Eight Paths of Circulating Qi

Qin Chuan watched as the other spoke confidently, head held high, and secretly wondered if what he had obtained was merely a facade. Yet his expression remained respectful.
“I only broke through to the first level of Qi Refining today, and my cultivation is not yet stable. There are many things I do not understand—please, master, enlighten me.” Without pause, he laid out all the doubts that weighed upon his heart.
“When Chuan moves his Qi through the Mud Pill, Yellow Court, and Earth Cauldron—the three fields—he exhales gently, sending the breath down into the Dantian, and inhales, drawing it up into the Mud Pill in a cycle. Exhaling, the breath passes through the Dantian; inhaling, it rises to the heart and brain, harmonizing water and fire. The mind dwells in the heart and kidneys, traveling up and down, essence and Qi permeating the Mud Pill. There is no major issue here.
But when spiritual energy rises from the tail, passes the Life Gate, penetrates the spine, and moves through the Jade Pillow, it is mostly dissipated and stranded at the Mud Pill. Only a tiny fraction of spiritual energy can descend from the Mud Pill, cross the Magpie Bridge, traverse the Double Tower, pass the Yellow Court and the Palace of the Heart, finally reaching the Dantian and forming a Small Cycle.”
Wan Yi’s eyes lit up. He was never one for grand divine abilities, but his knowledge and experience in cultivation far surpassed Qin Chuan’s, and he understood these things well.
“Listen to me: on the foundation of your current Qi movement, add another path. Spiritual energy moves from the navel to the left, circling from small to large, and upon reaching the Life Gate, returns from large to small back to the navel. Use intention to turn the Golden Wheel, connecting the Belt Vessel around the waist. From below to above, it draws the left and right Chong Vessels, Yin and Yang Linking Vessels, Yin and Yang Heel Vessels—the Eight Extraordinary Meridians—from inside to outside, from outside to inside.”
“Hmph!” Wan Yi snorted several times in succession. “This is the Great Cycle. With your cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining, you won’t even retain a wisp of spiritual energy—not half a thread!”
Hearing this, Qin Chuan nearly spat blood and died on the spot. Following the original Qi route, diligent practice each day brought some progress, but according to Wan Yi’s method, the total spiritual energy would remain stagnant.
Despite his frustration, he kept his composure and asked, “Is there any divine art you might teach me?”
“Of course there is, but…” Wan Yi’s gaze locked onto Qin Chuan’s storage pouch, his eyes gleaming.

And so, before his newly acquired spirit stones and pills had even warmed his hands, they all found their way into Wan Yi’s mouth. Yet Wan Yi was insatiable, even demanding spirit crystals and spirit jade. Qin Chuan had never seen such treasures, let alone possessed them. Thus, he became, in Wan Yi’s words, a pauper, and the promised divine arts were nothing but shadows of wild geese in the sky.
Qin Chuan was dumbfounded—his efforts had been in vain, and his storage pouch was empty. The few spirit stones and pills he had were now Wan Yi’s snacks, and the crunching sound seemed to mock him. Seeing no hope, he gave up, sat cross-legged on the mat, and entered meditation. The Dust-Breathing Mystical Formula soothed his emotions, and mystical light enveloped his spirit platform, leading him once again into the realm of silent wonder.
Perhaps his change in mood had an effect; Qin Chuan recalled the Great Cycle Wan Yi had mentioned and quietly altered his Qi route.
Spiritual energy rose from the tail through the Life Gate, but instead of immediately passing the spine and Jade Pillow, it paused at the navel, gathering strength like a drawn bow, becoming more concentrated. Using intention, he turned the Golden Wheel, connecting the Belt Vessel around the waist. From below to above, he drew the left and right Chong Vessels, Yin and Yang Linking Vessels, Yin and Yang Heel Vessels—the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
The total spiritual energy was no longer what it was before, yet it was highly concentrated, slowly seeping into the Mud Pill, grinding away like a millstone. Perhaps his skill was not yet sufficient, and he did not fully reach the level of transitioning from inside to outside, and vice versa. The Qi dissipated halfway through the Great Cycle.
His mind stirred, and he began a breathing technique, gently probing into the Dantian. The Dantian, not large, inhaled and exhaled faint currents like a lung, gathering stray spiritual energy from the surroundings. Though most of the spiritual energy vanished into the Mud Pill before reaching the Dantian, what remained was denser than before, and his cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining gradually stabilized.
This new Qi route was gleaned from Wan Yi’s fragmented words, yet it brought Qin Chuan tremendous benefit. Upon reflection, he realized he had misjudged him. Wan Yi’s words surely contained exaggeration, but one should not discard the essence for fear of the dregs; instead, one must carefully ponder the subtleties and integrate them thoroughly.
With the Dust-Breathing Mystical Formula constantly active, there was no need to fear deviation caused by changing the route. The Qi barely completed half the Great Cycle, but the human meridians are so complex, with countless twists and turns causing unnecessary loss. Having this experience as a reference, the next attempt would surely be easier.
What Qin Chuan did not know was that as he silently cultivated and reached a meditative state with the Dust-Breathing Mystical Formula, Wan Yi’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. Perhaps sensing the unusual aura emanating from Qin Chuan, his small eyes grew hazy, like a sleepy fat rabbit’s drowsy red gaze, and soon he fell asleep in Qin Chuan’s arms.
The jade rabbit sank in the west, while purple energy rose in the eastern sky. Morning clouds gathered, the dawn shimmered, hidden among the leaf tips, refracting through the crystal dew onto a lacquered red door. It was just daybreak.

Qin Chuan readied himself; today was the day to choose a cultivation method, and he could not afford to be careless. “Hmm?” He glanced at Wan Yi in his hand and let out a soft exclamation. Wan Yi’s appearance was that of a white jade seal, but now something was amiss. A thin layer of white frost had formed on the seal’s surface—so subtle that only his keen eyesight could detect it.
The white frost emitted a delicate fragrance, refreshing his spirit and invigorating his heart. Wan Yi was still asleep, and calling his name would surely wake him, but Qin Chuan saw no need.
Setting aside distracting thoughts, he walked a short distance to the library, where Pear Moon was already seated. She beckoned him over and lightly patted the table by her side, inviting him to sit. Observing Pear Moon’s expression, Qin Chuan sensed she no longer cared about the wooden hairpin, and could only sigh to himself.
A yellowed book lay on the table—Miscellaneous Writings on Medicine. Qin Chuan frowned; miscellanies were not like ordinary texts, their contents scattered and often unreliable hearsay. Why would the Fuluan, a sect of such spiritual prestige, collect such a book, and even use it for morning lessons?
He thought no more and opened the first page. Within moments, Qin Chuan realized this mottled, yellowed volume was far from simple. The deeper he read, the more he was captivated, exclaiming at its concise and essential wisdom.
Fuluan was the most unique branch of the Green Mountain Sect’s alchemy lineage, with a status even higher than the sect’s own Pill Pavilion. The texts it collected were naturally invaluable.
The miscellany recorded the experiences of a mortal named Yao Yan and what he had seen and heard. The book’s perspective was remarkable, presenting the basic pharmacology of yin and yang, five elements, from a mortal’s point of view. Qin Chuan, once a refugee from the southern lands, had encountered many common herbs in the wild; now, as he read, he reflected deeply and gained much insight.
Within a single hour, Qin Chuan had read the entire book, feeling exhilarated. The volume contained few pill recipes, mostly focusing on the art of healing: basic pharmacology, the principles of heaven and earth, yin and yang, five elements, eight trigrams, human meridians, and sinews. Especially the explanation of human meridians delighted Qin Chuan, as it untangled the blockages he had faced in cultivation the day before, granting him a sense of enlightenment and great benefit.