Chapter 38: Gateway

Meridians were gateways. The very connection between the inner and outer body.

They were classified between their rarities.

Skin pores were considered one of the most basic ones, something innate to all humans and cultivators alike. It enabled Ræzoň to seep into the body physically. The Dantian was what allowed it to become available spiritually.

Then there were 12 Primary Meridians. Innate in all humans, yet not naturally open in most.

These nodes ran through the major organs of the body. Six connected to the hands, and the other six through the legs.

Opening them all was Eren’s long-term goal. But presently, he focused on the former. It’s his urgent need. An advantage that would be useful throughout the entirety of the License Exam.

The effectiveness and power of his Primal Strike correlated to these very meridians. It unlocked the true potential of the Foundational Movesets.

He gazed at the base of his right palm. A needle punctured the connection between his fist and his forearm.

This was one of the 12 Primary Meridians, one connected to his heart.

Its connection was tangible. A slight twinge of pain from the needle connected straight to his chest.

And in turn, every pulse of blood, every beat of his heart, he felt it in his wrists.

Eren closed his eyes and focused on that connection. It was a necessary signal, that pain. A beacon that allowed him to focus the Ræzoň he was gathering through the very meridian that he was trying to open.

It was the method to open a meridian. Acupuncture was only one aspect. It opened the meridian physically. But to open it spiritually, one must focus Ræzoň in conjunction with the needle.

Impurities, after all, clog the meridians both physically and spiritually.

These blockages accumulate throughout a person’s entire life. From the very start of their birth all the way to their age of cultivation. Personal and mental experiences throughout their growth would be accompanied by negativity.

Improper nutrition. Lack of physical activity. Traumatic experiences. Even negative thoughts from other people cause these blockages in the meridians.

The Venerable Ursine King was unlucky. Despite experiencing less negativity than normal, all 12 of his Primary Meridians were blocked. A cultivator like him who’d trained heavily since his youth would at least naturally awaken three to four Meridians.

Such were the capriciousness of the heavens.

He spent the majority of his youth in constant pursuit of bloodshed. His efforts, futile, it turned out. The negative emotions this brought out only exacerbated his impurities.

Eren experienced negative emotions. His near death experience and his coma were two of the biggest sources.

The coma stunted his growth and caused blockage in his meridians.

He was not only deprived of proper nutrition. But also negative and positive emotions alike. There was no way for a person to truly grow.

But now, he had a chance to get rid of those blockages, those impurities.

He visualized his inner body. The Dantian appeared below his navel. Above it, a line continued upwards, until it split into two and connected with his eyes.

And now, he focused on his right palm, which was currently perched atop his folded knees, palm facing upwards and a needle stuck at its base.

He visualized it until a star formed where his meridians should be. A four sided diamond, glowing with the granular luminosity of Ræzoň.

And then, visualization made way for reality.

Red particulate matter gathered above his palms, into an amorphous gathering of clouds.

Then, Eren took out the needle blocking his meridians.

Physically, his meridians were now open. Now, the Venerable Ursine King’s words required him to open it spiritually.

Focusing his attention on the red diamond in his mind’s eye, a strange force suddenly appeared, creating a suction at the bottom of his palm.

It drew in the cloudy mess of Ræzoň accumulating and bubbling around his hands.

Those red, glimmering, sand-like particles gathered at the bottom of his palms, condensing and converging into a single point.

However, Eren noticed that it wasn’t enough to break through the spiritual barrier of his meridians. More force was required.

So, he visualized a much greater suction force. A tornado, forcing these Ræzoň particles to twist around itself and funnel with great gusto and might towards the very bottom of his palms.

The red diamond in his mind’s eye glowed brighter, more luminescent, until finally, the gathering of Ræzoň particles broke through the blockage in his meridians, allowing them to flow directly through his arms and straight into his Dantian.

They forged a new pathway from his fist all the way to his Dantian. It was very similar to the pathway that connected his eyes to his Dantian.

Eren reinforced this pathway, letting Ræzoň circulate and get rid of the impurities in his hands.

Eventually, black sludge leaked out of the pores in his hands. It was a combination of sweat and black soot, creating a sticky sludge that dripped sluggishly from his skin.

Eren took a deep breath.

He looked around his room. A single ray of light touched his right knee, flowing from the gaps on the curtains of the window at the side of his room.

"It’s already morning."

He’d been so focused and concentrated on opening his meridians that hours felt like minutes.

As the usual expression said: ’time always passes faster because of excitement’.

Now, it’s time to reap the results of his opened meridian.

He looked at his hand, feeling its connection with his Dantian stronger than ever.

Within an instant, Ræzoň billowed out of his skin, coalescing to form an opaque haze of power that encased his entire arm.

Reinforcement! Stronger, faster, and much more efficient. Not much Ræzoň particles were wasted in empowering his Primal Strike. Meaning, he’d be able to execute a lot more Primal Strikes than he did before!

He released the power in a punch, releasing the Ræzoň gathered in his fist.

Now, for the real test. He closed his eyes, feeling that pathway of connection between his Dantian and his fist.

He followed that path, empowering his fist once more with Ræzoň.

Opening his eyes, a red hue shined on his face as his fist glowed with a smoky luminance.

Reinforcement without vision!