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

He went to ask his master, who told him not to rush. The microcosmic orbit of Qi is about the fullness of the innate essence and the firmness of the mind, but the mind is not firm enough and needs further training.

The term "innate" here refers to the primordial Qi.

When a person is born, the primordial energy manifests in the limbs and bones. Over the next ten years or so, the primordial energy continuously nourishes the body, and thus the person begins to grow slowly.

During this process, the innate Qi in the body will be released more and more until it reaches a peak and then begins to decline. This is the process of human growth and aging.

Cultivation requires finding a suitable time. Too early, and the innate Qi is not sufficient to drive the River Chariot, just as a small flow of water cannot drive a waterwheel.

It's too late; the primordial Qi begins to decline, and the same applies.

Generally speaking, this appropriate point is after the age of six, when the baby teeth begin to be replaced, the body's development will reach a small peak, and the body's constitution will begin to become more robust.

If it's not possible at age six, it can be delayed until age twenty-four, at which point the innate Qi in the body will reach its peak.

After that, things start to decline, so if you can't cultivate yourself by the age of 24, you probably won't have another chance.

In Lu Jin's understanding, the vast majority of geniuses among those who have acquired extraordinary abilities begin their cultivation journey around the age of six.

As for the restless mind, it is a manifestation of one's nature.

Even if one's innate constitution is abundant, if one's temperament is not good, and one encounters a small setback during the flow of Qi, one's mind will wander, one's consciousness will be scattered, and one will be unable to concentrate on the Qi, then it will all be in vain.

Lu Jin wasn't worried about whether Li Chang'an's innate constitution was sufficient; those who could quickly obtain Qi were all born with sufficient innate constitution. What he was worried about was whether Li Chang'an's mind was firm.

"If Xiao Chang'an fails to circulate his Qi this time, then we need to add some mental and emotional training to him."

"The best way to temper one's character is to travel and experience things. The more you experience, the stronger your mind becomes."

"As for traveling, he's still young, and seeing too many things might not be a good thing."

“At his age, he is someone who has been pampered and spoiled since childhood, so it would be best for him to experience hardship.”

"Suffering ranges from low to high, with the lowest being physical."

Lu Jin looked at Li Chang'an, already planning in his mind to give him a beating with an iron ruler, an oil hammer, and a chest-breaking exercise. He was determined to make good people out of poverty.

While Lu Jin was weaving a tale of suffering, Li Chang'an's attention was entirely focused on his lower dantian.

In his consciousness, the lower dantian was a void of darkness, but as his thoughts attached themselves to the qi in the dantian, the darkness seemed to be lit by a lamp, and his consciousness shone into it.

Li Chang'an began to guide the Qi within, sending it out from the lower dantian and along the meridians into the coccyx.

Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his tailbone, as if it were being roasted by fire, accompanied by a sore and swollen feeling.

He wasn't in a hurry. Before practicing Qi circulation, he had already learned about the sensations that would occur during Qi circulation. These sensations of heat and soreness were normal.

Li Chang'an controlled the Qi to pass through the coccyx and travel upwards along the spine. As the Qi moved, he could also feel a warm sensation moving upwards along the spine.

Because it was his first time circulating Qi, Li Chang'an moved his Qi very slowly. After getting used to the rhythm, he began to increase his speed slightly.

But as he tried to speed up, he discovered that the faster he sped up, the slower he became, as if there was an invisible resistance.

However, this resistance was not significant. Li Chang'an even had a feeling that he could break through it with a strong push.

But he didn't do that. It's like learning to drive. When you're learning to drive for the first time, you should focus on understanding the car and road conditions, not accelerate recklessly.

Li Chang'an recalled his feelings when he was circulating his Qi. When he was slow, he could move at a steady speed, but when he wanted to speed up, he felt some resistance.

With this in mind, he began to slow down his mental manipulation of Qi.

He then discovered that when he didn't try to control it, the Qi moved forward as quickly as a fast horse.

"It turns out that the flow of Qi must be slow on this stretch of road."

"No, it's not slow, it's relaxed."

"Whether you deliberately control the speed or the slowness, there will always be a layer of resistance. The resistance is minimal only when you are relaxed."

"This section of the road is somewhat like driving downhill."

Li Chang'an noted down this pattern, and then slowly guided his Qi to the Jiaji Pass.

Upon reaching this point, Li Chang'an felt an invisible stagnation, as if he were passing through a thick fog.

Chapter 7 Three Chariots

Li Chang'an steadied his mind, controlled his Qi, and steadily entered the Jiaji Pass.

When the Qi flows through the Jiaji point, that place also begins to heat up, as if a new point of light has been lit on a dark map.

Immediately afterwards, Li Chang'an controlled his Qi to head towards Yuzhen Pass. Then he discovered that the technique of "relaxation" was starting to fail, and his Qi seemed to be stuck in a quagmire, making progress very difficult.

He calmed his mind and quickly stabilized his Qi, controlling it to move slowly and steadily as before, but it still didn't work.

Relaxing didn't work, and going slow didn't work either, so he started trying to speed up.

Then, he discovered that the Qi, which had been stagnant, suddenly began to move, and very quickly.

"It turns out that this section of the road requires rapid Qi circulation, like driving on a highway."

Li Chang'an maintained this momentum and rushed into Yuzhen Pass. The warmth reached his head, and then his Qi stopped moving.

Having learned from his previous two experiences, Li Chang'an slowed down and tried again, but still found it difficult. He then sped up, but it remained difficult.

After several attempts, Li Chang'an felt a sense of obscurity. He thought of a possibility, and with a sudden impulse, he rushed forward, and the stagnant Qi was instantly released.

Li Chang'an immediately understood: "This hurdle is like climbing a hill; you have to use all your strength."

He maintained this momentum and began to exert force, and his Qi surged forward, heading straight into the Niwan Palace.

In an instant, it was as if some barrier had been smashed open, and a warm feeling rushed straight to the top of his head. Li Chang'an felt his mind clear up, as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining.

Immediately afterwards, he guided the Qi downwards, while simultaneously curling the tip of his tongue back, using the underside of the tongue to anchor it to the upper palate.

The reason for doing this is that there is an acupoint on the upper palate called Tianchi.

This acupoint connects to the Niwan Palace, where the primordial energy descending from the Niwan Palace needs to be transformed into nectar and ambrosia.

The downward flow of Qi was countless times simpler than the upward flow of Qi. Without Li Chang'an's much guidance, the Qi immediately merged into his saliva, and instantly, the originally ordinary saliva became incredibly sweet.

Is this the nectar of the gods?

Li Chang'an only savored the taste for a moment, but the sweet saliva kept increasing. After reaching a certain point, he didn't even need to swallow it; it just flowed down his throat, through the twelve-story tower, into the Crimson Palace, and then smoothly into his lower dantian.

After completing this cycle, Li Chang'an felt warm and comfortable all over, and his spirits were more vibrant than ever before.

He opened his eyes and looked at Lu Jin: "Grandpa, I've done it, I've completed a small circulation... I've done it!"

"It's done?!"

Lu Jin looked at Li Chang'an with surprise. He knew that Li Chang'an would not be stumped by this challenge, but he did not expect that he would succeed on the first try.

The only person he knew who succeeded in moving the Zhou Tian vessel on his first attempt was that old scoundrel Zhang Zhiwei.

Of course, this kind of thing is quite private, and most people wouldn't talk about it everywhere.

It's just that Zhang Zhiwei is a big mouth; once he starts talking about cultivation, he starts rambling on and on about all his messy affairs.

Although it was an unlucky event like Zhang Zhiwei's, Lu Jin was still very happy that Li Chang'an succeeded in moving the Zhou Tian on his first attempt.

He glanced at his watch and, realizing only a little over fifteen minutes had passed, exclaimed in surprise again:

“A person who is skilled in the rotation of the River Chariot needs about fifteen minutes to circulate Qi through one small cycle. You are already very close to them on your first attempt at circulating Qi. Chang’an, you have great talent. Cultivate well and don’t waste this innate foundation.”

Li Chang'an was now refreshed and in better condition than ever before, a time when he was making great strides, and immediately assured him:

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely cultivate more diligently in the future."

“If you can maintain your current mindset, you will surely achieve great things in the future!” Lu Jin said with a smile. “Come, tell your grandfather about your feelings during this Qi circulation.”

"As for my feelings, I do have some."

Li Chang'an then shared his experience in circulating qi.

"I've tried it many times and summarized some patterns. When you're going from the coccyx to the spine, you need to relax and go slowly. That's how you make the Qi flow more smoothly!"

"When you reach the Jade Pillow Gate from the Jiaji Gate, you need to be quick; the faster and smoother the Qi flows, the better!"

"When you reach the Niwan Palace from the Jade Pillow Gate, you need to exert force. The more force you exert, the smoother it will be!"

"Once you get past these three hurdles, the road ahead will be much easier. The secret is not to try to control it. Just watch quietly and let the Qi flow down like water. It will easily return to your dantian..."

Lu Jin listened quietly, seemingly calm, but her eyes widened as she stared at Li Chang'an, remaining silent for a long time.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

After Li Chang'an finished speaking, he saw Lu Jin staring at him blankly with wide eyes. He waved his hand in front of Lu Jin and asked cautiously.

Lu Jin snapped out of her daze, slapped Li Chang'an's hand away, and asked in a dry voice:

"Chang'an, what you're saying... are all patterns you discovered when you were circulating your Qi just now?"

“Yes!” Li Chang’an nodded: “I feel that circulating Qi is like driving a car. This difference should be the difference in road conditions, right? When circulating Qi, it is easy to find out the difference based on the bumpiness of the road conditions.”

It's easy to see... how could this kid talk about a method of circulating qi as if it were as simple as eating and drinking... Lu Jin looked at Li Chang'an as if he were a monster, and said softly:

"Your summary is spot on; this is indeed a technique for circulating Qi."

"From the coccyx acupoint to the Jiaji acupoint, one must walk slowly and carefully, as gently as a sheep pulling a cart."

"From the Jiaji acupoint to the Yuzhen acupoint, one must run with great strides, as swiftly as a deer pulling a chariot."

"From the Yuzhen acupoint to the Niwan Palace, one must rush with great force, as fiercely as a tiger pulling a chariot."

"Sheep cart, deer cart, tiger cart, so this technique of circulating qi is called the Three Carts Force."

When Lu Jin explained to Li Chang'an, he still felt a sense of unreality; his junior brother's great-grandson's talent was a bit too strong.

At this moment, Li Chang'an also had some doubts. So this is what the Three Chariots Force is.

He knew some of the plot, in which the three strategists from Chechi Kingdom in Journey to the West—the Sheep Power Immortal, the Deer Power Immortal, and the Tiger Power Immortal—were used to describe the three Chechi powers. However, he hadn't paid close attention to these small details when reading the plot, so his impression of them wasn't deep.

Most importantly, he had never ridden in a tiger-drawn carriage or a deer-drawn carriage, so he didn't think about these things at all when he was practicing Qi circulation.

He was simply concentrating on circulating his Qi and summarizing the patterns within it, but unexpectedly, he stumbled upon the conclusion of the Three Chariots of Power.

This so-called method of spiritual practice, when put into practice, is actually so simple and unadorned.

For the first time, Li Chang'an experienced what it meant to find the greatest truths in the simplest things.

Chapter 8 The Unwavering Mind

Lu Jin calmed himself down and exclaimed, "These are all rules that predecessors summarized through countless practices. You were able to figure them out on your first time practicing Qi... Your observation skills are truly extraordinary."

"It's mainly because my great-grandfather taught me so well!" Li Chang'an said with a smile.

“I know in my heart how well I’ve taught you, so you don’t need to be modest. This is your innate talent in ‘observation’!” Lu Jin said.

"Observe?" Li Chang'an asked, somewhat puzzled.

He knew that one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills was the Great Luo Cave Observation, but he was somewhat mysterious about the specific effects of this ability, and he even only had a vague understanding of the concept of observation.

Lu Jin explained, "The methods of internal cultivation in this world can be summarized in one word: 'observation,' which is 'seeing.'"

"Different viewpoints can lead to fundamentally different results, which is the origin of many schools of thought."

Some people look inward and focus on themselves, while others look outward and try to see the changes contained in everything around them.

"Although both are 'seeing,' they should not be confused, and one should never easily judge the superiority or inferiority of different methods, because each has a different perspective."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an asked in confusion, "Is turning the river cart also a kind of 'viewing'?"

"Yes!"

Lu Jin said, "When you are cultivating, you see Qi, meridians, acupoints, dantian, and the laws of Qi circulation. Isn't that a kind of 'contemplation'?"

“I see,” Li Chang’an thought for a moment and then said, “Grandpa, since the essence of the internal cultivation method is ‘contemplation,’ doesn’t ‘contemplation’ mean doing nothing at all?”

“It’s not about doing nothing,” Lu Jin corrected. “It’s about watching, watching quietly!”

"Is observing quietly also a form of spiritual practice?" Li Chang'an asked.

"Yes, but this is a theoretical state. Theoretically, as long as you are still enough, to the point of being detached from the outside world, even without effort, just by quietly observing, the Qi in your body will automatically circulate, and you will become stronger."

Upon hearing Lu Jin's words, a somewhat adorable figure flashed through Li Chang'an's mind.

Without cultivation or techniques, the Qi within the body can circulate automatically. Isn't that just like Feng Baobao?

Seeing that Li Chang'an looked like he was thinking seriously, Lu Jin reminded him:

"What I just said is just a theory; there is no such person in the world. What you need to do now is to work hard and cultivate yourself properly."

"Grandpa, I know." Li Chang'an didn't mention Feng Baobao.