Chapter 1

Sleeping like a god, sleeping like a god, lying high on the stone root, forgetting the years, the three lights sink and the nature is naturally round.

Qi returns to the mysterious aperture, breath follows the natural course.

Do not scatter, must be calm, nurturing the nature until it is round, waiting for the lead flower to appear.

Do not lose, have precautions; true fire, operate in the middle.

Practice seven returns, not difficult; refine nine returns, what to lament.

Silently observe the battle of dragons and tigers, secretly reverse the yin and yang.

People say I am a dazed man, but I am awake, yet not awake.

Learned, true seated meditation.

Cultivated, true fetal essence.

When the sleeping dragon rises, it ascends to heaven.

This hibernation method, who passed it down?

The disheveled Taoist Zhang Fengxian.

This is a poem called "Hibernating Dragon Chant," written by Zhang Sanfeng.

It describes how humans can reach the realm of "heaven and man as one" through meditation and sleep.

At this time, it is already the year 2250, and humanity has long entered the star river era. Ancient cultivation has not declined but has flourished instead.

"Deep sleep! You must enter deep sleep to enhance your vitality!"

A shrill scream echoed in the 3000 square meter sports classroom.

The voice came from a female teacher.

She had almond eyes and peach cheeks, a light and supple figure, and was a beauty. Unfortunately, her demeanor was very fierce, her sharpness fully revealed, making her seem like a curved blade. People who met her gaze felt as if their throats were being cut, suffocating.

"Jiang Li, Sister Dao is angry." Behind him, his best friend Guo Meng whispered to Jiang Li.

"Shh..." Jiang Li waved his finger: "Be quiet. Deep sleep, it's not that easy. In the entire school with over 800,000 students, there might not be 50 who can do it."

"Sister Dao" is the nickname of the female teacher. It is rumored that she was once a female soldier and became a teacher after retiring.

Jiang Li is a senior high school student, attending a mental training class.

Mental training is the most important course for students now, surpassing even physical training.

Through practices like sitting meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation, students can strengthen their minds, focus their spirits, and better control their breathing, heartbeat, pulse, and other bodily functions.

When mental training reaches a profound level, people will experience "deep sleep."

Studies have shown that one hour of deep sleep is much more effective than seven or eight hours of light sleep for ordinary people.

By saving seven hours of sleep each day, how much time can people save for studying and doing things?

The effect of one hour of deep sleep can make a person energetic and have an excellent memory for the whole day. Over time, this can lead to a strong body and longevity.

"Do not think mental training is unimportant. I'll give you an example. In the past, there were two terminally ill patients. One didn't know his condition, was happy every day, and his mood was pleasant. As a result, his immune cells increased, killing the diseased cells and regaining health. The other knew his condition, fell into despair, and died within a few days, even though he had a chance of recovery." Sister Dao continued her lesson, her voice sharp enough for everyone to hear. "This is the power of the mind!"

"Zhang Yue!"

Sister Dao pointed to a tall, handsome male student who was 1.9 meters tall: "You are the only one in this class of thousands of students who has entered deep sleep. Show everyone."

"Teacher, I don't think it's necessary to demonstrate." Zhang Yue, the class president, didn't look up to anyone in the class and just smiled coldly: "Mental cultivation is a talent. Those who can understand it are geniuses; those who can't are useless for life."

"What a show-off!" Guo Meng, his best friend, said angrily.

"He relies purely on resources." Jiang Li was somewhat disdainful: "His family is rich, and he uses precious incense to calm his mind and improve his brain every night. He also hires hypnotists to hypnotize him. Without these resources, he wouldn't enter deep sleep. If he demonstrates now, he'll definitely be exposed."

"Exactly, only those who can enter deep sleep without any assistance are geniuses!" Guo Meng nodded: "But his vitality score is getting stronger, already reaching 0.9."

"What's the big deal? His score is only in the top 100 in the school." Another student was dismissive: "The top three in the school might not even get into Starlight University."

"Right, only those who can get into Starlight University are truly capable."

"Be quiet, if Zhang Yue hears, he'll cause trouble. A 0.9 vitality can easily handle ten of us."

"If my family could afford a hypnotist, I could be hypnotized into deep sleep every day, increasing my physical and mental abilities."

"Sure, but to hypnotize someone into deep sleep, that's a mid-level hypnotist, and they charge over a thousand star coins per session!"... Some students were whispering.

Starlight University is the best institution of higher learning for humanity, the dream of countless students.

Vitality is the score of the students, encompassing physical and cultural aspects.

Physical fitness is the main component, while cultural knowledge is secondary, a significant change from 200 years ago.

In the star river era, the education system has long abandoned the mountain of books and endless exams.

Two hundred years ago, high school students only valued cultural scores, resulting in some fainting or even dying during a 1000-meter run. This is now a big joke.

Jiang Li's vitality is 0.7, average, just passing, but he can run 100 meters in 10 seconds, close to the world champion of that time.

"Alright, Zhang Yue, sit down." Sister Dao nodded, not scolding Zhang Yue, as he is the best student in the class: "Don't be arrogant. Deep sleep has three stages. You are at the first stage, so your vitality is only 0.9. To get into Starlight University, you still have a long way to go! At the third stage, the mind sleeps but the body doesn't, the body sleeps but the mind doesn't. Entering sleep during movement, like the ancient drunken fist, where mental stimulation of the adrenal gland is like taking a stimulant, making each punch powerful, allowing one to soar into the sky."

"Teacher, rest assured. By the end of this semester, I will definitely reach a vitality of 1!" Zhang Yue was confident: "And in the next semester, I will be even stronger!"

Students with a vitality of "1" are considered exceptional. They run faster than cheetahs, have the strength to tear apart tigers and wolves, and excel in cultural courses, making them all-around talents.

"Now, start following my training."

Sister Dao clapped her hands and sat cross-legged on the mat: "First, calm your mind. I will guide you through crystal meditation. Imagine your body is a crystal filled with impurities! With each breath, the air is like water, cleansing your body. With each exhalation, the water carries away the impurities. Over time, your body will become increasingly clear!"

Crystal meditation.

This is the main course of mental cultivation.

It involves meditating on a crystal to clear the mind of distractions.

This is a basic meditation, but it is difficult to master. It is the safest and most effective method developed by many mental masters. Other methods, such as the Buddhist impurity view and the white bone view, can easily cause mental disorders and hallucinations.

On the large screen in the training room, a three-dimensional crystal projection appeared, vivid and lifelike, carved into a human form.

This human-shaped crystal breathed, and the impurities inside gradually became transparent, eventually becoming completely pure.

The mind is like a clear mirror.

This is the image of meditation.

Jiang Li tried to meditate and breathe, but he could not enter the state, his mind not focused.

This is a common problem for most people.

"How can I concentrate and enter the state of crystal meditation?" Jiang Li became increasingly frustrated. The more anxious he became, the less he could focus.

After a set of crystal meditation movements, Sister Dao scanned the thousands of students in the class with a sharp gaze. Seeing that over 90% were pretending, with short breaths, accelerated heartbeats, and restless minds, she shouted loudly: "Stop!"

The students opened their eyes.

Sister Dao was about to scold them but thought better of it and said slowly: "What is inner strength? Subduing the mind is inner strength. You have probably read a novel called 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' by Jin Yong from 200 years ago. There is a part about the Shaolin Temple's Prajna Vajra Palm inner strength secret: 'If you are restless at night, with thoughts flying, how do you subdue them?' This actually comes from the Chan Buddhist classic 'Five Lamps Assembly,' but the novelist used it as an inner strength secret, which is correct. True inner strength is this. It's not about a palm strike, with true qi and inner strength flying everywhere. Hehe... mental influence on matter is not so easy."

"Alright, back to the topic. When you meditate, your mind wanders, you are restless at night, with thoughts flying, and flowers falling from the sky. This is a normal phenomenon. Even Zen masters with years of practice cannot overcome this. The mind is like Sun Wukong, not so easy to subdue."

"Mental cultivation, first deep sleep! Then enter a state of meditation! Further, fetal breathing! Each stage is more difficult than the last," Sister Dao waved her hand: "You don't understand, and I won't explain. Class dismissed today!"

Hearing the announcement of the end of class, all the students relaxed, waiting for Sister Dao to leave the sports room before dispersing in groups.

Jiang Li was also preparing to go home for dinner.

"Jiang Li!"

Suddenly, he was called by someone, and a tall figure appeared in front of him.

It was Zhang Yue.

"What is it?" Jiang Li took a step back. At 1.75 meters, he felt suffocated facing the 1.9-meter-tall Zhang Yue, a feeling of being overpowered by vitality.

Zhang Yue, with a vitality of 0.9, was too strong. In a fight, ten Jiang Lis would not be a match for him.

Students with a vitality of 0.8 could defeat four or five Jiang Lis.

A difference of 0.1 in vitality represents a significant difference in physical ability.

"I heard you go to the park to feed stray cats every day?" Zhang Yue looked down with disdain, his hands behind his back: "Luo Han sometimes feeds with you? I warn you, best to give up this foolish behavior."

"What gives you the right to interfere with my affairs?" Jiang Li was inwardly angry.

"Simple, by my strength and my family's status." Zhang Yue rubbed his hands, the sound of his bones cracking, making people wary: "Remember, don't argue with me, or I'll tear your mouth apart. Luo Han is not someone you can approach. A toad can never eat a swan."

"Class President, Class President." Seeing Jiang Li about to suffer, his best friend Guo Meng quickly came forward with a smile: "Luo Han is one of the four goddesses of the school. Ordinary students like us don't have such thoughts. By the way, Jiang Li's brother, Jiang Tao, is also finishing school and will be going home to eat together."

"Jiang Tao!" Hearing this name, Class President Zhang Yue's eyes showed a hint of hesitation but still sneered: "I am giving you a verbal warning today. If I hear you feeding stray cats with Luo Han again, you know the consequences."

With that, he turned and left.

"Phew, that was close." Guo Meng was drenched in cold sweat: "If Zhang Yue beats us up, we have no chance to fight back."

"Let's go. In school, he won't dare to fight." Jiang Li's face was grim, not saying anything harsh. He knew the gap between him and Zhang Yue was too large, but that didn't mean he would give up.

"Be careful. Zhang Yue is strong and from a wealthy family. If he targets you, you'll be in trouble." Guo Meng was very worried: "I think you should temporarily avoid seeing Luo Han. She is a school celebrity with a vitality of 1, and her family is very wealthy. Contacting her will bring a lot of trouble."

"I know, I won't act foolishly." Jiang Li's eyes flickered; he yearned for strength.

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{A new chapter, a good start. Everyone, please support me, throw your votes, and don't forget to bookmark! The success of my new book depends on all of you. Also, the inner strength secret of the Prajna Vajra Palm in 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' comes from 'Five Lamps Assembly' Volume 8, which reads: "Someone once asked: 'When I sit at night, my thoughts fly, and I do not know how to subdue them. Please instruct me.' The master said: 'If you sit at night and your thoughts fly, use the flying thoughts to investigate the source of the flying. Investigate and find no source, then where do the flying thoughts exist? Return to investigate the investigating mind, then where is the mind that can investigate? The wisdom that can illuminate is inherently empty, and the object of focus is also silent. Both the object and the wisdom are silent, and the mind is calm. Do not seek dust outside, do not dwell on stillness inside, both paths are extinguished, and the nature is peaceful. This is the essential path to return to the source.' This is actually the first essential step in any inner strength cultivation and sitting meditation. In this book, I will write more about practical cultivation knowledge. I hope experts will correct me. As for the concept of vitality index, modern science has already proposed it. You can search for it; it's a very interesting concept.}

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