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Li Guanqi returned to his courtyard to find his master waiting at the entrance.
He hurried over to the old man with a smile, "Master, what brings you here?"
The old man chuckled softly, "I was curious about what techniques you managed to acquire."
Li Guanqi opened the door and ushered the old man into the hall.
The young man said somewhat sheepishly, "I only got a fragmentary manual…"
Upon hearing this, Li Nanting's brow furrowed, and he asked in a deep voice, "You didn't get the Mixed Yuan Heavenly Thunder Technique?"
However, the old man didn't dwell on it and comforted him with a smile, "No matter, once you reach the Golden Elixir stage, I'll take you to some auctions to try our luck for a better technique."
The old man's reassuring words warmed the young man's heart.
As for why he chose this particular technique, he wasn't ready to share that with the old man.
The old man didn't leave but instead accompanied him to the meditation room.
Li Guanqi's courtyard had a sizeable meditation room for cultivation.
Once inside, the old man waved his hand, embedding ten low-grade Spirit Stones into the Gathering Spirit Array.
The spiritual energy in the room immediately became denser.
The old man smiled, "I'll help you sort out the intricacies of the technique. It's your first time cultivating, so let's avoid any mishaps."
The young man nodded, then, without any reservation in front of the old man, spread out the Nine Turns Thunder Scripture and began to read.
The technique was admittedly abstruse and difficult to comprehend.
Fortunately, Li Nanting patiently explained it to him, pointing out the key points within the body's meridians.
But at this time, Li Nanting didn't dare to reveal too much.
Too much knowledge might backfire; it was enough to tell him the method of circulating spiritual energy and the meridians it should pass through as described in the technique.
After a good half-hour, Li Nanting repeatedly confirmed that Li Guanqi had memorized the technique's circulation route within his body.
Then Li Nanting reiterated the technique's mantra and key points several times.
He lit a calming incense in front of Li Guanqi, and amidst the curling smoke, the young man felt his mind become clear and free of distractions.
Then the old man fell silent, sitting quietly to the side, watching Li Guanqi, ready to intervene at any moment.
By now, the spiritual energy in the room had become so dense that Li Guanqi sat cross-legged, assuming the correct posture, but he didn't rush to start cultivating.
He remembered the old man's recent advice: the most crucial part of the first cultivation session was to guide the spiritual energy within the body along the route recorded in the technique, completing a full cycle.
During this process, it was vital to avoid a scattered mind and intrusive thoughts.
Otherwise, it was easy to deviate and damage the meridians.
In just a few breaths, the young man's breathing became even.
The old man, watching the focused youth, revealed a smile of satisfaction.
He hadn't expected the young man's concentration to be so strong; ordinary disciples often couldn't achieve such calm even after a long time in meditation.
Li Guanqi's ability to focus so quickly was largely due to his childhood experiences.
Back then, he would often daydream, as there was little else to entertain him.
His mind would wander, but he could also concentrate on one thing for a long time.
Like an ordinary stone, he could squat and watch it for an entire day.
Hum!
A faint vibration slowly spread, and the old man unconsciously straightened up, gripping the hem of his robe, ready to act at any moment.
Li Guanqi was already drawing the rich spiritual energy into his body.
Now, the most crucial part was to guide this energy to clear any blockages within!
Gradually, Li Guanqi felt the mist in his pubic region growing denser.
He tried to mobilize this mist, which had not yet transformed into primordial energy, and began to push it through the starting meridians of the technique!
Bang!
A silent explosion echoed in his mind.
Li Guanqi's complexion suddenly became flushed, his brow furrowed as if he was enduring some pain.
The old man's eyes were fixed on the young man's changes but did not intervene at this moment.
He clenched his fists and murmured with a hint of anxiety, "Hang in there!!"
Boom!
The young man's meridians were forcibly cleared by the dense spiritual energy, a pain indescribable in words.
It was as if his insides were being twisted together.
However, this level of pain was bearable for the young man who had endured much.
Compared to the agony of medicinal baths he had taken before, this was nothing.
Suddenly, the old man's expression changed drastically as if he had remembered something important.
"Damn! I forgot to tell him not to rush breaking through the meridians; it's better to progress a little each day!"
But it was too late to intervene now; interrupting Li Guanqi's process could potentially damage his meridians.
Even the newly stabilized pubic region could be severely impacted!
Regret filled the old man's eyes.
If Li Guanqi were to be injured because of this, he would feel immense guilt.
At this moment, Li Guanqi was completely immersed in breaking through his meridians.
With each meridian he cleared, he could feel subtle changes within himself.
Thus, Li Nanting watched with bated breath for a full hour.
Then, the spiritual energy in the room began to flow into the young man's nostrils like a stream.
The old man's eyes widened in disbelief!
Originally, Li Nanting thought the young man would break through part of his meridians and then naturally exit the cultivation state.
But now, it was clear that he had opened all his meridians and had begun the first complete cycle!
Just then, Li Guanqi's face paled, his body slightly swayed, and a violent surge of spiritual power emanated from within him!
Almost the instant the young man's complexion turned pale, the old man appeared behind him.
With a gentle pat on Li Guanqi's back, a surge of extremely pure and massive primordial energy flowed into his body.
Then a voice like a tolling bell resounded in Li Guanqi's mind.
"Anchor your spirit, focus your mind!"
Feeling the pure primordial energy within, all fatigue vanished from Li Guanqi's body.
With this power, he completed a full cycle of the Nine Turns Thunder Scripture.
After Li Guanqi completed the cycle, a faint sound emanated from the pubic region within his body.
It was barely audible, like the pop of a bubble.
Suddenly, his pubic region expanded several times over, and the speed of the technique's circulation within his body increased, becoming almost instinctual.
All the remaining spiritual energy in the room was absorbed by him.
Through the refinement of the technique, it transformed into a milky mist that flowed into his pubic region.
Unnoticed by anyone, a crimson hue flashed across the stone carvings on the sword box at his feet.