104: Chapter 104 Chen Wu's Repayment: Sharing Basic Breathing Techniques

The Repayment of Intent in the Morning Mist

The morning mist of the Xingyi Sect branch hall had just drifted over the martial arts arena when Chen Wu stood before the table, holding a plain wooden box. There were no intricate patterns on the surface of the wooden box; only a simple character for "Qi" was carved in the center of the lid. Pale golden Yijin Energy spread along the strokes of the character, intertwining with the light brown Qi Energy of the Xingyi Sect to form a gentle band of light—as the global live stream camera zoomed in, one could clearly see the faint Qi Energy seeping from the gaps in the box, resonating with the sect flags of the Eight Great Schools, as if conveying the sentiment of "reciprocity."

"Elder Li, Seniors," Chen Wu's voice carried a sincere fluctuation of Qi Energy. He gently opened the wooden box, revealing white rice paper lining the inside, upon which three scrolls of handwritten insights were neatly stacked. "I have no way to repay the kindness of the Xingyi Sect in gifting me the 'Xingyi Fist Essence.' This is my compiled 'Basic Breathing Technique Insights.' It not only contains the 'Qi Energy Introductory Formula' passed down by the Tomb Guardian but also the 'Breathing Optimization Method' I summarized after fusing Yijin Energy and Five Elements Energy. I hope it can help the Disciples of various Schools and provide a solid introductory Foundation for everyone around the world who wishes to learn ancient martial arts."

The Elders of the Eight Great Schools in the martial arts arena were moved. Li Xuantong's fingers gently brushed over the rice paper, and his light brown Qi Energy resonated with the writing on the paper. Every punctuation mark in the insights glowed with a pale golden light: "This... this is the 'key' to entering the world of ancient martial arts!" Zhao Lie's Baji Energy suddenly softened, and he patted Chen Wu on the shoulder. "I have practiced Baji Fist for sixty years, and I know best the importance of basic breathing. Many Disciples get stuck at the 'difficulty in gathering Qi Energy' stage simply because they lack the proper breathing method. These insights of yours are more precious than any Secret Manual!" The chat stream instantly exploded with a sea of golden messages saying "Chen Wu is magnanimous." The number of online viewers exceeded 37 billion. One message from Africa received 80 million likes: "Finally, there is an ancient martial art Foundation I can learn. I'm going to teach it to the children in my village!"

Lin Mo's tactical tablet suddenly popped up a System notification: "Triggered Main Quest 'Breathing Legacy' — Share the Basic Breathing Technique Insights globally to help ancient martial arts move past the misconception of having a 'high threshold.' Quest Rewards: 1.5 million Legacy points + Global Breathing Technique teaching authorization, unlocking the underground palace 'Qi Energy Resonance' basic module." The youth's fingertips flew across the virtual keyboard, and sweat drops from his forehead fell onto the touchpad. "The Technical Department has detected 'Qi Energy Guidance' hidden patterns within the insights. If ordinary Martial Artists follow the steps, their Qi Energy gathering speed can increase by 50%! Furthermore, 20 million viewers have already pre-registered for the lesson in the live stream backend, 80% of whom are ordinary people with absolutely no Foundation in ancient martial arts!" The tablet suddenly displayed a 3D scan of the insights: every page of the rice paper had been soaked in "Vitality Energy" sap, which could automatically project the Qi Energy trajectory onto the practitioner's palm. It was a "guidance Easter egg" that Chen Wu had specially prepared for beginners.

Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe tapped out a muffled sound against the edge of the martial arts arena. The old man took out the "Breathing Records" left behind by his grandfather. Inside the yellowed pages was a handwritten breathing formula from 1950—the "Tomb Guardian Breathing Method" that Chen Wus Great-grandfather had specially simplified years ago to allow ordinary people to access ancient martial arts. It was 90% similar to the "Qi Energy Introductory Formula" in Chen Wu's insights. "Your Great-grandfather used to say, 'Ancient martial arts are not the patent of the wealthy; they are arts that everyone can learn,'" the pipe bowl pointed at the "breathing rhythm" in the formula. "By sharing the breathing technique today, you have fulfilled his wish!" A small bronze tripod suddenly flew out of a camphor wood chest. The characters for "Breathing" were carved on the body of the tripod, and pale golden Qi Energy spread along it, drawing a "breathing trajectory" in the center of the martial arts arena that was perfectly consistent with the rhythm in Chen Wu's insights.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the eight-colored petals of the inheritance grass suddenly stretched as if breathing. Dewdrops rolled on the leaves, reflecting the comments from viewers in the live stream backend—an elderly person paralyzed in bed had uploaded a video, saying, "I want to improve my health through the breathing technique"; a left-behind child had drawn a comic titled "I Practice the Breathing Technique," with "I want to become strong to protect Grandma" written crookedly on the side. The young girl mixed the eight-colored sap, and when the seven-colored "Breathing Dew" dripped onto the leaves, the petals suddenly rose and fell toward the live stream camera, mimicking the rhythm of breathing. "Elder Zhou says this is a 'breathing guide agent,'" she said, her fingertips lightly touching the dew. "It can help beginners quickly find the breathing rhythm, just like having a teacher guiding them by their side!"

The True Meaning of Breathing in the Insights

Chen Wu's "Basic Breathing Technique Insights" slowly unfolded under the influence of Qi Energy. The writing of the first volume, "Qi Energy Introductory Formula," suddenly lit up: "Breathing means inhalation is intake, exhalation is output. Take in the Qi of heaven and earth, exhale the impurities within the body. When Qi flows smoothly, energy gathers; when energy gathers, success is achieved." Pale golden Qi Energy surged from the writing, forming a rotating "Qi" character in the center of the martial arts arena. The slow-motion footage of the global live stream showed that every stroke of the "Qi" character corresponded to a breathing rhythm: the horizontal stroke meant "deep inhale for 3 seconds," the vertical stroke meant "hold breath for 2 seconds," the left-falling stroke meant "slow exhale for 4 seconds," and the right-falling stroke meant "regulate breath for 1 second." The simple and easy-to-understand rhythm caused the chat stream to instantly fill with "I've learned it!" messages.

"Many people think breathing is 'metaphysics,' but in reality, they just haven't found the right method," Chen Wu's fingertips lightly tapped the "Qi" character, and the pale golden Qi Energy suddenly split into countless fine streams, falling into every corner of the martial arts arena. "For example, when 'deep inhaling,' you must let the Qi follow from the nasal cavity to the throat, then sink into the Dantian, just like letting water flow slowly down when drinking. When 'slow exhaling,' you must let the Qi flow from the Dantian along the meridians to the palms, then gently exhale, just like controlling your strength when blowing out a candle." He suddenly began to demonstrate. His chest rose and fell slowly with his breathing, and the pale golden Qi Energy formed a transparent Qi shield around his body, allowing one to clearly see the complete trajectory of the Qi Energy from inhalation to exhalation—on the live stream screen, a holographic projection broke the trajectory down into 6 steps, each labeled with "body sensations": "nasal cavity slightly cool," "throat relaxed," "Dantian heating up," etc., allowing beginners to judge whether they were practicing correctly through physical sensation.

Li Xuantong suddenly stepped forward and practiced along with Chen Wu's rhythm. The light brown Xingyi Energy and the pale golden breathing Qi Energy intertwined around him. After only three minutes, the old man revealed an expression of surprise: "I have practiced breathing for seventy years, and only today did I discover that my previous 'breath holding' time was wrong!" He pointed to the "hold breath for 2 seconds" in the insights. "I used to hold my breath for 5 seconds, thinking that Qi would gather more fully. I didn't expect that it actually caused the Qi Energy to stagnate in my chest. Following your method, the Qi Energy sinks to the Dantian twice as fast!" Zhao Lie also tried it. The dark black Baji Energy became more solid under the effect of the breathing. Although he didn't use force when throwing his fist, it made the air emit a "hissing" sound of Qi Energy: "This breathing technique can make rigid energy flow more smoothly. In the future, Baji Sect Disciples will use your insights for their initiation!"

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly popped up real-time data on "Breathing Effects": "Elder Li Xuantong's Qi Energy circulation speed increased by 42%, Elder Zhao Lie's rigid energy gathering speed increased by 38%, and ordinary Disciples' Qi Energy perception increased by 60% after practicing for 10 minutes!" The chat stream suddenly exploded with exclamations. A British viewer posted, "I practiced for 5 minutes, and I really felt my Dantian heating up!" and a Brazilian viewer posted, "It's 10 times more useful than the breathing technique I learned before!" instantly flooding the screen. Some overseas Martial Artists even uploaded "Qi Energy comparison charts before and after breathing," showing the light blue Qi Energy going from scattered to condensed, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of the insights.

Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe tapped out a light rhythm against the edge of the table. The old man took out the "Optimization Chapter" of the "Breathing Records." On the yellowed pages were recorded the annotations of Chen Wus Great-grandfather: "There is no fixed method for breathing; it varies from person to person and must be adjusted according to one's Physique." The pipe bowl pointed at the "Breathing Optimization Method" in Chen Wu's insights. "Your approach of 'selecting rhythm based on Physique' is more comprehensive than your Great-grandfather's was back then!" The small bronze tripod in the camphor wood chest suddenly resonated with the insights. The pale golden Qi Energy spread along the body of the tripod, marking a "Physique Test" questionnaire on the virtual screen: "Those with Qi deficiency should inhale more and exhale less; those with excess Qi should exhale more and inhale less; those with phlegm-dampness should inhale slowly and exhale quickly," allowing viewers to choose the breathing method suitable for their own situation.

When Chen Wu explained the "combination of breathing and energy techniques," the pale golden Qi Energy suddenly fused with the Xingyi Sect's Five Elements Energy. He demonstrated "Earth Element Energy + Breathing": when inhaling, the Qi sinks to the Dantian, coordinating with the Earth Energy to stabilize the lower stance; when exhaling, the Qi Energy explodes, smashing into the sandbag with the heaviness of Earth Energy—the slow-motion footage showed that breathing made the explosion of the Five Elements Energy more coherent, and the fist mark on the sandbag was half an inch deeper than before. "This is the true meaning of breathing!" Li Xuantong's voice was filled with excitement. "It is not isolated breathing, but a Foundation that complements energy techniques. These insights of yours have pierced through the 'window paper' of ancient martial arts initiation!"

Breathing Technique Lessons via Global Live Stream

As soon as Chen Wu's Basic Breathing Technique teaching began, the global live stream screen switched to "Dual-Screen Mode": on the left was Chen Wu's real-time demonstration, on the right were holographic breakdown steps, and at the bottom, audience questions scrolled in real-time.

"First, find a quiet place, keep your feet shoulder-width apart, and let your hands hang naturally," Chen Wu's voice, amplified by Qi Energy, reached every viewer's ears clearly. "Close your eyes slightly, take three deep breaths first to relax your body, do not deliberately pursue the 'feeling of Qi Energy', just let it be natural."

His chest rose and fell slowly, and a pale golden Qi Energy formed a slowly rotating Qi shield around him. The live camera zoomed in, and one could clearly see his Adam's apple rolling slightly with the swallowing motion—that was the key detail of "Qi sinking into the Dantian", a step many beginners had previously ignored.

"Pay attention, when inhaling, do it as if smelling a flower's fragrance, inhale slowly," Chen Wu's fingertip tapped lightly on his Dantian, and the pale golden Qi Energy suddenly lit up. "Let the Qi flow down your throat, feeling as if the Dantian is a balloon slowly inflating; when holding your breath, do not stifle it, maintain a natural sense of tension, just like holding a fragile vase; when exhaling, do it as if blowing out a candle, exhale at a constant speed, feeling the Dantian balloon slowly shrinking; when regulating your breath, don't think about anything, let your body transition naturally to the next breath."

On the live stream, the holographic projection compared the "incorrect demonstration" with the "correct method" for each step: "Incorrect: Shrugging shoulders while inhaling, Qi stagnates in the chest; Correct: Dropping shoulders while inhaling, Qi sinks into the Dantian." "Incorrect: Exhaling quickly, energy scatters and does not gather; Correct: Exhaling at a constant speed, energy follows the Qi." The intuitive comparison allowed the audience to instantly understand where their problems lay.

The Elders of the eight major Schools suddenly joined the teaching en masse. Li Xuantong demonstrated the "Xingyi Five Elements Breathing Technique": for Metal Energy breathing, the inhalation is fast and the exhalation is sharp; for Wood Energy breathing, the inhalation is gentle and the exhalation is soft; Su Chen demonstrated the "Mysterious Water Breathing Technique": inhalation is like flowing water, and exhalation is like spreading waves; Liang Yue demonstrated the "Wing Chun Breathing Technique": inhalation is short and frequent, and exhalation is fast and powerful—global viewers could choose the corresponding breathing variation based on their preferred School. The live chat instantly flooded with "Choosing Xingyi" and "Choosing Wing Chun" camps, but instead of previous disputes, it was filled with the harmony of "each taking what they need."

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly popped up "Teaching Interaction" data: "There are 250 million viewers practicing simultaneously globally, of which 180 million are ordinary people with zero Foundation." The teenager's fingertips danced on the virtual keyboard. "The Technical Department has launched the 'Breathing Check-in' feature; viewers can upload practice videos and receive online guidance from the Disciples of the eight major Schools!"

The tablet showed that the first person to successfully check in was a 70-year-old Elder. In the video he uploaded, although the pale gray Qi Energy was weak, the trajectory of "Qi sinking into the Dantian" could be clearly seen. Li Xuantong personally replied, "Well done, keep it up," which moved the Elder to tears in front of the camera. There was also a 5-year-old child practicing along with Chen Wu's rhythm; although the movements were immature, the child could accurately follow the breathing rhythm, and the live chat was full of blessings like "The future is promising."

The Section Chief of the Special Incident Response Department walked over holding a holographic report, the screen displaying real-time feedback: "87% of the audience stated they 'can easily master the breathing rhythm', and 92% of the zero-Foundation audience stated they 'felt Qi Energy for the first time'." She suddenly turned the report towards Chen Wu, "Many overseas Martial Arts Alliances have already applied to introduce this breathing technique as a compulsory introductory course for ancient martial arts!"

The tablet showed that Zhang Hao had received 1 million applications for "Breathing + Iron Arm Fist", and he smiled and said, "In the future, my Disciples will no longer have to worry about the difficulty of gathering Qi Energy." Love was invited to the Paralympic Games to open a "Rehabilitation Breathing Class", and the former boxing champion said with emotion, "I never expected that ancient martial arts could help more people in need."

As the teaching reached its conclusion, the morning mist in the martial arts arena was suddenly dyed seven colors by the breathing Qi Energy. The Qi Energy of Chen Wu and the Elders of the eight major Schools intertwined to form a huge "Breathing" totem in mid-air. The global live stream suddenly switched to overseas branch venues: children in the UK practiced breathing with focused expressions; an Elder in Africa practiced while sitting in a wheelchair with a smile on his face; office workers in Japan practiced secretly in their offices, fingers tapping on the desk in rhythm with their breathing—the Qi Energy of every branch venue resonated with the martial arts arena, like a band of light of life spanning across mountains and seas.

The live chat was suddenly flooded with the uniform message, "Breathing has no boundaries, Martial Arts has compassion." 39 billion messages formed a seven-colored river of light in the virtual space, creating a new record for "Ancient Martial Arts for All."

The Foreshadowing of the Breathing Legacy in the Underground Palace

As the breathing teaching neared its end, Chen Wu's plain wooden box suddenly closed automatically. Pale golden Qi Energy surged out from the "Qi" character on the box, resonating with the Qi Energy of the eight major Schools and the breathing Qi Energy of the global audience, forming a miniature "Qi Energy Resonance Formation" in the center of the martial arts arena—Lin Mo's tablet suddenly popped up a System prompt: " 'Breathing Legacy' mission completed, Rating: SSS+, obtained 1.5 million Legacy Points, global Breathing Technique teaching authorization, unlocked the Underground Palace 'Qi Energy Resonance' basic module."

The teenager's fingertips danced on the virtual keyboard, inputting the breathing data into the Underground Palace model. The System prompted: "After the Qi Energy Resonance module is activated, it can call upon the breathing Qi Energy of global Martial Artists to provide basic energy for the Underground Palace 'Legacy Formation', cracking the 'insufficient Qi Energy' trap."

Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe tapped out a final dull sound on the edge of the martial arts arena. The old man flipped to the last page of the "Breathing Records"; on the yellowed page, twelve characters were written in cinnabar: "Breathing as the Foundation, Energy techniques as the branches; with a stable Foundation, the branches and leaves will flourish," and next to it was the signature of Chen Wu's Great-grandfather. "Your Great-grandfather didn't have the chance to spread the Breathing Technique globally back then, but today you have done it," the pipe bowl pointed at the signature, "The insights in this plain wooden box are more precious than any gold, silver, or jewelry, because it has truly brought ancient martial arts into the lives of ordinary people."

The small bronze tripod, the plain wooden box, and the peace lock in the camphor wood chest suddenly merged into one. Pale golden Qi Energy spread along the objects, condensing into a "Breathing Qi Energy" totem in Chen Wu's palm.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the seven-colored fruits of the inheritance grass suddenly split open, and countless tiny seeds carrying breathing Qi Energy flew into the air, landing on the shoulders of every Martial Artist—Chen Wu's Yijin Energy gained a "Breathing Resonance" halo, capable of calling upon the breathing Qi Energy of global Martial Artists at any time; Li Xuantong's Xingyi Energy, under the blessing of the breathing, had its Five Elements Energy circulation speed increased by 50%; Zhao Lie's Baji Energy became more solid, and his resistance to attacks increased by 30%.

The little girl sprinkled the last drop of "Breathing Dew" onto the martial arts arena. The seven-colored light merged with the breathing totem, condensing into a miniature "Qi Energy Resonance Formation" model in Chen Wu's palm: "Elder Zhou said this is the 'Resonance Key'," she tapped the model lightly with her fingertip, "It can allow you to connect to the breathing Qi Energy of global Martial Artists at any time in the Underground Palace 'Legacy Formation', just like installing a 'power bank' for the Formation!"

A helicopter from the Special Incident Response Department hovered over the martial arts arena. The Section Chief walked over holding a silver box, which contained a set of "Breathing Resonance Protective Gear" engraved with a "Qi" character totem: "This was specially made by the Technical Department based on breathing Qi Energy," she handed the protective gear to Chen Wu, "It can enhance your breathing resonance with global Martial Artists, allowing you to call upon more Qi Energy in the Underground Palace 'Legacy Formation'."

The tablet displayed that all preparations for the Underground Palace were ready: the Elders of the eight major Schools brought their respective sect-protecting treasures, Zhang Hao and Love carried supply packs, and the breathing Qi Energy of global Martial Artists had also been connected through the System, just waiting for tomorrow morning to head to the Underground Palace to crack the final "Legacy Formation" and obtain the full volume of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic".

When the morning mist dispersed and the morning sun illuminated the martial arts arena, the "Breathing Qi Energy" totem in Chen Wu's palm resonated with the Qi Energy in the direction of the Underground Palace. He suddenly understood that sharing the Basic Breathing Technique was never about "simple reciprocation", but about "breaking the boundaries of Legacy"—true ancient martial arts are not secret techniques hidden in manuals, but life wisdom that everyone can learn; true reciprocation is not a gift of equivalent exchange, but letting kindness circulate and flow among global Martial Artists just like breathing Qi Energy.

The final image of the global live stream lingered on the moment Chen Wu, the Elders of the eight major Schools, and the global audience practiced breathing together. The breathing rhythms of 39 billion people gradually synchronized, and pale golden, light brown, and light black Qi Energy formed a huge "Harmony" character in the virtual space. The message "Breathing conveys affection, Martial Arts coexists" flooded the live chat, lit up by everyone simultaneously, like a life-giving river of light spanning across mountains and seas, flowing forever above the Xingyi Sect branch, illuminating the ultimate journey of the Underground Palace exploration, and also illuminating the new future of ancient martial arts moving towards the general public.