Seeing this bead, Lucas Ethan seemed to recall something—not only did he remember, but within Charles Brooks’s memories there was also such a magical treasure. During the Investiture of the Gods war, Grace’s Eye-Piercing Bead seemed to be exactly the same as this one. In that war, the Eye-Piercing Bead injured both Huang Tianhua and Jiang Ziya, making it a rather powerful artifact. However, Grace was a fool and used this thing to attack Yuanshi Tianzun, which ended in total disaster.

There’s even a poem in the Investiture of the Gods to describe this treasure:

“A wondrous bead in hand, blazing light appears,

Clouds burst and soar, devoid of all feeling;

Said to secretly wound the Primordial Ancestor,

Who knew this treasure would fall in an instant?”

Legend has it that during the Investiture of the Gods, when Grace tried to ambush Yuanshi Tianzun with this bead, he hadn’t even gotten close before Yuanshi Tianzun destroyed it. Now it seems the rumor was wrong—the artifact wasn’t completely destroyed, only severely damaged by Yuanshi Tianzun. It can’t be said to be fully destroyed, but in reality, it’s almost the same; it can only be used a few more times before it shatters.

As for how to use it, Lucas Ethan was just asking for the sake of asking. Such a purely offensive magical treasure generally only needs to be activated with one’s own qi.

“This kind of artifact isn’t complicated to use. It’s just like the sword talismans Lord Ming gave you all—just activate it directly with your qi!” Logan said to Lucas Ethan. “I’ve noticed you’ve been practicing even more diligently lately. I suppose your Shaoyang Qi Gong has improved quite a bit, and you can already sense your qi, right?”

Lucas Ethan quickly nodded and said, “Yes, I can already sense my qi.”

“Shaoyang Qi Gong may not be a famous or peerless technique, but it excels in being balanced and steady. Its power isn’t great, but it’s an excellent choice for building a foundation. Our Tie family’s ancestors once served a powerful qi cultivator, and this Shaoyang Qi Gong was learned from him!”

Chapter 10: Qi Gong Discovery

Lucas Ethan nodded. With Charles Brooks’s memories, he also gained his knowledge. Shaoyang Qi Gong is a foundational technique passed down from orthodox sects, its greatest feature being its balance and steadiness. If you keep practicing, you’ll never risk going astray or suffer from qi deviation, and you won’t even encounter bottlenecks. But precisely because of this, its power isn’t great. Even after more than ten years of cultivation, you’d at most have the strength of three or four galloping horses. Logan practiced this technique for thirty-two years, and at his peak, only had the strength of five galloping horses. In comparison, Thomas Brooks’s qi gong was much more advanced.

Back then, when Thomas Brooks was eight years old, he practiced this technique and, in just two years, already had the strength of ten horses. Of course, Thomas Brooks was a prodigy. Although he became famous in the Investiture of the Gods war for his Soul-Leaving Mysterious Light, to stand out and make a name for himself in such an era and on such a battlefield was no ordinary feat.

Not to mention Thomas Brooks, even Charles Brooks, who in life was Thomas Brooks’s personal guard and learned the Western Wasteland Battle King Qi from him, though he didn’t have as many opportunities or resources as Thomas Brooks, still managed to cultivate the strength of eighty galloping horses in just ten years. In the end, his achievement was ninety-eight horses’ strength—far less than Thomas Brooks, but much stronger than Logan. In today’s martial world, he could be considered a master, and that’s even with his mediocre talent.

What’s more, the pace of ancient qi gong cultivation is fundamentally different from that of modern times.

Through Charles Brooks’s experience cultivating the Northern Wasteland Battle King Qi, Lucas Ethan could sense the domineering power of this technique, but also its difficulty in the present day. That’s why he was so cautious. This is different from the balanced and steady Shaoyang Qi Gong—if your body isn’t well-conditioned and you rashly practice it, you could easily harm your body’s foundation.

Given his current state, the best choice is to continue practicing Shaoyang Qi Gong. Once he achieves some success, he can then switch to the Northern Wasteland Battle King Qi. That way, his meridians will have adapted to qi cultivation and be able to bear the Northern Wasteland Battle King Qi. Moreover, he still needs to find a way to absorb the Yin-Yang Converging Fiendish Qi. This fiendish qi also puts a huge strain on the body. Although there isn’t much of it in the Tomb of King Yue, by his estimate, it will take at least a year to fully absorb. During this process, his body will certainly not be able to handle any more domineering qi.

All these concerns, Logan naturally didn’t know. He only knew that his son could already sense his qi and could use the Eye-Piercing Bead. That was the key point.

“You must be careful. This bead can only be used once, meaning it can save your life at the most critical moment. So unless it’s absolutely necessary, never use it lightly!” Logan warned again and again, afraid his son might be reckless and use the bead out of curiosity, leaving himself helpless when it really mattered.

“Yes, Father, I understand!” Lucas Ethan nodded repeatedly to reassure him, then took out the Eye-Piercing Bead and kept it close. “Dad, this thing is already cracked all over. It won’t shatter before I leave, will it?!”