Chapter Thirty-Three: Fusion

Yang Ze left the yamen; a transaction had thus been completed. He could not fathom why Yuan Heng had such confidence in him, daring to wager on his success. After all, if he failed the Martial Academy’s entrance examination in Wuyang, Yuan Heng’s quota would be wasted.

Yet, despite these musings, Yang Ze himself was far from lacking in confidence. With his current strength, there should not be a single rival among the younger generation in Yuyang City. If even he could not pass the Martial Academy’s test, then likely no one in the entire city would be able to.

“My strength is already more than enough among my peers, but looking at the whole of Yuyang City, it’s still not sufficient. Compared to top experts like Yuan Heng and the others, the gap is even greater—I must put in more effort!” Yang Ze’s eyes flashed with determination. In two months, the Martial Academy’s examiners would arrive; in that time, he needed to improve his abilities as much as possible.

It wasn’t just to ensure his success in the examination—he also wanted to reclaim the territories in the Four Directions District that belonged to the Feng and Fan families. Both families had advanced Qi-Guiding martial artists stationed there; becoming stronger would make overturning the table much easier.

Upon his return to the Tongyang Money House, Yang Ze summoned Old Xie, who seemed visibly excited, as if he already guessed the reason for being called.

In the study, Yang Ze produced a bundle. Unwrapping it, four slim booklets were revealed. He took out two of them—the first titled “One Qi Art,” the second labeled “Cloud Qi Art.”

“This ‘Cloud Qi Art’ leans toward the subtle and gentle; it must have been practiced by Lady Hua herself. As for this ‘One Qi Art,’ it must be the inner cultivation manual of her husband,” Yang Ze observed, partly to himself and partly for Old Xie’s benefit.

“One Qi Art? Lady Hua is indeed quite resourceful. This technique is widespread in the martial world, but most versions are incomplete. The highest level I’ve seen anyone achieve with it is intermediate Qi-Guiding, but the one in Lady Hua’s possession must allow for advancement to the advanced stage,” Old Xie remarked.

Yang Ze understood instantly—the One Qi Art, though common, was evidently a superior and more complete version than those circulating among martial artists.

“Old Xie, copy out this One Qi Art. You may keep it for your own cultivation,” Yang Ze said, setting out brush and ink for Old Xie.

Old Xie, who was literate, was deeply moved. He repeatedly offered his thanks, bowing several times, until Yang Ze, embarrassed, urged him to get on with the task.

While Old Xie copied the text, Yang Ze examined the other two booklets: one detailing the “Thousand Clouds and Ten Thousand Flowers Hand,” the other “Flying Swallow Thunderblade.” He had already witnessed the Thousand Clouds and Ten Thousand Flowers Hand; the Flying Swallow Thunderblade, he surmised, must have belonged to Lady Hua’s husband.

Seeing the blade technique, Yang Ze was delighted. The flowery hand technique was too elaborate for his taste and far too complex, but this blade technique suited him perfectly. Having already trained in the Black Tiger Blade, his progress with another blade art would be swift.

Soon, Old Xie finished copying. As Yang Ze perused the Flying Swallow Thunderblade, he added, “Old Xie, there are two martial arts here—choose one to study.”

At this stage, Yang Ze was not about to be stingy. Old Xie was his only trusted confidant, deserving of cultivation and investment—he was the foundation of Yang Ze’s future endeavors.

Without hesitation, Old Xie chose the Thousand Clouds and Ten Thousand Flowers Hand. He was not adept with weapons, but his hand techniques were strong, making this the natural choice.

With the copying complete, Yang Ze reclaimed the original booklets, while Old Xie took the copied text away, promising solemnly never to reveal its contents to anyone else—should he break his word, he swore death would be his punishment.

Yang Ze did not dwell on the matter, instead sending Old Xie away. He was eager, for during the copying he had already read through both the One Qi Art and the Flying Swallow Thunderblade, and a new idea was taking shape in his mind.

He had already cultivated the Sea Heart Technique—what would happen if he tried to practice the One Qi Art as well? Ordinary people could only cultivate a single inner art, but Yang Ze believed he was different, thanks to the Black Stone. How could he be bound by the same limitations?

With that thought, he took out the Black Stone and again entered the mysterious space.

Inside, the grey silhouette appeared, immediately beginning the third level of the Sea Heart Technique, mirroring Yang Ze’s current realm.

Yang Ze watched the figure as he recalled the text of the One Qi Art. Suddenly, the silhouette began to tremble. As it shook, several points of light appeared at its dantian, merging into a single, larger point. Fine threads of light spread throughout the body from this nexus.

As the light coursed through the figure, Yang Ze clearly saw the circulation path of the One Qi Art.

“Could it really be possible?” Yang Ze was surprised to see the silhouette practicing the One Qi Art without interrupting the flow of the Sea Heart Technique.

Without further hesitation, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate according to the One Qi Art’s method. Instantly, he felt a conflicting force arise within his body.

The clashing energies shook his meridians, causing him discomfort.

“Why is this happening? Could my method be flawed?” Opening his eyes, Yang Ze was puzzled. The collision of energies was not strong, but if he persisted, it would surely inflict great harm upon his body.

As Yang Ze pondered the cause, a ghostly light shimmered in the mysterious space, striking him. Suddenly, a new set of instructions appeared in his mind.

Seeing the contents, Yang Ze laughed—the text detailed a version of the One Qi Art that could be integrated with the Sea Heart Technique.

Ordinarily, one could practice only a single inner art; to learn another required abandoning the former. There had never been another way.

But now Yang Ze had found another path—the Black Stone had directly created for him a compatible version of the One Qi Art.

Examining the newly altered One Qi Art, Yang Ze began to practice. With his intermediate Qi-Guiding level, cultivating the initial stages was not difficult at all.