After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

The next morning, Lin Ze was practicing standing meditation in the backyard when his phone suddenly rang.

When I picked it up, I saw it was a call from Zhang Lei.

As soon as the call connected, a loud, boisterous voice came through the other end:

"Holy crap, Lin Ze! You're famous! Did you know that?!"

Lin Ze suppressed his fighting spirit and wiped his sweat: "What's going on?"

"That video of you saving someone last time! It's all over the internet now! It's even trending number one on the local hot search!"

Zhang Lei was incredibly excited, "The entire comment section is looking for you, saying you're a martial arts master from the common people, and some people are even starting threads to dig up your identity!"

"I was stunned when I saw it just now. If I didn't know you, I wouldn't have believed it was you!"

"You've been hiding your skills for ages! How come I didn't know you knew kung fu during all three years of high school?"

Lin Ze remained calm, leaning against the courtyard wall: "It's no big deal."

"It was just a few farming skills taught to me by relatives back home when I was a kid, just for health and fitness. I'm not some kind of martial arts master."

"Can a farmer run that fast? Can he carry a truck's rearview mirror?" Zhang Lei clearly didn't believe it.

"No, no, I have to come see you this weekend. You have to teach me a couple of moves, at least so I can fight or something."

"We'll see," Lin Ze chuckled, trying to brush it off. "By the way, how's the house transfer going?"

When it came to business, Zhang Lei indeed stopped worrying about time: "It'll be done soon. President Su is pressing us hard, and it should be done next week."

"Let me tell you, President Su really gave you face. She doesn't usually get things done this quickly."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

"Don't mention it!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Ze put his phone back in his pocket.

He didn't take the video going viral to heart.

The photo was blurry; you could only see a shadow. No one could see him.

Once something new happens in a couple of days, the hype will naturally die down.

He went back to his room, took a shower, changed his clothes, and sat down at the computer.

Having reached the Acquired Realm, the next step is to break through to the Innate Realm, which involves opening up the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

He found the twelve proper routes online, and although they were correct, they were all basic models.

The eight extraordinary meridians are even more complex, involving more things. If one takes the wrong step, one may be injured at best, or even suffer a qi deviation at worst. One cannot be careless.

He opened his browser and searched for "complete route of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians".

The pop-up page was a mess, containing all sorts of things.

Some of these are made up in martial arts novels, claiming that opening up the Ren and Du meridians makes one invincible.

Some of these health and wellness accounts are just spouting nonsense, saying things that are only partially true and partially false, and even labeling acupoints incorrectly.

Some even sell courses directly, claiming that 99 yuan will guarantee you will master the Small Heavenly Circuit.

I flipped through a dozen pages, and all I found were fragmented pieces of information. One minute it said the Ren meridian runs in front, the next it said the Du meridian connects to the top of the head, and so on. None of them seemed reliable.

Lin Ze frowned.

There's too much stuff online, and it's hard to tell what's true and what's false. If you actually practice according to this, you're bound to run into problems.

We need to find proper classical texts.

He recalled that he had learned about meridians in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic when he was in school, and that Li Shizhen had written "A Study of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians".

However, the original versions of these books are all in classical Chinese, which is obscure and difficult to understand. Without explanation, it is easy to misunderstand them.

It would be best to ask someone knowledgeable.

Taoist temple.

Two words popped into Lin Ze's mind.

Taoism has been passed down for thousands of years; internal alchemy and meridians are their original practices.

Taoist priests in proper Taoist temples would definitely know these things.

He searched for famous Taoist mountains in the area, and Qiyun Mountain popped up.

Qiyun Mountain is one of the four famous Taoist mountains. It takes just over two hours to drive there. There is a Taisu Palace on the mountain, which is a legitimate Zhengyi Taoist temple with a lineage.

Going there would allow you to find some authentic classic texts and perhaps even get some advice from a Taoist priest, which is much better than figuring things out on your own.

They could just pack up and go.

Lin Ze first took out two small gold ornaments from the drawer, wrapped them in cloth, and put them in his bag.

I sold three before, and I have two left. Each weighs about 200 grams. I'll sell them separately, one at a time, to get some cash for travel.

He didn't dare sell too much at once, it would be too conspicuous. By selling in batches at different jewelry stores, no one would notice.

I drove out and first went to another gold shop in the city, where I sold one of the gold ornaments for over 90,000 yuan.

The money was transferred to the bank card without leaving a trace.

After finishing these tasks, he drove directly onto the highway and headed towards Qiyun Mountain.

There weren't many cars on the road, so he drove steadily.

Watching the shadows of the trees flash by outside the window, Lin Ze pondered in his mind.

The main purpose of this trip was to clarify the exact routes and acupoints of the eight extraordinary meridians, as well as the order of the Chong meridian, which meridian to open first and which to open later, and what taboos there are.

If you can meet a truly knowledgeable Taoist master who can give you some pointers, you can avoid taking many detours.

As for whether the Taoist priest would believe him, he had already come up with an excuse.

He said he was a writer of online novels, and that he wanted to write a martial arts cultivation story. He was there to gather information and also to ask about meridians.

It's reasonable and inconspicuous.

More than two hours later, the car arrived at the foot of Qiyun Mountain.

After parking the car and buying tickets, he carried his bag and walked up the mountain.

The mountain path is made of stone steps, not very steep. On both sides are red rocks of Danxia landform, and the trees grow very densely, with the air filled with the scent of grass and trees.

In the past, climbing this height would have left him breathless. Now, he walks with ease, as if on flat ground, without even breaking a sweat.

After walking slowly for about thirty minutes, I saw the red walls of Taisu Palace.

With its upturned eaves and corners, nestled among the green trees, it looks quite peaceful.

Lin Ze straightened his clothes and stepped inside.