The first day of Susu’s fast, she used a fifth of her Qi. Usually, she would’ve used a third. A tip Zhu Zixin had given to her, one she barely remembered.
That was one of the things she disliked about her master. He allowed them to figure things out on their own, without a single tip.
Susu hated that, she wanted answers today…now even, but her master always forced her to figure things out on her own.
The hate wasn’t pure, as she realised that being forced to figure things out, was why she was able to create the Dance of the Scorpion Maiden.
As Susu generated Qi within her Soul Dantian. She swirled it slowly, allowing the Qi to soothe through her meridians and into her Core and Mind Dantian.
After a full day of cultivating, she began to sweat from the exertion. She thought of using the tranquil method but first needed to understand how long she could Swirl her Qi without stopping.
She did so for another day hour, then finally stopped realising her body was drenched in sweat. “Two days this time,” She whispered.
Susu downed the first bottle and sat back down in the lotus position and began cultivating again.
After three days of cultivating, a thought sparked into Susu’s mind, something she’d never thought of before. “Should I swirl the Qi within three Dantians whilst filling my meridians?”
She asked this, trying to understand the rumbling sensation she felt with her Core Dantian.
Susu closed her eyes and began to cultivate, this time, filling all three Dantians with her Qi.
She allowed her Qi to fill within her twelve meridians. Once she was satisfied, she swirled the Qi within all three of her dantians.
An hour passed and Susu’s body was drenched in sweat. Her mind began to dwindle from fatigue.
This level of Qi control was taxing on her mind and body, something she clearly underestimated, but with the child’s face planted into her mind.
This was nothing but a walk in a forest.
Two hours passed, then a rippling sensation erupted within one of her meridians, the one located in her right arm.
The ripple turned into a form of fire, that made her wince. She tried to dissipate the Qi within that specific meridian as she continued to swirl the Qi within all her dantians, but realised she would have to stop swirling Qi, something she wasn’t willing to do.
The inflamed Qi crept down to her Core Dantian and slowly began to pour in, like a mist. Her muscles began to retract, making them feel like twigs which meant if she moved the Qi within her would rupture her muscles.
Despite her muscles contracting, Susu felt stronger. As the inflamed Qi began to swirl within her Core Dantian, she had urge to touch the inflamed Qi.
At the back of her mind though, a nudging sensation urged her not to, so she followed her instincts and continued to cultivate, leaving that inflamed Qi alone.
Is this how Qi-Deviation is? Access to a stronger body, at the cost of damaging my meridian pathways?
It was tempting, tempting to grab that flame, a flame that would increase her power exponentially…but it would destroy her talent permanently.
Susu kept her mind still and her body roiling with Qi continuously. Her Qi continually flowed into her Core Dantian.
An hour more passed and Susu still hadn’t given into the sweet sensation of the fire Qi creeping up to her Mind Dantian.
It began to feel like a whisper, wafting around her mind. “Take it…take the flame and gain the strength you need to protect the child.”
Susu ignored it.
Susu’s Core Dantian was filled halfway, and then she felt her muscles retract, to the size of a thread, but she kept her mind firm.
The fire sensation roiling in her meridians continually tempted her, but she didn’t allow it to form in her mind. As her Core Dantian was finally filled, making her Soul Dantian roil for the same attention.
The Qi she cultivated was now like a roiling within her meridians, making her body quiver from the pain.
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Susu’s meridians within then wilt from the fire sensation within her Qi, Susu changed the balance from her into a Yin energy, quelling the fire sensation and cooling the fire in response.
It wasn’t something she told her, but it came as a natural reaction…to Yang energy. Of course…how could I be so stupid, my Yang energy got out of control! This is QI DEVIATION!
Susu bottled the inflamed around her own Yin-Qi, as if it were a cocooned cicada. It took her an hour to fully smother the Qi, then she held it there, slowly trying to re-balance the inflamed Qi.
Susu’s internal organs had began to roil, as if they were set ablaze as she continually tried to re-balance the inflamed Qi.
The Yang-Qi began to roil, thrashing against her Yin-Qi shield.
The Yin-Qi shield shattered into pieces, realising what she was trying to do. The Yang-Qi shot right back into her meridians and the scorching sensation erupted.
She spat out of mouthful of blood, and shrieked. “What is happening?” She whispered, “Why is my Qi unbalanced?!”
As Susu felt the balance of her Qi continually slip. The Yang-Qi roiled and thrashed within the meridian located in her right shoulder.
Her muscles felt like they were on fire, and she could feel the temptation to give in to the Qi Deviation growing stronger with each passing second. “No… I can’t…” She whispered through gritted teeth, sweat pouring down her face.
Letting the Yang-Qi run wild, would allow her to gain immense strength, momentarily. But the cost of permanently damaging her meridians was too high.
Yes, her meridians would be able to handle her using such fiery Qi, but it would also send her insane from the pain.
An image of the child’s emerald eyes and innocent smile flashed in her mind, giving her the resolve to hold on just a little longer.
The urge to release the swirling Qi had reached its breaking point for Susu. If I release my Qi, the Yang-Qi might run ragged and destroy my dantians.
Susu sealed the acupoint within her left shoulder and quelled swirling the Qi within her Dantians.
Five hours passed and her Qi finally dissipated from within all her Dantians and Meridians, all but the Yang-Qi that tried to free itself from its acupoint sealing.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
Susu’s Core Dantian began rumble and roil, as it slowly began to expand, which made her shriek. Not now, she whispered, NOT NOW!
The surge of energy was unstoppable. She took a deep breath, calming her mind and focusing her thoughts. She couldn't afford to falter now.
An image of the child’s emerald eyes and innocent smile sparked into her mind, giving her to resolve and strength to not give up. “The strength and resolve I have, is to protect you little one. As long as I am alive. No one will ever hurt you!”
She generated Qi within her Soul Dantian, feeling as it swirled and condensed like a maelstrom of power.
Susu surged it toward her Core Dantian. The Qi moved like a powerful current, filling her meridians and pushing against the barriers within her. Each pulse of energy felt like a hammer striking an anvil, reverberating through her entire being.
As the Qi entered her Core Dantian, she swirled it onto the Dantian walls, then calcified it, solidifying her Core Dantian before it expanded again.
The process was excruciating. Every fiber of her being screamed in agony, but Susu gritted her teeth and persevered, which wasn’t helped by the flaming pain she had within her right shoulder.
She could feel every minute change, every shift in her internal landscape. The expansion continued, stretching her limits until it stopped abruptly, leaving her Core Dantian partially calcified.
A day passed and Susu continually calcified her Qi on her Core Dantian. This time when it expanded, she felt the first meridian point within her Core Dantian expose itself.
As her Qi flooded through the meridian she winced as her Qi cleansed. The pain was intense, like a searing fire that burned through her veins, but she welcomed it, knowing it was a sign of progress. Her mind was a fortress, impenetrable and unwavering.
She would not be defeated.
Susu repeated this process, for four days. Each day, she surged Qi from her Soul Dantian into her Core Dantian.
As her Core Dantian expanded a little more, the second meridian point finally exposed itself and so did the final meridian point.
Her body became a crucible, refining her Qi, purging impurities, and forging her spirit anew.
The forest around her seemed to hum in resonance with her struggle, the wind whispering through the trees as if cheering her on.“I’ve done it!” Susu celebrated, “I’ve opened all three meridian points, now I must calcify my dantian so it doesn’t crack!”
At the end of the fourth day, her Core Dantian was fully calcified, and all three meridian points were open.
The power coursing through her was immense, a torrent of energy that she could barely contain.
She felt a profound sense of accomplishment, her heart swelling with pride. She had done it. She had broken through to the Accentuation Realm. Her spirit blazed like a star, casting light into the darkest corners of her soul.
Susu spent the next three days, consolidated her Core Dantian, stabilizing it and ensuring its foundation was solid.
The process left her exhausted. Her limbs felt like lead, her vision blurred, and her breaths came in ragged gasps.
She could feel her strength waning, her body begging for rest. But she held on, knowing that she had to complete this final step. Failure now would mean undoing everything she had worked so hard for.
She lay down on her mat within the cave, feeling the cool ground beneath her. The sound of the flowing river nearby soothed her, a gentle reminder of the life that continued to thrive outside her secluded world.
As she closed her eyes, a faint smile played on her lips. She thought of the child, her emerald eyes and innocent smile, the motivation that had driven her through this arduous journey.
Susu had become an Accentuation Realm master. The journey had been long and filled with pain, but it had been worth it. She fainted from exhaustion, but her heart was full of joy and satisfaction.
The night passed in a blur of dreams and memories. Susu saw herself training with her master, the harsh lessons and the rare moments of praise.
When Susu awoke, the first light of dawn was filtering through the cracks in the cave walls. Her body ached, every muscle protesting as she tried to sit up. But she felt different. There was a new strength within her, a depth of power that she had never known before.
As she rose slowly, unsteadily, and stepped out of the cave. The forest greeted her with the songs of birds and the rustling of leaves. She felt connected to it all, part of a greater whole.