Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 3: Qi Gathering Style

The morning sunlight spilled into the dilapidated courtyard of Baruch Manor, gilding this desolate land with a faint golden hue.

Lin Yun followed Lin Lei out of the room and through the corridor that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him—familiar because six years of memories told him that he had walked this road countless times; unfamiliar because those memories were the experiences of "another him," and this was the first time he was experiencing them with a conscious mind.

The manor was even more dilapidated than he had imagined.

Many of the stone bricks on the walls are cracked, and the gaps are full of moss; several wooden beams in the corridor are hollowed out by insects, and you can hear a "creaking" sound when you walk on them; the lawn in the courtyard has not been mowed for a long time, and the weeds have grown wildly, almost reaching above the ankles.

The only thing that still hints at its former glory is the dragon-shaped stone sculpture in the very center of the courtyard. It is a giant dragon with its wings outstretched, its head held high and its wings spread wide. Even after a thousand years of wind and rain, it still exudes an aura of majesty.

On the open ground to the east of the manor, there were already a couple hundred children standing there.

The children ranged in age from six to over ten, dressed in various kinds of coarse cloth clothes, some of which were patched. They were divided into three groups: the northernmost group consisted of children aged six to eight, the middle group of about nine to twelve, and the southernmost group of teenagers aged thirteen to sixteen.

They were all children of farmers, blacksmiths, and hunters within the Baruch family's territory—though the Baruch family had declined, as descendants of dragonblood warriors, they still held prestige in this territory near Finlay for centuries. Every year, Hogg would send the children from the territory here to receive basic warrior training, a bond passed down through generations between the Baruch family and the residents of the territory.

"Lin Lei! Lin Yun! Over here!"

A dark-skinned boy waved to them; he was Hadley, the blacksmith's son, and a good friend of the Linley brothers.

Lin Lei pulled Lin Yun over and stood in the middle of the group.

Lin Yun glanced at the children around him, silently comparing them. The youngest children in the north mostly had blank stares; some were yawning, some were whispering amongst themselves, and others were squatting on the ground playing with pebbles. For them, training here was probably just something slightly more interesting than doing chores at home.

[Remember the fastest online novel website: 1 ...

No one truly understands what "cultivation" means.

No one knows that in this world of magic and martial arts, strength is the foundation for a person's survival.

Lin Yun withdrew his gaze, stood quietly, and waited for the training to begin.

He didn't need to be excited or curious like other children. He knew better than anyone how long the road ahead was.

"quiet!"

A deep voice came from the entrance of the manor.

All the children immediately quieted down and turned to look at the source of the sound.

A burly middle-aged man strode out. He was about forty years old, nearly 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a wide back, standing there like a wall. He wore a faded short vest and coarse cloth trousers, and a broadsword hung at his waist, its scabbard covered with scratches—marks left by countless battles.

He is Hillman, the captain of the Baruch family's guard, a level six warrior.

In the warrior ranking system of the Yulan Continent, a level six warrior is considered to have stepped into the mid-tier. In a big city, this might not seem like much, but in a small place like Wushan Town, a level six warrior is already top-tier combat power.

Behind Hillman followed several members of the Baruch family guard. They were there to help maintain order and guide the children's training.

"Stand still!" Hillman's voice echoed through the courtyard like thunder. "You are all ordinary people. You can't possibly have powerful martial arts manuals to cultivate like those nobles. If you want to stand out from the crowd, if you don't want to be looked down upon in the future, you must train according to the oldest, simplest, and most basic methods—train your bodies and build up your strength. Do you understand?"

"We understand!" the children shouted in unison.

"Very good." Hillman nodded, his gaze sweeping over the children's faces, lingering a second longer on Linley and Lin Yun. "Morning, the sun rises, and all things are full of life. This is the best time to absorb the essence of heaven and earth and enhance our physical potential. As usual, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hands at your waist, forming the 'Qi Gathering Pose.' When doing the Qi Gathering Pose, remember to 'concentrate and keep your mind calm.'"

Upon hearing the words "Qi Gathering Style," some of the older children showed expressions of understanding. Hadley whispered to his friend next to him, "My brother said this is really tiring; your whole body aches for days after you finish practicing it."

"Silence!" Hillman shouted, silencing all sound. "Anyone who speaks again will have to run twenty laps around the manor today."

The courtyard immediately became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Hillman nodded in satisfaction, walked to the open space in the center of the courtyard, stood with his legs shoulder-width apart, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, and slowly closed his eyes.

"Look carefully."

He took a deep breath and then began to exhale slowly.

The rhythm of the exhalation was unique—it began with a slow, three-second exhalation, then suddenly accelerated, the air rushing out of the nasal cavity with a sound similar to whistling wind, lasting for two seconds before abruptly stopping, and the remaining breath was slowly exhaled through the mouth. The entire breathing process lasted about fifteen seconds, and then the cycle repeated.

Lin Yun stared intently, his mind racing.

He noticed several key points: when inhaling, Hillman's abdomen first bulged and then contracted, which was the opposite of ordinary people; the rhythm of his exhalation was very regular, seemingly following a certain frequency—three fast and one slow, repeating in a cycle.

Is this... resonance?

Lin Yun studied physics in his previous life, specializing in theoretical physics and spatial structures, but he was extremely familiar with the principles of wave and resonance. If battle qi could be activated through breathing, then this special breathing frequency was likely intended to resonate with some kind of energy within the body.

Hillman performed the Qi-gathering posture ten times in a row, then finished and opened his eyes.

"Did you see that clearly? Who can repeat the key points?"

The children looked at each other, and not one of them raised their hand.

Lin Lei hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand.

"Linley, you speak." A hint of approval flashed in Hillman's eyes.

"Yes." Lin Lei stepped forward and repeated earnestly, "The core of the Qi-Gathering Technique is the breathing rhythm. When inhaling, first inhale slowly through your nose for three seconds, then inhale sharply for two seconds, and finally inhale quickly through your mouth for one second. Throughout the process, your abdomen first contracts and then expands. When exhaling, first exhale slowly through your nose for three seconds, then exhale rapidly through your nasal cavity for two seconds, and finally exhale the remaining air slowly through your mouth. One inhale and one exhale constitute one cycle."

Hillman nodded slightly, but instead of immediately praising them, he looked at the other children and asked, "Anyone else to add something?"

Lin Yun raised his hand.

"Lin Yun?"

"There's one more thing," Lin Yun said unhurriedly, "When Uncle Hillman was doing the Qi-gathering posture, his toes were gripping the ground, and his knees were slightly bent but not completely locked. This shows that the Qi-gathering posture is not just a breathing technique, but also requires coordination with the entire body's muscle state. If you only breathe and relax your body, the effect will be greatly reduced."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

A flicker of shock crossed Hillman's eyes, which he quickly masked, but the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth betrayed him.

"Not bad." He nodded, his voice becoming more serious. "Lin Yun explained it very well. The Qi Gathering Stance is not just a breathing technique, but a full-body cultivation method. Breathing is the initiation, muscle state is the coordination, and intention is the core. When you practice the Qi Gathering Stance, you must concentrate and feel the flow of Qi within your body."

He paused, then looked around at all the children: "Now, everyone, start practicing as I just taught you. I will correct you one by one."

The children immediately scattered, each finding a spot to stand, and began clumsily imitating Hillman's breathing rhythm.

The scene suddenly became somewhat comical.

Some children inhale too quickly and choke themselves, coughing violently; some exhale too fast and blow out their entire breath, then turn red in the face; and some children forget their posture while focusing on breathing, standing crookedly like a bamboo pole bent by the wind.

Lin Lei and Lin Yun stood in the corner and began to practice as well.

Lin Lei's talent was indeed outstanding. On his first attempt, he found the rhythm of his breathing, although it wasn't quite smooth yet, it was already getting the hang of it. His body was also very cooperative, his posture was upright, his muscles were relaxed yet elastic, and his toes instinctively gripped the ground.

Lin Yun, on the other hand, was even more cautious.

He didn't rush to imitate; instead, he closed his eyes and used his consciousness to sense his body. For the past six years, although he hadn't systematically cultivated in the Swallowed Star world, he had been consciously training his perception. He could clearly sense every muscle in his body, every heartbeat, and the faint energy flowing through every meridian.

Then, he began to regulate his breathing.

He inhaled slowly for three seconds—feeling the airflow through his nose as it passed through his nasal cavity, throat, and trachea, finally entering his lungs. At the same time, following Hillman's demonstration, his abdomen first slowly rose and then suddenly contracted.

He took a deep breath for two seconds—increasing his inhalation speed, the air rushing in like a torrent. At that moment, he felt a faint warm current rising from his dantian, slowly ascending along his spine.

He took a quick breath—inhaling the last breath rapidly through his mouth, filling his lungs completely. The surge of heat accelerated at that moment, rushing to his chest, before slowly receding as he began to exhale.

The exhalation phase also went smoothly.

Lin Yun completed a full Qi-gathering cycle in about fourteen seconds, slightly faster than Hillman's demonstration, but the rhythm was perfectly correct.

He opened his eyes and found Hillman standing in front of him, looking at him with an almost scrutinizing gaze.

"Make another one," Hillman said.

Lin Yun nodded and did it again. This time, he deliberately slowed down, extending the entire cycle to sixteen seconds to make the transitions between each stage smoother.

Hillman remained silent for a long time.

"Have you trained before?" he asked.

"No." Lin Yun shook his head. This was the truth—at least in the Panlong World, this was the first time he had come into contact with the Qi Condensation Style.

Hillman stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly nodded: "Keep practicing."

He turned and walked toward the other children, but stopped after a few steps, looked back at Lin Yun, and a complex expression flashed in his eyes—shock, relief, and something else that was hard to describe.

Lin Yun ignored Hillman's reaction and continued to focus on his practice.

He knew where his advantage lay—not talent, but mindset. Other children treated cultivation as a task, something to be completed and then forgotten; but he treated every breath, every muscle contraction, as a precise experiment, repeatedly adjusting and striving for perfection.

This was a habit he carried over from his previous life doing scientific research, and it was also the capital he had to survive in both worlds.