Chapter 38: Dynamic Meditation

“The second movement should flow like a swimming fish—full of agility and spirit.”

“Don’t tense your arms. Make the movement with your legs more expansive.”

“Raise your right hand higher, but keep it natural.”

“Yes, just like that.”

“Now, let’s move on to the third movement. This one requires you to focus on your aura. In your mind, picture the form of a fierce beast.”

“I said focus on your aura, not bare your teeth and make faces! Aura has nothing to do with expression!”

“That’s right—engage your muscles, let your whole body be poised, ready to spring into action at any moment.”

“Emmm... but there’s no need to engage your sphincter.”

“Good. Now try to connect the three movements smoothly.”

In the training room, Song Qi manipulated his limbs and body, striving to meet the figure the city lord required of him.

Black mist coiled around him, occasionally adjusting his posture slightly.

These two movements were less difficult than the first. Yet, transitioning between all three felt extremely awkward to Song Qi.

Watching the city lord demonstrate earlier, the transitions had seemed so seamless. But doing them himself, he realized the three movements had no intrinsic connection. Even if he forced the transitions, his form inevitably suffered.

Each time, he had to spend considerable effort correcting his mistakes. Let alone stringing them together smoothly.

Just then, the city lord’s wrist flashed twice—a message had arrived.

He glanced at it, then rose and headed outside.

“Keep practicing here. I have something to take care of.”

“If you can master the three transitions within an hour and enter meditation while moving, you’ll have passed.”

“If you can’t do it in an hour, then you’ll do as yesterday—meditate using just the first movement.”

“I have to keep moving and meditate at the same time?!”

Song Qi was surprised, but quickly composed himself.

According to Gongsun Wuyue, the city lord was putting in extraordinary effort for his sake. He had even given him the precious Demon-Slaying Elixir without a second thought. There was no reason for the city lord to deceive him.

“Yes, I’ll do my best,” Song Qi replied earnestly, beginning to fine-tune his movements.

After watching him for a moment more, the city lord left the training room.

Bang!

The heavy door slammed shut.

The black mist coalesced again into a human face, appearing on the city lord’s shoulder, wearing an expression of disdain.

“I must say, Fu Tianqi, you really have no shame.”

“You’re teaching the three Demon-Slaying Forms in just two days, and now you expect him to enter meditation within an hour?”

“Search your conscience—are these demands reasonable?”

The city lord shrugged as he stepped into the elevator.

“His talent is considerable, but he doesn’t have much time left.”

“He has only one month to prepare for this year’s Genius Tournament.”

“Meanwhile, the children of the great families in the first, second, and third districts have been taking the appropriate elixirs since childhood, preparing for eighteen years.”

“If he can’t display extraordinary talent and shine in the tournament, attracting attention from the human leadership, then the Seventh District alone could never nurture a city lord–level powerhouse.”

“His potential will be permanently capped.”

The human race had thirteen districts, but their development was far from equal.

Of these, the first, second, and third districts were the most prosperous, resource-rich, and abundant in elite warriors.

They were the first cities established after the human counteroffensive began. Unlike the Seventh District, which might produce a super S-class talent every few years, those three districts saw such prodigies born almost annually.

Hearing this, the face in the mist sighed.

“You’re not wrong... but giving him just a single day is too harsh.”

“Don’t worry.” The city lord smiled.

“My real deadline is a week.”

“I only said that to put a little pressure on him.”

“I expect him to make the top ten in the Genius Tournament. As long as he gets that far, we’ll be fine.”

“The high council isn’t stupid. With his family background, if he can break into the top ten, that alone proves his talent is remarkable.”

“After that, the resources will no longer be my concern.”

“All right, you make your point this time.”

Ding!

The elevator reached the first floor, and the black mist face quickly dissolved into the air.

...

Inside the training room.

Song Qi’s movements remained stiff. The transitions between the three movements were arduous, let alone maintaining meditation at the same time.

He persisted for another half hour, finally managing to ensure his form remained correct while moving between the movements.

But after that, he made no further progress.

He paused to reflect.

“No, after thirty minutes I’ve only barely gotten the hang of it.”

“At this rate, I’ll be lucky to complete the sequence smoothly, let alone enter meditation within an hour.”

“I need to find another way. I must at least reach the passing line today, if not the target.”

“Otherwise, I’ll only disappoint the city lord’s hopes.”

Song Qi sat cross-legged, recalling every detail of the city lord’s demonstration.

“I remember—the city lord started with his left foot, then moved his right hand back...”

“Yes, I’ve copied his movements exactly—nothing’s missing.”

“My posture is correct; there’s nothing obviously wrong.”

Try as he might to understand, Song Qi couldn’t figure out why, when his movements and sequence were identical, the city lord moved so fluidly, while he remained stuck.

“Maybe... it’s not a problem with the movements or the sequence?”

He pondered for a long time until, suddenly, inspiration struck.

“That’s it! It’s not about the movements.”

“It’s about the muscles!”

“The city lord hinted at it—the key lies in balancing muscular tension and relaxation!”

“The first movement calls for relaxed muscles, the second for a natural state, the third for tension.”

“The real challenge is adjusting the muscles properly for each transition!”

Song Qi’s eyes lit up and he stood to test his theory.

The first attempt was still a bit jerky.

He paused to reflect, then tried again.

Sure enough, the second attempt was much smoother.

“Yes! This is the feeling!”

Joy surged within him as he felt a faint heat spreading through his body.

From yesterday’s experience, he understood well—this was a sure sign his training was on track!

The Demon-Slaying Elixir on his skin was reacting!

If he checked his status panel, he’d probably see his stats slowly rising.

“Remember this feeling. Keep going...”

Song Qi didn’t rush. He increased the pace of his movements gradually, step by step.

As he moved faster, a pleasant numbness spread through his mind, and his consciousness began to blur.

Yet his body kept moving, repeating the three movements endlessly.

Within the training room, Song Qi’s skin flushed red, a white mist rising from his crown.

And thus, he entered a state of dynamic meditation...