Guiding Qi into the Body

The accommodations provided by Zixia Temple for its registered disciples are not shabby. Each person has an independent courtyard, which is built on flat ground in the mountains. A pine tree is planted in the courtyard, and there are tables and cushions under the tree.

Lighting a stick of incense each day to calm the mind, studying Taoist texts under the pine trees, enjoying the mountain breeze, watching the sea of ​​clouds and the sunset, one feels a sense of otherworldly elegance.

Moreover, in order to allow disciples to concentrate on their cultivation, servants were assigned to attend to all their worldly affairs.

Of course, none of these are free. The saying goes, "Wealth, Law, Companionship, and Land," with wealth being the most important, which is no exaggeration.

When Gu Fan pushed open the door, a middle-aged servant dressed in gray was already in the courtyard. He had drawn a bucket of water from the well, and after sweeping and sprinkling it, he was wiping the table. Hearing Gu Fan's footsteps, he quickly stopped what he was doing, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Master. I wish you a speedy attainment of immortality."

These servants have lived on the mountain for many years, witnessing the coming and going of generations of disciples. They are extremely skilled at how to please people. If they say a few nice words, they might catch the other person in a good mood and receive a reward.

Gu Fan didn't have much money left. Although he found the words particularly pleasing, he only smiled and replied before walking out of the courtyard. He didn't see that after he left, the gray-clad servant curled his lip and said contemptuously, "Having not reached Qi Activation in over two years, he'll probably be rolling down the mountain again."

Gu Fan left the courtyard and climbed up the stone steps of the mountain path.

In the early morning, Yunjie Mountain is shrouded in mist, which gathers into a vast sea of ​​clouds. At the top of the mountain, there is a cliff thousands of feet high, with a wide and flat terrain. Legend has it that when Zixia Temple was built, a sword immortal carved it with the light of his sword. After many years of wind and rain, the sword marks can still be faintly seen.

Every morning, the disciples of the temple gather here. As the sun rises and the rays of dawn spread, they gather a wisp of purple morning mist. If they can guide the purple mist into their dantian (energy center), they can embark on the path of cultivation. Hence, it is named "Seeking the Dao Cliff".

Over the past two years, Gu Fan has walked this mountain road hundreds of times, witnessing the scenery of all four seasons along the way, but today he found it the most delightful.

After leaving the small courtyard, Gu Fan reached the top of the mountain in just half an hour.

When he first entered Zixia Temple, he was a weak scholar who needed an hour to reach the top. When he reached the top, he was panting heavily, his legs were trembling, and his clothes were soaked with sweat. He couldn't even meditate, let alone practice breathing exercises.

Through dietary nourishment, his body gradually became stronger, especially after successfully absorbing the purple energy of the morning glow. His muscles and meridians were nourished by the purple energy, making mountain climbing effortless.

Today, Gu Fan stands eight feet tall, his physique appearing slender but actually muscular and well-defined. The lines beneath his wide robes are like those of a sculpture. Upon reaching the summit, his breathing is even, and there is no sweat on his forehead. Several figures are already on the Cliff of Seeking the Dao, all facing the sea of ​​clouds, meditating quietly and waiting for the sunrise.

Gu Fan had no intention of chatting or laughing. He sat down cross-legged in a familiar place and visualized the Qi circulation diagram in his mind. Behind him, disciples continued to climb the cliff. In no time, there were hundreds of figures.

About half an hour later, the white sea of ​​clouds began to glow with a faint purple light. From the horizon, a ray of sunlight pierced through, and the bright red sun, tinged with purple, painted the sky a golden hue.

Gu Fan calmed his mind and focused his gaze on the rising sun. As he breathed, an imperceptible breath entered his mouth and nose, and he sensed the purple aura of the morning glow entering his body. Gu Fan closed his eyes and guided the purple aura slowly along the Qi circulation diagram with his mind.

The purple aura of dawn enters through the mouth and nose, passes through the Huachi acupoint, and saliva is generated spontaneously, sweet and cool. It slowly descends through the twelve-tiered tower, pausing briefly at the Tanzhong acupoint, warming the chest like a warm jade. After a short stay, the purple aura flows along the Ren meridian past the Jiuwei acupoint, passes through the Zhongwan acupoint to warm and nourish the internal organs, and then enters the Shenque acupoint, as if carving a new stream in the mountains. Wherever it passes, the meridians feel slightly numb and warm.

"boom!"

As if a thunderous explosion resounded in his mind, his dantian trembled violently, and purple qi slowly formed a self-rotating vortex in the center of his dantian, as if a tiny sun was being born inside him, echoing the rising sun outside. Gu Fan felt his mind was clearer than ever before.

After the air vortex stabilized, Gu Fan slowly opened his eyes. The sun had already risen above the sea of ​​clouds, and the morning sun shone on his handsome face, leaving a golden hue. Unable to contain his joy, Gu Fan laughed heartily.

After laughing for a while, Gu Fan stood up and realized that there were already many people standing behind him.

After the sun rose, the disciples should have gotten up and left, but when Gu Fan guided his Qi into his body, a layer of spiritual light emanated from his body. Everyone knew what this strange phenomenon meant, so they did not dare to go forward to disturb him and patiently waited for Gu Fan to wake up.

Upon seeing Gu Fan turn around, all the disciples bowed in unison and congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Senior Brother! Your path to the Great Dao is promising!"

Those who cultivate themselves are ranked according to their level of attainment. Gu Fan, having taken the first step on the path of cultivation, can already be called a senior brother.

Gu Fan felt the gazes of the crowd, which contained envy, curiosity, and jealousy. He smiled calmly, cupped his hands in return, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you all. I wish all my fellow disciples a speedy Qi attainment and a smooth path to the Great Dao."

......

After opening his Qi Sea, Gu Fan felt as light as a swallow, his energy seemingly inexhaustible. As he descended the mountain, his steps were as light as riding a galloping horse, and the breeze was incredibly refreshing. Only his body felt sticky; this was the result of the cleansing and purification process after Qi cultivation, with impurities being expelled from his body with sweat, making him want nothing more than to return to the courtyard to wash himself.

When he returned to the courtyard, the servants had already left. Gu Fan was too lazy to call someone to boil water, so he simply took off his clothes, revealing a well-built body with chiseled features. He walked to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of water, and poured it over his head.

The well water was quite cold in the early morning, but Gu Fan's blood was surging, and he was not afraid. He rubbed himself a few times to wash away the sweat, and then felt refreshed.

After washing himself, Gu Fan was about to change into clean clothes when he suddenly looked down and saw a completely bare chest.

"Huh, where's my birthmark?"

After Gu Fan was born, he had a black birthmark on his left chest, shaped like a magatama. As the saying goes, a gentleman is like jade, so this birthmark was considered an auspicious sign. He remembered that it was still there when he took a bath a few days ago, but it had disappeared now.

"Could the birthmark have been removed during the bone marrow cleansing and skin-shaving process?"

This was also the first time Gu Fan had experienced such a profound spiritual cleansing. Moreover, there was no record of it in the Zixia Temple. He recalled that he had awakened his past life wisdom and the All-Seeing Eye last night. He had never heard of anyone in the world having such a wonderful experience. Even if there was a connection between the two, he had not checked his birthmark last night and could not be sure. So he had no choice but to keep the matter to himself.

After getting dressed, Gu Fan prepared to pack his bags.

After drawing qi into the body, one only needs to report to the abbot. After verification, one can enter the Lingxiao Sect to cultivate and officially become an outer disciple, receiving the method of cultivating immortality.

Gu Fan didn't have much to begin with. He packed a few clothes, the little money he had left, and the scroll of Taoist scriptures into a bag, then slung the bundle over his back and was about to leave when he heard a knock on the door outside the courtyard.

A gentle male voice came from inside: "Is Senior Brother home?"