Chapter 12: 1st Level of the Qi Refining

Wang Zhu knew that it would be impossible to master and practice either Crane Steps or Water Horse Technique unless he possessed at least the first level of Qi condensing realm, this was his first objective. To condense Ice Qi and absorb it into his meridians.

Wang Zhu put the Crane Steps and Water Horse Techniques away into his spatial pouch, unscrolling the Ice Prince's formula.

'At this point, you should have awakened your bloodline to its first level. If you're careful you and focus on your inner self you should be able to detect the pure ice in your blood.'

Wang Zhu closed his eyes and started to meditate, unknowingly slipping into a state of selflessness. He traveled through his veins inspecting his blood, trying to find the element of Ice.

It was a vast endless ensemble of red rivers, all leading into the ocean that was his heart. There was so much warmth. But warmth wasn't what Wang Zhu wanted to find. He needed ice!

Finally, after searching the rivers of blood for hours he finally familiarized himself with his own blood. Slowly he started to detect slithers of Ice, although they were only thin slithers which were almost beyond perception, they were pure, like an endless raging blizzard waiting to freeze the world over.

'Channel this Ice, channel it into your Qi and convert it into your Qi. Then drive it home! Become one with ice!'

The words resounded throughout his mind.

Gasp!

Wang Zhu opened his eyes, sweat poured from his brow and he breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Although he looked massively fatigued the truth was that he felt brilliant. He'd finally pinpointed the location of his ice bloodline, and could finally convert the Qi he gathers.

Wang Zhu took a quick drink out a flask of water in his spatial pouch, re-hydrating himself. Regaining his baring he smiled, slowly gathering the dots of Qi that littered the air, and bringing them together into one strand the length of a foot. Sweat poured out of every orifice, as he glided and channeled the strength of his bloodline into the strand of Qi.

Slowly the silky white Qi turned an icy blue, the loose translucent strand of Qi started to turn more rigged as it contained an icy power until it became stiff and frozen.

A smile lit up on Wang Zhu's face as he realized he succeeded. The strand of Qi slowly drifted into the first meridian that was located in the center of Wang Zhu's forehead. After it entered the Meridian he slowly circulated the Ice Qi until the meridian itself started to become Icy.

Three hours later the meridian in Wang Zhu's forehead had been converted and merged with the element of ice, the meridian itself was fully open, allowing it to independently circulate Qi.

Wang Zhu couldn't be happier. But, all the same, he collapsed from fatigue.

Wang Zhu blinked repeatedly, opening his eyes he could see a crude stone ceiling above him, while the light of the morning sun shone through a small window, causing his pupils to shrink.

"Yesterday it took three hours to convert and merge with the Ice Qi. If I plan to add another eight strands it should take twenty-four hours of total refining time. Which in total will be twenty-seven hours for one meridian. If I want to do that for a total of eighty-one meridians it'll take over two thousand hours. Not to mention I pass out from exhaustion." Wang Zhu gritted his teeth in anger.

He needed to improve the efficiency at which he could refine Qi. He knew that if he continued like this it could possibly take years to break out of Qi Condensing into Body Refining.

"But how is it possible?" Wang Zhu felt like pulling his hair.

"Wait! It's the expenditure of my bloodline energy that causes me to tire. That means that if I can improve my bloodline it might be possible for me to refine Qi even faster!" Wang Zhu let go of his hair as he felt ecstatic.

Wang Zhu thought hard and fast as he strolled about, how does one improve their bloodline? He was clueless, "Perhaps Librarian Zing might know." he thought after a while, as a librarian he should have a vast knowledge.

Traveling to the library today was much better, perhaps its because it was sunrise and nobody was up, or maybe something important was happening, but all Wang Zhu knew was that those three Tie Clan brutes were nowhere to be seen.

Wang Zhu entered the library which was partially empty, apart from a few students that were scattered across the place reading. Everything was completely the same, apart there seemed to be an absence of Librarian Zing which Wang Zhu found rather odd.

Instead, there was a bronze staff with the face of a demon leaning against his seat. Wang Zhu scratched his nose feeling rather awkward, so chose to sit down and read a random book off a shelf.

As sat down he caused a creaking of the seemingly ancient chair causing everyone at the library to glare at him with dagger eyes.

Wang Zhu gave a quite gulp in response, and shoved his head in the book to hide his shame.

Although he didn't quite understand the book, he found it rather fascinating. It was about the ancient languages of the world, and how the old celestials of legend spoke a different language.

Slowly but surely Wang Zhu got lost in the book, reading voraciously. Soon enough Wang Zhu came away from the book, his eyes blurred. Unknowingly he had read the whole thing, "Hu, Tel rek du kass gel." he mumbled.

"The language of the celestials is rather strange, but it seems to have a logical pattern," he said out loud, as the middays sun hit the back of his head.