Aperture Breathing Technique

Having listened to Cheng Zitong's instructions, Chen Chuan replied calmly, "I am ready, Teacher." Cheng Zitong was quite pleased with his attitude. He considered himself rather ill-suited for providing psychological counseling; if a student panicked first, things would become tricky. Fortunately, Chen Chuan possessed a steady mindset, saving him a great deal of trouble. "Let's head to the training room," Cheng Zitong said. The two went into the dormitory's private training room. Cheng Zitong had Chen Chuan stand opposite him and instructed, "The breathing technique I am about to teach you is called the 'Aperture Breathing Technique.' It is an essential prerequisite for channeling jin. Place your hand on my back, and pay close attention to my breathing." Following his instructions, Chen Chuan reached out and pressed his palm against his back. After a moment, he suddenly felt a sound emerge from within Cheng Zitong's body. If the basic breathing technique moved from subtle to tranquil until it became completely calm and unruffled, then this technique stirred up far greater motion—like wind howling and churning within a hollow cavity, muffled and heavy. Moreover, as the breathing continued, Cheng Zitong's entire body seemed to tremble faintly; subtle ripples even appeared beneath his skin. Not only that, but through the contact of his palm, Chen Chuan's body soon began trembling along with it, and his own breathing was naturally guided into rhythm. After maintaining the breathing for a while, Cheng Zitong stopped and asked, "Did you feel that just now?" Chen Chuan nodded. "I felt a bit of it. It seemed as though my body was oscillating right along with your breath, Teacher." "This oscillation is the concrete manifestation of the Aperture Breathing Technique," Cheng Zitong explained. "Through this, you can reach deep into the minute parts of the body that are normally difficult to train. The more thoroughly the breathing technique is executed, the deeper it penetrates into the body's interior. "By the same token, after being stimulated in this way, that mutated fascia will seep into all the deeper parts of your body, becoming the foundation for how you channel jin in the future. "Without the support of this mutated fascia, a complete, superior jin is entirely out of the question. Those with only a small amount of mutated tissue—or none at all—can master only 'lesser jin.' "In the old era, this breathing technique was a closely guarded secret. But in this day and age, so long as you can afford it and possess certain qualifications, the school can teach it to you. "However, what I am teaching you is an internal version compiled and refined by predecessors over time, rather than the old versions circulating outside. Its greatest advantage is that it doesn't need to be conveyed through tedious explanations; instead, through resonance between our breaths, your body directly learns what to do. If you teach students in the future, you can pass it on directly like this as well." Chen Chuan nodded. "I'll demonstrate a few more times, and you should be able to commit it to memory," Cheng Zitong said. Next, he demonstrated it over a dozen times in a row. Through these sensations, Chen Chuan gradually grew familiar with the process—or more precisely, his body memorized the rhythm. Seeing that he had grasped it, Cheng Zitong finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped guiding him. It had been quite a long time since he last practiced this breathing technique, so he was slightly rusty. In truth, although an advising instructor could teach it directly like this, they were under no obligation to do so. If a student ran into an impatient instructor who simply tossed them a manual to figure out on their own, they might not master it even after months. He walked over to the side, took out a small bottle from the medicines he had brought, and poured out a pill. Pouring a cup of water as well, he handed both over and said, "Here. Initiation Powder is for external application, but this Aperture-Opening Pill is taken orally. Just swallow it directly." "Thank you, Teacher." Chen Chuan took it and swallowed the pill with the water. "All right. Whether you can guide it out from here on will depend on yourself," Cheng Zitong said. "This medicine can be taken multiple times, but its potency places enormous strain on the body. Even with your current physical constitution, I estimate you can take at most fifteen to nineteen pills in a single day. Any more than that will likely exceed what your body can bear, causing you immense pain. In short, give it a try first." Chen Chuan agreed. He stepped to the side and attempted to guide his breathing according to Cheng Zitong's demonstration. However, he soon discovered that while his breathing had flowed smoothly when Cheng Zitong was guiding him, it was completely different when he tried it on his own. Many areas were entirely outside his control, with only a fraction of his body engaging in the breathing cycle. Noticing his difficulty, Cheng Zitong commented from the side, "This is completely normal at the start. Mutated fascia doesn't exist yet in certain parts of your body. You have to combine the stimulation of the medicine with the impetus of the breathing technique to coax it to grow into those areas before you can gradually bring them into play. "The breathing technique and these mutated tissues complement each other. Once you master this breathing technique thoroughly, you will be able to sense the mutated tissue within your body and clearly feel its growth and spread. If anything goes wrong, you can detect it quickly, rather than waiting until it harms your body and manifests symptoms before dealing with it." Chen Chuan understood. Naturally, his gaze turned toward his "Second Self." The blurred signs on its form were densely packed and exceedingly intricate, rising and falling in waves as they spread toward different parts of the body, which was ample proof that Cheng Zitong was right. However, unlike the basic breathing technique, medicinal stimulation was the most crucial link here. The Second Self could at most remove the damage afterward; offering help during the actual process might not be so simple, meaning he could only repeatedly guide his breath over and over again for now. Even so, he believed there was a way to speed up this process: by consuming more stimulating pills to achieve his goal. As for the damage and pain caused by the pills, he could use the Second Self to transfer them away. Still, there was no need to rush into doing so just yet. After that, he focused entirely on the breathing technique, trying it again and again. Whenever the medicine's potency dissipated, he would swallow another pill. Watching from the side, Cheng Zitong knew full well the pain and torment the medicine brought. Yet seeing Chen Chuan swallow one pill after another without even batting an eye, he couldn't help but marvel at the student's remarkable tolerance. When Chen Chuan completed his tenth attempt, Cheng Zitong spoke up, "Stop for now. Go eat a few tubes of nutritional paste and do some light exercises to let your body recover. We'll continue in the afternoon." Chen Chuan only then realized that what had felt like a mere moment was already midday. He returned to eat five tubes of nutritional paste, rested briefly, and followed Cheng Zitong's instructions to perform stretching exercises. Only after his mind and body had largely recovered did he resume. Over the course of the afternoon, in order to guide his breathing, he swallowed another nine pills one after another. Seeing that it was about time, Cheng Zitong said, "That's enough. Let's call it a day." At that moment, however, Chen Chuan looked up and said, "Teacher Cheng, I'd like to continue." Cheng Zitong frowned. "Nineteen pills is already a lot. If you take any more, the burden on your body will be too great—not to mention the harm brought by the breathing technique itself. This is no joke. I know you're eager to master the breathing technique as soon as possible so you can train your jin, but you can't rush this, nor can it be rushed." Chen Chuan looked at him and said earnestly, "Teacher, I know my own body best. I used the Limit-Breaking Strike before, yet it didn't cause much harm to my body. And with these medicines and the breathing technique, I don't feel any significant strain either. Please trust me, Teacher—I wouldn't joke with my own life." "Is that so?" Cheng Zitong was taken aback. Still, during the breathing practice, this student had indeed shown extraordinary endurance. He pondered for a moment, then said, "If what you say is true, then this is part of your talent. Since you possess such a resilient tolerance for harm, you can naturally endure greater medicinal potency. I can't say whether this is good or bad for you, but since you insist, I will respect your choice." Having obtained his permission, Chen Chuan continued swallowing pills. Even so, Cheng Zitong still imposed a limit, permitting him to take only five more. Only if there truly were no issues afterward would he be allowed to continue. By the next day, Cheng Zitong verified that he had indeed suffered no problems before finally setting his mind at ease. In reality, Chen Chuan had long since used the Second Self to absorb all the harm inflicted on his body by the breathing technique and the medicine. Over the days that followed, he did not attend any open lectures. Instead, he devoted all his focus to guiding the breathing technique in the training room, gradually increasing the number of pills he swallowed each day. At the same time, he did not abandon the basic breathing technique; knowing he lacked innate "talent," he knew he had to maintain it. Under the combined stimulation of the medicine and the breathing technique, he could very clearly sense the mutated tissue growing deeper into his body. After an unknown amount of time, there came a day when a strong premonition arose in his heart: mastery of the breathing technique was right before his eyes. ... ...