Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 36 Guiding Qi into the Body, Opening Meridians and Connecting to the Mysterious Realm

Zhou Li quickly composed himself, sat cross-legged, and faced the sky.

At this moment, Qingqing knew that her master and junior brother were at a critical juncture, so she waited quietly by the side to protect them.

Ning Yue reached out and touched Zhou Li's head. With a swift incantation, the spiritual energy within Zhou Li's body surged.

After a cultivator senses the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, if they wish to incorporate it into their body, they must break through a key point in the body called the "mysterious gate".

Without breaking through the barrier of the mysterious gate, one cannot draw qi into the body; even the best aptitude is useless. This is the first hurdle in cultivation.

For an ordinary cultivator to cross this threshold, they need to practice breathing exercises for many days, choose a time when they are in the best condition and have the most abundant spiritual energy, and then break through the barrier in one go.

Once the mysterious gate is broken, spiritual energy can complete its cycle, gather in the dantian, and transform into spiritual power. This is called: breaking the mysterious gate opens all meridians.

Zhou Li, having consumed golden-patterned lotus seeds, was now filled with spiritual energy throughout his body.

At this moment, once activated, even before the entrance to the body is opened, the spiritual energy distributed throughout the body follows that acquired pure energy and flows through the meridians of Zhou Li.

The advantage is that it can greatly temper the meridians, but the disadvantage is that you have to endure the pain of being burned by the blazing flames.

The pain here is slightly different from that of tempering the body with lightning. Tempering the body causes pain in the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, while tempering the meridians with jade lotus causes pain in the limbs and bones.

Ordinary cultivators do not have this opportunity. They use all their spiritual energy to break through the Xuan Guan (mysterious gate), and whether they can succeed is another matter, let alone temper their meridians.

Ning Yue said gently, "Disciple, how much of this opportunity you can take depends on how long you can endure it. If you can't hold back, then tell your master."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li gritted his teeth and remained silent, simply cooperating with his master to circulate his Qi through his meridians.

In truth, if he simply focused his mind on his physical body and relinquished control of his human form, he wouldn't have to endure the burning pain. However, he thought to himself, "On the path of the Great Dao, opportunities are hard to come by. If I had missed even a single opportunity on my journey from an ant to a human, I might have already died on that chessboard of worms, or perhaps I would still be suffering the torment of heavenly lightning in the mustard seed space. Being able to seize an opportunity when it comes is the first lesson of cultivation."

An hour passed, and Zhou Li's meridians were several times stronger than before.

Although Ning Yue had never personally experienced it, she knew the pain of meridian tempering. Looking at Zhou Li, who was enduring it with his eyes closed, she couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.

"The opportunity has run its course. Disciple, quickly guide the spiritual energy into the Xuan Guan (mysterious gate), and in one fell swoop, break through the Xuan Guan and open all the meridians."

Zhou Li, who had been suffering for a long time, heard his master's instructions and immediately gathered the spiritual energy flowing from all his meridians, then rammed it hard against the portal.

From this point on, Zhou Li's body officially entered the first stage of the Xuanmen: drawing Qi into the body and opening the meridians to connect with the profound.

After about an hour, Zhou Li completed the first small cycle of the Heavenly Circuit, as instructed in the "Five Elements Danqing Jue".

The five elements of spiritual energy gathered in the dantian of his body and formed a ball. Because of the lotus seed, this ball of energy was the size of a fist as soon as it was born, which saved him several months of hard work.

Zhou Li couldn't help but sigh that humans truly deserve to be called the leader of all spirits; the sheer amount of spiritual energy gathered by breaking through the Xuan Guan (a point on the path to enlightenment) far surpasses that of an ant.

The next step in cultivation is to visualize the ancient demon. Only when the visualization is successful and the meridians of the ancient demon are outlined in the dantian of the body can the great circulation be completed.

Visualization is not something that can be accomplished overnight. At this moment, Zhou Li slowly opened his eyes and bowed deeply to Ning Yue: "Thank you for your help, Master."

After saying that, he looked at Qingqing and said, "I also thank you for the lotus seeds, Senior Sister. I will never forget this opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Qingqing happily ran to Zhou Li, shaking her head and saying, "No need to be polite, no need to be polite, I didn't really want to eat it anyway!"

Her fair face flushed red from Zhou Li's thanks, making her look incredibly cute.

Ning Yue nodded slightly: "Qingqing accidentally gave you a great gift, so your teacher can't be stingy."

After saying that, Ning Yue took the three-inch sword off her chest and handed it to Zhou Li.

This is a small bronze sword with a bright green body. Although it is only three inches long, it is exquisite and extremely sharp.

"In the cultivation world, cultivators often use pills and artifacts to aid their cultivation. This sword is called Fangcunqian, and it is a level-earth magic artifact. It has been with me for a long time, but now that I have formed my core, I can no longer use it."

"Although this magical artifact can only be used within a small area, it can lock onto the aura of even an opponent who is hiding their tracks, as long as they are within a foot of you. With just a activation of the incantation, this sword can arrive in an instant; it is a sword that can control your movements."

Zhou Li was overjoyed and took the "Fangcun Qian" with both hands. It seemed to still carry the warmth of his master. Zhou Li followed Ning Yue's example and wore it on his chest.

Ning Yue added, "With your current Qi Refining Realm, you probably can't use magic artifacts yet. However, given the resilience of your meridians..." Ning Yue pondered for a moment, "I think you should be able to barely activate this treasure when you reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining."

"Even if you can't use it now, you can refine it a little and once it gets used to your aura, it can warn you in advance if there is any killing intent around you."

Zhou Li smiled and said, "I understand. We should guard against petty people, not gentlemen."

Hearing this, Qingqing, who had been all smiles, stomped her feet and shouted, "Qingqing wants a magic weapon too! Qingqing wants one too! Master, don't be biased!"

As he spoke, he tugged at Ning Yue's sleeve, his eyes constantly glancing at the small sword on Zhou Li's chest.

Ning Yue put on a stern face: "Haven't your senior brother left you enough magical artifacts? Don't bite off more than you can chew."

Seeing that Qingqing was still persistent, Ning Yue compromised and said, "Alright, alright, I'm going to Mirage Island in a few days and I'll bring you some wild game."

With a cheer, Qingqing leaped into the air.

Ning Yue's gaze followed that agile figure, and she sighed, "If Qingqing could live such a carefree life forever, it would also relieve my worries."

Zhou Lili stood to the side, keenly sensing the unusual heaviness in his master's tone: "Master, Senior Sister Qingqing, she..."

"Qingqing is my senior brother's daughter. Her mother had an accident during her pregnancy, which caused her to be mentally immature and somewhat simple-minded. After her mother passed away, she has been cultivating with her senior brother on Ziyun Peak and has never left."

Ning Yue's voice suddenly became hoarse: "Unfortunately, misfortune never comes singly. My senior brother also met with misfortune before the New Year, and now she is an orphan."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li's heart skipped a beat. He stepped forward and solemnly replied, "Master, please rest assured. I will take good care of Senior Sister from now on and will never let anyone bully her."

Ning Yue finally turned around, looked at Zhou Li's resolute face, and nodded slightly: "It's good that you have this intention. I don't know when I will return from this trip to Mirage Continent. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can ask me now."

Zhou Li pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "I do have a question. I heard that upon entering the sect, each person is allowed to choose one technique from the Treasure Pavilion to cultivate. I wonder what Master's suggestions are?"

Ning Yue pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "The method you cultivate is unprecedented, and there is no precedent to draw upon. You do not need to listen to anyone's advice, and if you encounter any obstacles, you must figure them out yourself."

"My experience tells you that the chosen technique should not be judged solely by its grade, but rather by its complement to your own cultivation method. However, as the elder said, you, my disciple, possess destiny, so follow your heart. What you feel is suitable may well be the will of Heaven."

Upon hearing his master's words, Zhou Li seemed to ponder: "Possessing destiny? I wonder if it's related to the ancient bronze platform in my sea of ​​consciousness."

Ning Yue tossed Zhou Li another storage bag: "Inside are some commonly used items, and a few bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills, just what you need right now. If you run out, you can exchange them at Zongde Hall."

"There's one more thing," Ning Yue said with a serious expression, "According to sect tradition, the top scorer in each sect entrance exam is invited to a grand event."

"Ten thousand miles south of Changtian Sect lies the heartland of the Panling Clan, a place called Juezheng Valley. The Embracing Cloud Grass within is a superior spiritual herb for Golden Core cultivators to condense their inner energy. However, due to its unique terrain, it requires the cooperation of Qi Refining disciples. Every five years, each sect sends its most outstanding Qi Refining disciple to compete for it. Currently, there are three years left in the five-year period, so you must not slack off in your cultivation."

Zhou Li verbally agreed, but in his heart he vaguely guessed why Chu Chengyun had tried so hard to obstruct him during the major examination...