Sensing the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth

"Sit cross-legged and calm the mind; relax naturally. Lightly close lips and teeth, breathe slow and even, clench the hands firmly, gaze straight ahead, gather the spirit's radiance, and reach the Heavenly Heart."

Extreme Yin began explaining the first level of Qi Refinement in the Longevity Art.

The first level mainly explained how to sense the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and draw qi into the body.

Extreme Yin taught with exceptional care, explaining nearly every word and sentence in detail, interspersing it with many of his own insights and experiences.

The young people listened with equal attentiveness. They all believed this was their chance for a carp to leap over the Dragon Gate, and they had to seize it tightly.

All these youths could read and write. They belonged to the small portion of "enlightened" people in the Gan Kingdom, and under Extreme Yin's explanations, they could basically understand the contents and essentials of the cultivation method.

Some impatient people had already sat cross-legged, with their five centers facing heaven and their eyes shut tight. As they listened to Extreme Yin's explanations, they also tried to sense the existence of the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

Song Wen was not in a hurry to try sensing spiritual qi. He listened carefully to Extreme Yin's explanation.

He understood the principle that sharpening the knife did not delay the chopping of firewood.

Moreover, he was certain that sensing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and drawing qi into the body would be time-consuming matters, not something that could be achieved in a short while.

Soon, the two morning hours had passed.

Extreme Yin rose to his feet and spoke loudly.

"Today's explanation of the cultivation method ends here. You must commit it to memory and comprehend it well. I look forward to someone soon sensing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and successfully drawing qi into the body."

"For the next month, I will set aside one hour every day to explain the cultivation method to you."

"During this month, you are forbidden from entering or leaving this residence, though you may move about freely within it. Your three daily meals will be delivered to you. All you need to do is cultivate the Longevity Art diligently. Do not disappoint my expectations of you."

With that, Extreme Yin left the side-courtyard area.

At this time, the Heavenly Baleful Gang guards stepped forward and handed each person a small booklet, which recorded the first level of the Qi Refinement stage of the Longevity Art.

The apprentices were all still wanting more. Some immediately returned to their rooms and eagerly began attempting cultivation.

Others gathered in groups of two or three, discussing their respective understandings of the cultivation method.

Song Wen did not join the discussions or begin cultivating. He always felt that Extreme Yin was being far too attentive.

Unsolicited attentiveness meant either treachery or theft!

He felt that some unspeakable secret was hidden behind all this, and that Extreme Yin must be plotting something.

After Extreme Yin left, the guards also departed the residence. Song Wen took the opportunity to observe the entire compound.

The residence covered a vast area and had been built against the mountain. The side-courtyard area where he stayed occupied only a small part of the entire residence.

Behind the side rooms lay a large stretch of open ground, scattered with patches of grass, trees, and ponds.

Farther back, at the foot of the mountain, stood a two-story building. Song Wen guessed that it was where Extreme Yin lived; Extreme Yin had headed toward it earlier.

Plots of land surrounded the small building, and a great many medicinal herbs were planted there.

After spending a quarter of an hour gaining a rough understanding of the compound's layout, Song Wen returned to his room.

Lunch had already been set out on the table inside.

Three white-flour steamed buns and a plate of stir-fried vegetables, with a little meat mixed in.

In the Gan Kingdom, this already counted as an excellent meal. Ordinary households certainly could not afford white-flour buns or meat at every meal.

The better the treatment, the more uneasy Song Wen became. He always felt that a massive conspiracy hung over himself and the other young people.

After lunch, Song Wen took out the small booklet.

The first level of Qi Refinement in the Longevity Art was very brief, consisting of only a little over a hundred words.

Yet the content was exceedingly obscure and difficult to understand. Had it not been for Extreme Yin's explanations, Song Wen felt that relying on his own fumbling attempts to comprehend it would probably have taken a long time.

After nearly half an hour, Song Wen barely managed to memorize all of the more than one hundred difficult, tongue-twisting words.

Then he began meditating cross-legged, with his five centers facing heaven. As he silently recited the cultivation method, he sensed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

Time passed quickly in cultivation. In the blink of an eye, two or three hours had gone by, yet Song Wen had sensed absolutely no spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

"Could it be that I have no talent for cultivation? Or is my talent simply terrible?"

With an entire afternoon of cultivation yielding no progress, Song Wen could not help beginning to doubt himself.

When Extreme Yin had explained the cultivation method, he had mentioned that not everyone possessed the aptitude to cultivate immortality. Only one in a hundred had such aptitude, and even among those who did, each person's talent varied greatly.

It seemed that Extreme Yin's understanding of cultivation aptitude was also extremely limited. He had only mentioned it vaguely in a few words without explaining it in depth.

Somewhat dejected, Song Wen opened his door. It was already evening.

The setting clouds dyed the entire sky golden, beautiful and captivating.

Trapped in danger, Song Wen had no mood to admire the evening glow. He stepped outside and saw quite a few young people gathered in the courtyard, discussing their cultivation progress.

Curious, he went over to listen. After making a round, he learned that among the hundred or so people, not a single one had sensed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

At once, his anxious heart settled somewhat.

"Looks like cultivating immortality isn't so easy after all!"

After dinner, Song Wen continued cultivating until the early hours of the morning. Only after making no progress whatsoever did he lie down to sleep in frustration.

The next day, early in the morning.

Extreme Yin appeared outside the side rooms on time.

"Did anyone sense the existence of spiritual qi yesterday?"

After a moment, seeing that none of the young people responded, Extreme Yin did not appear disappointed. He continued tirelessly explaining the key points of the Longevity Art.

In the blink of an eye, the third day of cultivation arrived.

That night, while cultivating the Longevity Art, Song Wen finally sensed the existence of the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

Countless shining motes floated around his body, drifting about aimlessly in every direction.

Song Wen, who had been somewhat weary late at night, was instantly filled with vigor, his heart surging like the tide.

He had finally completed the first step of cultivating immortality. This meant that he possessed the aptitude for immortal cultivation and had a chance to become an "immortal" admired by all.

The mature-minded Song Wen quickly calmed his excited thoughts.

He continued cultivating the Longevity Art, hoping to press on while the iron was hot and successfully draw qi into his body.

However, no matter how hard he tried, the floating motes would not obey his control and simply would not enter his body.

After trying for a quarter of an hour, he suddenly realized something.

"No, I can't draw qi into my body too quickly. At the very least, I can't be the first. Before I figure out why Extreme Yin is teaching us immortal arts, I absolutely cannot reveal that I possess the aptitude for immortal cultivation."

The next day, at the hour of the dragon.

Song Wen and the other young people gathered outside the side rooms.

As usual, Extreme Yin asked.

"Did anyone successfully sense the existence of spiritual qi yesterday?"