Chapter 106: Opening the Qi Sea in the Dantian

Leaving Yuan Ao’s lounge, Leng Ruoshuang felt as though a heavy stone had settled in her heart.

It was the first time she and Yuan Ao had ever argued, and they had parted on bad terms.

Rationally, she could understand him. He was simply too impatient.

After sleeping for more than half a year, he had hoped to make a stunning comeback the moment he awoke and suppress every dark force at once.

But his martial strength had not recovered, and the recovery was progressing even more slowly than expected.

That was why he had thought of using Xiang Nan—making him the target and provoking the various factions into fighting among themselves.

Then, like a fisherman profiting from a clash between a snipe and a clam, he could wipe out all those forces in one stroke.

Perhaps this really could buy the Nine Provinces a period of peace.

Emotionally, however, Leng Ruoshuang simply could not approve of Yuan Ao’s course of action.

Objectively speaking, Xiang Nan had saved him, and Yuan Ao ought to have been grateful.

But this plan would harm Xiang Nan. It was like shining a spotlight through shark-infested waters to expose a tiny fish hiding in a crack between rocks, struggling to survive.

Xiang Nan was only eighteen, and his cultivation was merely at the second tier. How could he possibly stand against those vicious, monstrous sharks?

Leng Ruoshuang still remembered how Xiang Nan had nearly fallen into Alice’s hands the last time.

He already had trouble coming at him from every direction. Adding this to the list…

“Ugh…”

Leng Ruoshuang let out a deep sigh.

Li Mu, who had been waiting outside, saw the solemn expression on her face as she emerged and had already guessed the result.

“The General may have acted without fully considering the consequences, but things may not necessarily develop in the worst possible direction,” Li Mu said, offering what comfort he could.

“No. The General’s plan is precisely for things to develop in the worst possible direction.” Leng Ruoshuang spoke calmly, though her steps felt strangely heavy.

“Why? If that’s the case, what will happen to Xiang Nan?” Li Mu asked, frowning in confusion.

“What can we do? Make cold salad!” Leng Ruoshuang tossed out the absurd retort in a fit of pique before quickening her pace.

Li Mu was left standing there, utterly bewildered.

“Cold salad? That doesn’t sound like something the Lone Wolf Captain would say. This must be more serious than we thought!”

…

Elsewhere, among the mountain forests.

Meng Qingwan infused the last trace of spiritual energy within her body into Xiang Nan.

As soon as the spiritual energy entered him, it circulated through Xiang Nan’s meridians under the guidance of his cultivation technique, probing his dantian again and again.

At last, Xiang Nan suddenly felt his dantian expand and open. Whenever the spiritual energy passed through it, a portion was drawn inside and absorbed.

His heart surged with wild delight.

He circulated the energy once more, probing toward the sea of qi in his dantian. Sure enough, the spiritual energy was drawn in again, and more and more of it continued to pour inside and accumulate.

At long last, he had successfully opened his dantian sea of qi!

By then, Meng Qingwan had exhausted all her spiritual energy. She withdrew her power and began meditating nearby to recover.

Xiang Nan tried cultivating the Pure Heart Mantra, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy surrounding him.

Under the direction of his consciousness, all the energy entering his body rushed toward the sea of qi in his dantian. Before long, a vast amount of spiritual energy had been refined and purified there.

The spiritual energy stored in the sea of qi was not as pure as that gathered between his brows, but it made up for that deficiency with its sheer volume. Xiang Nan felt as though his entire body were filled with strength. His sea of qi churned like a cyclone, spiritual energy surging within it.

If he wanted to wield this energy with ease, he still needed to refine it within his body.

Even so, this represented a tremendous breakthrough for Xiang Nan.

When he sensed that the spiritual energy stored in his sea of qi had reached its limit, he finally stopped cultivating. He exhaled a long breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes.

Before him, Meng Qingwan’s face was pale as she circulated her energy and meditated.

Xiang Nan’s heart overflowed with gratitude. Without her, how could he have opened his dantian sea of qi so smoothly?

He quietly observed Meng Qingwan. Her face was a graceful oval, her skin fairer than snow, and the few freckles scattered across her cheeks blended together in perfect harmony. Her cherry lips were slightly pale, yet delicate and lovely. Her eyes were closed, and in the gentle breeze, her curled lashes trembled faintly, creating a captivating sight.

He had never paid much attention before, but now that he looked closely, Meng Qingwan’s beauty was truly impressive. Even without makeup, she easily scored above a nine out of ten.

For a moment, Xiang Nan found himself staring blankly.

A short while later, Meng Qingwan finished meditating and opened her eyes, only to find Xiang Nan gazing foolishly at her.

Her face visibly flushed red.

“Y-you… Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

Meng Qingwan bit her lip lightly, her shy expression making her even more endearing.

“Qingwan, did you eat the little sugar pill I gave you last time?” Xiang Nan suddenly asked.

“I’ve been busy these past two days and forgot.”

“No wonder.” Xiang Nan nodded thoughtfully. With Meng Qingwan’s natural foundation, if she took the Rebirth Pill, her beauty would absolutely reach the highest level. She had the classic charm of a fairy from the misty waterside towns of the south.

“That’s good stuff. It’ll help your cultivation, so remember to take it when you get back. And there’s this Illusory Heaven Spirit Fruit too. After eating it, your cultivation speed can become ten times faster.”

As he spoke, Xiang Nan took out an Illusory Heaven Spirit Fruit and placed it in Meng Qingwan’s hand.

Holding the spirit fruit, Meng Qingwan’s eyes filled with confusion and delight. She knew Xiang Nan possessed many miraculous, thoroughly unscientific medicines, but even after hearing that it could increase the effectiveness of cultivation tenfold, she remained only half-convinced.

After all, Xiang Nan was always prone to exaggeration.

Take opening the dantian sea of qi, for example. He had claimed that, despite being only at the second tier, he could accomplish it within three days. How could that possibly be true?

“Oh, right.” Xiang Nan paused before adding, “I successfully opened my dantian sea of qi!”

“Really?” Meng Qingwan stared at him in complete disbelief.

“Of course. If you don’t believe me, feel it yourself. It’s warm here now.”

As he spoke, Xiang Nan took Meng Qingwan’s hand and guided it toward the dantian in his abdomen.

Once the dantian sea of qi had been opened and spiritual energy stored within it, the area surrounding the dantian would become warm. This was what people commonly called dantian warmth.

“It really is! This is incredible!”

Feeling the warmth from Xiang Nan’s dantian spreading into her fingertips, Meng Qingwan’s face lit up with joy. She was genuinely happy for him.

But in the next instant, her face turned as red as a ripe tomato, even the roots of her ears flushing crimson.

The position of her hand, and the place it was touching, was simply too awkward.

Meng Qingwan hurriedly pulled her hand back. “It’s getting late. We should head down the mountain.”

Xiang Nan grinned as though nothing unusual had happened. “True. I always lose track of time whenever I cultivate. My stomach’s already growling. Come on, let’s go have a feast! We can call Big Wildcat and Xiaoya too.”

“All right. To celebrate your opening the dantian sea of qi, I’ll treat you,” Meng Qingwan said.

The two of them descended the mountain in high spirits. But when they returned to the villa, they found Leng Ruoshuang and Li Mu sitting in the living room.

“Lone Wolf came looking for you. She couldn’t get through on your phone, so she had to wait here,” Xu Jiya said as she carried two cups of black tea over and handed them to Xiang Nan and Meng Qingwan.

“We were cultivating in the mountains. There was no signal.” Xiang Nan took a sip of tea, feeling refreshed.

“You’ve been acting a little strange lately. You’re always hiding in the mountains with Qingwan to cultivate. Are you two cultivating dual techniques together?” Su Yao set down the comic book in her hands and asked with an expression full of gossip.