On the morning of the seventh day, the lingering effects of his morning practice had not yet dissipated. Yuan Chen had just finished his movements and stood steady when his phone in his pocket rang, "Ding, ding, ding."
"Hello, who is this?" He answered casually, his voice still clear and bright from his morning exercise.
"Hello, may I speak to Mr. Most Handsome Young Daoist Priest?"
The delivery driver's somewhat flustered voice came from the other end of the phone, "I'm from Xiao Ge Express. The item you ordered is quite large, and we really can't deliver it up the mountain. We've left it at the Ben Niao Post Station for now. Could you please pick it up when you have time?"
Yuan Chen scratched his head upon hearing this. The mountain breeze brushed through the stray hairs on his forehead, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.
"I see... Then would it be too much trouble for you to find two people to bring it up? I'll pay for the labor. What do you think?"
"That might be a bit difficult," the delivery driver's voice sounded even more troubled.
"Although the mountain path up to you isn't extremely dangerous, it's certainly strenuous to carry heavy items. If anything gets bumped or damaged, it would be hard for us to explain, wouldn't it?"
Yuan Chen understood. The path on Xuan Du Mountain had been trodden by villagers collecting herbs and mushrooms years ago, and later paved with bricks. An ordinary person could walk to the temple in about twenty minutes at a leisurely pace.
However, the item he ordered online was both heavy and fragile, making it indeed inconvenient to transport. He thought for a moment, and his tone became more earnest:
"How about this? You find two young men to help carry it up, and I'll pay an extra hundred yuan in labor fees for each person. Is that okay?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a cheerful reply:
"No problem! Mr. Most Handsome Young Daoist Priest, I'll arrange for people to send it up as soon as I'm done here. Do you have any other instructions?"
"Uh, Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, no, that's all. Thank you, Benefactor."
After hanging up, Yuan Chen turned and walked towards the quiet room next door. This room was originally for pilgrims to rest, but ever since he decided to focus on cultivation, he had moved the tables, chairs, and beds to the adjacent room and personally transformed it into a practice room.
In the corner were piles of newly delivered practice equipment. Sunlight streamed through the wooden window frames onto the blue brick floor, revealing the trajectories of dancing dust motes.
After waiting for about two hours, the delivery driver indeed brought two young men who carried the items up the mountain.
Yuan Chen signed for each item, thanked them, and after seeing them off, he eagerly rubbed his hands, wanting to experience the taste of cultivation.
He concentrated and sank into his Sea of Consciousness, opening the "Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment" chapter of the "Jade Green Primordial Heaven-Opening Scripture." However, he saw that he could only practice "Crystal Contemplation · Nei Jing Returning to Orifices" at the moment,
and he had to wait until Hour of Hai — the time when the parasympathetic nervous system is most active.
"Sigh, I got excited for nothing," Yuan Chen pouted, but he wasn't truly anxious.
The "Nei Jing" mentioned in the scripture, he had actually already grasped the key to it: "Qi" is the vitality of qi and blood surging through the meridians in traditional Chinese medicine;
"Nei Jing" is the skillful force condensed from breath and intention in traditional martial arts. When the two combine, it becomes the "Nei Jing" that can regulate the body and fend off enemies.
In these seven days, he had comprehended Nei Jing from the fist techniques attached to the scripture. Last night, he successfully twisted qi and jing into a single strand. The feeling of that energy flowing through his body still made his heart stir when he thought about it.
He finally managed to endure until Hai Shi was approaching. Yuan Chen, with a hint of anticipation, walked into the practice room and lit the oil lamp on the table. He took out the prepared instruments:
The Xuan Crystal Resonance Device lay quietly on the table. A purple crystal mirror was embedded in the electromagnetic coil base, emitting a faint, deep glow.
Next to it were meridian conductive patches and a microcurrent monitor, with lines as delicate as silk.
According to the cultivation method, he first applied the conductive patches one by one to the acupoints of the Triple Energizer meridian of the hand Shaoyang:
The Sizhukong at the corner of the eyebrow, the Waiguan on the forearm, and the Yangchi at the wrist. After securing them, he connected the monitor, and the screen immediately displayed blood-red current values, fluctuating high and low, like a candle flame swaying in the wind.
"Let's begin," Yuan Chen took a deep breath, sat upright in front of the Xuan Crystal Resonance Device, and concentrated intently.
The crystal mirror reflected the halo of the oil lamp, and a subtle, imperceptible vibration emanated from the base—a 0.5 Hz low-frequency pulse, quietly harmonizing his brainwaves.
He followed the "Knuckle Tapping Method," gently tapping his temples with his index finger every ten seconds, applying just enough force to be "slightly painful but not numb."
At the same time, he silently activated his intention, imagining his Nei Jing starting from his fingertips, winding its way along the Triple Energizer meridian, and slowly flowing towards his glabella.
At first, the crystal in front of him seemed covered in a mist, his mind was also erratic, and his Nei Jing bumped around in his meridians, completely unresponsive.
The values on the monitor jumped wildly, the 50 μA standard line like an elusive swimming fish.
He patiently persevered. About forty minutes later, he suddenly felt a faint warm current hit the Waiguan acupoint. Although it was sluggish like a car stuck in mud, it was indeed his Nei Jing moving!
His heart rejoiced. Just as he was about to exert more effort, he heard Xiao Zhu's voice from his Sea of Consciousness:
"Host, cultivation time is up. You can stop now."
"Huh?" Yuan Chen suddenly snapped back to reality. When he lowered his hand, his fingertips were still a bit numb.
He stared at the crystal, sitting in a daze for a moment, then suddenly rubbed his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of grievance and confusion:
"Xiao Zhu, are you sure this cultivation method is okay? My eyes are full of strange lights now, everything around me is blurry, my temples hurt like they're being pricked by needles, and my Triple Energizer meridian is so blocked it's uncomfortable...
If I keep practicing like this, I'm afraid I won't last three days before I'm crippled, right? It's not as enjoyable as the novels describe."
"Host, please rest assured, this cultivation method is tailor-made for you."
Xiao Zhu's voice was calm and steady,
"Your meridians are not yet open, and your pineal gland is still dormant. When this chapter is mastered, there will naturally be signs of your Divine Mansion gradually solidifying.
The pineal gland opening like a gate to the Divine Mansion, distracting thoughts disappearing like a cloudless sky, and perhaps illusions of the sun and moon appearing in the crystal—these are the beginnings of inner vision.
The Triple Energizer meridian will also flow smoothly like a canal, and Nei Jing will circulate densely. You will feel a slight warmth along your arms like a hot bath, your temples will slightly swell when exerting force, and the Azure Dragon pattern will begin to appear. These are all signs of the mutual transformation of form and spirit."
"Heh, that sounds better than it is," Yuan Chen pouted, but he also knew he couldn't rush it. He rubbed his eyes again, and after the halo dissipated somewhat, he got up and walked out the door:
"Enough talk. This humble Daoist needs to catch up on sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow."
Night fell over Xuan Du Mountain. The oil lamp in the practice room gradually extinguished, leaving only the purple crystal mirror in the darkness, occasionally flashing a faint glimmer, like a seed buried in the earth, quietly accumulating the strength to break through the soil.
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