Chapter 18: Continuous Breakthroughs

Chapter 18: Continuous Breakthroughs

Lunch was a hearty meal of pork stew with cabbage and large steamed buns.

Meng Yuan's appetite today was almost double what it usually was. The Essence Flame absorbed twice the nutrients, but the growth was less significant.

It seems that after the Essence Flame reaches perfection for the first time, its nature also changes. It requires absorbing much more, even twice as much, before it can reach perfection a second time.

After lunch, the students looked to Meng Yuan, and Wu Changsheng took the lead, asking Meng Yuan to share his experience and feelings about opening acupoints.

"Diligent and hard work, pushing yourself to your limits. When practicing the Pole Standing Cultivation Technique, the most important thing is to breathe evenly and focus on your body," Meng Yuan shared without holding back, revealing all his insights.

Although he relied on the Essence Flame to open his acupoints, when it came to diligence and hard work, only Tie Niu in the entire training ground could compare to him.

After hearing Meng Yuan's words, everyone began to discuss noisily.

Meng Yuan didn't say much more. He stood up and said, "Teacher Nie asked me to lead you all, but I've never managed people before and don't know how to. Just follow the rules set by Teacher Nie and train on time every day. Whether you slack off or work hard is your own business. Of course, I hope we can all help each other and not bully others."

After saying these words, Meng Yuan left the cafeteria.

Meng Yuan was full of energy and didn't have the habit of taking a nap, so he headed to the training ground, with the others following him.

Without thinking about others, Meng Yuan practiced the Pole Standing Cultivation Technique while pondering Teacher Nie's words.

According to Teacher Nie, humans have three Heavens within them, totaling ninety-nine acupoints.

Once an acupoint is opened, one's spirit and strength increase, and at the same time, True Qi can be nurtured within the acupoint and then stored in the Dantian.

Therefore, the more acupoints are opened, the more True Qi one will have. The external manifestation of True Qi is strength, speed, and enhanced spirit, energy, and vitality.

Of course, acupoints are divided into upper, middle, and lower categories. Currently, having just entered the ninth rank, the amount of True Qi stored is not much. After the eighth and seventh ranks, more acupoints will be opened, and True Qi will increase.

Then, by transporting True Qi through different acupoints, one can achieve more wondrous effects, even infusing punches and palm strikes with fire and ice.

Meng Yuan pondered for a moment and then continued his summary. To open acupoints, one must endure physical hardship on the outside and nurture the essence and calm the mind on the inside. Through movement and stillness, tension and relaxation, and the balance of yin and yang, one can better open acupoints.

To nurture True Qi, one follows the path of the Pole Standing Cultivation Technique. This step is not difficult; it can be achieved quickly within one or two hours or slowly within one or two days.

Meng Yuan relaxed his body and cleared his mind, focusing only on the newly opened acupoint.

Before long, he felt a slight warmth throughout his body, and his entire being was enveloped in a sense of enchantment.

This feeling was indescribably wonderful, like soaking in a hot bath or taking a summer afternoon nap, floating in a vast and boundless realm, making it hard to pull away and becoming immersed in the experience.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Meng Yuan snapped back to reality, feeling clear-minded and light all over. When he opened his eyes, the sun had moved slightly westward, and only about half an hour had passed.

The True Qi had already filled the Dantian. This acupoint was located on the head, and its external manifestation was not strength but speed, spirit, and senses, including vision, hearing, and smell.

If one over-exerts their spirit, such as staying up late, excessive thinking, or fighting, it will consume True Qi.

Of course, True Qi is constantly generated, and if it is over-consumed, one can recover by sitting quietly, meditating, eating well, and sleeping soundly.

Feeling a slight warmth in his Dantian, Meng Yuan sat cross-legged, and the others followed suit.

Meng Yuan had become a role model for everyone, and they all wanted to open their acupoints as soon as possible.

"Just focus on your training," Meng Yuan said, closing his eyes again.

Focusing on his limbs and every part of his body, he felt a warm glow in his Dantian.

As his mind moved, the True Qi in his meridians flowed from the Dantian to the acupoint on the crown of his head.

His body's meridians were like rivers, and soon they encountered a blockage.

Meng Yuan was now attempting to open the next acupoint.

Carefully sensing the blockage, it was clear that it had already loosened, thanks to the tempering effect of the Essence Flame.

Meng Yuan's mind was as calm as an ancient well, without a ripple. He slowly guided his True Qi, gently pushing against the blockage.

Once, twice, thrice, Meng Yuan followed Teacher Nie's instructions, nine times light and once heavy, nine times shallow and once deep, impacting the blocked acupoint.

After an unknown amount of time, his entire body trembled slightly, and a warm sensation spread across his neck. Meng Yuan felt a sudden sense of blood and qi flowing smoothly, bringing a sense of relief.

After carefully sensing it, he realized that another acupoint had opened.

There were a total of sixteen acupoints on his torso, eight in the front and eight in the back, and now one had been opened.

This acupoint connected the head with the body, and below it was the spine and its sides, followed by the chest.

After meditating for a while, Meng Yuan opened his eyes and realized that the sky had turned completely dark.

This impact on the acupoint had taken an entire afternoon.

Meng Yuan looked around and saw the group of trainees standing not far away, their expressions varied, some lost, some envious.

On the armchair, Nie Yinian was still lying down.

"Teacher Nie," Meng Yuan hurriedly stood up.

Nie Yinian took a good look at Meng Yuan. He knew that this kid was smart and diligent, and his talent wasn't bad. But the fact that he had attained rank in just one month had already impressed him, and he never expected that another acupoint would open after just one day.

His progress was even faster than the children from elite sects who had been bathing in herbal baths since childhood. Moreover, this boy had a firm temperament, spoke and acted prudently, and was a step ahead of others without any arrogance, except for eating a lot and not wanting to sleep with the old madam. Truly, he had no other shortcomings."

Of course, Nie Yinian couldn't determine if this youth's future would continue to be so smooth, but with the talent and temperament he had shown, he was bound to achieve something.

"Changsheng," Nie Yinian smiled.

"Yes," Wu Changsheng immediately stepped forward.

"Take some people to clean up the room next to your dormitory for Xiao Chuanjiang to live in alone," Nie Yinian ordered, then added, "Xiao Chuanjiang, starting tomorrow, you'll have three extra eggs in the morning and evening, and an extra pound of meat at noon."

"Thank you, Teacher Nie," Meng Yuan sincerely thanked this old pimp. Living alone wasn't a big deal, but an extra pound of meat was truly a great thing.

"Go back and rest well. Tomorrow, I'll teach you some new skills," Nie Yinian said without further explanation before leaving.

The group of youths fell silent for a while, all of them looking at Meng Yuan, their thoughts unknown.

"Brother Meng, I'll go clean your new room!" After a long while, Wu Changsheng finally spoke.

"There's no rush. Let's eat first, and I'll go with you," Meng Yuan said.

After finishing dinner and cleaning the new room, Meng Yuan went to the training ground and practiced a set of pole standing cultivation technique, then went to lift the stone roller.

The two-hundred-pound stone roller was easily lifted, and he could maintain it for a hundred steps. Although Tie Niu hadn't attained rank, he was naturally strong, and after a month of tempering, he could now lift a three-hundred-pound stone roller.

Although Meng Yuan had opened his acupoint and attained rank, in terms of strength, he was still not as good as Tie Niu, who hadn't attained rank.

This wasn't surprising. Attaining rank didn't necessarily mean a complete transformation.

The key was that after attaining rank, one could summon True Qi. This was the real difference between attaining rank and not attaining rank.

Even after attaining rank, the differences between individuals remained significant.

Meng Yuan understood that once an acupoint was opened, it was like a tool. At a low rank, it was like acquiring a bamboo raft. Both a strongman and a thin bamboo pole could row a bamboo raft, but their speeds would differ.

However, as one's cultivation level increased, and depending on one's personal aptitude, the bamboo raft might become a gondola, a cargo ship, or a flower boat, and the difference in the amount of cargo they could carry would become more apparent."

Of course, this was just a comparison in terms of strength. The abundance of True Qi, the proficiency in its use, and the richness of combat experience were also extremely important factors.

Therefore, in the path of martial arts, even with a ranking system, it was fundamentally impossible to quantify. Even among the same rank, the abilities varied greatly.

The sky had turned completely dark, and the north wind howled in the training ground. Meng Yuan and Tie Niu shared their training experiences, and the group of trainees gathered around to listen carefully.

After a while, Meng Yuan practiced the pole standing cultivation technique again, nurturing the True Qi of the newly opened acupoint.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end