Chapter 9, The Correct Way to Lay the Foundation

As for Su Li, he no longer cared about what thoughts Chi Lao might have; he had already immersed himself in continuing his Qi cultivation. At this moment, his Stomach Meridian of the Foot Yangming and Gallbladder Meridian of the Foot Shaoyang had both been connected, which not only significantly increased the abundance of his vital energy during cultivation but also made him feel noticeably lighter during his travels.

This is natural, as although the initial circulation of the microcosmic orbit can be considered a shortcut, the Ren and Du meridians, being the main pathways for the flow of Qi in the human body, are too dominant. Before they are fully nourished, they will directly deplete a significant amount of the practitioner's vital energy, resulting in weakness in the limbs, a situation described as strong trunk but weak branches

Indeed, upon hearing this, Su Li immediately displayed a look of complete satisfaction, and then bowed to the old Daoist, saying: "Thank you, esteemed elder, for your guidance; Su Li now knows what to do"

At this time, it is essential to guide these children, who are already close to the age of twelve, in establishing their foundation, naturally employing the fastest methods to complete the adjustments to their bodies. Hence, the concept of a hundred-day foundation was introduced

The solitary boatman said with great satisfaction: "Speaking of which, you young child are indeed exceptionally gifted. At the tender age of eight, your thoughts are far more mature than those of your peers. Starting your cultivation at eight, it is certainly best to engage in 'Thousand Days of Foundation Building.'"

The master is joking... Su Li scratched his head and said... At the same time, he also understood that this master of his probably left some physical hidden dangers during the hundred-day foundation building. It is said that it does not have much impact, but in the end, it still has an effect

However, there are drawbacks to his approach. While others accumulate true energy in their dantian and repeatedly open their meridians, this allows the dantian of a normal cultivator to be continuously nourished and expanded. ... Although Su Li is indeed fast, his dantian does not receive much nourishment, making it difficult to expand.

Indeed, in the past month, Su Li has only connected two meridians in his feet due to the need to travel. However, the connection of these two meridians has already provided him with a substantial amount of physical energy to convert into true energy each time he practices his breathing techniques

Of course, after the foundation is completed, there is still the Body Refinement stage, which can greatly compensate for the physical deficiencies caused by a hundred days of foundation building, so I said the impact is not significant. Some fortunate individuals can naturally use rare materials and treasures to replenish their vital energy and avoid such situations... Unfortunately, I do not belong to that category, and you probably do not either

First, open the Ren and Du meridians to take charge of the overall situation. In that case, even if the other meridians are closed, it does not matter. Once the Ren and Du meridians are full, the difficulty of opening the other meridians will not be so great. Gu Zhaozi explained in detail to Su Li the origins of the hundred-day foundation building.

He also feels that according to the saying of building a foundation in a hundred days, it seems more correct to directly connect the small circulation. However, his doubt lies in why the solitary oarsman should be able to see how he practices Qi, yet does not provide any explanation

However, the vast majority of young disciples are not as precocious as you are at such a young age. Their minds are not fully developed, and at the age of eight, they are fundamentally unable to focus their minds on cultivation. Therefore, after a period of tempering, they often can only truly begin to practice Qi after the age of ten

Eh? Su Li felt somewhat perplexed. Could it be that his thoughts were incorrect? However, when he previously asked Gu Zhaozi about his cultivation state, Gu Zhaozi did not point out any issues.

You speak," the old Taoist replied kindly. It seemed that due to the earlier interaction, his attitude towards Su Li had become much more amiable.

Next, he will refine the vital energy accumulated in his body through diet and digestion into true energy within this day. After feeling that it is nearly sufficient, he will then proceed to the Bladder Meridian of the Foot Taiyang. This time, he should be able to completely connect the Three Yang Meridians of the Foot in about ten days, after which he will begin the strategy for the Three Yin Meridians of the Foot

It can only be said that there are very few young individuals like Su Li who can focus on cultivating their energy at such a young age. Chi Lao feels that he has truly encountered great misfortune this time; why is everything so unsatisfactory?

"My lord, may I ask whether it is better to first open the three Yin and Yang meridians of the hands and feet during the hundred-day foundation building, and then allow the Ren and Du meridians to connect, or to directly connect the Small Heavenly Circuit and then use the two meridians to guide the hundred meridians?" Su Li raised his question.

Su Li listened but merely replied thoughtfully, "I understand," and then fell silent as if deep in contemplation. Later, during the lunch break, when Gu Zhaozi finished a sip of water and showed no further actions, he finally stepped forward to inquire, "Master, I have a question regarding my cultivation that I would like to ask."

"Is this your Hundred Days Foundation? Don't make me laugh to death. Didn't the old Taoist teach you what the true Hundred Days Foundation is?" Chi Lao began to laugh wildly in Su Li's heart, not holding back his sarcasm: "The Hundred Days Foundation aims to open the Ren and Du meridians to form the small circulation of the human body. Starting your cultivation from the twelve primary meridians, aren't you looking at a Thousand Days Foundation instead?"

Moreover, as he opens more and more acupoints, the speed of gathering energy increases correspondingly, and naturally, the speed of opening meridians is also continuously improving. After all, the meridians he has already opened will be nourished by the true energy that is sealed within, preventing them from closing. This significantly reduces unnecessary efforts and greatly enhances the efficiency of his cultivation.

"Regarding this issue, I thought you already knew in your heart, which is why you made such a choice." However, Gu Zhaozi's response surprised Su Li, who then patiently elaborated: "In fact, these two methods lead to the same outcome; it is merely a matter of differing speeds at certain stages."

First, you must understand that regardless of which of the two methods you choose, the prerequisite is that you are suitable material for cultivation and sufficiently young. The solitary oarsman explains to Su Li from another perspective: "The optimal age for a person to cultivate is between 8 and 12 years old. Why do I say this?"

But this is likely to have its drawbacks. Su Li suddenly said with certainty: "Because the master seems to prefer my approach of practicing the Twelve Meridians first."

"I have been slapped in the face, Chi Lao." Before he returned to sit cross-legged beside him and began his breathing exercises, he muttered a few words about the ring on his hand.

Chi Lao remained silent once again. Indeed, there was nothing to say, after all, the individual had clearly presented the advantages and disadvantages of the two foundational methods, what else could he do

This means that his physical strength and leg power have greatly improved... He has felt the benefits, which is also an important reason why he did not casually believe in what Chi Lao said

Because a person's body has not yet fully developed before the age of 8, starting to refine vital energy too early can lead to various ailments in the still-developing body and even affect growth. After the age of 12, the body's meridians are almost completely closed naturally, making it extremely difficult to open them again at that time. Therefore, it is said that the period between the ages of 8 and 12 is the best time for cultivation

But who cares, anyway, the true energy that Su Li has accumulated hasn't been lost. When the time comes, if the dantian can't hold it anymore, he can just find a random place on his body to seal it... Alright, he has secretly referred to his 'little talent' as 'little sealing technique'.

You do not have those rare treasures to replenish your deficiencies, and while 'building a foundation over a thousand days' may seem similar to the paths of the secular world, it excels in its steady and solid foundation. Moreover, your meridians are not yet blocked, and circulating energy through the acupoints is not particularly difficult... As long as you can connect the Small Heavenly Cycle before the age of twelve, then it will naturally be considered that the foundation has been completed

This choice is also made in order to keep pace with the solitary boat's steps ... As a cultivator striving to achieve the Golden Core, it is already quite a favor to Su Li that the solitary boat can walk on the ground

Are you stunned? That old Taoist didn't take you seriously at all, so of course he wouldn't care whether your cultivation is right or wrong... Listen to me, change it back immediately; with your talent for Qi training, you should still have time.

He knows that Su Li will definitely not disappoint him