2: In the desolate mountains at night, the Qi Refining begins.

The last fading glow of the sunset leaked through the holes in the roof, casting a few hazy spots of light onto the dust-covered floor.

The musty smell in the hall seemed to have faded slightly, perhaps due to a psychological effect, or perhaps because the warmth slowly circulating through his body had dispelled the lingering cold.

Li Muchen was in no hurry to explore more of the System's mysteries, nor did he immediately flip through the 'Basic Guidance Technique' in his mind.

The urgent priority was to find a place to spend the night.

Carrying his suitcase, he returned to the side hall that was still relatively intact. The dust was just as thick, but at least the roof was still there and the walls hadn't collapsed.

He couldn't rely on the wooden bed with the crooked leg, so he used half a broken door panel he found to set up a relatively flat platform, then picked out a few pieces of wood that hadn't completely rotted from a collapsed woodpile to prop it up.

He opened his suitcase, took out a thick coat, and spread it on the door panel; this would be his 'bed' for tonight.

By the time he finished this, the sky had turned completely dark. On the barren mountain and in the wild ridges, there wasn't a single light, only the cold moonlight filtering through the equally damaged window paper, casting a faint glow inside.

The sound of the wind passing through the ruins made a sobbing, eerie noise, occasionally mixed with the short cries of night birds, adding a touch of loneliness.

In the past, Li Muchen might have felt his skin crawl. But at this moment, the warm Origin Qi circulating endlessly in his body actually gave him a strange sense of stability.

With his five senses enhanced, he could not only hear sounds from further away but also more clearly distinguish their sources—it was just the wind, insects, and small animals moving about, nothing sinister.

His stomach let out another 'gurgle'.

The hunger had returned. Although it was mostly alleviated by the Origin Qi, he was, after all, a mortal Physical Body and needed to eat. The dirty water in the water vat was undrinkable, and the half-bottle of mineral water he had brought was long gone.

He walked to the dried-up well in the courtyard, which was marked as the check-in location, and looked down.

Under the moonlight, the bottom of the well was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. He remembered the 'Spirit Spring Eye' he had obtained from checking in. According to the System's prompt, it needed to be personally placed into a suitable spring eye or water source.

"Right here then," Li Muchen muttered to himself. Although it was called a dried-up well, since it was a well, it must have had a water vein once.

He reached out his hand, and with a slight thought, a bead about the size of a pigeon's egg, neither metal nor jade, warm and crystal clear, appeared out of thin air in his palm. Inside the bead, it looked as if water was slowly swirling, emitting an extremely faint pale blue halo, and it felt warm to the touch.

It was indeed that Spirit Spring Eye.

Without hesitation, Li Muchen gently tossed the bead into the dried-up well.

The bead fell silently and soon disappeared into the darkness.

One second, two seconds, three seconds... Just as Li Muchen was doubting if the well was truly completely dry, an extremely faint 'gurgling' sound, as if coming from deep underground, reached him. Immediately after, a cool and moist aura wafted up from the wellhead, dispelling the original earthy smell.

He leaned closer to the wellhead and looked carefully by the moonlight. There was a faint reflection at the bottom—it was water! The water level was slowly rising at a speed visible to the naked eye!

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the water level rose to a position only three or four meters from the wellhead and stabilized. The well water was clear, reflecting the crescent moon in the sky with shimmering ripples. A crisp and sweet vapor drifted up; just smelling it made his mouth water and his spirits lift.

It worked!

Li Muchen was delighted. He quickly found a relatively intact broken clay pot in a corner of the side hall, tied it with a rope, lowered it down, and hauled up half a pot of fresh water.

The water was clear and transparent, rippling slightly in the clay pot. He carefully took a sip.

A burst of sweetness instantly dissolved in his mouth and slid down his throat. It not only quenched his thirst but also sent a faint cool Qi into his limbs, subtly echoing with the Origin Qi circulating in his body, causing the last bit of fatigue from climbing the mountain and working to vanish into thin air.

"Good water!" Li Muchen couldn't help but praise. This was only just generated; given time and the nourishment of the Spirit Spring, the water quality of this well would likely be a hundred times better than any mineral water on the market.

With water, the problem of hunger was also easier to solve. He walked around the front and back of the temple and actually found a few wild fruit trees in the overgrown grass. They were probably planted by people from the temple in the past, and now, left to fend for themselves, they had actually borne some thin, small fruits.

He picked a few wild pears and hawthorns that were barely edible and, together with the crisp well water, managed his first dinner after his Rebirth.

Although it was simple, with the Origin Qi in his body to support him, he didn't find it hard to endure.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, the night was late. Everything was silent, save for the mountain wind and the chirping of insects.

Li Muchen returned to the temporary bed in the side hall and sat down cross-legged. It was time to properly study that 'Basic Guidance Technique'.

He closed his eyes and calmed his mind. In his head, the words of that ancient and simple technique clearly emerged. Rather than words, it was more like a piece of Legacy information containing a specific rhythm and imagery.

"Breathing as the guide, intent as the bridge, communicating between inside and outside, guiding Qi back to the Origin..."

The formula wasn't long. Its core lay in a specific breathing rhythm, paths for mental visualization, and a corresponding state of physical relaxation. It emphasized being relaxed, quiet, and natural, sensing and guiding the 'Qi' that exists between Heaven and Earth and within the human body through a state of seemingly present yet absent breathing.

This 'Qi', in the System's description and the formula, referred to a basic manifestation of the Origin energy that constitutes all things and contains life force. For an ordinary person who had never touched cultivation, sensing the existence of 'Qi' was the first hurdle of entry, which might take years of hard work or even be hopeless for a lifetime.

But Li Muchen was different. The 'ten years of pure Origin Qi' infused by the System had already opened the initial Qi Sensing channels in his body and laid a solid Foundation. At this moment, following the guidance of the formula, his mind moved slightly, and his breathing naturally adjusted to a certain slow and long rhythm.

Almost the instant his breathing was adjusted into place, he clearly 'felt' it!

Inside his body, that warm current that was originally just circulating slowly and spontaneously seemed to hear a call and became active. Following his breathing and intent, it began to flow slowly along the specific path recorded in the formula—mainly the Ren Meridian area between the chest and abdomen.

And outside his body, in the cool night sky of the barren mountain, those thin traces of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which were almost impossible to detect with modern instruments, were also attracted by this initially formed 'Qi mechanism'. Thread by thread, strand by strand, they seeped into his body through the pores of his skin, merging into that circulating warm current.

Although the Spiritual Qi absorbed with each breath was as weak as a firefly, many small drops make an ocean. As the trickling streams joined in, the warm current in his body grew at a slow but steady pace, and its circulation became increasingly smooth and harmonious.

An indescribable sense of comfort spread throughout his body. It wasn't just physical relaxation, but also a kind of mental tranquility and fullness. The fatigue, anxiety, and despair of the day were being washed away and settled bit by bit in this slow, rhythmic breathing and Qi circulation.

He was immersed in this wonderful experience, forgetting both himself and the world.

Time passed quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, the Qi flowing in his body seemed to reach a certain critical point. Its speed suddenly quickened by a margin, and it spontaneously broke through a node that was originally somewhat sluggish, completing a more complete Small Orbit cycle.

"Buzz—"

Li Muchen's whole body shook slightly, as if an invisible film had been broken. On top of the original enhancement, his five senses became even more acute once again.

The warm current in his body became more condensed and agile, as easy to move as his own fingers. He could even 'internally visualize' its approximate path of circulation; though still very blurry, it was real and not false.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The side hall was still dim, but in his eyes at this moment, it seemed much brighter. He could even see the tiny dewdrops condensed on the spiderwebs in the corner and hear the rustling of leaves in the more distant mountain forest.

He raised his hand and, with a slight movement of his mind, concentrated it at his fingertip.

A tiny, almost imperceptible, nearly transparent current of Qi swirled around his fingertip, carrying a faint warmth.

True Qi manifestation!

Although it was so weak that it could barely disturb the air and was far from being able to harm an enemy or cast a Spell, this was indeed a sign of successful Qi Refining! It meant he had officially stepped into the first minor stage of 'Refining Essence into Qi'—the realm of 'Qi Sensing', and his Foundation was incredibly solid.

From getting the System to now, it had only been a few hours!

Li Muchen looked at the weak current of Qi on his fingertip, his heart surging with emotions. In his past and present lives, when had he ever thought that he could truly touch this door to power that transcended common sense?

And this was only the beginning.

He looked up through the broken window at the sparse stars in the night sky. The dilapidated silhouette of Qingfeng Temple remained silent in the moonlight, and the Spirit Well in the back mountain that had just been revived was silently nourishing this barren land.

System, check-ins, Opportunities, Cultivation... an unprecedented path was slowly unfolding beneath his feet in this barren mountain and broken temple.

The True Qi in his body circulated slowly on its own, bringing a continuous sense of warmth. His spirit was full, and he had no desire to sleep.

Li Muchen simply got up and walked into the courtyard.

The moonlight was like water, plating the ruins of the temple with a layer of cold silver light. He walked to the front of the main hall, looked at the damaged plaque, and then at his fingertip that could just barely drive a weak bit of True Qi.

Rebuilding the temple halls? Tidying the wild garden? Drawing water to open fields? Or even... recruiting disciples?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but eventually, they all settled down.

One must eat one's meal bite by bite, and walk the path step by step. The urgent priority was to make good use of the System, steadily improve his strength, and first truly gain a firm foothold on this barren mountain.

"Tomorrow..."

He whispered to himself and turned back toward the side hall.

"Let's see what this 'once a day' Opportunity can bring."

The night was deep, and the mountain wind continued. But in this long-abandoned Qingfeng Temple, a trace of imperceptible yet real vitality had already quietly sprouted.

The young temple head returned to his simple 'bed' and sat down cross-legged again, continuing to guide the newborn True Qi in his body, performing his first formal cultivation after arriving in this world.

The first ray of dawn's light was about to illuminate these forgotten mountains.