Qi Sense

He Pingsheng returned to his room, closed the door and windows, then sat down at his desk and began reading.

The Basic Breathing and Qi-Guiding Method.

He opened the first page!

There was nothing on the title page except a name: Hao Yun.

Well, well. So Hao Yun really had copied out this book himself!

He Pingsheng kept turning the pages.

Next came the table of contents!

The first section was the general outline.

The second section was the Qi-Guiding Method.

Only the third section contained the actual cultivation method.

He Pingsheng did not rush straight to the cultivation method. Instead, he began reading from the general outline.

Through it, he came to understand the broad steps of cultivation.

The first step was to develop qi sense.

Yes, he had to practice the Qi-Guiding Method, then use it to sense the thin, invisible spiritual qi between heaven and earth around him.

Thus, he had to develop qi sense before he could truly begin cultivating.

Then... I'll work on qi sense first!

He Pingsheng turned to the [Qi-Guiding Method] page, read it through once, then studied it three more times. Only after he understood the meaning of the section did he sit cross-legged on the floor, close his eyes, lower his head, and use his Divine Sense to perceive the spiritual qi between heaven and earth.

Actually, that was nonsense.

During the Qi Refining Stage, a cultivator's Divine Sense could only look inward, not extend outward, so it could not sense the spiritual qi outside.

Then what did he rely on?

The four hundred and eighty million pores all over his body, along with his skin, fine body hair, and so on.

He had to feel it out little by little.

He Pingsheng cultivated like this all night without developing any qi sense.

After breakfast the next morning, He Pingsheng sat cross-legged on the floor again and began working on his qi sense.

"Oh..." A voice suddenly came from outside the window. "Little He, trying to find your qi sense?"

He Pingsheng turned his head, looked at Hao Yun outside the window, and chuckled. "Yes!"

Hao Yun asked, "Found it yet?"

"No!" He Pingsheng shook his head. "Is it time to chop firewood?"

"No, no, no..." Hao Yun waved a hand. "Well... keep working on your qi sense... I'll handle the firewood. Take your time. Qi sense comes first!"

With that, Hao Yun actually picked up an axe and headed out.

All right!

Since Senior Brother is chopping firewood himself, I'll keep searching for qi sense.

One day!

Two days!

Three days!

At dusk on the third day, He Pingsheng suddenly found his qi sense. Every fine hair on his body stood on end, and he could clearly feel the spiritual qi flowing outside.

He could also sense the collisions of the various elements within that spiritual qi.

Though the sensation was very faint, he had found his qi sense nonetheless.

Wildly excited, He Pingsheng took the Basic Breathing and Qi-Guiding Method and went to Hao Yun's bedroom.

"Oh..." Hao Yun, who was sitting at his desk, looked up at He Pingsheng and asked, "Have you... found your qi sense?"

"Heh heh heh..."

He Pingsheng chuckled. "Yes, Senior Brother Hao. Just now, I sensed fluctuations in the Spiritual Power outside. Does that mean... I've found my qi sense?"

"I suppose so!"

Hao Yun nodded.

He Pingsheng sat down in front of him, his face brimming with excitement, wearing an expression that begged for praise.

But after waiting a dozen or so breaths, he still received no comment from Hao Yun.

He could not help asking, "Senior Brother... how long did it take you to find your qi sense back then?"

Hao Yun took a sip of water. "One day!"

"O-one day?" The pride He Pingsheng had felt just a moment ago was instantly crushed.

"Yes!" Hao Yun asked, "Is there a problem?"

He Pingsheng's face fell.

I spent three whole days and two nights, and you managed it in one day?

That's just bullying!

"Your talent is exceptional, Senior Brother. I can't compare!" He Pingsheng sighed.

Hao Yun said, "Pfft... how the hell is that exceptional talent?"

"Those geniuses with a single Spirit Root can reach the first level in two days... what does my achievement amount to?"

"Huh?" He Pingsheng said. "Two days? The first level?"

"Yes!" Hao Yun replied calmly as he leisurely drank his tea. "The first level of the Qi Refining Stage is the easiest... all you have to do is Qi Drawing into the Body. Follow the cultivation method to guide the Spiritual Power between heaven and earth into your body, circulate it through your meridians for one complete cycle, then gather the qi in your dantian. That counts as breaking through to the first level!"

"It's that simple!"

"Oh!" He Pingsheng nodded distractedly, then asked, "Then... how long does it take those genius disciples to find their qi sense?"

Hao Yun said, "Supposedly, about an hour!"

Uh... that...

Hao Yun seemed to see through He Pingsheng's thoughts. He smiled. "Stop asking... there's simply no comparison between those genius disciples and people like us!"

"Put it this way: back then, it took me half a month before I could guide Spiritual Power through one complete cycle in my body!"

"In other words, it took me half a month to break through to the first level!"

"Those genius disciples only take two or three days!"

"Then!" Hao Yun continued, "Going from the first level to the second tests your talent and resources. I had no miraculous pills, and I certainly couldn't refine Qi-Gathering Pills, so it took me three whole years to break through!"

"Nine more years have passed since I reached the second level, and the third is still far beyond my reach!"

"I figure I'll either remain at the second level for the rest of my life, or perhaps get a chance to advance one more level to the Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage!"

"Anything beyond that is pretty much impossible!"

Clack...

Hao Yun set his teacup down on the table, then stood up. "So, Little He... I only lent you this book to read... don't actually cultivate... in the end, it'll all be nothing but a dream!"

He Pingsheng looked unwilling to admit defeat. "Why? Didn't you reach the second level?"

"That's different!" Hao Yun said. "I have four Spirit Roots. You damn well have five. How can you compare yourself to me?"

He Pingsheng was speechless. A man with four Spirit Roots is looking down on me for having five?

After a while, Hao Yun took out a white porcelain bottle and placed it before He Pingsheng. "You need porcelain bottles to store pills... they can mask most of the scent. If your parents left you any other good things, put them in this!"

"Don't let anyone see them. That wouldn't be good for you!"

He Pingsheng said, "I... don't have any left... I have no use for this!"

Hao Yun said, "Don't worry. Only you know whether you have any. I'm not after your things anyway... take it..."

"Go on, go on, go on..."

He shoved the porcelain bottle into He Pingsheng's hand, then pushed He Pingsheng himself out of the room.

Looking at the porcelain bottle in his hand, He Pingsheng suddenly wondered whether Senior Brother Hao was testing him.

Could he have given me this bottle on purpose, waiting for me to put my pills inside so he can suddenly appear and snatch them?

No...

I absolutely can't put them in!

I have to resist.