To say that you’d find a group of ancient cultivators from hundreds of years ago inside a meteorite, no one would believe you.
Even Zhang Yun Feng himself couldn’t believe it!
But these people were standing right in front of him, so he had no choice but to believe it. Logically speaking, these people had all lived for hundreds of years, meaning they had achieved some level of cultivation, attaining semi-immortality.
So how did they live for so long?
After all, the human body’s capabilities deteriorate with age. How did they manage to live for hundreds of years?
To confirm this, he tentatively asked, “May I ask, how have you all survived here? What do you eat?”
The young man said, “We usually drink some mountain water, eat some wild fruits, or hunt some meat to fill our stomachs.”
“Have you all stayed here for all these years, never leaving?” Zhang Yun Feng asked next.
Chen Qing Yun replied confidently, “Since we arrived here, we have not taken a single step outside the Heavenly Stone!”
After hearing their description, Zhang Yun Feng was even more confused.
Just eating wild fruits and drinking mountain spring water, could that make you live for hundreds of years? That’s ridiculous! How is that possible!
He didn’t hold back and directly voiced his doubts, “I assume all of you senior cultivators must have achieved some level of cultivation, right? You know the secrets of longevity, so you can live for so long.”
Chen Qing Yun stroked his long beard and gave a mysterious smile, “We, as Daoists, naturally understand some techniques of health preservation. While it doesn’t qualify as immortality, we can extend our lifespan.”
Speaking of which, he looked at Zhang Yun Feng, “However, these techniques are the secrets of our Huashan Sect, young friend. You shouldn’t inquire about them. Even if you ask us, we wouldn’t tell you.”
Zhang Yun Feng cupped his fists, “Thank you for your explanation, senior! I have no intention of inquiring about your Huashan Sect’s secrets, I was just asking casually.”
“That’s good. Since you, young friend, are passing through here, then please leave quickly, don’t disturb our cultivation!”
Chen Qing Yun made a gesture of invitation, directly dismissing him!
Zhang Yun Feng quickly said, “Senior, please allow me to ask one more thing!”
“Oh, what is it? Tell me…” Chen Qing Yun nodded.
Zhang Yun Feng clasped his hands together and said, “Senior, why are the living creatures here a thousand times larger than those outside?”
Chen Qing Yun smiled, “That is the inexplicable nature of the Heavenly Stone! We have been able to cultivate here for hundreds of years precisely because of the Heavenly Stone.”
Hearing these words, Zhang Yun Feng finally understood.
It wasn’t because they had achieved some level of cultivation or mastered the secrets of longevity that they could live for so long.
It was purely because of the meteorite!
“The meteorite must contain some kind of mysterious energy, and the creatures that grow around it have lifespans that are a hundred, or even a thousand times higher than those outside!” Zhang Yun Feng guessed silently.
This explained why the creatures here were so huge, and why every single creature could live for so long!
Understanding this point, his doubts were cleared up.
He then cupped his fists towards everyone, “Thank you for informing me, seniors, I take my leave!”
Then he turned around and prepared to leave.
But Chen Qing Yun called out to him, “Young friend, exit from this passage, and you can avoid a lot of trouble. May you journey smoothly!”
Zhang Yun Feng looked in the direction of his finger, it was the biggest hole. Wow, it was about two meters in diameter.
“Thank you, senior!”
Zhang Yun Feng politely said, and walked towards the passage.
The old guy didn’t lie to him. Although the passage was large, he didn’t encounter many monsters along the way.
It seemed like it was a passage they frequently used.
An hour later, he followed this passage and successfully arrived outside the meteorite.
After exiting from the meteorite, he found a relatively safe place.
After sitting down cross-legged, he took out the piece of paper he had translated from the ancient book and tried to “channel” his Qi according to the methods described on it.
This was the second step in cultivation: attempting to mobilize the Qi within his body and circulate it through his body’s major circuits.
After taking the Cleansing Marrow Pill, he had already opened his Ren and Du meridians. He could already feel the Qi in his body very clearly.
He held his breath and calmed his mind, focusing his Qi on his Dantian, attempting to circulate that small amount of Qi, about the size of a thumb.
But cultivation isn’t that easy.
After trying dozens of times, that Qi remained motionless in his Dantian. No matter how he regulated his blood and Qi, he couldn’t get it to circulate.
This made Zhang Yun Feng doubt himself!
“Could it be that the contents recorded in this ancient book aren’t suitable for me to cultivate? Or are they purely misleading?” Zhang Yun Feng doubted.
Thinking about it, he looked at the cultivation method carefully again. Then he realized—he was too impatient!
Yes, he was too impatient. That’s why he overlooked a very important step: to be free from distractions.
In those dozens of attempts he had just made, he was too anxious. He didn’t calm down and carefully experience the Qi flowing in his body.
That’s why he failed for dozens of attempts!
“Sure enough, haste makes waste… I’m still too impatient!” Zhang Yun Feng said to himself with a wry smile.
So he adjusted his attitude again, held his breath, calmed his mind, and focused on experiencing the Qi flowing in his body.
Sure enough, this time he had a new discovery!
He discovered that the Qi would naturally flow towards a certain place. As long as he controlled his blood and Qi in his meridians, he could slowly circulate the Qi in his body. It just moved very slowly.
He adjusted his breathing, unified his thoughts, and carefully pushed that Qi.
After trying several times, that Qi actually slowly floated up from his Dantian and slowly flowed into his meridians!
The next process was much easier.
Under his guidance, the Qi automatically circulated through his body’s major circuits, going through his limbs, bones, flesh, and meridians.
After one complete cycle, its speed gradually increased, and the Qi became more concentrated, containing even greater power!
“Finally succeeded! It wasn’t easy…”
Zhang Yun Feng breathed a sigh of relief, overjoyed.
The Qi circulated in his body, making him feel warm all over.
He tried to take off one of his outer garments. It was several degrees below zero, yet he didn’t feel very cold?
“Qi is really awesome, it can ward off the cold, and it can also increase the power of techniques. Amazing, amazing…” Zhang Yun Feng exclaimed.
Next, he focused on refining his Qi, forgetting about time, forgetting about everything around him, completely immersed in cultivation!
Every day, he ate when he was hungry and cultivated after eating.
If he got sleepy, he would pile up a stone wall in the gap, then safely sleep for a while, wake up and continue cultivating.
Such a life continued for a whole month!
…
April 10, 1961, Redwoods Forest, Old Ninth Gate Camp.
Huo Xian Gu stood at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the mountaintop shrouded in mist, her face full of worry, and said:
“It’s been a month, why hasn’t he come down yet? He wouldn’t have…”