Perfection

Meng Yuan wasted no time and immediately sat down cross-legged.

First, he recalled the method taught by Master Nie, then closed his eyes and cleared his mind, shutting out external distractions.

After a while, he felt warmth in his Dantian and his True Qi surging.

Meng Yuan's mind moved with his will, and the True Qi slowly flowed out from his Dantian, passing through various meridians and reaching various acupoints.

The True Qi dispersed and reached the opened acupoints, then continuously poured in and impacted them. Meng Yuan felt his entire body's strength overflowing, wanting nothing more than to thoroughly temper himself.

This kind of True Qi circulation could not last long. Firstly, it was extremely taxing on the mind, and secondly, it consumed a great deal.

After consuming the Green Fruit, although Meng Yuan's Dantian had enlarged somewhat and his True Qi was more abundant, his acupoints had also enlarged.

After only a short while, more than half of the True Qi in his Dantian was already depleted.

Meng Yuan still didn't stop, forcefully squeezing the True Qi within his Dantian.

After another while, he suddenly felt a slight abnormality. The acupoints above his head, under the infusion and impact of True Qi, seemed to have formed a subtle connection with his Dantian.

This connection was like a faint, ethereal thread, extremely subtle, yet seemingly impossible to cut or sever.

Then, on his limbs and torso, threads emerged, all connecting to the Dantian, reflecting and outlining.

Finally, the thirty-three threads intertwined and tangled, appearing chaotic yet orderly.

Meng Yuan felt that as long as the True Qi in his Dantian reached the reflected points, the corresponding acupoints would have the ability to manifest externally.

In this way, the Gale Wind Saber Technique could be operated smoothly, and its power would increase.

"This... is it done?" Meng Yuan opened his eyes.

Nie Yannian's face was flushed from drinking. Only after leaving the room did he realize this wasn't the Drunken Moon Pavilion and he didn't need to pretend to pee to escape the bill.

"I was treated to drinks by my own daughter, and the Little Gelder didn't spend a single copper!" Nie Yannian had a mind to go back and have a couple more drinks to get his money's worth.

But when he looked back, the Little Gelder had already sat down cross-legged, looking like he intended to finish today's business today.

Seeing this, Nie Yannian was no longer in a hurry and decided to take a stroll around the Training Field before coming back.

Although he had just given some pointers on the method of connecting the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens, there were still many crucial points and experiences he hadn't explained. Nie Yannian felt that Meng Yuan would definitely encounter obstacles after trying it and would have to come back for guidance.

As Nie Yannian stepped out of the courtyard gate, he saw a girl of thirteen or fourteen on the road outside the gate.

The girl was holding several thread-bound books; it was Jiang Tang.

When Jiang Tang saw someone come out of the house, she blinked her big eyes and looked at the person, then quickly bowed and said happily, "May I ask if you are Teacher Nie?"

"You know me?" Nie Yannian smiled. He had secretly investigated Meng Yuan at Pasture Manor, so he naturally recognized Jiang Tang. However, since the Jiang family grandfather and granddaughter had come to the Royal Residence, he had been busy outside, so this girl shouldn't have seen him before.

"My brother told me about you," Jiang Tang said, holding the books and bowing again.

"What did your brother say about me?" Nie Yannian asked with a smile.

"My brother said that Teacher Nie taught him martial arts and told me to show respect as a junior if I met you," Jiang Tang said obediently.

"So that's it." Nie Yannian had originally wanted to drink more, but since the person's family had arrived, it was inconvenient to bother them further, so he said, "Your brother is in the room. Go ahead, I'm leaving."

"Teacher Nie, you seem to have been drinking. Shall I make you a bowl of hangover soup?" Jiang Tang quickly tried to keep him.

Nie Yannian had heard such polite words many times, but he looked at the little girl and saw that she was very sincere and showed no sense of distance towards him, but rather seemed quite familiar, as if she truly regarded him as a close elder.

"I remember you were working with Xun Mei, weren't you? Why are you back?" Nie Yannian looked at the little girl and couldn't help but think of his own daughter.

"I came to see if my brother was back," Jiang Tang answered honestly.

"Oh? Where did he go?" Nie Yannian glanced into the courtyard.

"He went to Pasture Manor," Jiang Tang said very seriously. "My brother said that although life is better now, one cannot forget their roots. Therefore, he went to Pasture Manor to walk around, recall past hardships and appreciate the present even more."

"This kid has some insight." Nie Yannian was relieved to hear that the Little Gelder wasn't going to seek pleasure and asked, "Did the Little Gelder say anything bad about me?"

"No," Jiang Tang immediately shook her head and said seriously, "My brother never speaks ill of people behind their backs. Besides, Teacher Nie is a respected teacher of my brother, how could he possibly say anything?"

"Then what did he say?" Nie Yannian pressed.

"Before my brother went to Pasture Manor, he told me that if Grandpa and I were bullied while he was away, we should endure it for the time being. If we encountered a major issue, we should ask Teacher Nie for help," Jiang Tang said honestly.

Hearing this, Nie Yannian couldn't help but laugh, "The Little Gelder and you are both Xun Mei's people, why would you come to me instead of Xun Mei if you encountered trouble?"

"My brother said that Mei-jie can indeed protect people, but she is a bit far away after all. Teacher Nie is someone who can truly get things done, so if we are unsure about something, we should ask Teacher Nie," Jiang Tang said, holding the books happily. "Since my brother said so, then Teacher Nie must be one of our own."

Nie Yannian smiled upon hearing this and said, "The Little Gelder is sticking to me!"

Jiang Tang also smiled and said, "Then it's only right for me to make you a bowl of hangover soup."

"Alright, go prepare it. I'll take a walk around the Training Field and come back," Nie Yannian agreed, seeing that the little girl was indeed sincere and not just being polite.

However, having seen much of the world, he knew that the Little Gelder was practicing martial arts at the moment. It was fine to chat with the little girl on the road, but it was not appropriate to go back into the room.

Nie Yannian was about to go to the Training Field when he saw the door open and Meng Yuan walked out with a look of confusion and bewilderment.

He's hit a snag. Looks like I'll have to teach him the method! Nie Yannian laughed inwardly.

"Master Nie," Meng Yuan walked up and patted Jiang Tang's head. "Go make a few dishes, I'll treat Master Nie to a drink."

Meng Yuan felt a sense of Perfection from this, but Master Nie had said that reaching the state of Perfection could take three to five days for the fast ones, and even several years for the slow ones. Yet, he had only taken the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, which seemed a bit too fast.

Therefore, I need to talk to Master Nie and ask about the method to open the Middle Thirty-Three Heavens.

"Okay!" Jiang Tang immediately agreed, then bowed to Nie Yannian before hurrying to the small kitchen.

"I drank too much today, I need to leave." Nie Yannian put on an act.

"Master Nie, I haven't seen you in a long time, I just want to have a good drink with you!" Meng Yuan grabbed Nie Yannian, refusing to let him go.

Nie Yannian was dragged into the room, forced onto a chair, and had wine poured for him.

After some small talk, Meng Yuan got straight to the point: "Master Nie, how do you open the Middle Thirty-Three Heavens after reaching Ninth Rank Perfection?"

"See, you're impatient again." Nie Yannian drank a bowl and said, "You haven't even opened a book yet, and you already want to be the top scholar?"

"Master Nie, it seems I've succeeded in reflecting and engraving, and I've reached Perfection." Meng Yuan poured the wine vigorously.

Nie Yannian casually said, "Then tell me, what does it feel like?"

Meng Yuan immediately described the feeling of reflecting and engraving when he connected the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens.

Hearing this, Nie Yannian didn't speak, tapping his knuckles on the table. After a long while, he said, "You're a damn talent!"

"Jade is not polished, it cannot become a vessel. If it weren't for Master Nie's excellent guidance, how could I be where I am today? Remembering the source of the water, Master Nie, please drink." Meng Yuan poured the wine.

Nie Yannian pointed at Meng Yuan with his finger, pointing for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word.