He Pingsheng returned to his room, closed the doors and windows, then sat at his desk and began to read.
Basic Breathing Technique.
He opened the first page!
The title page was blank except for a name: Hao Yun.
Good heavens, so this book really was transcribed by Hao Yun!
He Pingsheng continued to flip through.
Next was the table of contents!
The first part of the table of contents was the General Outline.
The second part was the Qi Guiding Method.
Only the third part contained the actual Cultivation Technique content.
He Pingsheng didn't rush to the Cultivation Technique section; instead, he started by reading the General Outline.
Through the General Outline, he also understood the general steps of Cultivation.
The first step was to Cultivate a sense of Qi.
Yes, it was to Cultivate the Qi Guiding Method, and then through the Qi Guiding Method, allow himself to perceive the faint, invisible Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth.
Therefore, one must Cultivate a sense of Qi to truly begin Cultivation.
Then… he would start by cultivating a sense of Qi!
He Pingsheng turned to the page for the Qi Guiding Method, read it once, then three more times, and only after fully understanding the chapter on the Qi Guiding Method did he sit cross-legged on the ground, close his eyes, lower his head, and use his Divine Thought to sense the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth.
Actually, this was nonsense.
Because during the Qi Refining Stage, a Cultivator's Divine Thought could only be used for inner sight and could not be projected outwards, so it was impossible to sense external Spiritual Qi with Divine Thought.
Then what did they rely on?
They relied on the 480 million pores all over the body, as well as the skin, body hair, and so on.
They sensed it little by little.
After Cultivating like this for one night, He Pingsheng still hadn't cultivated any sense of Qi.
The next morning, after eating, He Pingsheng once again sat cross-legged on the ground and began to Cultivate a sense of Qi.
"Oh…" A voice suddenly came from outside the window: "Xiao He, are you looking for a sense of Qi?"
He Pingsheng turned his head, looked at Hao Yun outside the window, and chuckled, "Yes!"
Hao Yun asked, "Did you find it?"
"No!" He Pingsheng shook his head and said, "Is it time to chop firewood?"
"No, no, no…" Hao Yun waved his hand and said, "That… you go on and find your sense of Qi… I'll do the firewood chopping. You take your time; the sense of Qi is important!"
After speaking, Hao Yun truly picked up an axe and left the house.
Alright!
Since Senior Brother Hao personally went to chop firewood, I will continue to look for a sense of Qi.
One day!
Two days!
Three days!
On the evening of the third day, He Pingsheng suddenly found a sense of Qi. His body hair stood on end, and he could clearly feel the flow of external Spiritual Qi.
Also, the collision of various elements contained within this Spiritual Qi.
Although it was very weak, it was still considered finding a sense of Qi.
He Pingsheng was extremely excited. He carried the Basic Breathing Technique in his hand and walked to Hao Yun's bedroom.
"Oh…" Hao Yun, who was sitting at the table, looked up at He Pingsheng and asked, "Are you… have you found a sense of Qi?"
"Hehehe…"
He Pingsheng chuckled, "Yes, Senior Brother Hao, I just felt the Spiritual Qi fluctuations outside. Does this mean I… found a sense of Qi?"
"I suppose so!"
Hao Yun nodded.
He Pingsheng sat in front of him with an excited expression, looking as if he wanted to be praised.
But after waiting for more than a dozen breaths, Hao Yun offered no comment.
He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Hao… how long did it take you to find a sense of Qi back then?"
Hao Yun took a sip of water and said, "One day!"
"O-one day?" He Pingsheng's proud mood was instantly deflated.
"Yes!" Hao Yun asked, "Is there a problem?"
He Pingsheng's face fell.
It took me a full three days and two nights, and you did it in one day?
Isn't that too much?
"Senior Brother Hao's talent is extraordinary, I can't compare!" He Pingsheng sighed.
Hao Yun said, "Tsk… what kind of extraordinary talent is this?"
"Even those Geniuses with a single Spiritual Root can Cultivate to the first level in two days… What am I compared to them?"
"Ah?" He Pingsheng said, "Two days, the first level?"
"Yes!" Hao Yun leisurely sipped his tea and calmly replied, "The Qi Refining Stage First Level is the simplest… As long as you guide Qi into your body, follow the method described in the Cultivation Technique, guide the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth into your body, then circulate it through your Meridians for one cycle, and finally store the Qi in your Dantian, you will have Breakthrough to the first level!"
"It's that simple!"
"Oh!" He Pingsheng nodded absently, then asked, "Then… how long do those Genius Disciples need if they are looking for a sense of Qi?"
Hao Yun said, "Reportedly, half an hour!"
Uh… this!
Hao Yun seemed to have seen through He Pingsheng's thoughts. He smiled and said, "Don't ask anymore… Those Genius Disciples and us are simply incomparable!"
"Let's put it this way, it took me half a month to be able to guide Spiritual Qi to circulate in my body for one cycle!"
"Which means, it took me half a month to Breakthrough the first level!"
"And those Genius Disciples, they all do it in two or three days!"
"Then!" Hao Yun continued, "From this first level to the second level, what's tested are talent and resources. I don't have any Spirit Pills or wondrous Medicinal Pills, nor can I refine any Gathering Qi Pills, so it took me a full three years to Breakthrough!"
"After Breaking through to the second level, nine more years have passed, and the third level is still nowhere in sight!"
"I think, in this lifetime, I will either remain at the second level forever, or I might still have a chance to Breakthrough one more level to the Qi Refining Stage Third Level!"
"Any higher than that, there's no possibility!"
Clack…
Hao Yun placed the teacup in his hand on the table, then stood up and said, "So, Xiao He… I only lent you this book to read… Don't actually go Cultivating… In the end, it's just a dream!"
He Pingsheng looked unyielding: "Why? Haven't you also Cultivated to the second level?"
"That's different!" Hao Yun said, "I have a four-element Spiritual Root, and you, you have a five-element Spiritual Root. Can you compare yourself to me?"
He Pingsheng was speechless for a moment: A four-element Spiritual Root despises my five-element Spiritual Root?
After a while, Hao Yun took out a white porcelain bottle and placed it in front of He Pingsheng: "Medicinal Pills should be stored in porcelain bottles… This can conceal most of the Medicinal Pill's scent. If your parents left you good things, use this to store them!"
"Don't let anyone see them, it's not good for you!"
He Pingsheng said, "I… don't have any left… I won't need this thing!"
Hao Yun said, "Don't worry, whether you have them or not, only you know. Anyway, I'm not coveting your things… Take it…"
"Go, go, go…"
The porcelain bottle was stuffed into He Pingsheng's hand, and then He Pingsheng himself was pushed out by him.
Looking at the porcelain bottle in his hand, He Pingsheng suddenly wondered if Senior Brother Hao was testing him.
Could it be that he deliberately gave me the porcelain bottle, waiting for me to put the Medicinal Pills in it, and then suddenly appear and snatch my Spirit Pills?
No…
Absolutely cannot put them in!
Must resist.