Chapter 64

The number of characters in the cultivation technique was much less than Su Xiaofan had imagined.

The three pages of paper contained the cultivation technique on the first page, while the second and third pages were detailed meridian diagrams.

The meridian diagrams were drawn with great detail, and Su Xiaofan wondered how the ancients could have drawn such precise human meridians without modern instruments.

Following Jing Shizhen's requirements, Su Xiaofan needed to memorize the cultivation technique thoroughly.

For Su Xiaofan, memorizing a few hundred characters was not difficult.

Although many of the phrases were obscure and written in traditional Chinese characters, Su Xiaofan recognized most of them.

It took him about an hour and a half to memorize the entire cultivation technique.

Of course, understanding it was another matter.

Because ancient language differs from modern language, a single character in ancient language can express the meaning of a sentence, which required Jing Shizhen to explain to Su Xiaofan.

"To cultivate the technique, you must first sense the existence of qi."

Jing Shizhen took out two cushions, had Su Xiaofan sit cross-legged on one, and sat opposite him.

"Qi will appear in this position."

Jing Shizhen pointed to a spot four fingers below Su Xiaofan's navel and said, "This is called the dantian, also known as the Guanyuan point. Qi gathers here and circulates through the body's meridians. I will now explain the specific qi circulation route to you..."

The internal qi starts from the dantian, passes through the Huiyin, the anus, and follows the Du meridian along the spine through the Tailbone, Jiaji, and Yuzhen points to the top of the head, the Niwan point. It then descends through the cheeks to the tip of the tongue, connecting with the Ren meridian, and returns to the dantian along the center of the chest and abdomen.

This qi circulation route, due to its relatively small range and fewer meridians involved, is called the Small Circulation.

Completing one Small Circulation takes six hours, or twelve hours.

The Large Circulation, based on the Small Circulation, includes the eight extraordinary meridians of the limbs in addition to the Ren and Du meridians. Completing the entire route is called the Large Circulation...

"Uncle Jing, please speak more slowly. I can't remember this..."

As a top student, Su Xiaofan was experiencing difficulty for the first time in his studies.

The human meridians were too complex, and the dense text on the meridian diagram made Su Xiaofan's eyes spin.

Moreover, Su Xiaofan had no concept of the meridian qi circulation that Jing Shizhen was explaining, let alone remembering the meridians and acupoints along the way.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a general overview first to help you understand."

Jing Shizhen smiled and said, "It took me a whole year to memorize the meridian diagram. You can't expect to remember it all at once. That's not easy."

"I can't give you the cultivation technique, but I have a copy of the meridian diagram. You can refer to it while cultivating internal qi. When you can complete one Small Circulation, you will generate magical power.

At that time, I will teach you the technique of observing qi and other spells that require magical power to activate..."

"Master, how long will it take me to cultivate internal qi?"

Su Xiaofan scratched his head and asked.

"I took half a year to generate internal qi in my body..."

Jing Shizhen thought for a moment and said, "Generating internal qi and guiding it to circulate through the body is not easy. Human meridians are often blocked, and you need to use qi to unblock them. It won't be smooth at first.

Starting cultivation at a young age has its reasons, as the meridians are relatively unobstructed at that time.

However, children find it hard to understand the cultivation technique and are prone to mistakes, which can lead to severe meridian damage. That would be counterproductive.

Therefore, the best age to start cultivation is after sixteen. You are only twenty, so it's not too late."

"Master, how long will it take me to complete the Small Circulation after generating internal qi? How long did it take you?"

Su Xiaofan continued to ask. Jing Shizhen was introducing him to a completely unfamiliar field.

This field was very strange, and Su Xiaofan couldn't understand it with his previous knowledge. He could only ask questions when he didn't understand.

"It depends on your specific aptitude."

Jing Shizhen shook his head and said, "I can't guarantee it, as the time needed varies for each person.

It took me a year to complete the Small Circulation and three years to complete the Large Circulation. Don't compare yourself to me; I was a genius of my time!"

"A genius needs a year to complete the Small Circulation."

Looking at Jing Shizhen's self-satisfied face, Su Xiaofan nodded and remembered the time.

"Xiaofan, our cultivation technique is easy to start but hard to master. Find the feeling first."

Jing Shizhen stood up and said, "Don't rush into cultivation. Study the meridian circulation routes and try to sense the qi in your body."

Walking to the long table, Jing Shizhen lit a stick of incense and said, "This is genuine century-old agarwood, which helps you calm your mind and focus your qi."

"Remember, clear your mind, focus your thoughts, inhale deeply, and let the qi sink into the Guanyuan point, which is the dantian. Visualize this qi in your body..."

Jing Shizhen's voice was very soothing, gradually calming Su Xiaofan, who was initially anxious.

Following Jing Shizhen's voice, Su Xiaofan tried to find the feeling.

Perhaps it was the effect of the incense, but more likely, he was just tired from not sleeping well the night before.

A few minutes later, Su Xiaofan felt his mind was completely empty and free of worries... he fell asleep.

"Hmm? How long have I been in meditation?"

After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiaofan opened his eyes. He felt refreshed and clear-headed.

"Meditation? You slept for an hour!"

Seeing Su Xiaofan stretching, Jing Shizhen was furious.

At first, he thought Su Xiaofan had entered a meditative state and kept guiding him to sense the qi in his dantian.

But after about ten minutes, Jing Shizhen heard a strange sound and saw Su Xiaofan snoring.

"What a waste of my incense."

The incense Jing Shizhen lit was very expensive. He had spent over three million to collect century-old agarwood, which only produced a dozen or so sticks, each worth hundreds of thousands.

"Master, can you light another stick of incense, and I'll try again?"

Su Xiaofan felt his state was particularly good, thinking that another attempt might help him sense the internal qi.

"Forget it. I'll input some internal qi into your dantian and guide it through the meridians. Remember this feeling!"

Jing Shizhen shook his head. A stick of incense cost hundreds of thousands, and century-old agarwood was hard to come by. He didn't want to waste it.

"Master, can I borrow your internal qi to complete the Small Circulation directly?"

Su Xiaofan's eyes lit up. "The book says that a master guiding a disciple this way can make the process more efficient!"

"Nonsense, who wrote that? Send them a death threat later!"

Jing Shizhen's eyes widened in anger. "Guiding you through the Small Circulation would mean unblocking all your meridians. No one in the world can do that, not even me!"

The theory of human meridians is only passed down in China. The West has always been biased against meridian theory, considering it a mere imagination and non-existent.

Even in China, meridian theory is profound and difficult for beginners to understand.

Therefore, when practicing internal cultivation techniques, a slight mistake can lead to blocked meridians, causing qi to flow improperly and leading to physical problems, known as 'qi deviation.'

Jing Shizhen had cultivated qi for over fifty years and could project it externally, making him one of the top cultivators.

However, he couldn't help Su Xiaofan unblock his meridians. Allowing Su Xiaofan to sense qi was already a remarkable feat.

"Stop talking nonsense and clear your mind."

Jing Shizhen said sternly, "I'll only do this once. Focus and don't miss this opportunity!"

"Yes, Master, I will do my best!"

Su Xiaofan put away his playful expression and placed the meridian circulation diagram in front of him.

"Is this the spot? Can you sense the qi?"

Jing Shizhen placed his right hand on Su Xiaofan's abdomen and said, "Take a deep breath, hold it, and focus on sensing the qi!"

"Master, it feels like a warm current, like a little mouse."

Su Xiaofan felt that Jing Shizhen's palm was like a hot coal but not scorching. When it touched his skin, a warm current suddenly appeared below his navel.

This warm current was not still but moved around, making Su Xiaofan's abdomen feel hot.

"Don't think too much. Focus on guiding the warm current through the meridians!" Jing Shizhen said sternly.

"Yes, Master!"

Su Xiaofan knew this was a rare opportunity. He looked at the meridian diagram and visualized the warm current sinking from the dantian to the Huiyin.

[Repair Value: 106 points!]

[Small Circulation Meridian Circulation Technique: Unrepairable!]

[Small Circulation Meridian: Cultivable!]

[Cultivating the Small Circulation Meridian requires 50 repair points. Deduct?]

"Hmm? What's this? Cultivating the Small Circulation Meridian?"

Seeing the information in his mind, Su Xiaofan was confused.

Cultivating the Small Circulation Meridian required 50 repair points. Was this a form of body repair?

"Am I putting myself into a cultivation pool to cultivate?"

This thought crossed Su Xiaofan's mind.

Jing Shizhen noticed Su Xiaofan's distracted expression and said, "Xiaofan, what are you doing? Don't think too much. Focus and let the qi sink into the dantian!"

"Yes, Master!"

Su Xiaofan responded and thought, "Cultivate the Small Circulation Meridian!"

[Small Circulation Meridian: Cultivating, countdown 23:59:59...]

[Deduct 50 repair points, remaining: 56 points!]

"It takes twenty-four hours? Hmm? Why can't I move?"

Su Xiaofan thought cultivating the meridian would be similar to cultivating a magical artifact, with no impact on his movements. He was wrong.

After issuing the cultivation command, Su Xiaofan felt the warm current from Jing Shizhen's dantian start to circulate in his body.

Feeling the warm current was not strong enough, a tiny amount of energy from Su Xiaofan's mind merged with the warm current.

Su Xiaofan lost control of his body, unable to move a finger.

"Damn, this hurts!"

Suddenly, Su Xiaofan felt intense pain, like the cramp he used to get when doing splits.

Without control over his body, Su Xiaofan could only endure the pain, unable to even cry out.

The pain came and went quickly, lasting only a few seconds.

Su Xiaofan clearly felt the warm current breaking through the Huiyin and moving up the spine.

He knew this because he knew the anatomy, even if he hadn't studied meridians.

The warm current felt like a mouse, rushing through his body.

Blocked meridians were no obstacle; it just charged through.

From the spine, through the Tailbone, Jiaji, and Yuzhen points, to the top of the head, the Niwan point, then down the cheeks to the tip of the tongue, connecting with the Ren meridian, and back to the dantian.

The entire process took no more than three minutes.

Of course, these three minutes were excruciating. Su Xiaofan felt like his insides were being sliced by knives.

He could sense the warm current moving through the Small Circulation, and wherever it hurt, it was a meridian.

He felt like he was being stretched and split by several men at a dance academy.

Not to brag, but Su Xiaofan felt he could bend his body backward and touch his feet to his chin, performing a difficult yoga pose.

Amid the pain, Su Xiaofan even felt a hint of pleasure.

The warm current continued to circulate in the Small Circulation, and the pain gradually subsided.

After about seven or eight minutes, the pain disappeared, replaced by a comfortable feeling.

"Why am I sleepy again?"

Su Xiaofan was staring at the meridian diagram, but the drowsiness after completing the Small Circulation made him close his eyes.

"Can't sleep, mustn't sleep."

Su Xiaofan gave himself a strong mental hint, "Hmm, sleeping is fine as long as I don't snore. Not snoring means I'm still practicing..."

Su Xiaofan wasn't sure if he fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes, he could move again.

[Repair Value: 56 points!]

[Small Circulation Meridian Cultivation Complete!]

Two messages appeared in Su Xiaofan's mind.

Without opening his eyes, Su Xiaofan followed the technique and sensed his body.

"Did I completely open the Small Circulation?"

A warm current flowed smoothly through the Small Circulation, moving quickly.

It took only six minutes.

Su Xiaofan felt the internal qi in his body, like a Porsche 911, speeding from the dantian to the Huiyin, then to the chest and abdomen, and back to the dantian.

After one Small Circulation, Su Xiaofan clearly felt the warm current in his dantian had grown slightly.

"Master said it takes six hours, twelve hours, to complete one Small Circulation?"

Su Xiaofan opened his eyes, confused, but was startled when he saw Jing Shizhen staring at him with red eyes.