Chapter 3: "Circle Philosophy"

Isn't it about cultivating and refining qi? Ye Feng was clearly taken aback by the old man's words.

Ye Feng was sweating inside, thinking, "I practice qigong to cultivate, so why is it unrelated?" But he couldn't say that out loud, so he put on a knowing look and replied, "Yes, yes, I practiced that something called the Hunyuan Qigong and got my qi off track."

"Hunyuan Qigong? That seems to be something from the internet. I've seen it too; it's fake."

As an authority in traditional Chinese medicine, Li Tianhe was well-versed in qigong and mercilessly categorized the Hunyuan Qigong as a fake. He continued, "I don't know about cultivation, but I do know a bit about qigong. It has nothing to do with cultivation. Qigong has been scientifically verified to exist. The qi in medical terms refers to the qi in qigong, which is mainly guided by the mind to achieve the purpose of strengthening the body. However, without a master's guidance, it's easy to make mistakes. Without knowledge of acupoints, the qi can easily go astray. Your current situation is a perfect example." After saying this, Li Tianhe glanced at Ye Feng, making him feel very embarrassed.

For some reason, Ye Feng was inclined to believe the old man's knowledge about qigong. He had a sudden realization and began to extrapolate. It turned out that cultivation, martial arts' internal qi, and qigong were all different things. Although they all involved qi, they seemed fundamentally different.

If no one had told him, how would someone interested in cultivation think there were so many differences based on online information? And how could ordinary people access the qigong knowledge and the true state of cultivation that Li Tianhe mentioned?

"Why do you like these things? Can you tell me?" Li Tianhe asked with interest.

"Old man, to be honest, I've always been fond of martial arts, qigong, and cultivation since I was a child," Ye Feng scratched his head, embarrassed, and gave the most reasonable explanation.

Since childhood, Ye Feng had been a typical martial arts enthusiast, always dreaming of becoming a martial arts master one day.

Walking on walls, breaking bricks, upholding justice, and occasionally dealing with scoundrels, even robbing some ill-gotten wealth. To Ye Feng, such a life was so pleasant, and living such a life would make life worthwhile.

Moreover, Ye Feng knew that true martial arts existed in this world, and he had seen them.

Before moving, an old man used to run past his house. One day, Ye Feng saw the old man single-handedly beat up five or six thugs who were causing trouble for him, throwing one of them several meters away.

Ye Feng was stunned at the time and wanted to ask the old man to be his master, but unfortunately, the old man disappeared after that day.

Soon after, Ye Feng's family also moved away from their old address.

However, this did not dampen Ye Feng's enthusiasm for martial arts; instead, it made him more determined. He started practicing horse stances and meditation every day, gathering all the knowledge about martial arts from various sources.

As he grew older, Ye Feng saw more and became aware of the hardships of martial arts practice. He then became a devoted cultivation enthusiast, searching for information about cultivation and learning to meditate and refine qi to circulate through the body.

Initially, he became obsessed with cultivation after reading a novel called "Piao Miao Zhi Lu" (Voyage of the Ethereal). After that, he became uncontrollable. "Xingchen Bian," "Zhang Sanfeng's Disciple Life," "The Legend of the Mortal Cultivator"... all became his sacred objects, often referred to as "cultivation and mind-nourishing secrets."

Others didn't know why Ye Feng was so fond of cultivation, but he knew. The moment he came into contact with cultivation, he knew what he wanted in life, and it was something he truly desired.

Since high school, whenever he had free time, Ye Feng would immerse himself in his so-called cultivation secrets, often being ridiculed by his classmates and earning the nickname "crazy."

Now, most cultivation novels on the internet have a "setting" problem. Many xianxia or cultivation novels detail the various stages of cultivation, even borrowing religious terms, but the descriptions of cultivation are still purely literary and have no practical relevance. Therefore, people cannot truly access cultivation.

Ye Feng finally made it to college, thinking he could properly meditate and refine qi.

But who would have thought that after a year of practice, his meditation skills were still the same as before, filled with杂念 or drowsiness. Feeling disheartened, Ye Feng, during the summer vacation, accidentally practiced qigong incorrectly and suffered from chest pain all night before deciding to visit the hospital.

"Son, I understand your curiosity about these mysterious things, but you shouldn't practice qigong blindly. Without a master's guidance, it's best not to touch qigong. Once you do, your qi can go astray, causing all sorts of problems," Li Tianhe kindly warned Ye Feng. He thought for a moment and continued, "My grandson is like you; he likes to mess around with these things. He practices boxing whenever he has time, but fortunately, I'm here. No matter what he does, I can fix him with a single needle. Looking at you, I can tell you have no master's guidance and are just practicing blindly. This is not good; you shouldn't harm yourself for qigong."

Even if he didn't want to, Ye Feng felt his face turn into a bitter gourd, feeling helpless and on the verge of tears.

"You're right, old man. But you know, I've always liked these things. They are like a part of my brain, impossible to forget. It's like some people are born to do business; maybe I'm born for this. I feel uncomfortable if I don't practice for a day, and I don't know why..." Ye Feng nodded hurriedly, thinking about what to do next.

"Ha ha ha, being interested in these things isn't wrong, but don't forget whether you have the ability to pursue them," the old man said seriously, without mocking Ye Feng.

Ye Feng's eyes dimmed, thinking about the philosophy of "circles," and a sense of loss washed over him.

Sometimes, passion alone is not enough; what's important is having the matching strength.

Without strength, everything is empty.

Moreover, Ye Feng's circle was too small, so small that he needed to cross several circles to reach the world of legendary martial artists and cultivators.

In life, we have many circles.

Ordinary people's circles, rich people's circles, powerful people's circles, talented people's circles... and all sorts of special circles.

Trying to do things outside your circle is difficult. Ye Feng was an ordinary person, and that was his circle.

Doing things not recognized by your circle requires immense perseverance, and the feeling of isolation can drive people crazy.

The past few years had made Ye Feng a bit introverted and confused. This qigong mishap had pushed him to his limits, almost making him give up, but today he had reaffirmed his resolve.

Seemingly sensing Ye Feng's inner desire, Li Tianhe's eyes softened, and he said, "If you are sure you are right, it's not wrong to persist."

Ye Feng became a bit excited, looking at the old man with gratitude, but the old man's next words left him at a loss.

"But, you are not in the circle you want to be in. Many people don't know the circle of cultivators because they are too far from it, needing to cross several circles to have a chance to touch it. If you insist on entering a circle that doesn't belong to you, besides the superhuman effort you need to put in, you might also harm the people around you and bring disaster to your life."

Ye Feng's face changed, and he nodded, knowing the old man was right. But knowing and doing are different. Ye Feng was the type who wouldn't give up until he saw the Yellow River, and he would persist as long as there was hope.

"Since ancient times, strength has been built with time and money. Without them, martial artists are like houses without foundations, and cultivation is even more so. Without money, you can't go to a good place to learn, can't buy good medicine to nourish your body, and can't get proper treatment when injured. Besides, you are still in school. Do you think you can achieve much with the little time you have at school?"

Li Tianhe's words were a blow to Ye Feng, but they were the truth, a problem Ye Feng had always avoided.

Avoiding it was one thing, but having someone point it out was another. Avoiding it allowed him to fantasize and believe that everything would fall into place, but having someone point it out was like being forced to choose between a drowning girlfriend and his mother.

Ye Feng's face grew darker, and he remained silent, as if deep in thought.

After a while, Ye Feng forced a smile and said, "No matter what, let's treat this illness first and think about the future later."

I won't give up on cultivation. If the circle is different, I will break it, Ye Feng vowed silently.

Li Tianhe looked at Ye Feng thoughtfully, sighed, and continued his work, taking out his acupuncture tools and carefully inserting needles into several acupoints on Ye Feng's body to help regulate his qi.

Ye Feng felt the accumulated qi in his chest quickly dissipate, and the pain in his chest disappeared. Knowing he was almost cured, he sincerely thanked the old man.

No matter what, the old man was trying to help him. If he blamed him, Ye Feng would feel like a monster. Leaving the hospital, he took a bus home, which was a bit late.

Outside, the dim sky grew even dimmer.

Today's experience was strange for Ye Feng, but he didn't know that after this visit, his belief in the Dao became even stronger, something he hadn't expected. At this moment, Ye Feng seemed to be one step closer to becoming a qualified believer.