Chapter Nineteen: One Day in Heaven, a Year on Earth

As the number of unemployed continued to rise, so too did the mounting pressure of discontent, and thus the authorities could scarcely manage these rampaging gangs, nor did they particularly care to do so...

With the complete automation of factories, production costs had plummeted. Goods grew ever cheaper; a police patrol car, for instance, could be assembled from raw materials to a finished vehicle rolling off the production line in mere minutes. What did the damage inflicted by these gangs really matter, then?

Wang Ling even felt a certain sorrow! To live in this era—what meaning was there in it? Perhaps tomorrow he should register an account for a virtual game as well...

Of course, Wang Ling was merely venting; after all, he was not a native of this world. He was not one of those idle, empty-headed delinquents, but a young man with much to accomplish!

And so, Wang Ling soon found himself quietly cultivating within the Jun Heaven Temple. Tucked away among the alleys wedged between towering buildings, it seemed the temple had long been forgotten; no one ever visited.

Wang Ling enjoyed the peace; each day he simply shut himself indoors, immersing himself in cultivation within the dark chamber. The spiritual energy of this world was exceedingly scarce, and for Wang Ling, who hailed from a land rich in spirit, it was nearly unbearable. To cultivate here, one might spend a lifetime without achieving anything of note.

Fortunately, within the secret chamber of Jun Heaven Temple, there appeared to be a mysterious connection to the Heavenly Jun Cave; here, the spiritual energy was sufficient. True, it could not compare to the cave itself, where a single breath of spiritual energy could overwhelm a person, but it was akin to what he found on Little Plum Mountain—enough for his needs.

A cultivator must strengthen the primordial spirit; only when the spirit is strong can one wield true energy and magical power. All of this depends on refining the breath and returning it to the spirit!

According to the breathing techniques left by Wang Ling’s father, the world of the Grand Accomplishment Dynasty divided the refining stage into five levels: Qi Accumulation, Qi Extension, Qi Descent, Qi Stabilization, and Qi Consolidation.

These simply describe the process of refining essence into breath and returning breath to the spirit.

Wang Ling’s father left him a breathing formula with the same style as the Grand Accomplishment Dynasty—profound and archaic, the wording obscure, reminiscent of the inscription on the Jade Pendant of Qi Movement he’d seen in his previous life, yet quite distinct!

Qi Accumulation is simply the gathering of breath; its meaning is clear at first glance. However, the method recorded in the Grand Accomplishment Dynasty for inhaling and accumulating breath was far rougher than Wang Ling’s own Primordial Dragon-Tiger Thunder Method, which drew upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nourish the essence and blood. The local method seemed crude.

Whether this was because the world’s cultivation practices had not yet developed or because the method his father obtained was inferior, Wang Ling could not say; perhaps both were true.

Qi Extension, though it sounds peculiar, merely illustrates the principle that when accumulation is sufficient, breath extends—simply put, it is the process of refining and opening the meridians. Unfortunately, his father’s breathing technique recorded this in scant detail: once breath is full, the meridians open naturally.

Yet, in Wang Ling’s view, things are never so simple. Either the technique was written superficially, or this world had yet to gain a deep understanding of the human meridians, so the instructions were vague, leaving the cultivator to figure it out alone.

If the meridians were clearly mapped, one could target them precisely, studying their flow. Fortunately, Wang Ling was a cultivator in his previous life and thus familiar with the meridians; otherwise, a native of this world, upon receiving such a vague method, would hardly know where to begin.

Only upon reaching the level of Qi Stabilization could one raise internal energy to the Niwan Palace, nourishing the true spirit therein—the primordial spirit.

Yet Wang Ling’s Primordial Dragon-Tiger Grand Elixir Thunder Method differed; it sent the primordial spirit down into the central palace, where it guarded and nurtured the internal energy.

To reach Qi Stabilization, one must first attain Qi Descent. Wang Ling was now only at the stage of Qi Extension.

He had to first open all his meridians before advancing to Qi Descent. This was unlike his Primordial Dragon-Tiger Grand Elixir Thunder Method, which did not require opening all the meridians at this stage—instead, after spirit separation, one would absorb the essence of sun and moon, refining the form naturally, and the meridians would open on their own.

Some might argue the meridians are already open; if they were blocked, one would perish! Why, then, open them?

Not so. The so-called meridians are the channels for energy and blood within the body; one cannot see them through dissection.

Originally, the flow of human breath followed certain pathways within the body—these routes were called meridians, but they were not tangible things. The essence and blood naturally followed these patterns.

Cultivation through breathing, diet, and training strengthened the essence and blood. This was the work of the Qi Accumulation stage; at Qi Extension, one learned to control the flow, enhancing circulation through the meridians, strengthening the body and internal organs.

There were two methods for this: one, to accumulate breath ceaselessly, like filling a reservoir until it overflowed into every channel—though this required great patience and time.

Later practitioners studied the meridians, learned to control internal energy along these routes, achieving precise manipulation and the ability to wield true energy.

This required knowledge of the meridian flow, and gradual mastery.

Luckily, Wang Ling’s past life as a cultivator made him well acquainted with the meridians; moreover, Jun Heaven Temple was replete with Daoist texts, always available for reference.

Thus, Wang Ling dwelled in Jun Heaven Temple for several months. At first, he worried about the situation in his home world, afraid his disappearance would be discovered, or someone would enter his thatched hut and uncover his secrets.

Soon, however, Wang Ling realized there was no need for such concern.

According to the records in Jun Heaven Temple, his own world—called the Eastern Morning World—moved much slower in time compared to this modern world.

The Daoists of Jun Heaven Temple speculated that this was because the Eastern Morning World had a higher energy level. The greater the energy, the slower the passage of time; the lower the energy, the faster time flowed.

As the saying goes: "A day in heaven, a year on earth."

There was another saying: "A year on earth, a hundred years in the underworld."

Thus, those condemned to hell were truly unfortunate—their suffering was multiplied...

Therefore, Wang Ling needn’t worry too much about his thatched hut; after several months here, only a few days had passed on Little Plum Mountain!