Chapter 743: The Chariot About to Charge

What was even more important was that the internal energy accumulated during the Refining Qi into Steel stage was different from the internal energy accumulated during the Internal Qi Projection stage.

Only Xiang Yu, who swallowed an entire Divine Stone core, could achieve the feat of proving his strength through sheer force. For everyone else, such a thing was virtually impossible. So, unless one could achieve clarity of heart and mind, they could essentially abandon the hope of reaching the Internal Qi Projection stage.

In fact, to put it more practically, if a peak Refining Qi into Steel warrior wasn’t stuck at the clarity of heart and mind barrier, many more would have reached the Internal Qi Projection stage.

Guan Hai’s ability to reach the Internal Qi Projection stage was almost a miracle. After struggling for so long, he only achieved enlightenment after letting go of everything.

For a somewhat talented young person, especially one who had been learning martial arts since the age of five and came from a decent family, with years of diligent practice, reaching the Refining Qi into Steel stage was not difficult. The Refining Qi into Steel stage required consistent effort and accumulation, rather than luck or talent.

But to reach the Internal Qi Projection stage, one needed talent, luck, and hard work in equal measure. As the world’s vital energy increased, more people would get stuck at the peak of the Refining Qi into Steel stage, but the number of those who could break through to the Internal Qi Projection stage would still be very few.

"Will the rise in vital energy in the world increase the strength of warriors below the Internal Qi Projection stage?" Chen Xi asked another question.

"It should, but it won't matter much. A warrior at the Internal Qi Projection stage will still defeat them with a single strike. As long as they can’t release their internal energy externally, it's irrelevant. The essence of releasing internal energy isn't just about letting it out—it's about wielding vast amounts of energy. If they can’t do that, it’s still just a single blow," Zuo Ci replied. He seemed to have studied this matter thoroughly, and might have even sparred with warriors at the Internal Qi Projection stage.

"Oh, I understand now," Chen Xi nodded. He had grasped the situation. The rise in vital energy would indeed affect Liu Bei’s forces, but the impact wouldn’t be as severe as he had initially feared.

"Since Lord Chen has come to terms with it, I will say no more," Zuo Ci, seeing that Chen Xi had made up his mind, bowed to Liu Bei and Chen Xi before disappearing.

"Zichuan, are you sure you understood everything he said?" Liu Bei asked with a frustrated look, watching as Zuo Ci vanished. He was still thoroughly confused and hadn’t grasped the significance of Zuo Ci’s words.

"More or less. It won’t affect us too much; it just means that elite soldiers will become even more important," Chen Xi nodded. "The fact that the world’s vital energy is increasing due to the dispersal of the Divine Stone—or rather, returning to its natural state—is truly remarkable."

With that realization, Chen Xi felt more at ease. If the Divine Stone truly was a catalyst, then the historical trajectory as he knew it was probably over. Catalysts don’t get used up by the reaction they initiate, so even if the world advanced into a technological civilization, the martial arts would still continue to develop.

"If my guess is correct, the suppression of generals by military formations will become even greater. In the past, the reason generals at the Internal Qi Projection stage were suppressed by cloud qi was that military formations would draw in the surrounding vital energy, as well as the internal energy released by soldiers, to form cloud qi," Chen Xi speculated.

"As the amount of vital energy in the world increases, the cloud qi will become denser and absorb even more internal energy. The external release of internal energy and the vital energy that generals at the Internal Qi Projection stage rely on will be consumed more quickly by the cloud qi," Chen Xi calmly explained his theory.

"That’s not too big of an issue. After all, in large-scale battles, individual martial prowess alone cannot turn the tide. The role of personal strength in a battlefield of ten thousand soldiers is primarily to boost morale," Liu Bei said without a hint of worry. This wasn’t a major concern for him.

"Exactly. I’ve already prepared for this, and I never planned for our generals to fight alone in a battle," Chen Xi nodded in agreement.

"My point is that the importance of elite troops has increased. As the amount of cloud qi grows, elite troops will be able to harness that power more efficiently. Compared to the issue of the limited number of army soul formations, the ability of elite troops to utilize cloud qi is the most efficient," Chen Xi said with a serious expression. All cavalry formations consisted of elite troops, after all.

"In that regard, I’m even less concerned. The Qingzhou Army has already taken shape under Wen Ze’s command. We’ve stationed him in Sili to avoid drawing attention from other lords, and we already have one hundred thousand elite infantry under our banner," Liu Bei said confidently, aside from the cavalry issue, everything else was under control.

"Exactly. We don’t need to worry. The rise in vital energy might allow warriors to improve their skills in single combat, but at the higher levels, nothing has changed. If they can’t release internal energy externally, they’ll still be cut down with a single blow," Chen Xi nodded, acknowledging Liu Bei’s confidence.

"Lord Xuande, I’ll go order our troops to sweep through Qingzhou and Xuzhou. Once we’ve tidied things up internally, everything should fall into place," Chen Xi said, rising after feeling Liu Bei’s unshakable confidence.

"The outcome of the campaign to save the Emperor in Sili will soon be revealed. Several years ago, Zijian made a proposal when he went to Sili. I hope this time, His Majesty won’t let down the goodwill of his ministers," Liu Bei said, gazing wistfully toward the west.

For some reason, in that moment of reflection, Liu Bei had a feeling that even though he was acknowledged as an imperial relative by the Bureau of Clan Affairs, the Han Emperor might not seek refuge with him this time.

"His Majesty surely understands your goodwill, Lord Xuande, but those close to him may not all be virtuous. It’s likely that they’ll judge you by their own standards, and given the Emperor’s youth, he may hesitate," Chen Xi said, not fully committing to his words, but it was clear that the outcome was likely as he predicted. The last time Hua Xiong went to invite the Emperor, it was with this situation in mind.

Having suffered so much, Emperor Liu Xie may now understand the difference between right and wrong and could likely swallow his pride and act as though the last incident had never happened. But the civil and military officials around him would never want to lose face in front of a mere imperial relative.

Chen Xi also gazed off toward the northwest, as if he could see the fleeing Emperor of Han. Then, quietly, he turned his head away. Whether things changed or stayed the same, nothing could stop the chariot that was Liu Bei from charging forward.

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