After offering that word of caution, Teacher Xue continued, "Before tempering comes nurturing. Now I will teach you the method of 'nurturing' that we didn't cover in detail earlier."
Chen Chuan focused and listened intently once more. He could sense that after being passively guided through that process just now, his attention had become much easier to concentrate.
Teacher Xue said, "Mental force is tethered to the physical body and originates from the human form. Therefore, the prerequisites for a fighter to cultivate mental strength are an unyielding conviction and a robust physique.
"Thus, in this stage of nurturing, one must nurture not only the changeless mind, but also vital essence. Neither can be dispensed with. Now, I will first teach you the method of gathering and nurturing vital essence, as well as the method of neutralizing medicinal residues."
Because most of this involved breathing techniques and the movement of jin, Teacher Xue was very direct, conveying the knacks straight through his field.
The method of gathering and nurturing vital essence that Chen Chuan had previously used was learned from the academy. Now, he could feel that this new set was connected to the old one—seemingly an evolution built upon that foundation, yet far more intricate and profound.
This technique was purely an art of physical bodily application, and having it transmitted via the field allowed him to grasp it quickly.
He could sense, however, that this teacher's field seemed to be nothing more than a field—as if only the bare existence was there, while inside was completely empty. He could feel nothing at all; it was vacant and devoid of any trace.
He surmised that this was because the other man's mental techniques within the field were boundlessly profound, reaching a level far beyond his ability to fathom.
Seeing that Chen Chuan seemed to understand, Teacher Xue did not pause and continued:
"Next, I will teach you a meditation technique for 'nurturing the mind.' I'll explain it in detail first. Additionally, I will grant you access on the academy platform so you can log into an internal network to review it.
"There are accumulated Q&As and appendices there from over the years. If anything is unclear, you can look it up directly. If you're still uncertain after that, you can come ask me."
As he spoke, he likewise conveyed the meditation technique to Chen Chuan through the expression of his field. Then he added, "There are two key elements to nurturing the mind. Aside from the meditation technique, you also need appropriate medicine to accompany it."
He produced a box from his pocket and slid off the casing, revealing three sticks of incense, each as thick as a thumb and roughly two inches long, before pushing them in front of Chen Chuan.
"During this stage of 'calming the mind,' use these alongside your meditation. You can purchase this kind of medicinal incense at the academy; its intrinsic value isn't high, but when paired with the meditation technique I taught you, it will produce significant effects. Seeing how abundant your changeless mind is, Trainee Chen, you must have studied a fairly sophisticated meditation method before, right?"
Chen Chuan nodded. What he used was the technique Senior Cao had previously passed on to him.
Teacher Xue said, "There is a great deal of nuance to meditation techniques. Different stages require different medicines to match them, just like how your martial cultivation along the way has gradually required different medicinal supplements. Some people lack not meditation methods, but compatible medicines.
"Furthermore, truly superior meditation techniques actually require special medicinal incense to achieve twice the result with half the effort. Yet the more advanced such a meditation method is, the harder the required medicine is to obtain.
"In the old days, the state religion had the 'Taibai Contemplation,' while the former imperial house possessed the 'Dragon-Riding Changes.' Both counted among the most supreme meditation methods. Supposedly, people still know them today, but the matching medicinal incense can no longer be found.
"So even though the meditation techniques themselves are exceptional, practicing them alone might yield only ten or twenty percent of their original efficacy—or perhaps not even that. Ah, I've digressed. This medicinal incense won't keep for long, so you'd best use it within the next few days."
Chen Chuan said, "I understand, Teacher."
Teacher Xue rose from the floor and said, "Well, it's getting late. That's all for today's lesson. I'll be here for this entire semester and will do my best to teach you everything I should. But how much you can absorb depends on you, Trainee Chen."
Chen Chuan stood up as well. Glancing at his boundary credential, he discovered that more than three hours had slipped by unnoticed, though it felt as if less than half an hour had passed.
Bowing, he said, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher. I will be relying on your care going forward."
Teacher Xue chuckled and said, "I was assigned here by higher-ups, so there's no need to thank me. In fact, teaching you didn't cost me much effort, so earning my salary has been rather effortless. All right, I should get going. Ah, before I leave, I'd like to ask you one more question."
Chen Chuan replied, "Please go ahead, Teacher."
Teacher Xue rubbed his chin and asked, "Trainee Chen, do you believe the mind can exist apart from the body?"
Chen Chuan considered this carefully and said, "Based on my current understanding, I believe the two are a single whole and neither can exist without the other. Neither can be separated from the other's existence. However, the world is undergoing drastic changes, so this judgment is only based on present conditions and may not necessarily be correct."
Teacher Xue smiled, neither confirming nor denying his answer. He merely said, "Well then, Trainee Chen, once you have mastered the method of calming the mind, we'll meet right here at the appointed time. I'll wait for you here."
Chen Chuan thought to himself, *Teacher, it would be more fitting for me to wait here for you.*
Aloud, he said, "Take care, Teacher."
Teacher Xue hummed in acknowledgment, waved a hand, and walked out, soon departing the training room.
Chen Chuan looked at the sunlight streaming in from outside. What he had learned today had undoubtedly opened a new door before him. Once he mastered these teachings, it would be enough to elevate his strength to another level. Filled with anticipation at the thought, he stood in the warm, brilliant light for a moment before turning and leaving.
After returning to his dormitory, a notification chime sounded from his boundary credential. He checked it and saw a link to the internal platform sent by Teacher Xue.
Tapping on the light screen, the interface immediately redirected to a platform filled with inquiries and explanations regarding various meditation methods. The meditation technique he was studying appeared to be among them as well, though it did not detail the specific contents of the technique.
Some questions had already been answered, while others remained unresolved.
As he browsed through them, a system prompt informed him that with his current clearance, he could only view content related to the meditation technique he had learned, and he was permitted to submit only one question per month.
However, he could increase his clearance by answering others' questions. The platform would not display his real identity directly; it only required him to set an identity profile—or rather, choose a platform handle.
After some thought, he took one character from his childhood nickname and one from the Xuejun Saber, entering the two characters: "Chan Jun."
He recognized the tremendous value of this platform. For now, however, he had no questions to ask. It was best to start practicing first; if he encountered any difficulties along the way, he could return here to seek answers.
After browsing a bit longer, he logged out.
Teacher Xue had stated he would only stay for a single semester and would teach as much as Chen Chuan could learn. That meant his learning pace could not be slow, yet it also had to be steady. If his foundation was not solid, he would not be able to learn much at all.
He took out a portion of medicinal supplies, deciding to test the method of condensing vital essence that Teacher Xue had taught. He knew full well that this was the most fundamental element; without mastering this, everything that followed would be out of the question.
Settling down into a seated position, he ingested the medicine, then gradually regulated his breathing, guiding his mutated tissue to absorb the medicinal potency.
Vital essence was typically nurtured from mutated tissue and ultimately accumulated within the heart, driven primarily by the transformation and stimulation of medicines. The more medicine absorbed and converted during this process, the more vital essence obtained, and the more efficient the breathing technique became.
Guiding the process took roughly an hour. The amount of vital essence accumulated was noticeably greater than before. This was merely his first attempt; once he grew proficient, the gains accumulated over time would surely be substantial.
When Teacher Xue taught him the method of gathering and nurturing vital essence, he had also taught him a neutralization method. This was a technique for neutralizing medicinal potency, likewise an integral part of the breathing technique.
Under normal circumstances, it had to be applied after every practice session. If omitted, accumulated medicinal toxins would eventually harm the fighter.
Notably, the previous nurturing method lacked this step, which was why medicinal toxins typically built up.
While this certainly consumed considerably more time, it eliminated the hidden hazard. Such a step was indispensable for ordinary fighters, and even with the extra time spent, the accumulated vital essence was still greater than before.
Chen Chuan, however, had his Second Self to divert and transfer these toxins, freeing him from such concerns. That saved him the extra time.
With the nurturing method practiced, the next step was the tempering method.
Teacher Xue had mentioned that the medicinal incense had an expiration and should be used promptly, so Chen Chuan took one stick directly and lit it.
Before long, a faint cloud-like mist rose from the medicinal incense, enfolding him. A delicate fragrance entered his nose, instantly bringing stillness to his mind. He immediately followed the steps of the meditation technique to gather and nurture his changeless mind.
In less than two hours, all three sticks of medicinal incense were consumed. Emerging from his seated meditation, he felt as though his spirit had been thoroughly cleansed and refined, leaving his thoughts exceptionally sharp and lucid.
Just then, he saw two unread voice messages on his boundary credential and tapped the light screen to open them.
One was from Wu Han, saying that over the past two days he had accompanied Old Qi on a commission. The operation had gone smoothly, and he had received his payment promptly; he added that the contact Chen Chuan introduced was very reliable.
He also mentioned that he had seen no one tailing them so far, but he would remain vigilant and notify Chen Chuan if anything arose.
The other message was from Lu Fang, stating that he had returned from Yangzhi and arrived in Center City just today, and was currently back at the martial arts club.
After replying to both of them, Chen Chuan stood up and ran through a set of Orthodox Sanshou to loosen his muscles and joints. He ate a few sticks of nutritional paste and settled back down. Next came the formal practice of the tempering method.
For cultivation purely concerning one's own mental force, the Second Self was unable to assist for now, though he could use external aids—such as the jade core of Gaotian jade he had recently obtained.
Even without being processed into medicine, that item could invigorate the spirit and undoubtedly serve as an aid in cultivation. Yet after some thought, he decided to save it for later; on his first attempt at the tempering method, it was best to rely purely on his own efforts to steady and focus his mind.
……
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Chapter 474