The Science of Cultivation

A few months after a good portion of Li Lang’s students had reached the peak of Energy Gathering, adequate results were collected. With six of the dozen students actively taking part in the test, the sample size was no longer as pitiful.

This new round of testing was a lot more complicated than the previous rounds. Not only were there more participants, but there was also more content as well.

Wei Ping had returned from his travels, bringing back a technique said to be able to aid in a cultivator’s breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm. He naturally shared it with Li Lang.

The contents of the Qi art involved a technique that could allow the user to strike the target twice with one attack. A punch would hit the target and then, a few seconds later, another impact would occur at the same spot. It was called the Lingering Impact Technique for that reason.

While the contents of this Qi art were straightforward, analyzing how it could contribute to a breakthrough was not. The only thing Wei Ping knew was that many experts in the higher realms agreed learning this technique did indeed improve a cultivator’s chances of breaking through. However, he didn’t know exactly how.

When Li Lang learned about this Qi art, he quickly incorporated it into his experiments. It added a new variable to the equation, making it more difficult to identify what exactly helped, but he didn’t mind. There was time to figure all that out later. Instead, he prioritized getting his students into the next major realm by trying everything that seemed like it would help.

There was also another reason he so readily incorporated the Lingering Impact Technique. He believed the secret behind it was the missing piece in the puzzle. So far, his new Ascension Technique helped his students invoke a breakthrough by increasing the concentration of Qi in the dantian to a degree that triggered a qualitative change.

However, Xiao Dong had failed in all his breakthrough attempts. While this may not be uncommon, he always believed that there should be a way to increase the chances of overcoming that last hurdle if things like the Ascension Pill existed, allowing anyone to reach the next major realm. He surmised that while his students managed to start the breakthrough process, their ability to exert control of their Qi had fallen short.

Normally, one would remain stuck in the peak of Energy Gathering, training their Qi control until they could converge enough Qi by themselves. Unfortunately, the threshold to be able to do that was too difficult for those with only rank one aptitude. Using the Ascension Technique to bypass that didn’t change the fact that their strength of control over their Qi was lacking.

After learning about the Lingering Impact Technique, Li Lang believed that this Qi art could remedy that exact issue.