"That's what it means to teach by example... Alright then, sit down. I will now circulate my energy inside your body. Feel the path of the energy, then try it yourself. I'll be here to protect you." Ashley Carter spoke again. Now it was her turn to act; Grace Bennett wasn't suited for this kind of thing, as her true energy was a bit destructive.

This was also their only option at the moment. It was probably impossible for the boy to comprehend those words on his own, so they could only teach him through direct experience.

Although Ashley Carter was still recovering her true energy, guiding someone in this way didn't require much—just a little was enough, and this she could manage.

The boy sat cross-legged, then entered meditation following Ashley Carter's posture, accepting her guidance. Very soon, he felt the flow of energy within his body, the path it took.

"Huh? This kid really does need to be taught by example. After just one guided attempt, he can now circulate his energy and cultivate on his own." Ashley Carter sensed that the boy had already successfully learned the first step of this cultivation method.

"Which meridian did you guide him through?"

"The Belt Meridian."

"Oh."

Qi cultivation mainly involves absorbing the energy of heaven and earth, circulating it through the meridians, and then storing it in the dantian. At the same time, one must gradually open up the meridians, but at the beginning, it's impossible to cultivate all the meridians in the body at once—no one does that. Usually, one chooses a particular meridian to focus on, since it's not possible to circulate energy through the whole body at once, and the path must be taken step by step for stability.

Moreover, this so-called "one meridian" isn't literally a single line; more accurately, it's a region of meridians. According to the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, there are eight meridian regions, each with a main meridian accompanied by many smaller ones. This leads to different cultivation routes, or different methods.

However, regardless of the method or route, the goal is the same: to cultivate the meridians.

At the same time, there are many choices regarding the order of these eight meridians. Some people start with the Belt Meridian, others with the Conception Vessel, and later they might cultivate the Governing Vessel or the Penetrating Vessel. It all depends on the cultivation method and personal preference, but it doesn't affect the final path.

The ultimate goal is to cultivate and open all the meridians—this is the Nine Meridians. But this "nine" is not a literal number, but rather a symbolic extremity.

Therefore, the realm of the Nine Meridians is also the hardest to break through, taking more time than the previous eight combined.

After the Nine Meridians, comes the forging of the Indestructible Golden Body!!

However, all this has nothing to do with ordinary people. For them, seeing a master who has opened more than four meridians is already rare. For someone like Xiaoyao, seeing Brother Dahai would already feel like meeting a formidable figure.

That night, the boy seemed to become fascinated with this feeling, continuously cultivating his energy, while the two girls also began to use their energy to heal. The whole night was spent in meditation, so the boy had no thoughts of a wedding night!

Of course, his idea of a wedding night was just sleeping together. He still didn't know about the matters between men and women, and when he said he wanted to marry a wife, it was simply for the sake of having a wife—he didn't really know what having a wife was for.

The small village was still very simple and honest. Most of what he encountered was beautiful and pure. Maybe in the future, after gaining more experience, he would come to understand the darkness of human nature and the ever-changing world.

After a night of healing, the two girls had actually recovered seventy to eighty percent. They took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and then ate some breakfast the boy had prepared.

At this time, they didn't see the boy in the ruined temple; it seemed he had gone out early, but they didn't know what for.

"Grace Bennett, what do you think of this boy?" Ashley Carter asked.

"A pretty good kid, with decent talent, just a bit unusual..." Grace Bennett replied. What she meant by "unusual" wasn't the boy's behavior or personality—such traits were common among village boys. She was referring to his inability to understand written words, yet being able to learn by example and pick things up instantly.

"Yes, he is a bit unusual. He learned the basics of qi cultivation very quickly, mastering the flow of energy in no time. It took me a few days back then, but he managed it right away," Ashley Carter said.

Chapter 6: The Illiterate Bumpkin (Part 3)

"Maybe he has a solid foundation, so it all came together naturally. He's already almost fifteen, while we learned qi cultivation at five," Grace Bennett said indifferently. The difference was significant; back then, their minds weren't as mature as a fifteen-year-old's.

Also, even if the boy was more talented than them, he started more than ten years later. And that's just comparing the same age—both of them were actually much older.

"Well, anyway, teaching him qi cultivation is a way for us to repay our debt. With his talent, even if he can't reach seven or eight meridians, four or five should be possible. In this small Seven Stars Nation, that already makes him an expert. His life should be worry-free," Ashley Carter said.

"That's right," Grace Bennett nodded.

"Wife, I'm back..."

At that moment, the boy's voice came from outside, though what he said left the two girls speechless.