He bid farewell to the Heavenly Kun King.
Xu Xing returned to his room, ready to begin cultivating the "Three mountains and one breath to capture God’s solid vein mantra."
By now, he had clearly sorted out the Internal Affairs of the Mountain Stronghold, establishing a certain level of authority. All he needed was for his subordinates to carry out their duties in an orderly manner. For a short time, he wouldn’t be needed. He would have enough time to practice this secret technique.
Bridging the Meridians... is too dangerous.
Even though this "Three mountains and one breath to capture God’s solid vein mantra" contains a prescription for healing internal injuries, one can imagine that given the intricate nature of the Meridians, if they are inadvertently damaged, restoring them simply with medicinal soups wouldn’t be easy.
There will inevitably be hidden injuries.
Xu Xing contemplated the essentials of the "Three mountains and one breath to capture God’s solid vein mantra".
With his understanding as a Trained Martial Artist, the mysteries of the human Meridians were difficult to grasp even in the slightest. Recklessly practicing Cultivation Methods and injuring the Meridians was not something that could be easily mended or quickly restored.
It’s like the jumper wires on a circuit board; a slight misstep can fry the board.
Even for the Big Snow Mountain, which possesses this secret technique, producing Innate experts is no easy feat.
This shows how dangerous this Cultivation Method is.
However, I am different. I have... this Treasure.
Xu Xing gazed at the Bronze Ancient Mirror.
He arrived at the Huaiyuan Inn in the Instance World.
The Academy Exam, also known as the Provincial Examination, was held twice within three years, typically with two sessions, usually in August. His last Prefecture Exam had been in April, so he had nearly four more months until the Academy Exam.
Although Jingyang County was not far from Chang’an, only half a day’s journey, most Scholars preparing for the exam still planned to lodge in the provincial capital. For one, the provincial capital was prosperous, incomparable to an Ordinary county town. For another, being in the provincial capital was also beneficial for Scholars to exchange academic knowledge.
These four months will pass in a flash.
As Xu Xing was the Top Scholar in the Prefecture Exam, the Huaiyuan Inn, by custom, waived his food and lodging costs. Given this, Xu Xing was happy to stay temporarily at the Huaiyuan Inn.
His stay at the Huaiyuan Inn also brought it considerable business, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement. Scholars from the provincial capital occasionally brought their Eight-legged essays to the Inn to consult with him on the art of composition. With the constant flow of visitors, the Huaiyuan Inn made a fortune.
"Have you ever heard of these Herbs?"
Xu Xing found Chen Jian’an, told him the entire prescription for repairing Meridians, and even drew illustrations of the Herbs.
"Ginseng? Ghost Fears Sorrow..."
"I’ve been in the Medicine shop for over ten years and have never heard of these Herbs."
Chen Jian’an shook his head.
"Where did you find these Herbs?" he asked in surprise.
With his experience, it was unlikely he wouldn’t recognize at least one of them. While he had heard of some herbs, when he compared them with the illustrations Xu Xing had drawn, he realized they weren’t the herbs he remembered.
"I read about them in some miscellaneous book."
"Perhaps they are ancient medicines, rarely seen nowadays."
Hearing this, Xu Xing lost interest in searching for the Herbs and replied casually.
It’s true. The Two Realms are different, so the Herbs that grow there would naturally be vastly different. Never mind different worlds; even in adjacent regions, as the saying goes, ’an orange grown south of the Huai River is an orange, but grown north, it becomes a trifoliate orange.’ Some medicinal herbs can only be harvested in the specific locations recorded in Ancient Books. If they grow elsewhere, their medicinal properties will vary.
Of course, one could ask a renowned physician to reformulate the decoction based on the herbs’ properties.
But such a task would be time-consuming and laborious; even after considerable effort, it might prove ineffective...
Anyway... what gets damaged are only the Meridians of this body.
If they get destroyed, so be it!
After returning to his room, Xu Xing steeled his resolve and directly began cultivating the "Three mountains and one breath to capture God’s solid vein mantra."
Compared to people like Yao Dang in Reality...
He was already exceptionally privileged.
When taking action, although sufficient preparation is needed, being excessively timid isn’t particularly necessary.
Day after day passed.
Time flowed by slowly.
Xu Xing sent word that he would refuse visitors to focus on preparing for the Academy Exam.
Business at the Huaiyuan Inn promptly declined considerably.
"It’s just a small amount of money."
"There’s no need to be overly concerned..."
In the Wu residence in the southern part of the city, upon hearing the Inn’s old shopkeeper’s report, Wu Huaiyuan, sitting in the Living Room, shook his head with a smile and said, "If Xu, the Top Scholar in the Prefecture Exam, achieves great success in the future, this small financial loss will be insignificant to the Wu Family."
The old shopkeeper acknowledged the instruction and understood how to proceed. He bowed respectfully to Wu Huaiyuan, saying, "May you be auspicious," then excused himself, proceeded to the sedan chair hall, and departed from the Wu Family residence in a soft sedan chair.
"A Top Scholar? That’s a respectable status indeed."
"You’re becoming more and more adept at handling affairs. After I retire, I’ll be able to rest assured leaving the Wu Family in your hands."
Zhou Ying, supported by a few maidservants, emerged from the inner hall. Her gaze towards Wu Huaiyuan was filled with gratification as she continued, "However, in today’s world, merely cultivating relationships with officials isn’t enough to be considered a reliable backing. I’ve heard that the provincially allocated quotas for studying abroad are about to be announced. Our family will some money so you can go abroad to study as well..."
"It doesn’t need to be government-funded; self-funded is fine. You should build good relationships with these individuals studying overseas."
"They, after all, will be the ones calling the shots in the future," she earnestly advised.
Wu Huaiyuan was not her biological Son with Wu Pin, but an adopted Son from the Wu clan. Over the years, as Wu Huaiyuan became increasingly seasoned in handling affairs, she felt more and more content.
"I’ve also seen the ’Regulations for Study Abroad Awards,’ Mother."
"After returning to the country, one can get a position in the Prime Minister’s Office, which is much better than for Scholars whose careers are based on the Eight-legged essay."
"Even current scholars have to go abroad to study..."
Wu Huaiyuan rose, helped Zhou Ying to the High Seat, and remarked casually.
"This... matter concerning Xu, the Top Scholar... set it aside for now."
"Focus on learning more foreign languages," Zhou Ying added.
「One and a half months later.」
In the Tianzi Guest Room of the Huaiyuan Inn.
Xu Xing sat cross-legged on a soft couch in the five-centers-to-heaven posture. His True Qi from his Dantian continuously roamed his Meridians like schools of small fish. Stirred by this True Qi, his skin would occasionally bulge and ripple.
It was an extremely unsettling sight.
However, about half an hour into his cultivation session, all the "fish" converged at his Tanzhong acupoint. Instead of following the major circulatory pathways of the Meridians, they blazed a new trail, like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, transforming into a swift current that shot directly into his Dantian.
"I’ve finally constructed the Three Mountains One Qi Bridge!"
Xu Xing abruptly opened his bloodshot Double Pupils, immensely overjoyed.
For the past month, he had spared no cost, not even risking damage to his Meridians, all to construct this Three Mountains One Qi Bridge—or rather, the Three Mountains One Qi Meridian.
Once this bridge was formed, circulating his energy for one complete grand cycle would take one-third less Time. This meant a permanent reduction of one-third in the Time spent circulating his energy during cultivation.
If the Meridians throughout the body were likened to a winding mountain road, then this Three Mountains One Qi Bridge was equivalent to a direct suspended bridge through the air, bypassing the meandering mountain paths and shortening the overall travel distance.
Creating something from nothing, a new Meridian has been condensed.
Xu Xing gazed at the Gold clear mirror surface.
Line after line of text slowly emerged.