371: Chapter 370 Persuading Si Yao to Give Up Cultivating the Blazing Sun True Technique (Part 1)

"Awake, awake~"

"If you're awake, then hurry up and come out! We agreed yesterday that you'd guide us in cultivating the 'Basic Body Forging Art'!" Si Yao's voice drifted in through the door.

Qin Yi opened the door in response. In the morning light, Si Yao stood tall with her hands on her hips, wearing a white practice uniform. Beside her, Si Hongbin stood solemnly with his arms crossed. Both of them looked at him with burning eyes.

"I say, Eldest Young Miss Si Yao, I'm putting so much heart into guiding your Cultivation Technique, I should at least count as half a Master, right?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled, feigning dissatisfaction. "Do you understand respecting the Master and the Dao? Look at this aggressive posture of yours; you don't look like someone seeking guidance from a Master at all."

Si Yao wrinkled her nose and retorted, "Pah! Who's your apprentice? Don't forget, I exchanged 'clear shadow' for your 'Basic Body Forging Art'. The deal was done long ago, so you're responsible for after-sales service now! Otherwise, watch out, or I'll give you a bad review!"

"Hey now, I was wondering why you were so generous as to give me your own coming-of-age gift back then; turns out you were waiting for me here." As Qin Yi spoke, he reached behind his back and quietly took "clear shadow" out from the System Space, holding it in his hand. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the "clear shadow" dagger spun between his fingers like a living thing, creating a dazzling display of blade flowers. He teased intentionally, "Is it too late for me to return the goods now?"

"Tch, sorry, but this Young Miss doesn't support seven-day no-reason returns!" Si Yao raised her chin, looking smug.

"Fine, so it's a forced sale, eh?" Qin Yi shook his head helplessly.

"Stop talking nonsense, are you going to teach us or not?"

"I'll teach, of course I'll teach." Qin Yi shook his head with a laugh. His gaze swept over their professional attire, then he looked down at his own casual clothes and raised an eyebrow. "Your equipment is so professional, where's mine?"

"Haha, we have it, it's been prepared long ago!" Si Hongbin laughed heartily and accurately tossed over the neatly folded practice clothes from the stone table. "Mr. Qin, catch!"

Qin Yi caught them steadily and waved them triumphantly at Si Yao. "See, Brother Bin is still the more thoughtful one. Unlike some people who, besides bossing others around, don't even have the proper attitude when asking for a favor." After saying that, he turned back into the room to change.

"Pretentious!" Si Yao snorted at the closed door.

Just then, the door to the main house opened with a creak.

The two turned to look and saw Si Zhengxiong walking out slowly, leaning on his Coiling Dragon Cane. A pair of copper lion heads rotated unhurriedly in his hand as he looked at them with a kind smile.

"Grandpa!" Si Yao immediately skipped forward. "Did we wake you up?"

"Elder Si, good morning!" Si Hongbin bowed in greeting.

Si Zhengxiong smiled and waved his hand. "It's fine. When you get old, you sleep less. It's been a while since I've seen Yao's morning practice; it's a good time to see if your lessons have regressed."

Si Hongbin understood and immediately stepped back a few paces to make enough room for Si Yao.

"Alright! Then I'll perform a set of Baguazhang for Grandpa to see!" Si Yao focused her mind and calmed her breath, striking a pose. She then began to perform a set of Baguazhang that was fused with the Si Family's unique Swimming Dragon Technique.

Baguazhang, also known as the Eight Trigrams Swimming Body Palm, is a traditional Dragon Country martial art centered on palm transformations and circular footwork, forming a defensive and offensive System through continuous changes.

However, the Baguazhang Si Yao practiced combined the Si Family Legacy, replacing the usual footwork with the Swimming Dragon Technique and driving the palm strikes with the 'Blazing Sun True Art' Mind-Cultivation Technique!

Her figure showed a blend of flexibility and strength, her footwork as agile as a swimming dragon. As her palms whistled through the air, they carried a faint hint of scorching heat, as if a fire phoenix were dancing gracefully in the courtyard. Compared to Si Hongbin's fierce and peerless Blazing Sun Fist from yesterday, it had a bit more of the subtle charm of overcoming hardness with softness.

While Si Yao was focused on her practice, Qin Yi had changed his clothes at some point and appeared at the doorway.

Qin Yi's gaze closely followed Si Yao's movements. An imperceptible golden light flashed in his eyes as he silently activated the 'Eye of Truth'.

With the aid of the 'Eye of Truth', Qin Yi could clearly see the circulation of True Qi within Si Yao's body as she practiced. Every time she struck with her palm, a surge of blazing True Qi emerged from her Dantian, passed through her Meridians, and was infused into her palm. Wherever her palm wind passed, the surrounding air became several degrees hotter.

After withdrawing her palm, that surge of blazing True Qi would return to her Dantian through the Meridians. To an ordinary person, this method indeed achieved a state where True Qi could be released and retracted at will.

However, Qin Yi was no ordinary person. With his Eye of Truth, he naturally saw many problems that ordinary people could not discover.

In Qin Yi's eyes, Si Yao's Meridians were as clear as a transparent map. Every time the True Qi circulated, the scorching Blazing Sun True Qi would cause specific Meridians to contract slightly.

Seeing this, Qin Yi couldn't help but frown and silently asked the System, "System, Si Yao's condition isn't right, is it?"

[Ding! The Blazing Sun True Art is an extreme Yang Cultivation Technique. Women belong to Yin, so forced Cultivation is like inviting fire to burn the body. Every time the technique is used, it overdraws the life Origin and burns the Foundation of the Meridians. Over time, the Meridians will gradually wither and eventually snap completely, destroying one's martial path!]

"Is there a solution?" Qin Yi asked urgently. It would be one thing if he didn't know, but now that he did, as a friend, he couldn't just stand by and watch something happen to Si Yao without doing anything.

[Ding! Reporting to Host, there is! She must immediately stop Cultivating the Blazing Sun True Art, disperse the Pure Yang True Qi, and switch to a Yin-attribute Internal Skill. The 'Jade Maiden Heart Sutra' Secret Manual within the System Space is an excellent choice.]

That's right, how could he have forgotten about the 'Jade Maiden Heart Sutra' Secret Manual in the System Space?

Just as Qin Yi was secretly feeling annoyed with himself, the System's notification sound rang out again.

[Ding! Detected that the Host's Confidante, Si Yao, is suffering irreversible physical damage. Issuing emergency task: Within seven days, persuade Si Yao to give up the Blazing Sun True Art and switch to a Yin-attribute Internal Skill. Task Success: Reward Charisma +3, Endurance +2, Special Draw x1. Task Failure: Deduct 5 points of Endurance and suffer 24 hours of being haunted by bad Luck!]

"Confidante? Wait, System, are you mistaken..." Qin Yi couldn't help but complain to the System.

[Ding! Reporting to Host, any member of the opposite sex with a favorability rating over 90 toward the Host and who is of a similar age will be judged by the System as a Confidante! When the Host's Confidante encounters a fatal danger, the System will randomly trigger a task!]

"Fine," Qin Yi felt helpless, but the difficulty of this task was truly a bit high. Asking Si Yao to give up her Family's absolute technique—wouldn't that be cutting off the Si Family Legacy? Wouldn't Elder Si want his head for that?

Thus, Qin Yi pleaded with the System once more, "System, this task is too much of a trap. How can seven days be enough? At least give me a little more time!"

However, no matter how Qin Yi pleaded, the System no longer responded.

At that moment, Si Yao finished her form and retracted her power. Her breathing was slightly labored, and there was sweat on her brow. She looked expectantly at Si Zhengxiong. "Grandpa, how was my practice? I haven't regressed, have I?"

Si Zhengxiong nodded approvingly at his granddaughter, but then his gaze turned to Qin Yi with a look of inquiry. "Qin Yi, you were watching intently just now but your brow was furrowed. Did you see something improper in Yao's palm technique?"

Hearing this, Qin Yi immediately pulled back his thoughts. He looked at Si Zhengxiong and waved his hand with a forced smile. "No, no, Young Miss Si Yao's palm technique is as smooth as flowing water, and the combination of her movement and palms is truly marvelous. It's just..." He intentionally left the sentence hanging, thinking that if he wanted Si Yao to give up Cultivating the Blazing Sun True Art, he first had to make Elder Si take the matter seriously.

"Just what?" Si Yao couldn't help but interject, sounding a bit defiant. "My Grandpa was just being polite; did you actually find a flaw?"

"Yao!" Si Zhengxiong spoke up to stop her, his tone slow but carrying an unquestionable authority. "For a martial artist, the greatest taboo is being stuck in one's ways. Little friend Qin Yi was able to create his own Cultivation Technique, so his vision naturally has its unique points. Qin Yi, feel free to speak; this old man is not someone who cannot listen to unpleasant truths."

Qin Yi took a deep breath and solemnly cupped his hands toward Si Zhengxiong. "In that case, Elder Si, this Junior will take the liberty to speak plainly. If there is any offense, I ask for your understanding."

"It's fine. Qin Yi, you may speak your mind freely." Si Zhengxiong said generously. He wanted to hear what brilliant insights Qin Yi had.

"In my view, the root of the problem isn't the palm technique, but the Mind-Cultivation Technique!"

As Qin Yi spoke, his gaze turned sharp as he looked at Si Yao. After a brief pause, he continued, "For Young Miss Si Yao to Cultivate this extremely Yang and rigid 'Blazing Sun True Art' with a female body is inherently Heaven-Defying! In the short term, one might see an increase in power, but over time, the Pure Yang Qi will continuously burn the Yin-attribute Meridians. This is no different from drinking poison to quench thirst!"

These words were like a sudden clap of thunder exploding in the courtyard.

The smile on Si Zhengxiong's face instantly froze, and the copper lion heads rotating in his hand stopped with a sharp creak.

He suddenly looked at Qin Yi, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock. "You... how did you see it?!"

Qin Yi met his shocked gaze and said in a deep voice, "It wasn't by seeing, but by feeling. Every time Young Miss Si Yao strikes, the scorching power carried by her palm wind is diminishing, weaker each time. This is not because her Internal Energy is insufficient, but because the Meridians carrying the True Qi are being damaged and withering with every circulation, causing the efficiency of the True Qi output to continuously decrease!"

"This is, in fact, a sign of a damaged Foundation!"

At this point, Qin Yi paused, his voice tinged with a hint of regret. "The movement of True Qi has its own natural rhythm. Young Miss Si Yao's Meridians are currently like delicate branches being repeatedly roasted over a gentle fire. They might be able to hold on for now, but if she continues to Cultivate... I dare to assert that she will absolutely not reach the Dark Energy Major Achievement realm before her Meridians completely snap! When that time comes, let alone climbing the peak of the martial path, even normal movement will become a luxury!"

As he finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a dead silence once more.

Si Yao bit her lower lip hard and lowered her head.

Si Hongbin opened his mouth, but it eventually turned into a helpless sigh.

They hadn't expected Qin Yi's perception to be so strong. The three of them weren't unaware of this secret; it was just that they had no choice. The Si Family's absolute technique, the 'Blazing Sun True Art', could only be inherited by Si Yao.

Originally, the Cultivation Technique that best matched the Blazing Sun True Art was the 'Blazing Sun Fist Technique'. It was fierce and overbearing, and when combined with the True Qi output, it was invincible. But while doing so was fine for a man, for a woman, the damage to the Meridians was very obvious.

That was why Si Zhengxiong hadn't let Si Yao learn the Blazing Sun Fist Technique and instead had her practice Baguazhang.

Baguazhang emphasizes the combination of hardness and softness—one soft and one hard, one Yin and one Yang. What Si Zhengxiong had passed down to Si Yao was the Yin Baguazhang, supplemented by the 'Blazing Sun True Art' to achieve a Yin and Yang harmony effect, thereby reducing the damage the Blazing Sun True Art caused to Si Yao.

But no one outside the Si Family knew these things, yet today they had come from Qin Yi's mouth. How could they not be shocked?

Seeing the three of them looking at him with such shock, Qin Yi cleared his throat and swallowed. "These are just some of my humble opinions. If I've said anything wrong, I hope Elder Si won't be angry."

Si Yao looked up, a faint, sorrowful smile on her face. "Qin Yi, you really are amazing. You truly are a Prodigy who can create your own Cultivation Technique; nothing can be hidden from you. It's just that what you've said... we actually already knew."

As she spoke, she took a deep breath, suppressing all her grievances and helplessness. "But there's no other way. The Si Family's 'Blazing Sun True Art' must be passed down through the Direct Bloodline. My father and brother have limited Cultivation Aptitude, so I'm the only one who can carry the Legacy. This is my responsibility, and it's my... mission."

Seeing her look of being ready to go forward without hesitation even though she knew there was a bottomless abyss ahead, Qin Yi's heart felt as if it were being fiercely tugged. Although he hadn't known Si Yao for long, they were friends after all, so he had to help if he could.

Moreover, the word "Confidante" on the System interface and that seven-day countdown made him even more anxious.

Consequently, Qin Yi suddenly turned his head, his gaze shooting toward Si Zhengxiong like a torch. His voice rose slightly due to his agitation. "Elder Si! It's just a Cultivation Technique; is it really more important than a living person? Why must you be so stubborn about a so-called 'Direct Bloodline'? The Si Family is full of talent; can't you pass it to Brother Hongbin? Why must you personally ruin your own granddaughter's future and her life for the sake of a rigid Legacy rule?!"