Mount Hua Reincarnation - Chapter 2: The Plum Blossom Qi Art

Chapter 2: The Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method

Before returning, I had lived a life surpassing seventy-seven years in my previous life.

Even from my vaguely remembered childhood, one memory that faintly lingers is that of the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method.

It was the first internal cultivation technique I learned after joining the Mount Hua Sect.

I could never forget this martial art, which I learned to form a Energy Center and build basic internal strength.

“Back then, I tried so hard to feel the Qi.”

After being taken in by my master as a child, I practiced the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method with one worry.

What if I couldn’t learn the martial arts properly? Would I be abandoned?

This fear was not only mine but also common among orphans who had experienced hunger.

Training in the Mount Hua Sect was tough and full of hardships, but at least they didn’t let us go hungry.

Also, there was no need to worry about freezing to death every winter.

I took my martial arts training seriously, not to forget this sweetness.

But despite my efforts, it seemed I lacked talent; practicing the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method was a struggle.

“Sigh, but now I have to deliberately slow it down.”

Mental enlightenment, like the one that comes from unrestrained realm, makes mastering basic internal cultivation techniques like the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method not difficult.

However, mastering the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method quickly doesn’t make one a master, as it’s not an exceptional cultivation method like the Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method.

But if the elders or the master of the sect notice, it would cause an uproar.

Unless someone takes my pulse directly, even the greatest in the world wouldn’t notice, but now, with the master closely monitoring me, I have no choice but to be patient.

***

A year passed by swiftly.

Zhou Xuchuan turned nine years old.

“Oh, finally reached five-tenths of Mastery, Impressive.” Liu Zhengmu praised warmly, stroking his head.

Zhou Xuchuan showed a bashful smile, slightly embarrassed yet pleased.

At first, being treated as a child was a bit awkward. Although he looked like a child, he was an old man of over seventy years inside, not an age to have one’s head patted.

But Liu Zhengmu, unaware of this, often praised and patted his head for anything well done.

Gradually, Zhou Xuchuan got used to it. It was embarrassing but not entirely unpleasant.

In his previous life, where he was alone, the only person who cared for and stood by him was his master, Liu Zhengmu. It would be a lie to say he didn’t miss that touch.

In moments like these, he would forget his actual age and enjoy Liu Zhengmu’s affection.

“From today, you must do it alone. It will be tough, but I believe in you,” Liu Zhengmu said with a hint of sadness.

‘Finally!’ thought Zhou Xuchuan. He didn’t show it but was inwardly cheering.

For the past year, Liu Zhengmu’s daily assistance with his internal cultivation technique prevented him from practicing other martial arts.

But that ends today. Now, he could implement what he had been planning.

‘It wasn’t that boring, thankfully.’

Practicing the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method slowly was tedious, but his other activities weren’t.

Firstly, the dreaded Luoya Hell!

Even for Zhou Xuchuan, who had experienced numerous wars in his past life, enduring Luoya Hell was excruciating.

He was infuriated by the instructors who, with uncanny precision, could perceive the limits of their bodies and relentlessly pushed them to the brink of death.

Whenever he felt a bit comfortable, the instructors would raise the level and push him to the extreme again. It was a repeating cycle.

Even with the chance to relive his life, Zhou Xuchuan wished to never experience Luoya Hell again.

“And then…”

Organizing Memories

This was most crucial.

He knew well about the events that would unfold in the martial world, but his knowledge wasn’t perfect.

Human memory is limited; remembering an entire lifetime in detail is nearly impossible.

Therefore, Zhou Xuchuan desperately recalled and recited significant future events daily to avoid forgetting.

He wanted to record them, but feared any variable that might arise if someone else read and remembered them.

Even if someone did read them, they would likely dismiss them as fiction, but one can never be too sure.

So, he was cautious and would write on the dirt and erase it immediately.

Zhou Xuchuan also planned how to act in the future as he organized these memories.

‘Studying in old age paid off.’

In the Mount Hua Sect, intelligence was valued as much as martial prowess, especially just after the end of the era of turmoil, when discussing the safety of the martial world was crucial.

He studied hard, not wanting to be judged as a Mount Hua elder who gained his position by sheer luck.

“Alright, the wait is over.”

His basic training wasn’t finished.

For a while, he would still endure Luoya Hell and practice with others in the training hall.

But it was not for internal cultivation.

He couldn’t learn other internal cultivation techniques until he mastered the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method, but he could practice individually.

“I can now implement what I’ve prepared for a year.”

A broad smile spread across his face.

The future, sixty-six years from today.

Back then, among the Mount Hua Sect disciples, there was a genius with exceptional talent and martial arts ability from a young age.

And from that genius, a secret about martial arts would be revealed.

The identity of that martial art was the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method.

‘Nobody could have imagined.’

Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method

A martial art known to every disciple of the Mount Hua Sect!

To learn advanced martial arts, one must go through this process.

But that was it, nothing more was thought of it.

Throughout its long history, everyone thought the same.

The Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method was just a basic, foundational step, merely a stepping stone.

Even after hundreds of years since Mount Hua became famous and a righteous sect, no one imagined it held any secret.

Zhou Xuchuan, like others, saw it as just a passing phase, a mere basic technique, and yearned for the next advanced martial art.

Thus, when the secret of the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method was revealed, it was a great shock.

Initially, he was even skeptical.

“Preconceptions are truly frightening.

Being unable to break free from them, even when the truth is in front of you, leads to denial.”

The Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method, an internal cultivation technique considered first-class in the martial world, and one that had been with the Mount Hua Sect since its beginning, was overlooked by all.

Everyone focused only on advanced martial arts and overlooked it until one person took interest and discovered its secret.

As Zhou Xuchuan finished reminiscing, he made sure no one was around before sitting in front of a nearby plum tree.

What caught his eye was the white plum blossom..

‘Accompanied me all my life.’

The symbols of Mount Hua were the sword and the plum blossom.

The petals…

They bloom in cold weather, hence the name winter plum blossoms, and are even known as mid-snow plum blossoms since they bloom amidst the snow.”

Throughout the tumultuous times of the martial world and the crises of the Mount Hua Sect, Zhou Xuchuan grew observing the plum blossoms.

As a child, as a Mount Hua elder, and even when sensing his impending death, he always saw the plum blossoms.

Now, he sought to unravel the secret of these blossoms.

With a sigh, Zhou Xuchuan sat in a lotus position, straightening his back.

His chin pointed forward, eyes closed.

He inhaled deeply and exhaled.

Steady breaths in and out.

It was more than just breathing.

A warm energy, though faint, began to stir from his lower Energy Center, initiating the movement of Qi.

At first, it was the standard Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method, but it changed midway.

It was the future-discovered secret technique, the “Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method.”

Notably, this secret was quickly transmitted to all disciples of the Mount Hua Sect once revealed.

Although the era of turmoil had ended and a fragile peace had begun, the martial world had suffered greatly from decades of conflict and was still reeling from its aftermath.

Even the power of the Mount Hua Sect was a mere third of what it had been at its peak.

In this context, the discovery of the Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method was timely, aiding in the recovery and nurturing of future disciples.

For Zhou Xuchuan, he had to memorize and ensure the safety of this technique rather than learning it as a disciple.

‘Faint, but it’s coming.’

A broad smile formed on his lips.

‘The qi of the plum blossom!’

The secret of the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method, which would later come to be known as Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method, lay in the vital energy contained within the plum blossom itself.

Internal cultivation techniques involve absorbing the Qi roaming in nature through specific breathing methods into the Energy Center.

This was the fundamental principle.

But the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method went a step further, incorporating the Qi of the plum tree.

While impossible with other trees, practicing specific incantations and breathing exercises near a plum tree absorbs its qi.

At a glance, it may appear as a demonic technique, but it is by no means about stealing the essence of life itself.

Otherwise, the plum tree would wither away, which would be contrary to the essence of a righteous technique.

‘It’s not about taking or borrowing life force. It’s about breathing in what the plum tree exhales.’

Qi is not exclusive to humans; it exists in animals and even the weeds on the streets.

All living beings breathe, including the plum tree.

The Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method involves inhaling the exhaled Qi of the plum tree, mixing it with nature’s Qi, and slowly accumulating it in the lower energy center.

‘Unity with Plum Blossom’

Becoming one with the plum blossom, Zhou Xuchuan recites the incantations of the future-revealed Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method.

‘I do feel a bit guilty.’

This glory and fame should have belonged to another – a future disciple yet unborn, who would discover this secret. It felt like stealing, so he intended to keep the knowledge of the Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method to himself for the future disciple’s sake.

‘Alright, that’s enough.’

The biggest reason the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method was seen as just a transitional phase was its Qi gathering pace.

Acceptable in all other aspects, its cultivation speed was considered third-rate in the martial world.

Thus, it was deemed the only flaw of the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method.

But this changed with the revelation of its secret.

Though not a divine art, it was a first-class method.

The issue with the speed of Qi gathering was due to the undiscovered secret. Once resolved, the technique became perfect.

‘Not quite like the Supreme Divine Art, but comparable to other advanced internal cultivation methods in speed.’

At eight, he formed his energy center and started Qi gathering; now at nine, he had only a year’s worth of cultivation.

But with the Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method, he could accumulate Qi much faster.

For the time being, his master wouldn’t take his pulse, so he could keep it hidden.

It was perfect.

The newly discovered secret’s benefits were enhancing the speed of Qi gathering and expanding the total capacity of the energy center.

‘Most gratifying of all…’

He couldn’t contain his smile.

Relieving all his pent-up frustrations, he focused his mind and swiftly progressed through the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method.

‘No need to hold back anymore!’

He had the enlightenment to master the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method early but had to suppress it due to his master’s daily pulse checks.

Now, there was no need for restraint.

Mastery of the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method wouldn’t instantly elevate his realm, so unless the instructors or other disciples took direct action, they wouldn’t notice.

Special cases aside, only a master can take the pulse or instruct a young disciple.

If something feels off, one would first consult the master.

With this in mind, Zhou Xuchuan confidently accelerated his Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method practice.

His restrained enlightenment surged forth, merging with his spirit and body.

His will, riding the flow of Qi, reached the energy center, causing transformation.

His Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method, previously at five-tenths, quickly rose to ten-tenths.

The great mastery is the twelve-tenths, but due to insufficient internal energy, the next level was not attained.

But it was just a matter of time.

Rapid Qi-building with the Plum Blossom Qi Absorption Method would soon achieve it.

‘Finally, a step towards the future.’