Seeing their expressions of excitement and surprise, Meng Qi smiled, raised his palm, and gestured for them to stay silent: “You all seem eager to know, and since we have met by fate, this humble monk shall not withhold.”
Duan Xiangfei, Luo Qing, and others composed themselves, straightened their backs, and focused intently on Meng Qi, creating an atmosphere of solemnity within the meditation room.
“Indeed,” Meng Qi began, “if one truly opens the ancestral aperture between the eyebrows, the Yuan Shen (Original Spirit) and inner world will merge with the external world, allowing one to perceive laws and principles, and form various divine abilities. This marks the boundary between mortals and gods.”
The Snow Palace had deeply researched this area, and there were even ancestors who had truly opened the ancestral aperture, leaving behind related records. Therefore, Duan Xiangfei was the most convinced and nodded slightly in agreement with Meng Qi’s words.
He did not question why Zhen Ding, who had already broken the boundary between mortals and gods, still practiced the “Illusory Form Technique.” Normally, shouldn’t he have already opened the ancestral aperture?
To a seasoned fox like him, things that shouldn’t be said would never be uttered. It was enough to understand that Zhen Ding possessed the ability to kill him and knew more secrets about the boundary between mortals and gods.
Luo Qing and Che Wanxiu displayed different expressions, yet both were equally focused, like children in a classroom, fully believing in Meng Qi’s words without doubt.
“But the inner world is incomparably weaker than the external world. Even with the utmost caution, one may still suffer from the impact. If the physical body is not strong, opening the mysterious pass between the eyebrows would result in turning to dust, with only a brief survival of the soul,” Meng Qi continued, fingers moving over his prayer beads, speaking with the air of a high monk delivering a sermon, his tongue blooming like a lotus.
Duan Xiangfei’s expression changed. He seemed to grasp why those powerful ancestors in the Snow Palace records, who had successfully opened the ancestral aperture, vanished mysteriously after leaving only a few words.
Previously, he had thought those ancestors had ascended to the Immortal Realm, but now it appeared otherwise, their fate uncertain.
Though reluctant to believe Meng Qi’s description, he could not help but accept it. Otherwise, why had those ancestors failed to leave behind the true secrets of the mortal-god boundary? For immortals, such time should have been sufficient.
“But, Master,” Che Wanxiu asked, somewhat unwilling to accept, “why are there so many myths about immortals?”
Meng Qi smiled lightly and said, “Some are mere rumors passed on by people, while others might indeed be true. Earlier, I only described the situation for those with weak physical bodies. If one’s body is strong enough, it can withstand the cleansing from the external world, absorb its laws and principles, and undergo transformation for longevity.”
Without mentioning the ancient times with terrifyingly long lifespans, even in the current era, those who undergo the cleansing of the external world can extend their lives significantly, perhaps living two or three cycles of sixty years. In ancient times, living a thousand years was not uncommon, truly embodying the state of immortals.
Hearing Meng Qi speak so thoroughly, as if he had witnessed it himself, Duan Xiangfei couldn’t help but ask, “Master, no wonder you said that Bei Ku was the only one with a chance to break the boundary between mortals and gods, because of his strong physical body. But we are not inferior either. We have trained since childhood, refined our internal energy, opened and strengthened our meridians, and unlocked our vitality and Yuan Qi. Our physical bodies are not weak. Do we really need to cultivate external martial arts as well?”
Luo Qing and Che Wanxiu shared the same question.
Meng Qi gently turned his prayer beads: “This humble monk only said that Master Beiku has a chance, not that he is certain to succeed.”
If the inner world cannot form a self-sustaining cycle, Meng Qi suspected that even opening the ancestral aperture and bridging heaven and earth would not allow the inner and outer worlds to merge. At best, one’s body might be cleansed by the laws and principles, gaining some supernatural abilities, but afterward, one would likely have to rely on the body as a dwelling place, following the path of the soul.
Before Duan Xiangfei and the others could inquire, Meng Qi went on, “The human body harbors profound mysteries—not just the dantian, the Shanzhong, and the ancestral aperture, nor merely the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians, nor simply the muscles, bones, and blood.”
Although Meng Qi did not have specific techniques to teach others for opening the body’s apertures, these fundamental concepts were not forbidden by the Ruler of the Sixfold Cycle of Rebirth.
As Meng Qi gradually delved into the subtleties, Che Wanxiu softened her breathing, fearing she might miss a single word. Duan Xiangfei, Luo Qing, Che Wanxiu, Duan Mingcheng, and others, though not as exaggerated, shared a similar intensity of focus.
“There are also internal organs, countless apertures like stars in the sky, and the nine innate apertures of the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose,” Meng Qi pointed out the key aspects.
“Master,” Duan Xiangfei, grasping the profound implication, inquired, “are you suggesting that we should cultivate the five zang-organs and six fu-organs, the orifices, as well as the nine natural apertures?”
Luo Qing’s usually emotionless face flickered with excitement, as if a new door had opened before him. Che Wanxiu stared at Meng Qi intently, waiting for his explanation.
“Cultivating these aspects is inherently interconnected,” Meng Qi said, rotating his prayer beads with a smile. “Have you not heard the sayings: ‘When the eyes do not see, the soul resides in the liver; the eyes are the aperture of the liver’? Or ‘When the ears do not hear, the essence resides in the kidneys; the ears are the aperture of the kidneys’?”
Upon hearing these verses, Duan Xiangfei and others nodded thoughtfully, recognizing similar experiences from their daily cultivation.
“…Only when the inner world establishes a self-sustaining cycle can it integrate with the external world. To open the nine innate apertures, one must cultivate the corresponding apertures. At this stage, the most crucial aspect lies in the methods of measuring and stimulating these apertures…”
Meng Qi’s fourth level of the Golden Bell Shield technique inherently included methods for measuring, stimulating, opening, and refining apertures. Otherwise, why would the fifth level require aperture-opening before further cultivation? However, Meng Qi would not share these methods with Duan Xiangfei and others. He only explained the principles behind measuring apertures, allowing them to understand on their own. Their future progress would depend entirely on their own efforts.
Duan Xiangfei, Che Wanxiu, and the others listened in rapt attention, feeling as if a new world was unfolding before them, a new scroll of infinite scenery gradually revealing itself.
Meng Qi stopped rotating his prayer beads and smiled as he said, “This humble monk has only touched upon a little. Please, all of you, take time to contemplate and understand.”
Duan Xiangfei, Luo Qing, Che Wanxiu, and Duan Mingcheng rose solemnly and performed a deep bow to Meng Qi.
Such knowledge could not be fabricated, and it did not involve specific techniques that might lead them astray. This was a great kindness, akin to saving them from suffering, like having a new master, a second birth!
Meng Qi calmly accepted their bow, then picked up his wooden sword and said, “Master Luo, this humble monk would like to spar with you for one move.”
Unlike Duan Qingjing and Luohongchen, the “Yanluo Tie” was a truly life-and-death technique. Meng Qi feared he might lose control and be unable to stop himself, so he deliberately switched to a wooden sword.
Luo Qing, having just received a great kindness, would not refuse. He turned and stepped into the courtyard, drew his long sword, and pointed it forward diagonally. “Master, please.”
The wind was strong that day, flapping Meng Qi’s white monk’s robe, making him appear ethereal and graceful. He slowly walked to face Luo Qing, closed his eyes, and began to focus his sword intent.
“This move of Master Zhen Ding seems extraordinary,” Che Wanxiu murmured to Duan Xiangfei.
Over the past days, Meng Qi had indeed often sparred with Luo Qing, but Che Wanxiu, an outsider, could easily see that his sword skills were shallow, incomparable to his saber techniques. If his saber techniques were divine, his sword skills were merely at the level of an average martial artist.
Duan Xiangfei, once a master swordsman, saw this even more clearly. Therefore, he was even more surprised. Watching Meng Qi slowly raise his sword and assume a posture as if delivering a challenge, he felt an instinctive fear rising from within. This was a deadly sword technique, a life-and-death sword technique, the pinnacle of sword arts!
When had Master Zhen Ding learned such a terrifying sword technique?
The wooden sword lifted into a challenging posture. Meng Qi cleared his mind of all distractions and then, with a flourish, launched a single strike.
As the sword moved, all complexity converged into a single, pure beam of sword light. Meng Qi’s essence, energy, spirit, and intent were fully immersed. At that moment, he was completely detached from the outside world, seeing and hearing only the changes in the sword technique and the refinement of the sword light.
This was the essence of Jiang Zhiwei’s “Yanluo Tie,” but only when Meng Qi truly executed it did he gain insight, experiencing the pure charm of this strike.
This was a life-and-death sword strike, advancing without retreat, moving forward without turning back!
If there was even a trace of fear or hesitation, the power of the sword move would be greatly diminished!
Meng Qi had always been fearless, and now his intent and sword harmonized perfectly, forgetting everything else. No matter what difficulties or dangers lay ahead, he would never retreat. Even if it cost his life, he would drag his enemy down with him to hell!
If the King of Hell demands your life at the third watch, he won’t wait until the fifth!
This strike severed the enemy’s body and also cut through his own cowardice!
The will to fight surged to the heavens. Meng Qi’s already loosened ear aperture suddenly opened naturally, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
The surrounding sounds—voices, wind, insect chirps, and even the crawling of ants—entered Meng Qi’s ears in clear layers, and the essence from his kidneys surged.
But he had already forgotten everything else. In his eyes and ears, there was only that single sword strike.
The wooden sword sliced through the short distance, carrying an indescribable mystery. As Duan Xiangfei, Che Wanxiu, and Duan Mingcheng watched in shock, the strike was faster than Luo Qing’s defensive sword by a split second. It barely broke through his defense and struck his forehead.
Bang! Luo Qing staggered back, his head spinning, nearly collapsing to the ground.
This was a life-and-death sword strike, and Meng Qi could not stop it. If his internal cultivation had already reached the level where even a falling leaf could take a life, and if Luo Qing hadn’t had protective qi surrounding his body, this strike might have taken his life.
Of course, if Meng Qi’s internal skill had reached that level, he would have definitely made Luo Qing wear an iron helmet before sparring.
Meng Qi stood still for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. He placed the wooden sword behind his back, walked slowly back to the meditation room as if no one else was around, and said nothing more.
To have his ear aperture open naturally while executing the “Yanluo Tie” was truly a great fortune! If not now, when would he consolidate this breakthrough?
Moreover, his “Yanluo Tie” could now be considered mastered to some degree. Although not yet fully controlled, and still far from the might Jiang Zhiwei displayed, it was still a formidable technique, a small but significant achievement.
After Luo Qing recovered, he looked at Duan Xiangfei and the others, who were still stunned, and a rare expression of admiration appeared on his otherwise expressionless face:
“Such a sword technique is truly unheard of. It must belong only to the Immortal Realm.”
His eyes burned with a fiery intensity, as if he could not wait to break through the mortal-god boundary and ascend to the Immortal Realm.
Duan Xiangfei sighed deeply: “Thankfully, I have long abandoned the sword. Otherwise, facing such a sword technique, I would have no heart to wield a sword anymore.”
Che Wanxiu, seeing their shocked and defeated expressions, recalled her own feelings when facing Master Zhen Ding’s saber techniques, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.
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