Chapter 3: Looking Everywhere Only to Find It Easily

Shoes of iron may be worn out in a fruitless search, yet a chance find comes without the slightest effort.

Li Chang'an had initially thought it would require racking his brains to acquire, never imagining that a mere extra glance over the ridge of the field would deliver it so effortlessly into his hands...

This heaven-defying comprehension of a cheat was truly terrifying to behold!

Having found the opportunity to step into the martial path, Li Chang'an did not hesitate for a moment; he immediately closed his eyes, crossed his legs, and began to guide his internal organs and meridians into resonance.

This was the method of circulating vital energy that his heaven-defying comprehension had gleaned.

—Through the resonance between his internal organs and meridians, paired with a unique meditative breathing technique, a martial artist could absorb and exhale the energy known as 'qi essence' from the world around them!

The effects of qi essence were comprehensive, not only nurturing the martial artist's flesh, organs, and meridians, but also allowing them to unleash a terrifying, awe-inspiring might in battle—truly the quintessential source of worldly energy.

In less than a minute, a profound, esoteric aura manifested around Li Chang'an as he sat cross-legged upon his cradle; invisible threads of energy drifted through the air, burrowing into his body through his mouth, nose, and skin, the miraculous transformations causing his complexion to flush with color in an instant.

As everyone knew, whether one could draw qi into the body was the greatest dividing line between ordinary mortals and martial artists.

Guided by a master, a normal child would require at least three years of preliminary training just to perceive the existence of qi essence, and to draw it into the body as Li Chang'an had done would take at least five years from start to finish.

And that was for those blessed with quite remarkable natural talent.

As for those of mediocre aptitude, the time required would be even longer; many might strive for a lifetime without ever sensing the presence of qi essence, let alone drawing it into their bodies.

Yet here was Li Chang'an, a mere six months from birth, already capable of sitting cross-legged with closed eyes to draw qi into his body.

Were word of this to spread, it would undoubtedly shatter the worldview of countless people!

After sitting in silent meditation for nearly an hour, Li Chang'an finally opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Now, he could already draw qi essence from the air with every breath he took!

"Heh, this qi essence truly is miraculous!" Feeling the strange energy circulating continuously within his body, a smile graced the corners of Li Chang'an's mouth, and he nodded in satisfaction.

In the beginning stages of cultivation, although qi essence could not entirely replace food to provide energy, it could accelerate the speed of Li Chang'an's digestion and absorption.

Eating more and digesting more thoroughly naturally accelerated the rate of his physical growth and development.

The most direct change was this: before sensing qi essence, Li Chang'an needed to eat two or three bowls of gruel per meal just to barely stave off hunger; with qi essence, a single bowl of gruel was enough to make him vibrant and full of life!

Of course, none of these were the most crucial part; the ultimate benefit was that with qi essence as his support, Li Chang'an could bypass the sluggish crawling stage and transform directly into a terrifying erect ape!

For Li Chang'an, who yearned for rapid growth, this was an epochal, monumental leap forward!

...

On this day, after Li Dashan and Huang Xiaoru had left home to work the fields,

Li Chang'an crawled out of his cradle, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and a faint smile tugged at his lips as he murmured, "Finally, I've broken free from that cursed novice phase!"

Stretching his body, he exhaled a long breath of turbid air; lowering his stance slightly, he adopted a peculiar posture and swiftly set off.

One step, two steps...

The child’s tiny body was like a swift, pouncing leopard, every step forward leaving a rustling whistle of wind in his wake.

Feeling the terrifying speed that seemed as though he were 'riding the gale,' an expression of intense excitement rushed onto Li Chang'an’s tender face.

This was the martial technique he had comprehended earlier merely by watching Wang Su walk—the Shadowless Steps!

The principle and effect of the technique were simple: by exerting force through the leg muscles in tandem with the stored qi essence within the body, one could unleash an incredibly fearsome burst of speed in a brief moment!

Lacking a concrete benchmark for comparison, the exact grade of the Shadowless Steps remained unknown.

The only certainty was that upon reaching mastery, the speed of the Shadowless Steps would be fast enough to create several, or even dozens of, afterimages in place!

If an enemy lacked sufficient speed or sharp eyesight, they would likely meet their end amidst a blur of afterimages without ever knowing how they died.

Of course, given Li Chang'an's current physical condition, executing this technique was a considerable strain; far from leaving a sea of afterimages, straining with all his might could only stir a few withered, yellow leaves in the courtyard.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

After taking a mere three to five steps, Li Chang'an began to pant heavily.

At this moment, his steps were unsteady, and a profound soreness racked his entire body.

Yet the physical exhaustion did nothing to dampen his soaring spirits.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

The first step of any endeavor is always the hardest; thereafter, one typically needs only to progress step by step, persisting in patient, meticulous effort to arrive at a grand highway.

Now that he had finally found a direction for his efforts, there was absolutely no reason to fish for three days and dry the nets for two.

Thus, after a brief respite, Li Chang'an once again commanded his tiny body to run about the courtyard!

...

Over the next half year, Li Chang'an secretly practiced the Shadowless Steps in the courtyard every single day.

From the beginning, when a few steps would leave him stumbling and breathless, he had now reached the point where he could take dozens of steps in a single breath without his heart racing or his face flushing.

Though he had yet to manifest any afterimages, that was a limitation of his physical hardware rather than a lack of capability.

It could not be helped; an infant's body was simply too fragile, and if he truly went all out, it would likely fall apart within days!

Furthermore, it was worth noting that Li Chang'an often kept an eye out at the doorway for any sign of that old Daoist priest.

Last time, a mere distant glance had allowed his heaven-defying comprehension to net him both a method of qi cultivation and a profound martial arts technique for free.

What would happen if he stole a few more glances?

Unfortunately, since that day, Li Chang'an never saw the Daoist pass by the door again.

Though somewhat disappointed by this, he was not entirely surprised.

After all, Li Family Village was no major thoroughfare, but merely an obscure settlement among the many along the banks of the Sanhuang River; even merchants rarely passed through, let alone outsiders.

All Li Chang'an ever saw were the local farmers, mostly the same familiar faces from the village.

...

While practicing the Shadowless Steps, the qi essence within Li Chang'an's body continued to grow.

Focusing his mind inward, he could see the threads of energy converging beneath his dantian, forming a sphere roughly the size of a pigeon's egg; this was the orb of qi essence he had accumulated over the past six months by continuously drawing in the energy of heaven and earth.

Intuition told him that when this sphere expanded to the size of a palm, he would officially advance to the rank of a true martial artist!

It could be said that ever since he cultivated qi essence and became capable of walking upright, Li Chang'an's growth had been set to fast-forward; while other children of his age in the village were still nursing, he was already running like the wind.

Naturally, to avoid any undue complications that might alter the timeline,

everything regarding his cultivation was conducted in strict secrecy away from his parents.

Fortunately, Li Dashan and Huang Xiaoru were busy enough, leaving early and returning late, their feet barely touching the ground; even on the rare occasions they discussed him, they merely thought he was precociously sensible and possessed an extraordinarily large appetite.

Thus, even after so long, the couple had yet to discover the secret their son harbored.

...