sovbooks Chapter 22, The Perfect Flow of Qi, from the Great Master's Online Lecture.
Chapter 22, The Perfect Flow of Qi, from the Great Master's Online Lecture.
"Oh, Comrade Kobayashi, you're up so early today?"
"Good morning."
"You're here so early. Why did you take the day off yesterday? Were you feeling unwell?"
"Just dealing with a minor, unexpected issue."
"Brother Lin, why did you come to clock in at six o'clock today?"
"I had something to do this afternoon and needed to leave work early, so I adjusted my work hours."
Lin Zhuoyi repeated similar conversations many times throughout the morning.
When the library staff clock in, they always see the first person to clock in each day. Normally everyone arrives at 8 or 9 am, so this is the first time they've seen someone so proactive, which puts a bit of pressure on the other staff.
Curator Qiao Mingyang came over to inquire about Lin Zhuo's well-being and said he would like to invite Lin Zhuo to his office for a chat during his lunch break.
This was exactly what Lin Zhuo wanted, and he readily agreed, looking quite eager. Qiao Mingyang secretly chuckled to himself: Young people just can't control their emotions.
Lin Zhuo sat upright at his workstation. In his spare time, he could practice the "Flowing Scripture," a basic internal energy cultivation method that carried no risk of qi deviation and could be interrupted at any time. To outsiders, the librarian appeared diligent and conscientious, only occasionally closing his eyes to rest for a moment.
The morning passed peacefully as usual. More and more customers arrived, but everyone remained quiet, each with their own preferred books and not needing any recommendations from the staff. Lin Zhuo enjoyed a period of tranquility. In fact, practicing meditation at his workstation was even more effective than in the noisy media room; at least the positive environmental factor didn't have any negative impact.
So, as lunchtime approached, Lin Zhuo's internal energy finally reached a bottleneck.
【Flowing Essence (Lower Grade, Gray)】
Proficiency: 99% (Base multiplier × 1) (To be broken through)
As a time-tested and popular introductory internal skill, the breakthrough effects and precautions of the Flowing Qi Scripture are all clearly recorded, so there is absolutely no difficulty to speak of.
To avoid being unexpectedly disturbed during his breakthrough, Lin Zhuo went into the media room, locked the door, and chose to play a slow-paced art film.
He sat upright on the sofa with his eyes closed, his mind illuminating the void, observing the countless tiny pores around his body leaking his primordial essence, like clouds rising and dispersing.
The "Flowing Qi Classic" follows the principles of innate nature, and the path of Qi circulation is similar to the natural flow of vital energy. It is like increasing the flow of water by simulating surface rivers. Beneath countless micropores, in the origin of life, there is also the generation and circulation of primordial essence, like an underground river flowing beneath the surface.
To break through the bottleneck of internal strength, one must establish a continuous cycle between the physical body and the interior, making the flow of vital energy more efficient.
Lin Zhuo refined his spiritual energy, guiding it along the meridians, and used this energy to force the primordial essence along the way back to the micropores. By compressing and filling one micropore, another micropore would gush forth.
As the energy swept over his entire body time and again, the tiny pores of his vital energy, which had previously only flowed out and never in, came alive and could spontaneously breathe in and out.
In this way, the body is connected inside and out, circulating continuously, and the flow of vital energy becomes even smoother.
Ding--
[Network notification: The bottleneck of the skill [Flowing Scripture] has been broken, and the cultivation level cap has been unlocked]
【Flowing Essence (Lower Grade, Gray)】
Progression: 100% (Perfect)
Current effects: Gradually improves health status to [Perfect]; slightly increases the upper limit of life energy storage, slightly increases life energy generation efficiency, and slightly increases the speed of spirit energy refining.
Lin Zhuo opened his eyes again and saw that nearly an hour had passed. The movie was nearing its end, so he paused the playback and went outside.
The air in the library was filled with various enticing aromas. Many customers, pretending to be at work, were quietly eating fast food, while his colleagues had already gone to the cafeteria for their meals.
The breakthrough effect of the "Flowing Essence Classic" significantly increased Lin Zhuo's appetite, allowing him to store more vital essence in his body, which indirectly reduced the frequency of his meals.
For Qigong practitioners, being able to eat well is a blessing, representing a stronger physique and more mental energy. However, if a large portion of the day is spent eating, it can interfere with their practice.
In online discussion groups, many veteran players recommend high-energy diets, various pills, potions, and even alcoholic beverages, all made with precious medicinal materials. Long-term consumption of these products can be quite expensive.
Fortunately, given Lin Zhuo's current cultivation level, there's no need to change his diet for the time being. The free food at the community cafeteria is enough to cover his calorie needs.
Lin Zhuo held a large bowl of rice with toppings, scooping out large mouthfuls of food. His satisfied and unhurried eating style attracted the attention of people around him. Just like watching a food vlog, everyone could eat two more bowls of rice just by enjoying the pleasant atmosphere around him.
Modern people often eat electronic pickled vegetables with their meals, and Lin Zhuo is no exception. He is currently browsing the online forum and reading various excellent posts in the discussion groups.
After completing his study of the "Flowing Scripture," he began searching for martial arts theories about higher-level internal energy cultivation.
Starting from the middle grade, white level, various cultivation techniques gradually transcend the limits of ordinary species.
A white-quality internal skill can alter the human body's structure, allowing the practitioner's physique to break through genetic limitations, strengthen internal organs to the point of being able to melt metal, injure people with the breath exhaled from the lungs, enhance the five senses, strengthen the body, enable one to see lice and flies at night, hear falling flowers, and run like the wind and fight bears.
These various unusual phenomena involve extremely intricate and complex energy circulation pathways, requiring the stimulation of numerous glands, the ingestion of some dangerous medicinal materials, and even the seeking of blessings from powerful divine beings with far-reaching influence in the multiverse.
These operations are all inherently dangerous. Studying and practicing them alone can easily lead to mistakes. Careless practice can result in minor injuries that are difficult to treat, or even sudden and violent death.
Experienced players suggest waiting until you've purchased a dungeon invitation, then finding a reliable adventurer partner to supervise your training during the dungeon adventure. If you suffer a qi deviation and are deemed beyond saving, simply end your own life; you can then be resurrected with full health in the real world afterward.
If money isn't an issue, you can purchase the virtual training ground service on the forum. By spending a certain amount of Disaster Coins, you can find renowned instructors to provide guidance and guarantee successful skill creation.
Lin Zhuo had no unrealistic ambitions. Since the veteran players advised against it, there must be a reason. He dabbled in the relevant content to build up his martial arts foundation, but didn't delve into it deeply. He quickly turned his attention to other beginner guide posts.
The professional knowledge of a Qigong master is very extensive; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it encompasses everything. However, it is also divided into required and elective courses. Things like medicine, alchemy, theology, formations and rituals, and geomancy are optional.
The required courses include the theory of the primordial energy of heaven and earth, weapon-making techniques, combat methods, and the principles of martial arts, among others.
As history progressed and the game evolved, some subjects that were originally electives were promoted to mandatory courses by veteran players.
The most important change is the shift in the status of runes. Runes are considered the essence of the Great Dao and the spirit of the universe. Mastering runes can unleash countless supernatural powers, control the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and condense boundless magical power.
It is said that before the last major update of the web series, the research on celestial runes by Qigong masters was still in a relatively primitive and rudimentary stage.
Although high-level cultivation techniques often require the application of various talisman combinations, at that time only a few exceptionally talented practitioners specialized in this field, while other Qigong masters adopted a "take what you can get" approach.
Until the end of the last version, a mage player nicknamed "Lighthouse Guest" suddenly appeared on the internet and posted a free rune course on the forum. The content was perfect and popularized this obscure, ancient and secret knowledge.
From then on, Qigong masters combined talisman literature with the theory of vital energy, opening up a whole new world for their career prospects and taking their overall strength to a new level.
Even now, the online course videos of that Lighthouse Archmage remain timeless classics, with viewership numbers reaching uncountable levels. Every novice adventurer will eventually be recommended to study rune literature, and even if they only grasp a little bit of the basics, they will benefit immensely in the future.
Lin Zhuo readily agreed and found the Grand Master's teaching video to play. However, after watching only a little bit, he felt something was wrong. The course content in the video was strongly related to mathematics.
Because each rune of heaven and earth is naturally imbued with spiritual power, this peculiar force will erode the carrier and erase the trace of its own existence. Not only can it not be recorded on ordinary paper media, but even the memory in the mind will be slowly erased. Therefore, in the teaching process, mathematical tools must be used to indirectly describe the shape of the rune.
The Grand Master's online lectures are not something you can just watch like a snack; you have to concentrate fully, otherwise you'll miss the rest of the lecture if you lose focus even for a moment.
Lin Zhuo silently paused the course video, knowing he would have a lot to learn in the future. Since things had come to this, he decided to fill his stomach first.