sinovels Chapter 36 A leopard dies leaving its skin, a man dies leaving his name.
Chapter 36 A leopard dies leaving its skin, a man dies leaving his name.
Next, Shen Qing began to explain the incantation of the Qi-gathering technique word by word.
This technique from the system is described simply yet is extremely ingenious. It is based on the internal absorption of spiritual power, supplemented by one's own divine sense as an array, suppressing the spiritual root to the minimum and controlling the cultivation aura at any desired level.
A cultivator at the Qi Refining stage can prevent cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or below from seeing through their abilities.
"When you use the Qi Concealing Technique, you gather the pure spiritual energy in your dantian into the deepest part of your dantian, so that when outsiders explore your meridians, they can only see the layer you want them to see."
Under Shen Qing's guidance, the three closed their eyes and began to try. To Shen Qing's surprise, Xu Ping was the first to get the hang of it. The spiritual energy fluctuations in his body, which were not very active to begin with, began to slowly calm down and settle down.
Fang Xue was a little slower. Her spiritual energy was naturally more lively than Xu Shouzheng's, and she needed more time to gather it. However, she was very quick to understand, and she mastered the knack after Shen Qing corrected her posture twice.
Zhong Xiu was the last to enter the state, not because of poor comprehension, but because her spiritual energy quality was too high, coupled with her fourth level of Qi Refining cultivation.
The natural affinity of her open meridians to spiritual energy makes the spiritual power within her body like a rushing stream. To contain such power requires more delicate control.
Shen Qing stood behind her, watching the girl's forehead beaded with sweat, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her lips pressed into a line.
She persisted for a full quarter of an hour before the fluctuations of spiritual energy on her body began to slowly subside.
When the three of them successfully "disguised" their cultivation aura as being at the first level of Qi Refining, Shen Qing told them to stop their practice.
"This is your first time cultivating; just getting a feel for it is enough. From now on, you will practice for an extra half hour after your morning lessons every day. I will personally check your progress after one month. Whoever can control their movements freely first will be rewarded with a high-quality Qi Gathering Pill."
"To the outside world, Zhong Xiu remains an inner disciple, while you two remain outer disciples. Your true cultivation levels are known only to each other. Do you understand?"
All three rose, bowed, and replied, "Yes, Sect Master."
As Xu Shouzhen and Fang Shourou left the meditation room, they were still exchanging their insights on the Qi Concealment Technique in hushed tones. Zhong Xiu walked last.
She paused at the door, glanced back at Shen Qing as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded slightly and turned to leave.
As Shen Qing watched her figure disappear through the door, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him.
This proud and arrogant girl is his greatest hope, and also his greatest worry.
Although Xu Ping and Zhong Xiu both possess dual spiritual roots, they are far inferior to each other.
Zhongxiu's talent is too dazzling, so dazzling that once it is exposed, it will bring about his destruction.
All Shen Qing could do was keep her under his wing while she wasn't strong enough.
As for how long he could hide, Shen Qing himself didn't know.
In the days that followed, Shen Qing used 70% of the spiritual energy extracted by the system each day for Qi cultivation and only about 30% for martial arts body tempering.
Having already achieved mastery of the Body Refinement Realm, the meridians' capacity to bear weight is now much stronger than before. The dozens of strands of pure spiritual energy that flow into the dantian every day no longer bring about swelling, pain, or suffocation.
Without the risk of being overeaten, Shen Qing naturally used most of his spiritual energy for cultivation. Every morning, the pure spiritual energy flowed slowly along his meridians and then merged into his dantian to transform into spiritual mist.
This visible increase in strength fascinated Shen Qing.
However, he could only feel it for a short period of time each day when the system extracted spiritual energy. Shen Qing tried to cultivate Qi at other times, but the results were very unsatisfactory.
Having grown accustomed to delicacies, eating simple vegetables like radishes feels like chewing wax.
To maintain the cultivation of the Martial Arts Opening Meridian Realm, only a small amount of spiritual energy is needed to nourish the meridians and skin; 30% of the spiritual energy drawn each day is sufficient.
Shen Qing's cultivation progressed even faster than before. According to his estimation, he was now at least ten times stronger than he had been back then.
Now, forty percent of the spiritual energy in Shen Qing's dantian has transformed into spiritual mist. Once the spiritual mist completely fills his dantian, he will reach the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining.
Shen Qing had a premonition that at this rate, he would be able to reach that barrier in two or three months at most.
That afternoon, Ma Wenzhong, the county school instructor, and Zhou Shi'an, the instructor, went up the mountain together.
Ever since Zhao Yuanlang brought them to Qingyun Academy last time, the two of them have been going up the mountain every few days.
Sometimes they come to deliver grain allocated by the county school to the children, sometimes to check on the teaching situation at the academy, and most of the time they just come to have tea and chat with Shen Qing.
Ma Wenzhong was originally from Qinghe County, and came from a scholarly family. In his youth, he was passionate and wanted to change the world.
But after repeated setbacks, he was worn down by reality and turned into an old scholar, long forgetting the dreams he had when he was young.
Zhou Shi'an was a cunning clerk who came from a minor official background. The two, one literate and the other shrewd, were not exactly like-minded in the Qinghe County government.
However, the two found common ground in the matter of Qingyun Mountain.
Shen Qing greeted them at a tea table in front of the academy. The sky was clear and the children in the academy were having a math class. Li Molin was leading the children in reciting the Nine-Nine Song.
The innocent voices of children drifted on the wind, and shouts came from the direction of the martial arts arena, making Qingyun Mountain quite lively.
Ma Wenzhong, holding his teacup, squinted at the direction of the martial arts arena and suddenly sighed, "Brother Shen, the scenery on Qingyun Mountain reminds me of my days studying at the county academy when I was young. Every day, the sound of reading aloud filled the air, and classmates and I discussed our knowledge. Those were the best times."
He then put down his teacup and looked at Shen Qing, saying, "What I didn't expect was that Brother Shen, a cultivator, would be so devoted to teaching and educating people."
"Forgive my bluntness, but the vast majority of these rural children lack spiritual roots and are destined to be mortals. Brother Shen, what exactly are you hoping to gain by wasting so much money, resources, and effort?"
Shen Qing picked up the teapot and refilled his cup. "Instructor Ma, what do you think is the purpose of studying?"
Ma Wenzhong pondered for a moment: "Sect Leader Shen already answered this question last time. I have thought about it carefully when I got back. If it is a rich family's son who studies, it is naturally for the purpose of passing the imperial examinations, entering officialdom, and bringing honor to his ancestors; if it is a poor family's son... he studies mostly to learn to read and write and to make a living."
"Both. But neither."
Shen Qing put down the teapot and looked at Ma Wenzhong. "In my opinion, the most fundamental purpose of reading is to understand principles. To understand things, to know one's limits, to uphold one's bottom line, and to distinguish right from wrong."
"No matter how many books a rich kid reads, if he has no moral principles in his heart, he is nothing more than a literate beast. Even if a poor kid only knows three or five hundred characters, if he can learn the principles of being a person and doing things from books, he will not go astray in his life."
Ma Wenzhong's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air, and Zhou Shi'an also lost his usual smooth smile, looking thoughtful.
"Jade that is not carved cannot become a useful object; a person who does not learn will not know."
Shen Qing's voice was calm. "A piece of jade cannot become a talent without being carved, and a person cannot understand principles without learning. I do not expect these children to pass the imperial examinations and become officials when they are sent to our Qingyun Academy. I only hope that when they leave, they will be reasonable, principled, and able to distinguish right from wrong."
"That's enough. Books are like medicine; reading them well can cure ignorance."
Shen Qing continued, "Foolishness is not stupidity, but a lack of understanding. Intelligent people do foolish things not because they are stupid, but because they lack a sense of right and wrong. I teach them to read so that I can plant a seed of discernment in their hearts."
Ma Wenzhong put down his teacup, his expression becoming serious.
"Master Shen's words are worthy to be hung in the main hall of the academy as a warning to future generations."
"There are two more sentences that I heard from an old gentleman when I was young."
Shen Qing's voice grew deeper, as if recalling something from long ago: "Learning is the beginning of knowledge; without learning, all is in vain. He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened. Reading and writing are merely means; understanding the principles of things is the goal. No matter how great one's learning, if one cannot recognize oneself or see through the ways of the world, it is all in vain."
The room was quiet, with only shouts from the distant training ground and faint children's voices drifting in the mountain breeze.
After a long silence, Ma Wenzhong stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to Shen Qing. "Brother Shen, I have been teaching at the county school for twenty years, and only today have I heard the true meaning of studying from Master Shen."
"What Sect Leader Shen said is like a morning bell and a evening drum, resounding and enlightening. I am completely convinced. If Sect Leader Shen does not mind, I am willing to address you as 'Master'."
Zhou Shi'an also stood up and bowed deeply, "Sect Master Shen's insightful remarks have been very enlightening."
Shen Qing quickly stood up and helped the two men up. "You two are too kind. These words were not spoken by me, but by an old gentleman from years ago..."
"Sect Leader Shen, there's no need for such modesty."
Ma Wenzhong interrupted him, "The truth doesn't lie in who says it, but in whether the listener takes it to heart. Sect Leader Shen's words have resonated with me."
"Sect Master Shen, rest assured, after I return, I will write to the County Magistrate, detailing the educational philosophy of Qingyun Academy. When the County Magistrate returns to the Heavenly God Sect to report on his duties, I will attach a petition, earnestly requesting the County Magistrate to report the educational methods of Qingyun Academy to Fenglin County City."
Zhou Shi'an nodded in agreement: "His educational efforts have benefited the entire community. Although Sect Leader Shen is a cultivator, he performs the deeds of a sage. If such a good deed is not commended, where is justice?"