My System Doesn't Give Power

Chapter 84: Mana and Meridians II

Matilda picked up the remote and switched on the projector. An image of the human body appeared on the screen, with the twelve meridians clearly marked.

"As I already told you, there are twelve meridians in the human body. They are divided into four main groups."

She pointed to the first group on the screen. "First, the yin-hand meridians. They consist of the Heart, Pericardium, and Lung Meridians."

"The second group is the yang-hand meridians, consisting of the small intestine, triple heater, and large intestine meridians."

The students quickly noted everything down as she spoke.

"The third group is the yin-foot meridians, which consist of the spleen, liver, and kidney meridians."

"And finally, the yang-foot meridians, which include the stomach, gallbladder, and urinary bladder meridians."

After introducing all twelve meridians, Matilda turned back toward the class. "Only after opening all twelve meridians can you properly circulate mana throughout your body."

"The reason is actually quite simple; even if a single meridian remains closed, it becomes a blockage. It may not cause any noticeable problems while you’re doing nothing."

"But the moment you’re in combat and try to circulate mana through your body, that blockage will interrupt the flow."

"The result will be a severe backlash that can cause serious internal injuries. In the worst cases...it can even lead to death."

"There have already been numerous cases like that, and even if you survive, there’s a chance you’ll never be able to use mana as a variant again."

The classroom fell completely silent; several students unconsciously swallowed empty air in nervousness.

Matilda continued. "Now let me explain how to open a meridian. Always begin with the Heart Meridian."

"Since the heart is the center that pumps blood throughout your body while also serving as the core through which mana circulates, it is the best place to start."

"But before attempting that..." She looked around the classroom. "You must have complete control over your mana."

"Without precise control of your own mana, you are almost guaranteed to fail. So unless you’re absolutely confident that you can control mana at will..."

"Do not attempt to open a meridian."

"After gaining full control over the mana entering and leaving your body, the first thing you need to do is sense the meridian connected to your heart."

"Once you’ve identified the exact location of the Heart Meridian, you have to use your mana to slowly and carefully force open the blockage within it."

"It may sound simple."

"No, it definitely doesn’t," Marty thought.

"But it is far from easy." Matilda looked around the classroom with a serious expression. The faint smile that usually rested on her face had disappeared.

For the first time since the students had met her, she looked completely serious. "The word ’force’ alone should tell you how dangerous this process is."

"When you force open a meridian, it places enormous strain on your body. If your body isn’t tough enough, or if you force it too carelessly, it can lead to severe injuries, as I mentioned before."

"And since this is your first time doing it, you must be especially careful. After all, the heart meridian, as its name suggests, is connected to one of the most important organs in your body."

"Your heart."

"Even the smallest mistake can cause damage not just to your body, but directly to your heart. So always remember what you are dealing with."

"Do not rush. Opening meridians is an important part of your early career as a variant. But more important than that...is surviving."

The system immediately commented inside Zac’s mind.

[Write that down a hundred times. Apparently, students need reminders not to kill themselves for homework.]

"Are you back being a mentor?"

[...]

Matilda continued. "After opening your first meridian, do not immediately move on to the second."

She turned toward Sabrina. "Miss Sabrina."

"Yes, ma’am?"

"When did you open your first meridian?"

"Two days ago."

"Then why haven’t you opened the second one yet?"

"I was waiting for my first meridian to become stable enough before attempting the next."

"That’s right." Matilda nodded. "As she said, newly opened meridians are unstable. Very unstable. So the first thing you must do after opening one is consolidate and strengthen it."

"Allow mana to flow through it slowly until it becomes stable; only then should you attempt to open the next meridian."

"The second meridian you should aim for is the Pericardium Meridian."

Just then, Shobin was about to raise his hand, but before he could speak, Matilda beat him to it. "And before any of you overqualified geniuses ask me...Isn’t the pericardium also part of the heart?"

"Go read a human anatomy textbook carefully before asking me that."

Shobin silently lowered his hand.

"...But isn’t it?" Zac asked the system.

[Both yes and no.]

[The heart is the organ that pumps blood throughout your body, and the pericardium is the protective sac that surrounds the heart. It contains a thin layer of fluid that cushions the heart and reduces friction as it beats.]

[So anatomically, they’re separate structures. One is the organ and the other is the protective covering around it.]

[But because the pericardium exists solely to protect and support the heart, many people casually treat them as if they’re part of the same thing.]

[So technically, you’re both right... and wrong.]

"...That was surprisingly educational."

[Don’t get used to it.]

"After opening the Pericardium Meridian, continue step by step until all twelve meridians are open."

Zac narrowed his eyes slightly. "So I was right to take it slow. If I had rushed it, I might’ve ended up in the hospital by now."

[Exactly, remember, haste makes waste.]

"You and your proverbs..."

Matilda then moved on to the next topic. "Now, let’s talk about acupoints. There are three hundred and sixty-one acupoints in the human body."

"After all twelve meridians have been opened and mana begins flowing freely through them, your acupoints will gradually start opening on their own."

A student raised his hand. "Ma’am, is it possible to open all three hundred and sixty-one acupoints?"

Matilda looked at him before answering. "In theory, yes."

"But in practice, no one has ever done it. And realistically, it’s considered almost impossible."

"You see, the human body naturally contains impurities and waste substances within every tissue. These impurities act as blockages, preventing many acupoints from fully opening."

"The highest opened number ever recorded is two hundred and eighty acupoints."

"So how many you can open largely depends on your body’s constitution and how well you’ve maintained it."

She paused for a moment. "Only after breaking through to S-rank does your body undergo a complete cleansing by expelling all the deeply rooted impurities."

"Some scholars even refer to it as humanity’s genetic evolution into a higher stage. At that point, all three hundred and sixty-one acupoints naturally open."

"But that’s still a very long way off for all of you. So let’s not worry about S-ranks for now."

"What matters is focusing on what you can achieve today."

Zac leaned back in his chair. "Two hundred and eighty..."

The system chuckled.

What? Zac asked with a faint smile.

[You don’t have to worry about your acupoints. Since your body was reconstructed using an almost divine herb, every impurity inside it has already been cleansed.]

[Once you open all twelve meridians, all three hundred and sixty-one acupoints will naturally open as well.]

"You mean I’ll have the body of an S-ranker?"

[How much of an idiot can one person be? Having all your acupoints open doesn’t magically make you an S-ranker.]

[An S-ranker’s strength isn’t defined by one advantage.]

"I know. I was just asking."

[Yeah, yeah.]

Matilda clapped her hands once. "Now then. Let’s see how far all of you have progressed in sensing and controlling mana."

The students simply looked at her.

Matilda looked back at them. "What are you all staring at?"

"Start your breathing exercises and try to sense the mana around you."

The next second, everyone closed their eyes. The classroom fell silent. One by one, the students tried to sense the mana surrounding them.

Zac did the same. He steadied his breathing, slowly inhaling and exhaling.

For the S-rank and SS-rank potential students, the mana quickly entered their perception. For the lower-potential students, like Marty, it was much more difficult.

Zac could clearly sense the mana flowing into and out of his body with every breath, like a quiet river.

Matilda stopped beside him. "Not bad. In just one week, you’ve already reached this level."

Inside his mind, the System spoke.

[Of course, he has. If he couldn’t even do this after getting an almost divine-tier body... He might as well commit suicide using a shoelace.]

After half an hour, Matilda clapped her hands once more. "That’s enough. It seems most of you are still a long way from properly sensing mana."

"And that’s perfectly fine, but don’t waste your time. You only have one month, so other than eating and sleeping, devote yourselves to training."

"Unless you want to experience the Summer and Winter Cell... Give it everything you’ve got."

She then picked up her tablet. "That’s all for today."

"Class dismissed." With that, she walked out of the classroom.