It was the fifteenth day of cultivation, the night as dark as ink at Hai Shi (9-11 PM). Yuan Chen sat quietly on his mat, yet within his Divine Mansion, there was a clear luminosity.
The 'Mansion of the Divine' where the pineal gland resided, nourished day and night by the low-frequency pulses and impacts of the profound crystal, had become like crystal washed by morning dew, gradually developing a clear 'bright awareness'.
The myriad thoughts that once fluttered like scattered clouds were swept away by a gentle breeze, leaving behind the vast emptiness of a 'cloudless sky'.
Occasionally, 'sun and moon illusions' would circulate within the crystal light of his sea of consciousness. These were not seen by the eyes but were the true signs of 'divine light shining, inner scenery first appearing'.
Between his meridians, the San Jiao Meridian, this 'special envoy of Yuan Qi', already showed signs of initial unobstructed flow.
The Qi current flowed along the meridians, transforming from its initial sluggishness, like stubborn rocks obstructing a stream, to a dense flow, like silkworms eating mulberry leaves in spring, even and silent.
Lightly touching the San Jiao Meridian along his arm, he could feel a 'slight warmth like soup' gently flowing through.
This was precisely the manifestation of 'where Qi flows, blood becomes active'.
When exerting force, his temples would slightly bulge, and a few faint cyan dragon patterns would faintly appear. This was originally a sign of blood vessel dilation, yet it subtly aligned with the ancient Daoist teaching that 'the form is the vessel for the Dao, and Qi is the foundation for nurturing the form'. It was the beginning of 'Qi rushing through meridians, and form and spirit transforming each other'.
Yuan Chen suddenly opened his eyes, as if stars revolved within them, and his entire demeanor had quietly transformed.
However, within his clear gaze, a hint of confusion occasionally flickered: "Xiao Zhu, why has this chapter been cultivated to great perfection in just fifteen days?
According to the scriptures, it should have taken thirty days.
Could it be that even the scriptures I personally compiled have omissions?" Before he finished speaking, his brows were already tinged with worry.
"Host, the scriptures are not incorrect," Xiao Zhu's voice was as steady as ever.
"During your cultivation these past ten-odd days, 'possibilities' from parallel timelines have been grafted onto you daily.
As a result, your aptitude has increased day by day. The Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment, originally estimated, can now be completed in fifty or sixty days."
"Holy crap, it can be this profound?" Yuan Chen was first stunned, then clapped his hands and burst into laughter, "Doesn't this mean that the higher the realm, the faster the cultivation; the faster the cultivation, the higher the realm? With such a cycle, it'll be hard not to become an immortal!"
"What the Host said is not wrong."
After a moment, Yuan Chen slowly rose and walked towards the outside of the cultivation room.
Looking at the tightly closed gate of the Daoist temple, he suddenly recalled the scene when he entered seclusion fifteen days ago.
At that time, he had hung a wooden plaque on the doorframe, inscribed with 'Temple closed for a hundred days, this temple master wishes to break through Foundation Establishment and become a great immortal cultivator'.
He never expected that before half of the hundred-day period had passed, he would already be able to touch the first threshold of the immortal path, with the prospect of living to two hundred years right before his eyes. Immortality was no longer an illusory dream like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water.
As Yin Shi (3-5 AM) approached, Yuan Chen had already prepared everything in the cultivation room, about to begin the second chapter of the Foundation Establishment section: 'Turtle Breath Fetal Breath · Qi Entwining Tendons'.
This was precisely the hour when 'Yin recedes and Yang grows, Yuan Qi first emerges', and the vagus nerve quietly excited in the tranquility, most suitable for breathing exercises and the transformation of fascial energy.
The equipment was already in place:
The Spirit Turtle Shell pressure mat lay quietly on the ground, with fine pressure sensors embedded in the patterns of the old turtle shell, capable of real-time display of subtle changes in the body's center of gravity.
This was a modern validation of 'stance stability of the center of gravity' in traditional Chinese martial arts. During cultivation, the center of gravity shift needed to be controlled within 2cm to refine the core muscle groups' control over the body.
Kan Li water ions were served in a white jade cup, where the natural minerals of stream water and the negative oxygen ions of morning dew blended, with an additional 0.1% of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium).
The pH value was adjusted to 7.4, matching human body fluids. Drinking it felt like sweet dew irrigating the body, warming the fascia like spring rain nourishing fields, helping the meridians flow like rushing rivers.
Fascial repair cream was placed beside the table. The cream contained collagen peptides, hyaluronic acid, and a little capsaicin to promote circulation.
After the practice, applying it to the lumbar and gluteal fascial chains could increase fascial water content and improve elastic modulus, much like 'cream and balm nourishing tendons', protecting their toughness like rhinoceros hide and reducing micro-damage caused by training.
First, collecting Qi at Yin Shi, the turtle hides its breath.
Yuan Chen sat cross-legged in the quiet room, placing the Spirit Turtle Shell pressure mat under his buttocks.
The turtle shell inherently belonged to the 'essence of Xuanwu', capable of suppressing the Kan Water Qi within the body.
He first held the cup and drank the Kan Li water. That water, combining the 'pure Yang of heavenly dew and the turbid Yin of earthly spring', was adjusted to a neutral, warm consistency. It was sweet and refreshing upon entering the throat, and his fascia seemed to be moisturized by clear spring water, gradually stretching like green willows in the wind.
Second, inverse breathing returns to the root, spiral entwining force.
When inhaling, his intention was like roots probing towards the earth's pulse, drawing the innate Qi from the Yongquan acupoint (root of the foot), spiraling upward along the 'tendon dragon and snake' (gastrocnemius-soleus fascia) of the lower leg. This was 'earth water rising to replenish Kan'.
At this time, his buttocks sank 'like a turtle submerged at the bottom of a pond', and the light spot on the pressure mat subtly moved backward. The muscles of his lower limbs 'contracted and relaxed like an insect wriggling in hibernation', harboring the subtle meaning of 'Yin tendons accumulating potential'.
When exhaling, the Qi force was like a heavenly wind swirling, entwining from the 'fascial Qian Kun' (rectus abdominis-oblique fascia) of the waist and abdomen towards the chest cavity, which is 'heavenly fire descending to fill Li'.
At this moment, his chest was contained 'like a turtle retracting into its shell', and the light spot on the pressure mat slowly moved forward. The tension between the thoracic spinous processes was like a fully drawn bow, accumulating the potential energy of 'Yang force ready to be released'.
Throughout the entire process, breathing needed to be 'like a sleeping turtle, continuous and subtle', allowing the Qi force to 'entwine like rope, link by link' within the tendons, subtly aligning with the Daoist principle of 'Yin and Yang complementing each other, spiral generating force'.
Third, initial manifestation of fetal breath, tremor for validation.
Upon reaching the state of 'mind and breath both forgotten', his heart rate gradually slowed 'like still water in a cold pond' (dropping to 30 beats/minute), entering the excellent state of 'the budding of fetal breath'.
At this time, lightly touching his thigh with a 10Hz low-frequency vibrator, he should 'protect his body with Qi force like a turtle shell', allowing the amplitude to decay by eighty percent.
This was not brute resistance, but rather 'Qi force rotating with the vibration, like Tai Chi pushing hands to neutralize force'. Under the skin, 'a slight tremor like a dragon lurking in shallow water' was precisely the sign of 'tendon-Qi resonance, internal and external sensation'.
After the practice, Yuan Chen applied the fascial repair cream to his waist and buttocks. The cream contained 'the essence of collagen and the liquid of transparency', and when applied, it was warm like the sun, making his fascia even tougher than before.
The core of this stage was precisely 'refining tendons into a boat, carrying Qi on a long voyage', causing the Qi force to condense from being scattered in the meridians to being 'gathered in the tendons', like 'a turtle storing Yuan Qi in its shell, waiting for the opportune moment to act'. This was a crucial link in the Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment, connecting the preceding and succeeding stages.
After concluding his practice, Yuan Chen smacked his lips, savoring the recent cultivation, feeling only that it was ineffable.
When he entered the budding of fetal breath, he felt as if he had transformed into a perfectly round egg. Every breath, every heartbeat was clearly perceptible, and the Qi force was as readily commanded as an arm, flowing as he willed.
When the Qi force, carrying his muscles, came into contact with external vibrations, every inch of his muscle tissue seemed to undergo a deep tempering.
In the tranquility of fetal breath, he could precisely control even every pulsation of his muscles—such a wonderful state was truly beyond words.
"If I only follow today's progress, I can probably finish this chapter in about four weeks," Yuan Chen looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the window, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Moreover, with Xiao Zhu's enhancement, my aptitude increases daily, and I make progress every day. I imagine I'll soon enter the third chapter and complete this Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment. By then, I'll be a true great Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
His voice dissipated into the morning mist, and the wooden door of the cultivation room gently closed, leaving only a room of clear radiance, reflecting the young cultivator's infinite yearning for the Great Dao.
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