Small Heavenly Cycle

Han Tao was Ning Fengzhi's disciple and could now receive a monthly stipend of 100 Gold Soul Coins.

Moreover, as a Soul Grandmaster, Spirit Hall granted him a monthly subsidy of 10 Gold Soul Coins. Calculated this way, the cost of Meridian Cleansing Pills did not seem particularly expensive.

But that was only true for Han Tao.

For children Han Tao's age, pleasure and entertainment were the main themes of life.

Take Ning Tian, for example. She went to a club for foot massages twice a month, then had her stipend deducted by Ning Fengzhi. There was hardly any money left after that.

After purchasing Nettle Juice, Red Pomelo, and a bottle of Meridian Cleansing Pills, Han Tao waited for the third class.

Sure enough, after completing all the groundwork for their previous cultivation, the Teacher did not hold anything back in the third lesson and began teaching the Heaven Dou Empire's Advanced Meditation Method.

"I assume that in the cities where you come from, you have learned basic meditation methods. Those methods should have taught you how to use Mental Power to guide the circulation of Soul Power."

"I will now recite the mnemonic. Use your Mental Power to guide your Soul Power along the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian."

"Control your breathing. Feel the rise and fall of each breath and its convergence with the Meridians."

After applying Nettle Juice to the joints of his Meridians, Han Tao guided his Soul Power through the Twelve Principal Meridians according to the academy Teacher's instructions.

Each principal meridian was connected to a portion of the internal organs.

When Soul Power circulated through the principal meridians, it could not only strengthen Soul Power but also temper a soul master's internal organs to a certain extent.

The strength of his internal organs had always been Han Tao's weakness. Previously, when he endured Xiao Yuan's Gravity Pressure, he had mostly been limited by the strength of his organs and had been forced to stop because he could not sustain it for long.

Now, the appearance of the Heaven Dou Meditation Method undoubtedly made up for this deficiency.

Balanced and gentle, yet slow.

The Cultivation Speed of the Heaven Dou Meditation Method was only half that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's meditation method—perhaps not even half.

The medicinal power of the Meridian Cleansing Pill spread from his stomach throughout his body. Under the control of his Mental Power, most of it was directed into the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, where it began dissolving the impurities within the main meridian.

These impurities could clog the Meridians and affect a soul master's Cultivation Speed.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's meditation method followed the route of the fine meridians, which could likewise become clogged with impurities.

However, the impact on Cultivation Speed was not significant, because there were enough fine meridians in a soul master's body. If one became blocked, there were still countless others through which circulation could continue.

The medicinal power of a Meridian Cleansing Pill could be focused on one area to forcefully clear one of the Twelve Principal Meridians. Likewise, it could be spread throughout the entire body to clear every fine meridian.

But the latter required you to be rich enough.

For most soul masters, the latter was a completely meaningless choice.

It not only cost a great deal of money, but the benefits were not obvious either, so no one would do such a thing.

Of course, if you had obsessive-compulsive disorder or simply were not interested in money, that was another matter.

"Crown Prince, you have a letter."

Inside the Crown Prince Palace, a eunuch reported in a shrill voice.

The signature on the letter was from his junior brother, Han Tao.

Xue Qinghe frowned slightly. His impression of this junior brother from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was extremely poor.

Relying on the "Crown Prince Token," Han Tao had repeatedly slipped into Heaven Dou Royal Academy and had even stirred up rumors that Xue Qinghe had shown favoritism.

"Hmph! I want to see what excuses he has!"

He casually tore open the letter. There was only one short sentence written inside.

"This incident was orchestrated by Prince Xue Beng." His pupils abruptly contracted.

Then he turned toward the eunuch beside him, asking with a smile that carried a trace of viciousness in his eyes.

"No one else has read this letter, right?"

The eunuch replied with practiced ease, "No. This old servant can guarantee it with his life. After the letter reached my hands, no one else read it."

Only after seeing the old eunuch's response did Xue Qinghe finally relax.

"You did well this time. Go to the Finance Department and collect a third-grade reward."

The value of a reward was tied to one's contribution. From the reward he received, the eunuch could judge the value of the letter's contents.

It had some minor use, but nothing more.

"Second Brother, I underestimated you."

Xue Qinghe sat in the Crown Prince's chair, his gaze fixed on the windowsill. His thoughts crossed mountains and rivers, reaching the true subject of the letter.

Was it Han Tao, or Xue Beng?

"Why did Han Tao come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

"Could it be to seek an opportunity to break through level 19?"

At that thought, Xue Qinghe could not help smiling, and a certain arrogance rose within him.

What you desperately sought was something I possessed from birth. The satisfaction of that was beyond words.

In his happiness, he forgot to pursue Han Tao's wrongdoing.

As one flower bloomed on two branches, each told its own tale.

To create a meditation method, one first needed a sufficiently vast reserve of knowledge.

Studying at Heaven Dou Royal Academy could not directly increase Han Tao's combat power, nor could it even improve his Cultivation Speed.

Yet it was an enhancement of one's foundation—a Soul Master's deeper understanding of the relationship between Martial Soul, soul power, and Physique.

After seven long months of practice and cultivation, Han Tao had attained Proficient Mastery of the Heaven Dou Meditation Method. With the aid of various Medicinal Materials, he had opened all Twelve Principal Meridians throughout his body.

The Twelve Principal Meridians were linked to the internal organs. Through cultivation, they could strengthen a Soul Master's organs and compensate for the shortcomings caused by physical training.

The Eight Extraordinary Meridians connected to the seven orifices. They could not only coordinate the movement of soul power through the Twelve Principal Meridians, but also enhance a Soul Master's five-dimensional perception.

A Black-Robed Youth stood there, with refined features and a calm expression.

"This is fucking an AFK cultivation technique." Han Tao was utterly astonished.

Soul power flowed through the Twelve Principal Meridians, forming a perfectly natural Small Heavenly Cycle. With every complete circuit, his soul power increased by a fraction.

The opening of the Twelve Principal Meridians signified the completion of the Small Heavenly Cycle.

As soul power circulated according to the heavenly cycle, the entire meditation process became a continuously looping whole.

He only needed to devote a portion of his attention to controlling his soul power, allowing meditation to continue without end.

"This is a little absurd. No, I need to take another look."

As he thought this, a question could not help arising in Han Tao's mind.

"Did Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, know about the compatibility between Heart Separation Control and the Heaven Dou Meditation Method?"

"He might know... No, he definitely knew!"

Han Tao swiftly reached a conclusion.

Within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were inner members who were taught Heart Separation Control and outer members who were not. Among the inner members were core members who had attained Proficient Mastery of Heart Separation Control, as well as useless rookies incapable of learning it.

Ning Fengzhi had countless methods to recommend those core members to Heaven Dou Royal Academy for study.

Would these Sect members cling to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's meditation method and live off past achievements, or relearn the Heaven Dou Meditation Method and embark upon two entirely different futures?

Meanwhile, Han Tao, with the goal of creating a meditation method in his heart, had stumbled into learning the Heaven Dou Meditation Method by accident.

After mastering the Small Heavenly Cycle, Han Tao's soul power steadily rose, but creating his own cultivation technique remained a distant prospect.