Chapter 70: Boil Mountains and Rivers in Half a Pot, Encounter a Beautiful Woman Again

‘Good!’

‘You’re the one.’

The ancient text, *Yang Tian Gui Zhi*, slowly surfaced in his mind.

‘Iron ox plows the field, sowing gold.’

‘Children carve stones, threading coins.’

It detailed every acupoint on the human body, the twelve meridians, the method of qi circulation, and the optimal timing for cultivation.

A true, exquisitely detailed immortal scripture.

First, sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth until nine strands fill each acupoint—that completes the First Ladder.

The Second Ladder requires bursting open the major acupoints and meridians, allowing spiritual energy to flow ceaselessly into the body, cleansing the meridians and unblocking the acupoints.

This process forges sinew and bone, making them as tough as iron, as if undergoing a marrow-washing and bone-replacing transformation, utterly renewing the body.

These four lines reveal the mystery.

‘A thousand scrolls of scripture are worth less than one true phrase.’

Yu Ke recalled the body’s acupoints and sank his spiritual sense into them.

Circulate spiritual energy through the Small Heavenly Cycle: move the Three Carts—Small River Cart, Great River Cart, Returning Void Purple River Cart—beginning with the Ox Cart Small Cycle.

A vast surge of spiritual energy, like a general leading a charge, raced through Yu Ke’s meridians, followed by an unending flood.

‘Small Heavenly Cycle—open!’

Burst the acupoints!

Drill the gates!

Move blood and qi, connect the acupoints.

Every inch the energy traveled brought excruciating pain.

Yu Ke felt every part of his body pierced by needles; he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

Drenched in sweat!

His chest trembled uncontrollably, rising and falling.

Yu Ke’s body had become a vast battlefield, where spiritual energy waged war.

The pathways and flow points of the meridians gradually formed a brilliant golden thread, piercing through his entire body.

‘If a celestial being shows you the secret, seize the Big Dipper’s Heavenly Wheel.’

Yu Ke silently recited it.

The first cycle of spiritual energy formed within it!

He bit down harder.

This breath!

Must not exhale—absolutely must not!

Once exhaled, all prior effort would be lost.

He recalled his past life as a beast of burden; now he had been reborn!

He had encountered a great age of cultivation—true men should roam the nine heavens.

‘I will cultivate immortality.’

An intense, unyielding belief surged forth, keeping him lucid.

Yu Ke pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth—also called ‘Hand Supporting Heaven’—linking his Ren and Du Meridians through this connection.

As a powerful surge of spiritual energy coursed through his entire body.

He felt as if he had merged with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Yu Ke’s eyes snapped open, shining brilliantly.

‘Turn!’

At this moment!

Must not break—cannot break.

Two spiraling mother qi currents followed the flow of spiritual energy, carrying residual force.

Yu Ke aimed to burst through several key acupoints at once, completing a Small Heavenly Cycle.

The method recorded in *Yang Tian Gui Zhi*.

‘A single grain of millet holds a world.’

‘Boil mountains and rivers in half a pot.’

Each acupoint was like a seed, like a treasure mountain, like a separate heaven, a separate world.

Clearly!

The ancestor who wrote this line possessed a grandeur that shook antiquity and dazzled the ages.

The body as a furnace, burning and refining mountains and rivers!

Now, nourish the qi, disperse it into the major acupoints.

Spiritual energy completed two Small Heavenly Cycles.

Yu Ke’s pores opened wide, drawing in fine threads of spiritual energy into his dantian.

Within the dantian, the energy rose again, misty and shimmering.

Look inward!

The many acupoints glowed like crystal-clear treasure mountains, radiating pearl-like light.

After three Small Heavenly Cycles, the spiritual energy subtly transformed.

‘Refine essence into qi, refine qi into spirit, lead mercury, forge the elixir into a perfect fruit.’

Spiritual energy, spiritual qi, spiritual fluid, spiritual essence.

These four transformations were the necessary path to higher realms.

The final state—spiritual essence—could only be achieved after Foundation Establishment.

Step through the gate of Foundation Establishment, and you become a true cultivator!

After the ninth Small Heavenly Cycle, spiritual energy became spiritual qi, then spiritual fluid.

‘Disperse!’

Acupoints like mountains, meridians like the sky, spiritual energy like clouds on the horizon.

Like!

A vigorous autumn rain.

Pouring vast and mighty over the mountains.

The flush on Yu Ke’s skin faded completely.

Sat cross-legged!

He opened his eyes again; spiritual energy flowed into his body, and the treasure-mountain acupoints emitted intoxicating radiance.

A long-absent smile finally appeared on Yu Ke’s face.

He had finally connected the Lower Dantian to the Upper Dantian with a Small Heavenly Cycle—this meant he had reached the peak of the Second Ladder.

Yet!

Yu Ke knew he still had a long way to go, for 284 acupoints remained outside the cycle.

Only when all 720 acupoints were fully integrated into the body’s circulation could he reach the full completion of the Second Ladder.

Unfortunately!

The two strands of spiraling mother qi he possessed had been entirely consumed; thus, his plan to break through to full completion had to be paused until the next opportunity.

Without spiraling mother qi!

He could only continue cultivating through slow, steady progress.

He recalled how his former self had spent four full years to unblock all acupoints, attempting to burst open the ‘Shen Tian Acupoint’ during Foundation Establishment.

Result: total failure.

This lesson taught Yu Ke deeply: the path of cultivation must not be rushed—it must be built step by step.

Take heed!

Like a beautiful woman dressed in a playful outfit—you must not rush, or disaster will follow.

You must have a safety net… one hand.

Yu Ke nodded: Foundation Establishment must be planned slowly and carefully!

Within the Second Ladder realm, there are three extraordinary states:

[Golden Skin, Jade Vessels]

[Copper Skin, Iron Bones]

[Mercury Blood, Silver Marrow]

His original body possessed [Golden Skin, Jade Vessels], but it was destroyed when he failed Foundation Establishment.

If he could attain all three, the Second Ladder realm would be firmly established.

Then Foundation Establishment would be all but guaranteed.

Foundation Establishment also has nine grades; above the ninth lies Celestial Foundation Establishment—these must all be considered later.

Fortunately!

He could now cultivate, and had escaped the risk of sudden death.

Thinking of this, Yu Ke couldn’t help but smile.

At this moment!

Yu Ke sniffed, and a smell drifted over.

“Ugh!”

He nearly vomited, unable to help but say:

“Who shit their pants?”

Yu Ke snapped back to himself and saw his arm covered in brown-red mud reeking of stench.

The smell was unbearable!

Stronger than decades-old fermented cabbage from a broken jar.

Last time it happened, the smell wasn’t this bad.

All the stagnant blood in his meridians had been purged, along with some waste residue.

Inside, his dantian was crystal clear.

He rushed into the bathroom—each of the four courtyards outside the main door had one.

He scrubbed himself thoroughly!

Refreshed and invigorated.

At that moment, the midday sun shone in.

It was bright and pleasant.

On his seventh day after reincarnation, he had resolved the original body’s cultivation issue, and still had over two months before the inspection.

His Second Rung of Great Completion was still unstable!

Most aristocratic disciples like Yu Ke had already reached full Second Rung.

It seemed he still needed to cultivate until full completion.

Saying this, he stepped outside, grabbed a large bowl, filled it with spirit rice, and prepared to cook.

“Hungry.”

He pushed open the door—and saw!

A stunning sight at the doorway.

Yu Ke’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He had encountered the beautiful woman again.

Her purple dress clung tightly to her figure.

Her curves were astonishing, almost exaggerated.

From behind!

That shape—like a pear, like a peach.

Cook first, then look later.

Strangely enough!

The beautiful woman, sensing him, walked straight toward him.

(End of Chapter)