Late at night, the darkness shrouded everything. The lights in the power station were dim, and the roar of the motors subsided. In an inconspicuous corner, Chen Chong stared at the switch of the current control device in front of him, deep in thought.
Old Xu had already returned to his room and was fast asleep. Taking this opportunity, Chen Chong had extracted two thin wires from the electrical box, following the messy wires and connecting them to the current controller. Although it was a very crude set of control circuits, it met the basic requirements of "electric therapy". Now all Chen Chong needed to do was to connect the two wires extended from the current controller to his own body, press the switch, and the current would immediately flow through his whole body.
"Electric current propulsion..."
Chen Chong contemplated the details of "electric therapy" repeatedly in his mind to ensure accuracy.
According to the normal cultivation progress, practitioners of the "Ultimate Boundless Qi Gong" should first refine their essence and transform it into qi, making the true qi strong and solid enough to fill their entire body. At this stage, the practitioner's physique will become extremely powerful under the nourishment and support of the true qi. After these two prerequisites are met, they can advance to the "electric current propulsion".
To achieve "electric current propulsion," practitioners need to control and compress the true qi, making it circulate like an electromagnetic coil with the dantian as the central hub, mimicking its high-speed operation. When the true qi reaches an extremely high rotational speed within the body, it will spontaneously generate electric current, allowing the practitioner to enter the realm of "electric current propulsion."
The auxiliary "electric therapy" allows the practitioner to directly connect their body to the electric current, forcefully using their willpower to control the absorption of electricity to strengthen their true qi. Under the stimulation of external electric current, the process of refining essence and transforming it into qi is greatly shortened, enabling practitioners to directly practice the "Ultimate Boundless Qi Gong" at the stage of "electric current propulsion".
"Electric therapy" is indeed a great shortcut, but it also comes with corresponding dangers. If the practitioner's true qi cultivation, physical strength, and willpower are not strong enough, the risk of falling into madness will increase.
However, for Chen Chong at present, the scarcity of resources prevented him from obtaining enough nourishment and energy to make rapid progress in the "Ultimate Boundless Qi Gong". Coupled with his current dangerous situation, he had no choice but to take a risky approach.
"For ordinary people, 50mA is already a lethal current. However, awakened individuals have much stronger physical and vital power than ordinary people. Combined with my previous experience of endurance training with electric shocks in the laboratory, it shouldn't be difficult for my body to handle a current of over 100mA."
Chen Chong took a deep breath.
"Let's start with 100mA!"
He took off his insulated gloves, connected the two wires to his arms, and set the current regulator to the lowest level. Then, Chen Chong pressed the switch.
Zzzz—!
The moment he pressed the switch, a strong trembling, numbness, and tingling sensation rushed through his arms and spread throughout his body, causing Chen Chong's face to change drastically!
In the next instant, it felt as if thousands of ants had burrowed into his flesh and were biting and devouring his own flesh. The unimaginable pain, itchiness, and numbness surged like enormous waves, assaulting Chen Chong's consciousness.
"It's intense!"
Chen Chong clenched his teeth, veins bulging, and his face twitching. Although the current flowing through his body was enough to cause cardiac arrest and shock in an ordinary person, he managed to remain conscious and endure it without even letting out a cry of pain. Stimulated by the current, the true qi in his body suddenly became restless, rushing like an untamed horse!
Knowing that it was a critical moment, Chen Chong immediately assumed the meditation posture of the "Ultimate Boundless Qi Gong". While enduring the excruciating pain with his unwavering willpower, he carefully controlled the convergence of his true qi.
Under the stimulation of the current, the true qi that Chen Chong could easily control had become extraordinarily dangerous. With his willpower exerting its full strength, he barely managed to control the restless flow of true qi and circulate it around his dantian.
One minute... two minutes... five minutes...
Ten full minutes passed, and only then did the first cycle of true qi, which used to be completed within a few minutes, finally revolve around Chen Chong's dantian. After completing the first cycle, changes occurred once again!
With the completion of the first cycle, the true qi in Chen Chong's body formed a certain inertia along the trajectory he established, and the speed of the fine streams of true qi suddenly increased dramatically. It was as if the true qi, which used to run like a carriage before, was now running like a speeding train!
Not only that, but in this rapid flow of true qi, the fine streams of true qi began to visibly grow and strengthen at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye. The electric current flowing through Chen Chong's body seemed to become nourishment that the true qi could absorb. With the rapid rotation of the true qi, it was rapidly converted and absorbed!
This significant growth in speed was evident with every passing minute and second. The previously thin streams of true qi were continuously expanding...
However, Chen Chong, who was consumed by the pain, had no energy to carefully comprehend the changes in true qi. In fact, as the current continued to flow, the intensity of the pain he felt increased. His willpower, even if it was resilient, couldn't ignore this inevitable law.
Half an hour later, every inch of Chen Chong's body seemed to be sending him unbearable warnings. His willpower was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, Chen Chong opened his eyes and let out a low, hoarse roar. He used the last bit of strength in his body to shake off the wires connected to his arms.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
Having freed himself from the current, Chen Chong gasped for breath intensely as if he was a drowning person who had just reached the shore. However, his face showed a mix of joy and lingering fear.
"That was close!"
Indeed, the situation just now was extremely dangerous. If he had delayed for a moment longer, his heart would have stopped, completely losing control of his body, and unable to free himself from the wires, resulting in being electrocuted to death.
The whole body was still in a ** state. Chen Chong looked like he had been pulled out of the water, covered in sweat. However, his eyes were filled with joy.
The "Electrotherapy" was successful. Even without carefully perceiving it, Chen Chong could sense that there had been a tremendous change in the true qi within his body. Despite the pain all over his body, he felt like he possessed an ** power.
Crackling sounds!
The numbness gradually subsided, and Chen Chong suddenly sat up. His whole body erupted with sparks and crackling electric currents, creating a terrifying spectacle.
Chen Chong immediately closed his eyes and carefully felt the condition inside his body. A look of astonishment and joy appeared on his face:
"The amount of my true qi...has increased several times!"
This perception startled Chen Chong:
"In less than an hour of using electrotherapy, the effect is even better than several days of non-stop cultivation!"
Currently, his true qi was like a raging river flowing within his body, its flow much stronger than before! And this river spontaneously circulated within Chen Chong's body, revolving around the dantian like a spiral coil, rapidly rotating with great momentum!
Chen Chong seemed to sense that, under the unique circulation of the ultimate true qi, there was a imperceptible weak electric current being generated from his body. It was as if his body had turned into a generator, stimulating the electric current at high speed through the circulation of true qi.
Chen Chong immediately understood that this was a sign of the initial stage of "Ultimate Boundless Qi Gong" and "Electric Current Propulsion"!
"Phew!"
Suppressing the impulse to shout in excitement, a long stream of hot air spewed from Chen Chong's nose and mouth. He carefully sensed the internal situation of his body again:
"The amount of ultimate true qi has increased by at least several times, but this is probably because my true qi was originally weak."
"The speed of the true qi's spiral rotation is gradually decreasing...it seems that it's because the electrotherapy has stopped and there is no electric current assisting in cultivation."
"In other words, I haven't entered the stage of electric current propulsion yet. It's just a residual effect of the electrotherapy. Moreover, this surge of true qi, which is not obtained through refining essence, is not so easy to control. This is also a drawback of electrotherapy."
Chen Chong's mind was very clear, not overwhelmed by the sudden huge change in his true qi. He quickly analyzed the situation.
The sign similar to the "Electric Current Propulsion" realm was just an illusion of the true qi's inertia under the stimulation of residual electric currents. "Electrotherapy" could extract electric currents to enhance true qi and allow practitioners to cultivate in an accelerated manner using electric current propulsion to quickly reach the "Electric Current Propulsion" realm. However, at Chen Chong's current level of cultivation, in order to maintain the high-speed spiral circulation of true qi and truly enter a stable state of "Electric Current Propulsion," a single session of electrotherapy was clearly not enough.
Even so, Chen Chong was still extremely excited:
"Just one session of electrotherapy has increased my true qi so rapidly. As long as I continue to use electrotherapy continuously, I will soon achieve true "Electric Current Propulsion"!"
Having figured this out, Chen Chong didn't continue for now. According to the electrotherapy instructions, his body had just undergone strong electric current stimulation and needed a rest before proceeding again.
So Chen Chong first went to the boiler room, added coal to each boiler, and then returned to sit in meditation, starting to cultivate in the normal way, meticulously controlling and mastering the surging true qi step by step.
After about four to five hours, he had gained some control over the surging true qi. Chen Chong couldn't wait any longer and connected the wires once again, pressing the switch.
Zzz...
As the current surged through his body, the tingling sensation spread again, but this time it was much less painful than before, probably because his true qi had grown significantly and his tolerance had also increased. He could now more calmly and easily control the accelerated circulation of true qi and absorb the electric current.
And this time, Chen Chong persisted for more than ten minutes longer than the previous session before reaching the critical point and stopping.
Under this intensive practice, Chen Chong's true qi once again experienced a significant increase. Although not as exaggerated as the previous multiplication, the increase was comparable to several tens of days of non-stop cultivation!
As for his strength, because he hadn't exerted his full power yet, Chen Chong couldn't judge his current level. He only felt that his whole body was filled with ** strength, completely different from himself before undergoing electrotherapy.
After quietly pondering for a while, Chen Chong walked to the door and saw the dimly shining night. Satisfied, he returned to the electrical room, packed up the circuit device, restored everything to its original state, and then went back to the boiler room. While silently cultivating, he waited for the end of the night watch.
When dawn broke and the night watch came to an end, Old Man Xu was still asleep, drunk. After adding the last batch of coal to the boiler, Chen Chong left the power station and returned to his residence.
After closing the door, Chen Chong sat cross-legged on the bed. Instead of practicing, he immediately focused his mind and gave an instruction to the main god in his mind:
"Translation: 'Indestructible Diamond Qi Gong!'"