Chapter 267: Breath Regulation Realm

Mud rose past my ankles. Amid the torrential rain and howling wind, I clutched the raincoat-wrapped leather suitcase, barely able to open my eyes.

In the dead of night, Xinhu High School retained its unchanging gloom and terror, looming like a massive monster.

"Why did this sign fall again?"

Standing outside the quarantine fence, I picked up the mud-covered warning sign. I had specifically secured it with wire the last time I was here, but that clearly hadn't done much good.

"Just how many unsolved secrets are still hidden inside this school?" The warning sign I had specially reinforced had been torn down and thrown into the muddy water. I hung it back up and climbed over the fence.

The warning sign on the fence swayed in the storm, the words "No Entry" written in red paint looking particularly glaring. A moment later, the gale reversed course. As if flipped by an invisible hand, the warning sign hit the ground with a smack, falling right back into the mud...

Bai Qi and I didn't linger at the entrance. Bypassing the teaching building, we easily made our way into the Women's Apartment.

I hadn't chosen to settle down in this building out of some peculiar hobby; it was simply because it was the closest.

The door to the dormitory building was open, looking exactly as it had during my second live stream.

Inside, the gloomy corridor stretched out of sight. Something faintly moved in the darkness. Even with Chasing Eye, I couldn't see it clearly. The entity moved further away—it seemed to be a lone spirit, or perhaps a wandering ghost.

The entity avoided me, unwilling to cross paths, and I wasn't going to ask for trouble. Digging around for the truth at a time like this was pointless; the most critical thing right now was to get some good rest and let my body recover.

I dragged the leather suitcase to the room where Shen Meng had committed suicide. Xiu Mu and I had left in a hurry back then, casually tossing the dormitory key inside.

"Creak."

I pushed the damp door open. No horrifying scenes of a wrongfully dead ghost returning to life greeted me. I retrieved the dorm key from under the desk, went back downstairs, and claimed a sunless room on the first floor.

Smashing a wooden chair and using a lighter to ignite some textbooks, I built a simple campfire.

After a day and a night of rushing about, my body was at its limit. I stripped off my soaked clothes and hung them over the fire to dry.

I took out some refrigerated fresh meat and roasted it over the fire. Watching the slices gradually turn a crispy golden-brown, I slowly relaxed.

I never could have imagined I would run to a haunted school for refuge, much less that I wouldn't feel the slightest bit of fear, casually roasting meat as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I used to avoid this place at all costs, but now it's become the only place in Jiangcheng that can take me in. Truly, fate plays tricks on people."

There were no surveillance cameras here, and no footprints of the living. It was a restricted area strictly forbidden by the authorities and completely sealed off from the outside world. As long as Er Gouzi didn't snitch, no one would ever guess I was hiding inside.

The golden roasted meat gave off an enticing aroma. Bai Qi walked in circles around the fire, wagging his tail happily.

"Don't rush, it'll be ready soon." I hadn't brought much food, but it was enough for Bai Qi and me to have a full meal.

A dozen minutes later, Bai Qi and I wiped out the fresh meat and vegetables we had brought. Fully fed, I ignored any superstitions about bad luck, dug some old bedding out of a cabinet, and spread it on the floor.

"It's late. I'll think about everything else when the sun comes up tomorrow."

Extinguishing the campfire, I lay down on the worn-out bedding holding Bai Qi and closed my eyes. The pattering sound of the rain by my ears gradually faded.

It was almost noon the next day when I woke up. The torrential rain outside persisted, seemingly even heavier than the night before.

"For rain to pour like this during this season is truly abnormal." I sat up and walked to the balcony. The curtain of rain connected the sky and the earth, making a person feel utterly insignificant.

Touched by a sudden feeling, all my experiences from this recent period flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern. The mortal tribulations spoken of in Taoism were probably just like this.

As I sat cross-legged, rainwater from outside splashed into the room, shrouding me in a fine, hazy mist.

My divine sense had been tempered into steel, allowing me to maintain my composure even during life-and-death live streams. I calmed my mind and focused, silently circulating the Profound Truth Mental Method. My spirit platform reached enlightenment, and I seemed to grasp some unspeakable truth.

"The myriad are one, the Great Dao alone is true. The profound cannot be known, the wondrous cannot be spoken; this is called profound truth, this is called Profound Truth. To face it is to be upright, to be upright is to be true; embody the Dao to merge with truth, reaching the summit of truth."

Silently reciting the Profound Truth Oral Formula, I emptied myself, slowly entering a cultivation state of no knowledge, no words, no name, no form, no mind, and no self.

Heart Fasting, Sitting in Forgetfulness, Following the Middle Path—the three great realms evolved freely. The trace of Pre-Heaven qi remaining in my body surged along the conception and governor vessels, racing up the great dragon of my spine.

"My Following the Middle Path Realm reached its peak long ago. I don't know what I'll face in two days, so every ounce of strength I can gain now is critical." I took the Qi Transformation Pill from the leather suitcase and opened the jade box. A pill the size of a longan lay peacefully inside.

Its divine light was restrained, and its fragrance assailed my nostrils.

The so-called Qi Transformation Pill transformed the three qis of essence, qi, and spirit.

The Dao births primordial qi. Essence merges with primordial qi to form the physical body, which is called essence-qi. Spirit merges with primordial qi to form the soul, which is called spirit-qi. The unity of form and soul creates life. These three qis are known as: essence, qi, and spirit.

As I swallowed the pill, I felt a mellow fragrance fill my mouth. It melted into a sweet, cool liquid, going down with a gurgling sound as I craned my neck to swallow.

The Qi Transformation Pill dissolved in my lower abdomen, nourishing my Pre-Heaven qi. The location of my lower dantian felt like a spring in a sea of qi.

I inhaled qi into my dantian, nourishing it. With the help of the Qi Transformation Pill, I easily accumulated it. The primordial Pre-Heaven qi in my abdomen didn't leak out; it circulated internally and externally in an endless cycle.

As the circulation of qi continued, it became natural. Even without me intentionally guiding it, my breath returned into my dantian on its own, as if drawn by a force.

I merely focused my intent on my dantian, continuing my dantian breathing. My exhales were subtle, my inhales continuous. It seemed to exist yet not exist, seeming real yet illusory; the true breath was formed.

With the help of the Qi Transformation Pill, breaking through the Following the Middle Path Realm and achieving Breath Regulation came as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

Although I had only just discovered my sea of qi, opened the spring of my lower dantian, and learned the method of Breath Regulation, for me personally, it was a crucial step forward on the path of cultivation.

An endless internal breath—only with this could one be considered a true cultivator.

When I opened my eyes, it was already afternoon. Bai Qi lay pitifully beside me, belly up, his stomach letting out a rumbling sound every now and then.

"It's about time I went out to buy a few things." I left the Black Leather Suitcase in the room and told Bai Qi to stay behind and guard it. Putting on my jacket and throwing on my raincoat, I walked out of the Women's Apartment.

"I heard Xiu Mu mention before that there was a residential area outside the school."

Leaving Xinhu High School, I walked for forty minutes before finding a convenience store. Pulling down the brim of my raincoat, I observed the place for a long time to make sure there was no danger before going in.

The store wasn't big. An ordinary-looking old man sat behind the counter, fully engrossed in the TV beside him, which was broadcasting a flood warning.

"Recently, parts of our province have experienced continuous torrential rain. The water level at Hankou Station has already exceeded historical records for this period..."

"In response to the continuous heavy rainfall, the municipal flood control headquarters requires all localities to pay close attention to the water and rain conditions, strengthen duty shifts, and strictly carry out various flood control tasks according to the flood control plans."

...

"I'd like to pay."

While the old man was watching the news, I had quickly gathered a large amount of food and water and placed them on the counter.

"That'll be forty yuan and twenty cents. Just give me forty." The old man gave it a cursory glance before turning back to the TV.

"To ensure the safety of the general public, we specially remind everyone to pay attention to the following matters..."

"We interrupt this broadcast for breaking news. At 1:28 AM today, a vicious crime occurred in our city's Longteng Villa Residential District."

"Jiang Long, a member of the Jiangjin Group board of directors and the adopted son of the Jiangjin Group's chairman, was murdered in his home. The motive for the crime is still unclear, but thanks to the full efforts of our city's police, the suspect's identity has essentially been confirmed."

"Name: Gao Jian. Male, twenty-five years old, height 1.79 meters..."

"Due to the extremely heinous nature of the case, he has been placed on the Grade A Wanted Notice list. Any unit or individual providing critical clues will be rewarded with no less than 100,000 yuan by the Ministry of Public Security."

"A hundred thousand yuan just for providing a clue," the old man curled his lip. "How ruthless does a person have to be to dare kill a director of the Jiang family!"

He turned off the TV and looked back, but there was no longer anyone at the counter. Only forty yuan remained resting on the surface.

"Where'd he go?"

Stuffing the purchased food inside my raincoat, I frowned and walked back toward Xinhu High School.

The situation was getting worse. I was wanted citywide. At this most critical juncture, the police were no longer my friends, but an obstacle to my plans.

With this, a three-way struggle would take place in Jiangcheng two days from now: the Two-Faced Buddha represented by Lu Xing, the pursuers represented by me, and the local armed police and criminal investigators of Jiangcheng.