Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul.

Lu Jin gave her further instructions.

He still remembered that his former senior brother Dongshan had injured his lungs while practicing Qi cultivation in his early years, which left him with a chronic illness and interrupted his path of cultivation. He could only open a school at the foot of Sanyimen Mountain to teach.

"Grandpa, I will be careful," Li Chang'an said in a deep voice.

“Alright. Now sit down, hold your breath, and connect to the Magpie Bridge,” Lu Jin said.

Li Chang'an quickly did as instructed. He closed his lips and teeth naturally, and gently pressed the tip of his tongue against the Tianchi acupoint on his upper palate.

The Tianchi acupoint connects to the Niwan Palace. When the tongue touches this point, it's like building a magpie bridge, which can draw down the precious nectar.

Lu Jin continued, "Next, use your mind to guide the Qi, let it emerge from the Dantian, pass through the Changqiang acupoint at the coccyx, and ascend along the Du meridian to the Niwan Palace of the upper dantian. Pause briefly, then continue downwards, cross the Magpie Bridge, descend the Twelve-Story Tower, connect to the Ren meridian, and descend to the Qi Sea."

"Then proceed to the pubic bone. Here, guide the flow of energy in two directions, one around the anterior genitals and the other around the posterior genitals. After they meet at the perineum, they return to the Changqiang acupoint, and finally ascend along the Du meridian, ending at the Gen back, and then..."

Lu Jin instructed, "When you are practicing Qi circulation, remember to carefully experience the subtle sensations in every joint, muscle, and even deeper parts of your body. If you feel uncomfortable, stop immediately and never force yourself."

Li Chang'an finally understood why his grandfather had taught him to spin the river cart.

The Genbei Heart Method is actually a super complicated version of the River Chariot.

The difficulty lies in the increased length of the Qi circulation and the need to multitask, circulating Qi through two meridians simultaneously.

This is a challenge for many people, because some people need three cartloads of force to even circulate one stream of Qi, let alone two.

However, if one is not careful during this process and misdirects the flow of Qi, the consequences can be quite serious.

However, this was a trivial matter for Li Chang'an, who could see his entire body.

Li Chang'an began to circulate his Qi as Lu Jin instructed.

When circulating Qi, Lu Jin kept his hand on Li Chang'an's body, feeling the flow of Qi within him. If he did not do it correctly, he would immediately interrupt and correct him.

This is what is meant by oral transmission and personal instruction.

This is the true value of a personally taught disciple.

Li Chang'an did not disappoint Lu Jin's protection. On his first attempt at Qi circulation, he accurately located the meridians and acupoints and completed the task smoothly.

The moment it was completed, Li Chang'an felt a surge of vitality within his body, and a white light seemed to flow deep within his pupils.

This is……

Li Chang'an could sense that he had entered some kind of strange state.

The true qi within the body changed from blue to white.

This white Qi is more domineering than the normal blue Qi.

As it circulated within his body, he could even vaguely sense a whistling sound.

If the blue Qi was water, then this white Qi is like mercury, which is much more substantial.

Moreover, he discovered that this white Qi seemed to have an advantage in refining essence into Qi, and its cultivation effect was much stronger than the previous Qi circulation.

This must be the state of reversal, but why is it that only the Qi in my body has changed, while other parts of my body remain unchanged... Li Chang'an muttered to himself.

Lu Jin also noticed that Li Chang'an had entered this state, so she withdrew her hand, took a deep breath, suppressed her shock, and said:

"Chang'an, your Qi circulation... is unbelievably stable."

"If I hadn't personally passed it on to you, I would have thought you had already practiced it many times."

"What do you feel when you practice Qi circulation?" Lu Jin asked.

Li Chang'an thought for a moment and described it as follows: "This Qi is much more domineering than ordinary Qi, which made me feel a little uncomfortable when I was finishing up. I can't say it was uncomfortable, but it was a bit of a reaction, and I felt some soreness in my back."

Lu Jin smiled and said, "It's normal to feel a little uncomfortable and have a sore or swollen feeling. It's a normal phenomenon."

"The way of the weak is the opposite of what is said in the Tao Te Ching. In simple terms, it is the darkness before dawn."

"In short, feeling physical discomfort during cultivation is not necessarily a sign of going astray; it may simply be the effect of cultivation."

"When you are practicing cultivation, you may feel extremely comfortable, but that may not be true comfort. It may be an illusion caused by going astray in cultivation."

"You have to discern these things yourself. Some people encounter this situation and can't tell the difference, so they get scared and dare not continue their practice, and they start to hesitate."

"This hesitation is described in the Cantongqi as 'seeking verification and effectiveness, and verifying the divine.'"

Lu Jin reminded him, "When you cultivate against the odds on your own in the future, you must learn to discern the truth."

"Of course, if you can't figure it out, you can come and ask Grandfather for advice. Just don't rush into cultivation."

Lu Jin reminded him with a serious expression: "If you practice your Qi incorrectly and suffer a qi deviation, it could cost you your life. Remember that!"

"Grandpa, I know what I'm doing."

Li Chang'an noticed that his hair hadn't turned white: "That should have been the basic mental cultivation technique, right?"

“That’s right!” Lu Jin nodded: “This is just the most basic method of tempering life. Completing this step is only the beginning of the path of reversing life. There is still a long way to go before you can build the first level of reversing life.”

Li Chang'an thought about it and agreed. If one could enter the first level of Reverse Rebirth as soon as one started cultivating, gaining the ability to regenerate flesh and skin and the strength of a dragon and tiger, that would be too terrifying.

Chapter 26 The First Requirement of Reversing Life

"In other words, to begin the first stage of the Reverse Rebirth state, a new Qi circulation route is needed?" Li Chang'an asked.

Lu Jin nodded and said, "To temper one's life force, one only needs to circulate Qi through the Small Heavenly Circuit. However, to construct the first stage of the Reverse Life state, one needs to circulate Qi through the Great Heavenly Circuit."

"What is the circulation of Qi in the Great Circulation?" Li Chang'an asked.

Lu Jin glanced at Li Chang'an, thought for a moment, and said, "The risks of circulating Qi through the Great Heavenly Circuit are much greater than those of circulating it through the Small Heavenly Circuit. To avoid you making a mistake by trying it rashly, I won't tell you the specific Qi circulation route."

"Grandpa will only give you one hint, which is that you need to build upon the Small Heavenly Circuit, and let the Qi descend from the south of the navel and ascend from the north of the back to complete the Great Heavenly Circuit."

"In this way, the entire body can be fully constructed, and one can enter the first stage of the Reverse Rebirth state."

"After entering this state, the entire body, from skin to flesh, will be transformed into the state of primordial Qi, thereby obtaining the power of the dragon and tiger."

"And this transformation of Qi proceeds gradually according to the level of cultivation."

"At first it's the skin, then the flesh and blood. Once you've mastered all the skin and flesh, you can attempt to reach the second level of Reverse Life."

"The Qi circulation trajectory of the second level of Reverse Life is more complex than that of the first level."

"If one can complete the circulation of Qi, one can transform the muscles, bones, and internal organs with Qi."

"With the addition of the first layer of skin and flesh, one can possess an indestructible body that is impervious to water and fire, and invulnerable to swords and spears."

"The second level of Qi transformation also progresses gradually according to the level of cultivation. It starts with the meridians, then the bones, the bone marrow, then the five internal organs, and finally the most important part of the human body, the dantian."

"Once you've mastered all of these techniques and reached the pinnacle, you'll reach the second level. Then it'll be time for the third level."

"Even my grandfather didn't reach the third level, so he can't explain it clearly."

"However, your master, who is also your grandmaster, reached that level, which can only be achieved by..."

Lu Jin paused, carefully choosing his words. He had initially considered using "reaching the heavens and the earth" to describe it, but after thinking it over, he changed his wording:

"It can only be described as astonishing. His entire body can be transformed into Qi, which can be dispersed into nothingness or gathered to allow him to freely ride the wind. From the perspective of a mere mortal like myself, he is almost no different from an immortal."

"only……"

Lu Jin lowered her voice.

Speaking of this, he seemed to see his master breaking through three levels and soaring through the air again.

Those days living at Sanyi Gate are unforgettable and still vivid in my mind.

However, that was more than sixty years ago.

In the blink of an eye, the juniors of yesteryear have now become elders.

As Li Chang'an listened, he pondered what his great-grandfather had just said about the Qi circulation entering a reverse life state, comparing his intermediate state with his own.

Immediately, he discovered that in the general route that his grandfather had just mentioned—where Qi descends from the south of the navel and ascends from the north of the back—there were several meridians that were too weak.

Yes, it is vulnerability.

Humans have twelve regular meridians, eight extraordinary meridians, and six meridians of the triple burner, etc.

But why do most spiritual practices involve following the twelve regular meridians or the Ren and Du meridians?

This is because the flow of Qi through these meridians is relatively easy.

Other meridians are either narrow and winding, making it difficult to circulate Qi, or they are too delicate and fragile to withstand the passage of Qi.

And within the major route that Grandpa just mentioned, there are several sections where the pathways are delicate and fragile.

If it were just the difficulty of circulating Qi, Li Chang'an wouldn't be afraid, but those few delicate meridians, Li Chang'an only needed to glance at them to know that he couldn't get past them.

Because the white qi generated in reverse is extremely domineering, forcibly circulating it will definitely damage the meridians.

The reason for this is not that Li Chang'an's innate meridians are weak, but that his body has not yet fully developed.

This was true even when Zhang Chulan was cultivating.

In the story, when Zhang Chulan was cultivating as a child, his Qi couldn't pass through the Jiaji Pass. Keep in mind that Zhang Chulan's cultivation talent is among the top tier. If his meridians were like this, what about others?

At that time, Zhang Huaiyi's advice to him was to wait, to wait until he was older and his constitution was fully developed, then nothing could stop him.

Li Chang'an is in the same situation now. As long as his body develops for a few more years, he will be able to easily pass through these meridians.

In addition to this method, he can also refine his life force and strengthen his meridians by circulating Qi throughout the body.

"If we combine the two, how long would it take to traverse these meridians and reach the requirements for establishing the first level of the Reverse Life state..."

As Li Chang'an was deep in thought, Lu Jin's recollection ended. Seeing Li Chang'an lost in thought, Lu Jin asked him what he was thinking about.

Li Chang'an came to his senses and told Lu Jin about the potential dangers of constructing a reverse-generation state that he had just thought of.

Lu Jin looked surprised. He was about to tell Li Chang'an about constructing the first level of reverse life.

"Chang'an, you actually thought of these things?"

“After my last epiphany, I have a great deal of confidence in my own condition. I feel that this Qi circulation route is a bit risky, and I may not be able to handle it,” Li Chang’an said frankly.

Lu Jin laughed: "How old are you? You're already thinking about reversing your life? That's too early."

"Following the natural order makes one mortal; defying it makes one immortal."

“The reverse life state is to reconstruct the primordial Qi in the limbs and bones, which are the materialized form of primordial Qi, back into primordial Qi. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a defiance of the heavens.”

"Without a sufficiently strong body, it would be difficult to withstand such earth-shattering changes."

"Therefore, in order to enable our disciples to better cultivate this path, our Sanyi Sect's internal alchemy also includes the method of ingesting food, which is the way of external alchemy."

"In the early stages of cultivation, we will refine a kind of pill called the Marrow Cleansing Pill. This pill has the effects of changing tendons and marrow, strengthening the body and meridians."

"With the combination of the Marrow Cleansing Pill and the Genbei Heart Method of the Reverse Life Triple, it usually takes three to five years to achieve the requirements for building the Reverse Life state."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an realized that this seemed to be the case.

In the story, after Li Muxuan and Wugensheng secretly joined the Sanyi Sect, their first lesson was not to learn the Genbei Heart Method or to construct the Reverse Life Technique, but to be taught to gather and refine herbs.

Speaking of which, it was Lu Jin who personally taught them how to collect and identify medicinal herbs.

Lu Jin continued, "In the past, the materials needed for these pills were all grown by ourselves."

"Now that Sanyi has declined, the sect's medicinal fields are neglected and have long been empty. It's really not easy for ordinary people to gather these medicinal herbs."

"Once you arrive at the Lu family, your grandfather will teach you the art of alchemy and prepare the medicinal herbs for you. However, you will have to do the alchemy yourself. After all, cultivation is your own business, and the pills needed for cultivation are also part of cultivation."

Lu Jin looked at Li Chang'an: "Little Chang'an, you are still young, like the rising sun, while Grandfather is already like the setting sun, and will leave one day. So you can't rely too much on Grandfather, do you understand?"

Chapter 27 Arrival at the Lu Family Residence

“Grandpa, how can we cultivators be so pessimistic, always saying that we are on our last legs? Maybe one day you will succeed?” Li Chang’an said.

"It's done?" Lu Jin was taken aback. "Done what?"

“Reverse three and return one,” Li Chang’an said.

Lu Jin was stunned, opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't say anything.

How could he bear to dampen the enthusiasm of a child who had just begun their spiritual practice?!

"I'm very pleased that you have this idea."

Lu Jin smiled and said, "The sect will have successors. Don't cultivate today. Go and say goodbye to your family. Go to the Lu family with your grandfather tomorrow."

As the head of the Lu family, it was somewhat inappropriate for Lu Jin to be gone for several months. Moreover, the Li family did not have many of the resources for reverse cultivation.

He couldn't wait to bring Li Chang'an back for systematic training.