Li Qi skipped breakfast and wandered around, testing his ability to observe "qi."
He saw water qi in the river.
This qi flowed through the city, carrying yin qi from the urban areas into the river, then taking it away.
He could see the sickly qi mixed in the breath of a coughing beggar sleeping on the street.
It should be sickly qi, though he wasn't sure and was just guessing.
Ordinary people had both yin and yang qi, along with protective qi, nutritive qi, vital qi, and many other types mixed together, but he couldn't distinguish them clearly.
It was like looking at a forest—lush and green from afar, but only upon closer inspection did one realize it was an ecosystem teeming with countless species. It was impossible to identify every single component.
Qi seemed to be akin to atoms in another world, being the basic building blocks of all matter. The nature of qi determined the properties of substances.
Unfortunately, the book "Wu" did not detail the principles of qi, only describing some common properties used in worship or cultivation and how to utilize them.
According to the book, Daoists were experts in studying qi, whereas Wu practitioners were less proficient in this area.
As Li Qi strolled, he studied the contents of the book in his mind, eagerly absorbing the knowledge. He knew that this would be his foundation for survival, so he dared not slack off.
He could also see the progress bar indicating his reading of the book...
It was extremely, extremely slow.
After three hours of urgent reading in the morning and two more hours of careful observation outside, the progress bar remained at 0%.
Not even 0.1% had been read.
How much information did this book contain? It truly seemed like a vast database.
It might take him over a year to fully understand it.
While reading, he waited until the sun rose completely.
Then, the entire city came alive.
The bustling crowds, those going out of the city and those coming in, cart drivers delivering goods to various shops, the rising smoke from cooking—all made the city vibrant.
Weavers started their looms, farmers carried their hoes, shops opened, officials rang bells, and everyone woke up to busy themselves with daily life.
The nighttime city was like a sleeping giant beast, and now it had awakened.
Li Qi was deeply moved by this scene!
Qi! Qi surging to the heavens!
He couldn't find words to describe it, but it was awe-inspiring.
It felt like a colossal beast awakening, its qi magnificent and terrifying, reaching up to the sky.
Even the celestial qi in the sky paled in comparison, and earthly deities' qi had to make way. Countless human qis formed a unique pressure-filled qi.
What should this be called... human qi?
Li Qi seemed to see laws, norms, hearts, and vitality.
These qis, following certain rules, slowly operated to support a "city!"
A city wasn't just a collection of buildings; it was a place where people gathered, like millet stored in vessels.
For the first time, Li Qi intuitively understood the meaning of "Sheji" (altar of soil and grain) and what constituted a "city."
"This... this, this is, the Way of Man?" Li Qi muttered under the overwhelming presence, stuttering slightly.
He was smart enough to quickly connect the dots from the books he had read and his previous conversations with Young Master Wu about the conflict between the Way of Man and Wu Dao.
He guessed that perhaps it could be described as...
This was the Way of Man.
These qis were the power of the Way of Man!
At this moment, as a Wu practitioner, he was profoundly awed by the power of the Way of Man.
And this was just a county town! Feng County had only about two hundred thousand people!
What would Liuzhou City be like?
Or a state capital of Tang Country? And if it were the capital of Tang Country, considered the center of the Way of Man, what kind of spectacle would that be?
Li Qi wiped off the Azure Dragon divine qi from his eyes.
Everything returned to normal.
Traffic flowed, people bustled, and Feng County began its usual day.
Every day was like this.
But Li Qi's heart couldn't calm down.
Was this... the world of cultivators?
Just the power of a county town was so formidable. If his guess last night were true...
What level would the nine-rank system, which standardized cultivators across the realm, reach?
If he could see it, what would it look like?
And the laws binding all of Tang Country, what form would they take if seen?
Li Qi didn't dare imagine, feeling that everything had surpassed his limits.
He began to miss Liuzhou City.
Even a regular county town's morning market opening was so spectacular.
What about the annual River Opening Ceremony? If he could see it now, what grandeur would it have?
"This is... the world of cultivation?" He took a deep breath.
So, he couldn't see it now, but would he never be able to see it?
If he climbed step by step, there would come a day when he could witness it firsthand!
At this moment, Li Qi had never felt such an urgent desire to cultivate. All his motivation seemed ignited; he couldn't wait to grow stronger.
Not for wealth, status, revenge, or ancient grievances, nor oppression or impending disasters.
There were no bizarre reasons.
He simply wanted to see.
To see the higher "Way!"
Even a small county town on the edge of the realm had such magnificent human qi.
What about the rest?
He wanted to climb up and see, reaching the peak to survey the entire realm's "Way!"
Excited, Li Qi felt his heart pounding.
His blood boiled.
He clenched his fists, trying to calm himself.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
No matter how grand his dreams, he was currently just an unranked minor Wu practitioner, probably on par with a village shaman.
Perhaps even less experienced, since village shamans had lifetimes of experience, while he had nothing. He needed to refer to books for every ritual.
"I still need to study, read, and accumulate progress daily," he thought.
Unfortunately, daily cultivation required only one session; doing more wouldn't help.
To improve rapidly, he needed something else.
"Horses get fat on night grass, and people get rich on unexpected gains." Li Qi muttered, realizing that to improve quickly, he needed to rely on his connections, namely Young Master Wu.
Finding Lady Luo Fu early might also yield benefits, as she was a significant figure.
He needed to set off soon!