Chapter 11: Cyclic Qi Gathering

In front of a skyscraper in the city center.

Zhang Yu looked up at the towering building that seemed to pierce the sky, faintly able to make out what appeared to be an immortal palace vaguely emerging atop the skyscraper.

This was the office building of Xianyun Group in the center of Songyang City.

Furthermore, Zhang Yu could see an even taller giant building in the distance, as if connected to the true end of the heavens. He knew that was the tallest building in Songyang City, the Central Tower, said to have 999 floors, a landmark he often saw on his way to and from school.

At this moment, he turned his head again to look at the office building before him.

"Xianyun Group, huh?"

On the way here, Zhang Yu had already searched online for information about Xianyun Group.

It was a giant enterprise under the Ten Thousand Laws Sect, with businesses including developing cultivation techniques, selling cultivation techniques, immortal path education, book and cultural products, and so on.

And the Ten Thousand Laws Sect was one of the Ten Great Sects. In this Kunxu realm, from clothing, food, housing, and transportation to birth, aging, illness, and death, a person's entire life was inseparable from the Ten Great Sects, and immortal path cultivation was naturally even more so.

Therefore, Zhang Yu was not at all surprised that a giant enterprise like Xianyun Group belonged to the Ten Thousand Laws Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects.

Lowering his head, Zhang Yu walked into the building. After explaining his purpose at the front desk, he went through registration, signed a contract, and underwent a simple physical examination, and was finally led to a place that looked like a classroom.

There, he saw that besides himself, several students were already seated in the classroom.

After waiting for a while, when the number of students in the classroom reached fifteen, a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes walked in and began to explain the day's technique-testing content.

"Hello everyone, I am today's instructor."

"Everyone here has already signed the contract, but I still need to remind you that everything we discuss here today is not allowed to be spread. Once our company finds out that anyone has leaked information, no matter where you run to the ends of the earth, we will definitely find you."

Hearing these words, many students felt a chill in their hearts, but they knew that what the man said was true; given the strength of Xianyun Group and the backing of the Ten Thousand Laws Sect, achieving this was indeed not difficult.

"The technique you will attempt to learn today, we call Experimental Technique No. 113. First, please watch the instructional video..."

According to the introduction in the instructional video, this technique was a breathing technique of the Qi Refining realm, but the difference from the basic breathing method was that this technique was much more complex, as if it required establishing some kind of energy circulation throughout the entire body.

As a result, after watching the instructional video, most of the students who came to test the technique were still completely confused.

Only in the subsequent detailed explanation by the instructor did the students gradually gain a rough understanding, but they felt even more overwhelmed.

"Wait... are we supposed to practice this kind of technique? Are we even worthy?"

Indeed, the energy circulation route of this technique was far too complex and difficult, like trying to paint Along the River During the Qingming Festival on a single piece of A4 paper.

If Zhang Yu had to describe it, it was as difficult as carving a sculpture on a piece of excrement.

Forget about following the energy circulation route in the lesson; everyone present couldn't even memorize the route, forgetting most of it almost as soon as it was explained.

Forget about spreading it; the students had no confidence at all in whether they could even practice this technique to completion for the test.

Seeming to sense the change in the students' emotions, the instructor said from above, "Don't worry, everyone. This test does not require you to master this technique."

"In fact, it is impossible for a beginner to master this technique on their own."

"What we are testing this time is the auxiliary energy-guiding device compatible with No. 113..."

Next, all the students present were sent to a testing room, where energy-detecting patches were attached to their hands, feet, chest, back, and other areas.

Then, needle-like objects connected to wires were brought in front of the students by robotic arms.

The instructor beside them continued, "When you begin to circulate your energy, the detecting patches will constantly monitor the condition of your internal energy flow."

"The magnetic needles, operated by the robotic arms, will stimulate the routes of your energy circulation, helping you identify and correct the energy route..."

After listening for a while, Zhang Yu understood—it was like an auto-navigation... no, auto-cultivation guidance, right.

Because the energy route of the No. 113 technique was too complex and had too high requirements on the timing and points of energy circulation, it was necessary to detect the practitioner's energy circulation path and stimulate various parts of the body with magnetic needles to guide them.

However, this process was not without danger, as the energy circulation route of the No. 113 technique was too complex.

Under such a complex energy circulation route, if there was even a slight error in the energy flow path, it would cause the energy to go out of control, spill into the body, causing both itchiness and pain, alternating heat and cold, easily leading to greater chaos.

If the situation dragged on, it would lead to internal injuries. The longer it dragged on, the more severe the internal injuries would become.

After that, one would either have to go to the hospital and pay a high price for a strong cultivator to forcefully suppress the out-of-control energy in the body, or rely on one's physical strength to endure until the energy naturally dissipated, or the practitioner themselves could master the technique and actively gather the scattered and leaking energy along the energy route.

Meanwhile, the instructor continued, "...As stated in the contract you all signed, the reward for this technique test will be distributed based on the percentage of the energy circulation route you complete. Only when you complete 100% of the route will you receive the full ten thousand yuan."

"If your energy only runs half the route, then it will be only five thousand."

"Alright everyone, if there are no questions, please begin."

Zhang Yu glanced at the data displayed on the Feather Script.

"Circular Heaven Qi-Refining Method Level 0 (0/1)"

He thought to himself: "Does this mean I just need to practice it once?"

Zhang Yu closed his eyes and tried to circulate the technique he had just learned, moving it from his dantian toward his spine.

At the same time, he felt a slight stinging sensation in his back, realizing that was the Primordial Magnetic Needle guiding him to channel his mana there. Following the needle's guidance, he carefully moved his mana along, bit by bit.

…

Meanwhile, outside the testing room, a group of people was observing the students' progress.

"It's begun."

The lead researcher, who had a head of messy short hair, was staring intently at the constantly changing data on the screen.

It showed the mana circulation status of each student after they began attempting to cultivate the experimental technique, Method Number 113.

The assistant beside him also wore a grim expression as he looked at the energy circulation diagrams of each student on the screen. These were images created by aggregating the mana data from various parts of the students' bodies, used to depict the mana circulation paths inside them.

The correct circulation path was shown in green, while any deviations in mana flow were marked in red.

As time ticked by, watching the increasingly frequent red error markers appearing on the circulation paths, the assistant's eyes showed growing disappointment.

"Teacher, it seems the guidance precision of the Primordial Magnetic Needle still needs improvement; otherwise, it cannot meet the mana circulation accuracy required for beginners learning Method 113."

"!"

"It's still too difficult to get beginners to master Method 113. Should we recruit a batch of test subjects with a higher Dao Heart level?"

The researcher addressed as 'Teacher' frowned and said: "Regardless of whether it's Method 113 or the Primordial Magnetic Needle, they were originally developed for beginners. I won't change this direction."

"Besides, those with higher Dao Heart levels have better techniques to learn. The passive breathing effect of Method 113 lacks competitiveness for them. It's the beginners who need the passive breathing effect more…"

Just then, a student who had made a mistake grunted and suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

'Teacher' said coldly: "Get him out of here quickly. Don't let him disturb the others' state of mind."

But with the appearance of the first student to spit blood, more and more students attempting to cultivate the technique began to show signs of discomfort. Some turned pale and couldn't breathe, others screamed in pain and fainted, while some had only minor injuries, merely looking pale or feeling pain or itching where they were circulating their mana…

Watching one student after another being sent out, 'Teacher's' expression grew darker and darker.

He complained: "The quality of this batch of students is too poor. Can't you recruit some better students?"

The assistant explained in a low voice: "Teacher, the previous test subjects were too severely injured. No school is willing to cooperate with us anymore."

'Teacher' let out a cold snort, a look of displeasure on his face: "They're just a bunch of poor students. Whether it's Method 113 or the Primordial Magnetic Needle, if we can successfully improve it, what a huge beginner market that would be? What does it matter if a few hundred people die?"

At the same time, there were only three students left in the testing room who were still persisting in circulating their energy.

Two of them were still holding on because they had made fewer errors and had very little uncontrolled, dissipated mana.

As for the other student, whose face was pale, even 'Teacher' was slightly surprised: "This boy has made quite a few mistakes during circulation. He must be in unbearable pain all over by now. How can he still be persisting?"

The assistant beside him asked: "Teacher, should we stop him?"

'Teacher' shook his head and said with interest: "Since he's so eager to earn this money, let's give him the chance."

"Besides, for our research, having more error data from a complete circulation path is obviously more beneficial."

…

Inside the testing room, whenever Zhang Yu wanted to give up, he felt the chilling intent from the ritual's power and the countdown flashing in his mind.

"This idiotic thing! All it knows is how to nag. If you're so capable, you do it."

During the circulation process, whenever Zhang Yu made the slightest mistake, he would feel mana spiraling out of control from the path, stimulating various parts of his body, making him feel both sore and itchy, sometimes hot and sometimes cold.

After finally completing the entire circulation path once, he glanced at the Feather Script and saw "Circular Heaven Qi-Refining Method Level 0 (0/1)" had changed to "Circular Heaven Qi-Refining Method Level 1 (0/20)". Only then did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Zhang Yu admitted he was gambling, but luckily, he had won this bet.

At that moment, the memories of circulating this technique hundreds of times flooded into his mind, making him feel as if he had been practicing this method for months.

At this moment, Zhang Yu felt that as long as he wanted to, he could use the Circular Heaven Qi-Refining Method to gather all the uncontrolled mana in his body and establish a complex mana cycle.

But he didn't do it immediately. Instead, enduring the soreness and itch all over his body, he slowly stood up.

The instructor nearby hurried over and said with some surprise, "Are you alright, classmate?"

It was the first time he had seen someone persist in running this technique to the end under such a high error rate.

Zhang Yu, clutching his stomach, said, "I feel like my internal organs are burning, both itchy and painful. My upper body is like being on fire, my lower body like being frozen... It's so uncomfortable."

The instructor quickly supported him and said, "Let me take you to the infirmary to get checked."

"No need!" Zhang Yu waved his hand sharply and said, "What I mean is... I want more money."

The instructor looked him up and down, seeing Zhang Yu constantly trembling and his increasingly pale face, and said, "1000 yuan, and sign another contract. Whatever happens to you from now on has nothing to do with us."

After some wrangling, the Xianyun Company finally gave Zhang Yu an additional 3000 yuan, demanding that no matter what injuries he sustains from now on, it has nothing to do with the Xianyun Company.