Chapter 81 - 73章 Frontal Lobe
Skull-interrupted Sword?
The students present were bewildered and shocked. Chai Cuiqiao’s heart thumped heavily, her palm unconsciously clenching into a fist.
Li Ang slowly exhaled a turbid breath, clasped his hands, and asked seriously, "May I ask the Master, is there something wrong with this trigram?"
"Do you know the principle of cultivation?"
Xi Yangyu didn’t answer directly but said casually, "Nature’s Spiritual Energy is an omnipresent, constantly flowing current. A Cultivator’s body is like a flute. Spirit Veins are the hollow tube and holes of the flute. It is precisely because of these Spirit Veins that Cultivators can channel nature’s Spiritual Energy into their Qi Sea, and with their will, manipulate this energy to create various mystical effects. It’s just like how pressing different holes on a flute can transform a monotonous airflow into a melody with diverse tunes."
Xi Yangyu glanced over the students and said indifferently, "Even for Martial Artists who practice Body Refinement, at least seven Spirit Veins are needed to maintain the balance of the Qi Sea. Otherwise, they cannot nourish their flesh and blood with it. Cultivating forcibly with insufficient Spirit Veins leads to slow progress at best; one might not advance to the Body Concealing Realm even after thirty or forty years. At worst, it causes disordered Inner Breath and Qi Sea imbalance, leading to possession by demonic forces. The Spirit Vein trigram of ’Convinced and Judgment’ is extremely rare and odd; therefore, it is only recorded in these two books from the Two Jin Period: the ’Taixu Miaolin Scripture’ and the ’Spiritual Treasure Wisdom Body Observation Scripture.’"
Xi Yangyu spread out his palm. The two ancient books floated in mid-air, automatically flipping their pages, and stopped simultaneously. The pages of both books displayed similar illustrations: a silhouette of a person standing upright, with a broken arc drawn within its skull.
"This trigram is called Skull-interrupted Sword. ’Skull’ means the Spirit Veins grow within the skull. ’Interrupted Sword’ means that these Spirit Veins are naturally flawed, fragile, and barely connected."
Xi Yangyu spoke lightly, "The role of Spirit Veins is to accommodate and guide Spiritual Energy. Spiritual Energy is formless yet substantial. If Spiritual Energy, while being channeled into the Qi Sea, enters naturally flawed Spirit Veins, it will cause damage to the body. It’s one thing if it’s elsewhere. But in the skull? Even the force of a needle penetrating the skull can be enough to kill a person instantly."
Xi Yangyu looked at Li Ang, his tone calm, "If I’m not mistaken, every time you’ve read the ’Shangqing Linggan Chapter’ and tried to channel Spiritual Energy into your Qi Sea, you’ve felt a stabbing pain in your head. This is the Skull-interrupted Sword trigram. Anyone with this trigram cannot cultivate for life. No means, whether heavenly materials, earthly treasures, or Mutated Objects, can help."
The night wind was bleak and cold. Fallen leaves by the street were gently lifted by the breeze, and the flag of a street corner tavern fluttered.
Everyone’s complex gazes focused on Li Ang, filled with shock, dismay, and heavy sympathy...