In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 467 The Emperor Observes Qi and Kills with a Laugh

Gu Shaoan slowly opened his eyes, sensing the sword energy around him as if it were worshipping him with his sword sense, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"interesting."

As a swordsman, who wouldn't be curious about a martial arts manual like "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source"?

Putting everything else aside, the mere sight of the sword energy appearing as if a servant were meeting its master, or as if ministers were paying homage to a deity, once unleashed, is enough to make any swordsman's heart burn with excitement.

After Gu Shaoan entered the Heavenly Sword Realm and reached the level where "anything can be turned into a sword with a flick of the finger", he had tried to condense thousands of sword energies to create the scene of "sword energy worship".

But that was merely something he forced upon himself using his realm and sword intent; it's easy to paint the skin but hard to paint the bones.

It may be magnificent, but it ultimately lacks a sense of "tradition".

What's missing is an order that spontaneously submits from the very core.

Moreover, this forced action also greatly depleted Gu Shaoan's internal energy.

It's just something to play around with in private; it can't be used in real combat.

Only now, after mastering the move through the entry for "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One," has Gu Shaoan understood the principle behind this so-called "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One."

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source" is divided into internal martial arts techniques and sword moves.

To learn "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source," one must first abolish the martial artist's own martial arts through the internal energy of "Ten Thousand Qi Sprouts by Their Own," and then reshape their own meridians by striking the acupoints with a sword, so that a sword energy condensed with sword intent will naturally arise within their body.

Then, he used sword energy to penetrate thousands of acupoints, opening up countless tributaries within his body.

This process is like transforming acupoints throughout the body into dantian (lower abdomen).

Once this method is mastered, it can be used to draw upon and generate energy anywhere, much like how energy arises with a thought and is formed with the sword, thus achieving the spontaneous generation of all energies.

After dispersing the special sword energy of "Ten Thousand Qi Spawning" into the acupoints of the body, one then uses one's own qi to become the "ancestor" and the sword energy to become the "command" to guide ten thousand swords back to the origin.

At this moment, when the sword is drawn, an incomparably sharp sword force arises from the body, and the figure can transform into a wisp of green smoke, with the force spreading in all directions.

When the sword energy within the body surges, it can be like countless sword energies flying and swirling like a storm, or it can be used as a guide to draw ten thousand swords to the source.

However, in Gu Shaoan's opinion, the martial art "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source" is indeed powerful, but its power is relative.

Its requirements for users are almost unreasonable.

If one's internal energy is not deep enough, it is impossible to open up all the acupoints in the body with sword energy.

If one's swordsmanship is not advanced enough, though myriad energies may arise, they lack command; when these energies disperse, they become chaotic, and chaos leads to injury.

As for someone like Gu Shaoan—who possesses the Heavenly Sword Realm, has accumulated 180 years of cultivation, and whose Gang Yuan Sea is as deep as a golden abyss—the power of his "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin" is naturally terrifying.

If activated at full power, sword energy within the ten-zhang sword domain rains down, gathering and dispersing at will, and killing can be decided in a single thought. Its explosive and commanding power is in no way inferior to "Sword Nine: One Sword Separates Worlds" in his "Emei Sword Classic".

However, if it were an ordinary martial artist who had condensed Qi into Yuan, or someone who had condensed Yuan into Gang but had not yet condensed into Hua, even if they were lucky enough to obtain a cultivation method, being able to open up a few "waste acupoints" would be considered astonishingly talented. The spontaneous generation of myriad Qi would be a mere stretch, and the "ten thousand swords" they would ultimately unleash would be only a few dozen or a few hundred sword energies, with power at most comparable to ordinary top-tier martial arts.

As for the so-called "highest level of swordsmanship," it is clearly an exaggeration.

If it truly allows anyone to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, then the [Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin] skill cannot simply be an orange-level attribute, much less be discussed alongside a seven-colored attribute like [Heavenly Sword].

That being said, for Gu Shaoan, the "Return of Ten Thousand Swords" extended into another special path of swordsmanship.

It is also a sword path that leads directly to the Heavenly Sword Realm, but is completely different from Gu Shaoan's own Heavenly Sword Realm.

With this move, "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source," Gu Shaoan's own swordsmanship can be enriched.

At the same time, having "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source" in Gu Shaoan's hands is like having an extra special killing move, so it's a win no matter how you look at it.

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Shaoan's internal energy and sword intent stirred slightly, and the sword energy gathered around him immediately dispersed like smoke.

Next, Gu Shaoan focused his attention on the last special achievement chest.

A few breaths later, three notification messages popped up in front of Gu Shaoan.

[Obtained 1 Jade Fragrance Mind-Nourishing Grass (Special Medicine)]

[Acquired a special martial art, "Emperor's Aura Observation Technique"]

[Obtained 1 Heavenly Silkworm Golden Thread Glove]

After glancing at the three system notifications, Gu Shaoan narrowed his eyes slightly.

His gaze was fixed on "The Emperor's Art of Observing Qi".

After quickly checking his system inventory, Gu Shaoan's eyes narrowed.

Jade Fragrance Mind-Concentrating Grass – a special medicine. When combined with other herbs to create fragrance, it can enhance a martial artist's comprehension in a short period of time, while also calming the mind and preventing demonic possession.

It greatly assists martial artists in comprehending superior martial arts techniques and can be considered a rare treasure.

Heavenly Silkworm Gold Thread Gloves – woven from white silkworm silk and platinum silk using special medicines and techniques, these gloves are soft, thin, and tough, fitting snugly without hindering finger dexterity. They can withstand sword cuts and burning flames. Furthermore, due to the properties of the white silkworm silk, when a martial artist unleashes their palm strike, the force carries an icy, bone-chilling power, making them a perfect combination of offense and defense, and priceless.

Gu Shaoan gently stroked the void with his fingertips, having already decided in his mind who this divine weapon would belong to.

The Emei Sect is not lacking in sword techniques, but it also has palm techniques such as the "Golden Summit Cotton Palm".

Mei Jiangxue possessed exceptional talent in palm techniques, yet she lacked a truly suitable weapon.

In a few months, it will be Mei Jiangxue's birthday.

These gloves would make a perfect gift.

His mind raced, and he immediately turned his gaze back to "The Emperor's Art of Observing Qi".

In the next instant, a vast amount of information poured in like a tidal wave.

The massive amount of information is not simply a collection of scriptures, mantras, and practice methods, but also includes the principles of celestial phenomena, the terrain, the veins of mountains and rivers, and the corresponding changes of the three elements of the human body.

The sheer scale of it almost gave Gu Shaoan the illusion that he wasn't "learning" a martial art, but rather being forced to view a scroll of illustrations spanning ancient and modern times.

The stars are no longer just stars.

They spread out in the sea of ​​consciousness like a vast celestial canopy, the twinkling of starlight subtly influencing the changing seasons and the interplay of yin and yang. The shifts in the positions of certain stars seemed to indicate the rise and fall of "momentum"; the gathering and dispersing of certain clouds seemed to reveal the birth and death of "opportunity".

Mountains and rivers are no longer just mountains and rivers.

Mountains are like dragons, waterways like sinews, cities like bones, and human habitation like blood. The earth's energy flows slowly underground, sometimes gathering at the peaks, sometimes dispersing across the plains, sometimes cut off by rivers, sometimes bound into a line by canyons. Every scenic spot corresponds to a "strategic point".

When these grand images return to the realm of "humanity," they transform into more detailed and calmer principles: essence as the root, qi as the flow, and spirit as the master; the three interact with each other, just as heaven, earth, and humanity reflect each other.

The so-called "observation of qi" is not about observing the vague and ethereal "good luck," but rather the trajectory of the qi, the signs of change, and the "next step" deduced from the signs.

The sheer volume of content contained in "The Emperor's Art of Observing Qi" is in no way inferior to the art of chess and medicine that he had previously encountered.

All three emphasize "observing the situation," "discerning the cause," and "predicting changes," but chess predicts the overall situation, medicine predicts the pulse, while this "Emperor's Art of Observing Qi" predicts the "mechanism" between heaven, earth, and man. Gu Shaoan gently closed his eyes, as if returning to his rest.

The sounds of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and the chirping of insects gradually faded into the distance.

Only the internal energy and blood flowed slowly, like two great rivers running orderly through the meridians.

Occasionally, the body's Qi and blood would stagnate slightly, then resume their circulation at a more subtle pace. Or, a certain mantra about "gathering the spirit through the eyes" would enter his mind, and his breathing would naturally become longer, slower, and deeper.

Time loses its measure in this immersion.

Night falls and fades, morning mist rises and dissipates.

The next morning, as dawn broke, a system notification popped up in front of Gu Shaoan when a special energy suddenly appeared in his body.

[Emperor's Aura Observation Technique, Level 1 (Beginner Level), Achievement Points +100]

Gu Shaoan slowly opened his eyes.

At that moment, his gaze remained calm, yet it seemed to carry an added weight of "seeing through".

Immediately afterwards, a brand new power quietly emerged. It was neither as heavy and intense as the Gang Yuan, nor as hot and vigorous as the Qi and blood, nor as ethereal and fleeting as pure spiritual power.

It is more like a divine power refined by "technique," existing between spirit and energy, yet able to land on the eyes.

After this energy was injected into his eyes, Gu Shaoan's eyes turned a pale gold color.

The gold color is very light and not dazzling, yet it makes one feel its extraordinary nature at a glance.

He looked up and gazed into the woods.

The world seemed to change completely at that moment.

The wind was no longer just an invisible rustling; in his eyes, it had color, texture, and a clear trajectory.

Every gust of wind, from which place, around which tree trunk, branching out among which leaves, and where it converges into a swirling vortex, is laid bare before you.

Look at the trees again.

Between the branches and veins of the leaves, there was a very faint "qi" flowing, like the slow breathing of the plant's own essence.

Some old trees have a strong, deep energy, and their roots are connected to the earth's energy, giving them a calm, dark green hue.

Some new trees, full of vitality and overflowing with energy, tend to have a bright light green hue.

Even on the ground, where fallen leaves accumulate, the earth's energy rises slightly due to the heat generated by decay.

In the damp, shady crevices of the rocks, the chill was even more intense, and the "shady" aspect of the terrain seemed to him like a thin veil.

He merely squinted slightly, as if habitually turning everything he "saw" into usable conclusions.

"Is this what is known as the Emperor's ability to observe the qi? Celestial phenomena, terrain, and human qi are not mysterious legends, but have become clearly visible."

He raised his hand, his fingertips tracing a line in the air as if drawing a line only he could see—the direction of the wind, the undulation of the earth's energy, the veins of the forest's "momentum."

When he turned his gaze slightly and it fell on himself, Gu Shaoan could even vaguely "see" the flow of internal energy within his body more clearly. He could see which meridian was stronger, which acupoint was more sensitive, and where the sword intent was resonating. All of this was several times more intuitive than before.

"The saying 'The emperor can kill with a smile and a glimpse of the aura' is truly well-deserved."

Only now did Gu Shaoan truly understand the weight of those eight words.

He slowly exhaled, the golden light in his eyes gradually fading, but not disappearing; it simply sank deeper, like a sealed seal that could be reappeared on his eyes at any moment.

Compared to the "enlightenment aid" of the Jade Fragrance Mind-Concentrating Grass and the "protection" of the Heavenly Silkworm Golden Silk Gloves, the value of this technique can hardly be summarized by the word "treasure".

Because it doesn't change the outcome of a match.

It changes the way a person sees the world.

The moment Gu Shaoan opened the martial arts information, a vast and ancient meaning rushed towards him, as if a bronze door that had been sealed for ten thousand years had been pushed open. Behind the door were not words, but mountains and rivers, stars and the fate of mankind.

This technique originated from the Xuanyuan Qi Observation Method created by the ancient Yellow Emperor. Legend has it that after receiving the "Natural Classic" from Guangchengzi at Mount Kongtong, the Yellow Emperor observed celestial phenomena to determine the order of time, examined the terrain to identify dragon veins, and further deduced the flow of Qi in mountains and rivers, thus creating the Qi Observation Method.

It can observe celestial phenomena, examine the terrain, and discern human behavior.

By observing celestial phenomena, one can discern the ebb and flow of the overall situation: impending storms and shifting starlight are all omens. In the struggle between masters, victory often lies not in techniques, but in the "momentum."

If the situation moves first, the person will die first.

By observing the terrain, one can know where the mountains and rivers conceal their strength, where the energy is stagnant and can be harnessed, where the earth's veins are weak and easily broken, where the gate of life is, and where the land of death is.

Humans fight on the ground, but ultimately they cannot leave the ground.

Those who understand the terrain have already gained a significant advantage.

The most terrifying thing is judging popularity.

Once the "Emperor's Qi Observation Technique" is cultivated to a high level, the practitioner can use it to observe the three elements of a person: Heaven, Earth, and Man. When applied to a martial artist, these elements correspond precisely to the martial artist's essence, energy, and spirit.

Ordinary martial artists can only judge their opponents by the speed of their moves and the strength of their true energy.

However, those who practice the "Emperor's Qi Observation Technique" can "see" how their opponent's essence, energy, and spirit are operating.

This is what is meant by "seeing through the changes of the three powers".

Once you see through it, many things are no longer just guesses. When the opponent moves their true energy, it's either to gather their strength for a powerful attack or to retreat and build up their momentum.

The other party's expression trembled. Was he trying to forcefully elevate his cultivation level, or was a crack appearing in his mind?

Whether the opponent's qi and blood are reversed, it is due to a recurrence of hidden injuries or a forced surge of energy, all can be clearly seen.

Even after the war, as long as there was a chance to observe the circulation of vital energy in the enemy's body, it was equivalent to engraving a "vital energy map" in one's mind.

In the next encounter, Gu Shaoan will be able to detect the slightest unusual movement from his opponent immediately, thus gaining the upper hand.

With this "Emperor's Aura Observation Technique," any martial artist's strength can suddenly increase several times, even reaching a level where they are rarely matched among those of the same realm.

Its power is self-evident.

Even with Gu Shaoan's current strength and vision, after personally experiencing the profound mystery of the "Emperor's Aura Observation Technique," he couldn't help but be amazed by the power of this special secret technique.

According to the contents of the "Emperor's Qi Observation Technique" in his mind, if Gu Shaoan himself could cultivate the "Emperor's Qi Observation Technique" to the highest level, he would even be able to clearly observe the wind, human momentum, and even all things in heaven and earth with this "Emperor's Qi Observation Technique".

Combined with Gu Shaoan's own Heavenly Sword Realm, it would be enough to elevate Gu Shaoan's strength to a terrifying level once again.

However, while the "Emperor's Aura Observation Technique" is powerful, its difficulty in cultivation far exceeds that of any martial arts Gu Shaoan had previously encountered.

Even Gu Shaoan dared not estimate how long it would take to cultivate this martial art to its highest level.

(End of this chapter)