Chapter 11: Guidance
Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Guidance
"Why did you come up?"
Fang Chen was a little surprised. "Didn’t we agree to wait on the first floor?"
Xia Chu skipped over to him, tilting her head with a smile.
"Tch, what’s wrong? Afraid I’ll bump into you and your little fangirl in your class?"
She mimicked the tone of the girl from earlier. "’Thank you, Squad Leader! Love you!’ HAHA, don’t worry. Didn’t I go through the same phase back then? I won’t get jealous."
Fang Chen shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to speak, his gaze suddenly fixed on her.
"Don’t move," he said in a low voice. "There’s a bee on your clothes."
With a light SMACK, he reached out and patted Xia Chu’s waist.
Xia Chu shrank her shoulders. "Did you kill it?"
"No, it flew away."
Xia Chu’s eyes curved into crescents.
"Tch, Chen, where did you learn these tricks? They’re totally outdated! And you’re even learning how to take advantage of girls, HEEHEE. Has your blockhead finally figured things out?"
Fang Chen explained seriously, "There really was a bee resting on your clothes."
Xia Chu burst out laughing. "What, the number one Martial Artist of The Three Greats couldn’t even hit a bee? Fine, fine, I believe you."
"I was afraid of hurting you, so I didn’t dare use force," Fang Chen told the truth.
Xia Chu immediately put on a fake tearful expression of being deeply moved. "Mm-hmm, Chen, you really care about me so much!"
"Drama queen."
Fang Chen chuckled, reaching out to pinch her cheek.
"Ouch," Xia Chu dodged. "Chen, why do you like pinching my face so much these past two days?"
Fang Chen paused, thinking of her frozen figure in the Time Stop Domain.
"Just testing how it feels."
"Tch, I’m not a child anymore."
Xia Chu curled her lips, but quietly held his hand tightly.
The two walked downstairs side by side. As they neared the school gate, Fang Chen suddenly asked, "How is your practice with the Righteous Qi Technique coming along?"
Xia Chu instantly scrunched her face and scratched her head. "Don’t bring it up. I tried Qi Condensation again last night, but my Dantian is still completely empty."
She suddenly became alert. "Ah! Chen, you’re not planning to give me extra practice, are you?"
Xia Chu straightened her back and pretended to be serious. "I can do it! No matter how hard it is, I will persevere! Please instruct me, Squad Leader Fang!"
Fang Chen was amused by her. "If I dared to keep you for extra practice, your parents would probably rush into the school to hack me to pieces right away."
"Why would they?" Xia Chu retorted. "My parents are really nice. Didn’t I tell you yesterday? They like you a lot."
Fang Chen did not reply.
Having cultivated the Righteous Qi Technique to its peak within the Time Stop Domain, he had gained an entirely new understanding of Qi Condensation.
After a moment of silence, he spoke up, "I’ve gained some new insights regarding the Righteous Qi Technique. Do you want to give it a try?"
"Yes, yes!" Xia Chu’s eyes lit up. "What should I do?"
Fang Chen pointed toward the corner of the playground. "Go to the plum blossom poles over there."
"Okay!"
The two arrived at the plum blossom poles and sat down with their backs resting against the pillars.
"Stand like a pine between heaven and earth; Focusing on the Dantian to observe the self.
"Seek not the false and true without; free and natural breathing is the door.
"Endless and subtle, returning to the primal sea; gathering and scattering like clouds without effort.
"Circulation is never deliberate; when water flows, a channel forms naturally to reveal the truth..."
Fang Chen first recited the chant once.
Xia Chu hugged her knees and listened attentively. She had long since memorized these chants by heart.
After reciting the chant, Fang Chen shifted the topic and began to explain his insights.
"The traditional Qi Condensation Method makes people blindly pursue ’Focusing on the Dantian.’ Their minds become as tense as if they are hunting. For someone who has yet to achieve Qi Sensing, this actually just wastes mental energy and adds to their anxiety."
Xia Chu nodded vigorously; this was exactly her biggest struggle.
Fang Chen continued, extending his hand with his palm facing up in a supporting gesture. "Stop treating True Qi as an enemy or prey that needs to be caught.
"Imagine it as... the dew that naturally forms on leaves in the early morning. What you need to do is not to manufacture the dew, but to create a suitable environment for it to condense.
"Your breathing is the key to regulating this environment. When you inhale, imagine your Aura as a gentle breeze brushing through your limbs and bones. Relax, and relax some more, letting the internal space of your body open up.
"When you exhale, let your consciousness sink gently toward your lower abdomen along with the airflow. However, do not squeeze it forcefully. Instead, be like you are waiting for dew to settle—simply hold the thought of ’allowing it to happen.’
"’Free and natural breathing is the door, gathering and scattering like clouds without effort.’ The core principle is ’effortlessness.’
"The more relaxed you are, the less you force it, and that breath of air will naturally condense when you least expect it."
Xia Chu listened with a radiant light in her eyes, as if a thin paper window blocking her understanding had just been pierced.
She said in pleasant surprise, "Oh? Changing from desperately grabbing to creating an environment and waiting for it to condense. It can be done like this? I’ll give it a try!"
She immediately adjusted her posture on the ground and began meditating to channel her qi.
Fang Chen stood up and let her cultivate in peace. Fortunately, the students had all rushed out quickly after school ended, so there weren’t many people left on campus now.
Half an hour later, Xia Chu opened her eyes and said excitedly, "Wow, Chen, it feels completely different! Even though I still haven’t managed Qi Condensation to produce True Qi, I have a feeling that I’ll succeed in a month—no, half a month!"
Fang Chen nodded. "Yeah, but you must guard against arrogance and impatience. A ninety-mile journey is only half of a hundred-mile one. Sometimes, falling short by just a tiny thread can very well lead to failure."
Xia Chu nodded and curiously leaned her face closer. "Chen!"
"Hm?"
"These are your current insights, but how did you cultivate True Qi back then?"
"Me?" Fang Chen thought for a moment. "Well, back when I was hitting my growth spurt, I felt like I had endless energy inside me. I just pushed through, and it was done."
Xia Chu went, "Huh?"
She pouted and mumbled, "BOOHOO, I really am a piece of trash. Chen, you’re such a bully."
Fang Chen patted her back. "Let’s go. Tomorrow, I’ll channel my qi to perform a complete Circulation cycle in your body. You can experience the flow of True Qi, which will help you break through later."
Hearing this, Xia Chu’s face lit up with excitement. "Why do we have to wait until tomorrow? Can’t we do it now?"
"Now?" He pointed at the clock hanging on the teaching building. "It’s already very late. Your parents must be getting anxious waiting for you."
"Oh~"
Xia Chu reluctantly dragged her feet as she followed Fang Chen out of the school gates.