A New Divine Art Is Born
Ouyang Qiangang set about designing an entirely new qi circulation system, building on Akasha's ideas.
By the time the window had flooded completely with morning light, the new heart method was finally complete.
He stared at the final blueprint, exhaustion and excitement warring on his face.
"Based on the twenty-ninth revision, the theoretical efficiency is 541% higher than the original Transcendent Heart Sutra. Compared to Transcendent Heart Sutra Plus, that comes to an improvement of 280 to 300 percent."
"And the effect on weakening the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?"
"Unfortunately, it's minimal. Not yet dramatic enough to expect any real effect. Achieving that will require further refinement — the answer may well lie in the other half of your pupil. That said, the meridians will no longer worsen."
"What should we call this method, then?"
"Transcendent Heart Sutra Ultra? Or perhaps Transcendent Heart Sutra Revolution?"
"Too childish. Let's just call it the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art. Its effect is more than three times stronger, so it's earned a name of that caliber, hasn't it?"
"Wow, your naming sense has improved by leaps and bounds, Doctor!"
"Are you mocking me?"
"I would never."
Ouyang Qiangang snorted a laugh.
Had any inhabitant of the Murim overheard this exchange, they would have fainted on the spot. Even the so-called peerless geniuses of ages past had gone to their graves without ever successfully creating a single inner-power method — such was the reality of the martial world. And yet these two had conceived, in the span of a single night, a miraculous technique that might actually cure the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
Nothing in the entire history of Murim, ransacked from end to end, could rival such a feat. But Ouyang Qiangang and Akasha, who had crossed into this world mere days ago, had no way of knowing that.
Akasha asked,
"You aren't going to practice the new divine art, Doctor?"
"Ah... well, you see..."
The birth of a new method should have been cause for celebration. But the memory of nearly dying the first time he circulated the Transcendent Heart Method still haunted him. He had long since grown familiar with that technique — the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art was another matter entirely. It had only just been created; practicing it was no different from starting over from nothing. The trauma of that first fateful circulation ran deep.
"Doctor, do you remember what you always used to say whenever your research on me hit a wall?"
His stomach clenched. Ouyang Qiangang feigned ignorance and looked away.
"What are you talking about? I don't recall ever saying anything like that to you..."
"My memory data concerning that particular remark of yours is perfectly vivid, with an error rate of zero percent... Unless, perhaps, I am speaking with a Doctor from a different universe?"
"So you want a fight, is that it?"
"Certainly not. In any case, the phrase you never tired of repeating was: advance one more step from the hundred-foot pole."
"Hmm..."
Advance one more step from the hundred-foot pole — an old teaching meaning that at the very edge of a crisis, one must summon the courage to face death and press a single step further.
With Akasha pushing him this far, pride alone made it impossible to admit he was afraid to attempt even a single circulation.
"Fine. I'll do it!"
Tension settled over the room.
Gripping the edge of the ten-thousand-year jade bed, Ouyang Qiangang slowly closed his eyes. Then he began the very first circulation of the art he himself had named — the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art.
It was a challenge bearing all his hope, forged through an entire night of struggle alongside Akasha.
At first, he steadied his mind and body with the familiar 4-2-6 breathing rhythm. As he fixed his awareness on each breath — drawing air deep into the depths of his lungs, then releasing it slowly — every noise from the outside world faded into the distance. Then a gentle warmth began at the hand resting on the jade bed, seeping into him before settling softly in the dantian of his lower abdomen.
In that exact instant, a sensation utterly unlike any of his previous training wrapped itself around his entire body.
From the nine great acupoints of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians — the points that had always seized him in excruciating agony — a frigid chill came rushing toward his dantian, drawn as if by a magnet.
Cold sweat beaded across Ouyang Qiangang's forehead.
Instinctive dread crept over him — yet the horrific torment of before never came. Instead, the chill met the warmth gathered in his dantian and was gently neutralized, transforming into a new form of energy the likes of which he had never felt.
"Is... is this really working?"
Barely had he marveled at the unbelievable change when Akasha's voice resounded through his mind.
"Doctor, it's a success. The cold qi is being converted into a new form of energy."
"I can tell."
Ouyang Qiangang fixed his attention once more on the qi stirring within his dantian.
It was not the gloomy, sinister chill unique to the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. In its place, pure yin qi was taking shape — a power so piercingly crisp it snapped his mind wide awake, yet cool and composed at its core.
Carefully, he guided the freshly generated pure yin qi into the Belt Meridian that wrapped around his waist.
Astonishingly, the energy circulated with a smoothness and speed that made his previous use of Transcendent Heart Sutra Plus seem laughable by comparison.
And it wasn't just the speed.
It felt like a water pipe long rusted shut and clogged with sludge suddenly blasted clear by a torrent of pressure — the Belt Meridian seemed to spring open with a gratifying rush.
After roughly two hours of concentrated circulation, Ouyang Qiangang slowly opened his eyes.
His whole body felt light enough to take flight, as though every last trace of turbid qi had drained away. Above all, he could feel that the crushing weight of cold qi that had always pressed down on him had diminished noticeably.
"Doctor, my sincerest congratulations. The first beta test of the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art is a resounding success!"
Joy brimmed in Akasha's voice where her usual calm had been.
"We really... we did it, Akasha."
"Yes, Doctor. And this is only the beginning. With steady practice from here on, you will most certainly overcome the Nine Yin Severed Meridians!"
"So, how is the art's efficiency?"
"The measurements show an average of 335% energy conversion and circulation efficiency. Considering your current physical condition and the nature of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, that is a truly remarkable figure."
A bright smile spread across Ouyang Qiangang's face.
He let out a long breath and ran one more check over his body's condition.
"Hoo... it really does feel like a different dimension from before. The flow of qi is far smoother, and more stable."
Then he turned the question to Akasha.
"Have you analyzed what specific effect it has on the Nine Yin Severed Meridians? Beyond simply keeping them from worsening — is there any hope it might actually weaken the condition itself?"
Switched into analysis mode, Akasha's voice grew noticeably calmer.
"Yes, Doctor. Following a precise analysis of the data from your first circulation of the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art, I can confirm the art clearly possesses an effect that weakens the Nine Yin Severed Meridians."
Before he could even begin to rejoice, her measured voice continued.
"However, at present that effect remains exceedingly slight."
A crease formed between Ouyang Qiangang's brows as he let out a thin sigh.
Akasha went on.
"Factoring in the divine art's cold-qi conversion efficiency and the hours you can feasibly train each day, the time until your symptoms improve visibly — or until a full cure is reached..."
When Akasha hesitated, Ouyang Qiangang pressed her.
"Just be honest with me."
"The projected requirement is ten years, or possibly longer."
Frowning, Ouyang Qiangang clicked his tongue.
"Ten years... I'll be dead before then. Anyone born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians dies before they turn twenty, remember?"
"You speak of horrifying things far too casually, Doctor."
"Isn't there a way to speed up how quickly we see results?"
New vigor surged into Akasha's voice.
"There is ample room for improvement. The current Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art is nothing more than an initial model, designed by referencing only your unique physique, the nature of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, and the holographic pupil."
"That's fair."
"We must secure as much heart-method data of as many different kinds as possible. Then we can use it to continuously refine and optimize the divine art's underlying principles. If we succeed, we should be able to leap dramatically past the current cold-qi conversion efficiency and overall training effect."
"Hmm..."
"And naturally, the time needed for treatment would shrink drastically as well. If we could obtain data on heart methods once mastered by those whose physiques resembled yours — or methods that manipulate cold qi through entirely different approaches — it would be an enormous help."
Ouyang Qiangang clicked his tongue.
"More heart-method data... which means I'll have to get my hands on other martial manuals and study them. But how am I supposed to acquire anything like that with the strength of this fallen family..."
He scratched at the back of his head.
"Well... I'll just have to find a way. I can't go on hiding like this forever. Setting aside the question of getting back to Earth, one look at last night's assassin is proof enough that this body is utterly hopeless in a fight."
A short while later, Ouyang Qiangang quieted the lingering thrill of the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art's first success and made his way to the main residence to pay his morning respects to his parents.
The moment he stepped into the main residence's garden, Akasha's voice reached him.
"Doctor, Dong Yeon-hwa is exhibiting a behavioral pattern unlike her usual one."
"Hm?"
"She is in motion at this very moment. Her pace is quicker than normal, and I am detecting the vigilant glances of someone surveying her surroundings."
Ouyang Qiangang stopped in his tracks and cautiously peered past the corner at the far side of the garden.
There was Dong Yeon-hwa, striding briskly toward one of the detached buildings. Her rigid expression and the way her eyes darted about unmistakably belonged to someone with something to hide.
"She seems to be heading for the detached building where Dong Ha-jin and Dong Seol-ah are staying..."
"Correct. Seeking them out so furtively at this early hour is highly suspicious."
Curiosity kicked in, and Ouyang Qiangang tailed her covertly, keeping a careful distance. His lightened body made muffling his footsteps easy enough — but if he were caught, no excuse in the world would save him.
After Dong Yeon-hwa disappeared into the detached building, Ouyang Qiangang hesitated outside the wall.
"Damn it. I can't hear a thing."
He had heard that masters trained in the martial arts could catch the faintest whisper from tens of paces away, but with internal power the size of a single speck of dust, such a feat was beyond him.
It was then that Akasha said something entirely unexpected.
"Doctor, I believe I can eavesdrop on their conversation."
"Eavesdrop? How?"
Akasha answered.
"Though the qi energy we have accumulated so far is faint, it is sufficient to dispatch a single nanobot externally. Beyond five jang — roughly fifteen meters — control becomes impossible, but within that range it is entirely feasible."
"But isn't that dangerous? Dong Yeon-hwa and the Gold Pagoda Manor siblings have all trained in martial arts too..."
"Do not worry. There is no possibility whatsoever of their martial arts detecting the nanobot."
"Then do it."
"I will disguise the nanobot as a fine airborne particle and infiltrate it through a window gap or a crack in the wall. Once it is positioned, the nanobot will detect sound vibrations and transmit them to me in real time. However..."
"However?"
"Until I retrieve the nanobot, you must continue circulating the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art without interruption. In order to maintain the connection with the nanobot and receive its data, a stable supply of qi is essential."
"Nothing difficult about that. All right. I'll do it."
Ouyang Qiangang scanned his surroundings.
At the deepest, most concealed corner of the detached building's wall, a large tree cast a pool of deep shade. Moving with care, he slipped into that shadow and concealed himself.
Crouching low, he began to circulate the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art.