Chapter 16: Qi Sensation

He Pingsheng returned to the room, closed the doors and windows, then sat at his desk and began reading.

Basic Breathing and Qi Circulation Method.

Open the first page!

The title page held no content—only a name written: Hao Yun.

Well, so this book really was copied by Hao Yun!

He Pingsheng flipped further back.

The next section was the table of contents!

The first part of the table of contents was the overview.

The second part was the method of guiding qi.

The third part was the actual cultivation technique.

He Pingsheng did not rush to the cultivation technique section—he began with the overview.

Through the overview, he learned the general steps of cultivation.

The first step was to cultivate qi sensation.

Yes—practice the method of guiding qi until you could sense the thin, invisible spiritual energy in the surrounding heavens and earth.

So you must first cultivate qi sensation before true cultivation can begin.

Then… let’s start with qi sensation!

He Pingsheng turned to the page titled “Method of Guiding Qi,” read it through once, studied it three times, fully understood its meaning, then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, lowered his head, and used his spiritual sense to perceive the spiritual energy in the heavens and earth.

In truth, this was nonsense.

During Qi Refining, a cultivator’s spiritual sense could only turn inward—it could not extend outward—so using spiritual sense to sense external qi was impossible.

Then what did you use?

The forty-eight million pores across your body, your skin, your body hair, and so on.

Minute sensations.

After cultivating all night, He Pingsheng still had not cultivated any qi sensation.

The next morning, after eating, He Pingsheng sat cross-legged again and began cultivating qi sensation.

“Hey…” A voice suddenly came from outside the window: “Little He, are you trying to find qi sensation?”

He Pingsheng turned his head, saw Hao Yun outside the window, and grinned: “Yeah!”

Hao Yun asked: “Found it?”

“No!” He Pingsheng shook his head. “Do I need to chop wood now?”

“No no no…” Hao Yun waved his hand. “Just focus on finding your qi sensation… I’ll take care of the wood-chopping. Take your time—qi sensation is what matters!”

With that, Hao Yun actually picked up an axe and walked out the door.

Fine.

Since my senior brother is chopping wood himself, I’ll keep searching for qi sensation.

One day!

Two days!

Three days!

On the third evening, He Pingsheng suddenly found qi sensation—his body hairs stood on end, and he clearly sensed the flow of spiritual energy outside.

And within that energy, the collision of various elements.

Though faint, he had at last found qi sensation.

He Pingsheng was ecstatic. He grabbed the Basic Breathing and Qi Circulation Method and walked to Hao Yun’s bedroom.

“Hey…” Hao Yun, sitting at his desk, looked up and asked: “You… found qi sensation?”

“Hehehe…”

He Pingsheng grinned. “Yes, Senior Brother Hao—I just felt the flow of spiritual power outside. Have I found qi sensation?”

“Sort of.”

Hao Yun nodded.

He Pingsheng sat eagerly before him, clearly expecting praise.

But after more than a dozen breaths, Hao Yun said nothing.

He couldn’t help asking: “Senior Brother… how long did it take you to find qi sensation?”

Hao Yun drank some water. “One day.”

“One… day?” He Pingsheng’s pride vanished instantly.

“Yeah!” Hao Yun asked: “What’s the problem?”

He Pingsheng’s face fell.

I spent three days and two nights—you did it in one day?

That’s just unfair!

“Senior Brother, your talent is extraordinary—I can’t compare!” He Pingsheng sighed.

Hao Yun scoffed: “Pfft… what talent? That’s nothing.”

“Those single-element geniuses reach the first level in two days—what’s so special about me?”

“What?” He Pingsheng said. “Two days? First level?”

“Yeah!” Hao Yun sipped his tea slowly. “The first level of Qi Refining is the easiest… as long as you guide qi into your body, follow the method in the technique, circulate the spiritual energy through your meridians once, then store it in your dantian—you’ve broken through to the first level!”

“That simple!”

“Oh.” He Pingsheng nodded absently, then asked: “Then… how long do those genius disciples take to find qi sensation?”

Hao Yun said: “They say half an hour.”

Uh… really?

Hao Yun seemed to read his thoughts. He smiled. “Don’t ask. Those geniuses aren’t comparable to us.”

“Let me tell you—I took half a month just to circulate spiritual energy once through my meridians!”

“Meaning I took half a month to break through to the first level!”

“But those geniuses? Two or three days.”

“Then!” Hao Yun continued. “From first to second level, it’s about talent and resources. I had no miraculous pills, couldn’t even make Qi-Condensing Pills—I took three full years to break through!”

“After reaching second level, another nine years passed—and third level still felt impossibly far.”

“I think… I’ll either stay at second level for life, or maybe get one more breakthrough to Qi Refining third level.”

“Beyond that? No chance.”

Thump…

Hao Yun set his teacup down on the table, then stood up. “So, Little He—this book was just lent to you… don’t actually cultivate. In the end, it’s all just a dream.”

He Pingsheng looked defiant. “Why not? You reached second level yourself!”

“That’s different!” Hao Yun said. “I’m a four-element root. You? You’re a five-element root. Can you even compare?”

He Pingsheng was speechless: A four-element root looks down on me for being five-element?

After a moment, Hao Yun pulled out a white porcelain bottle and placed it before He Pingsheng. “Use porcelain bottles for pills—they block most of the scent. If your parents left you anything good, store it in this.”

“Don’t let anyone see it—it’s dangerous for you.”

He Pingsheng said: “I… don’t have anything. I won’t need this.”

Hao Yun said: “Don’t worry. Only you know whether you have anything or not—I don’t want your stuff. Take it.”

“Go on, go.”

He shoved the bottle into He Pingsheng’s hand, then pushed him out the door.

Holding the porcelain bottle, He Pingsheng wondered if Hao Yun was testing him.

Could he have given me this bottle on purpose, waiting for me to put pills inside, then suddenly appear and steal them?

No.

Absolutely not.

I must resist.