Chapter 286 - 275: Meridian Opening
Chapter 286: Chapter 275: Meridian Opening
Wendao Peak, Thousand Steps Cliff.
In the early morning, as dawn broke across the sky, the forty-five new disciples of the Spirit Dao Institute gathered at the top of the cliff.
The clifftop was dominated by a colossal, square-shaped boulder, measuring a thousand paces in both length and width, from which the cliff derived its name.
The disciples sat cross-legged with their eyes closed and heads bowed, using the nodes of the Spiritual Roots in their spines to feel the Spiritual Qi swirling around them.
At this hour, the Spiritual Qi was at its purest. Although they couldn’t absorb it yet, they could sense its presence and develop a "qi sense," preparing them for the subsequent Meridian Opening.
Logically, Spiritual Qi should flow like water, distributing itself evenly across the Xuanyuan Continent, but that wasn’t the case.
Veins of Spiritual Qi were contained within the earth, known as Spirit Veins.
Wherever a Spirit Vein existed, cultivators would gather.
To prevent the Spiritual Qi from leaking and dissipating, cultivators would set up Gathering Spirit Arrays around the Spirit Veins, which led to an uneven distribution of Spiritual Qi.
This gave rise to the saying: A mountain need not be high; its fame comes from the "immortal" who resides there.
Spirit Veins were graded from Tier One to Tier Five based on their Spiritual Qi content, with each tier further subdivided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Grades.
Han Chi County possessed a Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Vein, enough to support a thousand cultivators.
’Judging by the Elder’s tone when he finished his lecture yesterday, we’re probably opening our meridians today.’
As the red sun rose, all of creation stirred to life, and turbid qi began to emerge. Zhao Lin slowly opened his eyes.
Seven days had passed in a flash since he joined the Chenghua Sect. His greatest impression over these days could be summed up in one word: freedom.
As long as he stayed within the areas permitted by his jade token, he could go wherever he pleased. The Spirit Dao Institute held a two-hour lecture each day, and the rest of the time was his to command.
The elders and senior apprentice-brothers in charge of teaching were responsible, but they never excessively restricted the disciples or nagged them incessantly. Everything depended on self-discipline.
No wonder it was said that cultivation was actually about pursuing two things: freedom and long life. Neither could be missing.
With so much free time, Zhao Lin not only observed his surroundings to broaden his horizons but also continued to practice his martial arts.
The Spirit Dao Institute’s Demonstration Pavilion had a demonstration platform. The teaching seniors would sometimes demonstrate Magic on it, and senior disciples who had entered the institute a year or two earlier often dueled and competed there.
The power of Magic was indeed extraordinary, far more wondrous than martial arts.
Take the most basic Wind Blade, for example.
A Blood Realm martial artist could condense their vigorous qi into a blade, and a Primordial Realm martial artist could even project that blade outward.
However, no matter how strong their martial arts, their attacks could reach a distance of three to five zhang at most. Moreover, once the wind blade was released, they lost all control over its trajectory.
But a "Spiritual Energy Blade" created with Magic was different. Its attack range could reach several dozen zhang, and it could be controlled at will, making it incredibly difficult to defend against.
In terms of lethality and flexibility, the two were on completely different levels.
If he could get within three zhang, Zhao Lin was confident he could compete with a cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.
’But... just having that thought already puts me in a position of weakness.’
As for a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he had almost no chance of victory.
This was because cultivators who reached the Late-stage of Qi Refining could instantly summon a Body-Protecting Spiritual Energy Shield, making a successful sneak attack nearly impossible.
Even so, Zhao Lin had no intention of abandoning his martial arts.
Before he reached the Late-stage of Qi Refining, his martial arts still had their uses, at least as a hidden ace.
Besides, Zhao Lin felt that once his body was filled with Spiritual Qi, the power of his martial arts would naturally rise as well.
"You have been in the sect for seven days. I trust you now understand how to cultivate and have a thorough grasp of guiding Spiritual Qi into your bodies. It is time to open your meridians!"
After returning from Thousand Steps Cliff, Elder Wu spoke with a solemn expression in the Transmission Hall.
Dean Zhou Hongfang and Dao Proctor Nie Kui were also seated to the side.
Hearing this, the disciples’ faces filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
Once their meridians were open, they would shed their mortal bodies and officially become cultivators. How could these youths not be thrilled?
Over the past few days, the teaching elder had already explained the method for Meridian Opening clearly.
The human body is a world unto itself, and cultivation still centers on meridians and acupoints.
For someone like Zhao Lin with a background in martial arts, the principles were instantly clear. Even the majority of youths who had never practiced martial arts grasped them without much difficulty.
Among those with talented Spiritual Roots, there were no fools.
Elder Wu picked up a jade box beside him and gently lifted the lid, revealing several dozen brown pills.
Meridian Opening Pills!
Meridian Opening was the first step on the path of cultivation. Simply put, it involved guiding Spiritual Qi into the body to cleanse the meridians and condense one’s Divine Sense.
This step would normally take several days, or even half a month, but with the help of a Meridian Opening Pill, it could be accomplished in less than half a day.
As long as one possessed a Spiritual Root of Lower Grade or higher, taking a Meridian Opening Pill guaranteed a nearly one-hundred-percent chance of breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm.
However, those with a Mortal Spirit Root had only a twenty to thirty percent success rate, which was why a Lower Grade Spiritual Root was considered the dividing line for being able to cultivate.
Despite its great effect, the Meridian Opening Pill was not considered particularly precious.
This was because a cultivator could still break through to the Qi Refining Realm without it; it would just take more time.
Furthermore, the grade of a pill was related to one’s realm. The higher the realm, the higher the grade of the pills needed.
Taking a Meridian Opening Pill was merely for entering the Qi Refining Realm, making it far less precious than the "Foundation Establishment Pill," which could help a cultivator break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
And the "Dragon Ascending Pill," which could increase a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator’s chances of breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm, was so rare it was priceless.
"Come forward and take one each."
As Elder Wu’s voice fell, the disciples stepped forward one by one to receive a Meridian Opening Pill.
Zhao Lin held the pill in his hand, sniffed it carefully, and committed its scent to memory.
He was not yet familiar with the Spirit Grass of the Cultivation Realm and could only identify the scents of about twenty to thirty different medicinal ingredients.
The disciples returned to their spots, and the Transmission Hall fell quiet, with only the sound of breathing audible.
Elder Wu nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "You may begin. We are here to act as your Guardians, so you have nothing to fear. Proceed boldly with the technique!"
Most of the disciples were nervous, glancing around, wanting to wait for others to take the pill first. A few, however, were more decisive and swallowed the pill in one gulp.
Zhao Lin paid no mind to the others. He calmed his heart, held his breath, and focused his spirit, allowing himself to enter a relaxed state before swallowing the Meridian Opening Pill.
A series of gulps echoed through the Transmission Hall.
The pill entered his stomach, and its medicinal power slowly began to spread.
Following the guidance technique taught by the elder, Zhao Lin directed the medicinal power to his Qi Sea and began to apply constant pressure to it.
Driven by the medicinal power, the Qi Sea Acupoint suddenly collapsed inward before abruptly expanding, naturally generating a suction force.
This force reached the nodes of the Spiritual Root in his spine, causing the surrounding Spiritual Qi to stir restlessly.
Zhao Lin couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at the power of these pills.
The Spiritual Qi gathered near his spine but could not find a way in.
Zhao Lin wasn’t anxious. He simply followed the incantation, repeatedly compressing his Qi Sea, causing it to collapse and expand, over and over.
After about a quarter of an hour, a vortex of qi formed in his Qi Sea Acupoint.
It felt as if a small bead was spinning constantly in his lower abdomen.
Having practiced martial arts for many years, this was the first time Zhao Lin had ever experienced such a sensation.
The small bead spun faster and faster, and the qi vortex gradually expanded like a whirlpool, its suction growing ever stronger.
After the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, it all came together. The Spiritual Qi forced open the "Gate of Life" acupoint in his spine and surged into his body. It then traveled from the Governing Vessel to the Conception Vessel before converging in his Qi Sea!
Unlike the vigorous qi and Primordial Qi from his martial arts training, Spiritual Qi was as dense as grease and brimming with life. Though it trickled like a small stream, it carried the vastness of an ocean.
When his Qi Sea Acupoint was full to bursting, unable to hold another wisp of Spiritual Qi, Zhao Lin knew the time had come. His Qi Sea reversed its rotation, pushing the Spiritual Qi into his meridians.
The Spiritual Qi circulated through his meridians, beginning a new cycle each time it finished, washing over them again and again.
After forty-nine complete cycles, there was a sudden "POP."
Something seemed to explode between Zhao Lin’s brows. It was like a sudden, profound enlightenment. First, there was a gray haze, which then cleared to become perfectly transparent, giving birth to a vast Sea of Consciousness.
He felt refreshed and clear-headed, as if he had opened a pair of celestial eyes. Every detail within a ten-zhang radius was rendered with perfect clarity.
Meridian Opening successful!
Zhao Lin was the first to succeed in opening his meridians. The Dean and the two elders sensed it immediately, but there was no surprise on their faces.
Martial Cultivators were naturally adept at this process; it was only logical that he would be the first to succeed.
Despite crossing the threshold of cultivation, Zhao Lin showed no joy on his face, for there was another important matter to attend to: opening his acupoints.
The human body has over four hundred acupoints, but not all of them can be used for cultivation.
Only one hundred and eight of them, the Innate acupoints, could sense and contain the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. These were also known as "Qi Acupoints" or "Spiritual Acupoints."
By opening these Qi Acupoints, one could absorb Spiritual Qi and convert it into their own Mana.
Cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm focused on cultivating these one hundred and eight Qi Acupoints. For each one opened, their Mana would grow stronger.
And for every twelve Qi Acupoints opened, a quantitative change would lead to a qualitative one, and their cultivation level would rise by a layer.
Thus, the Qi Refining Stage was divided into nine layers. Layers one to three were the Early-stage of Qi Refining, layers four to six were the Middle-stage, and layers seven to nine were the Late-stage.
Right after a successful Meridian Opening, the body was at its most active. One had to seize this opportunity to open as many Qi Acupoints as possible.
But at this stage, Zhao Lin encountered an obstacle.
It was the same situation he had faced in the Innate Realm: after years of martial arts practice, his acupoints had been tempered and honed countless times, making them tough and solid, and extremely difficult to open.
At this moment, he finally understood why Martial Cultivators were considered a separate faction.
He used to think that since he had developed a Spiritual Root and was practicing the same Cultivation Technique, his future path would be no different from that of an ordinary cultivator.
In reality, an ordinary cultivator’s acupoints hadn’t been tempered to such a degree and were much easier to open. A Martial Cultivator, however, was changing paths midway.
His past achievements had now become a burden.
But there was an advantage: a Martial Cultivator’s acupoints were wider and deeper, capable of holding more Spiritual Qi. This meant that at the same realm, a Martial Cultivator’s Mana was stronger!
’It seems I’m destined to walk a different path after all. Fortunately, I won’t be alone on it.’
Just as Zhao Lin was putting all his effort into opening his acupoints, Lin Chaoran became the second person to succeed in his Meridian Opening. The Dean and the others all turned to look at him.
As the only disciple with an Earth Spirit Root, a soft "HISS" sounded from Lin Chaoran’s body right after his Meridian Opening, and he opened a Qi Acupoint without the slightest pause.
Then came the second, the third...
He advanced like splitting bamboo, opening the tenth Qi Acupoint with his momentum still unchecked!
Zhou Hongfang, Nie Kui, and Wu Chuanqi exchanged glances, their eyes filled with pleasant surprise.
The grade of one’s Spiritual Root was only a rough estimate of their cultivation talent; there were still many variables. The more Qi Acupoints one opened during the initial Meridian Opening, the better their cultivation talent was proven to be!
Opening ten acupoints already made him the best-performing disciple in recent decades. Could he go even further?
The three of them unconsciously clenched their hands into fists.
Lin Chaoran did not disappoint them. Eleven, twelve... he continued until he had opened fourteen acupoints, only stopping abruptly when he ran out of Spiritual Qi.
Zhou Hongfang and the others looked at each other in utter astonishment.
After that, disciples completed their Meridian Opening one after another, but no one made a sound, so as not to disturb their fellow disciples who were still cultivating.
The disciples looked at one another, each feeling that the others now possessed an ethereal, transcendent air, their temperaments having changed drastically. They wished they could find a mirror to see if they had changed in the same way.
Generally, those with higher-grade Spiritual Roots completed their Meridian Opening first, followed by those with middle and lower grades.
Zhao Lin, however, was a special case. When all the other disciples had finished, he was still sitting with his eyes closed.
Some disciples were puzzled, while others secretly shook their heads.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhao Lin finally opened his eyes.
The moment he did, the disciples burst into a clamor, all asking each other how many Qi Acupoints they had opened.
Lin Chaoran ranked first, having opened fourteen Qi Acupoints and entered the Qi Refining Second Layer.
Besides him, the next best disciple had only opened eight Qi Acupoints.
Among the rest, those with Lower Grade Spiritual Roots had mostly opened two or three Qi Acupoints, those with Middle Grade had opened four or five, and those with Upper Grade had generally opened six or seven.
Zhao Lin had opened three Qi Acupoints, placing him in the lower-middle ranks, but he felt no sense of disappointment.
’I didn’t even have a Spiritual Root to begin with. Just being able to cultivate is a blessing. Now that I’ve entered the Qi Refining Realm, what is there to be dissatisfied about?’
’Besides, the path of cultivation is long. There’s no need to worry about a single moment. The road ahead is still long!’