Chapter 19: Opening the Meridian

To thoroughly master a source pattern is no easy feat. It's not merely a simple drawing; each source trace requires one's spirit as ink. If the spirit contained in a stroke is even slightly too strong, that trace cannot withstand it and becomes wasted.

If a single source trace is wasted, the entire source pattern becomes a failure.

Therefore, to achieve flawless perfection and ultimately form a source pattern, extensive practice is required.

Thus, in the following days, in addition to practicing the Ninety-eight Forms of the Dragon-Forging Art and the Chaos God Mill Contemplation Method, Zhou Yuan would also set aside time to continuously practice the "Tiger Roar Rune."

At the same time, to become familiar with using the Heavenly Yuan Brush as a weapon, Zhou Yuan also took time to practice some basic spear techniques, ensuring he wouldn't lack fundamentals and perform chaotically.

This series of arrangements made Zhou Yuan's daily schedule incredibly fulfilling. However, knowing time was short, he continued his diligent practice without cease.

This diligent cultivation soon reached a critical point.

On this day, Zhou Yuan, cultivating in the flower garden, had a solemn expression, his eyes subtly revealing excitement and anticipation. He could sense that his first meridian, through the channel-opening attempts of the past few days, was becoming increasingly loose. If all went as expected, it was very likely that it would be completely opened today.

"This day has finally arrived."

Zhou Yuan clenched his hands. For years, he had perhaps dreamt of this very day when he would open his meridians.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, calming his emotions slightly. Then, he raised both hands, and the Ninety-eight Forms of the Dragon-Forging Art began to flow silently and smoothly like water.

As the last form concluded, Zhou Yuan's blood and Qi surged, his bones vibrated, and his spine undulated. Faintly, a subtle dragon's roar seemed to emanate from within him.

Zhou Yuan inhaled, and the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi was immediately drawn in, rolling towards him, transforming into a white mist that he swallowed in one gulp.

As soon as the Origin Qi entered his body, under Zhou Yuan's guidance, it fiercely impacted his first meridian, where only a trace of blockage remained.

*Pfft!*

That last trace of blockage offered no significant resistance. There was only a faint sound, as if a non-existent membrane had been broken.

At that very moment, Zhou Yuan realized that his first meridian was now completely open!

Zhou Yuan felt as if his surroundings had fallen silent. His blood and Qi bubbled and surged, and his first meridian, as if alive, slowly writhed. Like it had been hungry for a long time, it began continuously devouring the Origin Qi flowing into his body.

The meridian absorbed the Origin Qi, then rapidly fed it back to his physical body.

Zhou Yuan felt waves of sharp pain throughout his body, but instead of panicking, his face was filled with ecstasy.

He could sense that with the pain came a profound sense of clarity, permeating his entire being. His body became lighter, and his flesh, bones, and skin tingled.

This was a sign of his physical body being strengthened!

This sensation lasted for about ten minutes. Only then did Zhou Yuan slowly open his slightly closed eyes. He immediately noticed a strange odor emanating from his body. Looking down, he saw his skin covered in grime—impurities expelled from within him during the earlier strengthening process.

Zhou Yuan's eyes seemed to have brightened considerably at this moment, and the entire world appeared much clearer.

"Is this what it means to open a meridian?" Zhou Yuan slowly clenched his fingers, feeling the surge of enhanced power within him, his eyes filled with joy.

This long-dreamt-of moment had finally come to pass.

"Go inform Father King and Mother Queen," Zhou Yuan instructed a maidservant as he went inside to wash himself.

When Zhou Yuan emerged, thoroughly cleansed, he saw Zhou Qing and Qin Yu already waiting for him, their faces alight with pleasant surprise.

"Yuan'er, you've opened your first meridian?!" Qin Yu hurried forward as Zhou Yuan appeared, her gentle face brimming with excitement.

Zhou Qing also approached, his gaze fixed intently on Zhou Yuan.

Seeing the excitement on their faces, Zhou Yuan's heart warmed. He nodded, and with a thought, his first meridian subtly vibrated, emitting an attractive force. Immediately, the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi around him surged into his body through his pores, causing his skin to glow faintly.

"Drawing Qi into the body—you've truly opened your meridian!" Zhou Qing's eyes sparkled. At this moment, even he lost his composure slightly, laughing heartily. "Good, good! You are truly the Sacred Dragon of my Zhou clan! To open your first meridian in just ten days—no one in my Great Zhou has ever achieved such speed!"

Qin Yu's eyes were red-rimmed. She embraced Zhou Yuan, sobbing, "With Yuan'er able to open his meridians and cultivate, the Resentful Dragon Poison can be suppressed in three years!"

Zhou Yuan gently patted Qin Yu's back, comforting her with a smile, "Don't worry, Mother Queen. Your son will definitely resolve the Resentful Dragon Poison."

"Come, Yuan'er, let Father King see how much your body has been strengthened after opening your meridian." Zhou Qing beckoned to Zhou Yuan. Each time a meridian is opened, the cultivator's physical constitution is strengthened, far surpassing ordinary people.

Zhou Yuan nodded, quite expectant. Cang Yuan had said that although the difficulty of his second meridian opening would be greater than for ordinary people, the benefits he would gain upon success would also be greater.

Now, he wanted to test just how high those benefits were.

Zhou Qing stood casually, beckoning to Zhou Yuan with his hand. His mere relaxed stance exuded an aura of power that made Zhou Yuan's breath catch.

"Father King is indeed a powerful expert who has broken through the Heavenly Gate and entered the Primordial realm."

In the path of a Source Master, opening meridians is the beginning. After all eight meridians are opened, one can establish a Qi mansion and enter the Qi Cultivation realm. Upon reaching the peak of the Qi Cultivation realm, one can then break through the Heavenly Gate. Once the Heavenly Gate is breached, Origin Qi can leave the body, allowing one to move mountains and overturn seas, wielding immeasurable power.

The so-called Primordial realm is after the Heavenly Gate realm.

Opening Meridians, Qi Cultivation, Heavenly Gate, and Primordial—these are the first four major realms for a Source Master.

Currently, Zhou Yuan had only just opened his first meridian, so naturally, he was awed by the aura of a Primordial realm expert.

"First, let's test your strength. Use all your power," Zhou Qing said, extending a large hand.

Zhou Yuan nodded, pushing off with his foot. His body shot forward like an arrow, his waist twisting. The power within him surged, fully converging in his fist. Immediately, the air around his fist stirred, and with immense force, he heavily struck Zhou Qing's outstretched hand.

The dirt beneath Zhou Yuan's feet flew up, but Zhou Qing's body remained utterly still. His hand didn't even tremble, yet a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Zhou Yuan rubbed his fist, retreating a little dejectedly. His full-power punch hadn't even budged Zhou Qing's hand in the slightest.

"Father King, how was it?" he looked up at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing didn't reply, instead saying, "Now, let's test your speed."

He spun his hand, and dozens of pebbles on the ground immediately swirled into his palm. Then, with a sudden flick, the pebbles shot out like a rainstorm, enveloping Zhou Yuan.

Each pebble was like an arrow, faintly whistling through the air.

Zhou Yuan lightly tapped the ground with his foot, swiftly retreating and dodging most of the pebbles. However, a few shot towards him at extremely tricky angles, making them impossible to evade.

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. At that moment, his spirit in his glabella pulsed. His perception instantly became incredibly acute, and the trajectories of the pebbles became exceptionally clear.

Then, he suddenly extended his hand, and with two soft thuds, directly caught those few pebbles.

The force of the pebbles made Zhou Yuan's palm sting slightly. He grimaced, shook his hand, and said to Zhou Qing, "I almost couldn't catch them."

"Father King?"

Zhou Yuan suddenly noticed Zhou Qing staring blankly at the hand that had caught the pebbles.

Hearing Zhou Yuan's voice, Zhou Qing finally snapped back to attention, looking at Zhou Yuan with a strange expression. He had deliberately added force to those earlier pebbles, intending them to test Zhou Yuan's resilience, or rather, his physical endurance.

But he never expected Zhou Yuan's eyesight to be so sharp, discerning the pebbles' trajectories and catching them. Was this a coincidence, or something else entirely?

Zhou Qing shook his head, glanced at Zhou Yuan, then suddenly flicked his finger. A crimson bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip, and in a flash, it struck Zhou Yuan's chest.

Zhou Yuan's body reeled, and he flew backward, crashing into a large tree before clutching his chest and yelping.

Qin Yu quickly rushed forward to help him up, then glared angrily at Zhou Qing, saying, "Why did you use Flaming Thunder Qi?"

Zhou Qing gave an awkward laugh, then stepped forward to examine Zhou Yuan's chest. Although it was a bit bruised, it was clearly just a superficial injury. His eyelids twitched again. How could someone who had only opened one meridian possess such resilience?

"How was it?" Zhou Yuan asked, rubbing his chest with a bitter expression.

Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Yuan with a strange gaze and asked, "Are you sure you've only opened one meridian?"

Zhou Yuan couldn't help but roll his eyes. Could one even open two meridians at once?

Qin Yu also noticed Zhou Qing's unusual behavior and nervously asked, "What's wrong? Is there something unusual about Yuan'er?"

"Unusual?"

Zhou Qing gave a wry smile and said, "It is indeed unusual. Because this boy's physical constitution—whether it's his strength, speed, or resilience—is so formidable that even someone who has opened two meridians might not be able to compare to him, let alone someone who has only opened one."

"In all these years, this is the first time I've seen someone with such a powerful physical constitution after opening just one meridian."