Chapter 34: Transforming Qi into Gang

"Since you all came today to welcome this old man out of seclusion, it would clearly be inappropriate not to give you anything."

Hearing these words, everyone's eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but feel a surge of pleasant surprise in their hearts.

If Elder Ling was going to give them something, it certainly wouldn't be anything ordinary.

Ling Xiao was also excited. It seemed he had come to the right place today; not only had he washed away his previous shame by defeating Ling Tie Shou and earning the respect of the crowd, but he could also receive a reward from Elder Ling.

This was truly wonderful.

"Catch it!"

Ling Xiaotian suddenly let out a loud roar, and countless streaks of white light shot from his body, landing into the bodies of all the Ling family disciples present.

"This is a wisp of Astral Qi from within my body. The clever ones can use it to comprehend Astral Qi, while the foolish ones can use it to strengthen their bodies. In any case, it only brings you benefits and no harm."

Having said that, Ling Xiaotian turned and left.

"Ancestor, why must you go to such lengths? Spending so much on those disciples is not worth it."

"Nothing is not worth it. I actually feel that there are a few good talents among this generation of disciples. I originally wanted to take them as my disciples, but I have other matters to attend to right now and likely won't have time to teach them. I'll give them some benefits in the hope that they can use this to successfully advance."

"Are you referring to that Ling Yihang? Or Ling Yixue?"

"Those two are indeed talents worth cultivating, but..." Ling Xiaotian smiled. Whether intentionally or not, his gaze swept across Ling Xiao.

Then, he walked away laughing loudly.

"The Annual Grand Competition is about to begin, isn't it? Perhaps there will be surprises this year."

Ling Xiao looked inward with pleasant surprise, inspecting the wisp of Astral Qi within his body.

This was exactly what he lacked most right now.

With the analytical capabilities of the Mountain and River Martial Soul, he could completely analyze the entire process of this wisp of Astral Qi's generation.

Although he couldn't analyze Elder Ling's total strength, analyzing a single wisp of his Astral Qi was no problem at all.

Ling Yihang left with an inscrutable smile on his face.

Ling Yixue also drifted away, her face filled with both anticipation and anxiety.

Ling Feng was even more impatient, taking Ling Yu and leaving with a look of wild joy on his face.

Ling Tie Shou also left. Before departing, he touched the part of his body where the wisp of Astral Qi had landed, and then glanced at Ling Xiao.

"Ling Xiao, today's shame will definitely be washed away during the Grand Competition!"

Of course, most of the disciples remained bewildered, completely unable to understand what use this wisp of Astral Qi from Elder Ling would actually be.

Some even muttered secretly, saying they had come for nothing and that Elder Ling was truly stingy.

Ling Xiao shook his head, feeling that these people were truly ungrateful for the blessing they had received.

He also turned and returned home. After informing his grandfather, Hong Qi, he entered the training room once more.

Analyze!

The Mountain and River Martial Soul activated, beginning to analyze Ling Xiaotian's wisp of Astral Qi!

About an hour later.

A look of wild joy appeared on Ling Xiao's face.

The entire process of this wisp of Astral Qi, from its generation to its growth, had been clearly analyzed and visualized by the Mountain and River Martial Soul.

"Now that it's been analyzed, the next step should be to condense my own Astral Qi!"

Ling Xiao smiled slightly and immediately began practicing the "Bull Demon Art · Qi Condensation," starting to transform the True Qi in his body into Astral Qi following Ling Xiaotian's method.

It was a bit slow at first, but as he became more proficient with the process, his speed in transforming Qi into Astral Qi grew faster and faster.

His foundation had long been sufficient.

Having stayed at the first stage of the Martial Vein for so long, his True Qi had long since filled every corner of his body and even his cells.

He could feel that when using Ling Xiaotian's method to transform Qi into Astral Qi, the True Qi surged out incessantly. This level of storage was likely the most profound among warriors below the third stage of the Martial Vein.

He estimated that perhaps only Ling Yihang could rival him.

The process of transforming Qi into Astral Qi went very smoothly, almost as if it were a natural progression.

This was mainly because he had attempted it many times before; although he had ultimately failed at the final step, he had nonetheless accumulated experience.

This time, through the comprehension and analysis of Ling Xiaotian's wisp of Astral Qi, the process became even more logical.

However, the moment all his True Qi condensed into Astral Qi, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

Astral Qi was different from True Qi.

True Qi was gentle and soft.

But Astral Qi was violent and sharp.

It felt as if his body was about to be torn apart by this Astral Qi, causing unbearable pain.

*Sizzle!*

*Sizzle!*

*Snap!*

Wounds cracked open across his body, and blood sprayed out. If anyone had seen this, they would have been terrified.

"No, if this continues, I'll die!"

Ling Xiao suddenly realized that the reason this was happening was likely because the True Qi in his body was too profound. Consequently, the amount of Astral Qi produced was naturally much stronger than that of an average person.

There was a limit to how much Astral Qi a third-stage Martial Vein warrior could withstand, and his had clearly exceeded that limit.

He hadn't expected that having too much True Qi could also be a problem.

Ling Xiao gave a bitter smile.

However, since things had come to this, he certainly wouldn't wallow in self-pity.

He directly took Golden Wound Ointment and Healing Pills from the Mountain and River Map, using them as if they cost nothing.

Over and over again.

Within half an hour.

After experiencing a period of pain more agonizing than death, he had almost exhausted all his Golden Wound Ointment and Healing Pills.

He finally felt that the violent Astral Qi had been tamed by him.

It felt as if a wild beast was roaring within his body.

Except this beast was one he could control.

Ha!

Ling Xiao suddenly stood up and let out a wild roar. Countless blood-red bursts of energy erupted from his body, striking the surrounding walls with loud cracks.

If this hadn't been a training room, those walls would likely have been blown down long ago.

The red energy was the result of the stagnant blood in his body being forced out by the Astral Qi.

If he had allowed that stagnant blood to remain in his body, it would not have been a good thing.

"Hahaha, success! I've finally succeeded in transforming Qi into Astral Qi! I have successfully transformed all the True Qi of one Martial Vein into Astral Qi!"

Ling Xiao was extremely excited.

Although he had only succeeded in transforming one Martial Vein, with this success, the next two would be easier.

He believed that as long as he condensed the True Qi of all three Martial Veins into Astral Qi, he could smoothly break through to the fourth stage of the Martial Vein.

He wouldn't even need any external assistance.

He was thrilled because a dream that once seemed unreachable had now become so simple.

He used to think that as long as he could condense Astral Qi in this lifetime, he would be satisfied.

But now, he could have even loftier dreams.

What was transforming Qi into Astral Qi? This was merely a small beginning.

He opened his left hand, revealing a soft, misty aura, much like water vapor after boiling water; this was True Qi.

He opened his right hand, revealing a compact aura that resembled a miniature tornado. Not only that, but every strand of the aura looked like a sharp blade, clearly possessing immense power.

This was Astral Qi.

Although both True Qi and Astral Qi were energies produced within the human body, they were worlds apart.

Previously, among all the disciples below the Elite Hall, only Ling Yihang had comprehended Astral Qi.

But now, there was one more person: himself, Ling Xiao!

Possessing Astral Qi, he was destined to shine brilliantly on the day of the Annual Grand Competition.