SFS Chapter 85 4 acupoints 3 passes
Chapter 85 4 acupoints 3 passes
Zhang Lin withdrew his gaze and walked along the bluestone path toward courtyard number seventy-two.
Twenty feet behind him, behind an old locust tree, the gray-robed Taoist boy Afu peeked out, glanced at his back, scribbled a few notes in his notebook, and then turned and disappeared into the morning mist.
For the next few days, Zhang Lin stayed indoors and did not go out.
Aside from refining two batches of pills every day without fail, he devoted all his remaining time to cultivation.
The spiritual energy from the Spirit Spring Well gushed forth continuously, and with the spirit-gathering array built with spirit stones, the concentration of spiritual energy in Courtyard No. 72 far exceeded that of the residences of ordinary outer disciples.
Once a sliver of space is opened up in the dantian, liquid true qi will rapidly form at a rate of half a drop per day.
After consuming the seventh Transcendent-level Qi-restoring Pill, on the third day of seclusion, the 107th drop condensed into a form.
After consuming the last two Transcendent-level Qi-restoring pills, on the seventh day of seclusion, the 108th drop condensed into form.
At this moment, no amount of elixirs can expand the Qi Sea and Dantian even slightly.
This is the completion of the Qi cultivation.
Zhang Lin opened his eyes and looked inward at his dantian.
Within his dantian, one hundred and eight drops of liquid true qi swirled slowly like a galaxy, each drop solid and heavy, radiating a faint spiritual light.
True Qi Galaxy is a symbol of the completion of Qi cultivation in superior techniques, representing the number of 108 stars in the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends.
With a slight thought, Zhang Lin caused a pillar of true energy to rise from the center of the starry sky and begin to extend infinitely upwards.
The next step is to cross the barrier of the Qi Sea. Once this step begins, no matter whether your Dantian has reached its limit or not, you cannot expand it further.
However, Zhang Lin's dantian expansion had reached its limit, so he had no worries. Cultivation is about moving forward without retreating.
Under Zhang Lin's mental control, the torrent of true energy formed by the pillar of true energy surged from his dantian, like a dragon or a python, heading straight for the invisible barrier above.
Beyond the barrier lie the two bridges, one for heaven and one for earth.
The two bridges, one for heaven and one for earth, are respectively called the Heaven Bridge and the Earth Bridge.
The earth bridge connects downwards to the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of the feet, communicating with the earth's spiritual energy.
The sky bridge extends upwards to the Baihui point on the top of the head, drawing in the pure energy of the heavens.
When cultivators in the Qi Refining stage cultivate true Qi, it only circulates within their dantian and sea of Qi, like frogs trapped at the bottom of a well, never seeing the light of day.
Only by opening up the two bridges between heaven and earth can true energy flow freely and continuously, allowing one to connect with the pure and spiritual energy of heaven and earth and gain the qualification to step into the foundation building stage.
The next step after opening the two bridges between heaven and earth is to awaken spiritual consciousness.
Spiritual consciousness is divine thought.
Cultivators use true qi as a foundation and their mind as a guide to open up a sea of spiritual consciousness in their minds.
Once spiritual awareness is formed, one can introspect, observe the world, control flying objects, and sense danger—its uses are limitless.
Before Foundation Establishment, spiritual awareness is the dividing line between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment. Those who open their spiritual awareness are halfway to Foundation Establishment, while those who do not are ultimately just ordinary Qi Refining cultivators.
However, opening up one's spiritual consciousness is by no means an easy task.
The meridians in the human body are like river channels, and vital energy flows like water.
From the Dantian (lower abdomen) to the Baihui (crown of the head), one must pass through four acupoints: Huiyin (perineum), Mingmen (GV4), Dazhui (GV14), and Baihui, as well as the three gates: Weilu (coccyx), Jiaji (EX-B1), and Yuzhen (EX-B1).
These four acupoints and three passes are all formidable natural barriers.
Especially those three gates, the coccyx gate is at the end of the spine, where the joints are tightly closed, and true qi encounters an impenetrable wall when it reaches there.
The Jiaji point is located between the two kidneys, in a narrow space. If one is not careful, the vital energy will flow backward, leading to qi deviation and demonic possession.
The Jade Pillow Pass is located below the occipital bone at the back of the head, close to the brain marrow. It is the most dangerous pass, and countless cultivators are stuck at this pass, unable to develop their spiritual consciousness for the rest of their lives.
Gu Beichen had been stuck at the peak of Qi Refining for many years because he was blocked by the Jade Pillow Pass.
He had used Breakthrough Pills and Mind-Concentrating Pills, and even sought the help of Foundation Establishment seniors with their true essence, but he was always just one step short.
Every time the true energy rushed to the Jade Pillow Gate, it was like hitting an iron plate, and it couldn't get through no matter what.
There are quite a few disciples like him in the outer sect.
Some people are stuck at the Tail Pass, some at the Spine Pass, and many more at the Jade Pillow Pass.
One who can open up four acupoints and three gates in one step, directly reaching the Baihui point and opening spiritual consciousness, may not appear even once a year among the eighteen peaks of the outer sect.
Zhang Lin was aware of these things, but he didn't care.
The pillar of true qi in the dantian has now touched the barrier of the sea of qi.
That barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet as hard as metal and stone. It was a threshold set up by heaven and earth, separating mortals from cultivators.
Ordinary cultivators need to repeatedly flush the barrier with their true energy to break through it. If they fail once, they try twice, and if they fail twice, they try ten times, until the barrier loosens and true energy can pass through.
With the help of a Breakthrough Pill, one can increase their true energy threefold within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, forcibly breaking through the barrier.
However, the Breakthrough Pill is a potent medicine that can leave hidden injuries in the meridians, so it should not be used excessively.
Zhang Lin does not need the Breakthrough Pill.
His meridians have expanded by 30%, and his foundation is so solid that no one else in the outer sect can be found.
His true energy was thick and solid, and the 108 drops of liquid true energy were the upper limit of a superior technique. Each drop was full and perfect, and its quality far exceeded that of other techniques of the same level.
More importantly, the nine Transcendent-level Qi-restoring pills he had taken had already expanded his dantian to its limit. The barrier of his Qi Sea had been repeatedly washed away by the medicinal power, so this was just a natural outcome.
Zhang Lin took a deep breath, and a thought flashed through his mind.
The True Qi Pillar suddenly rose, like a dragon emerging from the abyss, and crashed straight into the Qi Sea barrier.
"boom--"
A silent explosion erupted inside his body.
The barrier shattered like glass, with cracks spreading from the center outwards, quickly covering the entire barrier.
The Heavenly Pillar continued its momentum, bursting through the barrier and ascending along the Governing Vessel.
We've reached the perineum.
This acupoint is located between the two yin points, at the starting point of the Du meridian, and is also where the body's yang energy converges.
True Qi surged into the perineum, and the acupoints opened suddenly, as if a long drought had been relieved by sweet rain.
A warm current rose from the acupoint and surged upwards along the Heavenly Pillar.
Zhang Lin's body trembled slightly, and a tingling sensation came from his perineum, as if something had been opened.
The True Qi Pillar continued to rise.
We've arrived at Weilu Pass.
This is the very end of the spine, where the joints are tightly locked together. When vital energy reaches this point, it is like encountering a winding corridor, and it will be obstructed if one is not careful.
Zhang Lin remained calm and unhurried, guiding the Heavenly Pillar into his coccyx with his mind.
One hundred and eight drops of liquid true energy exhaled simultaneously, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, converging into a torrent that joined the pillar of true energy, and then surged into the gaps between the bones.
"Click—"
With a soft cracking of bones, all obstacles in the winding corridor were violently swept away by the torrent of true energy, and the coccyx gate opened.
The true qi continues to rise from the Heavenly Pillar to the Mingmen acupoint.
The Mingmen acupoint is located between the two kidneys and is the root of the body's vital energy.
Once this acupoint is opened, the vital energy can nourish the kidneys, strengthening the body's foundation and cultivating vitality.
The Heavenly Pillar surges into the Gate of Life, opening the acupoints wide.
A warm current spreads from the Mingmen point to the two kidneys, like being soaked in warm water, which is extremely comfortable.
Zhang Lin's brows twitched slightly, feeling his vital energy rapidly recovering, making him more energetic than before.
The Gate of Life has been opened, and the Heavenly Pillar continues its ascent.
We've reached Jiaji Pass.
This pass is located above the Mingmen point, slightly above the middle of the two kidneys. The space between them is narrow, and it is the second pass of the Du meridian.
Countless cultivators have been blocked here, their true energy flowing backward, leading to qi deviation and demonic possession.
Zhang Lin dared not be careless at this moment. He focused his mind and guided the true qi pillar to slowly flow into the spine, and then disperse it around.
Zhang Lin focused his mind on his dantian, mobilizing all 108 drops of liquid true qi. He exhaled another breath of true qi, which condensed in his dantian into a pillar as thick as an arm.
This pillar is different from the previous ones; it does not rise straight up, but rotates like a spiral, carrying a strangling force.
He once heard an elder at the Dharma platform say, "The Jiaji Pass is like a bamboo joint, impossible to break through by force. It requires a spiraling force, like drilling wood to make fire, to penetrate it."
Zhang Lin wrote down those words.
The spiraling true qi pillar soared into the sky, passing unimpeded through the perineum, coccyx, and mingmen, and crashing straight into the jiaji gate.
(Thanks to Baozi and Yiyu for the monthly pass.)