"Weak?" Wu Zhengfeng couldn’t take it anymore and lunged forward. "How are the women of Spirit Eagle Palace weak? Take this!"
"Cut it out, cut it out, I’m being serious." Grabbing Wu Zhengfeng, Jill Young stroked her chin and mused, "Think about it. Compared to those martial artists attacking the mountain, and those lackey disciples from this island or that, are the cultivation methods used by Spirit Eagle Palace’s maids inferior?"
"Of course not! The Freewind Mind Method can reach thirty years of cultivation—way better than the skills those lackeys practice!"
"So, is it because the maids haven’t trained long enough, or they’re just lazy?"
"Definitely not! My maids work super hard. Some train longer, some shorter, but they’re no less diligent than those lackeys."
"But here’s the thing: Why don’t I feel like the maids are any stronger than the lackeys?" Jill Young’s gaze held a deeper meaning. "You said it yourself—they’ve got better methods, they’re hardworking, and every so often, they even get pointers from a grandmaster like you. And yet, I don’t see any real advantage over those lackeys." Never doubt Jill’s powers of observation—she’d noticed this ages ago and had been mulling it over for days. It mattered to her personally. "Better resources, more effort, but no actual edge. Isn’t that weak, relatively speaking?"
"Uh..." Wu Zhengfeng was speechless. Now that Jill Young had pointed it out, she realized it was true.
"Ever notice how there are so few top female martial artists? Aside from a few oddballs, the rest lag far behind the men. The overall level is way lower. They put in just as much effort, but don’t get the same results. That’s weak, right? Any idea why?"
Wu Zhengfeng was completely lost in Jill Young’s theory and could only shake her head.
"Too dense." Jill Young flicked her on the forehead. "Come on, think about it—it’s obviously because the current cultivation methods just aren’t suited for women."
"Not suited... for women?" Wu Zhengfeng clutched her head and thought hard, reflecting on her own cultivation experience. Suddenly, it all clicked—like spotting the culprit in a crowd. She shivered and stared wide-eyed in disbelief, "You mean..."
"The first step in internal cultivation—the absolute basics—is ‘Refining Essence into Qi,’ right?"
Wu Zhengfeng was a little shaken by Jill Young’s deeper meaning and replied blankly, "That’s right. Every internal skill in the world starts with Refining Essence into Qi... Could it really be because of that...?"
"Exactly! It’s all about Refining Essence into Qi!" Jill Young slapped the table like a storyteller, eyes gleaming. "Forget all those mysterious concepts, don’t get tangled up in secondary theories like ‘primordial essence’ or ‘source energy.’ Just one question—what is ‘essence,’ really?"
"Essence is..." Wu Zhengfeng blushed, clearly shy about the topic.
Jill Young was blunt as ever: "What’s there to be shy about? Essence is just that white stuff used to make babies, right? I’ve read a ton of Daoist texts—sure, they’re all coy and roundabout, but at the end of the day, that’s what they’re talking about." Jill—or should I say, Yang Qi—had indeed read a lot of Daoist books. Back when she went to hang out with Su Yue, she’d read Daoist scriptures during Su Yue’s classes, hoping to pull a Huang Shang and discover some ultimate martial art. Of course, she got nothing out of it, but she did remember plenty about Daoist energy cultivation theory.
Chinese internal cultivation evolved from Daoist energy practices—lots of overlap, lots of shared methods. No matter how badass the Shaolin monks are, even Buddha can’t teach you internal skills. If you want to cultivate Qi, you’ve got to follow the Daoist playbook.
And at the heart of that theory? Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit into Emptiness, and Refining Emptiness into Dao.
"Where’s a woman supposed to get essence? No essence, no Qi!"
"So women cultivate by refining blood into Qi."
"And the results?"
"Well..."
Facing a thoroughly shaken Wu Zhengfeng, Jill Young took a deep breath: "Sis, Freewind Sect is Daoist too—you must've read Daoist cultivation texts, right? Tell me, what happens when a man cultivates? He never ages, never goes soft, just gets more and more manly. And women? First, they have to 'cut the Red Dragon,' then refine blood to become pure yang, and the result? Big boobs turn small, small boobs disappear—basically, you just get more manly too! And even then, that's just prep work, not even real cultivation yet. What kind of lousy efficiency is that?"
These days, when people think of female immortals, they picture some gorgeous, curvy beauty. But that’s just modern wishful thinking. If you actually read Daoist scriptures, you’ll see it’s nothing like that.
Daoist Qi cultivation is like hanging a sign at the entrance: ‘No entry except for real men.’ If a woman wants in, she has to ‘restore her virgin body,’ disguise herself as a gender-neutral kid, and sneak through. Even then, there are checkpoints every step—three guards here, five sentries there. If she’s found out, she’s out. Only by tiptoeing carefully can she make any progress.
After talking with Wu Zhengfeng, Jill Young realized that martial arts internal energy isn’t quite as strict as Daoist cultivation. It’s like there’s a ‘sissy shortcut’ at the entrance for those who aren’t pure yang. Real women have to pretend to be sissies to get in—it’s easier than the pure man route, but still nerve-wracking, like crossing snowy mountains and grasslands.
"Bottom line: all the current cultivation manuals and methods just aren’t made for women. That’s academic monopoly, that’s power monopoly. Where’s the gender equality in that? This path just isn’t for women."
"Huff... huff..." Jill Young’s few simple words had totally upended Wu Zhengfeng’s worldview. She hadn’t done anything, but she was exhausted, gasping for breath. After a few deep breaths, she calmed herself: "If you’re right, then what do we do?"
Wu Zhengfeng was stumped, but Jill Young was totally relaxed: "Two options. First, pick a path that doesn’t care about gender. If everyone’s on the same road, there’s no inequality." Like Dragon Elephant Technique and Prajna Technique—totally gender-neutral. "Second, blaze a new trail designed for women."
Strictly speaking, Dao is Dao—no gender attached. But if women insist on squeezing into the ‘real man only’ lane, of course it’ll be a pain: time-consuming, risky, and totally unrewarding.
"Since ancient times, everyone says you have to enter through this gate, so that’s the only way people try. If you can’t get in, you’ll do whatever it takes to sneak through—but why not just look for a gate that actually fits you? Isn’t that missing the point? If Refining Essence into Qi doesn’t work—no essence to refine—then just refine something else!"
In many traditions, the reproductive system is seen as the source of power. Of the seven chakras and three meridians, the first and second gates are all about reproductive energy. There are countless religious examples—sexual energy has been suppressed by Daoism for a thousand years, but it’s never faded away, and there’s a reason for that. As far as internal energy is concerned, refining blood into Qi is way less effective than refining essence into Qi, which just proves the point. So, if you want a breakthrough, that’s where you need to start.
"Remember, it takes more than just essence to make a baby." Jill Young squinted, grinning mischievously. "Sis, as martial arts grandmasters, we need some pioneering vision. What do you think about the idea of ‘Refining Ovum into Qi’?"
Boom—thunder rumbled across the sky. Wu Zhengfeng stood there, totally thunderstruck.