The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

When the matter of Sanyi Manor was mentioned, Gongsun Ling immediately stopped smiling and tapped his index finger twice on the octagonal table.

"Sanyi Manor needs to be revitalized. Once Yang Lin's seven-day mourning period is over, we can have Erhu and Guantian organize the posting of notices inside and outside the city, and select from the applicants."

Just as Li Yi was about to respond, Gongsun Ling seemed to remember something and instructed him:

"At that time, some colleagues may be interested in the military household quota in Sanyi Village. If they approach you, Brother Li, you can make your own decision without worrying too much."

Gongsun Ling was indeed a daughter of a military family. Her demeanor was completely different from that of ordinary women. She had the bearing of a general. After a heart-to-heart talk, who wouldn't bow down in respect?

Li Yi was no exception; putting everything else aside, this sense of closeness made him want to do something for them.

After the two drank their tea, having nothing else to do, Gongsun Ling simply told Li Yi to go to the training ground in the government office.

The place was about ten zhang square, with weapon racks on all four sides. The open space was divided into eight sections with lime, making it very spacious.

Ultimately, this office was usually only frequented by Gongsun Ling, the centurion, and the two captains, the tall one and the one with the small eyes. Ordinary people basically lived in the centurion's quarters.

For now, there's one more person, Li Yi.

Gongsun Ling had previously read the "Life-Refining Body Method" in the tea room. Now, he stood still in the open space, pressed his thighs down as if sitting on a high chair, raised his fists to his sides, and then slowly pressed them down, before lifting them up again.

After repeating this several times, he stood up and said, "Regardless of the Five Elements, body-refining methods mostly emphasize the combination of stance training and Qi circulation methods. Stance training is supplementary, while Qi circulation methods are primary."

"You have just become familiar with the Qi circulation route through the book's explanation of Wood Qi. Combined with stance training, you can then utilize Wood Qi to strengthen your body."

Li Yi opened the "Life-Refining Body Method," and the first section was the standing meditation demonstrated by Gongsun Ling.

Further on, there are four types of stance training: sitting stance, walking stance, and sleeping stance.

Li Yi flipped back to review the standing meditation exercise, comparing it with Gongsun Ling's demonstration point by point. Then he put down the book and tried it out himself.

The wood energy in Tongziliao rises up and spirals along the gallbladder meridian. After reaching the Dazhui acupoint on the back, it descends along the Du meridian of the spine, then ascends through the Baozhong acupoint, deep in the middle dantian, and rises along both sides of the navel, returning to Tongziliao.

After a full cycle, which took no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Yi already felt refreshed and invigorated.

He opened his eyes, and asked with a hint of surprise, "My lord, this 'Life-Refining Body Method' not only flows through the Gallbladder Meridian, but also through the Governing Vessel and the Chong Meridian, two extraordinary meridians. It truly has many benefits."

Gongsun Ling watched Li Yi complete the entire Qi circulation exercise. She never expected that her first time practicing standing meditation would produce such results. She is truly a gifted person.

She secretly praised him and echoed:

"The Du Meridian is the sea of ​​Yang Meridians, and the Chong Meridian is also known as the sea of ​​blood, where Yang is preserved and blood is generated. Those who practice the Body Refining Method of Life are least afraid of prolonged tug-of-war. If it were a Qi cultivation method, it would definitely be known for its abundance of the Five Elements Qi."

Li Yi was overjoyed and nodded with a smile. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he asked:

"Since the Governing Vessel is called the Sea of ​​Yang Vessels, yet it has no distinction of the Five Elements, if someone enters the Dao through the Governing Vessel, what kind of spiritual energy does they absorb?"

Gongsun Ling was taken aback by this common-sense question, but considering that Li Yi had only been absorbing Qi for less than two months, she was also delighted and patiently explained:

"The human body has its own Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. We cultivators absorb Qi in order to use the external world to cultivate our own small world."

Now that the Governing Vessel is open, there will be spiritual energy within the body to guide it, at which point the cultivation path for the next meridian can be determined.

Li Yi nodded seriously and asked again:

"The eight extraordinary meridians are not directly connected to the five internal organs and six bowels. After cultivating one of them, wouldn't one have to choose a proper meridian to cultivate in order to connect with the internal organs and attempt to build a foundation?"

"That's true, but—" Gongsun Ling changed the subject, "Even if an ordinary cultivator opens up one of the main meridians, without the assistance of the eight extraordinary meridians, it's difficult to cultivate the internal organs. So it's just a matter of order, the impact is not significant."

With Zhang Junyi's guidance, Li Yi easily accepted Gongsun Ling's explanation.

The twelve regular meridians are clearly divided into Yin and Yang, while the eight extraordinary meridians only have a bias, not an absolute one. They are important meridians that connect the Yin and Yang of the meridians.

Take the "Life-Refining Body Method" for example. It is clearly a method for cultivating the Wood Qi of the Gallbladder Meridian, but the Qi circulation route happens to pass through the Chong Meridian, which is a Yin-dominant extraordinary meridian, in order to balance the Yin and Yang of the Wood Qi.

As for the Yin-Yang bias of the eight extraordinary meridians, it's quite simple.

The back, the outer side of the limbs, are predominantly Yang.

It is located on the chest and abdomen, on the inner side of the limbs, and is predominantly yin.

Just like the five internal organs and six bowels. The five internal organs are yin, and the six bowels are yang; these are things that can be clearly distinguished at a glance.

Gongsun Ling realized that Li Yi, as a cultivator who had entered the Dao, really lacked understanding of the Five Elements Golden Elixir Dao, so she simply sat down on the ground and, basking in the sunlight, began to explain it in a grand and detailed manner.

"...Although the ultimate goal of body cultivation is to achieve physical sainthood, it actually follows the Five Elements Great Dao. Understanding these will be beneficial in both future cultivation and combat."

Li Yi responded repeatedly, his eyes filled with gratitude.

In fact, Zhang Junyi had mentioned these important and fundamental points of knowledge more than once.

However, Li Yi was only a beginner in cultivation at that time, and his understanding was always superficial.

Now that ten spiritual acupoints have been opened, things are different now. By comparing and verifying knowledge with experience, we can understand things much more clearly and truly internalize them.

Sunlight slipped down Li Yi's chin, but he was completely unaware of it. Recalling the events he had shared with Zhang Junyi in the Great Cold Mountain ten days prior, it all seemed like yesterday, and he became lost in thought.

Gongsun Ling found it amusing. Hearing that Li Yi had been frequenting the Zhang residence, it seemed he was suffering from lovesickness.

I wonder how Junyi and he met. It seems the Registrar of Households has accepted this son-in-law? I must find out more about it another day.

Zhang Ling has been on duty for the past few months and always seemed bitter and resentful. But lately he has become much more cheerful. Could it be related to Li Yi?

A sly glint appeared in the centurion's eyes. He called out softly and teased:

"Brother Li, where was I?"

Li Yi suddenly came to his senses and stammered, "That's right... the essentials of body cultivation and the Five Elements Dao. What you said is correct. If we understand the characteristics of the Five Elements, we can decide on our battle tactics based on the Five Elements affiliation of cultivators of the same level in the future."

Can you multitask?

Gongsun Ling snorted coldly, propped her right knee with her right hand, and stood up, saying:

"That's all for today. Brother Li, you don't need to worry about things here for the time being. Just focus on your cultivation and gradually integrate."

Li Yi stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "I will remember your kindness, sir, and will do my utmost to repay you in the future."

Gongsun Ling waved his hand and took the lead in walking out of the training ground, saying, "They're all my brothers."

Li Yi accompanied her out of the government office. After they had gone some distance, he pondered whether he should settle down in the Hundred Household Office. He subconsciously touched the silver notes in his pocket, rode his horse to the East City Market to buy a batch of daily necessities, and then took fifty catties of beef with him and headed towards Sanyi Village.

By the time we arrived, it was already completely dark.

The lights were on in the house in Guantian, and two figures were reflected in the east room.

Li Yi tethered his horse, carried the beef, and went into the house. Sure enough, he saw Guan Tian and Li Erhu having a long talk. He immediately smiled.

"Xiao Guan, Er Hu, you two should try to absorb Qi together in the future. This beef should be enough for emergencies."

Guan Tian spent a day with Li Erhu, and when he saw Li Yi bring over a lot of beef, his features suddenly furrowed. Before he could even utter a word of thanks, he lowered his head.

I'm sleepy.

He whispered something, lifted his shirt, pressed it to his eye sockets and rubbed them; they were already a little red when he put them down.

Guan Tian smiled at Li Yi for the first time, his voice hoarse as he said:

"Thank you, Lord Xiaoqi."