Chapter 1417: A Handful of Water

Chapter 1417: Chapter 1417: A Handful of Water

Zhao Qingtang’s room was just as it was before, unchanged at all.

The room was filled with the same pleasant fragrance as on Zhao Qingtang, with a hint of sweetness.

It could be seen that the room had been tidied up, with the blanket on the bed folded neatly and the desk impeccably organized.

Lin Tian glanced around with the corner of his eye before finally resting his gaze on Zhao Qingtang, asking, "What’s the matter?"

Zhao Qingtang pointed to the bed and said softly, "Sit."

"Huh?"

"Huh my ass. The breathing technique... I practice too slowly by myself. Anyway, you have nothing to do at night, so just accompany me to practice for a night."

After hearing this, Lin Tian couldn’t help but laugh again. So, it was...

"Alright." Lin Tian took off his slippers, sat cross-legged on the cool mat, and asked, "How have you been feeling lately?"

Zhao Qingtang also sat on the bed, looking at Lin Tian with a somewhat resentful glance, "What do you think? The progress is extremely slow, compared to when I was practicing with you, it’s just worlds apart."

This was within Lin Tian’s expectations. Dual cultivation was essentially the mutual communication of spirit and energy between two people, climbing step by step.

When Lin Tian was in the early stage of the Golden Core, Zhao Qingtang hadn’t even reached the beginner level of a Martial Artist. With the two sharing experiences, the speed was incomparable. Now, with only Zhao Qingtang by herself, the speed was as slow as a snail’s pace.

If Lin Tian were to swap places, he would be extremely frustrated as well.

Currently, Zhao Qingtang was clearly developing a strong dependence on him. Especially after the seamless breakthrough to a Martial Artist, she fell in love with that feeling.

Zhao Qingtang sat cross-legged opposite Lin Tian, and the two’s hands joined together once again.

As Lin Tian squeezed her hands again, the long-lost sensation made Zhao Qingtang’s face flush, and stray thoughts began to creep into her mind.

"Calm your heart and clear your mind, rid yourself of distractions," Lin Tian said lightly.

Zhao Qingtang suddenly felt as though her thoughts had been seen through, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. However, she also knew that unnecessary thoughts must be discarded during cultivation; if the spirit and mind cannot unite, no matter how one practices, it is futile.

"Do you still remember the heart method I told you last time, and the way to circulate spiritual Qi?" Lin Tian asked.

"I remember clearly, I’ve been practicing it every day, but the effect is not significant."

"Alright, let’s start."

Zhao Qingtang wanted to say something else, but suddenly felt a warm current transmitting from Lin Tian’s hands. It flowed into her five organs, muscles, and bones.

Zhao Qingtang entered a state of meditation, like a clear lake with no bottom.

Once in meditation, a person’s consciousness becomes unfocused, similar to the feeling after falling asleep, with a particularly vague concept of time.

When Zhao Qingtang opened her eyes again, outside was barely dawn, the time reached five in the morning. She felt amazingly well, as if waking up naturally, her whole body felt rejuvenated.

"Now it should be the peak of the beginner Martial Artist, one more step forward, and it will be a mid-level Martial Artist."

While sensing her bodily state, Zhao Qingtang mumbled, "So slow."

If this statement were heard by those ordinary cultivators from the Twelve Ancient Martial Families, they would be furious and cough up blood.

Keep in mind, even for a beginner Martial Artist, it is exceptionally hard to get started! Let alone winter and summer endurance training, it also requires comprehension and various Foundation Establishment medicines. These are hard requirements, taking years, even decades of honing to get started.

And as for Zhao Qingtang? She hadn’t yet practiced for three months altogether, and she was about to step into a mid-level Martial Artist, the speed was astonishingly fast. And yet, she felt it was slow.

As the saying goes, without comparison, there’s no harm.

Zhao Qingtang couldn’t see other ordinary cultivators, nor could she compare with them, even with rapid progress she wasn’t aware. Her only reference was Lin Tian... compared to this monster, Zhao Qingtang felt she was moving like a snail.

In past dual cultivation sessions, the two would either wake up together or Lin Tian would wake up first.

But today was different, Zhao Qingtang had exited her cultivation state, but Lin Tian remained in meditation, expression calm, brows relaxed.

Zhao Qingtang wanted to pinch his face, but ultimately held back, cultivation was nothing to joke about, she didn’t dare breathe too heavily, for fear of disturbing him.

In fact, Zhao Qingtang didn’t know, Lin Tian had already woken up once before; this was his second meditation.

During dual cultivation, with Lin Tian’s Sea of Qi as the source, spiritual Qi would be channeled into Zhao Qingtang’s body through their linked hands, opening her Sea of Qi, clearing her meridians, connecting the channels, and finally flowing back to Lin Tian’s Sea of Qi.

This was the reason for Zhao Qingtang’s rapid progress, but Lin Tian almost had no gains, even if there were, they were minimal, after all... Zhao Qingtang’s strength was too low.

But today, Lin Tian did achieve a significant gain through Zhao Qingtang!

As his spiritual Qi circulated through Zhao Qingtang’s body, he could clearly perceive her meridians.

As the saying goes, an outsider sees more clearly than the one involved.

Lin Tian played the role of an outsider, and when he used spiritual Qi to comb through Zhao Qingtang’s meridians, he suddenly discovered that the previous Array Point Map in the last page of the Tangxi Meridian corresponded to some meridians!

This was definitely an unexpected joy.

Although he had understood the Array Point Map before, this time it was deeper. Understanding and realization are two different realms.

The more Lin Tian thought about it, the more excited he became, unable to contain his excitement, he began to try.

The spiritual Qi completed three Great Cycles, but the effect was not impressive, even slower than usual.

How could this be? It really shouldn’t be! Where did it go wrong?

He began attempting again, one round, three rounds, ten rounds. Spiritual Qi decreased rather than increased, as if he was a leaking balloon, spiritual Qi continuously escaping.

This made Lin Tian anxious, his thoughts restless, mind chaotic, and felt his body heating like a mass of fire, that ball of fire seemed to devour his whole being.

Lin Tian panicked, recalling Xv Jiazhi, who had a similar experience of going berserk.

Could it be that he fell into a trap by the Tangxi Meridian too?

Suddenly, a spiritual Qi like a clear spring flowed into his body from outside, as if someone poured a bucket of water over him, extinguishing the fervent flame.

Lin Tian shivered, exiting his meditative state, opening his eyes wide, like a person nearly drowned crawling onto the shore, gasping for air desperately.

Zhao Qingtang quickly sat beside Lin Tian, gently patting his back, saying, "Lin Tian, how are you feeling? I just saw your brows furrowed together, skin flushed, body shivering with sweat. I panicked and passed spiritual Qi to you..."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

After a few violent coughs, Lin Tian finally caught his breath. Looking at Zhao Qingtang, his eyes began to change.