Chương 15: Body and Heart

Lin Yi walked up the stone steps towards the pavilion in the center of the garden. Beside the path, he could see overgrown grass and weeds. I have to tidy up the garden. He thought as he arrived at the center. The pavilion had only one entrance and hip-height fence-like structures as walls. Of course, for Lin Yi, they were more like head height. He stepped in and, after a short look around, sat down. In his room in the Valley of Immortal Seedlings, a meditation cushion had already been placed by the sect.

Here, he had no such luxuries. I should keep in mind to purchase one. Lin Yi thought. Fortunately, forgetting something was difficult for the current him, even if he tried. While there was no meditation cushion, the ground's material balanced this out. It was not a material he recognized. The material was still hard as concrete, but as he sat down, it felt soft, not like a pillow or cushion, but more like a harder exercise mat. Not to mention, his Qi-nourished body was more resilient than any mortal's.

Before he bought a meditation cushion, there was no need to fear for his buttocks. Lin Yi smirked slightly at the thought. He had already decided to cultivate for the rest of the day and maybe even strive for a breakthrough. Lin Yi calmed his mind and used his Internal Sight to oversee his spiritual and physical body. Not much had changed from the previous days when he entered the first level of the Qi Condensation Realm. He could only see the spiritual pathways and meridians he could before, maybe a little more.

His physical body was the same as before, always growing ever so slightly to boyhood. The most major difference would be his Essence and Qi. Both had grown greatly, in quality and quantity. The daily support of Essence Pills with the passive and active refinement of the Qi Flame brought wonders. Lin Yi could feel his body growing slightly stronger and stronger each day. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he had finally access to magic power or even a body refinement art.

Regarding these immortal arts, or more precisely, the cultivation methods for the body, he was surprised that there were quite a few differences in this world. There were body cultivation methods, which were proper methods to cultivate the immortal dao, though only part of the eight hundred side dao and not the orthodox Profound Dao most cultivated. They were similar to other cultivation methods in that they were whole paths in their own right.

With a body cultivation method, one wouldn't need a Qi refinement method, such as the Classic of Qi Refinement or other specialized ones that nearly the entire Charging Bull Sect cultivated. Instead of focusing on Essence, Qi, and Spirit together, body cultivation methods mostly focused on Essence, with less attention to the other two. They also had the problems of compatibility.

Aside from a few exceptions, one couldn't cultivate a Qi refinement method at the same time as a body cultivation method, as they overlapped in many respects and represented two different dao paths. The next were body refinement arts. These were the ones Lin Yi had read most of in his past life. Body refinement methods took existing aspects and created specialized arts to refine the body using these aspects in a more compatible, distinct form. These bodies are called Spirit Bodies.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. This refinement could affect several things, such as strength, talent, temperament, and even longevity. One's whole body would be changed in one direction. If cultivated to perfection, not only would the body change overall, but so would the genetics and DNA. These changes would then be inherited by future descendants, who would have the chance to awaken that Spirit Body or another form of it.

Naturally, this also worked vice versa. Spirit Bodies are divided into innate and acquired. A perfected Acquired Spirit Body was not much different from an Innate Spirit Body. But anything lower than perfected and innate bodies had the advantage. An Innate Spirit Body can either be inherited through an ancestor with a perfect Acquired Spirit Body, or it would be formed by the workings of heaven and earth and the Heavenly Dao.

Innate Spirit Bodies can also be comprehended and used to create a body refinement art for Acquired Spirit Bodies, more easily by their owners but also by others. Body refinement arts were more compatible with orthodox cultivation methods than body cultivation methods were, but they still needed suitable overlay. For example, a person who cultivated a fire Qi refinement method wouldn't be really compatible with a water body refinement art.

Even with the same attributes or elements, there may be problems with compatibility and Qi circulation. The next kind of body methods was body tempering arts. They were relatively simple arts and not as closely guarded as the others. Many were in open circulation. The Classic of Qi Refinement also included a chapter on body tempering, the Classic Body Tempering Art. However, it can only be cultivated starting from the Crimson Palace Stage. Magic power was a requirement to enter this art.

Instead of refining the whole body anew, as with body refinement arts, it used existing Qi and magical power to nourish and temper the body, similar to how Lin Yi's existing Qi did, but with greater effect and cost efficiency. They were also the most compatible of all body arts. The Classic Body Tempering Art, for example, could be used with nearly all other cultivation methods. As long as one has the same attribute or element, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

The last common body methods were spells and their bigger brother, the divine abilities. These used Qi and magic power circulation, along with other methods, to temporarily give the body special effects. For example, the Golden Body Spell hardened and strengthened one's body while giving it a golden glow. Lin Yi shook his head. He already had plans regarding his body refinement and body tempering arts. He didn't need to think much about them at the moment. His focus returned to his cultivation.

The reason it was more difficult to form additional Qi circulation pathways after the first was already formed was multifaceted. Lin Yi didn't just need to extend his current Kidney Meridian Qi circulation towards his Heart Meridian, but also, at the same time, had to preserve his current foundation. He had to form two additional Qi circulations that interacted and exchanged Qi with other circulations, but also didn't fundamentally alter anything.

One Qi flow for his Kidney Meridian, one flow for his Heart Meridian, and another that connected and layered both, while balancing them all. The Kidney Meridian's Qi circulation was easier. He had already established its foundation and could circulate it at full power with some attention. However, the Heart Meridian's foundation was not yet formed. Its circulation and the combined overlaid correlation required his complete concentration on every minute detail. Lin Yi did exactly that.

Maybe it was because he had finally entered the Scripture Pavilion Division officially, or maybe because he now had a stable future with his own home. His mind was at ease, and his mental state was pure, without distractions. While he had not entered the state of Wu Wei, his Qi flowed smoothly, and after several hours, a small tremble originated from his Heart Meridian. The Heart Meridian controlled the blood and influenced mental clarity, consciousness, and sleep, while also housing the Spirit.

This brought Lin Yi not small benefits. He had higher control over his mental faculties while his mind expanded and his spirituality grew continuously. However, he had no time to analyze his boosts. Continuing the circulation of Qi, he inspected the meridian and noticed what he already expected. Its foundation had formed. Sigh, now I need only the foundation for the connection. Lin Yi thought.

And though the Heart Meridian's foundation took several days, the foundation for the connected circulation went much more smoothly. Not only was the connected circulation cultivated alongside the Heart Meridian's, but now that its Qi flow was boosted by the foundations of both sides and his spirituality grew another step, it took only another hour. He could finally relax his hold on his Qi flow and inspect his grown cultivation. This! He exclaimed inwardly in surprise.

Lin Yi knew the recent advance had strengthened his spirituality, but he didn't realize it was that massive. Before his small breakthrough, he could only see around eight meridians. Now, he saw all the 12 Standard Meridians and 8 Extraordinary Meridians. Even some other branch meridians. He thought for a moment and tried to calculate the growth, but couldn't determine if this was normal or due to his Innate Spirituality. Hmm, I need to look it up in the sect's immortal texts.

I know that even One Element Yellow Spirit Roots may not see all twenty meridians directly after entering the Qi Condensation Realm. His mind churned for a moment as an idea opened in his thoughts. I definitely need to consult the elders before I do this, and may likely need their help. This idea or plan may not work out. It was dangerous and definitely somewhat presumptuous, but if it worked, he might lay the foundation for establishing his foundation.