Becoming a Deity from Planting the Bodhi Tree

Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi were stunned.

Ji Jingqiu, on the other hand, felt guilty.

Behind closed doors, one knows their own affairs best.

He didn't think he had any talent.

Waking up and cultivating Qi Force, improving the Pile Breathing Method... all these achievements were thanks to the little Bodhi tree.

All he could do was cling tightly to the little Bodhi tree and make sure he worked hard enough, aiming for the Heavenly Person's Five Limits and Reverse Innate.

Ji Jingqiu originally wanted to evade, but from both sides, sharp needle-like gazes shot towards him.

*If looks could kill, those eyes would have shredded his clothes already, leaving him nowhere to hide.*

Let alone the clothes, if given the chance, they might dissect him on the spot just to see whether he truly nurtured Qi Force and how he did it.

Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi stood on either side of him, like two guardian deities.

Whenever these two were in the same place, they invariably sandwiched Ji Jingqiu between them, using him as a boundary line, so their waters never intersected.

Seeing Master Yang's expectant eyes sent his way, Ji Jingqiu had no choice but to speak up:

"I mainly eat a lot and train a lot!

"The more you eat, the more vigorous your blood and Qi become. Practicing the Pile Skill becomes more effective as it accelerates the tempering of your blood and Qi.

"When it comes to training, aside from Master Yang's teaching of uniting body and mind, the key is the integration of breathing skills and Pile Skill..."

Ji Jingqiu avoided everyone's gaze, striving to remain calm as he repeated what Master Yang said in the first lesson.

*What Master Yang said is infallible; if you don't grasp it, that's your own problem!*

Heaven help him; if they asked about his insights on modifying the Hidden Dragon Stance, he could at least share some real knowledge.

After all, the glow of Wisdom Light was like a "Heavenly Revelation," granting him endless inspiration. Still, its essence remained in him and not merely some superpower cheat.

But to ask him to share his insights on nurturing Qi Force, that's asking too much.

*He couldn't possibly say "sleep more," could he?*

Or outright state that practicing the Breathing Skills in the Inner Realm after meditation does the trick?

He hadn't even told Master Yang about the latter.

Meanwhile, upon hearing the first two words "eat more, train more," Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi started pondering deeply.

Could "being able to eat" truly be one of the talents in Martial Arts?

Seeing the atmosphere getting tense, Ji Jingqiu decided to reveal some actual insights:

"In the past few days, I've been contemplating Master Yang's saying 'the body is like a mountain, and Qi is like a cloud,' which has brought me considerable insights.

"Suppose the human body is a mountain; the bones and muscles form a continuous mountain formation, while the meridians are the mountain streams and underground rivers, connecting the mountain inside and out.

"Then the blood and Qi, or rather the Qi Force, are the flowing water, travelling along the mountain formation, infusing vitality into the mountain-like body, nurturing the four limbs and hundred bones..."

Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi fell silent again.

*"The body is like a mountain, and Qi is like a cloud"?*

*Why hadn't they heard Master Yang say this before?*

*Was there a private lesson?*

Yang Yan's eyes were as sharp as a torch, fixed intently on Ji Jingqiu.

Even he didn't expect Ji Jingqiu to deliver such an insight.

Qi flowing like water, following the mountain formation, carving its path through countless twists and turns...

*What a magnificent landscape illustration!*

This revelation made him more delighted than Ji Jingqiu cultivating Qi Force in just one day.

Most people, even if they practiced the Pile Skill to Opening Veins and condensed the True Seed, might not have such an understanding.

*To walk further and higher in Martial Arts, it's never about merely piling up Qi and blood and strengthening the physical body.*

After strengthening comes "integration."

*This is the heart of the matter.*

Some people, with full strength, could only deliver four or five points of weight. Yet, some could reach twelve or thirteen; this is the disparity in "integration."

*How can scattered sand compete with a mountain?*

Hidden Dragon Stance emphasizes subduing the inner trapped dragon to truly master the body's strength. It also underscores the importance of integrating the body's Heaven and Earth.

Firmly grasp the rope tied to the trapped dragon's neck, and only then can you command the trapped dragon to work for you.

Though Ji Jingqiu had only a rough understanding, it indicated he was on this path.

Yang Yan marveled, *No wonder this kid could thoroughly understand the Hidden Dragon Stance in just two days and tailor it to fit him best.*

"Such Martial Wisdom was truly astonishing!"

For certain reasons, he interrupted Ji Jingqiu's speech with an excuse.

The determination that was firmly set in his heart wavered once again.

He sighed silently as he provided Zhang Xingshan and Luo Xi with some pointers before turning to leave.

...

Having barely managed the situation, Ji Jingqiu breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet, from then until the end of the evening practice, Ji Jingqiu felt utterly uneasy.

*It was as if someone in a corner of the training ground was watching him.*

Before heading to the cafeteria in the evening, Ji Jingqiu glanced at the Martial Arts Hall students outside the training area.

Recently, he noticed that compared to last week, the number of people training at the Martial Arts Hall had significantly decreased.

Mainly those tattooed burly men, the gang members.

There was a noticeable increase in peers around his age.

*Could it be that another turf war was about to erupt?*

In Taian City, the lower levels were areas where sunlight couldn't reach, the most shadowy and chaotic places in town, a black market operating on the fringes of society.

Even the Order Office rarely patrolled those areas.

There, the ones who held sway were the gangs.

The most common occurrence was the constant turnover and renewal of gangs.

After dinner, Ji Jingqiu was strolling on the way home, rubbing his belly.

He was still within the middle and upper region; the setting sun's glow was visible at the end of the street, leaving a trace of warmth in the faint orange hue.

Suddenly, the traffic lights ahead turned red.

The tram whizzed past him.

In that twilight glow, Ji Jingqiu felt a long-awaited moment of tranquility.

The past few days of Martial Arts training had filled him with happiness and a visible rate of progress, motivating him greatly.

In the past, he continually pondered and searched for what he could do in this lifetime, only to find very few answers.

Life for him had been rife with hardships and injustice since the beginning.

And now, he had finally found a path that opened its doors to him.

*He suddenly realized that those past adversities and hardships allowed him to navigate smoothly on this Martial Arts path.*

*He felt it necessary to thank his past self for persevering, to express gratitude...*

"Boom—!"

Amidst the deafening roar, light and fire intertwined.

It was like a shutter had been clicked.

At that moment, time stretched infinitely in Ji Jingqiu's eyes.

*The gentle evening breeze had just brushed past his ear, swiftly followed by the explosive roar like a landslide, accompanied by the sharp, overwhelming howl of wind and waves sweeping in all directions!*

*The sound of the shattering glass walls seemed so insignificant in the explosion.*

There were also the panic-stricken screams amidst the explosion.

The massive explosion came from the neighboring street; the tram that passed in front of Ji Jingqiu had already been overturned, with the latter half lying amidst the explosion area.

Ji Jingqiu silently gazed at the distant devastation.

*The sudden disaster left him somewhat dazed.*

*Such an intense explosion could in no way be an accident!*

*A terrorist attack?*

He didn't remain bewildered and immediately rushed towards the overturned tram, carefully kicking away the shattered glass, pulling crying children from the tram, and shouting for anyone nearby to lend a helping hand if they weren't injured.

Just then, dense gunfire erupted from the distance.

Most people who initially gathered from all directions to help changed their expressions and turned to leave.

Ji Jingqiu's skin tightened, *his Heart Fire kept warning him this was a dangerous place!*

But he chose not to leave.

Because no one understood the preciousness of life better than he did.

*He never feared death.*

*He just didn't want to die.*

Ji Jingqiu gritted his teeth, his breathing became heavier, and the Qi Force within him burst forth. If it had been a meandering stream before, it now showed aspects of a raging river swiftly flowing downstream.

With power surpassing any he had known, he quickly forged a path, helping those trapped in the tram escape.