Free Web NovelChapter 426: Chapter 413: Innate Qi Affinity
"You don’t have to imitate Cyan Treasure completely."
Gu Ming’s voice guided it from the side.
"Your path is different from its.
"The foundation of your Devouring Secret Technique lies in ’devouring’ and ’refining’.
"You need to think about how to elevate this Devouring Power, so that it can not only devour Spiritual Qi and Spirit Stones, but also absorb a trace of Innate Qi.
"Use it to temper your internal organs, completely fortify your body from the inside out, and make that power your own."
Ah Kun flicked its tail, seemingly understanding yet not quite, and tried to imitate Cyan Treasure’s breathing rhythm.
But it clearly hadn’t grasped the method. The Spiritual Qi it inhaled instead ran rampant inside its body, causing it to thrash about in discomfort.
Gu Ming wasn’t worried. He knew this couldn’t be achieved in a day. What mattered was whether Ah Kun was on the right path.
He had Cyan Treasure slow its breathing, occasionally speeding up and occasionally slowing down, demonstrating the details of the Breathing Technique over and over in a varied rhythm, breaking it down piece by piece.
Especially at the critical moment of drawing out that faint trace of purple qi.
Gu Ming would always use his Divine Sense to prompt the slow-witted Ah Kun to pay attention and observe.
Ah Kun’s learning style was different from Cyan Treasure’s intuitive understanding. It was a Fish Pet, a Pet Beast born to live in aquatic environments.
Therefore, its breathing was naturally inseparable from a water environment.
After dozens of failures,
Gu Ming suddenly had a thought.
"Ah Kun, create a little more water and try again."
As Gu Ming spoke, he began to wonder, ’Should I clear out a room in this villa to make a swimming pool?’
Otherwise, Ah Kun’s Cultivation would always be hampered by having to overcome the terrestrial environment, affecting its Breathing Technique practice.
Suddenly, after Ah Kun created more water bubbles around itself, its breathing underwent a complete change.
Its breathing seemed longer and more drawn-out, with a rhythm reminiscent of water.
It was a new rhythm that originated from the Green Treasure Breathing Technique but was also a transformation of it, incorporating the insights Ah Kun had gained from its own previous modifications.
’This is the feeling!’
Ah Kun had a moment of inspiration, feeling a hollowness in its fishy belly as if it could swallow the sea.
It opened its mouth wide in its signature powerful Devouring.
But this time, its target was not the massive amount of ordinary Spiritual Qi.
Instead, it was the extremely rare, shimmering, special spiritual qi mixed within the flow!
"BLUB!"
A small, concentrated stream of Spiritual Qi was forcefully devoured into its body.
Within it, there were one or two almost negligible specks of faint purple light!
Gu Ming’s Divine Sense had been monitoring Ah Kun’s breathing the entire time.
Having seen the Innate Qi inside Cyan Treasure’s body so often, he could naturally tell that Ah Kun’s modification of its Breathing Technique was a success.
"Yes! That’s the feeling!"
Gu Ming’s eyes lit up as he encouraged it, "Don’t try for too much. First, just feel it, capture it.
"Then, use your Devouring Secret Technique for Refinement. Treat it as the most essential nutrient and send it to the internal organs that need strengthening the most!"
Feeling Gu Ming’s encouragement, Ah Kun’s spirits soared.
It began to try again and again.
Although it might only succeed in capturing those one or two specks of purple light once or twice out of ten attempts,
And each time, the peculiar nature of the Innate Qi would cause a tumultuous storm inside its body.
But it could clearly feel that with every successful Refinement, its breathing rhythm for devouring Spiritual Qi became smoother.
There was an indescribable feeling of relief—in human terms, it was like the feeling after a good trip to the bathroom.
This also caused its Breathing Technique to change several times within half a day.
With each baptism of Innate Qi, its internal organs became more vigorous and resilient.
This kind of tempering from the inside out was far slower than simply devouring Spirit Stones, but it was more fundamental and solid.
That evening, Gu Ming came to check on Ah Kun’s Cultivation progress, taking it outside the villa to breathe.
He saw it open its mouth with great fanfare, as if swallowing a giant wave from the air itself, only to exhale a vast ocean.
In ten attempts, it could now capture a faint wisp of Innate Qi every time.
Don’t be fooled by the small amount.
A one hundred percent success rate meant that Ah Kun had transformed its old Breathing Technique into a new one.
Under the influence of the Time Dragon Cyan Treasure, the Juvenile Kunpeng had finally brought its Breathing Technique to Perfection.
As the Innate Qi was made its own through the Devouring Secret Technique, Ah Kun’s body developed an affinity for Innate Qi.
Huh.
Gu Ming glanced at Ah Kun’s Breathing Technique Skill Level and saw it had just reached Daoist Skill Perfection.
Innate Qi affinity... ’This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing.’
’What is its affinity level now?’
Gu Ming opened Ah Kun’s Attribute list, which was so long he could barely see the bottom and had to mentally scroll down to view its characteristics:
Innate Qi Affinity: Basic Level
Possesses a decent digestive capability for Innate Qi. Using Innate Qi in combat provides a small additional bonus.
’How much is a "small" bonus?’
Gu Ming was speechless for a moment.
Since the system didn’t clarify such a vague quantifier, Gu Ming had no choice but to have Ah Kun find a place to test it.
There was a combat room inside the villa that they could use for practice.
Returning inside, he happened upon the Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster during its break time.
"Mouse Treasure, want to spar a bit with my Ah Kun?" Gu Ming asked suddenly.
A question mark seemed to pop over Mouse Treasure’s head. It didn’t know what kind of scheme Mr. Gu was plotting.
However, it trusted Mr. Gu.
So, it nodded.
Ah Kun showed a look of anticipation. After incorporating Innate Qi into its Inner Core, its aura, much like Cyan Treasure’s, had become extraordinary.
Just by looking at its appearance, without even needing to probe with Divine Sense, Mouse Treasure could sense that its opponent had improved.
「In the combat room.」
Lu You followed them in without a word, simply standing on the sidelines to watch the two Pet Beasts prepare for battle.
Ah Kun was a Water Element Pet Beast, and its strongest Combat Skill was the first step of the Wave-Swallowing Technique: Abyssal Stop.
While Ah Kun had been improving, Mouse Treasure hadn’t been idle either.
It had also recently incorporated Innate Qi into its body.
Since both could now use Innate Qi, the outcome of the battle should have been similar to before.
However, this time, things were different. Ah Kun, surrounded by water bubbles, first flapped its wings and flipped over. It expended a huge amount of Mana to conjure a monstrous wave inside the combat room, which surged toward Mouse Treasure.
Seeing this, Mouse Treasure violently stomped the ground right where it stood.
A solid Earth Dragon Illusion materialized around it, and it met the raging wave head-on with a ferocious "Earth Dragon Stomp," making no attempt to dodge!
"BOOM!"
Amidst the tremendous roar, an immense power directly shattered the crest of the wave, sending water splashing everywhere.
At that very moment, a sharp glint flashed in Ah Kun’s eyes.
The wisp of Innate Qi it had secretly merged into the water current was suddenly activated—Wave-Swallowing Technique: Abyssal Stop!
Instantly, all the scattered droplets of water froze in mid-air as if someone had pressed a pause button.
This was a new technique Ah Kun had comprehended recently.
In the next instant, these water droplets began to spin and converge rapidly, as if they had a life of their own.
In a flash, they formed a massive, spherical Water Prison, completely engulfing Mouse Treasure, which was still in the air after shattering the wave.
Mouse Treasure reacted extremely quickly. Trapped inside the Water Prison, it immediately mobilized its Power.
Its arms were instantly covered in a thick, earth-yellow glow, resembling iron arms and stone palms. This was the powerful Sub-dragon Race Combat Technique it had managed to learn in its spare time—the Sub-Dragon Palm!
It roared, striking the watery wall that imprisoned it with the force to shatter mountains and split stone.
