Chapter 46: Nourishing Qi with Vast Righteousness

“Love, hatred, affection, and enmity—the seven emotions and six desires—are all part of the Power of Mind and Spirit. Although the Heart Mind cannot directly interfere with the mortal world, it can change the world through the body as a bridge.”

“The Spirit Refining realm is about learning to use the power of the Heart Mind.”

As Jiang Tianzheng spoke, Zuo Zhicheng gradually came to understand the concept of Spirit Refining.

Every person experiences changes in emotions, temperament, and state of mind, and these changes affect the human body. For instance, anger can make a person stronger, anxiety can make them faster, and fear can increase their explosive power. Of course, they could also cause various negative effects.

This is the most basic function of the power of the mind. Once one reaches a certain level in Spirit Refining, they can use this mental stimulation to elevate their physical power to a higher level during combat.

If one’s Spirit Refining reaches a profound level, allowing them to freely control changes in their own Heart Mind and temperament, they would become like demons or monsters. Not only could they influence their own body with their mind, but they could also affect others.

For example, ordinary people would feel fear when seeing a tiger, and subordinates become cautious when facing their superior. A master of Spirit Refining, freely manipulating Heart Mind and temperament, could make people around them fear them like a tiger or revere them like a deity. They could even evoke anger, fear, terror, or shock, create illusions, cause stupor, induce fleeing, make opponents underperform, or turn enemies into friends.

By imprinting mind with mind, using the Heart Mind to change another’s Heart Mind, and then using the other’s Heart Mind to alter their physical state and behavior—whose body then changes the external world—this is how the power of the Heart Mind can change the world.

Martial Arts experts who reach this level move like gods, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to resist them. Conventional group attacks also become meaningless, because before ordinary people could even get close, a single strike from such an expert could render them as motionless as logs, drive them into frenzied dancing, make them kneel and beg for mercy, or even cause their hearts to burst. Some opponents might seem to burn to death without fire or drown without water.

All of this was the power of the Heart Mind.

To possess the means of the Spirit Refining realm, one must first achieve success in Qi Training. Only by mastering Qi Training, connecting the Innate Primordial Breath throughout the body, and improving flesh and blood could the brain receive sufficient nutrients and energy. Otherwise, even if ordinary people understood how to use the power of the Heart Mind, after using it a few times, they would suffer severe depletion of essence and blood and die.

This was what was called Transform Fist Practice into Brain Cultivation. That is why, in the path of Martial Arts, Qi Training comes before Spirit Refining.

The sense of tranquility that Zuo Zhicheng, Xiao Lan, and Jiang Qing felt emanating from their hearts was the Spirit Refining method employed by Jiang Tianzheng. It was also the highest secret of Haoran Martial Hall: Nourishing Qi with Vast Righteousness.

Zuo Zhicheng looked at Jiang Tianzheng, who stood before him like a great tree filling heaven and earth, radiating waves of serene energy, and felt a surge of awe in his heart.

‘He can actually use Spirit Refining techniques even at the Qi Training stage…’

Beside him, Xiao Lan’s face was calm. She knew nothing of Martial Arts and was simply immersed in the serene atmosphere created by Jiang Tianzheng. As for Jiang Qing, she had long been aware of her father’s level and was not surprised.

At the same time, Jiang Tianzheng’s voice echoed once again in the ears of the three: “Nourishing Qi with Vast Righteousness, in its initial practice, can calm the mind and soothe the spirit…”

According to Jiang Tianzheng, this Spirit Refining method, Nourishing Qi with Vast Righteousness, initially affected only the practitioner, allowing them to enter a state of calm and mental clarity at any time, making activities like Martial Arts training and sleep more efficient.

Only when one reached a profound level and could use this Spirit Refining method to influence others would its power gradually manifest. It was like a serene aura enveloping those nearby—though the term “aura” here was just a name, not referring to any actual field of qi or air.

Those affected would feel peaceful and serene, which was beneficial for rest and sleep but extremely disadvantageous for combat. Not only would their power be impaired, but their fighting spirit would also diminish.

At an even higher level, ordinary people could be made to experience various illusions, allowing one to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Although Jiang Tianzheng’s level was sufficient, his body could not keep up. Without achieving Grand Completion of Qi Training, he could only use this method two or three times a day. Otherwise, the brain would not receive enough supply, leading to brain death. The part about brain death was Zuo Zhicheng’s own judgment, not something Jiang Tianzheng said.

Presently, Jiang Tianzheng taught the techniques of Nourishing Qi with Vast Righteousness to Zuo Zhicheng and Xiao Lan. However, every Spirit Refining technique required Grand Completion of Qi Training as a foundational hardware and an incredible level of self-mastery over one’s own mind as software.

Zuo Zhicheng did not have Jiang Tianzheng’s decades of Martial Arts experience and likely would not be able to master the technique before achieving Grand Completion of Qi Training.

Even so, Zuo Zhicheng felt immensely grateful to Jiang Tianzheng for providing the Spirit Refining method to him free of charge and pointing the way for his future growth.

On the way home that evening, Xiao Lan seemed downcast. Zuo Zhicheng also remained silent. Both appeared worried about the plight of Haoran Martial Hall.

Xiao Lan asked, “Brother Zuo, do you think Master Jiang and Sister Qing will be alright?”

“Don’t worry, Master Jiang is very powerful. They will be fine.”

“But I heard from my father that the Sea Dragon Gang has thousands of members. No matter how strong Master Jiang is, he can’t fight that many people.”

Zuo Zhicheng thought for a moment and said, “Sometimes, numbers alone aren’t enough.” Then he suddenly turned and said, “Xiao Lan, you go on ahead. I want to check something out.”

…

Two days later, in the dead of night, in a deserted yard in the commoners’ district, Zuo Zhicheng was constantly kneading his face.

“Honey…”

“Flour paste… hair…”

“Pigment…”

Zuo Zhicheng applied the items he had gathered over the past few days to his face one by one, then kneaded them using a special method. Two hours later, a completely unfamiliar face appeared before him.

At first glance, this stranger’s face looked real, but under closer inspection by lamplight, it was clearly fake. However, with the materials Zuo Zhicheng had currently, this was the best he could do. Besides, he did not plan to let anyone examine his face so closely.

He took off his shoes and inserted insoles about four to five centimeters thick. Then he wrapped cloth padding around his arms, chest, shoulders, and waist, finally covering it all with a large coat. Without close inspection, Zuo Zhicheng now appeared to be a completely different person—a rough-faced, tall, and burly brute.

This was the ‘disguise’ he had prepared using the money he took from Liang Wu to buy materials.

He patted his face and looked at the unfamiliar reflection in the bronze mirror, saying calmly, “It’s been a long time since I used this. Luckily, I still remember.”

The first part of the sentence was in Zuo Zhicheng’s own voice, but by the second part, it had transformed into a coarse, gravelly male voice, like sandpaper rubbing together.

Then, he bundled up all the items and stuffed them into a crack in the wall. Zuo Zhicheng stepped into the moonlight and merged into the darkness of Xinlu Port.

Tonight, Xinlu Port was destined to be restless.