Misunderstanding, Going Astray

As the spiritual power surged past the Baihui Acupoint for the third time, my temples throbbed. It wasn't pain, but a pressure, like something gently bumping against my skull from the inside. I didn't stop, continuing to push down, guiding the stream of heat towards the Yuzhen Pass.

The first two cycles had been smooth. The first felt as natural as water flowing downhill. The second hitched for a moment at the Jianjing Acupoint, but a breath settled it. Now was the third and final cycle for today. Completing it would mean the mission was accomplished.

I urged the qi in my Dantian to accelerate. This power was much stronger than when I first started, and its circulation was no longer as stiff as it used to be. But the smoother it felt, the more I wanted to finish quickly. I'd been sitting for so long, my body was stiff, my knees ached, and my back had gone numb from holding it straight.

"Reverse surge to the Yuzhen Pass, and the spirit will be clear." The words from the Profound Origin Breathing Technique echoed in my mind. The System had explained before that Yuzhen was one of the three major passes of the Du Meridian. Passing this pass would further clarify one's spiritual sense. But my memory was hazy, I only vaguely recalled something about "penetrating."

Penetrate it then.

Gritting my teeth, I mobilized all the remaining spiritual power in my body, rushing it all towards the top of my head. Not a slow push, but a fierce upward shove. I felt this was what true breakthrough and progress meant.

Instantly, my nape felt like it had been pierced by an iron rod.

Not a metaphor. It was as if a red-hot iron bar had shot up from my spine, straight into my brain. My whole body jolted, my fingers twitched, my toes curled, and my breathing hitched for half a beat.

Pain. It hurt so much.

Not the pain of flesh wounds, but a tearing sensation in my bones, my veins, my very brain. I opened my mouth to scream but couldn't make a sound. My throat felt blocked, my chest tight, and my heart pounded as if it would explode.

The spiritual power was out of control.

It no longer followed its original path but surged wildly. Some rushed into my arms, my fingertips instantly going numb as if pricked by needles. Some slammed into my legs, my knees buckling, and my body toppled from its seated position, my shoulder hitting the ground with a dull thud.

The spirit stones in their sockets were still there, but they had gone dark, devoid of any light. The beast hide on the roof rustled in the wind, flapping like someone was beating it from outside.

I tried to get up, bracing myself on the ground, but my arms wouldn't obey. My muscles twitched uncontrollably, not under my command. Cold sweat poured from my forehead, trickling down my temples and behind my ears, leaving a chilling dampness.

My mind buzzed, my vision went black, then suddenly flashed with white light, like lightning exploding inside my skull. I saw fragmented images—shards tumbling in the Chaotic Flow, mist at a valley entrance, System pop-up windows... They flashed by rapidly and disappeared just as quickly, impossible to grasp.

"I was wrong..." I finally realized. "It wasn't a full-force surge, it was a gentle pull..."

But it was too late to realize that now.

The spiritual power within me was like a flood that had broken through a dam, flowing everywhere. Every inch of my meridians was bearing an unbearable pressure. A sharp pain shot through the outer side of my forearm. I knew that was the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, but it shouldn't be reacting now.

I curled up, biting my lower lip, tasting blood. I didn't want to cry out, fearing I might alert something, but a low groan still escaped my throat. The sound was hoarse, unlike my own voice.

Breathing became increasingly difficult. Each inhale felt like working a bellows, my lungs dry, my chest heavy as if a stone was pressing down. I tried to restart the cycle, using the incantation to steady my breath, but the moment I focused, the rampaging qi surged back, making my temples throb violently.

I rolled over, face up, eyes open but unseeing. The shadows of the vines on the roof swayed, different from before. They used to hang still, but now they seemed to writhe, twisting together, tightening their grip.

The spirit stone by my hand was completely ruined. I reached out to touch it, but as my fingertip brushed its surface, a sharp sting shot through me, like static electricity. I pulled my hand back, noticing the tip of my finger had turned slightly black, as if scorched.

I can't let this continue.

I still had consciousness, albeit hazy, and could sense the System was still present. It wasn't speaking, but I could feel its existence, like a thin mist hovering at the edge of my sea of consciousness. What was it waiting for? Why wasn't it speaking?

Perhaps it couldn't intervene directly, only prompt.

I gathered the last bit of my clarity and asked mentally, "What should I do now?"

No answer.

I asked again, my voice trembling.

This time, a flicker pulsed deep within my sea of consciousness. It wasn't text or voice, but a vibration, faint yet clear, like the chime of a bell.

Then, red light appeared.

A small cluster, it slowly spread in the center of my consciousness. It wasn't hot, nor dazzling, but it carried a sense of pressure, like an alarm, or a warning.

I knew this was the System's reaction. It had detected danger and was preparing to act. But it hadn't made its move yet; it was still observing, still judging the critical point.

I was close to my limit.

My limbs began to twitch uncontrollably, not cramps, but my entire leg, my entire arm, would lift and fall on their own. I thrashed on the ground like a fish out of water, hitting a pile of flat stones by the corner of the wall. A flat stone dislodged and landed on my calf, the pain making my vision flash white.

Blood welled up in my mouth again. Not much, flowing from the corner of my lips to my earlobe. I raised my hand to wipe it away, my palm coming away damp and warm, dark red.

It shouldn't be dark outside yet. The light in the room was dim, but I could make out shapes. The door curtain hung down. No wind came from the south entrance, yet the air was moving. I could feel the spiritual energy in disarray, no longer flowing smoothly but swirling, like water boiling in a pot.

I tried hard to recall the correct route. Down the Ren Meridian, linger at Huiyin for three breaths, then slowly ascend along the Du Meridian, past Weilu, through Jiaji, to Dazhui... all the way to Yuzhen, it should be a gentle penetration, not a forceful surge.

I should have realized it sooner. "Penetrating" wasn't about brute force; it was about allowing the qi to naturally permeate.

But it was too late to think about that now.

I lay on the ground, my body still trembling. My breathing grew shallower, but my heartbeat grew heavier. Each pulse tugged at my skull, as if trying to shake my brain matter loose.

I raised my right hand, trying to guide it again. But as my fingers moved, my entire arm screamed with pain as if sliced by a blade. I couldn't help but cry out, my voice cracking.

My fingertips were only inches from the spirit stone. If I could just touch it, perhaps I could borrow some residual spiritual energy to stabilize my meridians. I shuffled forward a little, my shoulder scraping against the ground, causing a painful abrasion.

I was almost there.

Just then, the turbulent flow within my body suddenly shifted, surging entirely towards my Heart Meridian.

My chest tightened, as if someone had stomped on it. My eyes snapped open wide, a choked sound escaped my throat, and my body arched before slamming back down.

My vision began to blur. The vines on the roof became indistinct, turning into a mass of shifting black shadows. A low-frequency hum filled my ears, drowning out the sound of the stream, drowning out the wind.

I still had a sliver of consciousness.

I knew I was lying on the ground, knew blood had flowed from my mouth to my neck, knew the spirit stone by my hand could no longer save me.

The System continued to vibrate. The red light grew brighter.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, but the sound caught in my throat.

The next second, my body convulsed violently, my right leg kicking out and hitting the pile of stones by the wall. Several small stones rolled off, one of them striking the spirit stone with a crisp clink.

Outside, the dead leaf still rested by the threshold. It was nudged by the wind, flipping over.