Chapter 24: Adding Points, Ascending to Immortal Martial Arts

After carrying the unconscious Liu Qingzhi out of the deep crater, Qin Zhe was fortunate enough to find a cave nearby suitable for sheltering from the wind and snow.

The cave appeared to have been left behind by some large creature that once inhabited this area; the interior space was quite vast. The conditions within the Scorched Earth were, to say the least, harsh. The ground radiated a scorching heat, yet the air was filled with relentless wind and snow. Finding a place suitable for rest was no small feat.

He tossed the Heart of Magma at the cave entrance, found a relatively clean spot, and carefully laid Liu Qingzhi down. Facing a situation that could be described as "if you're bold enough, the department head goes on maternity leave," Qin Zhe chose to sit at the cave entrance. As a mentally sound adult, he would certainly not take advantage of someone in such a state. Furthermore, considering his actual age, Liu Qingzhi was far too young.

All he needed to do now was wait for the department head to wake up. Rather than staying inside the cave, it was better to avoid any suspicion by waiting outside. The Heart of Magma radiated intense heat by his side, causing the falling snow to melt before it could even get close, turning into rainwater that seeped into the scorched earth and evaporated.

Qin Zhe didn't remain idle at the entrance; he sank his consciousness into the status bar in his mind. Having finally obtained the long-coveted potential point, there was no reason not to spend it. Faced with the choice between Spiritual Sense and Spiritual Qi, Qin Zhe hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided on Spiritual Qi.

As he made his selection, the status bar changed instantly. Before he could even examine the changes, a prompt popped up again.

"Notification: Spiritual Qi +1, meeting the requirements for advancement. Realm promoted: Immortal Martial Rank 1."

Immortal Martial? Not Martial Dao, not Immortal Dao, and not Demonic Dao, but Immortal Martial?

Qin Zhe frowned, then sensed a faint current of energy appearing within his body, circulating rapidly through his limbs and bones. Along with the flow, he felt his body become noticeably lighter. Was this Spiritual Qi?

Qin Zhe raised a hand and clenched his fist, feeling the changes within himself. The next moment, as if by divine inspiration, he guided the current within him and threw a punch into the empty air. With a sharp "crack," the wind and snow before him shifted trajectory, affected by the force.

Qin Zhe was astonished. It seemed that due to the presence of the internal current, he could now use martial techniques! Back at the library, he had flipped through many martial arts manuals, and all the movements and energy circulation paths were still in his mind. That punch he just threw was exactly the technique for "Mountain Shaking Fist," a foundational martial art!

The strike didn't carry much power—it only stirred up a bit of wind—but for Qin Zhe, who had never truly been able to cultivate before, the change brought by this single point of Spiritual Qi was nothing short of earth-shattering.

Struggling to suppress the excitement in his chest, Qin Zhe reached out and made several martial arts gestures in the air to verify his findings. After cycling through several different martial arts paths and experiencing the stark contrast between this and the hollow, powerless attempts he had made previously, he sank his consciousness back into the status bar.

Race: Human (Atavism 20%)
Talent: Counter-Shock (Disabled), Essence Conversion (0%)
Potential Points: 0
Spiritual Sense: 0
Spiritual Qi: 1
Realm: Immortal Martial Rank 1
Divine Ability: Blood-Burning True Self Art

Aside from the addition of one point of Spiritual Qi, his realm had changed from "Martial Dao Novice" to "Immortal Martial Rank 1." Immortal Martial—the name alone sounded extraordinary!

Qin Zhe pondered, not letting his joy cloud his judgment. The weak current that appeared in his body must be Spiritual Qi. He had no True Qi, and normally he would be unable to use martial arts, yet he could guide Spiritual Qi to simulate the movement paths of the martial arts. Could it be that using Spiritual Qi to guide martial arts techniques was what defined "Immortal Martial"? Was this a separate system outside of the Immortal, Demonic, and Martial paths? If so, why had he never heard of "Immortal Martial" after transmigrating into this world?

Shaking his head to dispel these thoughts, Qin Zhe stood up and walked out of the cave. There was no point in overthinking; he would just ask Liu Qingzhi once she woke up. Since running martial techniques with Spiritual Qi was feasible, there were so many practitioners in this world that someone should have tried it; it was unlikely that there would be absolutely no information regarding Immortal Martial.

Once outside, Qin Zhe activated his Counter-Shock talent. The potential point had been spent, and now it was time to test the techniques of using the Counter-Shock talent with his "True Self." Since he had Spiritual Qi in his body and had stepped into the realm of Immortal Martial, he picked a large rock in the open area and assumed the starting stance of the basic martial technique, "Mountain Shaking Fist."

Triggering the Counter-Shock talent was simple: he just needed to withstand an external force to absorb energy. Therefore, not only could he absorb energy by getting hit, but he could also trigger the counter-shock by initiating an attack himself. Of course, compared to enduring a powerful attack from an opponent, absorbing energy by punching a rock was negligibly small and wouldn't be useful in actual combat. However, for the sake of experimentation, a tiny bit of energy was enough!

Guiding the current in his body through the complete path, Qin Zhe raised his hand and punched the boulder. "Thud."

The stone shook slightly. With his strength of only one point of Spiritual Qi, this was all he could achieve, even with a martial technique. But Qin Zhe wasn't discouraged; his goal wasn't to shatter the rock, but to absorb the energy needed for the Counter-Shock talent.

Keeping his fist against the stone, Qin Zhe attempted to release the energy accumulated by the Counter-Shock talent using the technique he had previously employed. The process went unexpectedly smoothly. With ease, he condensed the energy into his fist and released it. The stone shook again, this time with a slightly larger amplitude than when he had just punched it.

Withdrawing his fist, Qin Zhe was quite satisfied with his results. Although he hadn't managed to shatter the stone, by mastering the Counter-Shock talent with such techniques, his actions would undoubtedly be much easier in the future.

...

Time ticked away as Qin Zhe stood guard at the entrance, occasionally practicing various martial techniques. With Spiritual Qi in his body and his advancement to Immortal Martial Rank 1, everything felt incredibly novel to him.

After an unknown amount of time, there was finally movement inside the cave. Standing with his hands behind his back, he calmed his breath—which had become slightly chaotic from the constant practice—and turned to walk back inside.

Inside the cave, Liu Qingzhi had awakened. She was leaning weakly against the rock wall, her pale little face looking truly heart-wrenching.

"Department Head, how are you feeling?" Qin Zhe stepped forward and asked with concern.

"I'm fine. It's just that my internal energy was scattered from the shock, and I need time to reorganize my Spiritual Qi," Liu Qingzhi replied. Her watery, beautiful eyes looked toward him, her expression complex. "You saved me?"

"Well..." Qin Zhe blinked and scratched his head. "There’s no 'saving' involved. You were ambushed and lost consciousness, I just brought you here to hide."

"No, I remember that at the critical moment, you held onto me and took the giant's attack for me," Liu Qingzhi shook her head, biting her lip. "I will remember this debt of life."

"..." Qin Zhe was speechless. Facing such an emotional statement from Liu Qingzhi, he didn't know how to respond. He was certain that if Liu Qingzhi had been alone on her flying sword, she wouldn't have failed to dodge the giant's attack. So, in a way, he had been the one holding the department head back.