"Assume a horse stance, adjust your breathing, calm your mind and heart, focus on your dantian, sense your own Qi and blood..."
Xu Yan assumed a horse stance and, under Li Xuan's guidance, adjusted his breathing, sensing the location of his Qi and blood.
While instructing, Li Xuan spoke, "The cultivation methods I practice focus on understanding and intent, not form. You must calm your mind and forget yourself to deeply perceive and discover the 'intent' within..."
After all, he was making it up since there were no actual techniques to pass on. He surely couldn't teach Xu Yan aerobics, could he? That would be too embarrassing.
So, he could only have Xu Yan hold a horse stance and sense his Qi and blood by himself.
As for not being able to sense it, that was a matter of aptitude.
It wasn't a problem with the cultivation techniques taught.
"Whether you can sense Qi and blood depends on your perceptiveness, on whether you can grasp the 'intent' within. Once you sense Qi and blood, try to mobilize it and temper the skin around your body, entering the Skin Refinement stage..."
Li Xuan seriously instructed Xu Yan on his cultivation.
"This is the foundation of martial arts; as the saying goes, the master leads you to the door, but learning depends on the individual. Keep cultivating, keep perceiving. Rest when you're tired; balance work and rest, and avoid undue haste."
"The more impatient you are, the harder it is to sense Qi and blood, do you understand?"
Xu Yan respectfully replied, "Yes, Master, the disciple understands!"
"Hmm, continue your cultivation!"
Li Xuan, with his hands behind his back, left, happily accepting the gifts Xu Yan had given him.
"Nine-leaf Gantress is a treasure; boil some and try the effects!"
Thinking thus, Li Xuan took out a small knife and carefully cut a slice of Nine-leaf Gantress, caught a chicken from the coop, slaughtered it, and set it to cook with the Nine-leaf Gantress.
"This disciple is cultivating here. Providing meals is necessary. Bringing such generous gifts and not providing meals would be too heartless."
Li Xuan muttered to himself.
While cooking, he glanced at Xu Yan, who was still holding the horse stance, but was shaking and nearly unable to keep it up.
After a while, Xu Yan couldn't hold on any longer and began to rest.
This was his third rest.
"As long as I can deceive him for a moment, that's enough. It's not that I want to deceive you; you came to me on your own."
Li Xuan shook his head, not bothering about him. It wouldn't be exposed anytime soon.
Moreover, Xu Yan's arrival gave Li Xuan a chance to leave the small village and possibly safely pass through the Evil Forest.
He had already thought about an escape route; once he left the village, he would settle in Wu Country.
Far from Qi Country, far from Donghe County. Even if Xu Yan realized he had been deceived, he wouldn't be able to use his background to target him!
...
Xu Yan resumed the horse stance, calmly sensing his Qi and blood.
"Qi and blood, present in the body, circulating throughout. How to sense and mobilize it? Master said, focus on perception and intent, not form…"
Xu Yan continued sensing his Qi and blood, but besides the soreness in his legs from holding the horse stance, he sensed no trace of Qi and blood.
"Don't get discouraged; it hasn't been long. Persist, and there will surely be results!"
Xu Yan encouraged himself, his gaze determined, continuing the horse stance to sense his Qi and blood.
The chicken soup was ready.
Li Xuan looked, noticed Xu Yan still in the horse stance, so he did not disturb him and ate by himself.
"Nine-leaf Gantress, a rare treasure of the world, consuming it prevents all diseases, not growing old, extending life by twenty years... I wonder if this is an exaggeration!"
After eating, maybe it was a placebo effect, Li Xuan felt much more energetic, as if his entire being was considerably lighter.
"There's a little left, let Xu Yan have it."
Muttering, he stood up and approached Xu Yan.
"How is it going?"
Xu Yan stepped out of the stance, looking slightly disheartened, "Master, I have not yet sensed Qi and blood."
"It doesn't matter, the path of Martial Arts focuses on persistence and having a resolute will!"
Li Xuan consoled.
To himself, he chuckled, "How could he sense the qi and blood? I made it up. If you did feel it, wouldn't that make you a demon?"
"You still have a year's time; you must be hungry by now, go have some food."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yan suddenly felt hungry and gratefully responded, "Thank you, Master!"
"This is chicken soup stewed with Nine-leaf Ganoderma, eat it, it's a pretty good tonic."
"Yes, Master!"
Xu Yan was moved, the Nine-leaf Ganoderma was his gift upon becoming a disciple, and now his master had used it to cook soup for him. The master really didn't care about the initiation gift; just as the master said, it was destiny that he came here!
While eating and drinking the chicken soup, Xu Yan asked, "Master, how long does it usually take to sense qi and blood and to start the cultivation?"
"Well, it varies from person to person."
"Master, how long did the fastest learner take to start cultivating? How long before they started?"
Li Xuan inwardly rolled his eyes. According to the cultivation methods he had fabricated, it would be a lifetime before anyone could start.
"If I set the entry standards too low, and he doesn't manage to cultivate anything, will he start to doubt? I must set the genius's standard higher."
Thinking thus, Li Xuan said, "The geniuses of ancient times would complete Skin Refinement in five days, Bone Refinement in ten days, and Viscera Refinement in fifteen days, thereafter, their sinews would thunder and their qi and blood would be as fierce as gang winds, marking a successful start."
"About a month in total."
Xu Yan's eyes widened in shock.
Five days to complete Skin Refinement?
A month to start?
Is this what the Master sees as a true genius?
"Can I complete Skin Refinement in five days? Today, I might not even sense the qi and blood, it seems impossible to achieve in five days, could it be that my aptitude is inadequate?"
Xu Yan instantly felt nervous.
Li Xuan kept an eye on Xu Yan's expressions, feeling good about his nervousness, then added, "Of course, these were the ancient geniuses, one in ten thousand. You don't need to rush; even if you start within a year, in my eyes, that's satisfactory."
"So in Master's eyes, starting within a year is only deemed satisfactory!"
Xu Yan, with a determined look, solemnly said, "Master, rest assured, your disciple will definitely start within a year, I won't let your painstaking efforts go to waste!"
Li Xuan patted his shoulder, a look of satisfaction on his face, "With your determination, it's not in vain that I made an exception to take you as my disciple!"
Xu Yan was deeply moved.
And the pressure within grew stronger, he hurriedly finished his meal, stood up, and said, "Master, I'm going off to cultivate!"
"I must work hard in my cultivation, I can't fail to meet Master's expectations!"
With a firm resolve, Xu Yan quickly left to continue horse stance training to sense the qi and blood.
"What a silly boy!"
Li Xuan shook his head and sighed. He didn't want to deceive anyone.
But now, there was no turning back.
From the moment he accepted the initiation gift and taught Xu Yan the fabricated cultivation techniques, Li Xuan knew that there was no turning back, he had to follow this path until the end.
It was already dark.
Before going to bed, Li Xuan stepped outside and saw Xu Yan continuing his horse stance training, truly diligent.
He felt somewhat distressed, worried that he might overtax him, so he said, "Cultivation is about balancing work and rest. Overtraining can damage your foundation. You need to rest when it's time to rest!"
"Master, I understand!"
Xu Yan respectfully replied.
Li Xuan shook his head, closed the door, and went back to his room to sleep.