Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 16 The Road Others Have Traveled
In this way, Zhao Yifu once again gained a lot of Yang and spiritual energy, and even the whole process was seen by Song Jie who was standing next to him.

Is Song Jie envious?
Definitely envious.

But he was not jealous, because he had forgotten that the most important reason for selling calligraphy was to gain yang and spiritual energy.

From this point of view, Song Jie can no longer be considered a cultivator. He has already given up many things for the sake of life.

At this time, Song Jie looked at the four words "Private Customization" written by Zhao Yifu, and when he thought about what happened before, he understood his intention.

Song Jie shook his head slightly and sighed, "You are a young man with a sharp mind. You can come up with this idea."

"However, this method can only please one person, and the amount of Yang and spiritual power gained is very limited. It is not the right way."

Zhao Yifu said, "My problem now is that my skills are not as good as others, so it's hard for me to be accepted by the elite. So it's good to have someone appreciate my skills. It's better than practicing alone."

Song Jie looked at Zhao Yifu again and nodded heavily, saying, "That makes sense. We are all outer disciples who have been deemed to have little potential. If we still pursue the so-called 'great elegance' like those geniuses in the inner sect, we will have no way out."

He paused and continued, "To be honest, I've encountered some fellow disciples who tried to take the wrong path over the past ten years of setting up shop. Their endings usually don't end well."

Zhao Yifu's expression straightened up and he said, "I was just about to ask you, Brother."

Song Jie said, "I know someone who is as skilled in painting as you are. However, his strength lies in the lines, not the overall composition."

“So often when he starts painting, the painting is incredibly stunning, but when he finishes it, he finds it just so-so.”

"He came up with a solution: every time he started painting, he would leave a seal on the paper to calm his spirits, and then paint in front of people."

When Zhao Yifu heard this, his expression changed. This was an idea he had thought of before, so he couldn't help but pay more attention and wanted to hear what happened to this person.

Song Jie continued, "At first, his spirited brushstrokes were indeed highly praised, but once he had laid out the entire plan, the praise turned into regret and even criticism."

"He thought he had received praise, but he didn't expect that because he left the Soul-Suppressing Seal so early, he would also receive criticism."

"In the end, he gained not only yang and spiritual energy, but also a foul aura of disappointment and blame... As a result, decades of cultivation were wasted. In the end, he was plagued by illnesses and abscesses all over his body, and his later years were extremely miserable."

Zhao Yifu swallowed hard after hearing this. He finally understood why Master Liang and other elders emphasized that the signature must be signed only after the work is completed.

Seeing his worried look, Song Jie knew what was going on. He said earnestly, "Jun Xin, the rules and regulations taught to us by our elders are the valuable experience gained through generations of practice. We must not neglect them."

Song Jie then added, "Actually, it's not like no one has thought of 'personal customization' like yours, but those who do so have probably long since lost their pursuit of elegance."

“Even if you gain something for a while, you will soon stop making progress due to the lack of the pursuit of elegance.”

Zhao Yifu understood that Song Jie wanted him to remember to continue improving his painting skills and not lose the fundamentals of this magical technique.

He said seriously, "Thank you, Senior Brother Zitai, for reminding me. I will definitely keep it in mind."

Song Jie sighed and said nothing more. Cultivation was so difficult, especially for people like them who were not talented.

If Zhao Yifu had found a shortcut to accomplish his goal, Song Jie would have felt unbalanced. As for the so-called "private customization," in Song Jie's view, it was just a method that had been tried by previous generations.

After sitting for a while, the sun was setting. Zhao Yifu looked at the sky, said goodbye to Song Jie and went home.

There is still a curfew in Moyang City at night, but it is not very strict.

When he returned to his new mansion, which didn't even have a doorplate hung yet, he saw a field of weeds as soon as he entered the door.

Zhao Yifu didn't mind and walked in smelling the aroma of food.

The kitten in his sleeve had been rubbed by him all day, and now its feet were soft when it touched the ground.

The courtyard was still shabby, but the loyal servant had clearly not wasted any time, as he had found three usable rooms in the courtyard and cleaned them out, making one room perfect for dining and two for living.

Even when eating, Zhao Yifu took out the dried fish he bought on the way back, mixed it with rice and put it among the weeds in the yard. Not long after, he heard rustling sounds there.

Maybe the wild cats came to eat.

These are Yiyi's "family members". Since they still live in this yard, he will feed them.

After eating, you naturally need to exercise to digest the food.

After performing a set of leisurely "old man's grappling" moves, Zhao Yifu felt extremely good about himself.

In fact, this slow motion is not in vain, but he is transporting blood to assist digestion.

This is actually a skill that the Zhao family already has.

When the digestion was almost complete, Zhao Yifu gradually increased the speed of practicing.

Especially after fighting with his third uncle Zhao Yehe, his moves became more fierce and swift.

After three rounds of crane claw grappling, he was soon covered in sweat and his blood was boiling.

And this is the beginning of what Zhao Yifu really wants to try.

He still remembered that after practicing with Zhao Yehe yesterday, he immediately ground ink and started painting, and as a result, he gained a lot of pure true energy.

He did not rush to try to replicate it but took the time to think for a long time. He judged based on the theories he knew and felt that this should be because he was in a state of inner silence while painting and his attention was completely focused on the tip of the pen, which was considered as the subconscious use of Lingxu Finger Force.

Grinding the ink and painting are not the main points. The main point is to focus on tranquility in the mind, so as to refine the dryness in the body's essence and transform it into a moderate and peaceful true qi.

What Zhao Yifu wants to do now is to restore this process.

He had made similar attempts before, but yesterday's success verified some of his guesses.

That is, he can actually use other means to refine the true qi, no matter what the method is, as long as the true qi is pure enough.

This is even safer and more reliable than Yang and spiritual energy, after all, it is the power extracted from one's own body.

Zhao Yifu tried his best to enter a state of oblivion, focusing all his attention on his fingers. His body subconsciously performed the Crane Claw Grappling Technique, while his fingertips circulated the Spiritual Finger Force.

He was moving the boiling essence in his body to his hands bit by bit, and then refining it using the Lingxu Finger Power method.

In fact, he found that the method of operating Lingxu Finger Power was only a means. In essence, it was his concentration and selflessness, and the blessing of his will.

I practiced in this selfless manner for another hour.

Even in slow motion, he was sweating all over.

But the qi and blood in Zhao Yifu's body had actually calmed down long ago, or in other words, it had reached a completely controllable state.

In this state, he vaguely felt that he could try to control every bit of strength in his body, and the energy gathered at the fingertips of both hands also became purer after a long period of cooling and tempering.

Then he finished his training and stood still, folded his hands and pressed them on his dantian. A stream of pure true energy was injected into his dantian, instantly filling his dantian with a sense of fullness.

The true Qi gained this time is even more than the Yang and spiritual energy gained today.

Zhao Yifu's mood was both happy and complicated. He hadn't expected that his cultivation of the Danqing technique would have little future, but it seemed he could "use martial arts to enter the Dao"?
No matter what, he just wanted to use both methods. He didn’t believe that he couldn’t enter the inner gate.

(End of this chapter)