Chapter 9

The only natural light source in the small house was the triangular window by the iron bed. The attic window, naturally, was not very large. During the day, it was still somewhat bright, but at night, the house would become quite dim, just as it was at this moment.

Relying on the faint light from outside and his familiarity with the house, Zhang Tie fumbled to light the oil lamp inside. To save oil, he adjusted the flame to its smallest size, so after lighting it, only a small, bean-sized light flickered within the lampshade. However, the house finally had a bit of light and warmth.

After lighting the lamp, Zhang Tie didn’t take off his shoes and lay down on the bed, staring blankly at the pointed ceiling. In the dim light, Zhang Tie noticed a corner of the roof beam where a spider had spun a small web. Looking at the pitiful web, which might not catch a flying insect for days, and the spider that had spun it, Zhang Tie suddenly felt a sense of shared suffering.

The sound of the bed in his brother's room downstairs became even clearer when Zhang Tie lay down, making it even harder for him to settle down to practice. Bored, he lay in bed, tossing and turning, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Eventually, he started counting the collisions of the bed below. When he reached over 700, the rhythm of the sounds suddenly quickened, and after a few dozen seconds, everything became quiet. When the noise downstairs finally stopped, Zhang Tie let out a long sigh, feeling relieved that it was finally quiet. Then, to his surprise, he realized that his right hand had somehow gripped the restless part of his body, which was now particularly hard and firm, as if it had been engaged in a "manual single-cylinder piston movement" for some time.

Could it be that he had been influenced by those guys from the Airplane Brotherhood and picked up their vulgar habit?

Zhang Tie pulled his right hand out of his pants as if it had touched a red-hot iron. He panted heavily for a while before gradually calming down. For others, this might not be a big deal, but for Zhang Tie, it was different. When he was twelve, his father had had a serious talk with him about this issue. His father told him that because the Hua people were generally smaller and less physically robust compared to other races, they lacked the physical advantages in strength, speed, and endurance, which were crucial for warriors. In this era, the significant differences in physical attributes were often fatal, especially among low-level soldiers and those who had not yet become warriors. For Zhang Tie, his body was considered well-developed among the Hua people, but in school, he ranked in the lower middle in both height and physical strength. In the Airplane Brotherhood, his height was only slightly comparable to the fat Bal and Savin, but Bal was much broader and stronger than Zhang Tie. The physical differences between the Hua people and other races were very apparent before becoming true warriors, and although these differences became less significant at higher levels, they were like an unbridgeable chasm at the lower levels.

His father had told him seriously that, in Black Flame City, as a Hua person, the most important thing to level the physical playing field and secure a place in this era was to become a soldier as soon as possible and improve his soldier rank. The higher the rank, the smaller the gap, and the wider the path for survival. To become a first-level soldier and continuously improve his rank, the most crucial step was to ignite the flame of intent in the various bright points in the body. This was a critical stage that everyone had to go through, and in this era where strength was paramount, it was the most important standard for measuring a person's value. Igniting the flame of intent in the body's bright points required the body to be in optimal condition. "Manual single-cylinder piston movement" was harmful to young people's bodies, consuming a lot of energy and vital essence, making it harder to ignite the flame of intent and weakening both the body and mind.

"This is a slow, almost imperceptible process of self-destruction. No matter what others do, you must never develop such a habit. In our Hua people, there are some secret legends that anyone who indulges in this not only damages their body but also ruins their luck, leading to a life of misfortune!" This was the last thing his father said, and only after making Zhang Tie swear to never develop such a bad habit did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Of course, what happened last night, according to his father, was a natural phenomenon of "fullness leading to overflow," which did not seriously harm the body.

Thinking of his father's warning, Zhang Tie quickly pulled his hand out, feeling a wave of fear. It was a close call, almost breaking his vow without realizing it. After a while, he calmed down, got up from the bed, and walked to the window, just in time to see his brother and a woman leaving their house. His brother was already wearing the uniform of the Black Flame City Guard, escorting the woman home. From the back, the woman seemed to be the daughter of Mr. Wang, the tailor on the street.

Seemingly sensing someone watching, Zhang Tie's brother turned his head from below, smiled at Zhang Tie standing at the window, and nodded. Zhang Tie, feeling angry, waved his fist at his brother, then watched the two figures disappear into the dim street.

On the windowsill was a small dish of crystal sand, with an ordinary double-headed white crystal placed in it. The crystal was natural, barely meeting the requirements of a low-grade two-star crystal. Placed in the crystal sand on the windowsill, it could naturally recharge, somewhat like a battery from before the Great Catastrophe, but better. The two-star double-headed crystal was far inferior to the three-star pyramid shadow crystal Zhang Tie had sold today, but it was the highest-quality cultivation material he currently possessed.

Holding the crystal, Zhang Tie took off his shoes, ignoring the strange smell on his feet, and sat on the bed in a cross-legged position. He placed his hands in front of his abdomen, aligning one end of the double-headed crystal with his navel, and closed his eyes to begin his cultivation...

The process of cultivation was simple and monotonous. First, he slowed his breathing, making it long and fine, then focused his mind and will on the "breath" he inhaled, guiding it down to the navel area. He repeated this process over and over until he felt the presence of the "Palace of Deity" bright point at the navel. After sensing the "Palace of Deity" bright point, he used his mind and will to continuously "polish" this bright point, focusing on it like a fly on rotten meat, until one day a "flame" ignited in the bright point, igniting the flame of intent. This was the mark of becoming a first-level soldier and a symbol of adulthood in this era.

In this era, a man who could not ignite the flame of intent in the "Palace of Deity" bright point was essentially considered disabled or mentally deficient. This was the survival rule of the Black Iron Age.

In Zhang Tie's perception, the bright point at the navel was like gold hidden under sand. His state of meditation was like a broom, sweeping away the sand to reveal the bright point. His will was like sandpaper, continuously polishing the gold until it became smooth and shiny. One day, like friction generating heat, it would ignite, and that would be success...

The cultivation method was taught in school, starting from elementary school. It was a free method of cultivation. According to the teachers, bright points were the greatest secret of the human body. Besides the visible bright point called the "Palace of Deity" at the navel, all other bright points were hidden and could not be sensed without certain conditions. The exact number of bright points in the human body and their functions were still unknown. How to discover and sense more bright points and how to accelerate their cultivation were secrets known only to powerful sects, temples, and legendary warriors.

In Black Flame City, about one-fifth of the population could only ignite the flame of intent in the "Palace of Deity" bright point and spend their entire lives revolving around this single bright point...

For ordinary people like Zhang Tie, entering a meditative state was very difficult and could only be achieved by continuously adjusting his breathing. After about half an hour, Zhang Tie finally sensed the "Palace of Deity" bright point at his navel. He began to pour his mind and will into this bright point. In his perception, his navel began to slowly heat up, and the "Palace of Deity" bright point gradually became visible. Under the continuous "polishing" of his mind and will, it slowly began to glow, from a faint light to a bright one, eventually becoming a small, grain-sized, blue-lit existence. At the same time, the crystal in his hand began to establish a faint connection with the bright point, and a trace of energy, imperceptible in a normal state, slowly flowed into the bright point through one end of the crystal. Under the dual influence of his mind, will, and the crystal, the blue light in the bright point gradually became more solid and bright, and the light it emitted began to illuminate the dark space around it, like a star in the dark sky, though faint, it gave a sense of hope.

After an unknown amount of time, when Zhang Tie felt his mind and will were exhausted and could no longer continue the "polishing," he came out of his meditative state. A few hours of cultivation each day hardly showed any noticeable progress. For Zhang Tie, these improvements could only be felt after weeks or months of accumulation. The most obvious improvement was the color of the light from the bright point. Over the years, from the "Palace of Deity" bright point, Zhang Tie had progressed through red, orange, yellow, green, and now blue. After blue came purple, and after purple, the ignition of the flame of intent. According to experience, it would take at least another year and a half to complete the next two stages. This cultivation speed was neither fast nor slow, roughly on par with most people. Most people ignited the flame of intent in the "Palace of Deity" bright point during their first year in the military after graduating from school, crossing the most important threshold in their lives.

——

There will be another chapter in the evening. The author is adjusting the writing pace and state, trying to write more each day. This book will not keep you waiting.

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