49: Chapter 48 Accumulating Essence and Building Spirit

Early the next morning, Li Changsheng arrived at the park as usual.

Upon seeing Elder Zhang, he trotted over quickly. Recently, the two of them had stopped standing on ceremony; as soon as their eyes met, they would gather together to chat about health preservation and Internal Martial Arts.

These two were considered anomalies in the park.

The old men and women in the park were either doing square dancing, various forms of Tai Chi, or just taking walks. Once these two arrived, the conversation topics instantly became hardcore.

Every time they chatted, some old men would come over to listen to the excitement, but they ended up listening for a long time only to be left confused. It was either about some fist style, force generation, or meridians and breathing—it made the other old men's heads spin.

"You brat, you weren't actually practicing some kind of Qi yesterday, were you?" Upon meeting, Zhang Youdao's expression instantly turned serious.

He had some personal matters yesterday, so he had responded perfunctorily, but upon realizing it this morning, he began to feel anxious.

"You kid, you need to be more careful. I've already told you about the importance of practicing Qi. If you practice without guidance and suffer from Qi deviation, it's no small matter."

"Elder Zhang, I was indeed practicing Qi yesterday. I was looking at the Internal Alchemy Meditation and Longevity Qigong from Daoist Master Zhang Zhishun's Source of Qi."

Facing Elder Zhang, Li Changsheng naturally couldn't hide anything.

"Hmm? I mentioned the Source of Qi book to you before, right? It seems you listened. However, don't be in a rush. Although Daoist Master Zhang Zhishun explained the Source of Qi very clearly and even released many cultivation videos, it will still take time to truly comprehend it."

Elder Zhang Youdao was being quite subtle; he might as well have said that if the kid wanted to achieve success, it would take at least a few years of effort, and wanting to reach the level of Daoist Master Zhang Zhishun was... perhaps... unlikely...

Facing Elder Zhang, Li Changsheng was always quite honest, so he nodded.

"Yes, it is quite difficult. I watched the videos several times and performed the circulation of the heavenly circuit many times before I felt that my Qi circulation sped up quite a bit. If I can persist for a week, setting aside a few hours each day to circulate Qi through the heavenly circuit, I should be able to reach the level of Accumulating Essence and Establishing Qi."

"Hmm, not bad. Yes, take it one step at a time. Remember, in the path of practicing Qi, one must not..."

As he spoke, Elder Zhang Youdao seemed to realize something and couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment, "Accumulating Essence and Establishing Qi? Are you talking about Accumulating Essence and Establishing Qi?"

"That's right, Elder. I feel like it's about there. If one week isn't enough, two weeks will definitely be enough to achieve it."

Li Changsheng nodded firmly again. Yesterday, he had performed the circulation of the heavenly circuit four times, and once more after waking up this morning. Each time was shorter than the last; it initially took two hours, but now it only took one hour and twenty minutes.

This also meant that his meridians had become smoother and tougher, making them more suitable for the movement and regulation of his breath.

"Practice it for me right now!"

Elder Zhang frowned, his mind in a muddle.

Accumulating Essence and Establishing Qi is what Daoists call the Hundred Days of Foundation Establishment.

Of course, this is not the Foundation Establishment Realm for a Cultivator in immortal cultivation, but rather an effect similar to the Foundation-laying of Internal Martial Arts Stance Training.

By circulating Qi through the heavenly circuit, one can clear away all the minor lesions (stagnation points of Qi) in the body that are capable of being opened. On the other hand, it also exposes the lesions that cannot be opened yet due to insufficient energy, one by one. This process is actually a process of finding and eliminating illness.

There is a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine: 'Pain means blockage; if there is no blockage, there is no pain.' If the human body's Qi meridians are unobstructed, the whole body will be free of illness, and both body and mind will be happy.

When Essence, Qi, and Spirit fill the meridians and acupoints, minor illnesses and hidden ailments will at least gradually improve, if not be completely cured.

And the Foundation for opening the Ren and Du Meridians also lies in having Essence, Qi, and Spirit fill the acupoints.

After Accumulating Essence and Establishing Qi, the next steps are opening the gates and expanding the apertures, followed by Foundation Establishment and Refining the Self.

These three levels are also known as the Three Small Stages of Internal Alchemy, representing three Realms of successful cultivation, recorded in the book "Simple Words on the Dao."

Compared to Internal Martial Arts, Internal Alchemy is more like a technique for developing the human body's Treasure Trove at a more detailed level.

If one were to make a simple comparison, Internal Martial Arts is about strengthening the body on the basis of health preservation, belonging to the prerequisite basic skills of Internal Martial Arts, equivalent to its engine.

Internal Alchemy is applied more to health preservation and nourishing the spirit, and also has miraculous effects on strengthening the body. However, it does not belong to the prerequisite basic skills of any fist style, but if one Cultivates it successfully, it can be perfectly combined with Internal Martial Arts.

It seems as if one is about martial arts and the other is about health preservation, completely unrelated, but in reality, there is no difference at all.

Following Elder Zhang's request, Li Changsheng stood firmly on the park lawn and began to guide and push the Qi within his body to complete the circulation of the heavenly circuit, following the route of the Internal Alchemy Meditation in his mind.

On the surface, it seemed that there was only the sound of Li Changsheng's melodious and powerful breathing, but Zhang Youdao's eyes were narrowed slightly.

It was summer, so it wasn't very clear, but when Zhang Youdao held his finger vertically at a distance of one meter from Li Changsheng's nose and mouth, he could clearly feel wisps of hot wind blowing against it.

"Exhaling is fine, inhaling is continuous; it is indeed Accumulating Essence and Establishing Qi without a doubt!"

Zhang Youdao couldn't help but sigh with emotion. However, he did not disturb Li Changsheng, but continued to wait, as the Qi circulation must not be interrupted halfway; otherwise, since Li Changsheng had just mastered it, it would be very easy to suffer from Qi deviation.

About one hour and seventeen minutes later, Li Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, and a long, continuous breath was slowly exhaled from his mouth.

"Not bad, you have indeed mastered the basic skills of Internal Alchemy Meditation. I believe that if you continue to practice with perseverance, you will certainly achieve something in Internal Alchemy."

When saying this, Elder Zhang's expression was quite complex; to be honest, he was a little jealous.

Why was he unable to practice this Internal Alchemy when he was young?

He started out with Internal Martial Arts. Perhaps because he had been practicing martial arts since he was a child, he wasn't very keen on the cultivation methods of Internal Alchemy, which required maintaining a calm mind from the very beginning. This caused him to miss the opportunity to Cultivate Internal Alchemy.

Later, when he was older, he wanted to learn, but his Qi had weakened. If he had practiced when he was young, it would have been fine.

As he got older, that breath weakened quite a bit, so he could only practice the internal and external formulas; when it came to Qi Circulation and moving Qi, it was inevitably beyond his ability.

"By the way, I heard Manager Nie mention that your progress in actual combat at the Hongyi Martial Arts Hall seems quite good?" The old man didn't continue the Internal Alchemy topic, but instead asked about Li Changsheng's recent situation.

"Yes, I have some insights, thanks to the guidance of Manager Nie, Master Luo, and the Senior Brothers at the martial arts hall."

Li Changsheng nodded.

"Well, since you have this talent, I think you should try the martial arts exchange in Guangdong Province next month."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng was already somewhat interested, and at this moment, he couldn't help but say, "I do have that idea, but I don't have much actual combat experience with other Traditional Martial Arts practitioners, so..."

This was actually the reason why he didn't agree to Manager Nie immediately. After all, the martial arts hall gave him the spot, and if he ended up getting shut out, that would be somewhat unjustifiable.

"Heh, I thought you were afraid. Since that's the case, let's go. You go home and pack up first; we leave in two hours."

Zhang Youdao said, waving his hand as he walked away first.

"Elder, I don't quite understand?" Li Changsheng asked quickly.

What does it mean to pack up? Where are we going?

"I'm taking you to a good place, a good place to understand the Traditional Martial Arts of Guangdong Province. But bring your toiletries and a change of clothes; I'm taking you to see the world, and it might take a few days."