Yige Pavilion.
Gu Heng Taoist was helping Tao You, a Steward from Qianmu Temple’s Law Enforcent Institute, channel the energy of an Array. At the center of the Array, Tao You’s face was covered in sweat from the pain, but she was no longer writhing on the ground as she had been at the start.
Suddenly, as if sensing sothing, Gu Heng Taoist looked to his left. A stream of azure light converged there, and from it, Yu Cheng Taoist’s figure erged.
"Condensing a divine soul in just one month... Your disciple truly has a gift for cultivation."
"He actually succeeded half a month ago. I just spent the last half a month helping him consolidate it." Yu Cheng Taoist stroked his beard as he spoke, looking just a little bit smug.
Gu Heng turned his head, refusing to look at Yu Cheng Taoist’s smug expression. After a long silence, he asked, "Do you think he has a chance to learn the Taiyan Secret Technique within thirty years?"
"If he’s lucky, he could do it in twenty years..."
"Let’s hope so. I waited a full thirty years and never found the right opportunity. In the end, I had no choice but to switch to another Cultivation Technique. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to touch the threshold of the Second Realm in my lifeti."
"Cultivation is an uphill battle. How will you ever know if you don’t even try?"
"Easy for you to say. What about you?"
"I’m different..."
"How are you any different?"
Yu Cheng Taoist fell silent, and Gu Heng dropped the subject.
After a long pause, Gu Heng spoke up. "Aren’t you going to go watch him? I bet he won’t be able to resist trying out the Wood Spirit Technique today, just like we did back in the day."
"There’s no need. He’s not restless and impatient like we were when we first started cultivating. For years, he’s been nourishing that locust tree with Spiritual Qi every single day. This step will go smoothly, even without my guidance."
"Uh..."
Gu Heng seed to recall his own restless heart from when he first started cultivating. He chid in, "You’re right about that. He was truly born for this."
Yu Cheng gently stroked his beard again and smiled. "Exactly. When most people start on the path of cultivation, their composure and tranquility are just an act to deal with strict masters. With him, it’s genuine."
...
Wang Ping had no idea his master was busy bragging about him. After finishing the process of condensing his divine soul, he returned directly to his small courtyard. He wanted to attempt the Wood Spirit Skill, but as he approached the locust tree, he found he couldn’t calm his mind.
"Your mind is racing again..."
Yu Lian expanded from Wang Ping’s wrist, returning to her full size. She was now over ten feet long, and a layer of grayish-white Scale Armor had even ford on her body, making her look a bit more imposing than before. She loved to float and circle around Wang Ping.
Wang Ping chuckled. "Human thoughts are more complex. For example, every ti I make a breakthrough in my cultivation, I start fantasizing about what I’ll be like as a Great Realm Cultivator. Then I can’t stop myself, as if I’ve already beco one... Don’t you ever daydream?"
"Nope. My head’s too small. There’s no extra room for fantasies."
"..."
Wang Ping entered the small courtyard. His two apprentices had already gone down the mountain to mingle with their fellow disciples. He took out a tea set, arranged it on the table, and then fetched a small stove from the kitchen, preparing to brew so tea to pass the ti. A young attendant doing chores nearby started to approach to help, but Wang Ping waved him away.
"I’ve always wanted to ask you sothing. Can your kind really transform into dragons, like they do in the folktales?"
Yu Lian, coiled on a chair waiting for her tea, heard Wang Ping’s question. Her vertical pupils swiveled to look at him, her expectant gaze shifting to one you’d give an idiot. "Do you really think that’s possible? Can you turn a chicken into a live shrimp?"
Wang Ping laughed awkwardly. He spent the rest of the afternoon drinking tea and chatting with Yu Lian, trying to settle his restless mind.
Just before dusk, Liu Shuang and Yang Zhiping returned to Lin Garden together.
During dinner, Liu Shuang happily recounted how she had shown off her skills in the front hall, periodically prompting Yang Zhiping to chi in and back up her story.
Wang Ping simply listened, not bothering to correct Liu Shuang’s volatile nature. He knew it would be useless. The path of cultivation is sothing one must understand for themself; others can only offer guidance.
After dinner, his two apprentices returned to their rooms to ditate.
Wang Ping, in turn, took Yu Lian out to the locust tree under the moonlight and sat down cross-legged. He glanced at the Longsword stuck in the ground beside him before sinking into a ditative state.
’I’m about to use my divine soul to communicate with the Wood Spirit. You keep watch for .’
’No problem!’
Yu Lian circled around Wang Ping, and their Spiritual Qi quickly rged. Wang Ping then awakened his divine soul, entering the world constructed from Spiritual Qi. He soon sensed a vague consciousness beside him, one that felt incredibly compatible with his own soul. The instant he had the thought to communicate with it, the consciousness made direct contact.
It was a joyful, optimistic consciousness, yet it also carried a sense of ancient, primal depth and a surging, boundless life force. In that mont, Wang Ping felt as if he were immortal.
The feeling was wonderful—so wonderful that a long ti passed before Wang Ping rembered he was supposed to be guiding the Wood Spirit Qi to assimilate his Qi Sea.
He began to try, cautiously...
To his surprise, the first Grand Circulation was a complete success. There wasn’t the slightest hiccup; it felt as smooth and unimpeded as his normal Qi Cultivation.
In less than Half an Hour, he had completed the ten daily circulations recomnded by the guide on his status panel. Just as he was about to continue, Yu Lian’s consciousness suddenly flared within his Spirit Sea, severing his connection to the locust tree’s consciousness.
’What’s wrong?’ Wang Ping asked.
’You’ve absorbed enough Wood Spirit Qi for today,’ she replied. ’Any more and your skin will start to be assimilated.’
Hearing this, Wang Ping recalled the warnings from the guide on his status panel. He then felt an indescribable itch all over his body—a sign that his body was fusing with the Wood Spirit Qi.
’You should look within,’ Yu Lian reminded him.
’Alright!’
Inner vision was an ability Wang Ping had gained after condensing his divine soul. It didn’t allow him to see his physical organs, but rather to use his divine soul to ’observe’ the state of his Qi Sea and the flow of Spiritual Qi within his body.
Right now, within Wang Ping’s Qi Sea and ridians, a mass of Wood Spirit Qi was rging with his body’s original Spiritual Qi. The Wood Spirit Qi had a faint green hue, which made it easy to ’observe.’
Seeing nothing amiss, Wang Ping withdrew his inner vision; his divine soul was still quite fragile. He then recalled the process of absorbing the Wood Spirit Qi through the locust tree’s consciousness.
It had been so comfortable, like his consciousness was soaking in a hot spring. The feeling made him want to stay like that forever.
Recalling the sensation, Wang Ping thought to himself, ’Sure enough, the greatest dangers are often the most pleasant ones. They’re far more perilous than a real battle of blades. One mont of carelessness, and you’re dood beyond recovery.’
Wang Ping made a ntal note to be more careful in the future as he stood up and returned to his room in the courtyard to ditate.
He woke at dawn the next day to continue his Foundation Establishnt and Qi Gathering.
One afternoon three months later, Wang Ping had just finished circulating the Wood Spirit Qi. He was about to give so Spiritual Qi back to nourish the locust tree when an attendant from the Ministry of Internal Affairs down the mountain delivered a letter.
The letter was from Wang Kang. He had arrived in Shangjing City and wrote in detail about its splendor. Wang Ping wrote a thoughtful reply.
A few days later, just as winter was approaching, another letter arrived. This ti, it was from Su Dun. The war on the front lines was finally over; the Rebel Army that had fled to Hailin Road had been completely wiped out. He ntioned discreetly that the people of two counties had suffered greatly. One of the county towns had even been massacred.
Wang Ping could only sigh after reading it. Now ca the critical period for his two disciples’ Qi Cultivation.
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