Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Fang Qianhe remained in that somewhat awkward "turtle-crane" posture, feeling as if all his muscles and bones had been stretched to their limit, causing him unbearable soreness. Zhang Zhiwei noticed that fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead, so he told him to stop.

"Alright, when the foundation is not yet stable, cultivation should proceed step by step, with the main focus on building a solid foundation."

Fang Qianhe felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He slowly stretched out his body and felt an unprecedented sense of comfort spreading from his spine to his limbs. The previous soreness did not make him tired, but instead made him feel full of strength.

He rubbed the sore spots on his body and asked curiously, "Master, you just told me some information about the last three trials, so what about the first three trials?"

“The first three gates…” Zhang Zhiwei said, “To make it easier for you to understand, I have divided the human body into three sections, namely the three gates of essence, qi and spirit. The first three gates are from top to bottom, from the glabella between the eyebrows, to the dantian in the middle of the chest, and the lower dantian below the navel. These are the first three gates.”

"As the saying goes, 'Jade liquid and fine wine descend from the twelve-story tower and go straight to the Crimson Palace,' meaning that when you are cultivating, your saliva will flow continuously. Unlike the bland and tasteless saliva you usually have, it is light and sweet, which is called 'jade liquid and fine wine' in Taoism."

"It descends from the bone of the throat, segment by segment of cartilage, twelve times, hence the name 'Twelve-Story Tower,' and 'reaches straight to the Crimson Palace,' which means it goes down to the heart."

"This 'nectar' is not swallowed like eating candy or rice. Instead, you have to lift your tongue up a little so that the saliva will keep flowing down."

"The more 'jade elixir' the body absorbs, the healthier it becomes. This is a method to preserve one's innate vital energy and maintain life."

"These are the first three gates and the last three gates. As for how to use them specifically, it is based on the principle of 'the birth of Yang at the winter solstice,' which means going up from the tailbone at the bottom of the sea all the way up through the months of Zi and Chou until reaching the top of the Qian trigram. This upward movement from below is called the 'Du Meridian.'"

"Du means to supervise and urge. All the internal organs of our body are connected to this Du meridian. From the throat down, the lungs, liver, heart, stomach, and all the way to the intestines, they are all connected to this spine."

"Humans are different from animals. Animals have horizontal bodies, and their internal organs are attached to their spines. Therefore, the animal realm is also called the 'side birth,' which means horizontal birth."

“Controlling Qi and following the route I just described is called walking through the three gates. If you combine the last three gates and circulate it throughout the body, this is called the ‘small circulation’.”

Zhang Zhiwei looked at Fang Qianhe and smiled, "I've explained the reasoning to you. Now, try to walk through it yourself as I've said."

"Yes, Master!" Fang Qianhe immediately sat cross-legged, focusing his attention on his nose and mind, trying to calm himself down.

Following Zhang Zhiwei's instructions, he tried to adjust his breathing to make it deep, long, fine, and even, while gently touching the roof of his mouth with the tip of his tongue and focusing his mind on his dantian.

At first, he only felt that his breathing was a bit deliberate, and he didn't feel anything special in his body.

But gradually, as his mind became calmer, he felt saliva naturally welling up in his mouth. Unlike usual, this saliva carried a faint, sweet taste, which was the prototype of the "jade nectar" that his master had mentioned.

He did as instructed, slightly raising his tongue to swallow the saliva, which seemed like a clear spring flowing slowly down his throat.

Zhang Zhiwei instructed from the side: "Follow the flow of your mind and breath, neither forget nor assist it. Imagine this warm current quietly arising from the coccyx, like a spring just beginning to gush forth, slowly ascending along the spine. When it passes the coccyx, you should feel a slight warmth and aching sensation, like the gentle warmth of charcoal..."

Fang Qianhe focused his mind and tried his best to perceive.

Sure enough, with focused concentration, a faint warmth seemed to emanate from his coccyx, almost imperceptible, like a tiny spark in the darkness. A thought struck him, and he tried to guide this warmth upwards with his mind.

Zhang Zhiwei seemed to see through his thoughts and reminded him, "Don't try to force it. Qi is a very mysterious thing. The more you try to control it, the harder it is to control."

"It's like learning to read and write. The more you stare at a word and think about it, the more unfamiliar it becomes. But if you stop thinking about the word and think about the things you want to record and the scenery you want to describe, then it will come out naturally."

"Therefore you must let go of the idea of ​​controlling your Qi. The movement of Qi is like the flow of water, and its value lies in its naturalness. You only need to observe it quietly, as if watching a wisp of smoke, and it will find its way upward on its own."

"When you encounter the Jiaji Pass, you may feel a blockage, like a light boat encountering shallow water. Don't be anxious. Keep your breathing long and even, and it will pass on its own."

Fang Qianhe relaxed as instructed, no longer deliberately pushing himself, but simply maintaining that state of "observation".

The faint warmth did indeed begin to move very slowly upwards along the spine. When it reached the vicinity of the Jiaji point, it felt an invisible stagnation, as if passing through a thick fog.

He kept his master's teachings in mind, remaining calm and composed, maintaining deep breaths and a clear mind. Gradually, the stagnation dissipated, and the warm current continued to rise, smoothly ascending to the Niwan Palace at the top of his head.

In an instant, Fang Qianhe felt his mind clear up, as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining.

“Good!” Zhang Zhiwei continued, “The Qi has passed through the three gates and reached the Niwan point. Now, we should guide the Qi downwards, from the Du meridian to the Ren meridian. Imagine sweet rain falling from the sky, slowly descending from the Niwan point, passing the Yintang point, descending to the Tanzhong point, and returning to the lower Dantian. This is the way of the Ren meridian, which is responsible for nourishing and storing.”

Fang Qianhe understood immediately and guided the warm feeling, which had become more pronounced, to slowly descend from the center of his forehead, through the space between his eyebrows, down to the center of his chest, and finally into his lower abdomen.

After completing this cycle, he felt warm and comfortable all over his body. The soreness he had experienced from practicing the tortoise and crane posture had also been greatly reduced, and his spirits were more vibrant than ever before.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with surprise and enlightenment, and looked at Zhang Zhiwei: "Master! I have completed a 'Small Heavenly Circuit'!"

Zhang Zhiwei nodded slightly and smiled, "It's already quite remarkable that you were able to vaguely sense the path of Qi on your first attempt. Some of my fellow disciples and your senior uncles and aunts have mastered this, some even taking ten days or half a month to do so."

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master!" Fang Qianhe quickly said.

This is indeed the truth. In spiritual practice, the master often leads you in, but the practice depends on the individual. Few people can break down and explain the various principles and details of spiritual practice as thoroughly as Zhang Zhiwei.

Most people, even if they can practice it themselves, can't teach it. It's like walking on legs. Everyone with a healthy body can walk, but not many people can explain which nerves and muscles are used to perform the action of walking.

Only someone who knows their own life inside and out can explain this clearly.

“No matter how well I teach you, I can only give you slight pointers. Cultivation is still your own business,” Zhang Zhiwei said. “Learning to circulate the microcosmic orbit is just the beginning. You are still far from the true ‘circulation of the river chariot’ and the smooth flow of the microcosmic orbit. Remember, today’s feeling is the result of the interdependence of mind and breath and the focus of intention. You must not become arrogant or impatient, or be greedy for quick results. In your future cultivation, you still need to persevere.”

"Yes, Master!" Fang Qianhe said solemnly, "Disciple will remember."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded: "Now that you have learned how to circulate the microcosmic orbit and its details, I will teach you the introductory technique of the Celestial Master's Mansion, which is also the most important technique, the Golden Light Mantra."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qianhe suddenly became convinced that simply obtaining Qi did not make one an extraordinary person. Even if one could circulate Qi through the Small Heavenly Circuit, one could not be considered an extraordinary person. Only those who master extraordinary techniques and abilities could become extraordinary people.

Although the Golden Light Mantra is an introductory technique of the Celestial Master's Mansion, it is one of the eight great divine mantras of Taoism. He had not only heard of its fame, but had also seen it every day recently. Watching his elders covered in golden light and making a clanging sound when they struck it, he couldn't be more envious.

Zhang Zhiwei said, "Practicing the Golden Light Mantra is more difficult than simply circulating the microcosmic orbit. Our Taoism has the Three Caverns and Four Auxiliary Caverns."

"The Three Caverns are the Cavern Truth Department, the Cavern Mystery Department, and the Cavern God Department; the Four Auxiliaries are the Great Mystery Department, the Great Peace Department, the Great Purity Department, and the Righteous Department."

“We are naturally from the Zhengyi school, and the ‘Golden Light Mantra’ we practice belongs to the ‘Supreme Three Caverns Divine Mantra’, which belongs to the Dongzhen school of classics. Therefore, the ‘Golden Light Mantra’ is generally classified under the Dongzhen school.”

"But in reality, the 'Golden Light Mantra' should be a Taoist classic that lies between the Dongzhen and Dongshen schools."

The terms Dongzhenbu, Dongxuanbu, and Dongshenbu mentioned by Zhang Zhiwei are Taoist terms, which can also be referred to as schools of thought, each with its own classics.

It's complicated to explain, but let me summarize it simply.

The classics of the Dongzhen School focus on cultivating one's nature and life force. The Taoist priests of the Quanzhen School should be classified under the Dongzhen School. The Golden Light Mantra also cultivates one's nature and life force, so it also belongs to this path.

The classics of the Dongxuan Division mainly consist of setting up altars and performing rituals. For example, Zhang Zhiwei's flying sword can destroy magic altars, which is a capability of the Dongxuan Division.

Most of the old Taoist priests of the Shangqing Sect on Maoshan Mountain practice this path, which is also the most complicated. Therefore, they are often very patient and do not go down the mountain for many years.

The classic example of this technique is that it is very powerful, but requires the setup of rituals, meaning the skill has a long casting time. It is very powerful once the stance is set up, but it will be a disaster in a surprise attack.

In the storyline, this is one of the reasons why Zhao Guizhen, the traitor of the Shangqing Sect, was able to escape from the sect so easily.

As for the classics of the Dongshen tribe, they are talismans. Other strange arts such as summoning ghosts and driving corpses are all classics of the Dongshen tribe.

Although Ye Maoshan is not recognized, many of the spells they know should belong to the Dongshen tribe.

Long ago, the three paths were clearly distinct, but now, most of the larger Taoist sects practice all three paths together. The Quanzhen School has started using talismans, and even Wang Ai from Wudang often uses talismans like the "blinding incense."

The Golden Light Spell, due to its design of talismans and the accompanying golden light effect, can also be considered a method of the Cave God Tribe.

As for whether it is Dongzhen or Dongshen, that depends on one's own focus in cultivation.

For example, in Zhang Zhiwei's hands, the Golden Light Mantra belonged to the Dongzhen sect, while in Zhang Huaiyi's hands, it belonged to the Dongshen sect.

Although Zhang Zhiwei felt that the essence of the Golden Light Mantra was cultivating one's life force, and the golden light was merely a byproduct, this was just his opinion. Cultivation is a very private matter, and the path is under one's own feet. If someone insisted on using the Golden Light Mantra as a technique and trying to cultivate it in the Cave God Department, Zhang Zhiwei wouldn't say much, even if that person was his disciple.

"Which path do you plan to take, the Dongzhen Path or the Dongshen Path?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

This question stumped Fang Qianhe. During this period, he had had many exchanges with other newly initiated Taoist priests. Although he had not formally cultivated for a long time, as a disciple of the Little Celestial Master, everyone still respected him and was willing to talk to him about cultivation matters. However, he did not remember whether his fellow disciples' masters had asked them to choose between Dongzhen and Dongshen.

"Master...Master...how did you choose?" Fang Qianhe asked.

“I chose the Path of the Cave Truth, which focuses on cultivating life and health, while the golden light is just a byproduct,” Zhang Zhiwei said.

“Then I will choose the Dongzhen Division,” Fang Qianhe said with a determined look.

“Alright,” Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile, “If you choose the Dongzhen Department, the beginning will be a bit slower. In the early stages, you will definitely not be as good as those who specialize in golden light as those who specialize in it. But once your life cultivation improves, there will be a big change. Moreover, this change is not only in the golden light, but in all your methods. But it is a very tedious process. I hope you can persevere.”

“Master, although I am not particularly clever, I have one advantage: I can persevere in doing something.” Fang Qianhe said again.

Zhang Zhiwei nodded: "In that case, I will now teach you the Golden Light Mantra. Practicing the Golden Light Mantra requires visualization, which means that when you meditate and circulate your Qi, you also need to coordinate with some rituals such as clenching your teeth, chanting scriptures, and making hand gestures to achieve better results in cultivating your life and spirit."

Afterwards, Zhang Zhiwei explained the details of the various rituals to Fang Qianhe and said, "No matter how much I say, it's not as good as experiencing it firsthand. Now, follow what I just told you. I will use golden light to guide the Qi in your body and follow the rules of the Golden Light Mantra. Remember to memorize this Qi circulation route."

Fang Qianhe immediately sat up straight and began to circulate his Qi.

The previous Small Heavenly Circuit was simply circulating Qi. If you practiced this way, you could strengthen your body, but you would never gain any special abilities in your life, and the improvement to your lifespan would be very limited. The cultivation method, on the other hand, is based on the Small Heavenly Circuit and involves circulating Qi through several more meridians.

Zhang Zhiwei walked up to Fang Qianhe, extended a finger, and a soft, non-glaring golden light shone from the fingertip. He gently touched Fang Qianhe's brow, and the golden light entered Fang Qianhe's Niwan Palace and began to descend, accurately finding the Qi within Fang Qianhe's body. Then, he grasped it and began to circulate the Qi.

"Relax, don't resist, give it to me, concentrate, calm down, and follow my guidance."

The golden light emanating from Zhang Zhiwei's fingertips was like a paintbrush drawing a route on a map, guiding Fang Qianhe's Qi and embarking on an unprecedented "meridian journey." (End of Chapter)