Divine Tang Era

As the cultivation technique was activated, a surge of powerful qi and blood flowed from the Hidden Mystery Cauldron at the center of the body, circulating through the blood vessels.

Waves of blood, like waves of soldiers, advance one after another to conquer cities and territories, washing away old blood and cleansing away filth.

The five internal organs are heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The heart belongs to the fire element of the south and governs blood. After refining, it can strengthen qi and blood.

Therefore, Xu Dan's first step was to cultivate his heart. The heart is shaped like a vermilion bird, resembling an inverted lotus stamen, its color like white silk reflecting crimson. It is named Dan Yuan, styled Shou Ling. It resides within the lungs, above the liver, one inch below the xiphoid procession, containing seven orifices and three hairs. The wisest person has clear and bright heart orifices; the average person has five orifices, and the heart's energy flows freely; the least wise person has no orifices, their energy is obstructed, they are unwise, and cunning.

Vast and boundless energy surges forward, wave after wave, layer upon layer, rushing ever onward.

Finally, they arrived at the heart. But outside the ventricles, a massive wall blocked their path, preventing the surging blood and energy from advancing even an inch.

Xu Dan circulated his qi and blood, surging and pounding, but the giant wall remained as solid as cast iron, unmoved. His brow furrowed involuntarily, and he suddenly recalled the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound technique from traditional Chinese martial arts.

When felines like the leopard cat and octopus sleep, their bellies rise and fall, producing a thunderous sound known as "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound." In the past, some martial arts practitioners incorporated this sound into their physical training, reaping significant benefits.

So, can I use it myself?

At this moment, he remembered the two mythical generals, Heng and Ha.

The two cultivated their innate qi within their abdomens. One snorted through his nose, the sound like a bell, and then emitted two beams of white light that absorbed people's souls; the other opened his mouth and exhaled yellow gas, which caused the souls of those who saw it to dissipate.

The sounds of "humming and hawing" are actually somewhat similar to the sounds of tigers and leopards.

One uses air, the other uses force.

Similarly, there is the Buddhist six-syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" and the Taoist nine-syllable mantra "Lin Bing Dou Zhe Jie Zhen Lie Qian Xing".

The Taoist Nine-Syllable Mantra, also known as the "Six Jia Secret Invocation," requires hand seals to be effective. He knows the mantra, but he hasn't learned the hand seals; the "Hum and Ha" breaths require secret cultivation methods, which he doesn't possess; the Chinese martial art "Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound" is too profound and requires a certain level of attainment; all things considered, the Buddhist Six-Syllable Mantra is simpler.

The syllables "Om Mani Padme Hum" are probably easy for most people to pronounce.

Thinking of this, Xu Dan gathered his strength within his dantian and silently uttered a sound. The sound did not come out of his mouth, but went inward.

Xu Dan circulated his dantian, propelling sound waves to impact his heart.

"Om...man...ni...pa...mi...hum...Om mani padme hum Om mani padme hum..."

At first, Xu Dan recited the mantra word by word. After finishing one word, he felt that the power of one word was not strong enough, so he recited all six words at once. In an instant, each mantra, like a great bell or drum, emitted deafening sonic waves, propelling his surging blood and qi to crash against the giant wall outside his heart.

"boom"

The sound waves and blood energy surged forth, creating a raging torrent.

Wave after wave crashed against the giant wall, one after another. After a while, the massive wall, which had remained as immovable as if cast in bronze and iron, finally began to tremble. Xu Dan was overjoyed and immediately circulated his qi and blood, chanting incantations loudly as he charged towards the giant wall.

"boom"

With a loud bang, the giant wall collapsed.

A vermilion bird flew out of the heart chamber and plunged into the towering waves of blood. The merciless waves crashed against it, but instead of breaking it, they helped it shed its old feathers and be reborn.

"Eek!"

A moment later, the crimson phoenix, now with new feathers, chirped and took flight, soaring through the heart chambers. Wherever it passed, the old appearance was transformed, and the heart itself turned fiery red.

A wisp of blood vapor rose from the ventricle, transforming into the Southern Bright Fire, which burned the sky above the ventricle red.

For some reason, Xu Dan felt a sense of emptiness and entered a state of profound tranquility, free from self and external objects.

.........................

The wilderness was desolate and deserted, with only the bright stars hanging in the sky twinkling, as if telling beautiful and moving stories.

Two figures suddenly appeared at the spot where Xu Dan killed the Ghost Mother.

"Why does the trail of the Ghost Mother end here?" one person asked curiously.

"There's a new grave over there, let's go take a look."

The two walked over and saw a wooden tombstone in front of the grave, with the inscription "Tomb of the Children." Behind the tombstone were further inscriptions such as "The evil mother was cruel and ruthless, abducting and killing the children. A divine general descended and beheaded her with a knife. I have raised their bones and buried them in this desolate wilderness. I sincerely thank those who pass by for not disturbing them."

"It seems the Demon Mother has been murdered."

"She's lucky. If I had caught her, I would have skinned her alive and ripped her bones to vent my hatred."

"What's the use of saying all this? Come, let us see which expert has slain the Ghost Mother. This Ghost Mother harms living beings, gave birth to nine children, and is ten people in one body. She is not easy to deal with." The man made hand seals in the air, and a light screen slowly opened.

The two stared at the light screen for a moment, and seeing that the scenery inside was exactly the same as outside, they couldn't help but marvel, "I wonder which expert is so skillful that they left no trace."

"It must have purified this place; otherwise, it would have left no trace."

"It's better that he's dead. At least we can finish our mission and save you and me from having to run around everywhere."

"Shall we go back?"

"I definitely have to go back. I miss all the beauties in Jingning City so much."

"You're only after your money, aren't you!"

"You're hurting people with those words."

After the two left, the wilderness returned to its previous tranquility, as silent and deserted as before. The stars in the sky twinkled as before, unchanged by their arrival.

······

"Um"

Waking up early, Xu Dan felt something was wrong. He had actually been sitting cross-legged on the bed cultivating all night, which was truly unbelievable. He used his inner vision to discover that his heart had been refined, and his qi and blood were circulating within it. With each circulation, the qi and blood became stronger, and the blood also thickened slightly.

Suddenly, Xu Dan felt something strange in his throat, as if something was blocking it, and he coughed a few times.

"Cough cough cough"

As he coughed, a burst of flame shot out of his mouth.

With this expulsion, the qi and blood flowed freely within the body, beginning to circulate through the blood vessels.

Xu Dan was nearly scared to death when he saw the flames coming out of his mouth. Thinking something was wrong with his body, he quickly focused his mind and looked inward. After checking, he found nothing wrong. Strange, really strange. After careful thought and analysis, he felt that the flames were probably the impurities left behind after his blood and qi refined his heart.

That's how it should be.

After spewing out flames, the Vermilion Bird formed from the Heart Fire became noticeably more agile, and the speed of refining Qi and Blood also increased.

Xu Dan never expected that he could refine his heart in just one night, and he wondered if refining his liver would go so smoothly next.

"Brother, get up, wash your face, and start your cultivation," Little Magpie called from outside.

"understood."

This little thing has been so happy since I promised to take her to school this morning that she couldn't sleep. Sure enough, she got up before dawn and came knocking on the door right on time. Although Xu Dan hadn't slept all night, he was more energetic than if he'd slept after a night of cultivation. He got up, opened the door, washed up, and then took the little magpie to the roof to breathe in the morning sun's purple aura.

Although Xu Dan has achieved success in his cultivation, he still gets up early every day to gather qi and practice his boxing, just like before.

"I'm stuffed."

After finishing her meal, Xiao Que'er pushed her bowl and chopsticks forward, wiped her mouth, jumped off her chair, picked up the schoolbag her mother had prepared, slung it over her shoulder, and quietly watched Xu Dan. Xu Dan, still eating, felt embarrassed by her gaze and quickly sped up his meal.

This little brat is more enthusiastic about going to school than anyone else.

He remembered being just as enthusiastic about school, but it was all for nothing; he still couldn't understand the lessons, and his grades remained the same. Speaking of which, could Little Magpie be a terrible student?

Xu Dan held her little hand as they walked down the street, asking as they went, "Little Magpie, does your teacher usually test you in your studies?"

"Yes," Little Magpie nodded hurriedly.

"How's your schoolwork?"

"That's great! I can recite everything the teacher taught me. Unlike others, who are silly and don't understand anything."

Seeing the little magpie's proud little face, Xu Dan felt it was a bit unscientific and didn't make sense!