Master of the Stars

Luo Nan and Xue Lei walked into the room. None of the lights were on. The lights outside only illuminated the entrance. Most of the place was pervaded with shadow. Nothing could be seen clearly.

Xue Lei looked all around to find the gym master, while Luo Nan relied on his advantage with mental senses and locked onto Xiu Shenyu’s location a step before Xue Lei.

Xiu Shenyu was sitting atop the cork flooring. He leaned against the wall on one side of the corridor. His left leg was bent, while his right leg was straight. He just sat as he pleased. Not too far away from Xiu Shenyu was the tai chi ball. It was indiscernible if the environment embellished the scene, but right now Xiu Shenyu was silent to the point of gloom. He showed no response to the two young men coming in.

"Gym Master, Luo Nan is here." Xiu Shenyu finally saw where Gym Master Xiu was at and walked over to notify him with a soft voice.

Xiu Shenyu grunted and said, "Then let’s begin."

The simple and straightforward attitude was a bit of a shock to Luo Nan and Xue Lei.

Xiu Shenyu disregarded the thoughts of the two youngsters, stood up from the floor, and walked to Luo Nan’s side. Xiu Shenyu had a tall, thin figure; he was a full head taller than Luo Nan, who had not completely grown yet. He gave off quite the pressure when standing.

"The time I requested of you is from eleven o’clock at night to five o’clock in the morning for a total of six hours. Having six hours of time is sufficient for the first stage of learning in an ideal situation. Tonight, you have come early for the sake of learning basic techniques, performing a few tests, and understanding the details."

Luo Nan obediently agreed.

Though it was quite strange for Gym Master Xiu to skip the pleasantries and dive straight into the course of action, Gym Master Xiu spoke with a high level of clarity. Luo Nan did not know what Xue Lei meant by his being the gym master’s interpreter.

Luo Nan immediately obeyed Xiu Shenyu’s requests. He lay flat on a sleeping mat that was already prepared. Xue Lei lit a pot of incense in a very exaggerated manner, saying that it would help him to relax.

The lighting was dim. The fragrance rose in spirals. It truly was not difficult to relax in this kind of environment. Luo Nan closed his eyes and slowly adjusted his breathing. Soon, he entered a calm state.

Then Xiu Shenyu suddenly asked him, "Have you learned other breathing techniques in the past?"

"Mm, yes."

The tiny chanting and breathing technique Luo Nan practiced was largely useful for visualization. However, he had started off by practicing breathing, and a few weeks earlier, he witnessed an excellent demonstration from the unfathomable little girl Rui Wen. From her, he comprehended the tempo of soul breathing.

Uh, soul breathing should count as a breathing technique. Luo Nan believed that he had some experience.

Xiu Shenyu continued inquiring, "Have you entered a meditative state before?"

"Are you referring to a still state of mind, a fixed mental space? I have."

Xue Lei was quite delighted to the side. "This is good! You already have an excellent foundation. You would certainly make rapid progress."

Xiu Shenyu gave Xue Lei a glance, but refrained from saying anything. He simply let Luo Nan continue relaxing. At the same time, he began to tell him some essentials in calibrating one’s breathing.

He spoke generally at first, but due to the atmosphere they were in, Luo Nan subconsciously tried to follow the methods Xiu Shenyu talked about.

Xiu Shenyu had an accurate grasp of Luo Nan’s state. He suddenly changed his manner of speaking. He spoke more concisely, directly touching upon the differences that appeared in Luo Nan’s testing process. He also added corrections.

Sometimes he reached out with his hand to press against Luo Nan’s body. He wanted Luo Nan to focus his breathing and mind on these areas.

At first, Luo Nan disliked the feeling of having someone be so concentrated on his breathing. As Luo Nan controlled his breathing, he spared some attention to receive guidance. His mind was stretched taut. He could not be described as relaxed in any way.

But Luo Nan ultimately had a foundation. Soon he discovered that they held several of the same understandings with regard to the essentials Xiu Shenyu was teaching him. Luo Nan’s insight on some key details grew deeper, and consequently his breathing control became steadier.

Furthermore, Xiu Shenyu’s guidance did not involve harsh criticisms on the strict observance of the little details. He was like a faint guiding light that led the way forward, ensuring that Luo Nan never got lost. Luo Nan preferred to do things this way.

Not a lot of time passed before Luo Nan adapted to Xiu Shenyu’s teaching style; his mind soon settling down. Luo Nan controlled the intensity of his breathing, causing him to faintly feel something between his mouth and nose. The mind first existed in the mouth and nose, then the throat, chest, stomach, tailbone, and so on. This visualization also went in the reverse. It changed back and forth. Ultimately, it allowed for an uninterrupted breathing. Direction and location were indiscernible as breath gradually enveloped his entire body.

This wonderful feeling made the body feel like it was a bit hot, as if the body was wrapped in warm mist. It was akin to being in a steam sauna, but it did not feel as stuffy. It was rather penetrating.

In the end, all of Luo Nan’s energy was focused on the changes of feeling. Xiu Shenyu’s low voice was naturally blocked off, and eventually even Luo Nan’s consciousness of his body was blurred. It was as if his entire person had transformed into a cloud of mist, drifting in nothingness.

The mist swelled and shrank, revealing the difference between the internal and the external. To sum it up, this was a sort of singular tempo.... Yes, it was a bit like what Rui Wen could do. The breath resonance that was at the peak of wonders. The fusion of body and soul.

With this thought, it was as if Luo Nan had awakened from a dream. He opened his eyes wide in understanding.

Xue Lei looked at his wristband in accordance to Xiu Shenyu’s directions and confirmed the time. "Five minutes and twenty seconds."

"Huh?"

Xue Lei laughed. "You’ve spent a total of three hundred and twenty seconds lying down until now."

Luo Nan was stunned. "That short?"

He thought that time had passed quickly. He thought that at least two hours had passed. He never expected that only a small amount of time had gone by. If he were to calculate the time when his mind was completely entranced, it probably would not even reach a minute.

Xiu Shenyu glanced at Xue Lei’s wristband. "Time in meditative state: seven seconds."

"Seven seconds?"

"The soul gallops across a world. The mind shines at eight extremes. Seven seconds is good; it’s not short."

Luo Nan could not understand him at all. It was now time for Xue Lei the interpreter to show off his skills. He spoke with praise, "Sure enough, you do have a foundation.... The meditative state you just entered is actually a process of self-examination of the body. It’s like when a machine boots up and data is read and loaded into it. The faster your brain, the higher the efficiency. Seven seconds of introspection and achieving deep stillness is really amazing."

Gym Master Xiu made no comment toward Xue Lei’s words. He just said, "Nothingness cannot be relied upon. Fullness cannot last long. Remember that breathing tempo. We will proceed with the next step."

It was really hard to understand, but it truly seemed quite amazing.... Luo Nan inevitably felt a different sort of confidence toward Xiu Shenyu’s teachings. He recalled the feeling he had experienced just then and solemnly nodded.

Two minutes later, Luo Nan followed Xiu Shenyu’s guidance and re-entered the marvelous state of body-into-nothingness. His body was like a cloud of mist, and warm heat continued to accumulate. Then, he achieved the correct tempo where the mist swelled and shrank, and subsequently the heat was no longer static, now flowing endlessly.

At first, Luo Nan’s experience was a blur. But after becoming familiar with it, his senses grew more acute. Slowly, he observed some substantial meaning from the nothingness of the mist.

Xiu Shenyu theorized that entering the meditative state was only the initial step in understanding. Cultivation required one to discard pre-established ideas about the body and mold the feeling of the still state of mind anew.

This did not mean that Xiu Shenyu wanted people to let their imaginations run wild. What was real, was still real. Breath was still breath. What was sought was the whole potential.

Luo Nan was familiar with these methods. Was this not the same method as his speed sketches? The importance was not in the appearance and details, but in the grace and finesse of the method.

However, Xiu Shenyu gave him a clear-cut image.

“The body is like the mass of a mountain range. The breath is like the length of flowing water."