"You finished so quickly?"
There was subtle surprise in Liming Zi's voice.
Sun had brought over his Rising Dragon and its newly inscribed Dao Art Image.
"In the end, I had to settle for a Dao Art of low-level Clarity instead of the original medium-level Clarity."
"Although the foundation is still unstable, it is a remarkable achievement. To superpose multiple Media into one vessel, without regard for the conflicting Qi, too, is a remarkable thing to do."
"Do you think it is ready for battle...?"
This was the last worry on Sun's mind.
As Liming Zi said, the foundation of the Dao Art Image of Golden Ribbons and Arcs was unstable.
This was partly a result of Sun not using Liming Zi's ornament as a part of his Dao Art Image's foundation.
But the greater reason was the very idea of superposing multiple Medium's Innate Qi.
"It will take time for the Innate Qi to stabilise, but I doubt that it will be ready by the time we touch down on Qing Mao Dao Settlement.
"Is there anything I can do...?"
"Purchasing anymore, or simply superposing more Innate Qi, is not an effective remedy, but I do have an alternative."
"Really?"
"Originally, I wasn't going to recommend this due to the length of time superposing takes, but since you achieve this rather quickly... it should be fine."
Delight flickered in Sun's eyes as he nodded expectantly at Liming Zi.
"It's nothing too special. It is similar to creating a Qi Core, but you will utilise the Innate Qi as your foundation. Because the foundation is near completion, you will supply it with your Qi, which will help stabilise it."
"Is that all? Could I not have done this in the first place, with just a single Medium's worth of Innate Qi?"
"Time would have been the problem, but since you have already surpassed my expectations, it shouldn't be a problem anymore. Two nights should be the approximate length."
...
Heeding Liming Zi's suggestion, Sun prepared himself for the final steps of solidifying Golden Ribbons and Arcs' foundation.
'All I need to do is supply my Qi into the Innate Qi, similar to tempering a Qi Core...'
Sun recalled the time when he had to sit and refine his own three Qi Cores.
Each took a long time to achieve.
The Stomach Qi Core was the quickest, while the Heart Qi Core took the longest time. In total, Sun spent three Epochs to refine all three of them.
'Fortunately, I only have to supply Qi and not refine it, and it will only take two nights...
'Unfortunately... I don't have any incense with me, but that should make too great a difference...'
Compared to before, to those three hundred and twenty-four nights, two nights are a vastly smaller matter.
In the courtyard outside of their shared accommodation, Sun sat on the cold stone-tiled ground, and the Starlit Sky shone brightly upon him.
It was the first hour of Early Hour, the brightest time where the starlight poured onto the land, coating everything in a cold, light hue.
Sun sat with his legs crossed, Rising Dragon on his lap. One hand was underneath the base of the halberd's blade, while his other hand was on top of it.
'Two nights... That will leave me with a little under three nights to reignite my skills...'
As the light emanating from his Heart Qi Core flowed through his body, he could feel it getting pulled out of his palms.
One breath. Two breaths. Three...
Time seemed to pass slowly... too slowly...
"..."
The light continued to pour into the Innate Qi at a steady pace.
"..."
The Innate Qi continued to be nurtured by Sun's Qi.
"...
"...
"...
"...
"...
"...
"...
"...
"..."
Should Sun have set some up beforehand, one stick of incense would have been burned.
The flow of Qi was consistently pouring into Rising Dragon's Innate Qi, but it felt like trickles of water being dripped into a large vat.
There was no difference, no change in aura or stability.
The winds were quiet, causing Sun's hair to wave gently, and the rustling trees could be heard faintly from a distance.
Evidently, the world was moving, but Sun remained still.
"..."
"..."
"..."
A second stick of incense would have burned.
Then a third stick of incense... Then a fourth...
'This is taking longer than expected...'
Impatience clouded Sun's mind, but not even an hour had passed.
The soft winds died down. Without the chirping of birds and even the whines of cicadas, the world turned silent.
This silence echoed in Sun's ears as a reminder of the time he was spending.
"..."
"..."
"..."
If Sun were truly burning sticks of incense, the air would be pervaded by such an intense smell.
Whether he burned Agarwood or Sandalwood, or even the Aged Yunnan Cypress, the scent would be too strong to enjoy.
That is to say, a great amount of time has passed, and even the soothing qualities of incense could not rest Sun's impatience.
But even as he endured the Passage of Time, Sun found it difficult to maintain his focus.
"..."
'I want to fight...' 'I want to get stronger...' 'I want to move...!'
These were thoughts that flickered in Sun's mind, repeated pleas for action.
For this, inaction felt like torture.
Even as he tried to stick his mind towards the refinement of Rising Dragon's Innate Qi, he felt that it was a waste.
'Maybe I should have just trained instead...?'
But with that, though, Sun shook his head and finally tried to rein in his thoughts.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The first night has passed.
"This is so much more difficult than I had thought..."
Sun couldn't help but exclaim with a sigh.
A slight furrow in his brow revealed his despondent attitude.
He had long since opened his eyes and was scrutinising the Innate Qi within Rising Dragon.
'It has barely changed... Is this method really working...?'
Sun couldn't help but feel dejected by the apparent lack of progress.
'To refine Innate Qi is similar to refining the three Qi Cores of the First Realm... So what went wrong here...?
'Am I lacking in time? That can't be... Was incense really necessary...?
'Or maybe... I'm closer than I think?'
There were a myriad of questions in Sun's mind.
His eyes were not as Liming Zi's; he could not subject the Innate Qi to such deep scrutiny.
'But I can't give up now... I need this weapon, this Dao Art to reclaim my lost strength...'
Sun did not question the validity of this method any longer.
Even if it were stubborn, he sat and continued pouring his Qi into Rising Dragon, trying to stabilise the Innate Qi within.
...