Breathing Technique, Qi Foundation

Gu Shaoan's thoughts were in turmoil, but none of it showed on his face as he followed behind Master Miejue up the mountain.

Master Miejue, who had been observing him in secret, took in Gu Shaoan's composure and nodded once more.

"For one so young to possess such a temperament is truly rare."

As her gaze fell on Gu Shaoan's face, Master Miejue's vision blurred. A long-buried image surfaced once again in her heart, stirring her emotions and making the look in her eyes soften further.

After an Incense Stick's time, they arrived at the rear mountain of Mount Emei.

The mountain range rose and fell in endless peaks, layered cliffs overlapped with emerald-green slopes, and stone paths wound through the terrain.

A Bamboo Courtyard had been built here on the rear mountain. Four smaller bamboo courtyards stood around it, blending perfectly with the bamboo groves and streams. Though simple, they were elegant.

As they drew closer, Gu Shaoan noticed four graceful figures beside 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 and heavy jaw like a whetstone, and a wide, straight nose bridge. She looked resolute and strong, tall and imposing. Though a woman, she stood half a head taller than most men, yet there was a trace of gentleness between her brows.

The woman beside her had delicate features, but her lips were thin as paper. When she did not smile, her expression was full of mockery, and a faint air of pride lingered between her brows.

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

As for the last girl, she appeared to be about the same age as Gu Shaoan.

Yet she was slender as fresh bamboo, her brows and eyes veiled in mist. Her pupils resembled two pools of still autumn water, her nose was exquisite like porcelain, and her pale lips were like faded crabapple petals, always pressed into a soft yet resilient curve.

More than that, she carried the tender beauty of Jiangnan's water towns, brightening the eyes of anyone who looked at her.

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

Looking at the four of them, Gu Shaoan quickly guessed their identities.

Of the older two, the tall woman was the eldest disciple, Zhao Jingxuan, while the beautiful woman should be Master Miejue's second disciple.

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

The girl around Gu Shaoan's age was undoubtedly Zhou Zhiruo.

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

As his thoughts turned, Master Miejue and Gu Shaoan walked several dozen more steps forward.

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."

While bowing, the four could not help glancing at Gu Shaoan, surprise appearing on their faces.

They had apparently not expected Master Miejue to take in another Personal Disciple during this outer disciple examination, much less a male disciple.

"Mm."

Master Miejue gave a brief sound through her nose and said to the four, "This is the new disciple I have taken in, Gu Shaoan."

Afterward, Master Miejue introduced Zhao Jingxuan and the others to Gu Shaoan one by one.

Gu Shaoan greeted each of them with humility and courtesy. Zhao Jingxuan and the others sized him up, secretly nodding in approval before returning his greetings.

A short while later, within the Bamboo Courtyard, Master Miejue sat upright in a bamboo chair, her eyes resting on Gu Shaoan, who stood obediently before her.

"Juechen's records stated that your Gu family is a scholarly household. From the way you speak, you possess the air of a scholar. Have you studied the meridians of the human body before?"

Gu Shaoan answered respectfully, "In reply to Master, this disciple has studied some medical theory."

Master Miejue smiled. "Do you know of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Primary Meridians?"

Gu Shaoan nodded, then gave an account of the meridians within the human body.

Master Miejue nodded in satisfaction. "Since you know of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Primary Meridians, I shall teach you the method of cultivation today."

After a slight pause, Master Miejue said solemnly, "The human body has three treasures: essence, qi, and spirit. 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 its own accord; essence transforms into qi, and qi gathers into essence. Condense qi into form, condense the three treasures into Three Flowers. When moving, it becomes strength. When still, it too is strength."

After those mysterious words, Master Miejue explained further to Gu Shaoan.

She also made Gu Shaoan understand that to condense internal force, one first had to use special Breathing Techniques and the Internal Visualization Technique to sense qi, then use unique breathing and visualization methods to condense that sensation into internal force.

Moreover, the meridian routes involved in the Breathing Techniques and Internal Visualization Techniques differed from sect to sect.

Without understanding these Breathing Techniques and Internal Visualization Techniques, ordinary people would find it difficult to condense internal force even in an entire lifetime.

After Master Miejue finished teaching the Breathing Technique, she circulated qi to her fingertips and pressed them against Gu Shaoan's body.

"Breathe according to the Emei Breathing and Meditation Technique I taught you, and focus your mind as you visualize the route of my True Qi."

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

The moment Master Miejue spoke, Gu Shaoan immediately closed his eyes and relaxed as much as possible.

Inhale, inhale, inhale, exhale~

Exhale, exhale, inhale, exhale~

Inhale~ Exhale~ Exhale~

As Gu Shaoan breathed, he could clearly feel strands of cool energy moving through his body.

The places where that energy traveled involved not only the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, but also some Hidden Meridians that were usually concealed.

Knowing this was Master Miejue's guidance, Gu Shaoan maintained his breathing rhythm while visualizing the path along which her True Qi traveled as best he could.

A short while later, after Master Miejue used her own True Qi to complete one Small Circulation through Gu Shaoan's meridians, she prepared to gather more internal force and continue guiding him.

"Hmm?"

But before the True Qi within Master Miejue could pass through her fingertips and enter Gu Shaoan's body, she discovered a faint, almost illusory current of qi beginning to move through him.

Seeing this, Master Miejue's face showed surprise.

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

For a Martial Artist, the first hurdle was sensing oneself, using a Breathing Technique and an Internal Visualization Technique to perceive the first strand of qi within one's body.

That first strand of qi was Qi Foundation.

Only after sensing Qi Foundation could one be considered to have reached the Beginner Level in Internal Visualization and Breathing Techniques.

Once Qi Foundation grew stronger and transformed like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, condensing the first strand of internal force would merely be a matter of time.

It sounded easy.

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

Even with Breathing Techniques and Internal Visualization Techniques, how could it be easy to capture that first strand of qi within one's own body?

Even those with exceptional talent needed several days, or even several months, at the Qi Foundation stage.

Master Miejue herself had possessed excellent natural talent.

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

That was why Master Miejue was so astonished when she sensed the strand of qi slowly moving within Gu Shaoan's body.

[Received Master Miejue's transmission. Emei Breathing and Meditation Technique reached Beginner Level. Achievement Points +10.]

[Emei Breathing and Meditation Technique (Beginner Level) -- Proficiency: 1/100]