From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 90: Ascension to the Third Stage
The princess's loyal guard Meng Yuan left Jingyuan.

As they were walking back home, Tie Niu suddenly pulled Meng Yuan's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Brother, are you missing me again?"

I swear to God, Meng Yuan was thinking about the princess.

"No." Meng Yuan felt a little helpless.

"There was something wrong with the way you smiled just now." Tie Niu was very alert. He looked at Meng Yuan's face carefully again and then asked, "Brother, did I say anything wrong just now?"

"That's right." Meng Yuan said.

"That's good." Tie Niu wiped the sweat from his forehead. "My father said that I had to kowtow to the princess when I saw her. I forgot! I didn't even dare to raise my head. Do you think the princess would think I'm timid?"

"No." Meng Yuan patted Tie Niu on the shoulder and said, "As long as you are loyal, that's enough."

Tie Niu nodded vigorously.

The two chatted and returned home.

Nie Yannian and Old Man Jiang were having a drink in the room while Jiang Tang was busy in the kitchen.

Meng Yuan pushed Tie Niu into the room and went to the small kitchen. He did not go in, but leaned against the door frame and looked inside.

In the small kitchen, the candlelight was dim. Jiang Tang was wearing an apron and a scarf on her head, looking like a housewife. If she carried a small bag, she could compete with Xiangling to see who was more fashionable.

She fanned the fire and sang a shepherd's song. Even though she was working alone, she couldn't hide her joy.

"Brother!" Jiang Tang finally found Meng Yuan. She quickly dropped her fan and walked forward happily.

Meng Yuan held her hands, stroked her face with the back of his hand, and asked, "Is there anything going on at home recently?"

"Only Sister Nie came to see me twice and brought me some food." Jiang Tang's face flushed, and she looked even more shy under the dim candlelight. She whispered, "Also, brother, Sister Qian's mother said that I can have children now."

She lowered her head and did not dare to look at Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan grabbed her hand, rolled up her sleeves, and put a jade bracelet on her. "I bought it outside."

"It looks good!" Jiang Tang looked at it happily, then tilted her head slightly to look at Meng Yuan, blinking her eyes, clearly asking Meng Yuan to continue what she had just said.

The girl is becoming more and more thoughtful as she grows older. As the saying goes, a red flower becomes redder when it is close to her. It seems that she has not learned Xunmei's good points, but she is a bit like the princess.

"You will have children in the future." Meng Yuan smiled.

Jiang Tang was overjoyed. She quickly pushed Meng Yuan out and said, "Uncle Nie is here. Go quickly. I'll cook two more dishes!"

Meng Yuan tapped her forehead and went back into the house.

Nie Yannian and Old Man Jiang sat opposite each other and had a drink, while Tie Niu didn't say a word, just ate.

"Come on, come on, Scholar Meng!" Nie Yannian waved his hand, and when Meng Yuan sat down, he put his hand on Meng Yuan's shoulder and said, "Tell me what you saw and heard outside."

Meng Yuan was prepared and started pulling immediately.

Nie Yannian didn't ask anything important, just chatted.

After the five dishes were served, Nie Yannian was ready to leave.

Meng Yuan and Tie Niu came to see him off. Nie Yannian knew that Meng Yuan had something to ask, so he turned and came to the parade ground.

It was already dark, but the young men were still training hard.

Now Meng Yuan seldom comes to the training ground, so Hu Qian has become the leader. When she saw Nie Yannian and the other two coming, she stepped forward and saluted.

"Okay, take the kids to practice! I'll ask Master Meng for some advice on poetry." Nie Yannian nodded slightly.

Hu Qiancai didn't believe it, so she didn't say much and immediately returned to the team with Tie Niu.

"The indenture has been given to you. You are a free man now. What do you think?" Nie Yannian and Meng Yuan were chatting while walking in circles in the parade ground.

"I am the Third Miss's man in life and her ghost in death." Meng Yuan said directly: "I will do whatever the Third Miss tells me to do."

"Don't say this in front of the princess. She is very smart and doesn't like to hear this." Nie Yannian smiled.

Meng Yuan smiled and nodded.

Nie Yannian also smiled. He pointed at the young men and said, "Four more children have been admitted. How are you doing?"

"I just want to discuss this with Master Nie." Meng Yuan asked, "My thirty-three heavens are now fully opened, just waiting for reflection and engraving. Master Nie, do you have any words to teach me?"

"..." Nie Yannian counted on his fingers, "It entered the market in the middle of the first month, and now it is the middle of April..."

He tapped Meng Yuan's nose and said, "You really are an old sow giving birth to piglets, one after another."

Meng Yuan smiled but said nothing.

"Your progress is very, very fast. As far as I can remember, it seems that it only took two months to fully open the Thirty-three Days." Nie Yannian touched his chin and said seriously, "But don't be proud. The eighth and ninth grades are actually just the first step in a long journey."

He pointed his chin at the group of young men who were training and said, "We warriors have a saying that there are three steps to heaven. Do you know that?"

"I was just about to ask Master Nie for advice." Meng Yuan said.

"From the eighth grade to the seventh grade is one day higher, from the sixth grade to the fifth grade is one day higher, and from the fifth grade to the fourth grade is another day higher. These are the three steps to ascend to heaven." Nie Yannian said with a smile.

"What about the rest? Are four into three, three into two, or two into one simpler?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"The steps to heaven can still be climbed, but what follows depends on luck. The difficulty is beyond human power!" Nie Yannian crossed his arms, looking unfathomable.

"Master Nie, please teach me." Meng Yuan asked hurriedly.

"We martial artists often talk about qualifications and talents, but they are just bluffing! It doesn't mean that we don't care about qualifications and talents, but most martial artists will never reach the day when they can compete with each other in qualifications and talents!" Nie Yannian laughed and said, "What kind of talents do you need to be a ninth or eighth grader? If you practice hard, practice desperately, don't be afraid of hardship or fatigue, and have perseverance, even a dog can succeed!"

He pointed at the young man in front of him and continued, "Among these kids, I bet most of them will be at the eighth rank for life! It will be difficult to move forward!"

"Master Nie is saying that the advancement from the eighth rank to the seventh rank is the first hurdle that we warriors encounter that requires talent and qualifications," Meng Yuan said.

"That's right!" Nie Yannian patted Meng Yuan's shoulder vigorously and said, "The eighth level is difficult to achieve perfection, and the difficulty lies in reflection and portrayal. Entering the seventh level is one difficulty after another. This is the first step to ascend to heaven."

He simply sat down and said, "Entering the seventh rank is to open the upper thirty-three heavens. There was a saying in the past that the upper, middle and lower three heavens are shackles and fetters that lock up the lives of the living. We have opened the lower thirty-three heavens step by step, and then the middle thirty-three heavens. The upper thirty-three heavens are the final chains."

Meng Yuan nodded, thinking that this statement made sense, and it might be derived from the theories of Buddhism and Taoism.

"The more chains are opened, the greater our abilities will be. Once they are opened for thirty-three days, we will be able to glimpse the wonders of heaven!"

Nie Yannian became more and more excited, his face flushed, "When the upper, middle and lower three days are fully opened, it will become the foundation of a warrior, and from then on the sky is high and the sea is vast!"

Meng Yuan rubbed his hands, "Master Nie, teach me!"

"No rush." ​​Nie Yannian took it easy.

"I brought a hairpin for Sister Qingqing." Meng Yuan took out a small exquisite gift box from his sleeve, "Master Nie, please pass it on to me."

"You are all young people, why don't you go and send it off yourself?" Nie Yannian didn't answer, "Where were we talking about?"

Meng Yuan put away the gift box and said, "Talk about the eighth level perfection and the opening of the thirty-three heavens."

"The eighth level of perfection is actually the same as the ninth level of perfection. It needs to be reflected and engraved in the Dantian."

Seeing that Meng Yuan had not forgotten the gift his daughter brought, Nie Yannian spoke in a much gentler voice, "The difference is that the lower thirty-three days are on the surface, while the middle thirty-three days are on the inside, so it is more difficult and slower to reflect and portray. Some people can achieve it in ten days or a month, while some people will never achieve it in their entire lives."

He tapped Meng Yuan's chest and continued, "When the reflection and engraving is completed, and it connects to the middle thirty-three days, and then the lower thirty-three days, it will be complete!"

"What about entering the seventh level?" Meng Yuan had heard Li Weizhen say before that the upper thirty-three heavens were in the dantian, but he did not elaborate.

"The difference in talent between people is now apparent." Nie Yannian became more serious. "The upper thirty-three heavens are located in the dantian. You need to connect with the reflections and depictions of the middle and lower two heavens, and then find the corresponding acupoints of the upper thirty-three heavens."

He drew a square on the ground. "Dantian is like a field. The vertical ones are ridges, the horizontal ones are ditches, and the place where the vertical and horizontal are interspersed is the upper thirty-three heavens. That's roughly what it means. The difference in talent and aptitude is that some people have clear ridges and ditches, and the horizontal and vertical are distinct, while others are like muddy fields, and you can't tell the ridges and ditches at all."

Meng Yuan understood. The positions of the acupoints for the middle and lower two days had already been determined, and then they were matched with the reflected and carved places of the dantian, and then the positions of the upper thirty-three days were determined.

"From now on, the true qi turns into jade liquid?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Yes, when you enter the seventh level, your Dantian seems to be reshaped, becoming more vast and solid. From then on, your true energy turns into jade liquid." Nie Yannian said.

"Master Nie, what about the other two Heavenly Ranks?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"You haven't even finished eating in your bowl, but you're already thinking about what's in the pot? In fact, the two heavenly stages of Eight to Seven and Six to Five are both preparations for Five to Four. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism also have similar sayings. Confucianism calls it establishing the mind, bald donkeys call it Nirvana, and we warriors are born from heaven and man."

Nie Yannian spread out his hands and said, "If I knew what it was, why the hell would I be sitting here with you!"

Meng Yuan smiled and said, "Then let me try?"

"Okay, you try it!" Nie Yannian waved his hand.

The moon was shining brightly in the sky, and Meng Yuan immediately sat down cross-legged to calm his mind.

Then, as the mind moves at will, the vast true energy in the dantian will be quickly mobilized, passing through various meridians and reaching the central thirty-three heavens.

Just like before, the true energy reached the thirty-three opened acupoints.

When the endless supply of true energy was poured into the acupoints and then slowly impacted them, Meng Yuan felt a surge of energy all over his body, as if there were ferocious beasts hiding in those acupoints, waiting for him to open the cage.

Meng Yuan has undergone three rounds of refinement with fire, and the breadth and transparency of his acupoints far surpass those of his peers, so he has consumed quite a bit of his true energy.

However, the Dantian was crushed and expanded during the third body tempering, and the true Qi became more abundant, so he could consume as much energy as possible.

I don’t know how long it took, but the true energy became less and less, but there was still no reaction in the Dantian.

Meng Yuan did not stop, but just tried his best to suppress the true energy in his dantian.

In a trance, Meng Yuan felt as if he had fallen into a state of nothingness.

When I looked up, I felt that the whole world was in my eyes and even in my hands.

After coming back to his senses, Meng Yuan felt that the acupoint of the Niwan Palace on the top of his head had a subtle connection with his own Dantian.

It is as ethereal as a silk thread, so thin that it is invisible, yet it seems to be extremely tough. Nothing can cut it and nothing can break it.

Meng Yuan opened his eyes and felt a little weak.

At that time, the lower thirty-three heavens reflected and carved it, and it was all completed in one go. But this time it was much slower and only one place was carved.

"The path of a warrior is getting harder and harder each step of the way. If you fail once, try again next time! Try more and you will succeed once you become proficient!"

Nie Yannian's voice rang out, he patted Meng Yuan on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Young people, it's also possible that they can't find the place after working hard for a long time."

"I have already carved one." Meng Yuan asked curiously, "Master Nie, can I lose my virginity now?"

"You kid are really a real character..." Nie Yannian frowned before he finished his words of praise. Seeing that Meng Yuan looked hopeful and as if he was going after his daughter, he decided not to make dirty jokes in front of this man anymore.

"What do you want to do behind my back? You..." Nie Yannian stopped praising him. He pointed at Meng Yuan and opened his mouth for a long time, but couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow!" Nie Yannian stood up, patted his butt and left.

"Then I'll go find Sister Qingqing tomorrow!" Meng Yuan shouted immediately.

(End of this chapter)