Chapter 33 – The Visit of Master Baek In-gyeom
The Small Heavenly Cycle – Part II
Until now, the path had never opened.
No matter how hard he tried, it had remained closed.
But today—
his master was beside him.
Baek In-gyeom was not a man of many words.
Yet through silent guidance and quiet instruction, he had shaped the man Yeong-woo had become.
He was a master who taught without speaking.
Then his master's teaching returned again inside his mind.
It was not a voice heard by the ears.
It was a meaning delivered directly.
Continue.
It felt as though the master was watching everything happening inside him.
Yeong-woo steadied his breath and began again.
He straightened his posture just as his master had taught him.
His spine rose upright.
His chin lowered slightly.
The tension left his shoulders.
The tip of his tongue touched the roof of his mouth.
His mind settled.
Then he focused on his breathing.
Warmth slowly gathered in the dantian.
A faint heat collected there in a small circle.
The path that had opened moments ago returned to his awareness.
The qi gathered in the dantian slowly sank downward.
It brushed past the huiyinpoint and moved toward the spine.
This time it seemed to know the way.
The qi climbed quietly along the backbone.
The sensation of it rising along the spine became clear.
Like a small dragon stretching its body as it climbed upward.
Heat slowly spread along his back.
When the current reached the base of his neck,
his mind cleared again.
Thung.
A clear bell-like resonance spread inside his head.
The qi crossed his forehead,
touched the roof of his mouth,
then descended.
It passed through the throat,
through the chest.
His chest opened cool and clear.
Then the qi returned once more to the dantian.
Inside the dantian, the small Taijicontinued to rotate slowly.
The qi began to flow again.
Yeong-woo did not stop.
He steadied his breath once more and gathered the qi again.
The dantian warmed.
The qi rose again.
It climbed the back,
passed through the head,
descended through the chest,
and returned to the dantian.
One circuit.
Then another.
The Small Heavenly Cyclecontinued.
At first, his mind had to guide it.
He had to lead the qi along its path with conscious effort.
But after several cycles,
the qi began to find its own way.
The Taiji inside the dantian became clearer.
The qi began to move in a circle.
Yeong-woo simply watched the flow.
The sensations of his body grew sharper.
The path of his breath opened brightly.
The movement of air touching his skin felt distinct.
The qi circulated.
Quietly.
Without interruption.
The qi circulated.
Silently.
Without stopping.