Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Xia He filled a basin with cold water and placed it on the stone platform in the yard.

The two huddled together in a basin, scooped up water to wash their faces, and then wrung out their cloths to dry them.

Cheng Mo turned around and went to the kitchen to start a fire and cook porridge.

The rice was new local rice that the villagers had given him last night. He grabbed two handfuls, rinsed it clean, added enough water, put firewood in the stove, and slowly cooked it while controlling the heat. He then went to the vegetable garden behind the house, picked some greens, and stir-fried them.

As the aroma of congee wafted out, Cheng Mo ladled out three bowls and called to Ma Xianhong, "Brother Ma, would you like some?"

Ma Xianhong had originally planned to start the experiment directly, but the aroma of the porridge made his stomach feel empty. Remembering that he had been so engrossed in designing the process last night that he had missed the barbecue, he readily agreed: "Then I'll trouble you."

A bowl of hot porridge, the rice grains cooked until they bloom, thick and smooth, a plate of green vegetables, the oil and salt just right, refreshing and crisp.

Ma Xianhong took a few bites, then looked up at Cheng Mo: "Brother Cheng's cooking skills are truly superb. Before this, I never imagined that a bowl of plain porridge could taste so good."

Cheng Mo smiled and waved his hand, "You flatter me, you flatter me."

Xia He looked up from the rim of the bowl and said, "Little Mozi, you're getting too cocky."

Cheng Mo turned around: "No." His gaze swept over Xia He's back, "But your tail is wagging like a windmill."

Xia He: "You think it's a dog, shaking it like that... Hey! Little Mozi! You're swearing!"

Cheng Mo: "I didn't. You're overthinking it."

Ma Xianhong buried his head in his porridge...

Why are these two like Qiu Rang and Ding Zihuan, arguing after only a few words? Is it possible that their problem is contagious?

A lively breakfast has come to an end.

Ma Xianhong put down his bowl and said to Xia He, "Miss Xia, this house is a bit old and the location is remote. If you are not satisfied, you can choose any empty house in the village. You can bring your own bedding with you."

Xia He readily agreed, "Okay, okay."

Ma Xianhong then turned to Cheng Mo: "Brother Cheng, shall we go to the Cultivation Hall?"

Xia He immediately raised her hand: "Can I come along?"

Ma Xianhong: "Of course it's possible. But that place is actually quite boring."

Xia He: "It's okay, I'm not afraid of being bored."

Ma Xianhong didn't say anything more, since he didn't intend to hide anything anyway.

……

The three left the hut and headed deeper into the village. Xiushantang was the most conspicuous building in the village, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, much taller than ordinary houses.

Pushing open the door, you'll find a spacious interior with a peculiar device standing in the center, about the height of two people.

That is the Body Cultivation Furnace.

The furnace body is dark gold in color and covered with intricate patterns. The furnace body is composed of multiple nested structures, and the outlines of internal gears and pipes are faintly visible. There is an opening on the top of the furnace, which allows one person to enter. Dozens of crystal stones are inlaid in the furnace wall and arranged in a specific array.

Cheng Mo looked around but found no structure resembling the "mysterious organism". This meant that Qu Tong was not involved in the cultivation furnace; it was only built by Ma Xianhong using the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements.

Ma Xianhong walked to the furnace, gently stroking its walls with his fingers, and said proudly, "Brother Cheng, Miss Xia, please look, this is the Body Refinement Furnace. My cultivation is inherited from the Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements. The way of refining weapons is not limited to external objects, but can also be used to refine the body."

He turned to Cheng Mo and began to explain the core theory: "Although ordinary people have the potential to circulate Qi, their meridians are not open and their acupoints are not activated, so they cannot sense the Qi between heaven and earth, let alone absorb it for their own use. The reason why extraordinary people are extraordinary is that they have opened up this path."

"I regard the human body as a special magical artifact." Ma Xianhong's eyes gleamed with a unique light. "Through the Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, I temporarily construct a set of the most basic Qi circulation diagrams within the subject's body."

"Then, using this diagram as a guide, the body-cultivation furnace is driven to forcibly gather a concentration of Qi of heaven and earth far exceeding the normal level. Through quantitative change, the Qi is used to open up the key meridians and acupoints of the subject along the path of the diagram."

He gestured with his hand to make a famous chisel-like motion: "Once the passage is opened, the barrier between the body and Qi is broken. After that, even if the subject leaves the cultivation furnace, he can begin to sense, absorb, and circulate Qi, and officially enter the ranks of extraordinary people."

Cheng Mo nodded. The idea itself wasn't wrong; the key was to break through the barrier through brute force.

However, the problem is that without the involvement of both hands, relying solely on equipment, the uncertainty is indeed quite high.

Fortunately, he didn't have both hands, otherwise Cheng Mo might not have dared to try.

Ma Xianhong was clearly aware of this problem: "Of course, this process is risky. If the Qi flow is too weak, it will be ineffective, and if it is too strong, it may damage the root. Therefore, it requires precise control, and the subject himself also needs to have sufficient tolerance."

Xia He was startled: "Didn't they say yesterday that there was no danger to her life?"

Ma Xianhong replied with a smile, "There is indeed no danger to his life. Even if it damages his health, he will recover in a year or two."

Xia He was about to speak again when Cheng Mo patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, don't you know my body?"

Xia He pursed her lips and said no more.

Cheng Mo asked Ma Xianhong, "Shall we begin now?"

Ma Xianhong shook his head: "No rush, Brother Cheng. Let's first determine your physical condition, one step at a time. I need to know your limits before I can set a safe flow of Qi."

He led Cheng Mo to the other side of the meditation hall, where various testing equipment were displayed.

"Let's start with explosive power." Ma Xianhong pointed to a pillar fixed to a heavy base. "Strike here with all your might. I'll record the data."

Cheng Mo stopped, took a deep breath, and threw a punch.

boom!

The pointer of the force gauge suddenly swung to its limit, hitting the limit switch with a piercing click.

Ma Xianhong glanced at the readings, then at Cheng Mo's calm face, his eyes widening slightly: "...much better than I expected."

Next was the endurance test, where Ma Xianhong had Cheng Mo carry a weight equivalent to his own body weight and do a quick shuttle run.

He often does similar training himself, and usually, he can only last for twenty minutes.

Cheng Mo ran for forty minutes, his breathing remained steady, and his pace showed no signs of slowing down.

Ma Xianhong looked at the timer, his expression changing: "Impressive."

Next is the impact resistance test.

Ma Xianhong took out a specially made metal rod and made Cheng Mo stand still: "I will strike your arm with gradually increasing force. If you feel you can't take it, shout 'Stop!' immediately."

Cheng Mo didn't react to the first attack.

Ma Xianhong increased his strength.

The second strike, the third strike... the metal rod slammed into Cheng Mo's arm, making dull thuds.

Ma Xianhong had already increased his strength to half of his full power, but Cheng Mo remained unfazed.

He gritted his teeth and used seventy percent of his strength.

boom!

Cheng Mo's arm trembled slightly, his skin flushed, but not a single inch of skin was broken.

Ma Xianhong stopped what he was doing, stared at Cheng Mo's arm for several seconds, then looked at the bent metal rod in his own hand, opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

He put down the stick, walked to the data panel, and checked the test results one by one.

Further tests will be conducted on reaction speed, flexibility, balance, and other aspects.

Ma Xianhong's expression gradually changed from "That's pretty impressive" to "Wow, that's amazing," then to utter astonishment, and finally, when all the tests were over and he held the summary data report, he froze completely.

Is this even human?

He looked down at the exaggerated data in the report, then looked up at Cheng Mo; then looked down at the report again, then looked up at Cheng Mo again.

Cheng Mo felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze: "Brother Ma, what exactly happened? You should at least give me a straight answer."

Ma Xianhong let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumped, and his expression was extremely dejected.

Cheng Mo's heart skipped a beat. He thought Lao Ma had lost confidence and was about to give him a pep talk.

Ma Xianhong spoke, his voice filled with disbelief: "Brother Cheng...you really...have no Qi sensation?"

Cheng Mo immediately breathed a sigh of relief. So that's what it was.

He had heard similar exclamations from several groups of people and was no longer impressed by them.

As long as Lao Ma doesn't lose his passion for scientific research, everything is negotiable.

"That's true," Cheng Mo said frankly. "Didn't Brother Ma already test it?"