NOVPUB"Quick, someone save General Gan!" Zhuge Liang ordered with authority, not at all flustered by the predicament.
"Wow, Xingba’s gone under again!" Taishi Ci remarked with a hint of amazement, watching Gan Ning surfing on the sea surface while pulling a rope. "Looks like he’s got another big fish."
"Does he do this often?" Chen Xi asked curiously.
"Pretty much every day. We’ve repaired that spot over and over again. Any big fish usually drags Xingba down, but don’t worry. Once the fish runs out of strength, Xingba will drag it back up! Recently, Xingba’s soup-making skills have greatly improved. Oh, and the fish tastes pretty good," Taishi Ci nonchalantly said, treating the event as one of the few amusements at sea.
"I always feel there’s something off about these waters. Don’t you think the fish here are unusually fierce?" Chen Xi sighed.
"Huh, I hadn’t noticed until the strategist mentioned it, but now that you say it, it does seem so. In this sea area, we’ve encountered quite a few big fish almost at the level of Qi Refining to Gang. We’ve cooked and eaten quite a few of them, and now many soldiers have seen a significant increase in their Inner Qi," Taishi Ci said, stroking his beard. "Indeed, it’s not quite normal. Could there be some treasure here?"
"Probably, but if there is, it’s difficult to find at sea," Chen Xi sighed again. "So you’re saying that most of Xingba’s soldiers now possess Inner Breath?"
"Yes, the Navy is mostly made up of former river pirates, all brave and valiant. Originally, about twenty percent had Inner Qi. Now, after frequently eating these fish laden with Qi, nearly half possess it. However, the remaining half is unlikely to ever develop it," Taishi Ci said with a sigh.
"It’s about physical quality and age, isn’t it?" Chen Xi inquired, aware that it became quite difficult to develop Inner Qi past a certain point in life, with early living conditions and training determining one’s potential.
"Correct. The foundation for Inner Qi is ultimately the body’s constitution. Those soldiers who have yet to develop it will eventually be phased out. Even if they eat the same as the others, they are just lacking that little edge. Which is why we should take this excellent opportunity by the sea to properly train the Navy, aiming for a force entirely comprised of Inner Qi soldiers—that’s quite rare," Taishi Ci remarked, appreciating the geographical advantage. Gan Ning had discussed the idea of creating an exclusive Inner Qi force.
"Yeah, my continuous efforts to improve the living standards for the people at Mount Tai aim toward that goal, but the results don’t seem very promising. Although books claim that sufficient food can lead to the cultivation of Inner Qi, reality seems not so straightforward," Chen Xi said, disappointed that even after improving the living conditions for the populace, the number of those with Inner Qi hadn’t significantly increased.
"It’s probably related to here," Taishi Ci said, pointing to his head. "Inner Qi is forged from within the body, but the initial spark requires the guidance of Spiritual Energy. The issue is Spiritual Energy—that mysterious concept—is utterly incomprehensible to the common folk. Soldiers, on the other hand, come to understand it through the crucible of combat. Life is too mundane for civilians."
"Let’s just do our best and leave it at that. It’s hard to clarify such matters. I remember feeling the onset of Inner Qi when I was reading. It seems that threshold requires a certain insight, or perhaps a form of stimulation to cross," Chen Xi said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Strategist, you don’t really need to worry about these things. Once the material conditions are met, even without Inner Qi, conscripts come in with excellent physical quality and solid foundations. Once they kill an enemy on the battlefield, they pretty much assuredly will have Inner Qi," Taishi Ci said with a smile.
This was witnessed by Taishi Ci on the battlefield, those physically strong soldiers, as long as they killed someone, seemed to naturally generate Inner Qi, as if something within them had broken, possibly just as Chen Xi had mentioned, due to some kind of stimulation.
"Oh, I understand now," said Chen Xi, after hearing the words of Taishi Ci. It was just as he had guessed; indeed, some kind of stimulation or realization was necessary after reaching the Critical Point. Many common people never had this chance, and even if they ate well, it might be impossible for them to ever manifest Inner Qi in their entire lives.
On the other hand, Zhuge Liang, watching Gan Ning weaving through the waves back and forth, could hear the cheers from other ships nearby. He was well aware that this was a common occurrence, so he frowned in dissatisfaction. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel concerned and walked to the edge of the ship, watching Gan Ning, who was wildly speeding along the water’s surface while pulling on a hemp rope. After observing for some time, he finally confirmed there were no safety issues.
"Get back here!" The wind whooshed by his side as the speed slightly decreased, and Gan Ning, who had played this game many times, knew that the strength of the big fish pulling him was waning.
With a loud roar from Gan Ning, many sailors suddenly appeared on the sides of the nearby ships and shouted words of encouragement to him. Gan Ning exploded into a light of azure Radiance that enveloped him completely.
In an instant, Gan Ning turned into a huge Light Sphere. Then his arm muscles forcefully enlarged, and he stamped his feet hard against the sea surface. The waters around him sank into a funnel-shaped hole tens of meters wide with Gan Ning’s feet at the center, and he leapt up dozens of meters into the air, dragging the big fish out of the sea with him.
The moment he pulled the big fish out of the water, Gan Ning let go of the rope and stamped in the air. He flew towards the big fish’s upward trajectory at a speed almost invisible to the eyes, even with the enhanced Spiritual Energy of Zhuge Liang, and ferociously kicked the fish’s head.
Cheers, applause, and various shouts erupted from the surrounding Sea Ships. Zhuge Liang could see very clearly; with that kick, the fish’s head bent irregularly, then it shot towards the sea surface even faster, but Gan Ning caught the hemp rope again with a somersault and dragged it back in.
The giant fish, kicked with immense strength by Gan Ning, stretched the rope taut just before it hit the water, while Gan Ning seemed to defy gravity for a moment in the air, then abruptly shot backwards, pulling the rope as he flew back to his own ship.
"Bang!" With a soft noise, Gan Ning, pulling the big rope, suddenly appeared in front of Zhuge Liang, and before Zhuge Liang could speak, the big fish smashed towards Gan Ning’s head with the same speed.
"Snap!" Letting go of the rope, Gan Ning caught the fish that shot at him like a missile as if it were nothing, and after the ship slightly trembled, he had already thrown the big fish onto the deck.
"How about that, Kongming? Take a look at eating that piece, made on the spot!" After a roaring laugh, Gan Ning pointed at the struggling big fish at his feet and spoke.
"..." Zhuge Liang was lost for words. He finally understood what Chen Xi had always meant by saying that traveling thousands of miles beats reading thousands of books— he had never thought before that fish could be caught like this, that a general could be so wild. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
