seems to be true...

  Could it be...

  "My true strength..." Gu Qing pondered for a moment, but shook his head and fell silent, seemingly falling into deep thought once again.

  However, this time at the banquet, Xu Bingning was stimulated too much, and he had a tendency to not rest until the true strength of Gu Qing came out. Before he fully entered his thoughts, he asked again: "Gu Qing, what's so good about hiding it? I just want to know your true strength, have a bottom line in my heart, and be prepared for various things in the future."

  "Yes, young master, you can tell the miss."

  Gu Qing glanced at the two curious women and shook his head: "I don't even know what you mean by the nine layers of the airway boundary, how can I give you a clear answer?"

  He had barely spoken when Xu Bingjing and Xu Xiaolin were both taken aback: "You don't know the division of the Nine Realms of the Air Path?"

  "I've heard of the six true energies of the airway, the seven meridians of the airway, and the eight simulated forms of the airway. I've listened to what you said, but I don't know what characteristics these realms have."

  "How is it possible!"

  The two of them almost simultaneously couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

  "Why is it impossible?"

  "You... you're at least a master of the ninth rank of Qi Gong, how..."

  Gu Qing smiled lightly and fell silent.

  Although Xu Bing didn't believe that Gu Qing really didn't know these things, he couldn't help but think that this was just an excuse for him to hide his true abilities. Nevertheless, he began to explain: "The meridians are divided into nine levels. The first five levels are the foundation of cultivating one's body, skin, bones, tendons, and energy. As long as you have patience and are willing to work hard, you can definitely reach this level. The next three levels are more advanced. The sixth level is the True Qi Realm, where one cultivates true qi. The seventh level is the Unblocking of Meridians, and the eighth level is the External Release of True Qi, where one's true qi takes shape outside the body. These are high-level stages that require a combination of opportunity, determination, and enlightenment. The ninth level is the Gathering of Spirits, where all the true qi in the body is concentrated in the dantian, and then the spirit and qi merge as one. Once the essence and qi are full, one can break through the heavenly gate, open up the bridge between heaven and earth, and draw in the primordial energy from heaven and earth to improve their physical quality, and reach the pinnacle of alchemy."

  "Refine the true energy, open up the meridians, transform into physical form, merge with the divine and energy, and burst through the heavenly gate to bring in the primordial energy of heaven and earth to improve one's physique..." Gu Qing pondered over the nine realms of the airway that Xu Bingjing had explained for herself, and fell into deep thought once again.

  After a moment of contemplation, he still shook his head.

  "The physical body is just a container, cultivating the three flowers of essence, energy and spirit at the top, gathering the five energies transformed from the heart, liver, lungs, spleen and kidneys to pay homage. The purpose is to adjust the state of the physical body to its limit, and then warm up the spirit and expand the soul... This statement is similar to your so-called 'Ninefold Gathering of Qi'..."

  "Refine the spirit and gather the three flowers at the top, collect the five qi of the heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys to pay homage..." As she murmured these words to herself, Xu Bingjing's brow furrowed in confusion.

  It was actually Xu Xiaolin, who listened to Gu Qing's words and saw a hint of confusion in her eyes, as if something had been stirred up. However, when she tried to think seriously about it, she couldn't remember anything no matter how hard she tried. If she forced herself to think further, her mind would be filled with waves of pain that reached deep into her soul...

  Seeing the pain in Xu Xiaolin's eyes, Gu Qing hastily said: "If you can't think of it, then don't think about it. The last trip was very damaging to your soul, anyway there is still time, just continue to nourish and warm up."

  "Travel......" Xu Xiaolin listened to Gu Qing's words and looked at him with some surprise: "Young Master Qi, you just......"

  But before she could ask, Xu Bingning's face suddenly showed a hint of surprise: "Gu Qing, did you obtain the secret inheritance of some hidden world master!? This set of skills is the exclusive secret book of those hidden world masters!?"

  "Well, you're referring to the method of cultivating one's physical body? You can understand it that way if you want."

  "Wow! It's really the secret inheritance of a hidden world master! What a master, how fierce is it!? Seventh Young Master got the inheritance not long ago, otherwise he wouldn't have been bullied by others three years ago. In just three years, Seventh Young Master has become so powerful, it must be something left behind by some super master!" Now, Xu Xiaolin also became interested.

  Seeing Xu Xiaolin's extremely curious expression, Gu Qing chuckled and stretched out his hand, wanting to do something, but his hand had only reached halfway when he seemed to think of something and withdrew it again: "It's not a particularly earth-shattering secret, if you two want to learn, I can also teach you."

  When Xu Xiaolin saw her young master stretching out his hand, she already knew what he wanted to do. A faint blush appeared on her lovely face, but soon her attention was drawn away by his next sentence, and Xu Bing also followed suit: "Really? You said you got the inheritance secret recipe from that senior, can you teach us too?"

  "Of course."

  "Wow, it's great! I'm going to become a master too!"

  Upon receiving Gu Qing's affirmative response, Xu Xiaolin was overjoyed and danced with excitement on the spot.

  Lian Xu Bing Cong, this usually reserved and dignified young lady, also had a flushed face.

  "Master, master, when are we starting?" Xu Xiaolin asked somewhat impatiently.

  A set of divine secret methods that can enable a Five-Element Airway Grandmaster to advance to Nine-Element Airway in just three short years, I believe no one can ignore. Especially for Xu Xiaolin who has an extremely strong interest in cultivating the Tao!

  "Let's start practicing together tomorrow morning."

  "Tomorrow morning!? That's great! Tomorrow morning then. By the way, is there anything I need to prepare?"

  "No need, just get up early."

  "Good!" Xu Xiaolin nodded heavily, and a certain determination had already risen in her heart.

  Just then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she said: "Young master, you mentioned earlier that tomorrow morning we will practice together... the secret technique you were talking about, wouldn't it be that strange and bizarre fist method you practice every morning?"

  "Not bad."

  "Is that set of fist techniques a divine art!?" Xu Xiaolin's mouth was full of doubt.

  It's not just her, even Xu Bing felt a bit untrustworthy in his heart.

  He shook his head, not wanting to explain, but seemed to have thought of something and replied: "Three flowers gather at the top, five energies face the origin, this is the most perfect state of the physical body. If you can adjust your physical body to this level, no matter what method you practice, it will be twice as effective, even a thousand miles in one day! Like you, on the road to cultivation so far, especially when you were tempering your body through the first five layers of the meridians, more or less, you have left behind some hidden diseases in your body. If you can adjust your physical body perfectly, these hidden diseases will be cured without medicine... and without the worry of these hidden diseases, breaking through to higher realms will also become much easier..."

  Although Gu Qing explained it like this, Xu Xiaolin and Xu Bingying still showed a hint of suspicion in their eyes.

  Seeing this, Gu Qing also stopped talking: "Whether or not to cultivate, it's up to you."

  If a perfect and innocent body did not have an excellent nourishing effect on the soul, he would not waste so much of his breath on this issue. With this time to point out others' cultivation, he might as well devote his energy to calculating the stellar orbit of the fifth usable star as soon as possible.

  Xu Bingning and Xu Xiaolin saw Gu Qing's expression, which didn't seem to be fake. They nodded repeatedly, waiting for the next morning to arrive, and then followed him to cultivate the mysterious method of refining the physical body.