Qi Cultivation

[Qi Cultivation Experience +10]

A series of images popped up in Meng Tian's head where he saw a naked human body perform this 'breathing technique' to perfection just like Principal Ren's projection but much more clear.

He felt like he had practiced Qi cultivation for years when the performance in his mind came to an end. It felt long but was over in an instant. No one else knew that Meng Tian had completely understood how to practice cultivation just after he saw it once.

Meng Tian was, once again, in awe of his 'System' which could learn anything as long as he saw it. Although he had to put in enough practice to convert them into Skills, but it was still a delightful cheat. Principal Ren completed his presentation and looked at Meng Tian to see if he had any questions.

When he saw that the boy looked completely unfazed by his performance, he couldn't help but laugh and shook his head. Meng Tian was clueless as to why his 'Big Brother' Ren was shaking his head.

"Junior Brother Meng, I have already shown you how it is done. You can read about it more clearly from the books given to you by Master. You can always come to me if you need anything else. As we are in school, you still have to call me Principal Ren around others though. Now that you have become Master's disciple, you can casually carry on with your school activities and cultivate at the same time. Don't worry about college exams. There will be other arrangements for you later. So, take your time and cultivate peacefully."

Principal Ren's face became a little serious, "Junior Brother, there is one thing you absolutely cannot forget. Do NOT discuss about your secrets, your cultivation, your connection with me or Master, basically anything that you came to know after you met me... with anyone, even your parents. There are unseen dangers all around us."

"I will arrange your school activities such that you will have ample opportunities to increase your power. So, no matter what, continue your normal high school life and become strong enough to crush any danger that comes your way. Take this watch, you can use it to transmit an emergency signal in case you encounter an enemy that you cannot fight."

He handed Meng Tian a normal looking smart watch and asked him to go back to class. It was about time for the first class to finish. So, he went to a vending machine near the canteen and bought some energy bars. He was eating them casually, as he walked towards his next class. Luckily that chemistry class was empty and he sat down to gather his thoughts.

He first thought about his consciousness space which could double as a storage space for his items. As he thought to transfer the things from his ring into his consciousness space, he felt a connection establish between them and immediately all the items in his storage ring were moved to his consciousness space automatically.

"Now, that's interesting. Hmm.." Meng Tian saw the items in his consciousness space and his Soul went ahead and touched one of the two books present there. To his surprise, he could touch the book like normal.

Mind you, this was his Soul interacting with material objects in his consciousness space. It was a unique situation. Although he did not understand the process, he was not bothered by it. It was at this time that the school bell rang announcing the end of the previous class.

Meng Tian ignored the bell as he looked at the breathing technique manual named very plainly as 'Breathing Technique for a Beginner Martial Apprentice'. He was dumbfounded by the naming scheme, but quickly felt it appropriate and straightforward. He was about to read the manual when students started coming in and taking their seats.

Fatty Li was also leisurely walking in when he saw Meng Tian and hurriedly approached him. "Meng Tian, you punk... I covered for you in class saying that you went to the Nurse's office. Why did you skip class though? Were you meeting with someone special? Hehehe..."

Fatty Li was spouting his usual bullshit when the class started. He shut his mouth seeing that Meng Tian had completely ignored him.

The first page of the breathing manual showed the history of its creation...

"When our planet first started changing due to the unique radiation emitted by that spatial tear, humans began to evolve. We found out that some of us were suddenly able to sense some kind of affinity towards this radiation. Some could even call upon different elements, like water, fire etc., to naturally gather around them."

"We started finding more and more humans with these characteristics and called them 'Talents'. Anyone with a talent for any specific element will be able to call upon them but they could not use this talent to do anything else."

"So, we started observing the newborn infants in an attempt to find answers... To harvest this talent of manipulating energy and fight against the growing dangers from evolving Beasts. Many brilliant minds around the world came together, and after years of struggles and sacrifices, finally proposed the 'Meridian Qi Cultivation' theory."

"The entire theory was built on the discovery of a series of mystical pathways found in the human body, by the Forefather, Lin Jianyu."

"Forefather Lin proposed that- any person with enough talent can use these mystical pathways called 'Meridians', to guide the unique radiation, called 'Qi', and gather it at a location below the navel called 'Dantian'. He suggested using them to create a circulation pathway in the human body- a route starting from the dantian, going through the meridians around the body and reaching the dantian again."

"As the Qi moved through this circulation pathway, it would strengthen the corresponding meridians. These strengthened meridians could then allow for a larger quantity of Qi to flow through them and finally filling up the dantian. This repeated process of absorption and accumulation of Qi would strengthen the human body, and increase its power. One could even use different techniques to harness the Qi in their bodies to perform supernatural feats."

"Although this theory was well received, there were two essential things required to make it work - talent and meridians. The researchers later found out that, normal humans, once born, are contaminated by the air around them. As they start breathing in the air, it only takes a few minutes for their meridians to get clogged completely."

"The researchers could not find any way to stop this from happening. Hence, it had become impossible to design methods for the proposed 'Meridian Qi cultivation' theory."

"Some tried to brute force and see if they could absorb Qi from the surroundings into their meridians. But this process only led to the destruction of their bodies and in worst cases proved to be fatal. However, there was a silver lining. Forefather Lin went ahead and designed specific physical exercises to aid humans in strengthening their bodies."

"When they reach a particular level of strength, they could then try to feel the energy around them and lead a strand of Qi to enter their meridians. This could perhaps cause the blocked meridians to slowly clear up and through the continuous washing of Qi, completely open them up."

"Although the proposed solution was very good, the results would only come after a few years of practice. Due to a high chance of fatality, many people started to find other avenues to harness Qi. During this time, Forefather Lin used his own body to try and create a circulation pathway."

"There were many accidents before Forefather Lin finally managed to create the first 'Qi Circulation Manual'. But the process of continuous experimentation on his body, destroyed his meridians and ultimately led to his demise. His sacrifice and the first Qi manual are the cornerstones of the humanity's survival in this new world."