Hundred Days Foundation Establishment

A clear little stream flowed out of the mountain forest, circled once before Meng Qi's eyes, then ran down toward the foot of the mountain.

Green trees shaded the surroundings, while thin mist filled the forest. The air was exceptionally fresh, leaving Meng Qi feeling utterly refreshed in body and mind.

Before dawn had broken, the morning bell rang and woke Meng Qi. After learning the Sanskrit minor incantation during morning lessons, he and Zhenhui were assigned by Xuan Xin to fetch water here. Zhen Ying, Zhen Guan, and others were nearby as well, along with the monks of the Warrior Monk Institute, who used water-carrying to temper themselves.

Looking at the stream, Meng Qi inadvertently caught a faint reflection of what he now looked like in its slowly flowing surface.

He was a child with eyes like dots of ink, brows like distant mountains, and features as finely carved as pink jade. He was around twelve or thirteen years old, only slightly older than Zhenhui.

"Not bad-looking at all. I must have lived a life of luxury before." Meng Qi praised himself, then immediately sighed. What use was that to a monk? I have to return to secular life!

He sank the wooden buckets to the bottom of the water, intending to test how strong he was. At the same time, he reminded Zhenhui beside him, "Little Junior Brother, filling yours halfway will be enough. Don't force yourself."

"Mm." Zhenhui watched the fish swimming through the stream and licked his lips.

Just as Meng Qi was about to lift the buckets, he suddenly felt someone watching him. He turned and followed the gaze, only to see a group of somewhat familiar warrior monks. They were the young monks who had been tonsured alongside him by Xuanku. Meng Qi remembered few of their names, but Zhende, who was currently looking at him, was one of them.

Zhende's brows were rather disheveled, and his cheeks were long and thin. Seeing Meng Qi look back, he slightly raised his head, seeming somewhat arrogant and smug.

When the other young monks around him saw this, the misery on their faces turned into beaming smiles. It was as though the hardships of life in the Warrior Monk Institute had vanished like smoke in thin air upon seeing a "companion" worse off than themselves.

That was right. They had entered the Warrior Monk Institute, while Zhending and Zhenhui could only become Sectarian Monks. That was something worth being happy and proud about.

Zhende opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but after glancing at the Disciplinary Monk nearby, he closed it again. He lifted his buckets from the stream, both filled to the brim.

Meng Qi curled his lip and decided not to stoop to a child's level. One day, he would enter the Warrior Monk Institute and learn Shaolin's ultimate arts!

He cast aside his jumbled thoughts and forcefully lifted both wooden buckets.

The moment the buckets left the water, Meng Qi was struck with sudden alarm. Why were they so light?

He felt that he had barely used any strength, yet the buckets had risen at once.

"Are they heavy?" Meng Qi asked Zhenhui doubtfully.

Zhenhui honestly walked over and tried lifting the two full buckets before Meng Qi. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his face twisted with strain. Then he nodded. "Heavy."

"So it isn't the water?" Meng Qi drew a light breath and thought to himself, Could this body have been born with tremendous strength? Uh, judging by the skin, clothes, ornaments, and that horse-faced uncle's mention of the Marquis, this body probably came from a noble family. Maybe it practiced martial arts before and had already built a foundation, making it far stronger than an ordinary child.

Whatever the reason, Meng Qi no longer feared carrying water. He bent down, shouldered the two buckets, and followed the warrior monks ahead up the mountain by the stone steps.

The procession quickly stretched out and scattered apart. The warrior monks, tempered over many years, could carry iron buckets filled with water and still stride like the wind. Before long, they vanished into the mountain forest.

Not wishing to draw attention, Meng Qi lagged behind with Zhenhui and several other Sectarian Monks. Zhende and the other newly inducted young monks of the Warrior Monk Institute had only entered the temple the day before and had yet to improve, so they lagged behind as well.

Sensing the eyes of Meng Qi and the others upon them, Zhende and the young monks from the Warrior Monk Institute flushed red. One after another, they lowered their waists, assumed proper stances, and marched forward in great strides, unwilling to fall in with this group of Sectarian Monks.

Seeing them pick up speed, Meng Qi's heart stirred. He copied them by lowering his waist and setting his stance, and immediately felt the water-filled buckets grow lighter.

"This posture is pretty simple..." Meng Qi explored ways to exert force more easily, his steps gradually quickening. Before he knew it, he had left Zhenhui behind and overtaken Zhende.

"Hmph, you need to be steady at the start, or you won't be able to walk later on!" Zhende said resentfully behind Meng Qi.

Meng Qi gave a chuckle, feeling that he ought to switch to larger buckets tomorrow. Otherwise, there would be no training effect.

But mountain paths were difficult to traverse, and this one climbed upward. By the end, Meng Qi was still drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

"Pay attention to controlling your breathing." Suddenly, a stern voice sounded beside his ear.

Meng Qi turned his head and only then discovered that the patrolling Disciplinary Monk had somehow come to stand beside him. The monk demonstrated the rhythm of breathing. Meng Qi was both startled and delighted; he copied him and adjusted his breathing. Soon, he no longer suffered from disordered breaths or exhausted strength, and he made it all the way back to the temple.

"Use larger buckets to carry water tomorrow," the Disciplinary Monk instructed, then headed back down to meet the other young monks.

Meng Qi's mouth twitched. Though he had entertained the same thought, he was still quite worried that he would not have enough strength.

After a while, Zhenhui, Zhende, and the other young monks carried their water up the mountain as well. They saw Meng Qi there, calm and composed, breathing in the "morning light."

"He... he's just... stronger..." Zhende muttered between gasps. Like the other young monks of the Warrior Monk Institute, he felt humiliated before Zhending, who clearly ought to have been inferior to them.

Then they did not linger and hurriedly rushed away.

"Little Junior Brother, catch your breath. Are you all right?" Meng Qi had not paid attention to them at all. He asked Zhenhui, who was gulping air.

Zhenhui nodded. "V-very good. B-breakfast!"

After breakfast, dawn had only just begun to break, and the eastern sky was a field of crimson.

Yet Meng Qi did not feel the soreness and weakness that followed heavy labor. Instead, he felt even more alert, vigorous, and full of energy.

"This body really is excellent..." Meng Qi looked over the Sectarian Monks sprawled crookedly around the refectory in exhaustion, and joy welled up within him. No matter what, a good body would be something he could rely on in the future.

"Newcomers, come with me to the Scripture Lecture Institute." Xuan Xin stood smiling at the refectory entrance, holding a chicken drumstick. When he saw Meng Qi look over, he gave a slight nod. "You did pretty well. Don't give those little brats from the Warrior Monk Institute any face. When you return tonight, Martial Uncle has a reward for you."

"A reward?" Meng Qi's heart leaped with delight. Although he disliked Xuan Xin somewhat, who did not like rewards?

Before Xuan Xin could answer, Zhenhui said woodenly, "Martial Uncle Xuan Xin, after Orifice Opening, one may not eat meat. You have violated the precepts."

Meng Qi's head buzzed. He wanted to turn and cover Zhenhui's mouth, but he was a beat too slow.

Sure enough, Xuan Xin's smile froze on his face.

The corners of his mouth twitched. With a smile that did not reach his eyes, he said, "Your Martial Uncle has never violated the precepts."

After saying that, he did not mention the reward again. With an ugly expression, he walked out of the refectory.

Only then did sound after sound of muffled laughter rise within the refectory.

Zhenhui looked at Meng Qi, not quite understanding. "Senior Brother, what are they laughing at?"

They're laughing because you're too foolish and too dull... Meng Qi answered inwardly.

But that was not what Zhenhui cared about. He immediately shifted his attention. "Senior Brother, why did Martial Uncle Xuan Xin say he had not violated the precepts when he was clearly gnawing on a chicken drumstick?"

"Because he has not yet reached the realm of Orifice Opening..." Meng Qi replied in a distant voice, feeling that he needed to teach Zhenhui a few lessons about how to conduct oneself in the world. Otherwise, Zhenhui would keep being foolish and offending people, dragging Meng Qi down with him.

"Oh! Martial Uncle Xuan Xin has not opened his orifices." Zhenhui suddenly understood, his face lighting up as if he had unraveled some vital secret.

Seeing that Xuan Xin outside had not slowed his pace, Meng Qi had no time to teach Zhenhui about understanding worldly affairs and the ways of human hearts. He called for him to follow.

They passed around Buddhist halls and courtyards of all sizes. All Meng Qi could hear was the chanting of sutras, ethereal and distant, cleansing the heart in a most extraordinary way.

"Evening drum and morning bell awaken those drunk on worldly fame and gain; sutra chants and Buddha's name call back dream-lost souls from the Sea of Suffering..." For some reason, this couplet came to Meng Qi's mind. It could not have suited the scene before him better.

"Eh, Nephew Zhending, have you also heard the couplet at Shuiyue Nunnery's entrance?" Xuan Xin asked with a genial smile.

Meng Qi's hairs stood on end. Keeping himself composed, he said, "I heard my father mention it."

He could only pin it on that inexplicable Marquis.

Xuan Xin was not surprised. With a sighing tone, he said, "Your Martial Uncle once visited Shuiyue Nunnery and saw that couplet at its gate, so it left a deep impression on me. At that time, the nunnery's mistress, with the strength of someone who had ranked first on the Earth Ranking for many years, forcibly attempted to break into the Dharmakaya realm, hoping to attain the Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva Golden Body. Alas, she failed and passed away in meditation."

"The Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva Golden Body?" Meng Qi blurted out in astonishment, his heart inexplicably burning hot.

Xuan Xin put away his sighs and chuckled. "The foundation of Shuiyue Nunnery's lineage is the Guanyin Heart Sutra. Should one attain fruition, one may gain the Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva Golden Body. It is one of the golden bodies of Great Bodhisattvas and Great Arhats, far above ordinary Bodhisattva Golden Bodies and Arhat Golden Bodies. It is second only to the Tathagata Golden Body, Amitabha Dharmakaya, and Bodhi Golden Body. Tsk, throughout history, only the founding mistress of Shuiyue Nunnery ever attained it."

"So that's how it is..." Meng Qi felt his face heat up and his heart race wildly. This world actually had Bodhisattva Golden Bodies, Buddha Golden Bodies, and the like. It was thrilling beyond measure, and irresistibly enticing.

At this point, the group entered the Scripture Lecture Institute. Xuan Xin put away his frivolous smile, stopped speaking, and solemnly led Meng Qi and the others into a side hall.

"Senior Brother Xuan En, these are the newly inducted young monks from the Servant Courtyard." After quietly reciting a Buddhist invocation, Xuan Xin pointed to Meng Qi and the others.

Seated high at the front of the Scripture Chanting Hall was a gaunt old monk with snowy white brows. He wore the same yellow monk robe. Books and a wooden fish lay before him, while he held a ruler of discipline in his hand.

"Sit separately." He pointed at the prayer cushions below, more than half of which were still empty. A small table stood before each cushion.

Meng Qi, Zhenhui, and the others did not dare speak. Each found a place and knelt down. After waiting another quarter of an hour, young monks arrived one after another, including Zhende and the "companions" who had entered the temple alongside him.

They looked at Meng Qi and the others in surprise, clearly not expecting Sectarian Monks to be allowed to study at the Scripture Lecture Institute as well.

Xuan En tapped the wooden fish before him, quieting all the young monks. Then, in a voice neither loud nor soft, he said, "For the next three years, as long as you do not violate temple rules, you may come here every day at this time to learn to read. Besides ordinary writing, you must also study Sanskrit, so that you may read the ancient scriptures."

He paused. "But before teaching you letters today, I must first guide you onto the path of martial arts."

At those words, Meng Qi's spirits rose. His waist and back instinctively straightened. Sectarian Monks could receive guidance too?

The same doubt made Zhende and the others widen their eyes. What difference was there between the Servant Courtyard and the Warrior Monk Institute, then?

"Whether it is the quiet arts of Daoist schools or the methods spread among the common world, the first step on the path of martial cultivation is broadly similar, though with minor differences. It is called Initial Qi Meridian Opening, Strengthening Spirit and Body." Xuan En ignored Zhende and the others' doubts and continued his explanation.

Meng Qi listened with rapt attention, afraid of missing even one word.

"This step is called Hundred Days Foundation Establishment in Daoist schools, meaning the laying of the foundation for martial cultivation. The so-called 'hundred days' means that under normal circumstances, the Ren and Du Meridians and other channels will naturally open once Qi has filled them within a hundred days. Our Buddhist school calls it Cultivating the Body in Meditation, because only when the heart is tranquil and enters meditation, neither scattered nor chaotic, can True Qi naturally arise, fill the acupoints, and open the Qi meridians. In the common world, it is called Meridian Opening."

Xuan En roughly introduced the essentials of Cultivating the Body in Meditation, or Hundred Days Foundation Establishment. "The human body has three hundred and sixty-five major acupoints. Every time a breath of True Qi is generated, it must be poured into an acupoint, and each major acupoint requires nine breaths of True Qi before it is full..."

"Each time you enter meditation for a quarter of an hour, only one breath of True Qi can be generated. Thus, depending on how long each person cultivates daily, this step can generally be completed in anywhere from a hundred days to a year."

"When entering meditation, the six senses must be pure. Harbor no wild thoughts and no impatience. After a quarter of an hour, True Qi will naturally arise. Half of it travels upward along the Du Meridian to the Baihui Acupoint atop the head, then descends to the upper palate and forms a breath of Golden Saliva. The other half travels upward along the Ren Meridian to the lower jaw, where it becomes a breath of Jade Liquid."

"When Golden Saliva and Jade Liquid meet, they merge into a clear, sweet mouthful of saliva. In our Buddhist school, this is called Sweet Dew. You then swallow the Sweet Dew and use it to fill the corresponding acupoint..."

After repeatedly explaining the key points several times, Xuan En said, "Once Cultivating the Body in Meditation is complete, essence, Qi, and spirit will all be sufficient; the Qi meridians will initially open, and the body will grow strong. Only then may one enter the next stage, Meditative Qi Accumulation, which our Buddhist school also calls Nurturing the Sacred Embryo."

Afterward, he instructed every young monk to attempt entering meditation.

This was not true meditation. It only required a tranquil heart, so it was not particularly difficult. For children with fewer wandering thoughts, it was comparatively easy.

But Meng Qi was an adult, with countless stray thoughts. He could not calm his heart and enter meditation for a long while, which made him extremely anxious. Yet the more anxious he became, the less able he was to enter meditation.

When he was sweating profusely with anxiety, he suddenly felt a cool, refreshing sensation radiate from his chest, and his mind cleared at once.

That Small Jade Buddha? Meng Qi rejoiced inwardly. He did not think further on it, but slowly gathered his mind and entered meditation.