3: Chapter 3 The First Breath

There were no lamps in the Ruined Temple. Moonlight leaked in through a hole in the roof, painting a pale, bright patch on the ground.

Lu Chen sat on a pile of hay, unfolded the bamboo scroll, and read it from beginning to end.

The bamboo scroll was not long, consisting of over thirty slats, each filled with writing. Wang Qishan's handwriting was very neat; every stroke was meticulous, as if an accountant were keeping ledgers.

"Level 1 Qi Refining: Guiding Qi into the Body."

"Step one: Perceive Spiritual Qi. Spiritual Qi exists between heaven and earth; it cannot be seen or touched, but it can be perceived with the body. Method: Sit quietly, regulate your breathing, and empty your mind."

Lu Chen followed the instructions.

He sat cross-legged on the hay, closed his eyes, and began to breathe.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

At first, his mind was filled with distracting thoughts—the words on the bamboo scroll, the four characters in The Cave, Mo Wen's eyes, and the image of the Gray-robed Man flying past.

He remembered the seventh rule Wang Qishan had written: "The more distracting thoughts you have, the more it shows you care. Caring is not a bad thing; what is bad is caring but failing to resolve it."

Lu Chen took a deep breath and suppressed those images one by one.

The Gray-robed Man—suppress.

The words in The Cave—suppress.

"Longevity is death"—suppress.

Mo Wen's eyes—suppress.

Finally, only breathing remained in his mind.

Inhale. Exhale.

He did not know how much time had passed when he felt something.

It wasn't seeing; it was feeling.

The air had changed. Before, it was just air, but now it felt like something was flowing through it—very thin, very light—sliding across the surface of his skin like a spider silk blown onto his face by the wind.

Lu Chen opened his eyes, but saw nothing.

He closed his eyes again and continued to breathe.

This time, he tried to "grab" that spider silk.

The ninth rule Wang Qishan wrote: "Do not grab; you must guide. You do not grab Spiritual Qi; you invite it. The harder you try, the faster it runs away."

Lu Chen relaxed his body.

He stopped trying to grab it and simply felt the direction of the flow.

The Spiritual Qi entered through his nostrils, passed through his throat, and sank into his chest.

His chest felt a bit warm.

It wasn't the heat of a fever, but rather the sensation of drinking a mouthful of hot water in winter, with the warmth traveling down from the throat.

It was very comfortable.

Lu Chen didn't stop; he continued to guide it.

After the Spiritual Qi sank into his chest, it stopped. It was like a drop of water falling into a dried-up pond, absorbed by the soil.

"Again."

He guided another breath in.

It sank down again.

Another breath. And another.

Lu Chen didn't know how long he had been sitting, only that the spot in his chest was getting warmer and warmer, as if someone had lit a stove inside.

Just then, the passage Wang Qishan wrote jumped into his mind—

"When Guiding Qi into the Body for the first time, do not be greedy. After Spiritual Qi enters the body, the Meridians will absorb it on their own. What cannot be absorbed will dissipate. It is fine if it dissipates; just guide it again the next day. The key is—do not let the Spiritual Qi run wild within the body, as it will damage the Meridians."

Lu Chen stopped and opened his eyes.

The moonlight was still there, but its position had changed, moving from the left side to the right.

He had been sitting for a long time.

He looked down at his chest, naturally seeing nothing. But his body felt it—the warmth in his chest remained; it hadn't dissipated.

"Did I succeed?" Lu Chen was unsure.

He picked up the bamboo scroll and flipped to the back.

Wang Qishan had recorded his daily feelings:

"Day 1: Successfully Guiding Qi into the Body, felt the Spiritual Qi. The amount was very small, about three wisps."

"Day 2: Guided five wisps, chest remained warm."

"Day 3: Guided seven wisps, felt the Spiritual Qi beginning to spread toward the limbs."

"Day 7: The Spiritual Qi no longer stayed only in the chest, starting to flow slowly along the Meridians."

"Day 15: Level 1 Qi Refining. Guiding Qi into the Body is no longer 'inviting', but 'absorbing'. The Spiritual Qi will actively drill into the body."

Lu Chen put down the bamboo scroll and began to guide Qi again.

That night, he guided continuously.

When tired, he would stop to rest for a while, and when rested, he would continue.

By daybreak, he had already guided what the bamboo scroll called "The First Breath of Qi" countless times.

The next day, Lu Chen went to The Cave again.

Mo Wen was still there.

The old man sat at The Cave entrance, leaning against The Cave wall basking in the sun, with his wine gourd by his leg, eyes closed, as if asleep.

Lu Chen's footsteps woke him up.

"You're here?" Mo Wen opened one eye.

"I'm here."

"Did you do Qi Channeling?"

Lu Chen nodded.

"How does it feel?"

"My chest is warm."

"Warm is correct." Mo Wen straightened his body and gestured for Lu Chen to sit over, "How much of Wang Qishan's bamboo scroll did you read?"

"I read it from beginning to end."

"How much did you remember?"

"I don't know."

Mo Wen laughed: "Honest. Anyone else would have told me 'I remembered it all'."

"Remembering it all would be a lie," Lu Chen said, "What I can remember now is less than half."

"Then practice and memorize at the same time." Mo Wen took something out from his robe and tossed it to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen caught it.

It was a piece of jade, white, not large, warm, as if it had just been taken from his robe.

"What is this?"

"It's for testing Spiritual Root." Mo Wen said, "The Gray-robed Man said you have no Spiritual Root, so you truly have no Spiritual Root. I had you sleep holding the stone to confirm if you were willing to pay the price. Now that the stone has verified it, and you have started Qi Channeling, I must let you know what having no Spiritual Root means."

Lu Chen held the jade and said nothing.

"For someone without a Spiritual Root, the Cultivation speed is one-tenth to three-tenths of those who have one." Mo Wen said, "Wang Qishan Cultivated for seven years to reach Qi Refining Level 3; he had a Spiritual Root, though it was very poor. You have no Spiritual Root; it will take at least a year to reach Level 1 Qi Refining."

"A year?"

"A year." Mo Wen said, "And Level 1 Qi Refining can only let you live twenty or thirty years longer; you cannot fly, you cannot fight, you just live a bit longer than an ordinary person."

"Then why should I Cultivate?"

"You are Cultivating for 'possibility'." Mo Wen said, "People with Spiritual Roots can reach high levels of Qi Refining in twenty or thirty years and live to be one hundred and fifty or sixty. You cannot. But there is one thing you can do that they cannot."

"What thing?"

"You are not afraid of the price."

Lu Chen looked at Mo Wen.

"How do you know I'm not afraid?"

"Because after hearing about the 'price', you were still asking if it was 'worth it'." Mo Wen said, "Those who are afraid won't ask if it's worth it; they will just run."

Lu Chen was silent for a long time.

Mo Wen also said nothing, picked up the wine gourd and took a sip, then leaned against The Cave wall and closed his eyes.

"Then what do I do next?" Lu Chen asked.

"Continue Qi Channeling." Mo Wen said, "Guide it until the Spiritual Qi no longer just stays in your chest and starts to move toward your limbs. At that point, you will have entered the gate."

"How long?"

"That depends on you. Wang Qishan took seven days."

"It might take me longer."

"Mm." Mo Wen didn't open his eyes, "You will take longer. But you have an advantage—you have no Spiritual Root, so your Meridians are narrower than others. Narrow means the Spiritual Qi flows slowly, and slow means you will walk every step very steadily. Those who walk unsteadily are prone to falling to their deaths."

Lu Chen returned the jade to Mo Wen.

"Keep it." Mo Wen didn't take it, "It is yours now. Test it once every day; when the jade changes color, you will know what your Spiritual Root is."

"Didn't you say I have no Spiritual Root?"

"Even having no Spiritual Root has grades." Mo Wen said, "Spiritual Root is not a rare thing; everyone has one, it's just that most people's Spiritual Root is so poor it can be ignored. The Gray-robed Man said you have no Spiritual Root, meaning your Spiritual Root is too poor to be worth cultivating. But he didn't say it couldn't be cultivated."

Lu Chen tucked the jade into his robe.

"Will you come tomorrow?"

"I will."

Lu Chen stood up and walked down the mountain.

After walking a dozen steps, Mo Wen's voice came from behind—

"Lu Chen."

He stopped and turned back.

Mo Wen opened his eyes and looked at him, his gaze very serious, unlike the playful expression from before.

"If one day, you reach Qi Refining Level 3 and find your memories starting to disappear—"

"I will not run."

"I am not asking if you will run or not." Mo Wen said, "I am asking you, what will you do?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment.

"Continue Cultivating upwards."

"Why?"

"Because I have already paid the price." Lu Chen said, "Once paid, do not turn back."

Mo Wen stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed.

This laugh was very light, as if he had let out a sigh of relief.

"Go."

Lu Chen turned around and continued walking down the mountain.

He did not look back.

Therefore, he did not see that after he turned, the smile on Mo Wen's face disappeared.

The old man leaned against The Cave wall, eyes closed, and whispered four words—

"The third one."

Returning to the Ruined Temple, it was almost dark.

Lu Chen built a fire, roasted the half-fish remaining from yesterday, and ate it with cold water.

After finishing, he took out the bamboo scroll again, flipped to the section on Guiding Qi into the Body, and read it through once more.

Wang Qishan wrote: "The key to Guiding Qi into the Body is not technique, but the attitude toward Spiritual Qi. You cannot treat it as a tool, nor can you treat it as a deity. It is a guest, and you are the host. If you want it to stay, you must make it feel that this place is good."

Lu Chen set the bamboo scroll aside, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

Inhale. Exhale.

This time, he did not deliberately look for that Spiritual Qi.

He simply breathed, let his body relax, and let the warmth in his chest slowly spread.

The Spiritual Qi came.

It was not one spider silk, but many.

They surged in simultaneously from his nostrils, his skin, and the top of his head, converging into his chest and melting together with that warmth.

Lu Chen did not pay them any mind, simply continuing to breathe.

There was more and more Spiritual Qi, and his chest grew warmer and warmer.

The warmth began to move outward, spreading slowly along his arms, his legs, and the back.

It was very slow, like water seeping into parched soil.

But it was indeed spreading.

Lu Chen opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.

His palms were a bit red, as if scalded by something, but it didn't hurt when touched.

"Is it moving?"

He picked up the jade and held it in his palm.

The jade was still white and had not changed color.

But Lu Chen was not anxious.

"A year is a year." He said to himself.

Then he stoked the fire, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow he had to go to The Cave again.

Mo Wen was still waiting for him.

That piece of jade was still in his hand.

Longevity, price, memory disappearance, cultivation regression—these things followed him like shadows; he couldn't shake them off, nor did he want to.

"Once paid, do not turn back."

This is what he said.

And he had to do it.