Yaoyao merely pursed her lips and smiled before carrying Tuntun and leisurely walking away, leaving three wide-eyed people at the table.
Zhou Yuan scratched his head and said, “Accept it mother, we will find an opportunity to repay big sister Yaoyao in future.”
He was rather grateful towards this act of Yaoyao’s. After all, he knew that the reason why Qin Yu’s body was so weak was completely because of him.
Qin Yu exchanged a look with Zhou Qing, only to see a nod from the latter. She became a little more fond of the girl.
Zhou Yuan smiled before lifting the bowl of Nine Beast Soup and sending it straight towards his mouth. ‘Gulp gulp’. His throat continuously swallowed as he drained the entire bowl.
Having finished the Nine Beast Soup, he lifted the bowl of Mysterious Crystal Rice and swallowed each mouthful after two to three rounds of chewing.
“Delicious!” Praised Zhou Yuan. This Mysterious Crystal Rice was full, soft and moist enough. Every grain was very savory.
Phew.
After several minutes, Zhou Yuan put down the bowl and let out a drawn out breath. The breath of air floated in front of him like white fog as he face flushed red. His body felt like a stove, a burning sensation circulating all over within it.
As he felt the burning sensation in his body, Zhou Yuan licked his lips while his eyes flooded with excitement. He was finally going to formally begin his training!
Chapter 13 Unblocking the Meridian Channels
Hundreds of flowers contested with their fragrances in the flower park where a stone pavillion stood and a little stream flowed. It was a refreshing and serene place.
Zhou Yuan’s eyes were closed as he sat inside the stone pavilion while instructions flowed in his mind. It was the Qi drawing method, ‘Dragon Breathing’, that Cang Yuan had imparted to him previously.
One was unable to practice cultivation techniques during the Channel Opening stage, and could only utilise Qi drawing methods to draw the natural Genesis Qi of the land into the body and attack the sealed eight meridian channels to open them bit by bit.
Hence, there was no need to doubt the importance of a Qi drawing method to one at the Channel Opening stage.
A high class Qi drawing method would allow a Channel Opening stage practitioner to achieve better results with less effort.
There were also Qi drawing methods in the royal treasury. However, after Zhou Yuan gave it some consideration, he still chose Cang Yuan’s ‘Dragon Breathing’. After all, Cang Yuan was an unfathomable individual and the techniques that he imparted were likely extraordinary.
“Like its namesake, Dragon Breathing mimics the breathing of a dragon. Each breath has the power to extinguish wind and clouds.”
“Extreme skill and practice is needed for a human to imitate a dragon’s breathing. Only when one is able to achieve resonance of the flesh and blood and release a dragon roar would one be able to absorb Genesis Qi.”
Zhou Yuan meticulously savoured the ‘Dragon Breathing method’ and eventually found the most important instructions hidden within it.
“Ninety eight forms of the frolicking dragon.”
Toughening the inner flesh was required for a human to mimic a dragon’s breathing, and this hidden ninety eight forms of the frolicking dragon was the most important piece.
One by one, unusual forms flashed in Zhou Yuan’s mind. There were a total of ninety eight strange forms. Together, they faintly resembled a frolicking dragon.
Zhou Yuan engraved these movements in his heart before walking out of the stone pavilion. He then lifted his arms started to slowly mimic the first form.
His first round of practice undoubtedly appeared rather rough. By the time Zhou Yuan slowly completed all ninety eight actions, he was already drenched in sweat and his body felt like a burning stove.
However, what caused Zhou Yuan to frown slightly was that although his body was burning after completing all ninety eight movements, he did not absorb even the tiniest bit of Genesis Qi.
“It feels as if I’m still lacking a little something.” Zhou Yuan mumbled to himself before wiping his sweat and continuing his practice of the frolicking dragon forms.
An incense stick of time later, Zhou Yuan was dripping with sweat as he finally stopped. He had completed three whole cycles. However, he had yet to absorb any Genesis Qi, causing him to feel as if he had been practising a fake technique.
“It is indeed a little inconvenient to fumble about on my own without a master’s guidance.” Zhou Yuan helplessly shook his head. Looks like he needed to practice a few more times to try and grasp its essence.
Just as Zhou Yuan was planning to continue, he suddenly saw a beautiful figure standing in the flower park from the corner of his eye. His eyes immediately brightened a little as he smiled and headed over.
“Big sis Yaoyao, you’ve come at the right time. I hope to seek some guidance from you.”
The beautiful figure was naturally Yaoyao. Upon hearing Zhou Yuan’s voice, she crooked her head and looked at him while carrying Tuntun in her arms. Subsequently, a slight smile was revealed on her exquisite and fair face as she extended five slender fingers. “Guarantee that I will be given five bottles of Jadeite Brew daily and I will teach you.”
Zhou Yuan was taken aback. Soon after, his eyebrows furrowed as he replied, “Five bottles is too many. That alcohol is too fierce in nature and will harm your body. I can only give you one bottle a day.”
Yaoyao was about to speak again.
“Any more will be impossible, if not I will go mull over it myself.” However, Zhou Yuan was firm. If Cang Yuan found out that Yaoyao became a heavy drinker mere days after following Zhou Yuan, the former would likely kick Zhou Yuan out from his discipleship in rage.
Yaoyao could only wrinkle her nose and let out a soft snort after seeing Zhou Yuan’s resolve before she threw Tuntun forward. “Take a good look.”
“What do I look at?” Asked Zhou Yuan in bewilderment. Yaoyao did not seem to have any intentions of showing him the frolicking dragon forms.
Yaoyao pointed to the ground at Tuntun and said in a slightly unhappy manner, “Look at it!”
The corner’s of Zhou Yuan’s mouth twitched for a moment. However, before he could speak, his pupils abruptly shrank, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost. On the ground, the short and stout Tuntun had suddenly stood up on two legs and started to do a series of profound actions. It was the ninety eight forms of the frolicking dragon.
“This… Tuntun can learn the frolicking dragon forms?!” Zhou Yuan was dumbstruck.
Under Zhou Yuan’s stupefied gaze, Tuntun smoothly completed all ninety eight movements. After the final action was done, Tuntun’s body suddenly jolted as it opened its mouth wide and the faint roar of a dragon could be heard.
Huuhuu!
Genesis Qi surged over from the surroundings and transformed into a white line that poured into Tuntun’s mouth.
After gulping down the vigorous Genesis Qi, Tuntun patted its stomach in satisfiction and turned its head to look at the dumbstruck Zhou Yuan as it disdainfully rolled its eyes.
Zhou Yuan gradually came to his senses at this moment and oddly stared at the little fellow. Exactly what kind of Genesis Beast was Tuntun? To think that it would actually be able to learn human techniques.
“Have you understood?” Yaoyao’s airy voice could be heard.
Zhou Yuan pushed down the shock in his heart and muttered to himself for a while. A long time later, he slowly said, “It’s breathing! To master the frolicking dragon forms, one needs to maintain the tempo of one’s breathing and allow one’s body and breathing to resonate.”
“Dragon Breathing imitates the breathing of a real dragon. A dragon’s breathing is drawn-out and unbroken, Tuntun’s every action began with inhalation and ends with exhalation. Only when both are in sync will Dragon Breathing be triggered.”
Yaoyao’s eyes flashed when she heard this as she stared in astonishment at Zhou Yuan. A rare
sigh of praise was emitted as she said, “Your comprehension ability is not bad.”
To realise the essence after merely watching Tuntun complete a set of frolicking dragon forms. It was no wonder that he had caught grandpa Hei’s eye.
Zhou Yuan closed his eyes and recalled the rhythm of Tuntun’s breathing from before. A long while later, his legs slowly stretched out as his fists were lifted and he once again started to perform the first action of the dragon frolicking forms.
A youngster’s body swayed in the flower park. His chest heaved up and down as he breathing became drawn-out. From a distance, it looked as if a young dragon was stretching its body.
The ninety eight movements were tightly linked together, while Zhou Yuan’s eyes seemed to grow increasingly brighter. He could feel the flesh and bones inside his body start to vibrate at this moment.
A breath climbed up along his flesh before finally dashing up his throat.
With this final movement, Zhou Yuan’s face flushed red as his tightly shut mouth abruptly opened.
Roar!
A faint dragon roar emerged through his throat from within his body.
At the same time, Zhou Yuan’s chest sunk inwards. Like a giant dragon breathing in water, the Genesis Qi in the flower park was drawn towards him, directly turning into a white line that could be seen with the naked eye, as it shot into Zhou Yuan’s body with a single gulp.
This influx of a single mouthful of Genesi Qi immediately caused Zhou Yuan’s skin to become scalding hot. The Genesis Qi from the consumption of the Nine Beast Soup and Mysterious Crystal Rice from before also rose at this moment and joined the pure Genesis Qi that had entered his body. Like a wave, the newly merged Genesis Qi surged towards his first meridian channel.
The rush of Genesis Qi towards the sealed first channel caused intense pain to emerge, resulting in a muffled groan from Zhou Yuan.
However, he fiercely gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain as he controlled waves of Genesis Qi and continually attacked the sealed first meridian channel.
Genesis Qi surged towards the first meridian channel in waves. This lasted for half an incense stick of time before it finally ended due to the exhaustion of Genesis Qi.
Zhou Yuan’s face was covered in sweat, but his eyes were filled with surprise as he said, “What a formidable technique.”
Although he had never learnt any other Qi drawing methods, he knew that the higher the quality of a Qi drawing method, the more abundant and powerful the Genesis Qi drawn into the body. According to his knowledge, the Genesis Qi gathered by the ‘Yuan Strengthening Method’ in their royal treasury could only last for half a finger-sized incense stick of time before being completely used up.
On the other hand, the Genesis Qi from the Dragon Breathing from before had lasted half a regular incense stick of time. This was almost ten times more than the Yuan Strengthening Method.
Although it was true that the Nine Beast Soup and Mysterious Crystal Rice had played a part, this result was enough to show how powerful the Dragon Breathing method was.
“You are only at the elementary stage of the Dragon Breathing method. If you become highly proficient, you will no longer need the aid of the frolicking dragon forms. When that time comes, you will have already become capable of doing it on instinct. Even if you do not activate Dragon Breathing, you will be able to use Dragon Breathing to take in the Genesis Qi of the land at any time.” Yaoyao’s airy voice sounded from the side.
Zhou Yuan was emotionally moved. To transform ordinary breathing into dragon breathing and endlessly take in Genesis Qi. Given this effectiveness, just how crazy would that be?
“I managed to unblock a tiny portion of my first meridian when I attacked my meridian channels for the first time earlier. At this rate, I will completely open my first meridian channel in less than a month.” Zhou Yuan’s fists were tightly clenched while his heart seemed to surge.
This efficiency was thanks to the Dragon Breathing. Of course, the Nine Beast Soup and Mysterious Crystal Rice also contributed a little.
“Time to continue training!”
After some rest, Zhou Yuan intended to begin practicing the frolicking dragon forms once again but was stopped by Yaoyao. The latter’s eyes scanned him once as she said in a cool voice, “You’re really out of your mind. Attacking one’s channels will damage them, thus most people only attempt it once a day. They must wait till their channels recover on the second day before continuing to unblock the channels. If not, they will end up injuring the meridian channels.”
Zhou Yuan was stunned. It was not that he was unaware of this but… He felt the first meridian channel inside his body and hesitated for a moment before he said, “But I feel that my meridian channel can still take it.”
Now it was Yaoyao’s turn to be stunned. Her watery eyes stared at Zhou Yuan in doubt as she said, “Is that true?”
Zhou Yuan earnestly nodded.
Upon seeing this, Yaoyao pondered a little before she said, “Could it be because you are someone born with naturally open meridian channels. It is possible that although they were sealed up again, your meridian channels are still much sturdier than an ordinary beginner.
“Then try again.”
Yaoyao placed her hands behind her back. With her clothes wrapped around her lovely figure, this posture of hers propped up her chest slightly, revealing a very enticing sight. However, Zhou Yuan did not dare to continue looking because Yaoyao’s bright eyes were currently staring at him.
“I do want to see exactly how many times you will be able to attack your meridian channel.”
Chapter 14 Spirit
Under the attention of Yaoyao’s bright eyes, Zhou Yuan’s body started to move once again as the ninety eight forms of the frolicking dragon were unhurriedly performed. It was done in a much more experienced manner this time, and felt a little more natural with his now coordinated breathing.
Roar!
As the final action was done, Zhou Yuan once again opened his mouth as a faint dragon roar echoed from within his body. His body immediately jerked while Genesis Qi converged towards him, transforming into a white stream that was swallowed by Zhou Yuan with a single gulp.
Rumble!
As Genesis Qi entered, his body felt like a burning stove. With a thought from Zhou Yuan, the Genesis Qi once again began to surge towards the first meridian channel in waves.
This lasted for another half an incense stick of time.
Zhou Yuan’s body glowed with red light as a wave of heat evaporated his sweat. He could feel the slightly more loosened first meridian channel and a smile emerged from the corners of his lips. After some rest, he started to do the ninety eight forms of the frolicking dragon again under Yaoyao’s watching eyes.
In the following period of time, two faint dragon roars sounded in succession. This meant that Zhou Yuan had attacked his channels twice more.
In addition to the previous two times, the total number had reached four!
Four sets of meridian channel unblocking!
An ordinary practitioner that had yet to open his first meridian channel could only attempt to unblock his meridian channels once a day before it would become somewhat unbearable to continue. Yet, Zhou Yuan had done it four times. Just how tough were these meridian channels of his?
As she stood by the side, ripples finally emerged in Yaoyao’s eyes.
However, Zhou Yuan was currently in no mood to pay any attention to Yaoyao’s expression. His burning body was seated on the floor and he could feel a faint piercing pain pulsing from the meridian channels in his body. This showed that his meridian channels were about to reach their limits after four sets.
A smile involuntarily formed on his lips as he felt his first meridian channel. The originally sealed channel had clearly loosened even more after the fourth set.
“At this rate, I might not even need a month. In ten days, I will be able to completely unblock my first meridian channel!”
Even with his mental
fortitude, Zhou Yuan could not help but become rather emotional when he thought of this. Cang Yuan had said back then that opening his chanels again would be even more difficult than normal, so he had been prepared to wait several months before opening his first channel. Yet who could have expected that the toughness of his meridian channels and the might of the Dragon Breathing technique would shorten this time to such an extent.
Back then, Su Youwei had used a month to open her first meridian channel, an achievement that made her the fastest channel opener in the Great Zhou Institute.
Just imagine what level his pace of ten day would be.
Of course, Zhou Yuan understood that Su Youwei’s achievement was solidly based on her own talent and hardwork. After all, she had neither a high class Qi drawing method, Nine Beast Soup nor Mysterious Crystal Rice.
Hence, it was really difficult to say who was better.
However, one point was certain. Due to the fact that it was his second time opening his meridian channels, Zhou Yuan would be surely be more powerful than Su Youwei when she had opened her first meridian channel. As for how much stronger, he could only test it when the time came.
“Looks like even grandpa Hei has underestimated a second-time channel opener like you.” Yaoyao’s airy voice was tinged with a sliver of shock.
Zhou Yuan chuckled. “Someone as pitiful as myself is probably quite rare.”
Yaoyao nodded in acknowledgement when she heard this as a faint smile started to show it self on her face. “That is true. Born with naturally open meridian channels yet having them sealed later on. Such a situation is indeed very rare.”
“Ch ch.” On the ground, Tuntun pointed at Zhou Yuan with mockery in its eyes.
Having been mocked by a little creature, Zhou Yuan grinded his teeth, grabbed a stone and threw it at Tuntun.
Ao!
However, Tuntun ate the stone in a single gulp before giving a provocative and menacing look to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan laughed. His eyes seemed to turn in thought as he fished out a piece of dried meat from his clothes. It was Genesis Beast meat that had been roasted with the utmost care and was used to recover his energy.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 13
