Qi Nurturing Skill

"Qin Huai will be our junior brother from now on."

Song Jia patted Qin Huai's shoulder and brought him to the backyard. He had a full beard, a strong body, and a hearty laugh.

He shouted and called everyone over. There weren't many internal affairs apprentices, and Qin Huai was the eleventh.

"Call me Senior Brother!" Song Jia patted Qin Huai's back.

"Greetings, Senior Brothers!" Qin Huai's body trembled. This palm force was like a drum. He was indeed a martial arts practitioner.

"Although we apprentices cannot be considered as master's official disciples, we are still considered half disciples. 

"We are different from the chores apprentices outside. We are also the face of the apothecary. We have to pay attention to our words and actions when we walk in the city. Don't cause trouble for Master.

"The business of apothecaries has always been about making peace with others, and peace is precious," Song Jia instructed earnestly.

"Then what makes one an official disciple of Master?" Qin Huai was curious.

"Naturally, it's to become a martial artist. Master only has two official disciples. The two senior brothers often travel between the villages and towns under the city to save people and spread their names. When they are busy, they will only come back once or twice a month.

"You'll be able to see Second Senior Brother after tomorrow's practice," Song Jia added. Then, he brought Qin Huai for a stroll in the backyard.

The backyard was wide, and the long corridor from east to west was sixty to seventy meters long.

The fragrance of flowers and willows, the rockery, and the streams were like the boudoir of a delicate young lady, making people feel relaxed and happy.

It was different from the large shared house in the front yard, where a room could fit five to six people, or even seven to eight people. The environment was stinky and hot.

Two apprentices of the internal affairs department shared a room, and there was no longer the deafening snoring. There was also no pungent foot odor, and the outhouse that they had to line up every morning for a seat was gone.

Each room had a separate small room, which was called a private bathroom in the words of his previous life. They also had a maid to do their laundry and cook for them. Therefore, it could be said to be a world of difference.

As Qin Huai was an odd number, he was allocated a room of his own.

 … 

At dawn the next day, Qin Huai was woken up by the crow of a rooster. He had just pushed the door open when...

He discovered that Song Jia and the others were already standing on the fake mountain. 

When Qin Huai got closer, he realized that the rockery, which he thought was just for decoration, had more than a dozen spots that had been polished.

That whatever Qi nurturing technique actually needed to be practiced on the fake mountain? Qin Huai's heart was filled with question marks.

After a while, Senior Sister Liu Xiaomei and Master Liu Changyue also arrived. There was also a tall man who was as refined as Liu Changyue.

"Greetings, Master! Senior Sister! Second Senior Brother!" Everyone cupped their fists and saluted.

Qin Huai followed suit.

"This must be our Little Junior Brother." The second brother, Gao Ruyang, smiled warmly. 

He walked to the side of a large rock and suddenly exerted his strength, directly lifting up the stone that weighed at least two hundred Jin. Then, he walked to the side of the rockery with ease and put down the stone.

"This will be your position in the future." Gao Ruyang smiled at Qin Huai.

"Second Senior Brother is so fierce!" Gu Erwa cried out in surprise. He had become an internal affairs apprentice two days earlier than Qin Huai.

"Is this what a martial artist is like?" Qin Huai was serious.

It was effortless to lift a stone like that. The key was that Second Brother was not too strong, like a Confucian scholar.

"The cultivation technique I'm teaching you is called Qi cultivation. It's not the kind of cultivation technique that martial arts centers and gangs use to kill. After cultivating the Qi cultivation technique, it only has the effect of extending one's lifespan." Liu Changyue stroked his beard.

"Use the body to nourish Qi, clear the eight extraordinary meridians, and remove impurities."

"Then can I become a martial artist by practicing this Qi cultivation technique?" Gu Erwa asked hurriedly.

"Yes, but even if you become a warrior, you'll still be the weakest among them. After all, the effect of this cultivation method is only to prolong life." Liu Changyue stroked his beard and took a sip of tea.

After hearing Liu Changyue's words, Gu Erwa's expression was obviously desolate.

Qin Huai didn't mind it too much. He would take one step at a time and at least cultivate martial arts first.

"Although the Qi nurturing technique isn't good at attacking, it doesn't have any requirements for talent and comprehension," Liu Changyue mumbled to himself.

"You only need to cultivate in the morning at seven o 'clock, breathing in and out purple Qi. Nine deep and one shallow breaths form one cycle. After 2,000 cycles, you can cultivate the first level. At the tenth level, you can be a martial artist," Liu Changyue patiently explained to Qin Huai and Gu Erwa.

"Those with talent might be faster."

"Then, according to Master's speed, he can only practice thirty rounds a day. Just the first level of the Qi-nurturing stage would take more than a month, and it would take a year to become a martial artist?" Gu Erwa spoke. He was good at math, and his brain worked quickly.

"Yes, I am." Liu Changyue nodded. "When you become a martial artist, the qi and blood in your body will undergo a transformation. Your qi and blood will suddenly double or even multiply. This is also one of the most important differences between martial artists and ordinary people. 

"In addition, martial artists will be given different abilities according to the characteristics of the cultivation method. For example, my Qi cultivation technique can prolong one's life." Liu Changyue smiled before adding, "It's also like the stone-breaking Fist of the North Mountain martial school, which has the power to break."

Qin Huai and Gu Erwa suddenly understood.

After giving a few more instructions, Liu Changyue led the group into the purple Qi, nine deep and one shallow.

Qin Huai silently recited the mantra and followed Liu Changyue's indifferent voice as he breathed in the purple Qi. In his mind, his personal panel also quietly appeared.

Name: Qin Huai

[ Cultivation Method ]: [ Qi nurturing technique (Level 0, 0/100) ]

 [ Skill: Alchemy (beginner, 0/200) ]

 [ Stage: none ]

The cultivation technique had appeared on his personal panel.

After a few rounds of breathing, Qin Huai slowly opened his eyes. The Qi-nurturing technique's experience points on the interface still did not change.

However… 

As the group of senior brothers swallowed and spat, white experience balls continuously appeared.

Qin Huai didn't hesitate and immediately collected these white experience balls.

"Ding! You have collected a [ Nurturing Qi Essence (White) ], [ Nurturing Qi ] Experience +3!"

"Ding! You have collected a [ Nurturing Qi Essence (white) ], [ Nurturing Qi ] Experience +2!"

"Ding! You have collected a [ Nurturing Qi Essence (White) ], [ Nurturing Qi ] Experience +6!"

'What's going on? The experience points given by this white experience ball are different.' 

After a moment of thought, Qin Huai recalled what Liu Changyue had just said. One could only become a martial artist after reaching the tenth level of the Qi-nurturing technique.

In other words, there were ten levels in the top of a martial artist. The experience orbs were probably given according to the level of these senior brothers 'cultivation technique.

Suddenly, Qin Huai looked at Liu Changyue, his Second Senior Brother Gao Ruyang, and his eldest Senior Sister Liu Xiaomei, who were at the front.

The three of them actually dropped green experience balls. 

'As expected, it must be because they're already martial artists. The green experience ball will give more experience.' 

With a thought, Qin Huai collected all three green experience balls.

"Ding! You have collected a [ Nurturing Qi Essence (Green) ], [ Nurturing Qi ] Experience +10."

 "Ding! You have collected a [ Nurturing Qi Essence (Green) ], [ Nurturing Qi ] Experience +27."

In the end, Qin Huai picked up Liu Changyue's experience ball and unexpectedly gained 29 points.

'Master is indeed master. He's twelve levels higher than Second Senior Brother.' Qin Huai was speechless. 

'But wait… Why is Senior Sister Liu Xiaomei's experience ball almost the same as Master's?' 

He remembered that Liu Xiaomei had once said that they were all at the same cultivation level.

Qin Huai tried to recall the differences between himself and the two of them. It was probably because his Senior Sister Liu Xiaomei was closer to him, so they had been together a lot these days.

It was the first time he met his Second Senior Brother, Gao Ruyang, and he didn't have much interaction with his master.

With a thought, his personal panel appeared in front of his eyes again.

Name: Qin Huai

[ Cultivation Method ]: [ Qi nurturing technique (Level 1, 3/200) ]

[ Skill ] [ Alchemy (beginner, 1/200) ]

[ Stage: none ]