Chapter 10 Nine Contemplations

Under the bedroom light, An Qisheng curled up and fell into a deep sleep.

Within his mind, a long rope woven from hemp lay horizontally. Hanging upside down from this horizontal rope were nine shorter ropes of varying lengths.

Recording events by tying knots!

His plan to visualize a chip had failed miserably.

Visualizing the chip itself was easy, but attempting to visualize the countless resistors and capacitors within it proved to be an undertaking of enormous proportions, far beyond An Qisheng's imagination.

This forced him to retreat and settle for second best.

This retreat led him to the most ancient form of record-keeping: tying knots.

"As expected, it failed..."

An Qisheng sighed inwardly and dispelled the long rope.

Tying knots was too ancient and of no use to him. Not to mention tying knots, even visualizing an abacus with great effort would be meaningless.

What he needed was rapid storage, learning, and analysis, not simple numerical calculations.

"Perhaps I'm not skilled enough in visualization. Maybe I need to try visualizing other things to practice, and then consider this idea again when I'm skilled enough?"

An Qisheng opened his eyes, turned over, got out of bed, and turned on his computer.

He opened a certain folder.

This folder contained Taoist practices, Buddhist contemplations, meditations, and other potentially useful methods that he had collected over the past year.

He intended to find one to begin practicing visualization.

He wasn't one to give up easily. Whether this hypothesis could be realized or not required multiple attempts before a conclusion could be reached.

"Sun contemplation, water contemplation, earth contemplation, jeweled tree contemplation, jeweled pond contemplation, jeweled pavilion contemplation, image contemplation... Did I collect so many methods of contemplation?"

An Qisheng browsed through the files one by one, shaking his head with a wry smile.

He, from more than a year ago, was far less calm than he was later. He truly wouldn't let go of even the slightest hope. He had collected so many things that even he had forgotten some of them.

"Sun contemplation isn't good, water contemplation isn't suitable either, I don't like Buddha image contemplation..."

Clicking the mouse, An Qisheng rejected them one by one, until finally his eyes lit up and he found a method of contemplation that suited his taste:

"Nine Contemplations..."

This Nine Contemplations method used the thirty-six elements that make up the human body as objects of contemplation.

It was further divided into twelve external elements, twelve bodily elements, and twelve internal elements.

From the body, bones, flesh, skin, complexion, tendons, veins, fluids, and blood, to the heart, liver, lungs, intestines, stomach, feces, mucus, saliva, and urine, it could be said to be very compatible with the human body.

"This method of contemplation is very complex, and it's difficult for ancient people to practice because the human body's composition is too complex. It's not just thirty-six elements, and it's difficult for most ancient people to see the appearance of each element..."

"But for people today, it seems there are no difficulties at all..."

An Qisheng became interested. Perhaps this method of contemplation could help him control his physical body to some extent?

More importantly, this method was a non-physical contemplation method for ancient people, but for him, it was a physical contemplation method.

The difficulty of forming something based solely on imagination was incomparable to following a map.

Wasn't it just a human body diagram?

That was what he studied in this life!

"Find some pictures to contemplate?"

An Qisheng's mind stirred, but he shook his head again:

"No, no, everyone's body is different from others. I might as well go to the hospital tomorrow to get an X-ray..."

Having made up his mind, An Qisheng closed his computer and went to bed.

The next day, he woke up just after three in the morning, while the stars had not yet faded. He first practiced morning exercises in the courtyard for three hours, washed up, and arrived at Xingcheng People's Hospital at eight o'clock.

After registering and getting a full-body X-ray, he returned home at eleven o'clock in the morning.

He brewed medicinal cuisine, practiced boxing, shook the great spear...

After finishing his daily routine, the sky had already darkened again.

Only then did An Qisheng carefully examine the X-rays he had taken in his bedroom and began to contemplate.

The method of contemplation was difficult to learn. If one didn't understand the essentials of contemplation, it would be difficult to enter any form of cultivation.

But once one entered, it became easier.

Without much effort, An Qisheng, having dispelled all sorts of distracting thoughts, entered a state of contemplation.

In a state of chaos and emptiness, a point of light lit up.

"The Nine Contemplations begin with the external aspects, contemplating the body. There are also those that begin with the internal aspects, contemplating the internal organs, and those that begin with the inner contents, contemplating feces and urine..."

Once he entered a state of contemplation, An Qisheng felt his thoughts become very active and free.

Many thoughts passed through his mind in an instant:

"Feces and urine are a bit complicated. I'll start with the external aspects first, first contemplating my own body, then filling in the bones and muscles..."

An Qisheng closed his eyes and pondered, the point of light in his mind gradually stretching and transforming into his own form.

"The hands are a bit short... Forget it, let's leave it like this for now... I can't imagine the fingers... Forget it, let's not have fingers for now..."

"Facial features... Forget it, let's not have facial features for now..."

"Toes... Forget it, let's just imagine them roughly first."

......

Contemplation is a very complex thing. If you think it's simple, that's often an illusion.

It's like a set of movements. It's very simple for the brain, but the brain issues this command, passing through skeletal muscles, trillions of skeletal muscle cells, and countless nerve nodes.

The result is not so easy to achieve.

In short, it's like:

The brain: "Simple, I got it."

The body: "You're full of crap."

Therefore, a long night was about to pass, and it wasn't until three o'clock in the morning that An Qisheng finally managed to create in his mind:

A stick figure.

This was just the first step. The second step was to control the visualized figure.

As An Qisheng's mind moved, the stick figure in his mind seemed to remain motionless.

But An Qisheng felt that the stick figure's arm, which had nothing on it, seemed to move slightly.

"It seems feasible!"

An Qisheng opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Although he had only visualized a stick figure, it was still complete with limbs, which was considered progress for him.

At least it was more reliable than visualizing a rope at the end of trying to visualize a chip.

An Qisheng sat up, feeling quite good:

"A stick figure is just the first step. As I gradually fill it in, until I have visualized all thirty-six elements, maybe I can visualize myself! At least it will give me a more intuitive impression of my body!"

In the days that followed, An Qisheng continued to follow his routine.

Every day, he would wake up at three in the morning to practice morning exercises, brew medicinal cuisine, continue to practice Bajiquan, Xingyiquan, Dragon and Tiger Capturing Hand, and other boxing techniques. At night, he would contemplate himself and enter the dreams of more martial arts masters...

He even tried to take the initiative to fight with Yi Feibai, Feng Mingtao, and others in Wudang Mountain in his dreams.

The days were boring, but once he was immersed in them, they were very fulfilling.

Time flew by, and several months passed again.

It was another time in the dead of winter, when a heavy snowfall came suddenly, covering Xingcheng in silver overnight.

Whoosh!

Whoosh whoosh!

The sound of the fist wind whistled.

In the courtyard, An Qisheng, dressed in a single layer of clothing, practiced boxing amidst the swirling snow.

His feet never left the ground by more than a foot, but his movements were extremely fast.

Often, with a stomp of his foot, the force would build up layer by layer, combining into one. He resembled a taut bow, his movements like thunder, the airflow scattering in the direction of his fists and feet.

The swirling snowflakes throughout the courtyard were all shattered!

"Whoosh!"

After a long time, he slowly retracted his fists, and a white breath slowly exhaled, condensing and not dispersing, blowing away the flying snow.

Clap clap clap!

Applause rang out, and Wang Zhixuan, wearing a knee-length trench coat, pushed open the villa door and walked in:

"Your progress is much faster than I imagined. The dark force has penetrated your abdomen and back. Is it because Juechen from Wudang Mountain gave you guidance last time?"

Wang Zhixuan came stepping on the snow, her face still wearing sunglasses that covered half of her face.

"Dr. Wang has been watching for quite a while."

An Qisheng didn't seem curious about her arrival. He glanced at her and asked:

"Can you give me some pointers?"

"Your boxing is good."

Wang Zhixuan stopped far away, nodded slightly upon hearing this:

"But it's just good."

"What do you mean?"

An Qisheng lowered his eyebrows.

These past few months had been the period of his fastest progress. The dark force had not only penetrated his limbs but also his waist and back.

Wang Zhixuan had a very good eye. She could see his current progress from his set of boxing techniques.

"Your boxing has too much artifice. Although it's surprisingly perfect, it's just that."

Wang Zhixuan put her hands in her coat pockets, her expression calm:

"It has no spirit!"

"Spirit..."

An Qisheng raised his head.

"Kung fu, from ancient times to the present, has only one purpose, and that is to kill! Everything else is empty!"

Wang Zhixuan slowly took out her hands.

In the midst of the heavy snow, her palms were almost as white as the snow.

Under An Qisheng's gaze, her slender fingers, which were hanging by her side, slowly came together like a knife:

"Watch carefully!"

Boom!

An Qisheng's pupils shrank.

He saw Wang Zhixuan, who was at least twenty meters away from him, take a step forward. As the hunting trench coat billowed behind her, the snow in the entire courtyard shook.

Bang!

With the airflow whistling, Wang Zhixuan raised her arm like a spear, her fingertips like a knife. She took a step forward, and the arm hanging down swept from bottom to top, from top to bottom,

Just like an ancient general straddling his horse and dragging his saber for a slash, the momentum was tragic and boundless!

Instantly, An Qisheng felt a chill on his neck, as if a strong bloody smell filled his mouth and nose.

Scare!

His body shook, and he stomped his foot on the ground, causing his own head to ache.

In an instant, he leaned forward diagonally, turned half of his body, and rotated.

At the same time, he lowered his shoulders, combined his strength, and suddenly crashed forward!

Baji, Iron Mountain Lean!

Wang Zhixuan's attack was too fierce, triggering An Qisheng's subconscious counterattack.

Whoosh!

Wang Zhixuan, who had taken a step forward and was slashing down with her fingers like a knife, smiled faintly when she saw An Qisheng's powerful Iron Mountain Lean.

The chopping hand knife suddenly retracted, her five fingers spread open, and with a downward press, she pressed on An Qisheng's hammer-like shoulder.

Bang!

The airflow shook, and the snow within a few meters around the two of them was immediately thrown up high.

Crack!

The stone slab cracked, and An Qisheng staggered back two steps, his shoulder feeling as if it had been burned by a branding iron, hot and scalding.

"Your boxing stance is really precise."

Wang Zhixuan took a half step back imperceptibly, slightly surprised:

"However, there is no spirit in your boxing. It's like painting a dragon without drawing the eyes. You won't be able to practice anything out of it no matter how much you practice."

"The so-called spirit, does it refer to emotions? Thoughts? Or what?"

An Qisheng rubbed his shoulder.

"It's emotions, it's also beliefs, and more importantly, it should be an imprint."

Wang Zhixuan put her hands back in her pockets, smiling noncommittally:

"I've come from afar, are you just going to make me stand in the snow and teach you?"