I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

[Southern Theater Command, Closed Training Base codenamed "Zero"]

[Time: 23:00 PM, on the eve of the grand competition]

This place was originally an abandoned war reserve warehouse, but it has now been transformed into the highest-security location in the entire military region.

The area within a ten-mile radius was designated a restricted zone, with guards posted every three steps and sentries every five. Even the transit times of satellites were precisely calculated, and electronic interference was implemented to block them.

The warehouse was brightly lit.

Three hundred promising young soldiers, handpicked from across the military region, sat cross-legged on the cold cement floor.

There were no slogans, no running sounds, not even a cough.

There was only a chorus of heavy breathing.

But listening to that breathing sound for too long gives you the creeps.

The breathing rates of the three hundred people were surprisingly synchronized. When they inhaled, the air pressure in the entire warehouse seemed to drop; when they exhaled, a wave of heat rolled in, making the indoor temperature five degrees higher than the outdoor temperature.

Chu Tian held a pointer in his hand and moved through the ranks like an inspector.

"Relax! I've told you so many times, relax!"

Chu Tian stopped in front of a burly, dark-skinned man covered in sweat; it was Liu Qiang, the second squad leader.

At this moment, Liu Qiang's face was flushed red, and his veins were bulging, as if he were fighting someone to the death.

"Second Squad Leader, what are you doing?" Chu Tian frowned. "The 'Health Qigong' emphasizes 'relaxation, stillness, and naturalness.' You're as tense as a stone; how can your qi flow?"

"Teach...instructor..."

Liu Qiang forced out a few words through gritted teeth, "I...I can't feel anything! That 'warmth in the dantian' you mentioned, that 'qi flowing through the Du meridian,' all I feel is numbness in my legs! I feel like farting!"

"puff--"

Someone nearby couldn't help but laugh out loud, but was immediately silenced by those sharp glares.

Chu Tian sighed.

This is the biggest challenge.

"Strengthening the Body Techniques" are easy to learn; as long as you're willing to endure hardship and train your muscles to the point of exhaustion, you'll succeed.

But "Health-Preserving Qigong" is too mystical. For these rough men who are used to materialism, guns, and tactical maneuvers, asking them to sense that ethereal "qi" is harder than asking them to dismantle a tank with their bare hands.

In the past two weeks, apart from Chu Tian himself, none of the three hundred people have been able to truly master the basics.

Some people even whispered among themselves, wondering if Chu Tian was hiding something from them.

"Stop, everyone."

Chu Tian walked to the front of the line and sat down cross-legged.

Three hundred pairs of eyes, bloodshot, anxious, and even somewhat suspicious, stared at him.

"I know you're in a hurry."

Chu Tian's voice was steady, echoing in the empty warehouse, "In another week it will be the all-army special forces competition. You all want to prove yourselves and show that 'Unit 0' is not just a bunch of idiots."

"However, cultivating immortality... I mean, practicing Qi, cannot be rushed."

Chu Tian closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.

Traditional teaching methods won't work. These people's meridians are like dried-up and blocked riverbeds. They can't get through it no matter how hard they try.

We have to use some "strong medicine".

"Battalion Commander Lei," Chu Tian suddenly called out.

"arrive!"

Lei Long stood up abruptly, his movements textbook perfect, but the exhaustion in his eyes was impossible to hide. As the team captain, he felt the most pressure and trained the hardest, but he was always just short of the mark.

"Step forward. Take off your shirts."

Without saying a word, Lei Long ripped off his training uniform, revealing his muscular body covered in crisscrossing scars.

Chu Tian stood up and walked to Lei Long.

"Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard approach."

Chu Tian extended his right hand, his five fingers forming a knife shape.

"Bear with it. It might hurt a little."

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Tian suddenly made his move!

boom!

He slammed his palm hard into Lei Long's lower abdomen, specifically his dantian.

"Ugh!" Lei Long groaned, his body contorted in pain, but he didn't utter a sound.

"Inhale!" Chu Tian shouted sharply.

Lei Long instinctively took a deep breath.

boom!

Another palm strike landed on Lei Long's spine (Du Meridian).

"Lift your pelvic floor muscles! Tighten your abs! Press your breath into your spine!"

boom! boom! boom!

Chu Tian's hand speed was as fast as lightning, striking upwards along several vital acupoints of the Du meridian. With each strike, a surge of pure internal energy he had cultivated was forcefully injected into Lei Long's body.

This is called "guidance".

Chu Tian didn't have this ability before, but now that he has completed the Small Heavenly Circuit, he can use his own Qi to forcibly break through other people's barriers. Although doing so is very mentally taxing, it is the only way.

Lei Long felt like he was about to explode.

Each slap from Chu Tian felt like a red-hot nail being driven into his body.

The heat surged through his body, causing him excruciating pain that made him want to die.

But at the extreme of that excruciating pain, a tingling sensation suddenly arose...

When Chu Tian struck Lei Long's Baihui acupoint on the top of his head with his final palm strike.

boom!

Lei Long felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind.

The body, which had felt heavy and congested, suddenly felt lighter.

An unprecedented surge of heat rushed up my spine to the top of my head, then poured down like a waterfall, flowing through my limbs and bones.

All the fatigue and pain vanished in that instant.

Instead, there is a sense of fullness that feels like you could punch through a steel plate.

"ha--!!!"

Lei Long suddenly raised his head and let out a long howl.

The whistling sound was so powerful that it shook the dust off the warehouse ceiling.

His skin instantly turned bright red, and even white steam was visible to the naked eye.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone stared at Lei Long in horror.

A few seconds later, Lei Long lowered his head and looked at his hands. He clenched his fists tightly.

Click!

The crisp cracking sound from the knuckles was clearly audible.

"I can feel it..."

Lei Long turned around, his eyes flashing with an alarming light, tears welling in his eyes. "Instructor! I feel it! There's a fire burning inside me! Is that anger?!"

Chu Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead; his face was a little pale, but his smile was radiant.

"Yes, that's qi."

"Congratulations, Comrade Lei Long. You are now a beginner-level 'cultivator'."

Whoosh—!

The entire warehouse was in an uproar.

"Instructor! Take a picture of me! Please take a picture of me!"

"I want to cultivate immortality too! Instructor, give me a beating!"

"Line up! Everyone line up! Let the battalion commander have his fun first, then it's our turn!"

The originally dull and oppressive training ground instantly turned into a large-scale "torture" scene.

The soldiers looked at Chu Tian's slap with more affection than they would at their own wives.

Chu Tian looked at the group of rough men who were howling and smiled wryly, but there was relief in his eyes.

The spark has been ignited.

Although it was just one small area, once there was a successful example, its momentum became unstoppable.

……

[Bureau 749, Satellite Monitoring Center]

Time: 02:00 AM

The piercing alarm shattered the tranquility of the night.

"Chief! Something's up!"

The duty officer pointed to the thermal imaging map on the large screen.

The warehouse in the Southern Theater Command, codenamed "Zero," suddenly appeared as a dazzling red spot in the view of the thermal imaging satellite.

"What is this?" Li Guozhong rushed in, still wearing his coat, staring at the red spot. "Is it a fire? Or a reactor leak?"

"It's not a fire."

The technician increased the resolution. "This is... human body heat energy."

"You mean, there are three hundred people in that warehouse, but the heat they generate is equivalent to a small boiler room?"

"Yes. And this heat is extremely stable, fluctuating periodically." The technician swallowed hard. "It's like... the earth breathing."

Li Guozhong stared intently at the screen.

After a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Okay...okay!"

"It's done!"

He turned abruptly and gave an order to Zhao Feng behind him:

"Notify all departments to raise the signal jamming level in this area to the highest level! Not even a fly is allowed to get in!"

"In addition, promote Chu Tian's rank by one level."

"Tell him that since the fire's already started, he should make it burn brighter!"

"In the upcoming grand competition, I'll show the whole world what...a true soldier is!"

……

Linjiang City, Old Town

It was late at night.

Gu Qing was sitting cross-legged under the old locust tree in his yard.

The revelry in the military camp fed back to him through his soaring faith value, causing his spiritual energy reserves to reach a new peak.

"Not bad, the first rudimentary Daoist army has taken shape..."