The addition of the basic breathing techniques in the daily life of the Haima Tribe brought about a profound change.
The Haima Tribe people could be seen meditating everywhere.
It barely took a week for everyone to learn the technique, and this was only in terms of reach. Learning the technique itself took barely an hour for every individual. Upon learning it, they continued to practice it.
The more they did so, the better they felt. It was as if their body was refreshed and a 'weakness' was washed away.
A mere hint of this 'refreshing' feeling was all it took to get the Haima Tribe hooked to it. So much so that they much rather meditate than do other unnecessary tasks like talking and or playing.
In fact, if it were not for the fact that they had duties that they absolutely needed to do, the entire tribe might just mediate all day.
It was a strange scene for Lin Mu to witness. The tribe which had been anxious with the large scale beast tide all this time, was now in a very calm state. One wouldn't be able to tell that they were close to danger at every movement and would think that their lives were always peaceful.
Observing all this actually gave Lin Mu insights into himself and his understanding of the world. He sat on the roof of his residence and observed the entire tribe before him. His eyes could perceive everything clearly, and the distance didn't matter at this point.
Several thoughts were currently going through his mind.
'The way the Haima tribe achieved this state is very unusual… what's even more usual is that they were able to achieve this meditative state for the entire tribe. It would be fine if a fraction of individuals were attenuated to mediating like this, but the entire tribe?
That's not normal.' Lin Mu thought.
He had seen the top sects and clans of the Xiaofan world. They too taught their children something similar to this. While their meditative and breathing techniques might vary and some might even be better than this, the end goal was still the same.
The goal was to achieve a peaceful and focused state that was optimum for cultivation. There were different levels to this too, with some only faint into it and some in a complete trance.
Lin Mu himself could achieve this easily with the Calming Heart Sutra and the Severing heart sutra. But the majority were unable to even reach the halfway point to trance. They could only rely on some external resources or enlightenment to achieve that.
Those who could enter this state had a better sense of their self and their bodies. This allowed them to grasp the energies and finally allowing them to sense the spirit Qi within them as well as around them.
'What's the difference that the Haima tribe has that the other great powers don't have?' Lin Mu pondered on next.
To him, the Haima tribe was in a worse state than even some of the villages of the Xiaofan world. They had a lack of things that could not be explained in a few words. They didn't just lack in terms of resources, but also thinking, experience and knowledge.
"Wait…" It was at this time that Lin Mu realized something.
'If they can enter this deep state even with a basic breathing technique, then perhaps it is because of the same things they lack?' Lin Mu wondered.
With the lack of things to stimulate and entertain them, the Haima Tribe didn't have that many things to think about. Of course, they did have their own games, songs and stories, but compared to the vast amount of it that was available to the commoners of Xiaofan world, it was minuscule.
Even something as a basic variation of food was something that the Haima Tribe lacked. While they had plenty to eat, it was greatly limited. From what Lin Mu had seen so far, the Stone Flesh Mushrooms were highly nutritious, but they were also the only staple of the tribe.
A few other plants did grow around the Barren Lands, but they were very rare. In fact, the only other crop that the Haima Tribe grew in their tribe other than Stone Flesh Mushrooms was a type of grass that could be woven into threads.
This was the very same grass from which the clothes that Elder Niji wore came. And considering how only one person wore clothes made from it showed the rarity of it. The grass barely grew and even when it did, only a handful of strands of fiber could be taken from it.
With the production levels of the grass, it would take over a decade or more to make enough fabric to wave the clothes that Elder Niji wore. And even then, these clothes weren't that durable and would deteriorate over the years.
Perhaps this was the reason why only the elder of the tribe was given the chance to wear them. And the reason why it became a sign of authority.
'The absence of these things perhaps allowed the Haima Tribe to become a lot more focused naturally. Since they don't even know the existence of such things, their minds won't wander and they would become a lot more calm.
Perhaps this is what the old experts say about severing the secular ties and avoiding the mortal indulgences. They would taint the mind and weaken their mentality, hindering their cultivation in the process.' Lin Mu understood even more.
He continued to learn more while days continued to pass and his insights developed as well.
But that wasn't all Lin Mu did. He also focused on his own cultivation. More and more Wood energy rich spirit apples would grow on the tree in his Sleepscape, allowing him to slowly progress the refinement of his liver.
With his stomach satisfied and sufficient vitality stored in it, Lin Mu didn't need to worry about entering the Sleepscape or sleeping anymore.
There, he would continue his practice and learning. At the same time, it was a method for him to wait for the people he cared about; mainly Xukong and Little Shrubby.
Both of them were in a dormant state now, and Lin Mu had no idea when they would wake up.
'Considering how much Little Shrubby taxed his bloodline and the source of the Vitality reversal technique, it might take at least a year before he wakes up again.' Lin Mu reckoned as he observed the large seen in front of him.
Whenever he came to the Sleepscape, he would take out the seed that Little Shrubby had become and talk to it. There was also the fact that the seed absorbed the spirit Qi in the Sleepscape naturally which Lin Mu thought would help it open earlier.
Thus he took it out regularly, just like one would water plants.
But for Xukong's condition, Lin Mu was entirely helpless. He had tried talking to him through their shared mental space but was unable to do that. It was as if there was a solid wall standing in between the two minds.
'Is this what Senior Xukong felt when I was in an unnatural state of the Nine divine heart sutras?' Lin Mu wondered.
Still, there was nothing he could do to predict how long it would take for Xukong to wake up. At least for Little Shrubby Lin Mu could directly check him with his spirit sense, but doing that for Xukong was simply impossible.
Xukong's avatar was surrounded by a shell of dense spatial energy of the ring and even coming within a hundred meters of it would destroy everything.
If it were not for the fact that Lin Mu couldn't take this energy out of the ring, he might have a weapon that could easily tear apart worlds. But then it would also be a weapon that would kill him upon using it.
~rustle~
While observing the space inside the ring though, Lin Mu suddenly felt something moving.
"Huh?" His attention wandered before it finally came to settle on a moving object.
Perhaps moving was a little understatement, as the object was simply trembling in one place.
"The egg's moving!" Lin Mu's eyes went wide.
The Grey egg had been developing steadily ever since it consumed all the Yang Energy from Gu Yao's hideout. Lin Mu had only checked on it a couple of times ever since coming to the Land of Exile since there wasn't much to do.
But when he checked it last time, he was sure it wasn't moving like this.
~shua~
The grey egg appeared in his hands and Lin Mu took a closer look at it.
"It's vitality is a lot greater than before." Lin Mu could instantly tell upon touching the egg.
The vigorous vitality was almost overflowing and perhaps if it weren't for the shell, it would have already spilled out.
But that wasn't all that Lin Mu felt. He also felt something more.
"That's a heartbeat!" Lin Mu could now hear pronounced heartbeats coming from the egg.
They were like the low sound of drums, as if someone lightly tapped on them. Even if it was low, it could still be heard audibly.
Lin Mu could feel the heartbeats getting louder and louder with the vitality intensifying too.
~tak~tak~tak~
Then a few moments later, he could hear a tapping sound coming from the egg.
'It's trying to break out.' Lin Mu understood.
He quickly left the Sleepscape and returned to his body in the real world.
If the egg hatched in the Sleepscape, Lin Mu didn't know if there would be any accidents, thus he wanted it to do that in the real world.
