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

"Did you successfully open the acupoints?" Li Yi noticed something amiss and stepped forward to ask, "What kind of spiritual energy was used?"

Guan Tian opened his eyes and shook his head hesitantly.

"The Huiyin acupoint has indeed been opened, but the spiritual energy is colorless and formless, and petty people cannot distinguish it."

Li Yi frowned slightly, handed the method of circulating qi taught by Zhang Junyi to Guan Tian, ​​and patiently guided him, "In conjunction with the 'Essentials of Five Elements Qi Gathering,' send the qi along the Ren meridian to the throat."

Guan Tian tried it, and every time he tried to send spiritual energy to his navel, he felt powerless.

It's still a beginner's level, and it falls short in many aspects.

Li Yi didn't insist. He extended his wooden qi and drilled it into Guan Tian's perineum. Sure enough, he saw a wisp of colorless and formless qi swirling in the acupoint, extremely agile and ethereal.

"It resembles water qi, but only like this. I'll take you to see Commander Gongsun. She comes from a family with a long history of learning and should be able to answer our questions."

Li Yi, suddenly having gained a subordinate skilled in qi cultivation, was in high spirits and strode swiftly to the yellow horse, about to untie the reins, when Li Erhu called out from behind:

"Brother Yi, tomorrow is the seventh day after Brother Yang Lin's death. The funeral will begin tonight with the body laid in state. The captain and the centurion might be there."

Li Yi slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot about that. Well, no rush. Xiao Guan has just opened his spiritual acupoints, so his stomach should be extremely hungry—"

He suddenly noticed Guan Tian eating a whole piece of braised pork liver and couldn't help but chuckle.

Since there was nothing else to do for the time being, Li Yi went back to his room, took out the "Life-Refining Body Method," studied it carefully for a while, and then sat down by the window.

He placed his feet naturally on the ground and his hands on his legs. Every so often, his shoulders and his entire spine would move rhythmically like a snake. He repeated this process repeatedly, and before he knew it, he had opened up the twelfth acupoint of the gallbladder meridian – Wangu.

Before the Wood Gallbladder cultivator opened up the Wind Pool and reached the mid-stage of cultivation, his spiritual acupoints were all circling around the side of his brain.

The Fengchi acupoint is located in the two depressions at the junction of the brainstem and the back of the head. The Wangu acupoint is its neighbor, closer to the earlobe.

Opening this acupoint, though lacking the three treasures, still offers some benefits to the mind and spirit, and provides a certain boost to the clarity and understanding required for performing spells.

For physical cultivation, the more spiritual acupoints are opened, the more spiritual energy is stored, and the longer the time can be spent on physical training.

Therefore, to some extent, those who want to diligently cultivate their bodies in the early stages of Qi Refining also need certain conditions.

Despite his progress in cultivation, Li Yi's state of mind remained largely unchanged. His attempt at the "Life-Refining Body Method" sitting meditation was aimed at quickly mastering the four major stance training methods: standing, sitting, walking, and sleeping.

Whether standing, walking, sitting, or sleeping, you can practice spiritual cultivation in the future.

With more spiritual acupoints, the daily absorption of Qi can be extended, thus increasing cultivation time. No wonder cultivators often go into seclusion.

After mastering the basics of sitting meditation, Li Yi began to explore walking meditation.

As for the sleeping stance, there is a book on it called "Life-Refining Body Method". Once the first three stances are mastered, there is no need for exaggerated movements to guide the practice.

[With mastery of stance training, one moves like a tiger in a deep abyss and sits as still as a whetstone. Even in sleep, the wood energy will circulate automatically to protect the body, and one will naturally be alerted to any changes in the external environment.]

Li Yi lowered his head to read, recited sentences, walked into the courtyard, and sighed:

"I currently have the 'Essentials of Qi Absorption in the Five Elements' and the 'Life-Generating Body Refining Method' for body tempering. One is a method for cultivating realm, and the other is a method for cultivating physical strength. The only thing I lack is fighting techniques and combat strategies. If I encounter an opponent with comparable physical strength, won't I just become a punching bag?"

At this moment, Guan Tian was digesting his food on the side, while Old Wang's mute grandson, Wang Ling, was peering curiously out of the guest room window.

Qin Yue'er had tried to play with Wang Ling before, but the boy always turned and ran away, which was very heartless. This made Qin Yue'er cry twice, and they are currently in a one-sided cold war.

Li Yi was too lazy to deal with the brats' grudges. He thought that Guan Tian had successfully opened his acupoints but didn't have a body-strengthening method. So he thought about finding Gongsun Ling to solve the problem together. If that didn't work, he could at least find a way to help.

"We don't know when we'll set off; let's hope it won't affect the garrisons..."

Li Yi thought to himself, and tried to imitate the walking posture in the diagram, pacing back and forth in an awkward way. Guan Tian and Li Erhu couldn't help but laugh, and Qin Yue'er also opened the window of the east room and chuckled.

Wang Ling, however, watched intently without a trace of a smile.

Li Yi practiced from noon until the sun began to set, and finally found some key points, and his walking posture gradually became rhythmic.

Wang Ling was helping out in the kitchen. She brought out a large bowl and placed a large portion of steamed pork ribs in the main room. Then she went to the courtyard and tugged at Li Yi's clothes.

Li Yi turned around, lowered his head, grinned, and invited, "Let's eat together."

Including Guan Tian and Li Erhu, the four of them finished their dinner in the main room. They estimated that there were still one or two hours before dark, but the horn of Yang Lin’s house had already sounded, so they called Qin Shi and her daughter to come along as well, and went to the outside of Yang Lin’s residence.

Liu Zhi and his wife saw the group from afar and greeted them, informing them:

"Commander Du is presiding over the meeting in the courtyard; Commander Baihu will arrive shortly."

Li Yi nodded slightly and asked in a low voice, "Have you been eating properly lately? You don't seem to be in good health."

Liu Zhi looked embarrassed, both touched and somewhat ashamed, and apologized, "I will definitely cultivate diligently and strive to overcome this external influence as soon as possible."

Li Erhu murmured from the side, "Xiao Guan's acupoints have been opened today..."

Liu Zhimeng opened his eyes, his gaze towards Guan Tian filled with envy. He swallowed hard and whispered:

"With Xiao Guan around, Lao San's manor isn't really broken up."

A figure suddenly emerged from the ground, his wide robes and sleeves concealing his muscular physique; it was none other than the Earth God, Qin Kaixian.

"That's not right. I, Qin, haven't even entered the cycle of reincarnation yet, so it's not Xiao Guan's turn."

Liu Zhi was greatly alarmed and quickly clasped his hands in greeting, "Greetings, Earth God!"

Qin Kaixian waved his hand, looking rather bored. "Tonight, just call me Brother Qin again."

Liu Zhi remained silent, muttering in a hoarse voice, "Brother Qin."

The atmosphere outside the courtyard was somber. The soldiers, both new and old, from Sanyi Village stopped exchanging pleasantries and silently entered the courtyard, where they gathered around to listen to the opera.

Not long after, the sound of two horses' hooves came from outside the courtyard. Gongsun Ling and Xiao Yan'er quietly entered the courtyard, only whispering greetings to Li Yi and Qin Kaixian. They then sat down on the ground like ordinary people. Before they knew it, the night was as dark as ink, and only Yang Lin's family had lit their lamps.

Li Yi calculated the time; it should be past midnight, which was early morning of the next day. So he asked in a low voice:

"It's the seventh day after Yang Lin's death, but the tall guy and I saw him taken away by the underworld officials. Will he ever come back to see the villagers one last time?"

Qin Kaixian, who understood the situation better, replied in a low voice:

"Last night I went to the underworld to pay my respects to the City God. Out of curiosity, I pestered the Right Judge for a long time, so I know some things."

In cases like Yang Lin's, having avenged their great enemy, they follow their loved ones into the afterlife, having no attachment to the mortal world, and enter the cycle of reincarnation on the very same day.

That means they won't be coming back.

For most kind-hearted families, the seventh day after death is more about the lingering affection of the living.