Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 942 – Success, The way of carving formations, Leaving

Qing Shui’s Buddha’s True Eyes achieving the Small Success Stage was particularly surprising. These kinds of mental techniques are difficult to train. The time it took to cultivate them was long. However, now that it had directly reached the Small Success Stage. Now it could be truly considered that the Buddha’s True Eyes was successfully cultivated.

Qing Shui tried it continuously many times, his spirit energy was strong, the Buddha’s True Eyes did not exhaust much. Its effect was to injure spirits and emotions, directly causing the opponent to feel pain.

If the opponent’s spirit energy was not strong enough, the Buddha’s True Eyes could cause the opponent to go crazy and directly turn him into a fool. Even those with strong spirit energy would still be affected. After all, people who had strong spirit energy were normally people who had suffered a lot. Thus the Buddha’s True Eyes could seriously affect their emotions, even causing them to feel like living was worse than dying.

Aside from these, the Buddha’s True Eyes also had the effect of directly attacking the opponent’s spirit energy, even attacking their body. That faint ripple can injure people and damage their spirit energy.

Even for body cultivators with strong bodies, their spirit energy would be very important too. They were most afraid of cultivators who cultivated spirit energy. They could not defend against them, life or death would be decided in an instant.

Qing Shui stopped in satisfaction. Earlier, not only the Buddha’s True Eyes achieved the Small Success Stage, even his spirit energy had some small changes, it became denser but its capacity did not change.

Looking at that pendant, Qing Shui started the final step of his experiments, the connection. He connected the carvings of the front and back together. Once he finished this step, he would have succeeded. He would have opened a new path for himself. He would be able to venture down the path of carving formations.

Nurturing the spirit, Qing Shui picked up a pendant.

He held a Gold Essence Carving Knife! Qing Shui had forged this especially for carving formations. He made it using the Pentacolor Rainbow Art of Forging. When necessary it could become a sharp weapon, but it was a little small.

Taking a deep breath, the carving knife in Qing Shui’s hands landed firmly in the space between the front and back. It only needed a stroke there, but that was the crucial point.

Chi!

There was a soft sound, Qing Shui saw a brightly colored strand of smoke. He knew that he had failed. The stroke that he made with his full concentration failed.

Without any hesitation, Qing Shui picked up another pendant. This time, he quieted himself for a while first before making the stroke. However, it still failed. Still, Qing Shui knew that these two strokes were different from each other.

It could be said that his skills in carving formations had attained a higher level, but he had still failed. Soon, 20 pendants were trashed. All 20 had been perfectly carved in the front and back, but they have been destroyed in an instant just like that.

Qing Shui was silent. After the Buddha’s True Eyes achieved the Small Success Stage, he discovered that his formation carving skills were vastly better than they were before. Furthermore, when he was carving the pendant, he would always be able to carve the Spirit Sealing Minor Formation on the front and reverse sides.

However, despite that, he still failed. That stroke only required knife skills. Qing Shui felt that he should have succeeded. His hands were nimble from his fist techniques, in addition to his drawing realm, the high grade Focused Concentration, Buddha’s True Eyes, Qing Shui felt that he should have been better than a sculptor. However, since he had failed tens of times in a row, it seems that his method was wrong.

“Where is the problem?”

Qing Shui thought as he examined the pendant in his hand. Looking at the marks carved by him, to others, it looked very profound and hard to understand. However, to him, it looked like it was full of spirituality, as though it was alive.

“Mn, it’s alive?!”

Qing Shui seemed to have grasped something, however, it was not a firm grasp. He stared blankly without moving. That feeling was very mysterious, he seemed unable to grab ahold of it. However, he did not wish to let it go. He just stood there thinking bitterly, trying to grasp it in his hands.

“Mn, let it revive then!” Qing Shui muttered.

Suddenly, Qing Shui’s Spiritual Sense was activated, he could feel that the markings on the pendant were full of Spiritual Qi. However, it was like a living Demonic Beast, just that it was not moving. Feeling this, Qing Shui suddenly understood.

This is a formation, now, it needs to be activated. Only in this way then would the “Demonic Beast” move.

“I need to activate the energy in the markings,” Qing Shui muttered.

Qing Shui stared at the pendant for a long time before picking up the carving knife. He activated his spirit energy and gently extended the carving knife to the markings, then he circulated it. With this, Qing Shui smiled. He could feel the Spiritual Qi in the markings moving with the carving knife.

Then he kept moving it to the front and to the back. Suddenly, he did not pause as he made the cut at the center where the connection should be. He was already very familiar with this move, thus the Spiritual Qi moved from the front to the back. Unfortunately, when he moved, it failed.

He thought earlier that all he had to do was to make one cut, all it took was a slip of his attention and it failed.

However, he was very happy. He took out another pendant before continuing. The pendant was suspended in mid air by his spirit energy. Then he repeated the process once again.

This time, it was completed in an instant, it could even be said to be perfect. Then he moved along the marking on the reverse side, he felt that if he kept moving, he would be able to succeed.

This time, it was very smooth, he moved slowly and smoothly to the end. Finally, Qing Shui stopped. It did not succeed, it became trash. He had failed after stopping at the end.

Qing Shui did not sigh this time. Instead, he spin the trashed pendant around. After one spin, he knew where the problem was. It was because he moved the knife on all three of its surfaces. Furthermore, the reverse side had its start and end broken off. He now knew that he was missing something

Circulation, the cycle of Yin and Yang, the movements of the celestial body, even the movement of human lives was an unexplainable cycle. This was the way, it was the way of the ‘Dao’ in the legends. The tree shed its leaves and returns to its roots. From nothing to something then back to nothing. Coming and going from a place. The blossom of a flower and the withering of it.

These simple-looking problems contained a complex logic behind it. Qing Shui’s eyes brightened. He took another pendant and tried carving it again. This time, his grace changed, there was a kind of strong confidence and maturity.

A turning point!

He familiarly brought the knife to the back, then moving it along all the markings and turned, making a cut across, completing a perfect cycle.

Almost in an instant, a bright gray light appeared on the pendant. However, it dissipated very soon. Although it still looked very ordinary, there were no markings on it. Yet, it was full of spiritual fluctuations.

Success!

QIng Shui looked at the pendant in his hands. He felt the feeling coming from it. Holding it in his hands, his skin seemed to have a faint Qi cover on it.

Success!

In the future, he could attempt to try and carve some things. He could even attempt to do it on some armor or weapons. Although he succeeded, he was not sure that he could do it on everything. There were many formations, it was extremely profound. It seems that he would have to spend some effort in this direction in the future.

Only after he completely carved all the remaining metal pendants did Qing Shui release his breath. He had spent a lot of time on this, his time in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was almost up.

After taking a break, Qing Shui used the purple jade to make a Violet Jade Pendant. It was slightly larger than the one he made for the Mu Can. There were not many differences in their effects. He made three.

Then he started carving the Spirit Sealing Minor Formation. The Spiritual Qi on the purple jade turned even denser. In the instant the carving was finished, the glow it gave off was much more resplendent than the metal ones.

Qing Shui only felt it for a little while and he was very satisfied. He played it down then carried on with the next one.

Success!

Looking at the finished Violet Jade Pendants, he did not expect that meeting Chi Ao and Chi Feng had started him on the path of carving formations earlier. This should be a good thing.

Seeing that it was almost time, that he would be forced out in another half a day, he washed up then left the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

The sky outside was still dark. This could not be helped as it was still winter. If it was summer, then it would have been bright already.

Qing Shui walked out and saw that Yu He’s door was still closed. So he walked outside. The winter morning was very cold; there was even fog today, he could not see far. However, he was able to sense the fluctuations of aura below the mountain.

There was someone practicing below. Qing Shui did not have to look to know that they were Chi Ao and Chi Feng.

When he went down, he saw that it was indeed the two of them. When Qing Shui saw them, he felt peace in his heart. With an extremely high talent and plenty of effort, their future was immeasurable.

“Morning uncle!” After seeing Qing Shui, they greeted him.

“Morning!”

Qing Shui smiled as he took out two Violet Jade Pendants and handed them over to the pair.

“When you wear this on your body, it will stop the aura from your body from coming out. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Oh! Uncle is really nice,” Chi Feng said happily. She was very smart and did not stand on ceremony with Qing Shui anymore. She said Qing Shui was nice, not thank you.

Chi Ao received it happily and smiled at Qing Shui.

This kid was not good at talking to people.

“You two continue, I am going to practice too.” After Qing Shui said that, he walked a certain distance away before starting to practice the Taichi Fist and Back Connecting Fist.

Chi Ao and Chi Feng stood at the side and watched.

Qing Shui had already told them about this two fist techniques the last time already. Thus, now they were watching. They learned very fast and they even had their own unique interpretations.

Qing Shui also noticed the two of them were practicing the Tiger Form, the strong pernicious aura caused the Tiger Form to be very mighty. Seeing them, Qing Shui nodded in approval in his heart. Even a tiger cub was a tiger. Furthermore, they would grow very fast.

After a while, Yu He came as well. Chi Feng had already left to make breakfast. Qing Shui And Chi Ao went back to the stone house together. Qing Shui left some things behind, mainly some pills and ingredients for making bone soup, enough for a few years. If they ate those once every few days, it would strengthen their bones and bodies.

“Elders, Xiao Ao, Xiao Feng, we are leaving. Remember, ten years. If ten years later, you still want to walk down this path, you can come and find me. Uncle will help you.” Qing Shui smiled.

“I knew that you were going to leave soon. I shall not keep you any longer. Be careful on your journey.” The old man smiled at Qing Shui, feeling grateful.

“Uncle, stay for another two days!” Chi Feng looked at Qing Shui, broken-hearted at having to part.

“Uncle still has some things to do, who knows, maybe I can come can find you guys in the future.” Qing Shui smiled.

“Uncle, in ten years we will definitely come and find you,” Chi Feng said with clenched teeth.

Chi Ao also nodded his head resolutely.