Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering

Chapter 11: Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering

In front of a skyscraper in the city center.

Zhang Yu raised his head and looked at the towering building that seemed to pierce the sky. At its peak, he could vaguely make out what looked like an immortal palace emerging from the clouds.

This was Xianyun Corporation's office building in the center of Songyang City.

Besides this, Zhang Yu could see an even taller colossal tower in the distance, as though it reached the true end of the heavens. He knew it was Songyang City's tallest building—the Central Building, said to have 999 floors—and a landmark he often saw on his way to and from school.

At this moment, he turned to look at the office building before him again.

"Xianyun Corporation?"

On the way here, Zhang Yu had already searched online for information about Xianyun Corporation.

It was a massive enterprise under the Myriad Laws Sect. Its business covered developing techniques, selling techniques, immortal cultivation education, books, cultural merchandise, and more.

The Myriad Laws Sect was one of the Ten Great Sects. In Kunxu, from food, clothing, housing, and transportation to birth, aging, sickness, and death, no part of a person's life could be separated from the Ten Great Sects. Immortal cultivation was naturally no exception.

So Zhang Yu was no longer surprised that a giant corporation like Xianyun Corporation belonged to one of the Ten Great Sects, the Myriad Laws Sect.

Lowering his head, Zhang Yu entered the building. After explaining his purpose at the front desk, he went through registration, contract signing, and a simple physical examination before finally being led to a place resembling a classroom.

He saw that several students were already seated inside.

After waiting a while longer, once the number of students in the classroom reached fifteen, a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes walked in and began explaining the contents of today's Technique Testing.

"Hello, everyone. I'll be your instructor today."

"Everyone present has already signed the contract, but I still need to remind you that nothing discussed here today may be spread outside. If our company discovers that any one of you has leaked information, then no matter whether you flee to the ends of the earth, we will find you."

The students' hearts tightened at those words, but they knew he was not bluffing. With Xianyun Corporation's power, and the Myriad Laws Sect behind it, this was indeed no difficult feat.

"The technique you will be attempting to learn today is what we call Experimental Technique No. 113. Please watch the instructional video first..."

According to the instructional video, this was a Breath Circulation technique of the Qi Refining Realm. Unlike the Basic Breathing Technique, however, this technique was far more complicated, as though it required one to establish some kind of Magical Power circulation throughout the entire body.

As a result, after watching the video, most of the students who had come for the Technique Testing were still completely at sea.

Only after the instructor's detailed explanation did the students begin to gain a rough understanding, but their scalps only tingled more fiercely.

"Wait... you want us to practice this technique? Are we even worthy?"

The technique's circulation route was simply too complicated and its difficulty too high. It was like trying to draw Along the River During the Qingming Festival on a sheet of A4 paper.

If Zhang Yu had to describe it, it was as difficult as carving flowers into shit.

Never mind following the circulation route taught in the video—the people present could not even memorize the route. Almost as soon as it was explained, they had already forgotten more than half of it.

Never mind leaking it. The students had absolutely no confidence in whether they could successfully master this technique and complete the experiment.

Seeming to sense the students' emotional shift, the instructor said from the front, "Don't worry, everyone. This experiment does not require you to master this technique."

"In fact, it is impossible for beginners to master this technique through their own efforts alone."

"What we are testing this time also includes an auxiliary circulation device designed to match No. 113..."

Next, the students were taken to a testing room, where Magical Power Detection Patches were attached to their hands, feet, chest, back, and other areas.

Then, needle-like objects resembling silver needles were carried by mechanical arms, connected to wires, and brought before the students.

The instructor beside them continued, "Once you begin circulating your technique, the Detection Patches will monitor the state of Magical Power movement inside your bodies at all times."

"The Yuan Magnetic Needles, meanwhile, will be operated by the mechanical arms to stimulate points along your Magical Power circulation routes, helping you identify and correct your circulation paths..."

After listening for a while, Zhang Yu understood. It was an automatic pathfinder... no, an automatic technique guide, was it?

Because the Magical Power route of Technique No. 113 was too complicated, with excessively demanding requirements for the timing and points of Spiritual Energy and Magical Power movement, the device needed to inspect the cultivator's circulation path while using Yuan Magnetic Needles to stimulate different parts of the body for guidance.

However, the process was also quite dangerous, precisely because the circulation route of Technique No. 113 was so complex.

With such a complicated circulation route, the slightest error in Magical Power movement would cause it to lose control and spill through the body, leaving it itchy and painful, hot and cold by turns, easily triggering even greater loss of control.

If this went on for too long, it would result in internal injuries. The longer it dragged on, the more severe those injuries would become.

Afterward, one could either go to a hospital and pay a high price to have an expert use overwhelming Magical Power to suppress the injured person's out-of-control Magical Power, rely on Physical Strength to endure it until the Magical Power depleted itself and dispersed, or have the cultivator master the technique himself and use its circulation method to actively gather the uncontrolled Magical Power scattered along the circulation route.

At the same time, the instructor continued, "...As stated in the contracts you signed, the compensation for this Technique Testing will be paid according to the percentage of the circulation route you complete. Only by completing 100% of the route can you receive the full ten thousand."

"If your Magical Power only travels halfway, then you will receive only five thousand."

"All right, everyone. If there are no questions, please begin."

Zhang Yu glanced at the information appearing on the Feather Scroll.

Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method, Level 0 (0/1)

Does this mean I'll master it just by practicing it once?

Zhang Yu closed his eyes and tried circulating the technique he had just learned, beginning from his dantian and moving toward his spine.

At the same time, he felt a faint prickling pain in his spine. He knew that was the Yuan Magnetic Needle guiding his Magical Power there. So he followed its guidance and slowly moved his Magical Power along, bit by bit.

Meanwhile, outside the testing room, a group of people were observing the students' condition.

"It's begun."

The lead researcher had a head of messy short hair and stared intently at the constantly changing data on the screen.

It showed the state of Magical Power movement within each student after they began attempting to cultivate Experimental Technique No. 113.

The assistant beside him also watched the cultivation charts of each student with a grave expression. These images compiled Magical Power data from every part of the students' bodies to depict their internal Magical Power circulation routes.

The correct circulation route was green, while sections where Magical Power movement deviated would be marked in red.

Second by second, more and more red errors appeared along the circulation routes. Disappointment continued to surface in the assistant's eyes.

"Teacher, it seems the guidance precision of the Yuan Magnetic Needles still needs to be improved. Otherwise, it won't meet the precision required for beginners to cultivate No. 113."

"It's still too difficult to make beginners master No. 113. Should we recruit a batch of test subjects with higher Dao Heart Levels?"

The researcher called Teacher frowned. "Both No. 113 and the Yuan Magnetic Needles were originally developed for beginners. I will not change that direction."

"Besides, those with higher Dao Heart Levels have better techniques to learn. No. 113's Passive Breathing Technique effect lacks competitiveness among them. Beginners, on the other hand, need the effect of Passive Breathing Technique more..."

Just then, one student who had made an error groaned and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Teacher" said coldly, "Get him out of here quickly. Don't let him disrupt the other students' state of mind."

But with the appearance of the first student coughing blood, more and more students attempting the technique began showing signs of discomfort. Some turned green in the face and could not catch their breath; some screamed in pain and fainted; others suffered lighter injuries, merely turning pale as pain or itching appeared where their Magical Power was circulating...

As one student after another was carried out, "Teacher's" expression grew increasingly ugly.

He said unhappily, "The quality of this batch of students is too poor. Can't we recruit some capable students?"

The assistant explained softly, "Teacher, the previous test subjects were injured too severely. No schools are willing to cooperate with us anymore."

"Teacher" snorted, displeasure appearing on his face. "They're just a bunch of poor students. If No. 113 and the Yuan Magnetic Needles can be successfully improved, do you know how large the beginner market will be? So what if a few hundred people die?"

Meanwhile, only the last three students remained in the testing room, still persisting with their circulation.

Two of them had made relatively few errors, and because very little out-of-control Magical Power had scattered within them, they were still holding on.

But the other student, pale-faced, made even "Teacher" slightly surprised. "This boy made quite a few mistakes during circulation. By now, he should be suffering unbearable pain throughout his entire body, yet he can still persist until now?"

The assistant beside him asked, "Teacher, should we stop him?"

"Teacher" shook his head and said with interest, "Since he wants to earn this money so badly, we might as well give him the opportunity."

"Besides, for our research, having one more complete set of error data along the circulation route will clearly be more beneficial."

Inside the testing room, whenever Zhang Yu wanted to give up, he felt the chill from Ritual Power and the countdown rising in his mind.

"This brain-dead thing! All it knows is beep beep beep. If you've got the guts, come do it yourself."

During the circulation process, the slightest mistake caused Magical Power to spill out of control from its route, lingering in different parts of his body and leaving him sore and itchy all over, hot and cold by turns.

After great difficulty, he finally completed the entire circulation route once. When he glanced at the Feather Scroll and saw "Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method, Level 0 (0/1)" change to "Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method, Level 1 (0/20)," he finally let out a slight breath of relief.

Zhang Yu admitted there had been an element of gambling in it, but fortunately, he had won this gamble.

At that moment, memories of circulating this technique hundreds upon thousands of times surged wildly into his mind, making him feel as though he had practiced this technique for months.

At this moment, Zhang Yu felt that as long as he wished, he could use the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method to gather the out-of-control Magical Power throughout his body and establish a complex Magical Power circulation.

However, he did not do so immediately. Instead, enduring the soreness and itching across his body, he slowly stood up.

The instructor hurried over and said in some surprise, "Student, are you all right?"

It was his first time seeing someone persist in circulating the technique until the end despite having such a high error rate.

Zhang Yu clutched his stomach and said, "I feel like my five viscera are on fire. It's itchy and painful. My upper body feels as though it's burning, while my lower body feels frozen... I feel terrible."

The instructor hurriedly supported him. "Let me take you to the infirmary first and check your condition."

"No!" Zhang Yu abruptly waved his hand. "What I mean is... you need to pay more."

The instructor sized him up and down. Seeing Zhang Yu tremble continuously and his face growing paler by the moment, he said, "One thousand. Sign another contract, and whatever happens to you afterward will have nothing to do with us."

After some back-and-forth bargaining, Immortal Rhythm Company ultimately added another three thousand for Zhang Yu, on the condition that whatever his injuries were from then on, they would have nothing to do with Immortal Rhythm Company.