Chapter 3

At midnight, Lü Zhong went to Song Family Village. As a village guard, his task was naturally to protect the courtyard. He was a guard with third-level Inner Strength, and in Song Family Village, there were only about ten of them. Among the guards, his status was relatively high.

Lü Zhong's duties were relatively simple; he led a few guards to patrol the area he was responsible for. He patrolled once every hour. After completing his patrol, he did not return to his residence but instead went to the area where his sworn brother, Xie Naxin, was patrolling. Xie Naxin, like him, was also a third-level Inner Strength expert. Lü Zhong's ultimate skill was the Vajra Fist, while Xie Naxin's ultimate skill was the Body-Shrinking Technique.

The so-called Body-Shrinking Technique was a method of using Inner Strength to make the spine flexible. When practiced to the highest level, one could shrink their entire body into a tiny ball, much like a hedgehog or porcupine curling up when threatened. Xie Naxin, with his third-level Inner Strength, could not shrink to the size of a hedgehog, but he could shrink to the size of a child.

"Brother, why are you here today?" Xie Naxin, who was about the same age as Lü Zhong, was short, thin, and had a sallow complexion, making him well-suited for practicing the Body-Shrinking Technique.

"I just finished my patrol and came to sit with you. Why didn't you go home for a drink last night?" Lü Zhong sighed, as Lü Cheng's cultivation had still not progressed. Although he did not say it openly, he was extremely disappointed.

"I went to see my third brother. This kid caught a porcupine in Datong Mountain and will send some over to you tomorrow. It rained so heavily in the evening, how is Cheng?" Zhao Siyan asked. He, like Lü Zhong, placed his greatest hopes and joys on Lü Cheng. However, Lü Cheng was not very promising. Zhao Siyan, Lü Zhong, and Sun Boyang were all third-level Inner Strength experts and sworn brothers, and Lü Cheng was naturally also his godson. Despite the three of them teaching him, they had not been able to make Lü Cheng a true martial artist.

"Still no progress," Lü Zhong sighed and shook his head. He now deeply regretted not being stricter with Lü Cheng when he was young; otherwise, things might not have turned out this way.

"Brother, perhaps Cheng really isn't suited for martial arts," Zhao Siyan consoled him. Although he was also disappointed that Lü Cheng could not practice martial arts, at least Lü Cheng was obedient.

"Impossible!" Lü Zhong said sternly, though he had already accepted this fact in his heart, he would never admit it verbally.

Zhao Siyan did not say anything more, just patted Lü Zhong's shoulder. The next morning, he dragged Lü Zhong to a tavern, where they both drank until they were thoroughly drunk and slept until the afternoon.

Lü Cheng, however, woke up very late. After Lü Zhong left last night, he had been playing with the sensing power in his forehead. As a young boy, he could not resist such an interesting thing. After more than an hour, he felt very tired. When he woke up and saw that it was already bright, he got up and ran to the courtyard.

"Lü Cheng, don't think you're so great just because your father is a third-level Inner Strength expert. Chop an extra load of firewood today!" Song Ping, who had already arrived at the courtyard, immediately jumped up like a defeated rooster when he saw Lü Cheng arrive late.

"Sir Song..." Lü Cheng inwardly groaned but, seeing the smug look in Song Ping's eyes, knew that begging would be useless, so he kept quiet.

A chopping knife, two ropes, and a wooden stick were all Lü Cheng's tools. For him, chopping two loads of firewood a day was already a struggle. Now, with the additional load as punishment, he was unsure if he could finish before dark.

Datong Mountain stretched for hundreds of miles, with only one main peak that rose into the clouds. The mountain was home to countless rare treasures and exotic beasts. However, Song Family Village had a strict rule: no one was allowed to enter above the mountain's waist. As for Lü Cheng, a mere laborer, he was only allowed to work at the foot of the mountain, and he was not allowed to venture deep into the forest, or Song Family Village would not be responsible for any mishaps.

Lü Cheng had heard from others since he was young that Datong Mountain was indeed full of rare treasures, but it was also home to many dangerous beasts. Even some of the clan disciples of Song Family Village had lost their lives on the mountain. Later, Song Haoran issued an order prohibiting anyone from entering above the mountain's waist. Although the treasures on the mountain were tempting, life was more important.

Lü Cheng had been working as a laborer in Song Family Village for five years and chopping firewood for three. He was considered quite skilled in chopping firewood. However, his strength was not great, and he could not sustain it for long, so it took him about an hour and a half to chop one load of firewood.

But today, Lü Cheng found that his efficiency was higher. In less than an hour, he had already chopped one load of firewood. After tying it up with the rope, he looked at the sky and decided to chop another half load. Soon, he discovered the reason for his increased efficiency.

When he held a branch, he immediately knew the best place to chop. At first, he did not notice this, as he had been chopping firewood for three years and was already very familiar with the process. However, no matter how familiar he was, he could not always be precise. But today, he was able to chop with perfect accuracy. Each chop hit the weakest part of the branch, increasing his efficiency and reducing the physical effort required.

Lü Cheng carefully thought about it and quickly realized the secret. When he picked up a branch, a subtle force from his forehead traveled down his arm and into the branch. In his mind, he could suddenly see the internal structure of the branch. Each chop was as smooth as a butcher's knife slicing through meat. Although he was just chopping firewood, he felt a sense of satisfaction. Branches that used to require two or three chops could now be cut with one.

Lü Cheng was overjoyed. It seemed that the sensing power he had been cultivating by gazing at the stars every night was not useless. Looking at the sky, he saw that it was not yet time for the meal, so he lay down on the pile of firewood he had just chopped. In the past, Lü Cheng would always time his return to coincide with the meal, even if he finished early. If he returned too early, Song Ping might assign him other tasks. Lü Cheng was young but not stupid.

The blue sky made Lü Cheng, who had his hands behind his head, squint his eyes. Although he had been chopping firewood all morning, he did not feel very tired. He began to focus on the sensing power in his forehead. Since the age of five, his greatest pleasure at night was meditating on the night sky. In the past, he had noticed some abnormalities in his forehead but had not paid much attention to them. It was not until last night, when the sensing power burst out, that he could perceive everything within a ten-foot radius.

He felt a bit guilty towards his father, as he had been unable to reach the first level of Inner Strength for so many years. Suddenly, he felt that he should strive to cultivate Inner Strength. Even if it was not for himself, it should be for his father. As soon as this thought arose, the sensing power in his forehead suddenly entered his meridians and began to move slowly and persistently along the meridian paths.

Under the strong impact of the sensing power, the originally blocked meridians gradually began to feel more open. It was like a channel blocked by mud suddenly having an eel drill through it, moving from head to tail. Soon, Lü Cheng felt that with each breath, a warm current flowed into his heart. If he had asked Lü Zhong, Lü Zhong would have been overjoyed and told him that this was a sign of Inner Strength concentrating in his body!

At this point, he was actually on the verge of entering the initial stage of cultivation. The Inner Strength concentrated in his heart, and with his mind guiding it, it extended downward with each breath, slowly moving towards his lower abdomen. The lower abdomen was the location of the lower dantian. With each breath, a warm current flowed into the dantian. His lower abdomen gurgled, and his intestines moved more, as the Inner Strength began to increase gradually.

This was the process of sinking the qi into the dantian. Reaching this stage marked the beginning of Inner Strength cultivation. For ordinary people, it took only three to five months to reach this stage, but it took Lü Cheng ten years. And this was only possible with the help of the sensing power. Without it, it might have taken much longer.

Lü Cheng felt his lower abdomen beginning to heat up, and slowly, a qi mound formed. As time passed, the warm current flowed from his heart to his lower abdomen faster and in greater volume. The qi mound in his lower abdomen began to grow. Even his perineum would occasionally twitch, and his limbs and back would often feel warm.

As the dantian became more filled, his lower abdomen felt increasingly full, and the frequency of the perineum's twitching increased. Lü Cheng felt his lower back getting hotter, and the Inner Strength in the Mingmen point became more active, as if a force was moving up his spine. Suddenly, a surge of heat rushed up, forcefully passing through the Du Meridian.

The Inner Strength passed through the Yuzhen and Baihui points, then descended through the Queqiao into the Ren Meridian. The Small Circulation was now complete! The Small Circulation referred to the inner qi starting from the lower dantian, moving up the Du Meridian, and then down the Ren Meridian, passing through the three key points of Weilu, Jizhi, and Yuzhen, as well as the upper and lower dantians and the upper and lower Queqiao. The upper Queqiao was located at the Yintang and nasal cavity, while the lower Queqiao was at the perineum and anus.

At this moment, with each inhalation, the Inner Strength entered his brain, and with each exhalation, it entered the dantian. The speed of the Inner Strength's movement through the meridians increased, and the blockages in the meridians decreased. Lü Cheng did not know how many Small Circulations he had completed, but suddenly, he felt a loud rumbling in his brain, and the qi mound in his lower abdomen exploded, giving him an indescribable sense of ease and comfort.

Lü Cheng now felt an overwhelming urge to roar, for he knew that he had finally reached the first level of Inner Strength!