What Is a Heavenly Circuit?

Zhu Ying held a scroll in his hand. After reading for a while, he glanced again at Wang Chong, who was meditating, and could not help feeling a little smug. Your memory is unmatched under heaven, and your talent rivals even the four most celebrated masters of the age—Su, Wang, Mi, and Pei—but when it comes to aptitude for refining qi, you still fall short of me.

Thinking this, Zhu Ying secretly reproached himself. He should not take such delight in another's misfortune. Yet upon further thought, he felt that it was fortunate Wang Chong still had flaws. Otherwise, would he not be unlike any living man?

His thoughts twisted and turned amid countless contradictions. He himself found them laughable, but he blamed all his embarrassment and irritation on Wang Chong and resolved not to treat him to a meal tomorrow.

After meditating for a long time, Wang Chong opened his eyes, shame on his face. "I can still sense only the faintest trace of qi, but I cannot gather it into my dantian."

Zhu Ying smiled. "That is already quite good."

"Martial artists cultivate true qi, storing it in the acupoints of the heavenly circuit and throughout the limbs and skeleton. Thus, when their true qi flows, gold and stone alike are ground to dust; their bodies become mighty, and their strength surpasses dragons and elephants."

"The orthodox mystic schools, beyond the body's acupoints, also cultivate the acupoints of the spirit. They emphasize resonance between inner and outer, the unity of Heaven and man, and the tempering of magical power."

"The qi-refining art of the Primordial Sword Formula is the Five-Terrace Sect's most orthodox Great Five-Element Qi Refinement Art. Beyond the true qi of the five elements, it also emphasizes subduing dragons, taming tigers, binding elephants, commanding cranes, and locking the heart-ape."

Little Bug had never encountered Daoist qi-refining arts before. He listened with great interest and asked, "What are subduing dragons, taming tigers, binding elephants, commanding cranes, and locking the heart-ape?"

"Subduing dragons, taming tigers, binding elephants, commanding cranes, and locking the heart-ape are all methods for cultivating the acupoints of the spirit."

Seeing that Wang Chong still only half understood, his expression hazy, Zhu Ying patiently continued, "For example, when a mortal martial artist opens the Ren and Du meridians, that is called the Lesser Heavenly Circuit."

"When one's cultivation grows deeper, and one opens further acupoints within the eight extraordinary meridians and twelve regular meridians, allowing true qi to circulate back and forth in an unbroken loop, head joined to tail, that is called the Greater Heavenly Circuit."

"The more Greater Heavenly Circuits one's true qi has, the more profound one's cultivation becomes."

"With seven circuits or more, one may be called first-rate. With nine or more, one is called a grandmaster. With twelve or more, one may be called an earthly immortal..."

"If one can circulate true qi through thirteen heavenly circuits, that is the pinnacle of mortal martial arts!"

"But that is the limit of a martial artist's potential."

"Mystic cultivation opens the acupoints of the spirit. When many acupoints link together, they too can form heavenly circuits."

"The acupoints of the human body are finite, but the acupoints of the spirit are boundless!"

"Thus, magical power has no end and points straight toward immortals and gods."

Little Bug listened in a daze of longing. In some dim, drifting place—not within his body, not before or behind him, yet everywhere at once—a hidden, insubstantial aperture suddenly opened. Heaven and earth abruptly became clear and bright. Of the three floating characters before his eyes, all were missing a piece that carried the intent of gathering and drawing in. The Heaven-Mixing Talisman whose sound was read as gou suddenly vanished.

Little Bug was slightly startled, then immediately sensed that the Heaven-Mixing Talisman had merged as one with the aperture opened in the void. A strange, faint hum arose. With every vibration, an unusual breath was born from the emptiness.

"Has... an aperture opened?"

Little Bug tried to command the talisman. He only felt that its operation was ten times smoother than before. With a casual empty gesture, Zhu Ying flew through the air and pounced upon Wang Chong, knocking him flat on his back.

Zhu Ying was furious and cried, "Why did you use me to test your spell?"

Little Bug stared dumbfoundedly, not knowing how to answer. He could only babble, "I do not know either. I just suddenly felt that Brother Zhu seemed about to leave me, and I could not help wanting to summon you back."

Zhu Ying shoved himself up with a hand against Wang Chong's chest. He climbed to his feet, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, yet also carrying an indescribable delight. "I still have to study at the academy. How could I leave you?"

Thinking of his parents, Little Bug was moved and casually said, "The south wind blows mournfully, the west wind strikes in gusts; scattered clouds are hard to gather again, and those parted are hard to reunite."

"Sooner or later, you and I will earn official rank and travel as officials to the far corners of heaven and earth."

Zhu Ying had originally been angry, but hearing this, his heart could not help aching. He knew the circumstances of his own family. Sooner or later, he would no longer be able to remain in the mortal world and would have to return home. If he wished to see Wang Chong again after that, it would likely be harder than climbing to Heaven.

Unless... both of them could formally take Xiao Nan as their master.

Zhu Ying could not resist rapping Wang Chong on the head. "Why say such inauspicious things for no reason?"

Little Bug hurriedly apologized. Zhu Ying's thoughts shifted slightly, and he took the chance to say, "You must swear an oath. No matter how far away you are in the future, no matter what obstacles stand in your way, whenever I want you to come, you must come find me. Only then will I forgive you."

Little Bug's expression turned solemn as he swore, "Whenever Zhu Ying calls for me in the future, Wang Chong will surely brave every hardship to seek you out. If I should violate this oath..."

Zhu Ying reached out and covered his lips. In a faintly wistful tone, he said, "If you truly do not come, I do not want to hear you make some vicious oath about being struck by lightning. I will only punish you by never letting you see me again for the rest of your life."

What kind of punishment is that? Little Bug thought.

He was still young and could not understand such feelings. He only recalled that among his father's collected writings was a piece called Rhapsody of Parting. Unable to help himself, he recited its opening line: "Nothing breaks the soul so utterly as parting!"

He also casually recited his father's annotation: "Such a punishment is a thousand, a hundred times more painful than being struck by lightning, cut down by blades, afflicted with vile disease, or suffering any of the karmic retributions of human life."

Zhu Ying stood transfixed, murmuring, "Nothing breaks the soul so utterly as parting..." Suddenly, he was deeply moved, and boundless tenderness filled his heart.

After this interruption, Little Bug felt that the atmosphere was not right and did not mention having opened an acupoint of the spirit.

Zhu Ying had not expected Wang Chong to open an acupoint of the spirit so quickly, much less refine a Heaven-Mixing Talisman into it. After straightening his appearance a little, he continued carefully explaining the Great Five-Element Qi Refinement Art to Little Bug.

The Five-Terrace Sect's Great Five-Element Qi Refinement Art cultivated both inner and outer. Not only did its method of cultivating true qi point directly toward the thirteen heavenly circuits, the pinnacle of mortal martial arts, it could also refine open one hundred and thirty-six acupoints of the spirit. Its magical power could circulate through five layers of heavenly circuits. It was an extraordinarily formidable qi-refining art, no less precious than the Primordial Sword Formula.

Xiao Nan had taught Zhu Ying the sword formula and the Heaven-Mixing Talisman, but as for the qi-refining art, he had taught him only the dragon and tiger heavenly circuits, not the complete method.

After Zhu Ying explained it once, he saw that Little Bug's mind was elsewhere and assumed his spirit was somewhat weary. "We will stop here for today. Tomorrow, let us go to the rear mountain together. I will teach you the Primordial Sword Style."

"The moves of this sword art are far more ingenious than mortal martial arts."

"If used to contend for supremacy in the martial world, these sword moves alone would make one invincible throughout the mortal realm."

"Even when sword immortals duel with swords, the exquisite transformations of these moves can win one many advantages."

Little Bug agreed. After bidding Zhu Ying goodnight, he returned to his own bed and closed his eyes.

He knew that Zhu Ying always read for a while at night, silently visualizing the talismans on the stone stele. After half an hour, he heard Zhu Ying blow out the lamp and turn over to sleep. Only then did he open his eyes again.

Little Bug was too excited to sleep.

Within the newly opened acupoint of his spirit, the Heaven-Mixing Talisman containing "the intent of gathering and drawing in, read with the sound gou" hummed faintly at every moment. Each faint vibration fused it more deeply with that spiritual aperture, while a wondrous power spilled forth.

So this is magical power? Little Bug wondered.