Chapter 65

"Master, what's wrong?"

Looking at Uncle Jing's bloodshot eyes, Su Xiaofan felt that he suddenly looked much more haggard.

"What's the matter with you? Did you fall asleep again?"

Jing Shizhen's eyes carried a hint of disbelief.

"No!"

Su Xiaofan firmly denied, "Master, I was practicing, I definitely didn't snore!"

Su Xiaofan felt that he had only closed his eyes for a moment, even though a long time had passed, he shouldn't have snored.

Moreover, he had slept for an hour earlier and entered a deep sleep. Under less fatigue, he usually didn't snore.

"Did you... enter a meditative state just now?"

Jing Shizhen's voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, I think I entered a meditative state."

Su Xiaofan nodded and said, "Master, how long did it take you to unblock the Small Circulation?"

Su Xiaofan remembered that his master had said it took him a year to unblock the Small Circulation, while he only took twenty-four hours. Su Xiaofan was a bit unsure if he had really unblocked the Small Circulation meridians.

"I... I spent a day!"

Jing Shizhen waved his hand, avoiding the topic, "Su Xiaofan, do you know how long it has been since you entered the meditative state?"

"Ten minutes?"

It was time to act, Su Xiaofan raised his head in surprise. Of course, he knew how long it had been; the countdown in the Nurturing Pool had already ended.

"Bullshit, you were in a meditative state for twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours!"

Jing Shizhen's behavior was a bit out of control, as this day had been very tough on him.

After Jing Shizhen used his own magical power, which was internal energy, to guide Su Xiaofan,

Jing Shizhen suddenly realized that Su Xiaofan had entered a state of complete absorption (in reality, his eyes were lifeless, and he couldn't control his body).

Later, Su Xiaofan closed his eyes, and Jing Shizhen could sense that he seemed to be using the internal energy he had input to impact the Small Circulation.

At that moment, Jing Shizhen almost panicked.

In Daoist theory, when a person is in the womb, they are in a pre-natal state, with a continuous flow of pre-natal energy.

But as soon as they are born, they inhale impure air, and the grains and vegetables they eat later make their bodies impure, causing the originally unobstructed meridians to gradually atrophy and block.

By the time a person is in their twenties, many meridians are already blocked and narrowed.

Unblocking the Small Circulation meridians must be done step by step.

Otherwise, it could damage the meridians, leading to serious illness or even death.

Jing Shizhen wanted to wake Su Xiaofan, but he didn't dare, because the most taboo thing during the process of guiding energy through the meridians is external interference.

He didn't even dare to make a sound, only lighting a stick of incense, hoping it would help Su Xiaofan.

But after all five sticks of incense were burned, Su Xiaofan still hadn't woken up, which made Jing Shizhen realize something was wrong.

At that time, Su Xiaofan's state was very similar to the legendary sudden enlightenment.

Sudden enlightenment in cultivation is a sudden understanding, like "searching for something in vain, only to find it effortlessly."

A difficult barrier that was hard to break through could be easily overcome in a state of sudden enlightenment.

In Daoist terms, sudden enlightenment is also called "oneness with heaven and earth," where such miraculous effects can only occur.

However, after cultivating for fifty or sixty years, Jing Shizhen had only heard of sudden enlightenment and had never seen it, let alone experienced it himself.

So he couldn't be sure if Su Xiaofan had entered a state of sudden enlightenment, and could only wait by his side.

After about ten hours, Jing Shizhen was certain that Su Xiaofan had indeed experienced sudden enlightenment.

Because from Su Xiaofan's body, a foul, fishy smell was emitted.

Jing Shizhen had experience with this, knowing it was the toxins expelled from the body after unblocking the Small Circulation.

This meant that Su Xiaofan had completely unblocked the Small Circulation, which could only happen in a state of sudden enlightenment.

"Master, where is it so smelly?"

For some reason, Su Xiaofan's sense of smell seemed much more sensitive after unblocking the Small Circulation.

He sniffed and almost fainted from the stench, "Master, don't you have an exhaust fan in this dark room? Why is it so smelly, is the sewer clogged?"

"Exactly, it's your sewer that's clogged."

Jing Shizhen said irritably, "Go upstairs and take a shower quickly. Don't keep your clothes, find some in the wardrobe upstairs. There are my son's clothes."

Shocked by Su Xiaofan's state of sudden enlightenment, Jing Shizhen hadn't noticed the smell at first. Now, hearing Su Xiaofan's words, he also felt unable to bear it.

"The smell on me?"

Su Xiaofan sniffed and almost fainted from the stench, quickly rushing out of the dark room.

He didn't know what the black grime on his body was, but it was dirty, smelly, and greasy.

Su Xiaofan used up an entire bottle of shower gel before he felt less greasy.

"Wow, this cultivation technique is indeed extraordinary."

While drying himself with a towel, Su Xiaofan noticed that the scars from climbing trees and catching fish in his childhood had all disappeared.

Growing up in the countryside, Su Xiaofan had naturally done farm work, and his skin wasn't very good. But now, it felt smooth and even a bit whiter.

"It seems Master's good looks are indeed due to this cultivation technique."

Thinking of how Jing Shizhen looked only in his forties despite being over seventy, Su Xiaofan felt relieved.

In the wardrobe, there were several neatly hung rows of clothes.

Su Xiaofan found some unopened underwear in the drawer, and many of the pants and T-shirts in the wardrobe still had tags.

"Rich people are really decadent."

Su Xiaofan muttered, but he didn't hesitate to put on the clothes of a brand he recognized.

As the saying goes, "a day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father." Su Xiaofan had bowed and formally recognized his master, calling him "Master" rather than "Teacher."

This kind of master-disciple relationship was once as close as father and son, and no one would be so formal with their own father.

"Come and sit."

When Su Xiaofan walked out of the room, he saw Uncle Jing sitting in a redwood armchair in the second-floor hall.

A set of tea ware was placed on the table in front of the armchair, and the freshly brewed tea was steaming.

"You look presentable now."

Jing Shizhen glanced at Su Xiaofan, though he was still angry, he couldn't help but praise him.

Su Xiaofan was already good-looking, standing at 1.8 meters tall, with long eyebrows, a straight nose, and thin lips, he was definitely a handsome young man.

After unblocking the Small Circulation, he had an even more composed and elegant demeanor, making Jing Shizhen think of the phrase "a man of jade on the road, unmatched in the world."

"Master, I can't compare to you."

Su Xiaofan wasn't being modest; if he was a handsome young man, then Jing Shizhen was definitely a handsome old man, and he seemed to be very popular now.

"Hmm? Are you mocking your master?"

Jing Shizhen, who had a knot in his heart, suddenly changed his expression and wanted to give the young man in front of him a slap.

"No, Master, I'm saying you are more handsome!"

Su Xiaofan knew his master was competitive. He had clearly heard the numbers one year and three years earlier, but when he asked his master just now, the time to unblock the Small Circulation had become one day.

"Tell me, what happened just now? How did you suddenly unblock the Small Circulation?"

Jing Shizhen's expression was calm, but his heart was itchy like it was being scratched by a cat.

"I don't know."

Su Xiaofan first poured tea into the empty cup in front of Jing Shizhen, then said with a puzzled look, "I just followed what Master said, trying to feel how the internal energy impacts the meridians.

After I started the cultivation technique, my mind suddenly buzzed, and the internal energy you transmitted to me started to circulate automatically. Then I woke up..."

He couldn't mention the repair system or the Nurturing Pool to his master.

Su Xiaofan could only pretend to be confused. This didn't cost anything, and it all relied on acting. Su Xiaofan increasingly felt the need to audit classes at the Central Academy of Drama or the Beijing Film Academy.

"Sudden enlightenment, this... this is sudden enlightenment!"

Hearing Su Xiaofan's words, Jing Shizhen blurted out.

"Master, what is sudden enlightenment? Can one sudden enlightenment unblock the Small Circulation?"

Su Xiaofan pretended to be confused, "If I have another sudden enlightenment, can I unblock the Great Circulation?"

"Do you think sudden enlightenment is that easy? Your teacher... I..."

Jing Shizhen retracted his words, "Your teacher only experiences sudden enlightenment occasionally, and it all depends on luck.

We can't rely on luck for our efforts. In the future, you should practice more, and it's best to complete a Small Circulation every day...

If you persist, you can gradually strengthen your internal energy, and when you try to unblock the Great Circulation, it will be much easier!"

"Only one Small Circulation a day?"

Su Xiaofan was stunned. It seemed that he only needed six minutes to complete a Small Circulation, so did that mean he only needed to practice for six minutes a day?

"Yes, one Small Circulation takes twelve hours. Only a complete Small Circulation can strengthen your internal energy, so you must persist."

Jing Shizhen nodded. Besides practicing, one also needs to eat, drink, and use the bathroom. It's impossible to sit in meditation for twenty-four hours a day.

"Master, is there any way to shorten the time to complete a Small Circulation?"

Su Xiaofan didn't dare to mention his internal condition. He could see that his master was a bit envious of his "sudden enlightenment" just now.

"Yes, once you master the circulation route and your internal energy expands your meridians, the time to complete a Small Circulation will be greatly reduced."

Jing Shizhen took a sip of tea and said proudly, "Now, I only need one hour to complete a Small Circulation..."

"Spit..."

Hearing Jing Shizhen's words, Su Xiaofan couldn't help but spit out the tea he had just sipped.

"Master, you... you can complete a Small Circulation in just two hours?!"

Realizing he had lost his composure, Su Xiaofan immediately managed his expression, his face full of shock.