The spinning qi needles collided with the collapsing condensed impurities with the last strength I had left.
The collision was so immense that the impact nearly caused my meridians to rupture from sheer force.
The condensed impurities were under so much strain and pressure that qi began to leak through the cracks.
'COME ON! BREAK ALREADY!'
CRACK! CRACK!
I was astonished that the condensed impurities were still holding on despite their crumbling state.
These qi blockages were so persistent that they continued resisting even as they allowed qi to seep past them.
But I knew they wouldn't last much longer as they were already standing on their last legs.
The condensed impurities were breaking apart, unable to hold back the qi flow any further.
It was like a dam about to burst from immense pressure, now leaking through the cracks in its walls.
'BREAK!'
CRACK! BREAK!
Finally, after a long and intense struggle, I broke through the qi blockages in all my meridians and continued my cultivation.
The impurities shattered and were expelled through my pores as black waste, staining my clothes.
My qi, surging with leftover momentum from the breakthrough, rushed through the newly opened pathways of my meridians.
The speed was so great that I almost lost control due to the sudden acceleration of my qi flow, but I managed to maintain enough control to prevent a mishap.
'Finally… I broke through. I can now cultivate properly.'
I ignored the fact that I had nearly lost control of my qi flow and almost suffered qi deviation immediately after breaking through.
Instead, I basked in the joy of finally overcoming the qi blockages that had restricted me for decades.
Finally years of effort with seemingly no results had finally paid off.
My qi now flowed smoothly through all my meridians, with nothing left to obstruct them.
Luckily, I didn't encounter any more qi blockages beyond the ones I had already shattered, though there was always a chance of more appearing.
'No time to waste. I have to proceed to forming my energy core — the Dantian.'
I snapping out of basking in joy, I focused on the important matter at hand.
I decided to celebrate later after when everything was complete and done.
I needed to form my energy core or called the Dantian, as soon as possible as this chance wouldn't last forever.
The Dantian is where the absorbed surrounding qi is gathered and stored for later use.
It is formed by condensing a large amount of qi in the lower abdomen into a think solid sphere.
There were three Dantians to be formed but that didn't matter right now.
What I was forming was the lower Dantian which is a martial artist's greatest foundation.
I guided my qi toward my lower abdomen, gathering it as I began compressing it into a sphere.
'Hmm? What is this? Why am I gathering such a large amount of qi all of a sudden? Where is it coming from?'
As I absorbed the surrounding qi, I realized I was accumulating qi unusually fast and was already halfway to the required amount.
Somehow, I was absorbing an excessive amount of qi from an unknown source, cutting my cultivation time drastically.
While I welcomed this unexpected blessing, it was very suspicious and concerning.
Qi does not appear out of nowhere it has to come from a source.
Since I was using the Condensing Qi Flow Method to speed up my cultivation, I wondered if that had something to do with it.
'But the surrounding qi shouldn't have this much to begin with…'
The qi of the surroundings felt normal, and despite my fragile meridians, the Condensing Qi Flow Method functioned normally, albeit faster than usual.
I considered the possibilities and reasons for this phenomenon until I arrived at one conclusion.
'Wait… perhaps it's the leftover qi from the herb I took earlier.'
I recalled taking a qi herb to forcefully cultivate the attempt that resulted in qi deviation.
It seemed the leftover qi inside my body was now being absorbed, helping me swiftly gather the amount needed for my Dantian.
After the earlier misfortune, fate seemed to be repaying me back for all the pain they made me go through.
'Alright, I've gathered enough.'
Thanks to the leftover herb qi, I reached the required amount far earlier than expected.
It truly seemed Heaven was finally compensating me for my past life's hardships.
When the last bit of qi was gathered, it was finally time to form my Dantian.
'With this amount of qi, forming my Dantian shouldn't be a problem.'
Normally, a master's assistance was recommended to reduce the risks of forming a Dantian, but I decided to trust myself.
After succeeding with the Reverse Qi and Condensing Qi Flow Methods, my confidence towards my own skills and experience had grown.
'It's not like I can ask Geonu to help me form a Dantian.'
After waking from a coma caused by forced cultivation, asking for help to form a Dantian would be ridiculous.
I could wait for my injuries to heal and then request assistance but time wasn't on my side.
The longer I waited, the less time I had to stop the tragedy of 'That Day'.
I guided the gathered qi into my lower abdomen, shaping it into a perfect sphere.
Just like the Condensed Qi Flow Method, the qi formed a sphere and slowly began shrinking as I condensed it bit by bit.
'This is easier than I thought…? I expected this to be far more difficult.'
Somehow, I instinctively knew how to form the Dantian from start to finish.
Despite having no prior experience, I shaped and condensed the qi with surprising ease.
I didn't understand why, but I welcomed what was happening with open arms.
As the sphere condensed further it became so dense that the pace of condensation was slowing down.
I knew that stopping now would cause it to expand and backlash within my body so I couldn't afford any distraction.
'I see… this is why a master is needed. No wonder people warn against forming one alone.'
With a master's help, the Dantian formation would be controlled and be safely stabilized.
Forming it alone meant relying solely on my own concentration to prevent the condensed qi from destabilizing.
I was scared of the the amount of danger I was in, but I forced the fear aside and focused completely.
The sphere continued shrinking.
The qi became increasingly dense, making controlling it harder.
'This is the hardest part… I have to remain focused.'
I maintained control as the qi sphere shrank to its limit, gradually solidifying into a Dantian.
The solidification process took time so I couldn't rush it, especially while doing this unassisted.
Then at last, when the qi sphere fully solidified, a surge of leftover qi burst outward and spread through my body.
BURST!
More impurities were expelled as black waste, staining my already ruined clothes.
'I finally formed my Dantian!'
Only once the sphere fully solidified was the Dantian complete, capable of storing surrounding qi and beginning true cultivation.
I snapped out of meditation, overwhelmed with joy and excitement at my accomplishment.
I couldn't help but smile.
After breaking through my qi blockages and forming my Dantian, I had finally begun true cultivation.
My intense craving to reach this stage was partially satisfied although still far from appeased.
'How long I've waited for this… finally, things are looking up!'
Like a child, I stood and bounced up and down in excitement at finally embarking true cultivation.
Years of longing, wasted effort, and regret from my past life now finally felt redeemed.
The methods and theories I developed as a scholar had finally proven their worth.
After some time, I finally calmed down from my excitement enough to look around clearly.
'It's almost night… just how long did I cultivate?'
The setting sun told me hours had passed breaking through the blockages and forming my Dantian.
My legs suddenly felt weak from the lost of excitement due to sitting cross-legged for so long.
Before I could process this, I heard footsteps slowly approached my room.
Step. Step. Step.
I quickly forced my tired legs to move, returning to the bed to pretend I was asleep.
Not because I feared an attack — but because being caught cultivating right after waking from severe qi deviation would be impossible to explain.
I closed my eyes just as the door opened by the sudden visitor.
Creak… Creak…
The visitor entered, approaching my bed and sat by my bed side before speaking to me.
'Young Master, are you alright? Please endure until the Life and Death Doctor arrives. You must not give up!'
Relief instantly came as I heard the visitor's voice, it was Geonu checking on me out of concern for my well being.
He reached to touch my forehead, but I jolted reflexively at the sudden sensation.
' '!?!!' '
"Young Master?!"
Geonu was shocked, while I panicked internally as my cover was blown.
'What do I do?! How do I explain this?!'
I scrambled mentally for a quick solution to this until I found a rushed one.
"Ngh… Geonu… what are you doing in my room…? What happened?"
"Young Master! Are you alright? Does anything hurt?!"
I feigned confusion as though I had just woken up, and his expression softened in concern.
He leaned closer and I saw his familiar elderly face, wrinkled and completely hairless.
No beard, no eyebrows, no eyelashes.
It was a Terrifying to behold and to wake up to… but to me it was comforting nonetheless.
"Yes… my body feels like it's falling apart. Did I… fail?"
"Yes. I found you on the floor coughing blood after you forcefully cultivated and suffered qi deviation. You were severely injured."
I forced a miserable expression to deepen my act but before I could continue, my stomach growled loudly.
Grooowl!
'Embarrassing… I haven't eaten since waking up. Maybe for days.'
"I didn't expect you to wake up so early, so I haven't prepared dinner!"
Geonu rushed to the door.
Before leaving, he pinched his nose.
"Young Master… before going to the dining room, please take a bath. You smell awful."
Then he quickly fled as if running away from something or someone.
While I was left there utterly confused at what he just said and happened.
'Smell… awful?'
Then the fowl stench finally hit me at full force once I took notice.
I nearly vomited on the spot from how awful the stench was and found where it came from.
It was the black waste coating my entire body and clothes as the source of this fowl stench.
Humiliation quickly washed over me as i had been standing in front of Geonu drenched in impurities.
'Right… this is all the expelled impurities… great.'
I hurried to the bathing room, stripped off the disgusting clothes, and washed myself thoroughly.
****
After scrubbing myself clean, I lay on the edge of the bathtub, exhausted from all that scrubbing.
I checked my arm to see just a few last traces of black waste so
I quickly washed them off.
"This black waste… is it the impurities expelled from my body?"
Expelling impurities after breaking through qi blockages and forming a Dantian was unheard of.
No record mentioned breaking through I blockages having such an effect.
'Did I… perform Body Cleansing on myself?'
Body Cleansing was a technique used to remove impurities and prepare the body for martial arts.
It normally required a master's guidance.
I had neither the skill nor experience to perform it, yet somehow it happened.
'It must be because the blockages were made of impurities. Breaking them must've forced a large amount out…'
There were still impurities inside me, no doubt, but what I expelled was already significant.
My qi flow would now move faster and smoother aiding my cultivation to be more faster.
'Just how many surprises am I going to get today?.
So many fortunate events in a single day felt unreal that it was almost suspicious.
But for now, I chose to be grateful for these events having no reason to be so suspicious of them.
After finishing my bath I stepped out of the bathtub and went to check myself on the mirror.
"What the—?!"
My reflection showed a slightly muscular body although not surprising given my training I underwent to make up for my frail body.
But what surprised me was that my muscles were more defined, as if a layer of body fat had burned away.
'Another benefit of impurity expulsion…'
Not that exceptional, but still definitely somewhat helpful.
Less body fat meant better efficiency in martial arts, unless one's technique relied on it.
Satisfied and finished bathing I headed toward the door before pausing before I grasped the door handle.
"Wait… I haven't dried off, and I'm completely naked."
****
After drying and dressing myself in the clothes prepared for me, I went straight to the dining room.
I then saw Geonu, wearing an apron, was setting down a freshly prepared meal.
"Oh! Young Master, I've just finished preparing your dinner. Please, take a seat!"
I sat quietly at the chair in front of the fresh meal with my stomach still growling.
The meal before me looked delicious as an egg omelette over rice with soy sauce my favorite.
I eagerly grabbed my chopsticks and began to dig in the delicious meal.
But just as I was about to take a bite, a shiver ran down my spine.
My instincts screamed at me to stop.
'Hmm… something's telling me not to eat this… like I'm forgetting something important.'
But I was already starving having not ate for what could have been days.
So i took a bite and immediately regretted doing so as I finally got a taste of the meal.
Bite.
"Hrgh?!"
The taste upon hitting my tongue hit me like poison, it was bitter, sour, indescribably awful that I nearly puked on the spot.
I stared at the omelette in disbelief while resisting the urge to vomit in front of geonu.
'How can something that looks so delicious taste this horrible—wait… could it be…?!'
"Young Master?! Are you alright?! Does something hurt?!"
I slowly turned toward Geonu with a face looking at the source of my suffering.
'It was you!.'
I had forgotten one crucial fact that Geonu was a in fact a terrible cook.
Catastrophically terrible that
even beginner cooking tasted better than his.
But after constant assassination attempts with some through poisoning, he and I decided only he should cook for me as someone I trusted completely.
But Unfortunately but it turns out his cooking was a calamity waiting to be unleashed upon this world.
"I'm fine… I just have a hard time swallowing."
"I see. Just take your time eating. No need to rush."
I hurriedly calm down and lied to the worried Geonu despite me wanting to collapse on spot.
Geonu hearing that returned to his duties while I was still faced with a impossible situation.
An impossible situation where I either continue eating my Geonu prepared meal or starve to death.
'I could have told him how awful his cooking long ago no... I should have.'
But now it was already too late to come back and tell him now too much time has already past.
'This is the price I pay for all my good luck today…'
I forced myself to take another bite which resulted in again tasting Geonu's awful cooking again.
I proceed to take another bite again and again with each bite was a test of willpower.
I endured it all because I was starving, and had no other choice but to eat or die.
****
After finishing that awful meal, I headed back to my room, relieved that my secret was still kept under wraps.
I knew I would have to tell Geonu about this eventually, but I couldn't tell him right now. The only question was when?
I began thinking of ways to tell Geonu about my newly formed dantian and how I had cured my condition of being unable to cultivate preferably in the softest way possible.
But no matter how I tried, I couldn't find a way to explain it without making myself look absurdly reckless. Until—
'Wait…! Why don't I just wait for the Life and Death Doctor to arrive and let the revelation come out then? That way it wouldn't seem like I did everything on my own, but that it happened by some miracle.'
With that solution, I wouldn't be scolded any more than I was already expecting. After all, I was in huge trouble for severely injuring myself because of my own stupidity.
Geonu probably didn't scold me earlier only because I was still too injured. And I remember clearly that once I was treated, he scolded me for hours, reprimanding every mistake I made.
This solution didn't mean I wouldn't get scolded, but at least I wouldn't be scolded even more than before.
'Alright… let's go with that plan. I don't know when the Life and Death Doctor will arrive, but at least I'll have some time before the real scolding begins.'
I then hurried toward my room, but along the way, I noticed an open window.
Curious as to why it was open, I was about to close it that was until I saw something outside.
Through the window of another room, probably a servant's quarters, I saw someone tying a piece of paper to what appeared to be a messenger bird.
'Who is that? And what are they doing sending a message at night?'
I tried to look closer to figure out who it was, but they finished before I could get a clear look.
After sending the message, the person quickly closed their window, leaving their identity entirely unknown.
Seeing that, there was no point in staring any longer. I closed the window on my side and continued on my way back to my room.
After arriving in my room I lay down on my bed, now with fresh sheets replacing the ones ruined by the earlier black waste.
I was still curious about the person sending a messenger bird in the middle of the night, but I didn't really care enough to dwell on it.
Right now, I was simply exhausted from both physically and mentally from everything I had done today.
'Let's just sleep and wait for the Life and Death Doctor's arrival.'
With that thought, I closed my eyes, ready to greet the next few days of waiting for the Life and Death Doctor to arrive.