Chapter 60 Comprehension

Deep within body and soul, a strange surge of battle qi energy was coursing through Huey's entire system like an electric current.

Huey had once heard Lancelot say that a magician's capability lies in borrowing the power of the heavens and the earth, whereas a warrior's power lies in unlocking oneself. Therefore, the growth of magic power is an inward absorption from the exterior, with the body acting like a savings jar that continuously stores external force; a magician's training is, in reality, the training of volumetric capacity. The growth of battle qi, on the other hand, is an outward radiation from within, with the body functioning like a boiler, increasing the operational output of a warrior's physical power.

Thus, Huey had always found it difficult to understand what kind of transformation occurs when a warrior's battle qi reaches the seventh rank, enabling the materialization of battle qi, and what the so-called materialization of battle qi truly meant.

Many realms of mastery can only be comprehended by those who walk that path, and can never be described through mere verbal recounting.

However, as the devotion magic rune continuously channeled the battle qi energy from Lilith's body, Huey finally perceived the transformation taking place within his own physique. As the energy grew, the battle qi in his body began to undergo a qualitative change driven by quantitative accumulation. It was no longer as elusive as before; on the contrary, Huey could distinctly sense the presence of the battle qi energy within his body, much like he could feel the flow of blood through his blood vessels. The sensation was so vivid that he could even consciously control its flow and direction.

If battle qi previously existed as something formless, then current battle qi was like a liquid flowing through every part of his body.

It turned out that the so-called materialization of battle qi did not merely refer to battle qi transforming from a formless energy into a tangible substance; more importantly, it was an existence that could be truly felt, and even touched and comprehended.

For ordinary warriors, prior to the materialization of battle qi, they could only vaguely sense the presence of battle qi, and when utilizing it, they could only follow its inherent nature. Much like the physical strength within you—you know it exists, but you cannot grasp it, direct it, or allocate it. All the methods you use to exert strength are merely through the primitive approach of regulating the energy of your body's muscles. The application of battle qi was identical. Whether it was the projection of battle qi outward, its convergence inward, or other forms, it remained purely primitive in application.

Yet once battle qi materialized, everything changed.

Warriors could clearly perceive its presence, its flow, and even its temperament and disposition. They could freely direct, control, and utilize this energy, thereby maximizing its effects. To a certain extent, materialized battle qi was akin to magic power—it had formed an energetic entity that could be commanded and controlled by the warrior. For instance, Chac莱's impact blade was formed by condensing and projecting battle qi energy outward, something that was impossible to achieve before battle qi reached the seventh rank.

This was why warriors, upon reaching the seventh rank, could attain a status comparable to magicians and be designated as free warriors.

However, advancing from the sixth rank to the seventh rank was simultaneously the most difficult tier in a warrior's progression. Many warriors failed to break through this barrier and lingered outside the gates of a seventh-rank warrior for their entire lives.

Thanks to the assistance of Buckler, Lilith, and the devotion magic rune, Huey was able to temporarily elevate himself to the seventh rank, experiencing the effects of materialized battle qi early on. Consequently, the doors to a warrior's profound martial arts were blown wide open for him, which would undoubtedly bring immense and obvious benefits to his future advancement.

"My goodness, this feeling is simply marvelous," Huey exhaled a long breath.

Beside him, the power Lilith could supply was growing increasingly scarce. The devotion magic rune relied on the existence of emotions to transmit power, and forcing Lilith to continuously recall her hatred for Kevin Beers was also a form of torture for her. It was difficult for people to control their emotions; the moment Huey uttered his joyful exclamation upon sensing the transformation of his battle qi, Lilith, influenced by him, found it hard to sustain her anger.

"Even now, I still remember the changes my body's energy underwent after I broke through to the seventh rank. That was the first time I so clearly felt their existence. I felt as though I could hear their voices, their calls, and as though I could see their movements. My state of mind back then was just like yours now, filled with excitement."

Brian Buckler's voice was deep and low as he softly recounted: "It was as if life had been reborn, and I felt my entire being had transformed. That is a qualitative leap, one that cannot be compensated for or replaced by a simple increase in battle qi energy. In my lifetime, I have only experienced that feeling once, and perhaps I will only ever experience it this once."

Huey looked at Buckler: "You're right, Brian, that truly is a sensation akin to life being reborn. My world has never become so wonderful. If my previous application of battle qi remained at the level of simple, primitive instinctive control, then this time, I have clearly seen the meridian map of how battle qi energy traverses my body."

"That's right. That will enhance your cultivation efficiency in the future and save you from taking many detours."

"It's not just that." To Buckler's surprise, Huey replied: "Brian, in fact, I feel I can do even better than that. I mean, even without Lilith by my side, and even without possessing seventh-rank battle qi energy, I can still attempt to create my own combat technique right now."

"How is that possible?" This time, it was Buckler and Lilith's turn to be astonished.

"Nothing is impossible," Huey replied: "When I entered the seventh tier just now, I discovered that the reason only seventh-rank warriors can create combat techniques is entirely because only upon reaching this stage can we clearly grasp the rules of battle qi operation within our bodies. Therefore, the creation of combat techniques is primarily related to our understanding and application of battle qi; as for the magnitude of the battle qi energy, it merely determines the effect and power of the combat technique. A warrior's application of battle qi prior to the seventh rank is like being trapped in a maze, forced to grope forward step by step. Once reaching the seventh rank, it is equivalent to walking while holding a map. And as for me, although I cannot yet manage to walk while looking at the map, with Lilith's help, there is nothing stopping me from occasionally taking a few glances. I can choose to memorize and commit to memory the layout of the entire battle qi maze, and then continue groping forward..."

"Are you trying to..." Buckler and Lilith exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes!" Huey answered with absolute decisiveness: "I am going to achieve the ability to clearly sense them and grasp their meridians even without the materialization of battle qi. As long as I can accomplish this, I can create my own combat technique right now!"

"Oh my god, this is too crazy," Lilith covered her mouth in shock.

Buckler also shook his head in admiration: "Your idea is truly unimaginable, Huey. Do you know what that means? If you can really achieve this, then you will be the very first person to master the ability of combat techniques before advancing to the seventh rank! Most importantly, you will possess a greater and more profound comprehension of power than any of us, laying an even better foundation for your future entry into the Sanctuary."

"Isn't that precisely what we have been dreaming of?"

Days passed by one after another. During this period, aside from occasionally returning to Royu City to show his face, Huey spent the vast majority of his time cultivating in the valley.

For Huey, being able to concentrate on cultivation was actually a very blissful matter. In this quiet valley, he did not have to engage in deceit and scheming with others every day, nor were there so many intricate plots, allowing both his body and mind to achieve ultimate relaxation. By comparison, the physical exhaustion brought by cultivation was truly no issue at all; on the contrary, every time he sensed the flow of battle qi within his body, he would feel incomparable joy.

In the open clearing outside the valley, the waterfall rushed forth unrestrainedly.

The current battered the river surface, splashing droplets everywhere and generating ripples in succession.

The murmuring river was like a relaxed, uninhibited waltz, and everything appeared so natural.

Standing amidst the holly forest, Huey felt a sense of peace in his mind that he had never experienced before.

He could feel the rustling sounds made by the forest when the wind blew, birds singing in the thickets, and animals running across the ground. Listening even more closely, he could even hear the sound of tiny insects gnawing on leaves.

Spring, a season of all things reviving, was filled everywhere with the symphony of life.

Huey closed his eyes, sensing all of this, his mood serene and peaceful. The right hand that had been hanging slightly by his side suddenly moved, and the tip of his right index finger emitted a speck of battle qi starlight.

This speck of starlight, glowing like a firefly, rose slowly as if pulled by an invisible thread.

A bird flew past right before Huey's eyes, and with a slight twitch of his index finger, that speck of starlight swiftly slashed across the sky, striking the bird squarely.

The bird let out a mournful cry and tumbled into the grass.

After fluttering its wings a few times in the grass, the bird miraculously flew up again, spreading its wings and soaring into the air.

Huey slowly opened his eyes.

He was extremely satisfied with this attack of his just now.

With the phenomenon of battle qi materialization, warriors' understanding of battle qi would produce vast differences. Every individual would have distinct insights and comprehensions regarding the battle qi within their own bodies, thereby giving birth to different methods of utilization and forming unique combat technique effects.

As for Huey, because he had never truly possessed the power of materialized battle qi, during his process of self-exploration, his comprehension of battle qi differed even more from others. It was akin to the exact same road: an observant person walking it for ten years versus a blind person walking it for ten years—their familiarity with that road was completely different. As a blind person, not only must he be familiar with how to walk this road, but he also needs to know what obstacles lie upon it. He must be able to state with his eyes closed how many steps it takes to reach someone's doorstep, how many steps it takes to exit this alleyway, and even where there is a crack or where a stone lies—a blind person must know all of this with absolute clarity.

Precisely because of this situation, Huey discovered that beginning his exploration of battle qi prior to its materialization allowed him to touch upon its essence even more easily. This exploration process was not protracted; on the contrary, Huey found that it was not difficult at all. The reason lay in the fact that ordinary people walk using their eyes, whereas a blind person walks...

With their heart!

It took Huey merely a dozen days to make a major discovery.

First, through Lilith's assistance, Huey gradually became familiar with the wandering meridians of the battle qi energy within his body, vastly increasing his mastery over battle qi. He was finally able to force battle qi outside of his body, rather than simply borrowing the power of battle qi to strengthen his musculature.

It was still the projection of battle qi outward, but his previous outward projections and his current outward projections possessed a fundamental difference. If the battle qi energy forced out of the body was applied to a weapon, sword qi would be generated.

This was true battle qi projection in the real sense.

Secondly, Huey discovered that battle qi possesses a responsiveness to all external objects. This meant that battle qi, much like magic elements, is a unique form of energy belonging to this world. If one could perceive the subtle differences in responsiveness within it, humans could use battle qi to sense enemies and detect danger even without relying on their eyes. The fact that some advanced warriors could detect enemies using battle qi stemmed from this very principle.

It was just that a warrior's battle qi detection could generally only respond to entities with relatively strong life signatures, failing to sense certain weak or peculiar life signatures. The reason magic spirits were able to evade battle qi was precisely because their life signatures were overly bizarre, making it difficult for battle qi to sense them.

This discovery left Huey wild with joy.

Finally, Huey also discovered that as his comprehension of battle qi power deepened gradually, he could control his power with increasing precision. This precision was not merely a matter of using a certain fraction of force, but could be refined to the infinitesimal degree of power.

The bird that had flown past just moments ago was hit by him under precisely this set of circumstances.

During this process, he first used pure battle qi to search out the bird's existence, then forced a trace of battle qi energy out of his body, and finally achieved a precise hit that only injured without killing the bird.

Whether it was enemy detection, energy projection, or the minute control of power, none of these were things Huey could have achieved previously—or rather, things any sub-seventh-rank warrior could achieve.

If Buckler were here right now, he would undoubtedly cry out in astonishment.

Because this was precisely the advanced realm of battle qi application.

Energy projection was the sixth level of control in a warrior's cultivation; only by achieving this could warriors utilize materialized battle qi energy and form combat techniques. Meanwhile, battle qi perception was something that could only be mastered at the seventh level of momentum in a warrior's cultivation, while the infinitesimal control of power belonged to the eighth level of creation.

When Huey was in Acacia Town, his comprehension of power had only been at the fourth level. During the process of crafting the Vajra Puppet, thanks to Lilith's assistance, he became a fourth-rank warrior, and his comprehension of power had merely reached the fifth level. Yet this time, having experienced the materialization of battle qi, Huey possessed a clear direction and goal. Combined with his blind-man-searching-for-a-path method of exploration, he had unexpectedly had an epiphany across three whole levels at once, reaching the eighth level of a warrior's cultivation.

This was absolutely unimaginable to anyone, including Huey himself.

A warrior's mastery of cultivation realms relied entirely on comprehension. There was no seniority in learning, and the one who attained mastery first was the teacher; unlike the accumulation of battle qi, which required long, arduous practice no matter how gifted one was. The reason Huey was able to become a fifth-rank warrior in the span of just a few years, apart from being sufficiently clever, was also largely related to his usual diligence.

As for Huey, having broken through to the realm of infinitesimal control, all he needed to become a truly advanced warrior was time.

"Whew! So this is the essence of power?" Huey raised his right hand, gazing at the speck of starlight on his fingertips.

At that moment, Huey suddenly felt a strange sensation. Theoretically speaking, he now possessed the qualifications to independently create combat techniques. However, among past warriors, not a single one had practiced magic concurrently, and among those magicians who did practice martial arts concurrently, not a single one had ever reached the seventh rank. In other words, no one had ever been able to both skillfully wield magic and master combat techniques at the same time.

And now, he possessed both simultaneously.

What this meant for his future self, Huey did not yet know, but he did know that the Lancer Empire's troubles were evidently going to grow larger and larger.