Cultivating by breathing in and guiding one's energy could be done in two ways: the Lesser Celestial Circuit and the Greater Celestial Circuit.
The Lesser Celestial Circuit was also known as the Zi Wu Heavenly Cycle.
The Lesser Celestial Circuit guided the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through the Ren and Du Meridians in a cycle. It could expand the sea of consciousness and nourish the Dantian. Though it was much less effective at converting energy into magical power, it could be practiced anytime and anywhere, unaffected by the surrounding environment, and the circulation could be stopped at any time.
The Greater Celestial Circuit was also known as the Great Cycle.
The Greater Celestial Circuit guided the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through all Twelve Standard Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Building on the Lesser Celestial Circuit, it incorporated smaller cycles through the limbs and other channels, allowing the spiritual energy to circulate throughout the entire network of meridians and greatly improving the conversion of magical power.
But the drawback of the Greater Celestial Circuit was that each session had to continue through one complete cycle before it could be stopped. This process took at least an hour.
It absolutely could not be interrupted.
Otherwise, the practitioner would suffer a backlash from their magical power and would almost certainly die!
Therefore, when practicing the Greater Celestial Circuit, cultivators had to be in an absolutely safe environment. They were at their most vulnerable then.
But the Enlightenment Hall clearly did not provide suitable conditions for cultivation.
As a result,
Ding Wei repeatedly warned them never to circulate the Greater Celestial Circuit inside the Enlightenment Hall. If they persisted and suffered a backlash from their magical power, they would bear the consequences.
Several days later,
quite a few people had already mastered the sensation of qi and begun cultivating on their own using the Lesser Celestial Circuit method Ding Wei had taught them.
The sensation of breathing in and circulating the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was a wonder that was difficult to put into words.
Almost everyone who encountered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for the first time would remember its exquisite sensation for the rest of their lives. Most of those here were at the age when their hair was bound up to mark their coming of age, and had scarcely any guile. As soon as they finished cultivating, they would cheer with delight.
But where some rejoiced, others were bound to feel dejected.
Those who still hadn't managed to complete the breathing exercise grew more and more anxious as they watched more and more people around them succeed. They kept asking their classmates who had already begun cultivating for advice.
Zhou Zheng naturally became the first person they turned to.
Zhou Zheng remained patient, carefully explaining things to every classmate who came to ask for help. His standing in the class rose quickly as a result.
"So this is what cultivating by breathing in feels like."
Zhang Guoyin, already in his sixties, had finally completed the first breathing exercise of his life. Yet a trace of confusion showed in his eyes.
After a moment's thought, he stood and walked to the lectern to ask Ding Wei for advice.
"May I ask, Martial Uncle Ding, I've completed the Lesser Celestial Circuit. Why don't I feel the way they say they do?"
Ding Wei opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Guoyin with a hint of pity.
"They have all sorts of wondrous sensations because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth nourishes and nurtures them, bringing out their latent vitality. They're young, with boundless potential, so naturally they experience endless wonders. But you're already in your sixties, and your vitality and potential are nearly spent. Even when nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, you'll only gain a little strength and health, and suffer a few fewer aches and pains. Naturally, your experience is different."
"Oh."
At his words, Zhang Guoyin did not become angry, despairing, or devastated.
His rich life experience had taught him how to keep his emotions in check. He simply nodded, returned to his meditation cushion, and continued cultivating.
"Waaah."
A girl behind Li Mo couldn't sense qi no matter how hard she tried, and finally burst into tears.
She seemed rather introverted. So many days had passed, and aside from knowing that her name was Liu Yaoyao, Li Mo knew nothing about her.
Li Mo wasn't one to meddle, either.
After everything that had happened in Hua'an Town and the Eighteen Mountains, he was no longer the simple, kind-hearted young doctor he had once been. Though he felt sorry for the girl behind him, he didn't want to get involved.
"Hey, are you two even men?"
A rather burly girl, overflowing with sympathy, came over and openly scolded Lu Tianyou and Li Mo.
"Can't you see how upset she is? Aren't you going to help her?"
At her words, Li Mo couldn't help rolling his eyes.
He knew without turning around that it had to be Hu Tian'er. The medicinal smell on her was impossible to miss. She probably had some chronic illness that required long-term herbal treatment. Her skin wasn't great, either, likely from living in a place with lots of wind and sand. But to have grown up with such a personality, her family must have been fairly well-off.
After slowly coming to, Lu Tianyou looked annoyed.
"I've only just managed to sense a little qi, and you..."
But he had barely gotten halfway through his sentence when he saw that it was Hu Tian'er. His anger immediately faded, and his expression flipped into a smile.
"Oh, it's you, little sister Tian'er. I've only just managed to sense some qi myself. Tian'er's right, Yaoyao, don't cry. Tian'er and I will help you together."
Li Mo could only shake his head helplessly.
What a lecher.
"What about you?"
Hu Tian'er looked at Li Mo.
There was no denying that Hu Tian'er had a sweet, delicate face that made people want to protect her, along with an exotic beauty.
"My mother says men and women shouldn't touch."
Lu Tianyou froze at his words, then fought to hold back his laughter until his face turned red.
The others nearby also laughed when they heard Li Mo say that, while Hu Tian'er was left speechless with her mouth hanging open.
Lu Tianyou secretly rolled his eyes at Li Mo.
After so many days together, he and Li Mo had grown quite familiar. He knew Li Mo wasn't some pedantic old scholar. That bandit's ruthlessness deep in his bones was impossible to hide.
When Hu Tian'er stopped pestering him, Li Mo was only too happy to have some peace and continued cultivating.
A few days later,
a major commotion broke out in the class Li Mo belonged to, shaking the entire Enlightenment Hall.
Shi Yazhou, who had always been an unknown, had publicly confessed to Zhao Huaxue in front of the entire class after lessons that day.
"Huaxue, I truly like you. I've just successfully completed the breathing exercise, too. Let's be together!"
Shi Yazhou said earnestly. He was dark-skinned and short.
This immediately caused an uproar in the class. Everyone turned to watch, their faces full of disbelief. Zhao Huaxue, usually aloof and cold, looked startled, flustered, and confused.
"I'm sorry. I only want to cultivate right now."
With that,
Zhao Huaxue got up, ready to leave the scene.
But Shi Yazhou shouted in frustration, "Is it because of that boy yesterday? I've already looked into him. He's Tao Ran, the one with the Divine Wood Physique, isn't he?"
In a corner of the classroom, Lu Tianyou stood with Li Mo, watching the show. He clicked his tongue.
"This guy's really something. I, Lu Tianyou, have to admire his shameless courage from the bottom of my heart!"
Lu Tianyou wore an expression of pure reverence, as if he were gazing at his idol.
"Setting everyone else aside, that Zhou Zheng of ours, the great sage Zhou, is definitely interested in Zhao Huaxue. And now there's Tao Ran, too. You heard that, right? Divine Wood Physique! Tsk, tsk. Who knows how many more people are eyeing Zhao Huaxue behind her back. Even I, the arsonist of young hearts, wouldn't dare go after her, and this black lump of earth and wood doesn't know his place..."
Lu Tianyou shook his head and chuckled.
"He's in for a rough time."
As he spoke, Lu Tianyou nudged Li Mo with his elbow, looking gleefully entertained.
"Look, look! The great sage Zhou's face is about to turn black, isn't it?"
At his words, Li Mo looked in the direction Lu Tianyou pointed and nodded.
"It really is."
"Our class is going to have a real show on its hands from now on. It'll be lively for sure. Life's going to be so interesting! No wonder you said we should think about other things while eating, haha!"
As for Tao Ran, Li Mo had heard of him, too.
He was one of the Enlightenment Hall's most talked-about figures, one of only two people in this year's class with a special spiritual constitution, alongside Zhou Zheng.
With the Divine Wood Physique, Tao Ran could easily master all kinds of wood-element spells. It also gave him a tremendous advantage in alchemy.
It seemed Lu Tianyou's cheerfulness had rubbed off on Li Mo. He casually teased Shi Yazhou in Lu Tianyou's tone.
"Maybe we're just frogs at the bottom of a well. Perhaps Shi Yazhou will spread his wings and soar from now on."
Lu Tianyou shot Li Mo a look. He could naturally hear the sarcasm in his voice.
Neither of them was close to Zhao Huaxue, but they could both see at a glance that a proud girl like her would never accept someone ordinary.
And Shi Yazhou seemed to have nothing remarkable about him, whether in appearance or cultivation talent.
It was hard to tell whether he was ignorant or fearless.
"You followed me!"
When Zhao Huaxue heard Shi Yazhou openly slandering her, she was instantly enraged.
"My relationship with Tao Ran is perfectly ordinary. It's none of your business."
Then Zhao Huaxue slammed the door on her way out.
Zhou Zheng still seemed to be debating whether to chase after her in front of everyone and console her. But Yang Zhiman rushed out of the classroom first, leaving Zhou Zheng, who had been about to follow, staring in stunned silence.
Lu Tianyou loved a good show and looked so excited he nearly jumped.
"That Scholar Yang always looks so proper, but he's a lecher, too. He's just like a friend of mine!"
Li Mo was a little helpless.
The nickname "Scholar Yang" had been something he'd tossed out casually, but after it passed through Lu Tianyou's mouth, the whole class knew it by now.
Only after Shi Yazhou left the classroom looking utterly lost did the onlookers finally start to disperse.
That night,
unable to resist Ma Ling's enthusiastic invitation, Li Mo went to the rear courtyard again. After giving Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang a few pointers, he went near the rockery and found a secluded spot. He sat cross-legged on the ground and quietly began cultivating.
More than half a month had passed by now. In a little over two months, the Enlightenment Examination would begin.
The examination tested whether a person could open their Spirit Eye.
Once they opened their Spirit Eye, they would officially become disciples of the Lingmu Sect!
But if they failed to open it, that meant they lacked sufficient aptitude, and they would be expelled from the mountain and told to seek their fortune elsewhere.
According to Wang Feng,
once someone cultivated the Eye of True Spirit to the first layer, they could open their Spirit Eye on their own. Wang Feng himself had reached the first stage of Qi Refining in about two months.
"Wait."
Li Mo suddenly remembered something and stopped circulating the Lesser Celestial Circuit.
"He must have used the Greater Celestial Circuit back then to reach the first stage of Qi Refining in about two months. By that logic, using the Lesser Celestial Circuit would probably take at least three months, perhaps even longer."
At the thought, Li Mo couldn't help hesitating.
Should he try cultivating with the Greater Celestial Circuit?
But when he recalled Ding Wei's repeated warnings that anyone who recklessly practiced the Greater Celestial Circuit in the Enlightenment Hall would bear the consequences, his adventurous impulse immediately died.
After hesitating briefly, he actually took two Spirit Stones from his sleeve.
Wisps of spiritual energy streamed out of the Spirit Stones. Li Mo couldn't help letting out a soft sigh. He gripped them tightly in his hands and continued cultivating with his eyes closed.
He found that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed through him noticeably faster than usual.
An hour later, Li Mo gradually awoke.
He found that even though he had only completed one Lesser Celestial Circuit, the speed at which his magical power accumulated was about half again as fast as usual. Excitement showed on his face.
But then he noticed that the two Spirit Stones in his hands had grown much dimmer. They had enough spiritual energy left to support only four or five more cultivation sessions.
"I wonder how many taels of silver it takes to buy a Spirit Stone."
Thinking this, Li Mo was about to get up and return to his room to rest when he saw a bolt of lightning streak across the distant sky. A fine drizzle began to fall.
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