Chapter 3

Although his stance training progressed very quickly, Bai Lang's entry into qi sensation was weak—he was almost among the last few in the entire miscellaneous laborer gang to feel qi sensation, just a step away from being kicked out to continue as a little beggar. Actually, being kicked out is hardly possible; in the gang, besides martial-arts-trained enforcers, there are also various low-ranking workers who need a bit of strength.

Seven full days, morning absorbing purple qi, evening absorbing sunset glow, and at midnight when the moon is high, they also absorb lunar essence once; only then did Bai Lang feel a faint movement in his dantian, as if a stream of heat arose—after confirming it wasn't the urge to urinate, Bai Lang could then control this heat, thread by thread, flowing along the meridians he had previously memorized. At first, the miscellaneous laborers were only taught to memorize a single meridian, the very easy-to-record Conception Vessel; first they open that Conception Vessel, then gradually they clear the Twelve Regular Meridians and the Governor Vessel among the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

This counts as lifelong water-grind work: the Twelve Regular Meridians circulate true qi, which disperses into the Eight Extraordinary Meridians to accumulate and regulate, finally returning to the dantian qi sea to form a cycle. But that is much later; at first it's just opening the Conception and Governor Vessels, occasionally clearing individual points of the Twelve Regular Meridians or the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, enough to train most martial arts—this practice is called the Small Heavenly Circuit. One day, when the Conception and Governor Vessels are opened, true qi becomes endless; thereafter one can open the Twelve Regular Meridians together with the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, the meridians throughout the body become thoroughly linked, and postnatal true qi instantly transforms into prenatal true qi—at that point one can be called an Innate Expert. As for going higher? At least Bai Lang has never heard Liu Heita say so.

Directing the flow of a single breath of true qi is truly not an easy matter—although it arises from his own body and indeed makes Bai Lang feel moved that he can practice martial arts, this true qi still does not obey commands well; controlling it is clumsy beyond compare and often suffers delay. "Although being able to refine a breath of true qi is great, this damn thing is really troublesome. Am I a soul transmigrant or a flesh transmigrant? Soul transmigration is easy to explain, but how does flesh transmigration produce this breath of true qi? I recall that similar visualization back then I also played around with, yet I had absolutely no sense of qi......"

On Earth, many people sincerely strive to cultivate a breath of true qi and have perseverance, and visualization qi methods are as numerous as oxen hauling books, yet no one has been seen cultivating internal-force true qi—those who develop hysteria are not few...... However, Bai Lang fundamentally cannot solve this problem; who knows whether it's soul or flesh transmigration, maybe the soul transmigrated into an identical body? This question had better not be probed deeply—after all, it's rare to be blissfully ignorant, and cultivating true qi is what matters most.

Liu Heita is actually quite satisfied; this batch of novice miscellaneous laborers is of good quality, with a disciple like a genius—this disciple also has a very resonant name, Mozi..... This ten-year-old child can already stand in stance after one day and has cultivated a breath of true qi; in seven days he can already circulate qi in the Conception Vessel to achieve half a Small Heavenly Circuit, truly a martial arts prodigy. And the others almost all gained qi sensation within seven days, enough for the whole group to enter the gang as reserve disciples.

As for Mozi, it is very likely that after laying the foundation, a certain elder will pick him to become an inner-door disciple, which would also benefit Liu Heita, so for a moment this dark-skinned fellow also grew somewhat kinder in expression, and the rattan whip was not swung as sharply and shrilly. Bai Lang was not valued among them, but since he could cultivate qi sensation, a reserve disciple position was unavoidable for him.

Regarding the matter of cultivating true qi, Bai Lang discovered he had no cheat code, neither a system nor any point‑adder, and the few qi‑cultivation and visualization methods he remembered from past play were not something he dared to try—he is not a chuunibyou teenager, although his age might be around eleven or twelve, an age when one could be chuunibyou, but even thinking with his butt he knows this qi method cannot be casually messed with. Ordinary people should know that the current qi method is the most basic foundation‑building method, and should also have been practiced countless times by innumerable people—you, a mere nobody from Earth who hasn't accomplished anything, dare to try it? Or do you truly believe you won't suffer qi deviation because you are the child of destiny?

Bai Lang is very sensible; he knows he cannot afford to waste time, no matter what he plays, he must first solidify the basics—he knows nothing about this world, only that it somewhat resembles ancient China, and looks like a mix of Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. For now he should solidify the basics, then gradually understand the situation before speaking further. No matter what, being able to cultivate true qi means infinite possibilities; Bai Lang feels quite excited thinking about the martial arts novels he has read.

A man's fairy tale is like this; I never expected to also become a member of it, which is naturally wonderful. Moreover, Bai Lang has his own confidence: "Although I may not be a genius, having received higher education, I still have some confidence in my analytical and learning abilities!" He doesn't know where this confidence comes from, but being able to steady his resolve is not bad. Since they have already cultivated qi sensation, Liu Heita also begins to gradually teach these reserve disciples martial arts techniques.

From now until the next six months, these little fellows will learn introductory fist and foot techniques as well as basic internal-breathing methods; of course, stance‑training and stone‑lock exercises for building strength will not be omitted. Many internal arts are not simply seated qi practice, but require combining specific fist and foot martial arts to circulate true qi; the Long Joy Gang's Thirty‑Two Route Long Fist is a fist‑and‑foot art that clears the meridians of the whole body—although its effect is generally mediocre, its advantage lies in being neutral, balanced, and without bias.

Thus Bai Lang discovered that their daily meals now included more boiled white meat; practicing martial arts, not eating meat is generally not good—eating meat supplements qi and increases strength, and this is not a Buddhist holy land of the martial world where divine arts are transmitted, so abstaining from meat is also fine. He learned the long fist quite quickly, using the long fist to nurture qi, and Bai Lang gradually caught up from behind. However, Mozi fully displayed his talent—learn it once and you know it, practice it once and you master it—compared to Bai Lang, who considers himself strong in learning ability, Mozi is much faster.

Mozi's movements are extremely standard, making Bai Lang also feel a bit discouraged; this kid really is a genius. Bai Lang learns quickly—this mainly comes from having transmigrated, bringing past vision and an open mind—but to learn with precision is not so easy. Moreover, when he first began practicing the long fist, he often could not match the breathing rhythm, frequently being forced to interrupt the flow of true qi—this is indeed the case for ordinary reserve disciples......

Bai Lang's routine was learned quite quickly; in seven days he learned more than three routes of the Thirty‑Two Route Long Fist, only one route less than Mozi. Yet looking at Mozi, Bai Lang truly acknowledges that someone is indeed a martial arts genius—this fellow learns fast and well, and is already able to coordinate breathing with qi, circulating true qi within his long fist practice......