Chapter 29: Mental Force Part 5
After that little accident, Luo Ling practiced caution with his explorations. Of course, as a former martial transcendent, his familiarity with inner breath was outstanding; he took control of it in no time.
With refined ease, Luo Ling directed the ten drops of mental force with a fluid grace that felt like an extension of his own body. By focusing all his inner breath in a straight line, he could stretch his perception to a remarkable fifty meters, surveying the area like an unseen sentinel. When spread out in all directions to form a protective sphere, however, the range condensed significantly. Yet, the sphere allowed him a more comprehensive awareness—ideal for sensing movement from any direction and detecting threats before they came close.
In a battle, martial artists always had their perception spread out in a dome shape, covering all their blind spots. They would only stretch their Inner Breath in a straight line during a reconnaissance.
Luo Ling’s mastery over his inner breath was among the greatest in the Murim world. He could manipulate mental force in ways that went beyond the two default forms of perception.
Meanwhile, he pushed his consciousness into the depths of his inner world. The vast expanse that housed his biggest secret, the Records of Toil, appeared brighter and more vibrant than what he remembered.
Containing his excitement, Luo Ling's gaze drifted toward the monolithic tablet looming within his inner world. He studied its structure, noting the subtle shimmer in the golden surface—a luster that hadn’t been there before. It wasn’t just a figment of his imagination; the tablet had undeniably grown brighter, radiating a richness that hinted at an evolving power within.
Moreover, an inexplicable connection had been established between his consciousness and it. For the time being, however, he couldn’t tell what this connection entailed.
[Iron Muscles Steel Veins Body Forging Exercise (Third Level)]— Proficiency: 15/999
[Archery (Houtian IV); Penetration (Rank 2); Weakness (Rank 1)]— Proficiency: 3,477/9,999
[Art of Meridian Mending Vol 1]— Proficiency: 904/1000]
[Meditation (Houtian II); Mental Force (Rank 1)]— Proficiency: 14/1 Bǎiwàn
Changes had occurred to some of the entries. The most obvious one was, of course, the increment of [Meditation] mastery. From Houtian I to Houtian II, the leap had been considerable and it brought the reward in the form of Mental Force.
The day he awakened meditation as an entry, Luo Ling had already made his guesses.
The martial cultivation method of Lightwheel Swordsmanship was divided into three sections; the meditation method, the sword practice method, and the visualization method. All three sections were to be practiced simultaneously to progress in cultivation as they each had their roles to play.
To awaken his inner breath, Luo Ling only utilized the first section of the cultivation method, meditation. But his luck was good and Records of Toil registered [Meditation] at the nick of time, simplifying his practice to awaken mental force.
Focusing intently, Luo Ling willed the Records of Toil to reveal more about the new ability awakened from [Meditation]. As if answering his silent request, the tablet shimmered, and then a brief explanation appeared in his mind.
Mental Force (Rank 1)
Obtain a weak Extra Sensory Perception. Automatically regenerate one drop of Inner Breath every hour and condense 1 drop of Inner Breath every day.
Luo Ling absorbed the terse explanation, but his experience with the mental force allowed him to glean the full meaning behind it. Even so, a flicker of disbelief gnawed at him, and he found himself questioning if he might be dreaming.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He was not surprised about the mention of weak extra-sensory perception. One of the characteristics of the Inner Breath or mental force is to awaken the supernatural perception of the martial artist. It was the following two lines that really made him gawk.
After draining his reserves, he would regenerate a single drop of inner breath each hour. This slow, natural recovery ensured that, even without effort or the aid of supplements, his inner breath would eventually replenish itself.
Ordinarily, inner breath would regenerate on its own, but never at such an exaggerated rate. The process was typically so agonizingly slow that a martial artist would be forced to meditate, drawing on their very blood and energy reserves just to regain what was lost.
This effect of Mental Force (Rank 1) was already extraordinary enough, but it was still tame compared to the following perk.
He could passively condense 1 drop of inner breath every day. The key word here was condense.
Unlike mere regeneration, condensation signified an actual increase in inner breath capacity. This meant that, even without circulating the meditation sequence of Lightwheel Swordsmanship, he could continue expanding his reserves, steadily accumulating more inner breath over time.
These two effects made Mental Force (Rank 1) a divine ability in his opinion.
The negative effects of forcefully cultivating the meditation exercise of his martial cultivation technique could be seen in his malnourished appearance. In just a few breaths, his healthy and well-proportioned physique squeezed into something a child who had never eaten his fill would have.
And this would become a common occurrence for as long as he continued practicing the meditation exercise. However, now, if he was willing to wait, in due time his inner breath count would continue to increase without harming his growing body in the process.
Divine, indeed. Luo Ling’s understanding of the Records of Toil and Martial God stage was refreshed once again. He suddenly realized that he didn’t even understand a tiny fragment of the martial apotheosis he had achieved.
Luo Ling dismissed these distracting thoughts, focusing instead on the proficiency points needed for his next upgrade. Judging by the boost he’d experienced with [Archery] at Houtian II, the next level of [Meditation] promised a substantial reward.
His excitement was quickly extinguished when he saw the required points—one bǎiwàn. That was a staggering figure. To put it into perspective, the average human breathes about 17,000 to 24,000 times a day. At that rate, it would take him at least 50 days to fill up the proficiency passively. However, if he meditated actively, with a rate of 5 points per breath, it would still take him ten days of continuous practice to reach the target.
But he was still human, with needs and limitations. It was impossible for him to sit still for days on end, doing nothing but meditate.
“Well, I’m not in a hurry. I can take my time and grow.” Luo Ling swallowed the bitter pill and reasoned with himself.
After a brief rest, he pulled himself up from the floor and sat cross-legged, his breathing pattern becoming gentler over the next few seconds.
Because he had only used the sensory expansion for a few seconds, his inner breath wasn’t significantly depleted. With a soft sigh, he deployed ten drops of mental force once again, but this time, it was focused on his body.
As his supernatural sense penetrated his flesh, organs, and bones, a flood of information surged into his brain. He quickly sorted through it, comparing it to his memories of his body from the Murim World. A stark but only difference became apparent.
A thin, almost ethereal pathway stretched across his body, winding through his muscles, organs, and bones. Along this path were tiny pores that connected to his skin. However, many of these pores were blocked, leaving only a scant few open. He didn’t see the starting or ending point of this pathway, as though it was hidden somewhere even mental force couldn’t reach.
A flash of intrigue was revealed on his face. He was more than certain there were no such extraordinary pathways in his previous life’s body. To a Martial Transcendent, their body was like an open book to them. Repositioning their internal organs was as easy as breathing, and regrowing limbs was only a matter of time. At their peak, they could even slow down their aging and live up to a thousand years.
In his previous life as a fully accomplished Martial Transcendent, Luo Ling would have detected such a unique pathway if it had existed. But he hadn’t. This suggested that the pathway was something unique to this world.
“Perhaps, this pathway is the so-called meridian coil,” Luo Ling mused, curious.
Meridian coils were the most basic, and the most important factor to get started on an immortal cultivation journey. From what he observed, its grade decides whether someone could cultivate.
After that, Luo Ling retracted his inner breath and released a sigh. There was nothing else to observe. Everything was good and growing, and he had no hidden injuries. All in all, he was a fit and healthy child.
He did a quick tally of his mental force and found only four drops of Inner Breath remained. His liver hurt at this astronomical consumption. How draining was it to condense those ten drops of inner breath? His ribs were now showing through the skin.
Still, it was a necessary step. Conducting a full-body scan was essential for planning his future training path. And besides, with Mental Force (Rank 1) it’d only take six hours to get back all his invested inner breath.
He could afford to wait.