Chapter 254: So What If The Tokugawa Family Sees? In Life, Nothing Great Without Risking Death! Undress, Then Close Guidance
Huh?
You want to participate in the Seed Battle again?
She had brought it up herself multiple times before, and Nanjō Emi must have approached her privately as well, but Lili Zi had always been indifferent.
Why, now, has she brought up the matter herself?
Meeting the gaze of the bright-eyed girl before him, Shangshan Che couldn’t help but have a host of question marks appear above his head.
“Lili Zi… I have a lot of things I want to ask you.”
“Then let’s take them one by one,” Lili Zi replied softly, “No rush.”
After slightly organizing his thoughts, Shangshan Che listed his questions one by one,
“First, about the Seed Battle, why do you suddenly want to participate? Is there a reason?
Also, what was happening just now… why wasn’t any aura emanating from you? No breathing, no body temperature, you were like someone who was almost dead.”
“It wasn’t like I was almost dead.”
Lili Zi interrupted, her voice showing no hint of the peril of brushing shoulders with death, “It was that I nearly died, truly.”
She held up a finger: “Just a little bit more, and I would have truly fallen into eternal sleep.”
Shangshan Che could tell that every word she spoke was true, and the situation just now had proven it.
To fall into such a perilous situation while cultivating at home…
He gazed at Lili Zi, whose emotions were clearly displayed, and suddenly felt at a loss for words.
Lili Zi paced, saying, “Didn’t I tell you before that I was stuck while perfecting the Corona Breathing Technique?
Because I was struggling to find the location of the acupoints within my body, I naturally couldn’t find the Sea of Qi.”
“But just now, I happened to look up and see the sun setting and the moon rising, and I felt that the essence of heaven and earth converged into a single line,” Lili Zi shifted her gaze to the new moon hanging in the sky.
“First, I had a slight premonition, and then I recalled ‘Core Embracing Hip Sitting’ from the ancient Eastern texts I read to broaden my knowledge.”
She skipped over the most crucial process and directly stated the beginning and the result: “I did as it said, and then it happened.”
Listen, mortal!
Lili Zi sighed, “But it was truly perilous.”
After some thought, Shangshan Che picked out the most critical point from her words and asked,
“What is ’embracing the core’?”
“‘Embracing the core’ is to condense all the spirit, energy, and vitality, qi and blood, inner force, and all controllable power into a single point, to return everything expanded to ‘one’.”
Lili Zi explained cheerfully while walking in circles around Shangshan Che, “Doesn’t it say in those immortal cultivation novels—’a Golden Core swallowed, my fate is mine, not heaven’s’.
“Although the ‘core’ in embracing the core is different in essence from a Golden Core, it’s the same principle.”
As she spoke, Lili Zi, who had walked up to Shangshan Che, took a shallow breath, and in the vision of his Eye of Interpretation, her aura vanished completely.
Not only her aura, but even her previously soaring qi and blood, and her spirit, energy, and vitality, which were so bright they were almost blinding, suddenly disappeared.
If it weren’t for the Qi Barrier circulation and Lili Zi herself still being there, Shangshan Che would have almost believed that nothing existed before him.
“Shangshan Jun, extend your hand.”
Without overthinking, Shangshan Che extended his hand and saw Lili Zi place her index finger, which had inexplicably become jade-white and tender, onto his palm.
Then, a powerful force erupted from the tip of her index finger without any warning!
Staggering!
Even though he instinctively exerted force to resist, Shangshan Che still took three steps back before completely dissipating this force.
He gazed at the slightly tired girl, a flicker of brilliance in his eyes.
One had to know, although Lili Zi had surpassed him in breathing techniques, sword techniques, and the realm of state of mind,
in a life-or-death battle, ten Lili Zis tied together wouldn’t be enough for Shangshan Che to handle.
The reason was simple: her stats were too high.
But now, the strength of Lili Zi’s single finger had forced him to retreat three steps.
This was even in Shangshan Che’s most standard form.
Before he could speak, Lili Zi continued to explain, “Precisely because all the power one can mobilize is condensed to a single point, the explosion will be unprecedentedly great.”
Shangshan Che pondered for a moment, understanding some of the connection: “So, that near-death state before was also because you were trying to embrace the core?”
“Yes.”
Lili Zi nodded, “After condensing everything to a single point, it needs to be separated… with my current realm, I can only maintain it for a minute or two before it needs to be separated.
Otherwise, this power won’t be able to return to the physical body, this ‘foundation of existence’.”
Speaking of this, Lili Zi smacked her lips and exhaled, “I was just a tiny bit away from leaving a Sarira and joining the circular nirvana Buddhist Masters for a meal.”
This single sentence vividly portrayed the danger of embracing the core.
“I was a bit too impatient, I wasn’t prepared at all and fell into danger…”
The girl paused, her smile still radiant,
“But I don’t regret it. It’s also part of the fun of cultivation!”
“Fortunately, as soon as the thought arose, I acted. Otherwise, if I had missed this opportunity, I don’t know when I would have overcome this hurdle, found the acupoints, and located the Sea of Qi.”
A Clear Sword Heart was not just an empty phrase.
At this moment, Shangshan Che could feel that as Lili Zi spoke these two sentences, her heart bloomed with light once more, bright and dazzling.
Like a long-dusted artifact that had been polished anew, crystal clear.
“Shouldn’t we celebrate then?” Shangshan Che gestured with his chin towards her, receiving an affirmative smile.
But Lili Zi still had to answer the questions he asked before discussing anything else,
“As for the Seed Battle… I had originally decided not to participate, and I told you that several times in front of you, Shangshan Jun.”
“But after crossing the threshold of life and death, and looking back, I thought,” Lili Zi shook her head, “I actually feel that my previous idea was narrow-minded and stubborn.”
“At that time, I believed that since the path ahead was clear, sparring with others would be meaningless; it was definitely better to sit down and comprehend with a calm mind.”
The figures of the Seed Battle competitors flashed through Lili Zi’s eyes.
Her enunciation was clear and her tone forceful,
“Imposing ‘self-righteousness’ onto reality is a very arrogant thought, I was wrong!”
The girl spoke without hesitation,
“So now I admit this serious mistake and want to re-enter the Seed Battle.
It’s both to spar and to see how many geniuses in the vast Eastern Region can rival you and me.”
Shangshan Che held up a finger: “Regarding that, you should have seen it in intelligence reports and videos.”
“Seeing it is one thing, but taking action is another,” Lili Zi shrugged, “Some people are good at hiding. Only when you fight them can you know their true strength.”
“Moreover, after embracing the core, even the imaginary enemies in my Sword Heart can’t defeat me. If they’re too strong, it loses its realism… it’s time to gather some new material.”
The girl looked up, the silver moon reflected in her pupils: “I truly hope someone can defeat me.”
Listening to her expectant tone, Shangshan Che realized she was still that incredibly arrogant person, fundamentally unchanged.
He coughed, “Lili Zi…”
Lili Zi blinked, and immediately understood what Shangshan Che was thinking.
She chuckled,
“Shangshan Jun, you don’t think I’m boasting, do you?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Of course not… I truly hope so,” Lili Zi said seriously, “If I lose, it means there are more things for me to learn.”
“Wasn’t that Great Swordsman Sasaki Kojiro from the Sengoku Period thinking the same way?”
Shangshan Che naturally knew Sasaki’s name and story.
—It is said that in the late Sengoku Period, there was a man named Sasaki Kojiro who enjoyed sparring with various famous swordsmen. He fought hundreds of matches in his lifetime but won none.
It wasn’t until his battle with the Sword Saint Miyamoto Musashi on Ganryūjima that he became truly famous.
Although he lost, he also left a deep and terrifying scar on Miyamoto Musashi’s face.
It is said that after each defeat, Sasaki Kojiro would simulate the battle with that opponent in his mind until he completely defeated and killed them before seeking out the next stronger opponent.
—Of course, this is just one version of the legend; there are many other versions.
Whether the story was true or not, he might only know after spending decades in that era himself.
Seeing Shangshan Che’s expression of understanding, Lili Zi scoffed,
“But I’m a bit different from him. Sasaki was too cowardly; he never won once, so the title of ‘Unbeaten Swordsman’ was passed down even after his death.”
“Defeat is inevitable, but there should be more victories—defeat itself is meaningless; what has meaning are the improvements born from defeat and the victories achieved.”
Lili Zi spread her hands and then clasped them tightly,
“One must spar with the strong, and also not shy away from sparring with the weak. If you open your eyes, you will find that even the weakest among the weak have something to offer.”
“As for being invincible and having no one who can defeat me, I naturally don’t have such thoughts right now.”
Lili Zi stuck out her tongue at him, “Not to mention others, you, Shangshan Jun, could probably fight several of me.”
Shangshan Che waved his hand, “It’s just because my raw power is greater.”
“Strength is strength, there’s no need to distinguish what it’s composed of.”
Lili Zi leaned closer to examine Shangshan Che again, shaking her head and sighing softly, “I can’t see any hope of victory at all.”
After listening to everything she said, Shangshan Che nodded,
“I think I understand your current thoughts.”
In that case…
After a brief silence, he brought up the issue that he had been reluctant to discuss with Lili Zi for a long time,
“What about the Tokugawa family? If you participate in the Seed Battle and make a public appearance like this, they’ll definitely come looking for you…”
“Then let them come.”
Lightly spoken, yet as firm and unyielding as a hundred thousand great mountains, the words fell.
Lili Zi smiled, “Life is about facing challenges, no matter how great. If they come after me, it’ll just be a case of meeting force with force.”
“A Clear Mind is paramount. Don’t let these matters interfere with our cultivation before they arrive.”
“Also, Shangshan Jun,” Lili Zi looked directly into his eyes, her voice clear, “I’m going to bring you trouble.”
Shangshan Che, who had spent so much time with her, understood.
These words were a notification.
They were also placing the decision in his hands.
Previously, Lili Zi had considered the existence of “trouble” would affect Shangshan Che, so she thought it best not to interact with anyone unnecessary and to cultivate in secret.
But now, she only sought a Clear Mind and to follow her heart, no longer willing to let her own thoughts be secondary to others.
If he accepted, then nothing between them would change.
And if Shangshan Che did not want to accept this inevitable trouble, then Lili Zi would naturally respect his wishes and not rely on him so closely.
Shangshan Che grunted and rubbed his stomach, “After all that talking, what’s for dinner?”
Lili Zi’s smile grew even brighter.
She patted her rumbling stomach and rolled her eyes,
“I’m hungry too, and I don’t want to cook.”
Shangshan Che’s mouth fell open in surprise.
Didn’t Lili Zi used to say that cooking was also part of cultivation?
Seeing his expression, Lili Zi snorted and lay down on the wooden floor, “I almost kicked the bucket just now, my limbs are still weak, so the food I make would definitely not be good.”
She took out her mobile phone and tapped a few times, casually saying, “But if it were my past self, I would have definitely chosen to continue cooking as cultivation too.”
Shangshan Che also sat down and saw her fingers lightly moving over an app that looked like it was for hamburgers, quickly ordering a large set meal.
“It’s different now.”
After another round of selection, the girl tapped the “Checkout” button, “I am no longer the same.”
After paying, Lili Zi chuckled, “I ordered for you too, Shangshan Jun. Remember to reimburse me later.”
…
Shangshan Che sat before a mountain of stacked beef hamburgers, looking through the gaps at the terrifying girl inside who was rapidly devouring them.
“—I just expended a lot of energy, so eating a bit more is reasonable!”
With those words, he took out fifty thousand yen.
Lili Zi spoke indistinctly while eating, “The path to acupoints and the Sea of Qi is open, but I still need to walk it slowly.
However, the technique of embracing the core can be taught.”
Her words were muddled, and perhaps only Shangshan Che, Shizuma Manatsu, and Kitano Runa could understand them clearly.
“Shangshan Jun, you can now control your entire body’s strength at will, and also easily condense your spirit, energy, and vitality using the Spirit Condensing Technique, right?”
Shangshan Che nodded.
“However, to gather all the complex powers that have been condensed into the ‘human body’ model into a single point, and manipulate them according to one’s will, that is what is considered Core Formation.”
“The effect of successfully embracing the core is very powerful.”
Taking another chicken leg directly into her mouth and chewing it up in a few bites, Lili Zi mumbled,
“To give an example. Suppose your total strength is ten. Originally, it’s dispersed in various places; your legs can only use four parts, and your hands can only use two.
But with the skill of embracing the core, you can at will make your toes use ten parts of strength, your fingers also use ten parts of strength, and even, with an explosive burst, it’s possible to reach twelve parts of strength.”
Hearing this, Shangshan Che understood the overpowered nature of this ability.
It was simply incredibly strong.
“I’ll teach you personally later. My understanding isn’t too deep yet after just breaking through; explaining it in a few words would be too superficial.”
“As you command!”
While Lili Zi was busily eating, Shangshan Che took out his phone and messaged Nanjō Emi on LINE, informing her that Lili Zi wanted to participate in the Seed Battle.
The latter was naturally surprised and delighted by the news and immediately used her influence to place Lili Zi’s name on the Arakawa Ward participant list.
She even directly moved her up in the preliminary qualifiers to tomorrow.
Shangshan Che also inquired about Karuta but did not get the answer he wanted—Nanjō Emi didn’t even understand what those three characters meant and had never heard of them.
After a simple thank you, Shangshan Che heard that the eating sounds had stopped.
Turning his head, he saw that the mountain of hamburgers and chicken legs had vanished, yet Lili Zi’s abdomen remained as flat as ever.
It could truly be called a bottomless pit in her stomach.
Lili Zi licked her fingers until they were shiny and smooth, and then she tilted her chin up at Shangshan Che.
“Take off your clothes, what are you waiting for!”
She raised her hands high, stretching her fingers, and leaned forward with a smile, her body already pressed close to Shangshan Che’s back.
“Shangshan Jun, let me see how much you’ve improved these past few days…”
