Emei Breathing Technique, Qi Foundation

Gu Shao'an's thoughts were in turmoil, but none of it showed on his face. He simply followed behind Miejue as they climbed the mountain.

Miejue, who had been observing him in secret, took in Gu Shao'an's composed demeanor and nodded once more.

"Such steadiness at such a young age is truly rare."

As her gaze fell upon Gu Shao'an's face, Miejue's vision blurred slightly. A long-buried figure surfaced in her heart once again, stirring her emotions and making the look in her eyes toward Gu Shao'an all the gentler.

One Incense Stick Time later, at the rear mountain of Mount Emei.

The mountain range rose and fell in rolling peaks, layered cliffs covered in verdant green, with stone paths winding through them.

A bamboo courtyard had been built here on the rear mountain. Four smaller bamboo courtyards stood around it, complementing the bamboo groves and stream of the rear mountain. Though simple, the setting was quite elegant.

As they drew nearer, Gu Shao'an noticed four graceful figures by the stream.

Three of them appeared to be in their early twenties.

The woman on the far left had a broad face and square forehead, a round, thick jaw like a whetstone, and a wide, straight nose bridge. She exuded an air of fortitude. Tall and imposing, she stood half a head taller than most men despite being a woman, though there was a touch of gentleness between her brows.

The adjacent woman's features were lovely, but her lips were thin as paper. When she did not smile, she seemed full of mockery, and there was a faint sense of aloof pride between her brows.

The third woman was equally beautiful, with an oval face and gentle features, like the kind older sister next door.

As for the remaining girl, she appeared to be about the same age as Gu Shao'an.

Yet she was slender and tall as fresh bamboo, her brows and eyes veiled in mist. Her pupils resembled two pools of still late-autumn water, her delicate nose bridge looked sculpted from porcelain, and her pale lips, like faded begonia petals, were always pressed into a line that was soft yet resolute.

In particular, she carried the tender beauty of Jiangnan's water towns, brightening the eye at a glance.

All four wore plain white garments, yet each gave off an entirely different impression.

Seeing the four of them, Gu Shao'an turned the matter over in his mind and guessed their identities.

Of the older women, the tall one was the eldest disciple, Zhao Jingxuan, while the beautiful one should be Miejue's second disciple.

The one beside them with the gentle smile was the third disciple, Bei Jinyi.

And the girl around Gu Shao'an's age was undoubtedly Zhou Zhiruo.

Zhou Zhiruo has already joined Emei. That means Zhang Cuishan and his wife have already been killed, and the Heavenly Sword has been detained by the Wudang Sect.

As his thoughts shifted, Miejue and Gu Shao'an walked another several dozen steps.

Zhao Jingxuan and the other three, who had been standing by the stream, had already come forward to greet them and bowed in salute.

"Master."

Even as they bowed, the four women could not help glancing at Gu Shao'an, surprise showing on their faces.

They had apparently not expected that during this Outer Sect disciple assessment, Miejue would not only take another personal disciple, but that the disciple would be a man.

"Hmph!"

Miejue made a sound through her nose and said to the four, "This is the disciple I have newly accepted, Gu Shao'an."

Afterward, Miejue introduced Zhao Jingxuan and the other three to Gu Shao'an one by one.

Gu Shao'an bowed to each of them, humble and courteous. As Zhao Jingxuan and the others sized him up, they secretly nodded and returned his greetings.

A short while later, inside the bamboo courtyard, Miejue sat upright in a bamboo chair, her gaze fixed on Gu Shao'an, who stood obediently before her.

"The records kept by Juechen state that your Gu Family is a scholarly household. From the way you speak, you do possess a scholarly air. Have you previously learned about the meridians of the human body?"

Gu Shao'an replied respectfully, "In reply to Master, this disciple has read some medical texts, though only briefly. I only know basic matters such as the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Principal Meridians."

Miejue smiled. "To know such things at your age is already no easy feat."

"Since you know of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Principal Meridians, I shall teach you the method of cultivation today."

After a slight pause, Miejue said solemnly, "The human body has three treasures: essence, qi, and spirit. A person's life is the gathering of qi. Qi gathers within the body and disperses throughout it, intangible and formless. To gather qi, one must understand the method of stirring it. Qi moves of itself; essence transforms into qi, and gathered qi becomes essence. Condense qi into form, condense the Three Treasures into Three Flowers. In motion, it becomes strength; in stillness, it too is strength."

After speaking those profound and mysterious words, Miejue explained further to Gu Shao'an.

Only then did Gu Shao'an learn that to condense internal force, one first had to sense qi through special breathing and inner observation methods, then use unique breathing and inner observation techniques to condense that sensation of qi into internal force.

Moreover, the breathing and inner observation methods of different sects followed different meridian routes.

Without understanding these breathing and inner observation methods, ordinary people would find it difficult to condense internal force even if they spent their entire lives trying.

After Miejue finished teaching the breathing method, she circulated qi to her fingertip and pressed it against Gu Shao'an's body.

"Follow the Emei Breathing Technique I taught you, and focus your mind as you visualize the path of my true qi."

"Let your heart be as still as water, empty your mind of all thoughts. Take one deep breath, then exhale after three breaths. Take a short breath, then a long..."

As Miejue spoke, Gu Shao'an immediately closed his eyes and relaxed as much as possible.

Inhale, inhale, inhale, exhale~

Exhale, exhale, inhale, exhale~

Inhale~ Exhale~ Exhale~

As Gu Shao'an breathed, he could clearly sense threads of cool energy moving through his body.

The paths along which the energy traveled involved not only the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, but also some Hidden Meridians that were normally concealed.

Knowing this was Miejue's guidance, Gu Shao'an maintained his breathing rhythm while doing his best to visualize the route along which Miejue's true qi traveled.

A moment later, after Miejue used her true qi to circulate one minor heavenly cycle through Gu Shao'an's meridians, she prepared to gather internal force once more and continue guiding him.

"Hmm?"

Yet before the true qi within Miejue's body could pass through her fingertips and enter Gu Shao'an's body, she discovered a faint, almost illusory Qi mechanism beginning to move within him.

Seeing this, Miejue looked astonished.

"Just once, and he has already sensed a Qi Foundation?"

For martial artists, the first hurdle was to perceive themselves and use breathing and inner observation methods to sense the first strand of qi within their bodies.

That first strand of qi was the Qi Foundation.

Only after sensing the Qi Foundation could one be considered to have entered the door of inner observation and breathing methods.

Once the Qi Foundation grew stronger, transforming like a cocoon into a butterfly, condensing the first thread of internal force would merely be a matter of time.

It sounded simple.

Yet though qi gathered within the body, it was intangible and formless, impossible to see or touch.

Even with breathing and inner observation methods, how could it be easy to capture that first strand of qi within one's own body?

Even those blessed with exceptional talent often needed several days or even several months at this stage of forming their Qi Foundation.

Miejue herself possessed excellent Bone Structure.

Yet from the start of her cultivation until she sensed her Qi Foundation, she had spent a full half month. That was already considered quite remarkable.

That was why Miejue was so surprised when she sensed the strand of qi slowly moving through Gu Shao'an's body.

Received Abbess Miejue's impartation. Emei Breathing Technique initiated. Achievement Points +10.

Emei Breathing Technique (Initiated) — Proficiency: 1/100