Chapter 29

Over the course of a couple of days, 621 delved deep into his newfound ability, dedicating hours upon hours to honing his skill and unraveling the mysteries that lay within. With each passing day, he grew more proficient in the art of reversing his Qi flow, his movements becoming more fluid and precise as he navigated the intricate pathways of his meridians.

As he experimented with the reverse flow technique on all his meridians, 621 noted the similarities in their processes, finding solace in the consistency of his discoveries. It seemed that regardless of the meridian he targeted, as long as he directed the flow towards his lungs, the outcomes remained unchanged.

However, 621 made careful deliberations when it came to his first and second primary meridians along with their secondary counterparts, both of which were connected to his heart and brain respectively. He made sure to limit the amount of Qi exiting his internal landscape, fearful of the fact that he may inevitably cause his own demise.

Yet, amidst his studies, 621 uncovered deeper truths about the nature of Qi and its interaction with the body's energy fields. Through his meticulous observations, he discerned the profound impact that meridians had on these fields, realizing how even the slightest imbalance could disrupt the delicate harmony of his internal energies.

One of his most significant findings was the inherent weakness that followed the exit of Qi from his meridians. As the vital essence flowed outwards, leaving behind an empty void, 621 felt the subtle shift in his energy field, a sensation of emptiness that left him vulnerable to the whims of fate.

But perhaps most enlightening of all was his discovery of the pain that accompanied the breach of an invisible barrier, the threshold between the internal and external realms. As he pushed the boundaries of his abilities, testing the limits of his control over Qi, 621 found himself confronted by a searing agony that threatened to engulf him.

Though, the silver lining here was that 621 could innately feel that the pain caused by the Qi exiting his body was becoming less and less, although minuscule at best. It was as if his physical body was adjusting to the effects of his painful attempts, gradually building a resilience to the strain of his newfound abilities. With each passing trial, 621 grew stronger, both in body and spirit, forging ahead on his path of enlightenment with unwavering determination.

621's contemplation of the invisible barrier was an exercise in frustration and fascination. As he delved deeper into his thoughts, he couldn't shake the feeling that it held a significance far beyond his current understanding. Was it merely a safeguard, as his instincts suggested, a gatekeeper between the physical and spiritual realms? Or was there a deeper purpose, a hidden meaning waiting to be unraveled?

His mind raced with possibilities. Perhaps the barrier was a reflection of the delicate balance between the inner and outer worlds, a barrier meant to preserve harmony and prevent chaos from seeping into his being. Or maybe it served as a boundary between the known and the unknown, a threshold that must be crossed with caution and reverence.

Despite his best efforts, 621 found himself grappling with more questions than answers. Each attempt to breach the barrier only deepened his sense of awe and respect for the mysteries of his own existence. Yet, there was an undeniable allure to the challenge, a tantalizing promise of discovery lurking just beyond his reach.

As he continued to ponder the enigma before him, 621 resolved to approach it with patience and humility, knowing that true understanding would only come with time and experience.

…

Now in the present, 621 meticulously conducted a new experiment, the tension in the air was palpable, his focus unwavering as he aimed to observe the unknown interaction between the reversed Qi flow and a focal point. With each passing moment, the anticipation grew, his mind racing with possibilities.

With practiced precision, he manipulated the flow of energy, coaxing it into a whirlpool that spiraled with increasing intensity. His movements were fluid yet purposeful, each gesture calculated to achieve a specific outcome.

As the whirlpool reached its peak, 621 executed the reversal process with practiced ease, his focus unwavering as he directed the flow towards the focal point. In his mind's eye, he watched intently, ready to analyze every nuance of the interaction that was about to unfold.

At first, there was a subtle shift in the flow, a slight hesitation as the reversed Qi approached the focal point. Then, as if hitting an invisible barrier, it slowed to a crawl, the momentum of its backward motion abruptly halted. For a moment, the energy seemed to hang in limbo, suspended in the air as if caught in a cosmic tug-of-war.

But then, with a sudden and almost violent force, the reversed flow collapsed upon itself, the velocity dissipating like a gust of wind extinguished by an unseen force. It was as if the focal point itself had exerted its dominance over the rebellious energy, compelling it to conform to the established order of the meridian.

Like a mighty fortress standing against the tide, the focal point stood firm, its presence commanding and unyielding.

As the reversed flow settled back into its original direction, 21's resolve remained unshaken. For him, this was not a defeat, but another step on the path to understanding. His previous hypothesis had merely been confirmed.

“So that’s what happens, it would seem that the focal point themselves serve to monitor the flow of Qi acting as a safety mechanism in it’s overall state.”

“But what was that feeling?”, 621 contemplated.

He had felt a slight motion in the focal point just before its total momentum collapsed, “it was almost as if it was reaching something…a threshold.” 621 instinctively felt that there was meaning towards this perceived threshold, goading him to try and overcome that invisible barrier within the focal point.

“If there is a barrier, then one must simply overcome it with brute force!” he thought aloud.

621, after a short break, conjured a new whirlpool within his meridian, but this time, his intent was clear. As the whirlpool spun with ever-increasing speed, 621 became extremely interested on the resulting outcome. With each passing moment, the vortex spiralled until it reached 3 revolutions per second.

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And then, with a swift and decisive motion, 621 reversed the flow, sending it hurtling towards the focal point with unrelenting force. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though victory was within his grasp, as though he could taste the sweet triumph of success.

But alas, it was not to be. Despite his best efforts, the focal point stood firm, its defenses holding strong against the onslaught of energy. As the reversed flow collided with the barrier, it faltered, its momentum dissipating into the ether as it surrendered to the inevitable pull of the focal point's influence.

Yet even in the face of disappointment, 621 was filled with excitement. “I knew it!” In that short moment, 621 felt the “threshold” shake under the influence of the greater velocity of the reversed flow.

Next, 621 with focused intent spun a whirlpool of 4 revolutions per second, this time finding it tiring to control such a speed before reversing the flow and cascading it towards the focal point, this time, the flow seemed to almost breach through the defences of the focal point before disappointingly reverting to a calm forward direction once more.

However, this only made 621 even more interested as he felt that he was infinitely close to breaching the focal point threshold.

"I only need it to become a single revolution faster," he thought to himself, his determination undiminished by the setback.

The atmosphere crackled with tension as 621 pushed himself to the limits of his capabilities by creating a whirlpool that spun a whopping 5 revolutions per second. Beads of sweat dotted his brow as he fought to maintain control over this tumultuous whirlpool, its swirling motion a testament to the sheer force of his will.

With a decisive gesture, 621 reversed the flow, unleashing a torrent of energy that surged towards the focal point with breathtaking speed, it was like a tide of rupturing current descending down his meridian until it cascaded with the fortress. For a moment, it seemed as though victory was at hand as the focal point buckled under the force of the onslaught.

But then, to 621's astonishment, something extraordinary happened. The focal point, once a steadfast barrier against the flow of energy, actually began to shift and change, its very essence adapting to the new direction of the reversed flow.

Not only that, the focal point even began to display it’s purpose as it accelerated the flow of Qi in its assumed direction with greater velocity causing 621’s facial expression to drop immediately.

“Danger!” his instincts flared almost instantly.

The unchecked rush of accelerated reversed Qi spelt disaster. 621 suddenly found his control over the flow of Qi become unstable; he couldn’t force it to stop not when it was under the influence of increased speed.

Subsequently, he felt the tide of Qi closing in on the invisible barrier within his meridian; the gateway to his physical body. 621 could only bite his lips at the endless and detrimental possibilities that would ensue if this tide of Qi were to exit the confines of his meridians, death loomed heavily in his mind.

With a steely resolve, 621 sprang into action, his mind racing as he sought a solution to the impending crisis. In a desperate bid to regain control, he summoned forth a new whirlpool further in his meridian, its counter-clockwise motion a stark contrast to the raging tide of reversed Qi.

With a swift and practiced motion, he began to mold the Qi in his meridian, quickly shaping it into a powerful whirlpool that spun in a counter-clockwise direction. The air crackled with energy as the whirlpool took form, its swirling motion a testament to 621's unwavering resolve.

But even as he poured his efforts into the creation of this whirlpool, 621 knew that it might not be enough to stem the tide of reversed Qi. With time running out, he made a split-second decision to create a second whirlpool further back in his meridian, its purpose to support the first whirlpool and bolster its strength against the oncoming onslaught.

With practiced precision, he divided his focus between the two whirlpools, pouring his energy into their creation with single-minded determination whilst keeping an eye for the rushing tide. Beads of sweat formed on his entire being as he worked, the strain of his efforts evident in the tense set of his clenched jaw.

Eventually, with a final surge of effort, the whirlpools sprang into action, their combined force creating a powerful counterbalance to the incoming tide of reversed Qi. For a moment, the chamber was filled with a palpable sense of tension as the two opposing forces clashed against each other with all the fury of a raging storm.

In the heart of this tumultuous situation, 621 stood as a lone sentinel, his mind a whirlwind of calculation and determination. Despite this, the flow of Qi from the first whirlpool was immediately torn asunder by the tsunami-like tide.

With this, 621 quickly realized that his haphazard contingency plan was no match for the incoming danger that is the accelerated reverse flow; he knew that he failed.

Therefore, with a swift and decisive motion, he took a gamble and directed the flow of Qi from his incoming second whirlpool to intersect with the surging tide of reversed Qi, creating a third whirlpool at the point of collision.

The air in the chamber crackled with energy as the two opposing forces clashed against each other, the sheer power of their collision threatening to tear reality apart.

But even as chaos reigned around him, 621 remained composed, his focus unwavering as he guided the flow of Qi with pinpoint precision. With every ounce of his being, he poured his energy into the creation of the third whirlpool, shaping it into a swirling vortex of diminishing force.

With a fierce determination that bordered on desperation, 621 forced the creation of this new whirlpool. It’s intense energy bordering on escape as 621 was soon faced with the problem of control. As each second passed, he felt his grip on reality slipping through his fingers and back into the embrace of darkness.

But 621 did not falter. With a resolute determination, he forced the third whirlpool to expand, its spiraling motion growing ever more intense as it siphoned off the energy of the surging tide. His overseeing mental mind exceeding its capabilities as he struggled to keep it under control.

As they interacted, the force of the clash began to diminish via the guiding motion of his new whirlpool, the once-unstoppable tide of reversed Qi faltering under the relentless path of the third centred whirlpool.

Subsequently, with a final surge of effort, 621 barely succeeded. The third whirlpool expanded to its full size, its swirling motion encompassing the entirety of the clash and forcing the opposing tides to coalesce into the vortex absorbing them with a voracious hunger.

And with a deafening roar, the tumultuous clash of energies subsided when 621 forced the entire system to collapse onto itself with every remaining once of his mental effort, leaving behind a calm stillness in his meridian.

Exhausted but victorious, 621 allowed himself a moment of respite as he himself collapsed on the cold floor, his chest heaving with exertion as he surveyed the internal aftermath of his struggle. His minds eye observed the flow of Qi stilling before reverting back into their forwards direction.

Interestingly enough, with the rushing tide simmering down, 621 inadvertently noticed the changed focal point to also revert back into it’s original position, accelerating the flow of Qi towards his dantian once more.

“The little fucker nearly killed me….” 621 cursed with a sigh.

In that moment, he knew that he had faced the greatest challenge of his life and emerged triumphant, his indomitable will and unwavering resolve carrying him through even the darkest of trials.

As 621 sat in the stillness that followed the storm, a wave of self-recrimination washed over him. He berated himself for his shortsightedness, for allowing his single-minded determination to blind him to the potential dangers that lay ahead. In his relentless pursuit of knowledge and mastery, he had failed to heed the warnings of caution, instead plunging headlong into the abyss of uncertainty.

“I got too ahead of myself, but it indeed proved my theory, I only have myself to blame for ignoring the obvious outcome…”

With a heavy heart, he reflected on his actions, dissecting each decision with a critical eye. He saw now how his arrogance had clouded his judgment, how his thirst for self-validation had overshadowed his instinct for self-preservation. He had been reckless, driven by a relentless desire to prove himself at any cost.

And yet, despite his failures, 621 knew that he could not afford to dwell on past mistakes. The path ahead was fraught with peril, and he would need to steel himself for the challenges that lay ahead. With a newfound resolve, he vowed to learn from his errors, to approach each trial with caution and humility.

He would never allow his pride to blind him again. Instead, he would temper his ambition with wisdom and his determination with prudence.