The energy of Mount Four Confluences converged upon the plateau.The wind resonated with the Qi, making the disciples' long robes rustle as spiritual pressure gradually increased.
Guided by their master, the three of them closed their eyes, seeking harmony with the energy surrounding them.
— Wang Tao. — Sai's voice was gentle, yet firm, echoing in resonance with the Qi around them. — You should now be feeling an energy trying to enter your body.
Wang Tao sensed the invasive force. It was not violent, but persistent, like a slow tide pressing against a dam. He nodded, maintaining his focus.
— Allow it to flow through your meridians. Do not resist. Guide it.
Wang Tao relaxed his mind and opened his internal channels. Spiritual energy surged forward, warm and heavy, sliding through his meridians like a newly awakened river.
It reached the first chakra — sudden heat spread across his skin.Then the second — deep pressure within his organs.At the third, it felt as if his blood boiled for a brief instant.
One after another, the internal gates opened, each releasing a different wave of sensation, until the energy finally reached the last point…
The ninth chakra.
Here, resistance was real.
A dense knot, like an invisible wall, blocked the flow. Wang Tao clenched his teeth and focused, compressing his Qi and pushing forward with sheer will.
Crack.
The blockage shattered.
The energy finally circulated throughout his entire body, smooth and stable, forming a complete cycle between meridians and chakras.
Wang Tao had officially entered the Qi Absorption Realm.
— Yes! — He clenched his fists, unable to contain his excitement.
— Composure, Disciple Wang Tao. — Sai corrected him with a faint smile. — This is only the second realm. The road ahead is still long.
Wang Tao bowed, regaining control of himself.
— Yes, Master.
Sai smiled, satisfied, then turned to the other two.
Yan Li felt the Qi flowing through her meridians with surprising ease.Sai's mapping had made the pathways so clear that it was almost… too easy.
She was already at the third realm of Body Refinement, so she knew how difficult it normally was to locate the points.
This is absurd!
One after another, her chakras opened. Fourth, fifth, sixth…She only stopped at the eighth, completely exhausted.
Yan Li opened her eyes, breathing heavily.
Eighth level of Body Refinement.
She looked at her own hands, stunned. She knew her talented.
— Very good, Yan Li. — Sai said, pleased. — Your foundation is solid. Now it is only a matter of time.
Wei Lian, on the other hand, was struggling.
Even with the mapping, his mortal body resisted. Each chakra opened slowly, like a rusted door being forced open.
Second… third…
By the time he reached the fourth, the resistance was nearly unbearable.
Sai placed a hand on his back, guiding the Qi with surgical precision.
— Do not force it. Allow it.
Wei Lian relaxed.
And slowly… the fifth chakra began to yield.
It did not fully open. But it cracked. A small gap, yet real.
Wei Lian collapsed, exhausted.
— Master… I failed…
— You achieved more than expected. — Sai replied. — For a mortal, opening four chakras in a single day is extraordinary. Soon, all of you will enter the Qi Absorption Realm. Now it is only a matter of patience and persistence.
He turned to face his disciples, looking at them with satisfaction.
— Very well. You are teachable.
— Wang Tao, you are free to begin studying the manual.
Wang Tao nodded in agreement, a bright light in his eyes.
— Yan Li and Wei Lian, from today onward I will guide you every morning until you open all nine chakras. I believe that within a week you will cross into the second realm.
— Yes, Master! — The two replied in unison.
— You are dismissed.
With that, the master headed toward his cave.