C9 Health and Vitality

The handful of people at the door stood dumbfounded for quite some time before someone finally snapped out of it and rushed to grab Sun Yunlong, exclaiming, "Mr. Sun!"

"Damn it! This kid's turned against us! Let's all give him a piece of our mind!" Sun Yunlong was seething with rage, looking like he was about to blow a gasket, yet he didn't charge forward with much force. The Ye Rong before him was somewhat unrecognizable, eerily so.

Just a moment ago, he was on his knees, addressing someone as his grandfather, and now he's looking to start a brawl? Could it be that the tall guy, standing at 1.8 meters, couldn't take down the scrawny Ye Rong, who was bullied daily?

Was it that the fury of the gentle giant was too terrifying, or was his towering height just for show, with little to no combat prowess?

Whatever the case, they hesitated to lay a finger on Ye Rong. After all, Ye Rong had mentioned the clothes were for the whole dorm, not just him. They too stood to gain from this, regardless of who came out on top.

"Mr. Sun, what's going on with you guys? Ye Rong just got back, why are you picking a fight with him?"

"Yeah, and... with that expression." A roommate said with a sheepish grin.

Ye Rong hung up his clothes to dry, steering clear of the debate. These guys were just fortunate. In Ye Rong's recollections, they had their fair share of bullying him, but with the complex rules of school life, he couldn't be bothered to retaliate, allowing them to dodge a bullet.

With no support from his roommates, Sun Yunlong had no choice but to suppress his fury, fuming silently and ignoring the others as he climbed into bed.

Come the next morning, Sun Yunlong was the first out the door. He moved quickly, but not quick enough to escape Ye Rong's notice of the dark circles under his eyes.

"People in this world really do value their lives, to think they could hold back all night without making a move against me."

Ye Rong, too, got up and went about his morning routine before heading to the library, guided by his memories.

The sun had not yet risen, and the campus was sparsely populated with a few students engrossed in their reading. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, savoring the invigorating morning air, ideal for rejuvenating both body and spirit after a night's rest. With his energy primed and ready, practicing the ancient tomes at this moment promised to be exceptionally fruitful.

Upon arriving at the library entrance, Ye Rong looked up, noting that the library was significantly larger than their dormitory building. While it wasn't as majestic as the great hall in his own world, it was certainly luxurious by local standards, and he surmised that it housed an extensive collection of books.

Yet, the doors remained closed.

Deciding to make the most of his time, Ye Rong settled down in front of the doors and began to practice with the ancient tomes, drawing in the vitality of the morning air.

Within fifteen minutes, he felt a marked increase in strength; his cells were buzzing with activity, a clear sign that his body's latent potential was being unlocked. The meal he had consumed the previous evening was now being converted into nourishment, rapidly fueling his body's growth.

The changes weren't visibly apparent, but through internal observation, Ye Rong could discern a noticeable enhancement in his physique.

"Truly worthy of a legendary tome," he mused. "The transformation of my body and the sense of fulfillment are distinct—the process is swift and the quality, exceptional."

Nevertheless, this was to be expected from a legendary tome and did not surprise Ye Rong. Despite the rapid and high-quality improvements, the path of Flesh Forging would ultimately lead to the cultivation of Soulforge. The power of the soul was more significant, and at a certain stage, one might even forsake the physical body entirely. This was one of the reasons Ye Rong had not chosen to reset his cultivation to start anew with this legendary tome.

After all, a legendary tome is legendary for a reason. Flesh Forging at this level had a 60 to 70 percent chance of bestowing special bodily effects, which could significantly enhance one's combat prowess.

Some legendary tomes, despite focusing on Flesh Forging, possessed incredibly miraculous effects, enabling the body's capabilities to surpass those of the divine soul! Such tomes were exceedingly rare, the stuff of legends within the Cultivation World.

If one were to gamble, it would be on these unique bodily effects and miraculous abilities. However, it now appeared that, despite its legendary status, this particular tome lacked such qualities.

Suddenly, a brilliant white light flashed before his eyes!

Startled, Ye Rong snapped his eyes open, only to find that everything was as it had been. The only difference was an improvement in his mental clarity, and his eyesight seemed sharper and more luminous.

What was happening? Ye Rong was puzzled. Could this be a hallucination?

Yet, in the Cultivation World, it was uncommon to dismiss unexpected occurrences as mere figments of the imagination.

"Still... given the state of my current body, hallucinations could be possible." He examined himself once more, only to find no abnormalities. Scanning the area, he noticed it was sparsely populated, with most people at a distance. The only person nearby was under a tree, practicing with a sword.

But it was less a display of swordsmanship and more a series of poses. The sword lacked any chill of a real blade, clearly a prop, and the movements were painfully slow. Though there was some force behind them, it was all for show.

"Is this some sort of wellness exercise?" Ye Rong surmised, yet he shook his head in disappointment. Even if it was intended for health, the routine seemed ineffective. Considering that this world was populated mostly by ordinary people, Ye Rong wasn't about to criticize, but he felt that such a lackluster performance in the vibrant morning hours was a missed opportunity to truly invigorate oneself.

"You're quite the early bird, young man, heading to the library to read before it's even open," observed the Sword Dancer, pausing and turning towards Ye Rong upon feeling his gaze.

"From the way you were sitting cross-legged, I thought you might have fallen asleep. But then I saw your eyes open and realized that wasn't the case. You're brimming with energy. Perhaps you know some wellness techniques too? But then, why the head shake?"

Ye Rong regarded him for a moment, his gaze flickering thoughtfully. Finally, he spoke up, "Your morning routine isn't very effective for wellness."

"Oh?" The Sword Dancer looked taken aback. "Is there a reason?"

Despite his question, a hint of pride shone in his eyes, betraying a measure of self-assurance.

This was understandable. On the surface, there seemed to be a significant age gap between them, and with Ye Rong's gaunt appearance, he hardly looked like someone with profound knowledge of wellness practices.

"The morning sun heralds renewal, but your routine only serves to minimally stimulate the body, failing to embrace the transformative potential of a new day."

The sunrise marks the start of a new day, and the morning air is its very essence. While you can nourish your body, you can't fully imbue your cells with the vitality of the morning energy. Practicing sword dance in the evening can strengthen the body and promote sleep, but doing it in the morning is a waste of time."

The Sword Dancer paused, taken aback. Although he suspected the other was merely spouting nonsense, there seemed to be a ring of truth to it. And the benefits of evening sword dance he mentioned were spot on.

"Are you suggesting... you have a better method for health cultivation?" he asked.

Ye Rong paused briefly, then nodded affirmatively, "Yes."

"Could you possibly teach me?"

"I'm willing to give it a try."

Ye Rong stood up, moved behind the Sword Dancer, and placed his hand on his back.

"Direct your Qi to where my hand is," he instructed.

Though he said this, Ye Rong was the one in control. With a skillful press, he gathered the Sword Dancer's Qi.

"Rise!" Ye Rong commanded, positioning the Sword Dancer into a stance.

"Descend!" He guided him into another.

"Circle!" And yet another.

"There, that should do it."

He withdrew his hand.

Truth be told, Ye Rong wasn't versed in health cultivation movements, but he understood the principle of absorbing the morning's vitality. He simply directed the Sword Dancer's body to harness this energy. The movements were necessary only because the Sword Dancer couldn't control his own Qi flow, making the absorption process simpler. Ye Rong himself didn't need these movements to absorb the energy.

"That's it?" The Sword Dancer was initially doubtful but began to feel the effects as he spoke, his skepticism fading.

His entire being felt rejuvenated, brimming with energy as if all negativity had been swept clean. He felt light and agile, as if he could do anything without fatigue.

"This..." It had been barely a minute, yet the effect was so pronounced. Had Ye Rong not been right before his eyes, he might have suspected some sort of medicinal trickery!

"New Qi prevents aging. Absorbing the morning Qi strengthens the body, prolongs life, and combats aging. However, this technique requires a combination of Qi and movement; without them, the benefits are greatly reduced or even nonexistent. You should try it several times on your own."

"Vitality... Vitality, is it truly this enigmatic?" He experimented with a few more movements, and with each attempt, his amazement grew. It felt as though he had unlocked the gateway to a whole new world.

"Hmm? Is the door open?" Ye Rong gestured dismissively. "You can take your time to figure it out. I'm heading inside."

"Hey, wait up!" The Sword Dancer was thoroughly engrossed, and now the other person was just going to walk away?

"If you're free sometime, could you drop by my office...?"

Ye Rong looked on, clearly confused.

"Oh! It's Xian Hui. Xian Hui's office. Just tell them Xian Hui sent for you, and they'll let you in."

Ye Rong's expression remained one of bewilderment.

"Ah, I may have been too presumptuous. It's not right to be so casual when asking for a favor. Here's my business card. Could you get in touch when you have a moment?" The Sword Dancer pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to Ye Rong.

Ye Rong finally turned away, glancing at the card in his hand as he walked off.

"Xian Hui... Xian Hui? Eh, never mind, I'll deal with it later."

Overhearing his muttered words, the Sword Dancer paused, taken aback. It dawned on him that it wasn't a case of being too proud; it was that he was unknown to the other.

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This was a first – meeting someone from Diaton University who didn't recognize him. And it was also a first for him to hand out his business card to a student on campus!

Shaking his head, he returned his focus to practicing the movements Ye Rong had shown him earlier.

Chapter 12 – The Sword Dancer's Secrets