Soul Power Cultivation

Shaochong Acupoint!

Ling Yi spread the five fingers of his right hand and held them before his eyes, focusing on the radial side of the final joint of his little finger, just a tiny distance from the corner of the nail. He recited inwardly.

Then he curled his fingers into a fist before spreading them again. Ling Yi's gaze shifted to the spot that had just been pressed by the tip of his little finger, and he thought once more, This is... the Shaofu Acupoint!

His gaze moved again, following the path along the side of his little finger to his wrist. After passing the protruding pisiform bone, it stopped at a fairly obvious depression. Shenmen Acupoint!

Ling Yi was rather familiar with this spot. In his previous life, he had been something of a wuxia fan. In both the novel and its adaptations of Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Wudang Sect's "Thirteen Shenmen Swords" specifically targeted the opponent's Shenmen Acupoint on the wrist, leaving their wrist powerless. This sword technique, one of the rare few not intended to kill, had left quite an impression on Ling Yi.

The Shaochong Acupoint on the little finger had left an equally deep impression. It too came from Jin Yong's Martial Arts—Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, specifically Tianlong Temple of the Dali Duan Clan and its "Six Meridian Divine Sword"—the Shao Chong Sword!

In the TV adaptations, Duan Yu, a master at meeting girls, would stretch out his hand in a "666" gesture, and lasers would start shooting from his thumb and little finger. The special effects in that scene far surpassed Yin Liting waving a sword around in Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre.

Enough idle chatter. Back to business.

Ling Yi gathered his thoughts and steadied his mind, continuing to fit Douluo Continent's "Bingxixi version" of the soul power circulation route, bit by bit, into the Human Meridian Diagram he had recreated. That would make it easier for him to understand later—and... modify.

Of course, it was still far too early to talk about modifications. For now, he was merely guiding the soul power within his body—that tiny thread of cool energy—through the route of the "Basic Meditation Method" in one slow but complete circuit.

Lowering his head, Ling Yi stared at three cun below his navel... No, that was wrong. He was only six years old now...

Feeling that thread of cool energy enter an illusory yet seemingly real space, Ling Yi's eyes flickered. "Interesting~"

Logically speaking, this direction is completely opposite to the meridian circulation of my previous life, yet it can actually work like this in this world!

Ling Yi could clearly sense that the half-rank of soul power previously within his body surged from below his abdomen... from his Dantian, at a thought. It raced at extreme speed to the Shaochong Acupoint on his right little finger, drawing in certain particle-like entities from the outside world. It then carried those particles along the route Ling Yi had just traced, acupoint by acupoint, back into his Dantian.

During the process, those particles were gradually assimilated by the cool energy—that was, Ling Yi's soul power. By the time they entered his Dantian, nearly thirty percent had already been assimilated. Thus, after offsetting the expenditure from circulation, the total amount of his soul power had increased slightly!

In Ling Yi's previous life, this soul power circulation route used in meditation had a name—the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian!

The difference was that, under the traditional Chinese medical theory of his previous life, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian was symmetrical on both sides, meaning there was one in each arm. Yet in the "Basic Meditation Method" provided here in Douluo Continent by Spirit Hall Deacon Yan Bin, there was only this one on the right arm. Moreover, its explanation was vague and poorly worded, padded with plenty of irrelevant descriptions that left many poorly educated beginners in this world scratching their heads.

Fortunately, while Ling Yi had not specifically studied traditional Chinese medical theory in his previous life, and his educational level had only been that of an ordinary university graduate, his reading comprehension was decent enough. He could barely handle essay-writing and aptitude-test questions, let alone this relatively plain-language "Basic Meditation Method."

"Simply put, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian begins at the heart, passes through the armpit, and runs along the inner arm to the tip of the little finger. It has several branches: one descends to connect with the small intestine, one travels upward along the esophagus to the eyes, and another rises to the Lungs, emerges at the armpit, follows the rear edge of the upper arm to the inner wrist, and reaches the Shaochong Acupoint on the inner side of the little finger... Are you even listening to me recite this—?"

The coquettish complaint of the nursing major girl echoed in his ears once again.

Not wanting her to know that he had just gotten distracted by the curves beneath her White Coat, Ling Yi of his previous life hurriedly answered:

"I'm listening~ I'm listening~ It's just that I was thinking, these meridians aren't blood vessels, and there's no blood flowing through them. So what exactly is circulating through this cycle? True qi? Internal energy?"

The girl rolled her eyes. Her rosy lips pouted, making his throat bob involuntarily. She spat irritably, "True qi~ Internal energy? Why don't you say Chakra or magic circuits?"

"Come on, how could this world possibly have things like that!"

"Then what circulates through the meridians?"

"How should I put it? You can call it Vital Energy, or Blood Qi. It's the driving force behind the body's life activities..."

"Oh~ So it starts from the heart, not the Dantian?"

"Hey~ You can talk all you want, but where is your hand going?"

"I'm just confirming the positions of the heart and Dantian firsthand—"

"The... the position of the heart is fine, but the... Dantian, is the Dantian really... really that low—?"

"Hehe... My hand slipped... it slipped—"

Let us discard the inappropriate and boring latter half, and focus on what the young lady said earlier.

Under the traditional Chinese medical theory of Ling Yi's previous life, the human body was a miniature heaven and earth. The internal circulation pathways of energy were divided into two categories: regular meridians and extraordinary meridians. There were twelve regular meridians—the three yin meridians of the hands and feet and the three yang meridians of the hands and feet—collectively known as the Twelve Meridians. They were the primary channels through which qi and blood circulated. There were eight extraordinary meridians—the Governing, Conception, Penetrating, Belt, Yin Heel, Yang Heel, Yin Linking, and Yang Linking vessels—collectively called the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. They served to govern, connect, and regulate the Twelve Meridians. Beyond these, there were also finer meridians such as the Twelve Divergent Meridians, which served as supplements and connections.

As for the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, Ling Yi had not gotten that far in his discussions with the young lady in his previous life before changing fields to study foreign languages and finding himself a Russian girl to learn Russian from.

Besides, even in wuxia novels and TV dramas, those involved with the Eight Extraordinary Meridians were experts. For Ling Yi, who had only just begun, researching them was still premature.

Returning to the Twelve Principal Meridians, their names were determined by a combination of their yin-yang attributes, their associated organs, and the locations through which they ran. Each belonged to one of the twelve organs. Using the name of its associated organ, together with whether it traveled through the hands or feet, the inner or outer side, or the front, middle, or rear regions, each was given a distinct name according to yin-yang theory.

Their names were, in order: Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian, Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, and Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian.

These twelve meridians were connected through various collateral channels between the yin and yang of the hands and feet, passing transmission from one to the next to form a ceaseless circulatory system, like an endless ring. Through the meridians, qi and blood could reach the organs within and the skin and muscles without, nourishing the entire body.

That concluded the encyclopedia-style explanation. Ling Yi began focusing on the parts useful to him.

Namely, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian!

Is it because most people's martial souls manifest in their right hands that the meridian in the right hand is used as the introductory route?

Ling Yi pondered silently. But why does it begin at the Shaochong Acupoint on the little finger? Why not the Shaoshang Acupoint on the thumb, the Zhongchong Acupoint on the middle finger, or the Guanchong Acupoint on the ring finger?

Also, the Shaoze Acupoint is on the side of the little finger's nail as well, except it is on the inner side closer to the ring finger, whereas the Shaochong Acupoint is on the outer side. Is there some particular reason behind this choice?

Thanks to reader 20210301106605389310 and reader Qing Ji T Wu Qing for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support and for following along! Thank you! (^_^)