Nirvana

What did that mean?

As everyone knew, before reaching the Spirit Scholar realm of Spirit Cultivators, one had to pass through the Spirit Entry stage. Spirit Entry was divided into nine levels, and only after reaching the ninth level could one step into the true halls of Spirit Cultivation.

In truth, Spirit Entry was a preparatory stage for Spirit Cultivation. It represented how thoroughly the meridians in a person's body had been opened and developed. The first level of Spirit Entry meant that one-tenth of the meridians had been opened and developed; the ninth meant that nine-tenths were complete. One more step, and a person could cultivate spiritual energy.

That was exactly the state Sanbao was in now. Under Old Luo's examination, he discovered that nearly all the meridians in Sanbao's body had been opened and developed. In other words, even without cultivating spiritual energy, Sanbao had already reached the peak of the ninth level of Spirit Entry. Old Luo was left gaping in astonishment.

What kind of freakish genius was this?

There were countless geniuses on the continent, but hadn't every one of them started cultivating from the first level of Spirit Entry? The only difference was how quickly they progressed.

Ordinary Spirit Cultivators began cultivating spiritual energy at six or seven. By seventeen or eighteen, they could generally reach the peak of Spirit Entry, and by twenty, they would more or less have become one-star Spirit Scholars.

Geniuses, on the other hand, could usually reach that level before fifteen.

There were surely people Sanbao's age who had reached the peak of Spirit Entry, and there couldn't be too few of them. But to reach the ninth level before even beginning cultivation was almost beyond Old Luo's comprehension.

What did it matter how gifted or unusual he was? His life was slipping away. What else mattered now? Old Luo abruptly pulled himself back from his thoughts and focused on guiding his spiritual energy through Sanbao's body.

Every meridian had already been opened and developed. By all rights, the body should have been functioning without a problem, but the facts before him could not be denied.

For half an hour, Old Luo examined nearly every meridian in Sanbao's body, yet he failed to find anything wrong. Not only that, Sanbao's meridians were far wider and clearer than an ordinary person's—a sure sign of exceptional talent.

"This won't do. I have to examine the heart meridian!"

Using the faintest trace of spiritual energy he could control, Old Luo slowly guided it along a main meridian and into Sanbao's heart meridian.

Pfft, pfft.

Unlike the other meridians throughout his body, which were completely clear, Sanbao's heart meridian was entirely blocked. Old Luo's spiritual energy could reach only its outer edge before being pushed back with a series of soft thuds.

His heart meridian was blocked! No wonder Sanbao's vitality was fading. The Thirteen Guards had also said that Sanbao absolutely could not cultivate spiritual energy before his bloodline was activated. This seemed to be the reason.

As the dominant species on the Coiling Dragon Continent, humans numbered in staggering quantities. Yet only one or two out of every ten could become Spirit Cultivators; most were ordinary people who could not cultivate spiritual energy.

There were many reasons a person might be unable to cultivate spiritual energy, but blocked meridians—including a blocked heart meridian—were by far the most common. Of course, some people with blocked meridians could rely on outside help, such as pills that changed their constitution or a supreme expert who spent years clearing their meridians. In the end, they could still become Spirit Cultivators, though their potential would be limited.

But if the heart meridian was blocked, there was no way to cultivate spiritual energy. After all, the heart meridian was the core of the human body and the central place where spiritual energy was transformed. It absolutely could not be blocked.

That seemed to be the problem. His spiritual energy was simply too weak to force its way through.

Let's increase it a little and see.

Old Luo gritted his teeth. At this point, he could not afford to worry about the risks.

Pfft, pfft...

Still no good. More.

As the spiritual energy grew stronger, so did the impact on the heart meridian. If he lost control, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Beads of sweat the size of beans dripped from the head of the clan head, Luo Dingyi. His tightly shut eyes trembled faintly, making the Luo Clan members gathered nearby deeply uneasy.

Boom...

A violent heartbeat surged into Old Luo's body. At last, a passage opened through the heart meridian, and both Old Luo and Sanbao shuddered.

A tremendous current of energy burst through the newly opened gap in the heart meridian and charged wildly toward every meridian in Sanbao's body.

Old Luo immediately withdrew his spiritual energy, doing his utmost not to disturb Sanbao's heart meridian. But the enormous current still struck him so hard that he nearly lost control of himself. He opened his eyes at once.

"Father, how is he?"

"Grandfather, can Third Uncle still be saved?" the Luo Clan members asked anxiously.

Old Luo nodded, then shook his head. He withdrew his hands and laid Sanbao flat on the ground before speaking slowly.

"Sanbao's heart meridian was blocked. I used my spiritual energy to force open a passage, but it's impossible to say whether this will be a blessing or a curse. Sigh, it's up to Sanbao's own fate now."

"What? His heart meridian was blocked? How is that possible? Didn't you say that all our Luo Clan descendants were born with clear meridians?" Second Brother Luo Kaiyu asked.

"That's right, Grandfather. Haven't you always told us that the heart meridian is the root of a person's life, and that outside interference must never be allowed to touch it?" Caiyang asked at almost the same time.

"Sigh, stop asking. I'll pray for Sanbao before our ancestors. All of you go back for now." After saying that, Old Luo knelt before the ancestral tablets...

Seeing this, the others had no choice but to quietly file out of the Luo Clan Ancestral Hall.

One hour, two hours...

In the blink of an eye, five hours had passed. Night had quietly fallen, but the two men in the ancestral hall remained just as they had been during the day. Neither moved—not even the slightest shift of the body.

Pa, pa...

Two faint smacking sounds suddenly came from Sanbao's lips. A shadow stirred, and Old Luo leaned close to Sanbao's ear.

"Sanbao, what do you want to say?"

"Water... water..."

"All right, wait here..." Without pausing to call anyone, Old Luo shot out of the room in a streak of black light.

Before long, Old Luo returned with a small cup of water and slowly fed it to Sanbao.

"How are you? Feeling any better?" Old Luo supported Sanbao with one hand while gently pressing the other against his pulse.

His pulse was still very weak, but it had begun to settle into a steady rhythm. Together with his increasingly even breathing, it brought Old Luo great relief. Sanbao's life had been pulled back from the brink.

"Mm... I'm just so tired. I'll sleep for a while..." Sanbao mumbled a few words, then quickly drifted off.

When Sanbao woke again, three days had passed.

"Meimei, what day is it today? Is the ancestral rite coming up soon?" The first thing Sanbao did after waking was ask the maid, who was dozing by his bed, about the rite.

"Third Master, you're really awake? The ancestral rite ended three days ago. I have to tell the master!" Delighted, Meimei hurried out of the room in her quick, unsteady steps. She didn't even hear Sanbao's last words.

"I want something to eat. I'm starving..."

Soon, Luo Dingyi and Luo Kaifeng arrived together.

Old Luo slowly lifted his large hand from the Governor Vessel on Sanbao's back, then smiled broadly and said:

"Incredible. Your meridians are completely clear, and the Gate of the Heart Meridian has opened. You're at the peak of the ninth level of Spirit Entry—there's no mistake. Apart from the fact that your Dantian contains not a trace of spiritual energy, you've already reached what takes others years of cultivation to achieve. In other words, once you absorb enough spiritual energy, you'll immediately become a one-star Spirit Scholar!"

"What?" Sanbao stared straight at Old Luo and asked.

Happiness had come too suddenly. Sanbao himself hadn't had time to take it in.

"All right, enough with the questions. Come to my room tonight. There's something I want to tell you." Old Luo didn't explain further. He rose and left, leaving Sanbao sitting on the bed in a daze.

"Third Master, don't you understand what the master meant? Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to cultivate spiritual energy. Oh, no, no—you're about to become a Spirit Scholar!" Seeing Sanbao's dazed expression, the maid Meimei happily explained.

For Meimei, who couldn't cultivate, Spirit Cultivators were lofty, exalted beings. Naturally, she was delighted that her own master could become one.

How could Sanbao not understand what Old Luo meant? Everything had simply happened in the blink of an eye, and he was having trouble processing it. Could this happiness be real?

Sanbao sank into thought. In his previous life, he had experienced moments like this, too, only to have them later proven to be brief flashes that vanished as quickly as they came. What would happen this time?

No. No matter what, he had to grow stronger. Only by holding power at the very peak could he keep anyone or anything from controlling him. He had to take his fate into his own hands.