“More importantly, choosing to use this martial art for Blood Coagulation and Qi Generation is nigh on impossible!”

“Root Bone, Comprehension, Heart Nature, Divine Intent, and the Upper Upper Eight Extremes—not a single one can be lacking! It also requires the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion to provide personal instruction and protection throughout the entire process!”

“In the past several hundred years, those who have succeeded can be counted on one hand.”

Li Wenrou sighed softly.

“Precisely for this reason, the Mountain and Sea Sect has an unwritten rule: anyone who can gain entry into the Secret Six Harmonies Spear can be directly promoted to a Core Disciple of the Sword Pavilion!”

“Anyone who can use the Secret Six Harmonies Spear for Blood Coagulation and Qi Generation and successfully generate Innate Divine Qi can be promoted to a True Disciple of the Pavilion Master, or even the Sect Leader!”

“…If you put it that way, I feel like 300,000 was a bargain.”

Chen Cheng’s heart stirred as he quickly made a mental calculation.

‘Once you become the Pavilion Master’s True Disciple, you’re essentially the next Pavilion Master. A Sect Leader’s True Disciple is, of course, the Sect Leader’s successor.’

‘Assuming one could successfully generate Innate Divine Qi, 300,000 was definitely not expensive.’

However, that wasn’t what Chen Cheng was most concerned with at the moment.

“Steward Li…”

Chen Cheng chose his words carefully and asked in a low voice,

“Is it possible that a Martial Artist could generate Innate Divine Qi before forming their Ninth Pillar of Blood Qi?”

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Upon hearing this, Li Wenrou waved his hands—each as big as a clay pot—in dismissal. He frowned and curled his lip as if he had just heard the most absurd nonsense under the heavens.

“…Then… what about another possibility?”

Chen Cheng thought for a moment before saying,

“For example, let’s say a Martial Artist with Seven Pillars of Blood Qi has already generated Innate Divine Qi. But because they haven’t reached the Divine Storage Realm, they can’t produce Qi Force, so no one else can tell they’ve actually had Innate Divine Qi all along.”

“This…”

Li Wenrou felt his head spin a little from Chen Cheng’s convoluted question. He frowned, took a moment to organize his thoughts, and then said,

“First of all, I believe that’s absolutely impossible. However, speaking purely hypothetically, your logic is sound. Since no one would be able to tell, if you say it’s there, then it’s there, I suppose.”

Chen Cheng nodded, saying nothing more.

‘Clearly, someone at Steward Li’s level couldn’t possibly provide the answer he was looking for.’

Even so, a powerful premonition stirred in his heart.

‘The Tai Chi Qi *is* his Innate Divine Qi!’

‘As long as he could break through to the Divine Storage Realm, he would be able to use the Tai Chi Qi to generate his own unique Tai Chi Qi Force—one unparalleled in this world!’

“Steward Li.”

Chen Cheng asked,

“How exactly does one choose the martial art for Blood Coagulation and Qi Generation?”

“It’s simple.”

Steward Li said,

“Secret Martial Arts are usually divided into two volumes, an upper and a lower. The upper volume is the technique for nurturing and condensing Blood Qi, used before you form the Ninth Pillar of Blood Qi.”

“The lower volume is the technique for Blood Coagulation and Qi Generation. After you form the Ninth Pillar of Blood Qi, the first time you fully practice the lower volume of a Secret Martial Art, that art becomes locked in as your Qi Generation Martial Art.”

“Once it’s chosen, it’s best to pour all of your time, energy, and resources into that single martial art until you reach the Divine Storage Realm.”

“Some top experts even dedicate their entire lives and all their Heart Power to honing this single art to the peak of perfection, achieving a level of mastery so sublime their skill verges on becoming one with the Dao!”

“I understand!”

Chen Cheng nodded emphatically, his mind already made up without a hint of hesitation.

‘His chosen martial art for generating Innate Divine Qi—the one he was now locked into—was not the Secret Six Harmonies Spear, nor was it anything else…’

‘It was, and could only be, Tai Chi!’

He even had the strong premonition that from the very moment his Tai Chi Qi first came into being, fate had already made this exact same choice for him.

“Chen Cheng…”

After a moment of silence, Li Wenrou suddenly spoke up.

“I get the feeling your benefactor friend is testing you. Or, to put it another way, she’s deliberately giving you a difficult task!”

“…Why do you say that?” Chen Cheng retorted.

“Because my master often uses this trick to test new recruits he has particularly high hopes for.”

Li Wenrou said,

“Whenever he finds a promising newcomer, my master gives him a seemingly impossible task. The recruit’s performance directly determines the kind of treatment he’ll receive in the future.”

“Whether he’s left to fend for himself as an ordinary disciple or receives dedicated cultivation with immense resources all depends on whether or not he can pass this test.”

Li Wenrou paused for a moment before adding,

“To put it bluntly, your benefactor friend is likely trying to assess you with the Secret Six Harmonies Spear!”

“If your performance satisfies her, she might just decide to invest heavily in your training and give you some unexpected rewards!”

Chen Cheng’s heart stirred at his words.

‘If Steward Li’s hypothesis was true, having that wealthy patroness sponsor him would certainly make the path ahead much easier.’

‘But a hypothesis was just a hypothesis.’

‘Until the wealthy patroness made her intentions clear, he could only treat this as a simple exchange of favors between friends. He shouldn’t overthink it, and he certainly shouldn’t act on it.’

‘As the saying goes, desperation never leads to a fair trade. The one who shows their hand first is the one who’s asking for a favor.’

‘Even if he wanted her sponsorship, he had to make her the one to offer it. That was the only way for him to hold the advantage in their relationship.’

‘Conversely, if he were the one to ask—to beg for it—he could forget about having the advantage. He might not even be able to interact with her as an equal anymore.’

“Ah, I was just spitballing. Don’t take it too seriously, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Seeing that Chen Cheng had been silent for a while, Li Wenrou quickly tried to reassure him,

“Mastering the basics of the Secret Six Harmonies Spear is harder than climbing to the heavens. Your friend definitely knows that. So, even if you fail, she won’t distance herself from you or disown you as a friend.”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.