Promise!

Chapter 15, Bottleneck

The martial artists were immediately shocked when they heard this.

Zhuang Jin also glanced sideways. He knew that although Xiong Lei said a few days ago that he was only a little short of it, this little bit had not been completed until today. He didn't expect that someone had already mastered the Qi and blood before Xiong Lei.

"Who is this person? How could he have completed the first step of controlling Qi and blood so quickly?"

"I know. This is from our Room 1, Wuzi. His surname is Xiang, and his name is Xiang Qichen!"

"That's amazing! I still don't have any idea about the first step of controlling the Qi and blood!"

……

"Oh?" Ping Yongfeng hurried over and had Xiang Qichen perform the Black Evil Posture. Then, after placing his fingers on Xiang Qichen's wrist and carefully feeling the pulse point, a look of surprise crossed his face. "You've indeed completed the first step of controlling your Qi and blood and refining your internal energy. Not bad! Very good!"

He looked at Xiang Qichen with satisfaction and said, "The first step is to control the Qi and blood, and refine the first strand of internal energy. The second step is to gather the internal energy, break through the bottleneck of the warrior, and complete the circulation of the internal energy in the first meridian."

"In this second step, the key is to break through the bottleneck of the warrior."

"A bottleneck isn't real, it's a metaphysical concept. When you reach a certain level in something, no matter how hard you try, you can't improve even a little bit. But after a while of continuous effort, you suddenly have a sudden enlightenment and can continue to improve. This is breaking through a bottleneck. Of course, you can also remain stuck there, unable to make any progress no matter how hard you try, and this can last a lifetime. This is being stuck at a bottleneck."

Seeing that the martial artists seemed a little confused, Ping Yongfeng offered an analogy: "You've all seen bamboo, right? The bottleneck is like the membrane between the bamboo sections. When you reach a certain point, you'll encounter this membrane. But once you break through it, the next section of the bamboo will be unobstructed."

"The same principle applies to martial artists' bottlenecks, just like the membranes at the joints of a bamboo, which prevent you from moving forward. But if you break through them, your cultivation will be unimpeded, and you will be able to complete the circulation of your internal energy through the first meridian."

As he spoke, he looked at Xiang Qichen and asked, "Do you feel that no matter how hard you try, even if you manipulate your Qi and blood and refine the internal energy you create, you can't channel it into the first meridian, as if there's an invisible barrier?"

Xiang Qichen nodded subconsciously.

"This is when you've hit a bottleneck. In the absence of a silver bullet, all you can do is repeat yourself, patiently try, and slowly chip away at it."

Xiang Qichen's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he asked, "Master Ping, are there any pills that can help break through the bottleneck?"

"Of course there are, but I haven't even seen one, so don't even think about it. I'm not looking down on you, but if any of you have the means, there's no need to come here. Don't dwell on those unrealistic things. Just let it go slowly and be patient."

Ping Yongfeng said to Xiang Qichen, "You've completed the first step of controlling Qi and blood in just seven days. You're truly exceptional. Based on my experience over the years, the time it takes for a typical warrior to complete the first and second steps is roughly the same. With your aptitude, I think you'll be able to break through this first bottleneck in seven or eight days."

"Seven or eight days?" Xiang Qichen's voice rose a little, as if he felt it was too slow. "Master Ping, is it so difficult to overcome the bottleneck so laborious?"

"Difficult? The bottleneck of entering the first sutra and becoming a formal warrior is the easiest. The second and third sutras are more difficult each time. If you are stuck at that time, it will not take ten days or half a month to break through. If you are not talented enough or unlucky, you will be stuck for three to five years. What's worse, you will be stuck there for your entire life without making any progress."

Ping Yongfeng sighed, his face showing a complicated expression. He shook his head and said, "This is your first bottleneck. Get used to it beforehand. You will inevitably encounter bottlenecks when you embark on the path of a warrior."

At this time, a martial artist boldly asked, "Master Ping, you said Xiang Qichen has excellent talent. How is this talent categorized?" Perhaps because Xiang Qichen, a martial artist seed, had appeared today, Ping Yongfeng no longer had to worry about his own quota this month. He was in a good mood and didn't show any displeasure when asked. He was willing to say a few more words: "As for martial arts talent, those with excellent talent can achieve the first step of controlling Qi and blood in five to seven days, or at most ten days. Those with above-average talent can complete this in half a month."

Having said this, he paused.

"Master Ping, what about the next time?"

"Again? Forget about it!" Ping Yongfeng sneered, "Without even an upper-middle-level talent, why are you still practicing martial arts? Go back as soon as possible!"

When Zhuang Jin heard this, he was moved and remembered what Ping Yongfeng had just said. According to experience, the time taken by ordinary warriors to complete the first and second steps is about the same. If the first step to control the qi and blood takes more than half a month, then the second step to break through the warrior bottleneck will naturally take more than half a month. It is impossible to become a formal warrior within a month.

At this time, a martial artist thought for a moment and asked, "Master Ping, if I can't complete the first step of controlling Qi and blood in half a month, and I'm still a little short of breaking through the martial artist bottleneck after a month, can I go back and practice on my own? Where can I buy Kailuo Soup?"

This martial artist also knew that practicing standing meditation would be effective only after drinking Kailuo Decoction, which is why he asked about Kailuo Decoction.

"As long as you pay enough, I can get you Kailuo Soup. But you haven't become a formal warrior in a month, and you still want to keep drinking Kailuo Soup and practicing. If you want to die early, then do this."

Ping Yongfeng glanced at the martial artist and snorted coldly, "How do you feel after drinking the Kailuo Decoction? Do you feel a slight tingling in your internal organs? I've told you before that although the Kailuo Decoction contains tonic herbs, it also has the effect of suppressing your body's potential. In a month, you haven't been able to transfer your internal energy into the meridians and become a formal martial artist. Even if you continue to take the Kailuo Decoction and force yourself to reach this point, you're useless. Not only will you never be able to break through to open a second meridian, but it will also shorten your lifespan."

"Then if I become a formal warrior within a month, I won't have to worry about anything?"

"That's natural," Ping Yongfeng said. "In martial arts, one seizes the blessings of heaven and earth and channelizes them into one's own body. Once one truly reaches the state of Qi Condensation, one can then withstand the medicinal power of the Black Yuan Powder, refine it into internal energy, nourish the body, and compensate for the minor damage sustained during the meridian opening phase. If one continues for more than a month, the internal organs will be damaged beyond repair, even with medicine."

"In short, this one-month timeframe is the product of countless lessons learned and experiences expended by our predecessors, and it has its own logic." He waved his hand, "Alright, that's enough. You all should begin practicing the standing meditation, and strive to complete the first step of controlling Qi and blood before half a month has passed."

After letting the warriors practice standing meditation on their own, Ping Yongfeng called Xiang Qichen aside and reminded him not to slack off before leaving.

After Ping Yongfeng left, many martial artists immediately surrounded him and flattered Xiang Qichen. After all, this was a martial artist seed certified by Ping Yongfeng himself!

Zhuang Jin looked at the behavior of these martial artists and shook his head slightly, thinking to himself: "If I can't stay after a month, I will be on a different level from the other party. What's the point of doing all this nonsense? In the final analysis, the iron must be strong!"

Naturally, he would not go up to them like those martial artists, and practice with Xiong Lei as usual. Perhaps it was the stimulation brought by Xiang Qichen, today, Xiong Lei practiced the桩功 as if he had been injected with chicken blood, without even taking a break.

Many other martial artists were like this, except for Xiang Qichen. They were all full of energy and not as casual as usual: they would go to the side to rest after practicing a few times, and when it was almost lunchtime, most of them would sit at the edge of the martial arts training ground, and not many people were practicing.

It was visibly that the entire martial arts training ground was becoming somewhat impatient. Of course, this was a good thing at the moment, as it made martial arts training more motivating.

……

(End of this chapter)