Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi-Chapter 137: Burning Incense and Bathing, Beginning the Method of Concealing Breath
Yang Chan laughed inside his room. Within the privacy of his own courtyard, he saw no reason to hide his emotions. He hadn’t reached the point of deceiving even himself; besides, suppressing one’s feelings was detrimental to Martial Arts Cultivation.
While he couldn’t maintain the pure heart of a child, he still needed to keep a clear and composed mind, acting as he saw fit.
He had known he would get the complete *Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method* and Flood Dragon Demon Martial Seal from Gu An, but now that they were in his hands, his joy hadn’t faded. The road ahead for his Cultivation was now exceptionally clear; he could proceed step by step.
As long as he remained safe and steady within the Cyan Yuan Sect, it wouldn’t be long before he became its undisputed number one expert.
As far as he knew, the Cyan Yuan Sect had no Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters. Once his Cultivation broke through to Inner Refining Five Viscera Perfection, even Sect Leader Liu Xuan’s Cultivation would be slightly weaker than his. This would be the next goal for him to strive toward.
Of course, he couldn’t neglect Health Cultivation Techniques like the *Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill*. He could also obtain other Health Cultivation Techniques from the Library Pavilion.
As long as he had enough Contribution Points, he could keep exchanging them for more Health Cultivation Techniques. For him, this path of improvement was virtually limitless, which was excellent news.
Yang Chan took out the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique* he had tucked away. He had only skimmed the Cultivation Technique since getting it and had yet to even reach the Beginner stage. He took it out now to finally reach the Beginner stage, preparing for his future advancement to the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level.
Before breaking through to the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level, he first had to cultivate the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique*; otherwise, there could be trouble. While he didn’t usually walk around in front of Elders or Hall Masters at the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of being summoned. The chance of that happening wasn’t small.
Therefore, upon leaving the Instructor Hall, he had added this breath-concealing method to his list of mandatory Cultivation Techniques. He prioritized it on the same level as the *Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method*. In fact, he needed to master it to the point where he could conceal the aura of an Inner Refining Grandmaster even before mastering the other.
Yang Chan opened the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique*. The introduction detailed various methods for calming the mind, listed the many benefits of tranquil Cultivation, and cautioned the practitioner against impatience.
Yang Chan didn’t ignore this content; he read it carefully.
Auxiliary techniques were different from primary Cultivation Techniques. To even reach the Beginner stage, one had to grasp the core True Intent first. Only then could one follow its operational methods to progress faster, which would save him a great deal of effort.
No one would teach him how to cultivate the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique*; he had to comprehend it on his own. Therefore, he couldn’t afford to miss a single detail in the introduction.
Only after the section on calming the mind did the text detail the various methods for Concealing Breath. It described how to merge with one’s surroundings until one’s presence vanished. There was a great deal of information on this, and Yang Chan examined it all with great care.
After reading it all the way through, Yang Chan skimmed it one last time to ensure he hadn’t missed anything, then he started his Dragon Bone Medicine Bath.
The initial steps for cultivating the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique* involved bathing, burning Incense, and practicing calligraphy to pacify the heart and mind. This was a common and very effective method used by scholars to find tranquility.
Yang Chan began to follow these instructions, absorbing the Medicinal Power from the bath and reaping Potential Points at the same time.
Time was limited, so he decided to combine these tasks to be more efficient.
Normally, when he soaked in the Dragon Bone Medicine Bath, he could only close his eyes and meditate. Adding the step of calming his mind now was hardly a burden.
Once he finished bathing, Yang Chan took out the Incense he had prepared. It was ordinary, mind-refreshing Incense; unfortunately, it didn’t increase his Daily Potential Point Collection. He’d tried before and suspected the Incense was simply too common to have any effect.
He didn’t have any better Incense to test at the moment, so he took out what he’d purchased before. It was a good way to make use of it. It could still serve a purpose and prove its worth, even if minor.
In the future, when he had the chance, Yang Chan planned to buy some proper cultivation-aiding Incense. Then he could test whether it increased his Potential Points.
When it came to his Daily Potential Point Collection, Yang Chan had only one rule: it must constantly increase.
’It started by going from 0 to 1, then 1 to 2. Now it’s at 2.7, and my next goal is to get from 2 to 3.’ His ambition never ceased. There was no upper limit, only the drive for more.
This mirrored his approach to Cultivation: he never set an ultimate limit for himself, only a series of smaller, sequential goals.
He hadn’t yet achieved his "small" goal of a thousand-year Lifespan, but he wasn’t facing any immediate crisis. With over two hundred years of life ahead of him, he wasn’t in a rush. Still, he couldn’t afford to be without methods of self-preservation, which was why he prioritized raising his Cultivation.
Even so, Yang Chan never stopped practicing his Health Cultivation Skill, making progress every single day.
He practiced the *Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill* daily. However, after it reached Tier Four Masterful, the proficiency required to advance further was much higher. Although his status panel still showed 100%, the fact that the proficiency bar wasn’t increasing meant it would take a great many practice sessions to progress.
The same was true for using Potential Points; he would need a vast amount.
After lighting the Incense, Yang Chan set up a desk amidst the fragrant smoke. Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were already laid out. He began practicing calligraphy to quiet his mind.
He had practiced calligraphy before and was particularly fond of the "Slender Gold" style, which he had practiced extensively. While he was no master calligrapher, his script was neat and well-formed.
Especially now, with his immense arm strength, his brushstrokes were remarkably powerful.
At first, his control was poor, but his characters gradually improved. In the process, his mind grew completely still, and his expression became one of placid neutrality, showing neither joy nor sorrow.
At this point, Yang Chan sat down cross-legged to meditate. He began to cultivate according to the breath-concealing method in the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique*, feeling the changes in his surroundings and then merging with them, letting his aura ebb and flow with the air itself.
The state sounded profound and mysterious, but in essence, it was simply a matter of regulating his breathing until it became perfectly calm, thereby achieving concealment.
’I’m not expecting to master it all at once, but I do plan to at least reach the Beginner stage.’
He immersed himself in his comprehension and began to cultivate. After a quarter of an hour, the rise and fall of his chest seemed to merge with his surroundings. Only then did he slowly open his eyes.
He had completed one cycle of the process described in the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique*. Yang Chan then turned his gaze to his status panel.
On the panel, under the Comprehension Technique section, a new line had appeared: Meditation and Breath Holding Technique (Beginner 1%). This meant he had successfully reached the Beginner stage of the Cultivation Technique.
’The first time you cultivate, if you don’t grasp this feeling of tranquility, you have to spend a lot of time completing the mind-calming process. Later, as you become more proficient, you can skip that step and start cultivating the *Meditation and Breath Holding Technique* directly.’
Although he had only just reached the Beginner stage, Yang Chan found he could already adjust his aura, making slight changes to it. It was a neat little trick, but he was still a long way from being able to conceal the aura of an Inner Refining Grandmaster. Still, the path to improvement was now clear.
