Becoming a Deity from Planting the Bodhi Tree

Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi were astonished.

Ji Jingqiu, on the other hand, felt guilty.

Behind closed doors, one knows one's own affairs best.

He didn't believe he had any talent.

Waking up with Qi Force and improving the Pile Breathing Method... all the credit went to the Bodhi sapling.

All he could do was tightly cling to the Bodhi sapling's "coattails" and then ensure that he worked hard enough to strive towards the Five Limits of a Heavenly Person and Reverse Innate.

Ji Jingqiu had initially wanted to decline, but he felt the piercing sharpness of gazes from both his left and right.

If looks could kill, those two gazes would have already slashed Ji Jingqiu to shreds, leaving him nowhere to hide.

Not to mention clothes, if it were acceptable, they would probably conduct an autopsy on the spot, to see if he had really cultivated Qi Force and how he had done it.

Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi stood on his left and right, like two guardian deities.

Now these two, whenever they were in the same place, would inevitably sandwich Ji Jingqiu in the middle, treating him as the dividing line, utterly not interfering with each other.

Seeing Master Yang's gaze filled with expectancy, Ji Jingqiu had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak:

"Mainly by eating a lot and training hard!

With abundant food, one naturally has vibrant blood and Qi, making practicing stances twice as effective, and accelerating the tempering of blood and Qi.

Regarding training, besides what Master Yang said about mind and body becoming one, the key is the integration of breathing skills and stance work..."

Ji Jingqiu looked upwards, avoiding everyone's gaze, trying to stay calm while repeating what Master Yang had said in the first lesson.

What Master Yang said was naturally correct; if you don't get it, it's your problem!

Good heavens, he could speak a bit about the insight he got from transforming the Hidden Dragon Stance, as he could still eke out some substantial content.

After all, the Martial Wisdom's enhancement was similar to a "Heavenly Revelation," granting him endless inspiration, and that essence was still from within himself, not just a simple golden finger adding points.

But to ask him to share insights on how he cultivated the Qi Force, that was really asking too much.

It wasn't like he could just say "by sleeping more," right?

Or directly admit that practicing breathing skills in his Inner Realm world during meditation would do?

He hadn't even told Master Yang the latter.

On the other hand, upon hearing the first two words "eating a lot and training hard," Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi fell into deep thought.

Could a "good appetite" truly be one of the talents for Martial Arts?

Seeing the atmosphere turn a bit awkward, Ji Jingqiu prepared to offer some substantial content:

"In the last few days, I've reflected on Master Yang's words 'the body like Qingshan, the Qi like clouds' and have made substantial gains.

Suppose the human body is a mountain range, with bones and muscles forming the continual Mountain Formation, and tendons and veins as the rivers and underground streams interconnecting inside and outside of the mountain.

Then blood and Qi, or Qi Force, would be like the flowing water, traveling according to the Mountain Formation, endowing life to the body's mountain range, namely nourishing the limbs and bones..."

Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi lapsed into silence again.

"The body like Qingshan, the Qi like clouds"?

Why hadn't they heard Master Yang say this before?

Was it a private lesson?

Yang Yan's gaze was intense, squarely fixed on Ji Jingqiu.

Even he hadn't expected Ji Jingqiu to throw out such remarks.

Qi like flowing water, advancing along the Mountain Formation, carving through turns and twists...

A majestic landscape of mountains and Qi!

Such an understanding was even more surprising to him than Ji Jingqiu cultivating Qi Force in one day.

Most people, even if they practice stances to the point of Opening Veins and condensing the True Seed, could hardly have such understanding.

To progress further and higher in Martial Arts, it isn't simply about amassing blood and Qi or strengthening the physical body.

After strengthening comes "Integration."

That is what truly matters.

Some can only exert four or five parts of their power, whereas others can unleash twelve or thirteen parts; this is the gap in "Integration."

How can a pile of loose sand contend with a mountain?

The Hidden Dragon Stance stresses that one can truly master physical strength only by subduing the Hidden Dragon within, emphasizing the importance of integrating the body's Heaven and Earth.

Firmly holding the rope around the Hidden Dragon's neck, you can make the Hidden Dragon serve you.

Ji Jingqiu's recognition, albeit rudimentary, signified he was on this path.

Yang Yan inwardly marveled, no wonder this youngster could fully grasp the Hidden Dragon Stance in just two days and tailor it to best suit himself.

Such Martial Wisdom was truly astounding!

For some reason, he used an excuse to interrupt Ji Jingqiu's speech.

His resolve, firmed in his heart, began to waver uncontrollably again.

He sighed in his heart, and after giving Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi some guidance, he turned and left.

...

After getting through the situation, Ji Jingqiu breathed a sigh of relief.

But for the rest of the afternoon until evening practice ended, Ji Jingqiu felt uncomfortable all over.

It was as if someone in some corner of the training field was watching him.

Before heading to the cafeteria in the evening, Ji Jingqiu glanced over the students of the Martial Arts Hall in the training field outside.

These days, he had noticed a significant drop in the number of people coming to train at the Martial Arts Hall compared to last week.

Mostly the gang members with tattooed arms.

But there seemed to be a growing number of his peers, around the same age.

He wondered if there was going to be another gang clash in the lower city.

In Taian City, the lower city was a place where sunlight couldn't reach, the most shadowy and chaotic part of the city, a black market skirting the edges of society.

Even the Security Bureau seldom patrolled there.

The gangs were the ones who called the shots.

And what's most common was the fluid turnover of gang members.

After dinner, Ji Jingqiu, patting his stomach, walked home.

His feet still in the upper-middle-class area, at the end of the street he could see the setting sun, a faint orange warmth lingering.

Suddenly, the traffic light ahead turned red.

A tram whizzed past him.

In the twilight's afterglow, Ji Jingqiu felt a rare moment of tranquility.

These days of Martial Arts training filled him with happiness, his visibly speedy progress filled him with motivation.

He had always been contemplating and searching for what he could do in life, finding very little.

Life, for him, has been filled with suffering and injustice from the start.

And now, at last, he had found a path wide open to him.

He suddenly realized that it was precisely the hardships and difficulties he had faced in the past that made his journey on this path of Martial Arts so smooth.

He felt he needed to thank his past persevering self, thank you...

"Boom—"

In the thunderous explosion, light and fire intertwined.

As if a camera shutter had been pressed.

At this moment, time seemed to stretch indefinitely in Ji Jingqiu's eyes.

The evening breeze had just gently brushed past his ears, and in the blink of an eye, came a mountain-collapsing, tide-roaring explosion, sending whistling gusts crashing omnidirectionally!

The sound of large glass windows shattering was trivial amidst the explosion.

And then there were the panicked screams amidst the explosion.

The huge explosion came from the next street; the tram that had just passed by Ji Jingqiu was now overturned, with its rear half in the explosion zone.

Ji Jingqiu silently looked at the tragic scene in the distance.

The sudden catastrophe left him dazed.

Such an intense explosion was certainly no accident!

A terror attack?

He did not stand there in a daze but hurried towards the overturned tram, carefully kicked aside the shattered glass, pulled crying children from inside, and cried out for uninjured bystanders to help with the rescue.

At that moment, a sudden burst of gunfire erupted in the distance.

Most people flocking from all sides to lend a hand changed their expressions and turned around to leave.

Ji Jingqiu's skin tensed, and the Heart Fire deep inside kept reminding him that this was a dangerous place!

But he chose not to leave.

Because no one understood the value of life better than he did.

He was never afraid of death.

He just didn't want to die.

Ji Jingqiu gritted his teeth, his breathing rough and heavy; the Qi Force within him surged forth, transforming from what used to be a gentle stream, now exhibiting the force of a rushing river.

This newfound strength allowed him to clear a path and help those trapped in the tram escape.