Entering [Refining Essence into Qi]

Two days in a row.

Chen Guan sat in meditation within the original Dilapidated Temple, deepening his sense of qi.

The strand of energy, originally a hundred times thinner than a hair, had now more than doubled in size.

But beyond that point.

Chen Guan clearly felt a "limitation," as if he were "already full."

It seemed his dantian could not contain any more.

Chen Guan knew that from this moment on, he needed to open up his own dantian.

On the morning of the third day.

Chen Guan rose from his bed feeling refreshed and specifically went to a nearby stream to wash up.

Afterward, he returned to the Dilapidated Temple and began preparing to open his dantian.

"According to the strange tales recorded in the secret manuals, some people are born with vast dantians capable of containing hair-thin spiritual energy."

Chen Guan sat quietly in the side room, recalling information while calming his mind.

"For those with such unique constitutions, as long as they can sense qi, they can generally gather spiritual attributes very quickly.

The so-called 'refining essence into qi' is the process of refining the 'essence' of the elements between heaven and earth and transforming it into one's own 'qi.'

For those with these unique constitutions, their innate starting point is higher than others.

Although these people with unique constitutions might have low spiritual roots, they are still considered geniuses."

The more Chen Guan learned, the more he understood that the composition of geniuses within the Spirit-Ghost World was complex.

Beyond "spiritual roots," certain unique "constitutions" were also of paramount importance.

A good constitution was enough to elevate cultivation speed, acting as a complement to spiritual roots.

Including his own Bear-Type Strength, in a certain sense, it was also a type of Innate Monstrous Strength constitution.

But it seemed to be of no help for "opening the dantian."

However, innate divine strength was already quite formidable.

Especially as recorded in some secret manuals.

When martial artists with Innate Monstrous Strength cultivated spiritual energy (internal energy) and allowed it to stack with their own, their power became astonishing!

Because their constitution was superior and their sinews and bones were robust, they could store and contain more spiritual energy within their sturdy bodily meridians and acupoints.

For example, if two "body cultivators" of the same realm threw a punch using spiritual energy simultaneously.

The one with the higher constitution could channel more spiritual energy into their fist.

The one with the lower constitution, fearing that the spiritual energy might damage their own acupoints, would channel less.

Furthermore, under normal circumstances, spiritual energy did not necessarily have to be stored in the dantian.

The four limbs and the hundred bones could all store it.

But the "upper, middle, and lower" three dantians were considered the "main engines," functioning like the heart and brain of the human body as part of the central system.

Conventionally, most "cultivators" stored their spiritual energy there.

No one would risk storing spiritual energy in their acupoints and meridians.

Because if something went wrong, their arms or legs would be crippled.

Only "body cultivators" with unique constitutions, relying on their formidable physical forms, could attempt to open meridians and acupoints, and trigger various miraculous abilities within the body.

The martial artist known as Big Ears from a few years ago had risked using a tiny amount of spiritual energy to nourish his ears, thereby gaining a "hearing" ability that ordinary people lacked.

And even he could not make this ability "permanently resident."

He could only use it for a few seconds when needed, then let his ears rest for several days.

And now.

Chen Guan pondered, wanting to try "Clairaudience" first.

By circulating spiritual energy through the meridians within the ears, one could trigger the effect of Clairaudience.

His own Big Ears also appeared quite sturdy.

Thus, the next step was to manipulate the spiritual energy to open the dantian and mobilize that energy.

As long as he could mobilize it, he would officially step into [Refining Essence into Qi].

He acted on his thoughts.

In silence.

Chen Guan watched his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, concentrating his spirit, attempting to mobilize the immovable fire-attribute spiritual energy within his dantian.

Night.

Zhao Family, backyard.

Tap, tap...

With the sound of several footsteps, a few guards entered the courtyard. They glanced toward Patriarch Zhao at the stone table, then cupped their fists and reported with visible unease:

"Master... we still haven't found him..."

"Still haven't found him?"

Patriarch Zhao frowned. He had been restless for the past few days because of Chen Guan. He hadn't even gone to the shop to check the ledgers tonight. When it came down to it, although he didn't particularly care for Chen Guan, blood was thicker than water. Now that his son had truly vanished, it was impossible for him as a father to remain indifferent.

That brat!

At this moment, Patriarch Zhao felt more hatred than anything else, a resentment that made it impossible for his mind to settle. In his view, even if he hadn't showered his fifth son with excessive affection, he had still provided him with plenty of food and drink, raising the boy to be plump and healthy without ever letting him go hungry. Now that it was time for the boy to put in some effort, to learn, and to share the burden of the family business, this little bastard had actually run away?

Seven years of sunk costs, combined with a fragile father-son bond—merchants valued profit above all else. Patriarch Zhao felt he had suffered a massive loss.

"What a complete scoundrel! An absolute scoundrel!"

If it had only been a day or two since Chen Guan ran off, Patriarch Zhao might have felt a sliver of fatherly concern, thinking the boy was just throwing a tantrum. He had even considered having a heart-to-heart with his son once he was brought back. But now, Patriarch Zhao was truly furious.

"Go to the accounting office, take some silver, and hire some wandering swordsmen. Then go south of town and hire some idlers with nothing to do. Search outside the town! Even if he dies out there, he is still a member of the Zhao family. Even if he ends up as scraps in the jaws of a beast, I want his remains brought back and pieced together!"

"Yes..."

The guards dared not say another word and went back to the search.

Damn it... I found the left ear, but it really hurts...

The next day, late at night, Chen Guan suddenly rose from his cross-legged position, sucking in a cold breath as he rubbed his stinging ear. A faint trace of blood was seeping from the auricle.

Something is wrong... this isn't right...

After rubbing it for a while, Chen Guan realized he must have been practicing incorrectly. According to the records on elemental attributes, the ears belonged to "Water," while the sense of taste, like the tongue, belonged to "Fire." Using the Fire attribute to stimulate the ears was a violation of the Five Elements' mutual restriction.

I thought that because my constitution was unique and my ears were strange, I could give it a try...

Chen Guan had learned his lesson; experience was the best teacher. He realized that the warnings left by predecessors in the secret manuals were likely all born from similar painful mistakes. The good news was that after two days, he had already learned to control the spiritual essence within his body and had advanced from [Qi Perception] to [Refining Essence into Qi]. According to the books, crossing a realm in four days made him a bit of a prodigy. A normal person would need anywhere from two to three years.

However, Chen Guan knew the reason for his speed: he had opened his Yin-Yang Eyes in his previous life and frequently observed the changes in Yin attributes. Furthermore, he had lived four lifetimes as "Reality, the Old Man, the Black Bear, and the Fifth Young Master." Especially the sudden transmigrations of his first two lives, and the genuine feeling of having died, had given him a mental fortitude far beyond that of an ordinary person. Because of this, he had completed in four days a process of cultivation that took others years.

With this momentum of cultivation, he would continue.

Chen Guan thought it over and decided to continue his training.

But once he began.

It taught Chen Guan exactly what "time holds no meaning in the mountains" truly meant.

In the blink of an eye.

Spring departed and autumn arrived; ten years of the mortal world had passed.