The next day, at the Spiritual Energy Platform.
Lin Ci woke up half an hour earlier than usual and arrived here ahead of time.
Although reluctantly, he had ultimately agreed to teach Xia Xiaochan the cultivation heart method.
But as for how to teach…
In truth, Lin Ci could clearly sense the presence of spiritual energy within his body. They were like warm points of light, flowing through all the meridians in his body.
It was just that he had no idea how to use a heart method to get them to operate.
He had once tried to urge the spiritual energy to “move” with his mind. The spiritual energy did move, but wildly scattered around inside him without any control…
It was like a flock of sheep running amok on a meadow, but Lin Ci had no “whip” in hand.
That time, he nearly suffered a spiritual deviation and spent several days clumsily chasing after the spiritual energy thread by thread before he finally managed to calm the restless lights.
After that dangerously close experience, although Lin Ci didn’t stop experimenting with controlling spiritual energy, he became more cautious.
At this moment,
Lin Ci pinched the blueprint in his hand.
This was a hand-drawn map he created over the past month after repeated attempts, failures, and continuous exploration and summarization of patterns — illustrating the route spiritual energy took as it flowed through the meridians.
In other words, this was his self-created heart method.
Of course, Lin Ci had a clear understanding of his own limits.
He could only guarantee that practicing according to the blueprint wouldn’t cause spiritual deviation.
As for how effective this method was compared to a true cultivation heart method, he couldn’t promise anything.
If it had no effect, that would be reasonable.
Come on, he was just a high school student from Earth. If he could really create a genuine cultivation heart method, that would be utterly absurd…
All in all,
if he had to teach Junior Sister cultivation, this was all he could offer. Besides, Junior Sister was a beginner and couldn’t tell the quality of the heart method.
If Junior Sister practiced and got no results…
then it would be justified to blame it on her!
It was Xia Xiaochan’s lack of talent, not his heart method’s fault.
On the high platform, the cold wind howled.
Soon, Xia Xiaochan’s petite figure came running from afar.
Today she wore a short leather jacket, which didn’t look bulky on her small frame. Her fair face was flushed red from the cold, like it had been brushed with rouge.
“Chan’er, greetings, Senior Brother!”
Xia Xiaochan bowed respectfully to Lin Ci as she reached the platform, her expression filled with anticipation for the upcoming teaching, though a trace of fatigue was visible on her face.
Because Senior Brother had agreed to guide her into the path, she had lain in bed all night excited and nervous, unable to sleep well.
“Hm.”
Lin Ci put on a smug expression, pretending to be arrogant and genius-like as he nodded.
“Junior Sister, the heart method I’m going to teach you now is my own creation, called the ‘Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Technique’!”
“Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Technique?”
That sounded impressive!
He actually created it himself?
No wonder Senior Brother is so amazing!
Xia Xiaochan admired him from the bottom of her heart, unaware that this name had been made up by Lin Ci just two seconds ago.
Lin Ci continued:
“Next, I’ll run through this heart method once for you. You need to watch carefully how I do it and remember it.”
“Oh… okay!”
Shouldn’t cultivation heart methods be secret manuals? Why is Senior Brother showing it to me first?
Oh, it must be because this way it’s more intuitive and easier for me to comprehend.
Senior Brother is really thoughtful!
Wait… hold on!
What are you doing, Senior Brother?!
Under the howling cold wind, Lin Ci unabashedly took off his jacket and opened his inner shirt, revealing his bare, well-toned torso.
Xia Xiaochan’s face instantly flushed red. She quickly raised her hands to cover her eyes but couldn’t help sneaking a peek through her fingers…
Senior Brother’s skin is actually so white?
His abs are really nice too…
“Junior Sister, what are you doing?”
Noticing her movements, Lin Ci raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Se-Senior Brother, why are you taking off your clothes…”
Xia Xiaochan blushed.
Could it be that Senior Brother is going to teach me some kind of dual cultivation technique?
What should I do then…
Do I have to take mine off too?
Here?
“Of course, it’s so you can see.”
Lin Ci said matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious. “Your spiritual sense hasn’t awakened yet. Even if I operate the heart method inside me, you won’t be able to see a thing.”
“I have to manifest the spiritual energy on my skin like this. That way, you can clearly see it with your naked eyes.”
“Oh, I see now…”
Feeling a mix of disappointment and relief, Xia Xiaochan lowered her hands and stared at Lin Ci’s bare upper body.
Indeed, he looked quite impressive…
Quietly wiping the nosebleed, Xia Xiaochan tried hard to calm herself, because Senior Brother was already beginning.
Lin Ci had only taken off his jacket; no need to remove his pants.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the Spiritual Energy Platform.
Soon, golden spheres of light, like drifting willow fluff, appeared on the surface of his body.
Then, the light spheres transformed into streams of flowing light that slowly traveled between his various meridians and acupoints.
At first, they moved slowly, then gradually sped up.
Because Lin Ci’s spiritual energy was openly manifested, Xia Xiaochan could clearly see everything.
So… this is cultivation.
At this moment, Xia Xiaochan had no distracting thoughts. Instead, from the operation of Senior Brother’s heart method, she felt a profound shock at the mysteries of heaven and earth.
If a cultivator’s heart method represented his “Dao heart,” then Senior Brother’s Dao could be so variable and unpredictable!
Sometimes gentle as water, sometimes passionate as fire, the movement and stillness complement each other.
It seemed that the Great Way was extremely simple, yet concealed profound mysteries—extraordinary!
This was Xiaochan’s first exposure to cultivation, but she had a feeling: something innate within her spirit was being awakened right now by Senior Brother…
“Focus, focus!”
She kept repeating in her heart, not daring to blink, afraid of missing anything.
…
‘As expected, it still isn’t running smoothly…’
Though Lin Ci’s expression was steady as Mount Tai, inside he was already anxious.
This “Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Technique,” though self-created, was unfamiliar to him and often got stuck.
It felt like a pile of buggy code that even the programmer didn’t know how to run properly, but since it could run, there was no need to fix it!
His spiritual energy stumbled and staggered, often hitting a dead end and having to circle back.
If spiritual energy could talk, it would say:
“Damn, what did you do to me now?”
Lin Ci was doing his best, operating the spiritual energy at full speed, but for safety, he had to slow down in some places…
Finally, after two hours,
a small cycle was completed.
“To help you see clearly, I ran through the Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Technique at the slowest speed. How much you remember and comprehend depends on your own aptitude…”
Opening his eyes, Lin Ci said to Xia Xiaochan.
“Th-Thank you, Senior Brother…”
Xia Xiaochan gradually recovered from the earlier shock, replaying in her mind every way and skill in which Senior Brother’s heart method operated.
There were so many changes, but fortunately, Senior Brother slowed down the pace; otherwise, her slow brain would never remember it all…
Senior Brother is really considerate!
She thought gratefully.
“Alright, now you try it. I’ll protect you.”
If this messy heart method couldn’t be mastered, it was fine, but if she suffered a spiritual deviation, it would be troublesome.
He’d better stay here and watch.
“Do I… have to take off my clothes too?”
Xia Xiaochan was a little nervous as she fiddled with the button on her fair collar.
“Of course not.”
Lin Ci put his jacket back on and gave her a sidelong glance.
“Oh…”
Xia Xiaochan awkwardly stuck out her tongue, then took a deep breath and walked to the center of the Spiritual Energy Platform.
A moment later:
“Senior Brother, may I ask what the normal operational speed of this heart method is?”
“Hm…”
Lin Ci paused, pretending to think hard, then casually replied, “About several thousand times faster than what I just demonstrated. Of course, you won’t be able to do it that fast yet. Just do your best.”
“Understood, Senior Brother!”
Xia Xiaochan imitated Lin Ci, sitting cross-legged, placing her hands in a mudra on her knees, and softly murmuring something.
Recalling the profound sensation Senior Brother had brought her, she inexplicably felt the dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Technique!
This is the Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Technique!
Senior Brother, I understand it now…
As the heart method operated within Xia Xiaochan, tiny glimmers of spiritual energy flowed from all directions into her petite body…
At first, they were but thin wisps, but as her operational speed increased, the spiritual energy grew more turbulent…
Then,
the wind on Great Void Mountain began to stir!