Chapter 64: Nurturing the Small Heavenly Circuit
The cultivation technique of the Health-Nourishing Art contained even fewer words than Su Xiaofan had imagined.
Of the three pages, only the first contained the actual cultivation technique. The second and third pages were diagrams of the body's meridians.
The meridian diagrams were extremely detailed. Su Xiaofan had no idea how the ancient people had managed to draw such precise maps of the human meridians without the assistance of modern instruments.
According to Jing Shizhen's instructions, Su Xiaofan first needed to memorize the cultivation technique until he knew it by heart.
With only a few hundred words, this was no challenge at all for Su Xiaofan.
Although many of the phrases were obscure and difficult to understand, and they were written entirely in traditional Chinese characters, Su Xiaofan recognized most of them.
It took him only a little over half an hour to force himself to memorize the entire cultivation technique.
Of course, understanding it was another matter entirely.
Ancient Chinese and modern Chinese differed in many ways. In ancient Chinese, a single character could often convey the meaning of an entire sentence, so Jing Shizhen would have to explain it to Su Xiaofan.
“To practice the cultivation technique, you must first sense the existence of qi.”
Jing Shizhen took out two meditation cushions and had Su Xiaofan sit cross-legged on one while he sat opposite him.
“Qi will appear around this location.”
Jing Shizhen pointed four fingers below Su Xiaofan's navel and said, “This place is called the dantian, also known as the Guanyuan acupoint. Qi gathers here and then travels through the meridians throughout the body. Now I'll explain the specific route for circulating qi…”
The internal qi begins at the lower dantian, passes through the perineum and anus, then follows the Governing Vessel along the spine through the three passes of the coccyx, spine, and jade pillow. It reaches the Niwan point at the top of the head, then descends along both sides of the face and converges at the tip of the tongue, where it connects with the Conception Vessel before traveling down the center of the chest and abdomen and returning to the dantian.
Because this circulation route covers a relatively small area and travels through fewer meridians, it is known as the 'Small Heavenly Circuit'.
Completing one cycle of the Small Heavenly Circuit normally takes six 'shichen'—twelve hours.
The 'Great Heavenly Circuit' is built upon the Small Heavenly Circuit. In addition to the Conception and Governing Vessels, it incorporates the eight extraordinary meridians in the limbs. Completing the entire circulation is called the Great Heavenly Circuit…”
“Uncle Jing, slow down. I… I can't remember all this.”
For the first time in his life as an excellent student, Su Xiaofan had encountered something he simply couldn't memorize.
The human meridian system was far too complicated. Just looking at the densely labeled meridian diagram made his eyes swim.
As for the circulation route Jing Shizhen was explaining, Su Xiaofan didn't have the slightest idea how it worked, let alone remember all the acupoints and meridians along the route.
“Don't rush. I'll first give you a general explanation so that you can get an idea of it.”
Jing Shizhen smiled and said, “When I memorized this meridian diagram back then, it took me an entire year before I could remember it completely. You expect to memorize it in one sitting? How could that be so easy?
“I can't give you the cultivation manual, but I have a photocopy of the meridian diagram. Later, you can refer to it while using the technique to nurture your internal qi. Once you're able to circulate it through one complete Small Heavenly Circuit, you will produce spiritual power within your body.
“At that point, I'll teach you the art of observing qi, as well as some other techniques that can only be activated with spiritual power…”
“Master, how long will it take me to develop internal qi?”
Su Xiaofan scratched his head.
“Back then, it took me half a year to produce internal qi within my body…”
Jing Shizhen thought for a moment before continuing, “After producing internal qi, you still have to make it circulate through the heavenly circuit. A person's meridians are usually in a blocked state, so you'll need to use your qi to break through the acupoints. It won't go smoothly at first.
“There is a reason why people say it's better to cultivate from a young age, because children's meridians are relatively unobstructed.
“However, children have difficulty understanding cultivation techniques and can easily take the wrong path. One mistake could cause their meridians to rupture, which would do more harm than good.
“So the best age to begin cultivation is after sixteen. You're only twenty, so you're certainly not too late.”
“Master, after I develop internal qi, how long will it take me to open the Small Heavenly Circuit? How long did it take you back then?”
Su Xiaofan continued asking questions. Jing Shizhen had opened up an entirely unfamiliar world to him.
This field was completely foreign to Su Xiaofan, and he couldn't use the knowledge he had learned before to understand it. Whenever he encountered something he didn't understand, all he could do was ask.
“That depends on your aptitude.”
Jing Shizhen shook his head. “I can't guarantee anything. Everyone needs a different amount of time.
“It took me one year to open the Small Heavenly Circuit and three years to open the Great Heavenly Circuit. Don't compare yourself to me. I was a genius in my era!”
“A genius needed a whole year to open the Small Heavenly Circuit.”
Seeing the smug expression on Jing Shizhen's face, Su Xiaofan secretly nodded and memorized that time.
“Xiao Su, our cultivation technique is easy to begin but difficult to master. First, try to find the feeling.”
Jing Shizhen stood up and said, “Don't cultivate recklessly yet. Study the circulation routes of the meridians carefully, then refer to the cultivation technique and try to sense the qi within your body.”
He walked over to the long table and lit a stick of incense.
“This is genuine hundred-year-old agarwood. It helps you calm your mind and concentrate.
“Remember, empty your mind. Let all thoughts become one. Inhale and sink the breath into the Guanyuan acupoint—that is, let the qi sink into the dantian. Visualize this breath within your body…”
Jing Shizhen's voice was extremely soothing. Su Xiaofan, who had initially been somewhat restless, gradually calmed down.
Following Jing Shizhen's voice, Su Xiaofan desperately tried to find the feeling.
Perhaps it was because of the agarwood incense, but more likely it was because he hadn't slept well the previous night.
After several minutes, Su Xiaofan felt that his mind was truly empty and his heart completely free of distractions…
He fell asleep.
“Hmm? How long have I been in meditation?”
After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiaofan opened his eyes. He felt completely refreshed, and his mind was exceptionally clear.
“In meditation my ass! You slept for an hour!”
Seeing Su Xiaofan stretch lazily, Jing Shizhen immediately became furious.
At first, he had also thought Su Xiaofan had entered a meditative state. He had continued guiding him with his voice, hoping that Su Xiaofan would sense the qi in his dantian.
But after about ten minutes, Jing Shizhen heard a strange sound. Following the sound, he discovered that Su Xiaofan had started snoring.
“I wasted my agarwood for nothing.”
The hundred-year-old agarwood Jing Shizhen had burned was extremely expensive. He had spent more than three million yuan collecting it and had only managed to make a little over ten incense sticks from it. That single stick had been worth tens of thousands of yuan.
“Master, why don't you light another stick and let me try again?”
Su Xiaofan felt particularly good at that moment. Perhaps if he tried again, he could succeed in sensing internal qi in one shot.
“Forget it. I'll just send some internal qi into your dantian and guide it through your meridians. Memorize that feeling!”
Jing Shizhen shook his head. One stick of incense cost tens of thousands of yuan, and more importantly, hundred-year-old agarwood was extremely difficult to find. Jing Shizhen didn't want to waste it for no reason.
“Master, can I borrow your internal qi and directly circulate the Small Heavenly Circuit?”
Su Xiaofan's eyes lit up. “The books say that if a master guides a disciple this way, it can make the process twice as effective!”
“Bullshit! Which author wrote that? Send him a threatening letter when you get home!”
Jing Shizhen's eyes nearly popped out from anger.
“Guiding you through the Small Heavenly Circuit would be equivalent to opening all your meridians for you. Forget about me—even now, there isn't a single person in the world who can do that!”
The theory of human meridians had only been passed down in China. The West had always been skeptical of the meridian theory, believing that the meridians were nothing more than products of imagination and did not actually exist.
Even in China, the theory of meridians was profound and mysterious, making it difficult for beginners to comprehend.
Therefore, when practicing internal cultivation techniques, the slightest mistake could cause the meridians to become blocked, preventing the qi from flowing properly and causing problems with the body's functions. This was known as 'qi deviation', or 'going into qi deviation'.
Jing Shizhen had been cultivating qi for fifty or sixty years. Being able to release internal qi outside his body already placed his cultivation at the very highest level.
But even Jing Shizhen could not open Su Xiaofan's meridians for him. Being able to make Su Xiaofan sense the flow of qi was already proof of Jing Shizhen's extraordinary cultivation.
(End of Chapter)
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