Lü Zhiming's casual remark reignited the light in Wen Chaoshen's eyes, which had been dim all night. He couldn't help but think of the "reclusive master" A Shui had mentioned as he stared at the seemingly simple yet mysterious middle-aged man before him. The fact that Lü Zhiming had casually produced a gold leaf earlier only added to his mystique.

  "Please, Mr. Lü, I humbly ask for your guidance!"

  Wen Chaoshen cupped his hands respectfully toward Lü Zhiming, his words sincere.

  Lü Zhiming didn't hold back, smiling as he asked, "How much do you know about cultivation?"

  Wen Chaoshen thought for a moment and recounted what A Shui had told him: "The human body has seven hundred and twenty acupoints. Cultivation is about connecting with the great Dao of heaven and earth, condensing power in the dantian, and using that power to activate the acupoints, unleashing the body's hidden potential... But, Mr. Lü, what exactly is the dantian?"

  "Is it the same as the dantian?"

  Lü Zhiming calmly poured himself a cup of tea and said slowly, "The dantian is a description of a region in the human body, usually located two to three inches below the navel. The dantian, however, is the connection point of the meridians of the seven hundred and twenty acupoints and can appear in any area of the body."

  "Though the dantian truly exists, it doesn't manifest in the physical body. It's more of a mystical and precise sensation. If you're a cultivator, you can have this miraculous experience. The power of the dantian can instantly traverse the extraordinary meridians, reach the acupoints, and stimute potential."

  "However, there are countless people in the world, each with different potential. Some are born with blocked meridians and cannot bear the power of the dantian, while others have withered acupoints, with only half of the seven hundred and twenty acupoints open... There are millions of cultivators, but only a handful can unlock the potential of more than six hundred acupoints."

  "Of course, the concept of acupoints is just one of the mainstream cultivation methods. It represents potential, but having more open acupoints doesn't necessarily mean higher cultivation. In the far north of the Yan Kingdom, there's a sacred nd for cultivation called the Sword Pavilion. Its master, Tu Shanbai, spent his life cultivating just one acupoint in his palm, yet he roamed the world unchallenged."

  Hearing this, Wen Chaoshen felt an inexplicable surge of excitement. He had read in novels about people who practiced a single sword move all their lives and became invincible upon emerging.

  The two seemed to share a simir essence.

  To be a match for any hero in the world, what a thrilling thought!

  "Mr. Lü, if there's no dantian, how can one cultivate and activate the potential of the acupoints?"

  Lü Zhiming smiled slightly, "The great Dao is vast and interconnected. As long as your mind is set, where isn't there cultivation?"

  "Eating, sleeping, walking... chopping wood."

  "Look, hasn't it only been two or three days? Isn't chopping wood much easier now?"

  Wen Chaoshen was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "It's different from before, but the cultivation I want to learn is one that allows me to protect myself against true cultivators, not just become prey in their eyes."

  Lü Zhiming spoke softly, "What's wrong with cultivators?"

  "Do cultivators not eat or sleep?"

  "They're all human. People say they're different, but they're actually the same."

  Wen Chaoshen looked into Lü Zhiming's eyes, which were deep and unfathomable, hiding a hint of amusement. He felt there was more to Lü Zhiming's words, but he couldn't grasp what Lü Zhiming was guiding him toward. After pondering for a long time, he still looked up and asked, "What should I do, Mr. Lü?"

  Lü Zhiming poured him a cup of tea, smiling as he said, "Drink tea, py chess, eat, chop wood."

  "As the saying goes, read a book a thousand times, and its meaning will appear. Everything is pretty much the same. Everyone in the world thinks about cultivation, but how many truly understand its essence?"

  With that, he stood up, hands behind his back, and slowly walked toward the courtyard.

  "I'm going for a walk by the river. If you get tired of chopping wood, come to the courtyard for some tea."

  After Lü Zhiming left, Wen Chaoshen sat where he was, staring at the teacup on the table for a long time. The tea leaf floating in the green water swayed gently, not sinking to the bottom for a long time, like a lone boat struggling on the vast sea.

  For some reason, Wen Chaoshen suddenly became interested in this seemingly insignificant scene. He hunched over, leaning closer to the cup, his gaze fixed on it, gradually forgetting everything around him.

  Suddenly, a breeze blew through the courtyard, coming from the distant Mian Lake to the east. It disturbed the clear ke surface, and the ripples seemed to be blown into the cup. In an instant, Wen Chaoshen felt as if he were on the lone boat in the cup, surrounded by waves like dragons, threatening to swallow him whole!

  Unsteady, Wen Chaoshen crouched down, clutching the edge of the boat tightly, looking around in shock!

  Wasn't he in the courtyard?

  When did he enter this world within the cup?

  Thinking about how he had already experienced something as bizarre as transmigration, suddenly becoming small didn't seem too surprising. Just as he was about to steady his mind, a wave hit, and Wen Chaoshen quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding it. Unfortunately, his grip on the boat slipped, and he fell into the deep sea below.

  A terrifying sense of weightlessness overwhelmed him. Wen Chaoshen stared upwards at the sea surface, where the tea leaf boat seemed to be knocked down by the waves, plummeting straight toward him.

  Though submerged, Wen Chaoshen didn't feel suffocated or experience any buoyancy. The boat above, however, was falling toward him faster and faster, its sharp prow cutting through the water between them. Then the tip of the boat ignited, the fmes growing rger until they engulfed the entire vessel!

  Wen Chaoshen stared intently at the boat consumed by fmes before him. Suddenly, the sound of a sword rang out, breaking through the waves and creating a vacuum in the surrounding sea!

  Zheng!

  In the next moment, an incredibly sharp longsword pierced through the fiery waves, thrusting through Wen Chaoshen's chest!

  Whoosh—

  That indescribable, absolutely pure sharpness, free of any impurities, left Wen Chaoshen's entire body cold. He awoke with a start, finding himself still hunched over the table, staring at the teacup, his body drenched in cold sweat.

  The tea leaf that had been floating in the cup had already sunk to the bottom...

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