Chapter 15: ATP

Muscle contraction is a mechanical response that occurs when muscle fibers receive stimulation. Su Hao had a basic understanding of this process. Simply put, muscle contraction happens when muscles are stimulated, leading to a series of biological reactions where proteins form, twist, detach, then reattach and twist again in what's known as the protein cycle. The energy required for this contraction process comes from the hydrolysis of ATP.

So, what is ATP? It stands for adenosine triphosphate.

(TL: ...Help...The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell)

In the conversion and transfer of energy within biological systems, ATP is a critical substance. All of life's activities depend on ATP, as it is the molecule that directly provides energy to cells. It acts as the "transfer station" for energy within the cell.

So, could the Blood Qi that his father spoke of be some combination of ATP and another substance? Regardless of whether this was true or not, there was undoubtedly a direct relationship between Blood Qi and ATP.

The other issue was that, no matter what Blood Qi actually was, Su Hao couldn't directly perceive its existence. What did his father mean by "finding it"?

It's like how a person can easily sense their fingers, toes, ears, or nose, but cannot directly sense their internal organs. Not being able to feel one's organs doesn't mean they don't exist. In the same way, Su Hao's inability to sense Blood Qi didn't mean it wasn't there.

When his father said to "sense the Blood Qi," he didn't mean Su Hao should literally perceive the Blood Qi like a slippery eel slithering through his body. Instead, he meant that Su Hao should develop a clear understanding of the body's energy circulation—much like how we generally know the location, function, and condition of our internal organs, even if we can't directly feel them.

In other words, Su Hao just needed to establish a cognitive framework of his own Blood Qi system. This framework would include where the Blood Qi starts, where it exists, how much there is, and how to utilize it. As long as he constantly updated this system based on his own condition, he'd be on the right track.

Over time, as this cognitive framework became habitual, the brain would automatically optimize and form a model, allowing Su Hao to truly feel a powerful energy flowing throughout his body.

This model, in essence, was a kind of self-deception—a mental trick. But this deception would allow a person to perceive their real physical condition with extreme precision.

Su Hao felt a surge of excitement as he clenched his fist. "If this is really how it works, then the people of this world are amazing. They've perfectly combined [mind cultivation] with [biology], enabling ordinary people to harness extraordinary power."

"So, how do I build my own Blood Qi system?"

A spark of determination flashed in Su Hao's eyes.

"Time for you to shine, [Cosmic Light 2.2]."

....

Once he understood the principle, there was no need to run anymore. Instead, Su Hao directly entered his Marble space to review his body's data from the past month.

"[Little Light]!"

[Cosmic Light waiting for instruction]

"Immediately retrieve my detailed body data. Set the date range to the past month, with a time frame of 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM each day."

[Data retrieved complete.]

Soon, a massive amount of data appeared on the wall of the simulated living room—densely packed and disorganized

Su Hao gave the next command, "Build a 3D model of the body."

The data on the wall vanished, and the living room furniture disappeared as well. In their place, 30 miniature bodies were neatly arranged in the center of the room, each one resembling Su Hao. These models represented his body from the past 30 days, each containing all of his physical data from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on those respective days.

"Retrieve ATP data."

The 30 bodies immediately lost their bones, skin, and muscles, leaving only faint human-shaped outlines made up of tiny points of light. By observing these light patterns, Su Hao could clearly see where in the body ATP was abundant and where it was scarce.

After watching for a while, Su Hao gave another command, "[Little Light], start an animated playback from 8:00 AM. Play it in real-time."

The 30 faint human figures began moving simultaneously, and Su Hao watched quietly from the side.

As he ran, the ATP in his muscles was rapidly depleted. Once it reached a certain point, ATP from other parts of his body also began to deplete. When his body's ATP levels hit a low point, Su Hao could no longer run.

After drinking his vegetable-egg soup and meditating, his digestive system worked at full capacity, slowly replenishing the depleted ATP.

Three hours later, a smile spread across Su Hao's face.

"Blood Qi! I've found you!"

ATP wasn't Blood Qi, but Blood Qi was definitely related to ATP. The model system he had constructed based on ATP levels could be considered a representation of the Blood Qi system.

Su Hao felt confident that, within half a month, he could develop a complete Blood Qi model in his mind without relying on [Cosmic Light].

By that time, he would have truly mastered Blood Qi and would become a martial artist in the truest sense.

….

The next day, after his morning run, Su Hao drank his vegetable-egg soup and sat down to meditate. Everything seemed normal on the surface, but with his eyes closed, Su Hao's consciousness entered the Marble space, where [Cosmic Light] displayed his current physical condition in real-time. Su Hao continuously updated his mental framework by comparing the changes in his body to the dynamic model in the Marble space.

Not only that, but whenever he wasn't sleeping, Su Hao was constantly building this system, integrating it into his daily life.

After three days, Su Hao no longer needed to check the [Cosmic Light] model in the marble space as often. He could now accurately sense the changes in his body and construct a Blood Qi model.

Five days later, Su Hao only occasionally needed to cross-reference the light model, and when he did, his mental model of Blood Qi closely matched the real-time data. The discrepancies were minimal.

Five days after that, Su Hao no longer needed to compare his mental model to the [Cosmic Light] data at all. His brain's perception of his Blood Qi was almost perfectly aligned with the Marble space's data.

Su Hao knew that he had successfully built a precise Blood Qi system in his mind.

Two days later, after confirming there were no mistakes, Su Hao approached Wu Yuntian.

"Father, I've found my Blood Qi."

"You've found it?" Wu Yuntian looked skeptical. It wasn't that he didn't trust his son, but he had never heard of anyone sensing Blood Qi in just a month and a half. That was unheard of! The most talented person he knew had taken at least six months to find it.

Facing his father's doubtful gaze, Su Hao firmly nodded. "I really found it."

"Impossible!" Wu Yuntian blurted out instinctively. He quickly corrected himself, "I mean, it's possible that you've made a mistake. Tell me exactly how you sensed it. Many people experience illusions of Blood Qi, when they're searching for Blood Qi—it's a normal part of the process. Don't worry, just describe it, and I'll help you differentiate it."

Su Hao then explained in detail how he perceived his body, the changes in his Blood Qi, and his understanding of it.

When he finished, he looked at his father again. Wu Yuntian's mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were wide in disbelief.

It was as if the words "Unbelievable!" were written all over his face.

If Su Hao could hear his father's thoughts at that moment, he would know that Wu Yuntian was mentally screaming, ′What kind of little monster is this? Is this kid really my son? I told him to find Blood Qi, not to map out every bit of it like a high-level warrior do! He only needed to get a basic understanding, not conduct a full-body survey!'

Seeing his father's stunned expression, Su Hao asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Father? Did I make a mistake?"

Wu Yuntian was at a loss for words.