NOVEL WEB Chapter 19: Cultivating Soul Power
Ling Yi spread the fingers of his right hand, holding it before his eyes as his gaze focused on a specific spot at the radial side of the tip of his little finger, just a tiny bit away from the corner of his nail, thinking silently.
Then, he clenched his fingers into a fist and opened them again, fixing his gaze on the spot just pressed by the tip of his little finger, and thought once more: ‘This is… the Shaofu Point!’
Shifting his gaze again, following along the side of his little finger until it reached his wrist, passing over the protruding pisiform bone, he stopped at a rather noticeable indentation: ‘Shenmen Point!’
This location was quite familiar to Ling Yi. In his past life as a martial arts enthusiast, the novel "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" and its accompanying series, specifically the Wudang sect’s "Thirteen Swords of the Shenmen", stood out in his memory. This particular technique targeted the opponent’s wrist at the Shenmen Point, rendering their hand powerless. This rare swordsmanship, which wasn’t just about killing, made a deep impression on him.
Equally memorable was the Shaochong Point on his little finger, also from the Jin Yong martial arts world—the "Six Meridian Divine Swords" from Dali Duan’s Tianlong Temple—featuring the Shaochong Sword!
In the TV series, Duan Yu, a character known for his relationships, gestures a ‘666’, and beams of light shoot from both his thumb and little finger. This scene had far more impressive special effects than when Yin Liting brandishes his sword in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."
Putting aside these digressions, let’s get back on track.
Ling Yi concentrated his mind, maintaining his composure as he continued the soul power cultivation of this "Binxixi edition" on the Douluo Continent. He meticulously integrated it into his reconstructed human meridian diagram, aiming to better understand and eventually… modify it.
Certainly, making changes is still too early. At the moment, I am merely activating the soul power within me—a faint and cool sensation—guiding it along the path outlined by the 'Basic Meditation Method,' allowing it to flow slowly and completely through my body just once.
With his head down, Ling Yi stared three inches below his belly button... Wait, he was only six years old.
Feeling that thread of cool sensation enter a space that seemed both real and illusory, Ling Yi's eyes sparkled, "Interesting~"
'Logically, this direction is completely opposite to the previous life’s meridian cycle, yet in this world, it works!'
Ling Yi could clearly sense that the half step of soul power within his body, with just a thought, surged from below his abdomen—from his dantian—rushing swiftly to the 'Shao Chong Point' on his right little finger. It attracted some particle-like substances from the outside world, absorbing them along the route he mapped out one acupoint at a time, returning to his dantian.
During this process, those particles were gradually assimilated by the cool sensation, his soul power, and by the time they entered the dantian, about thirty percent were assimilated, causing a slight increase in the soul power despite some loss during the operation!
As for this soul power meditation route, in Ling Yi's past life, it had a name—it was called the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian!
The difference is that in the traditional medicine theories of his previous life, this 'Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian' was symmetrical, meaning each arm had one, while here on the Douluo Continent, in the 'Basic Meditation Method' provided by Yan Bin from the Spirit Hall, only the right arm’s meridian is mentioned, and the details are vague with unclear wording, leading many beginners in this world with lower cultural understanding to scratch their heads in confusion.
Fortunately, in his past life, although Ling Yi had never formally studied traditional Chinese medicine theory and his education was only up to an ordinary undergraduate level, his reading comprehension was fairly decent. He could somewhat manage to understand civil service exam questions, let alone this straightforward "Basic Meditation Method."
"Simply put, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian starts at the heart, passes through the armpit, and travels along the inside of the arm to the tip of the little finger. It has several branches: one descends to the small intestine, another ascends along the esophagus to the eyes, and yet another rises to the lungs, emerging below the armpit, traveling along the back of the upper arm to the inside of the wrist and reaching the Shaochong point on the inside of the little finger... Are you even listening to my recitation—?"
The gentle reproach from the nursing student echoed once again in his ears.
To avoid revealing that he had been momentarily distracted by the curves beneath the white coat, Ling Yi hurriedly responded, "I'm listening, I'm listening. I was just thinking—since this meridian isn't like blood vessels, with no blood flowing through it, what exactly circulates within it? Qi? Inner power?"
The young woman rolled her eyes, her rosy lips pouting slightly, prompting a reflexive gulp from him. She retorted with mild annoyance, "Qi and inner power, really? Why not mention chakra or magical circuits while you're at it?"
"Come on, there's no such thing in this world!"
"Well, you could call it vital energy or blood energy. It's the driving force behind the body's life activities..."
“Oh, so it originates from the heart, not the dantian, is it?”
“Hey~you can say that, but why are your hands there?”
“This is just to verify the positions of the heart and dantian—”
“The position of the heart is fine, but the dantian...is it usually that low?”
“Haha, my hand slipped...just slipped—”
……
Let’s discard the irrelevant and untimely banter and focus on the points raised by the young lady earlier.
In Ling Yi’s previous life, according to traditional Chinese medicine, the human body was like a microcosm, with its internal energy flow consisting of primary and extraordinary meridians. There are twelve primary meridians, which include the three yin and three yang meridians of the hands and feet, collectively known as the ‘twelve meridians’, serving as the main conduits for energy and blood circulation. Additionally, there are eight extraordinary meridians, namely Du, Ren, Chong, Girdling, Yin Heel, Yang Heel, Yin Linking, and Yang Linking—the ‘Eight Extraordinary Meridians’—which function to govern, connect, and regulate the twelve primary meridians. Alongside these, there also exist smaller complementary meridians known as the ‘Twelve Divergent Meridians’ and others aiding further connectivity.
Let's not talk about the 'Eight Extraordinary Meridians' for now. In his past life, Ling Yi hadn't progressed to that level in his discussions with the young lady. Instead, he switched careers to study foreign languages and ended up learning Russian with a girl from there.
Even in martial arts novels and films, discussions around the 'Eight Extraordinary Meridians' are reserved for masters. For Ling Yi, who has just embarked on this path, diving into such topics is premature.
As for the 'Twelve Standard Meridians,' their names derive from their yin-yang attributes, associated organs, and their paths. Each is linked to one of the twelve internal organs, named after them and traversing through the arms, legs, and various body parts, receiving different names according to yin-yang theory.
The names are: Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian, Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, and Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian.
These twelve meridians connect progressively through various secondary channels between the arms and legs, forming an endless circulation system. Through these meridians, qi and blood can reach the internal organs and the body's surface, sustaining the entire body.
Having completed this encyclopedia-like exposition, Ling Yi started focusing on the parts relevant to himself.
Namely, the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian!
"Is it because the martial spirits of most people manifest in their right hand that the entry-level channel originates from the meridian on the right hand?"
Ling Yi pondered to himself, "But why does it start at the Shaochong acupoint on the little finger? Why not the Shaoshang acupoint on the thumb, the Zhongchong acupoint on the middle finger, or the Guanchong acupoint on the ring finger?"
"Furthermore, the Shaoze acupoint is also on the side of the little finger's nail, but it's on the inner side closer to the ring finger, whereas the Shaochong is on the outer side. Is there a particular reason for this choice?"
(End of Chapter)
