Seeking Martial Dao in All Reborn Lives
Chapter 165 - 164: Soul Disorder
As Zhao Xuanqi stood there, slightly dazed, Zhang Hongyun, who had smashed through several large trees on the other side, looked absolutely wretched.
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!!
Great mouthfuls of blood spurted from his mouth, almost like a small fountain. The piercing wound in his chest was also gushing blood, soaking the ground around him.
At the same time, his powerful body began to shrink rapidly. First, his surging Qi and Blood vanished. Then, his muscles started to wither. Finally, he was nothing but skin and bones, his wrinkled hide clinging to his frame. His once-handsome face could now only be described as horrifying—he looked like he could scare a child to tears just by walking down the street.
The side effects of the Southern Dipper Longevity Nail and the Beidou Evil Soul Needle were beginning to manifest.
The Southern Dipper Longevity Nail could greatly amplify the body’s Vitality. However, if that Vitality was overused and fell to insufficient levels, the body would begin to break down its own tissues—fat, muscle, bone, even organs—to generate energy.
The Beidou Evil Soul Needle, in turn, was a terrifying Secret Technique that massively consumed Vitality to enhance the explosive power of one’s moves. The final Breaking Army Technique he had unleashed with all his might was an all-or-nothing gamble. It had cost him most of his body’s Vitality just to barely block Zhao Xuanqi’s most fearsome Technique.
That he hadn’t died was a small miracle. The injuries looked horrifying, but for an heir to the Doumu Primordial Soul Needle like him, he could recover quickly as long as he received a sufficient supplement of Vitality.
’He really didn’t hold back at all... To think he’s this strong...’
A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Zhang Hongyun’s face. He lay on the ground, lacking even the strength to stand.
Soon, Zhao Xuanqi snapped back to his senses. The effects of the various Secret Techniques slowly faded, and his form returned to normal. He looked toward Zhang Hongyun, who lay dozens of meters away, and slowly began to walk over.
"Your Training Method cultivation should have just stepped into the realm of the Three Qi, right? Your third Qi isn’t even fully stable yet, which means you’re basically at the level of two qi. It’s rare to find someone in your condition who can take three of my moves."
"But I’m a man of my word. The three moves are over, so the debt between us is settled. From this day forward, you are still my senior brother."
Zhao Xuanqi said, his expression calm.
"It wasn’t easy getting you to call me ’senior brother’ again..."
"Oh, right, junior brother. Do me a favor? I have some pills in my right pants pocket. Could you get them for me? I can’t move."
Zhang Hongyun said with a wry smile.
"We’ve only just made up and you’re already ordering me around? Maybe I should have hit a little harder and sent you on your way for good."
Zhao Xuanqi spoke flatly, but he still walked over, rummaged through Zhang Hongyun’s pants pocket, and pulled out a small medicine bottle. He opened it and, sure enough, there were several pills inside.
He pinched Zhang Hongyun’s jaw, forcing his mouth open. With a flick of his hand, he threw the pills into Zhang Hongyun’s mouth.
After swallowing the pills, Zhang Hongyun closed his eyes. A faint hum emanated from his internal organs, as if they were rapidly processing the medicine’s ingredients. As this happened, his wounds stopped bleeding and scabbed over at a visible rate. His shriveled body also began to slowly fill out again.
Zhao Xuanqi was in no hurry. He sat on a nearby fallen tree and waited, watching Zhang Hongyun’s body change little by little. He found himself impressed by the other man’s incredible powers of recovery.
’This recovery speed... it seems even faster than when I use my own digestive talents to circulate my Qi and Blood.’
’The Doumu Primordial Soul Needle?’
Half an hour later, Zhang Hongyun slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of life returning to them. His wounds had stopped bleeding and his condition had stabilized. He no longer looked like an inhuman husk of skin and bones; at the very least, his face was now recognizable. It seemed he wouldn’t need long to make a full recovery.
With some difficulty, he pushed himself up, shuffled over to a nearby tree, and sat down, leaning against its trunk.
"There’s something I want to ask you."
Seeing that Zhang Hongyun had recovered slightly, Zhao Xuanqi stood up and addressed him.
"What is it?"
Zhang Hongyun looked up at his junior brother.
"My final Technique just now... how did you see the flaw in it?"
Zhao Xuanqi didn’t beat around the bush, asking his question directly.
"That imposing will was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. But in the moment I faced it directly, I had the strange sensation of seeing a pearl coated in dust. It felt as if that will, that aura, was being obscured by something, preventing it from perfectly merging with your body."
"So I used the Doumu Primordial Soul Secret Technique to stimulate my brain, heightening my Spiritual Sense for an instant. Just as I suspected, by following the flaw in your aura, I was able to perceive a discrepancy in your physical movements."
"Your will is faster than your body. The two can’t merge into one. To be more specific, with your Fist Technique, the aura of your punch manifests first, and only then does your body follow through with the strike. The gap between them is incredibly subtle—an ordinary person would never notice. However, my family’s Doumu Primordial Soul Needle is founded on the principle of Medical and Martial Arts Unity. It excels at perceiving the most minute changes in body and Spirit. We can diagnose most illnesses simply through observation. By observing the projection of your aura, I was able to predict the trajectory of your fist. But the interval was so minuscule that I could only manage to dissipate a fraction of your attack’s power."
"To be honest, I found it strange myself. I never got this feeling when you were using your other Beast Forms. It was only with your final Technique—the one that must have drawn upon the aura nurtured from your very self—that I felt it. So, I have to ask you: do you suffer from a ’Soul Disorder’?"
Zhang Hongyun said.
"Soul Disorder?"
Zhao Xuanqi froze for a moment upon hearing the term.
"The Stars of the Celestial Vault move with regularity. If they were to move erratically, defying their natural laws, chaos would surely engulf the world. This is what we call a ’disorder.’ The human body is no different. Any part of it that operates abnormally, be it physical or spiritual, is a ’disorder’ in our eyes. A Soul Disorder, as the name implies, concerns a person’s Spirit and mind."
"The human mind is unfathomable and, in truth, far more susceptible to abnormalities. Things like Soul Detachment Syndrome, Soul Loss Syndrome, Split Soul Syndrome, hysteria, and so on—these are all types of Soul Disorders. They are especially common among Martial Artists. It can happen when a Secret Transmission Meditation Method is too aggressive, or when a Cultivator is overeager for results. It can also be triggered by a crushing defeat, leading to a state of despair, qi deviation, or even a complete loss of sanity. All of these fall under the umbrella of Soul Disorders."
"From your state earlier, it seemed as if there was a disconnect between your Three Souls and Seven Spirits and your physical body. The symptoms are somewhat similar to Soul Detachment Syndrome. I heard that before you joined the Martial Arts Hall, you suffered a major illness that nearly claimed your life. Could that be related?"
Zhang Hongyun explained.
’Soul Disorder...’
Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes narrowed slightly. Perhaps because the matter of his own reincarnation was so bizarre and difficult to explain, he had never considered it before. He had always felt his will was being suppressed by his body, like a pearl coated in dust, but could this state actually be a form of illness?
"If it is a Soul Disorder, can you treat it?"
Zhao Xuanqi asked Zhang Hongyun.
"Hard to say. Soul Disorders vary in severity, and the human mind is impossible to fully comprehend. No one can claim to have a guaranteed cure. However, my family’s Martial Arts is known as the Doumu Primordial Soul Needle. Those two words, ’Primordial Soul,’ aren’t just for show. Across the entire Divine Land, when it comes to treating Soul Disorders, if the Su Family claims to be second, I doubt anyone would dare claim to be first."
Zhang Hongyun said.