Chapter 7: True Technique Before Him

"The Three Treasures of man are Essence, Qi, and Spirit — the very foundation of cultivation. The Treasure Furnace Qi Absorption Art is the entry-level technique of this temple. One visualizes their own body as a treasure furnace, drawing in qi to refine and cleanse it, thereby nourishing the Three Treasures and manifesting Dharma Power..."

"At the outset of qi gathering, one must choose the hours of midnight, around 4 a.m., and noon each day to visualize the Treasure Furnace. Using the guiding postures corresponding to each time period as described in the manual, one draws Yang qi into the body at different hours. At midnight, the first Yang is born, like a coiled dragon stirring from sleep; at around 4 a.m., Yang qi stirs beneath the surface..."

"..."

Li Qingyun felt a twinge of disappointment — the manual only contained the essentials for the first three layers of Qi Refining.

Perhaps Lu Nanling had simply thought he would never amount to anything in cultivation and had handed it over without a second thought.

Or perhaps it was simply Lingbao Temple's rule: techniques beyond a certain level required other conditions to be met before they could be obtained. No one could expect to receive the complete set the moment they entered the temple.

Li Qingyun read with rapt fascination, even mimicking the movements as he went.

He had, after all, "trained" before.

The family-inherited Yang Blight Refinement technique, though an Unorthodox Path that Lingbao Temple would scarcely deign to acknowledge, still touched on knowledge of meridians, acupoints, and mental focus in cultivation.

So at first glance, reading and attempting to practice it did not feel overly difficult.

Where he had doubts, he set them aside for the moment — he could ask someone later, or attend lectures and seek guidance at the temple's Scripture Hall.

By now, the sun had begun its westward drift. It was early afternoon, and sunlight slanted through the bamboo cottage's window, filling the room with a warm, bright glow.

Following the manual's instructions, he stood in the patch of sunlight inside the room, feet slightly apart, hands relaxed and slowly extended forward — as if reaching out to grasp something from the blazing golden radiance of the sun hanging in the sky beyond.

At the same time, he visualized the Treasure Furnace within himself, communing with the great sun above, while coordinating a special breathing rhythm to draw qi into the furnace.

His breath came in soft, rhythmic sounds; his chest and abdomen rose and fell in slow waves.

Following the Enter Meditation method of the Treasure Furnace Qi Absorption Art, he quickly sank into a state of deep, hazy stillness.

Fifteen minutes passed. Thirty minutes passed...

Li Qingyun gathered qi for a long while, yet in the end he could not sense even the faintest trace of what was called a "qi sensation."

His cultivation aptitude was, truly, abysmal.

"The threshold for cultivation in this world is indeed extraordinarily high!"

"And here in Lingbao Temple — am I really only fit to grow old in peace?"

Li Qingyun's entire body felt numb and limp, stars flickering at the edges of his vision. He had spent so long attempting to gather qi, and had nothing to show for it.

This body had once been full of vitality — brimming with essence and harboring the Yang Blight within. But ever since that demoness Cui Wan'er had subjected him to her Predatory Cultivation, it had been reduced to a frail and feeble shell.

Even holding a qi-gathering posture left him exhausted and unable to sustain it for long. There was nothing pleasant about it.

But that was not what disheartened him most.

What truly filled him with despair was this body — "severed from the Dao" — its dull, stubborn, unyielding insensitivity to Spiritual Energy, as if it were a stone wall against which all his efforts shattered.

Though he had only just begun attempting to practice qi gathering, and it was perfectly normal to have no results yet, he had a feeling deep in his gut:

"No matter how diligently I train this body, I fear I will gain nothing in the end. I'll waste away my days in this temple, dying in resentment and regret."

The cultivation aptitude of the Marquis of Qinghe's Manor's Third Young Master was simply too poor — fixed by fate from birth. He was destined to remain an ordinary mortal.

The Heavenly Dao was merciless. Without a Dao Bone or Spiritual Root, all hope and wishful thinking amounted to nothing.

The Yang Blight Refinement passed down through the Marquis of Qinghe's Manor was an Unorthodox Path — demanding in the extreme, yet perhaps it had once been his only hope!

"Without a Dao Bone or Spiritual Root... is there truly no way to cultivate?"

Li Qingyun breathed hard, his body aching and weak, a fine sheen of cold sweat breaking across his skin. He slumped to the floor in dejection — yet deep within his eyes, a stubborn, unyielding spark refused to be extinguished.

Ding-ling-ling!

At that moment, the bamboo cottage's door curtain was swept aside, and the small wind chimes hanging from it rang out together.

A gust of light mountain breeze swept in, followed by a young Daoist in a cyan robe, his features handsome and refined.

The moment the man stepped inside, Li Qingyun caught the thick smell of wine wafting off him.

He guessed this must be his roommate — the fellow disciple named He Xiao.

Lin Wanjin had given a brief introduction earlier: He Xiao had also encountered Master Lu's Dao Affinity Token, though he had entered the temple at the beginning of the year.

By that reckoning, both of them were disciples under Lu Nanling. With that connection between them, getting along should be easier going forward.

"Ha! You must be Junior Brother Li — quite the bearing you have. Though, hmm, you do look a bit... drained."

He Xiao's long hair hung loose and unruly over his shoulders, a wine gourd dangling from one hand, the smell of alcohol clinging to him. He spotted Li Qingyun as he entered, paused for a brief moment of surprise, then greeted him warmly and with open friendliness.

Even so, Li Qingyun noticed it — that first glance He Xiao had cast his way carried a faint trace of displeasure.

Understandable. What had essentially been a single-occupancy room now had an extra roommate disrupting the peace.

"Then again, I'm not exactly thrilled about gaining a drunkard for a roommate either," Li Qingyun thought to himself, as he forced himself to stand, every joint and bone in his body aching dully.

He offered a warm smile and greeted He Xiao.

"Senior Brother He, we'll be sharing this room from now on. If I cause any inconvenience, please don't hesitate to let me know."

Then he added: "I was just deep in cultivation practice earlier and went at it a bit too long — I'm not actually that weak. Before I came to the temple, I did train my body..."

Even as he said it, the words felt hollow.

The truth was, he had been drained by that mysterious Cui Wan'er through her Predatory Cultivation. He really was weak right now.

Ordinary bedroom affairs between a man and a woman could never reduce someone to such a pitiful state — that woman was a demoness...

"Haha, I understand, I understand completely. Didn't expect Junior Brother Qingyun to be such an interesting fellow! But those of us with lacking aptitude can't afford to rush — we have to take it one step at a time."

After a few exchanges, He Xiao's initial displeasure seemed to vanish in an instant, and he fell into easy, cheerful conversation with Li Qingyun.

Driven by a certain sense of superiority, He Xiao even began taking on the role of the senior brother, offering Li Qingyun pointers on the finer points of qi gathering and Qi Refining.

In this regard, Li Qingyun listened humbly and attentively.

He could tell that He Xiao had already cultivated some Dharma Power — though it was likely still quite meager, it was still far, far beyond anything he himself had managed.

In the course of their conversation, when He Xiao learned that Li Qingyun's worldly identity was that of the Third Young Lord of the Marquis of Qinghe's Manor, his warmth grew noticeably. His eyes lit up with a gleam of interest as he brought up the Clear Yang Fish — a rare specialty of Qinghe County.

"Qingyun, both of us have inferior aptitude. The road ahead in cultivation will be unimaginably difficult. To achieve anything at all, the effort and resources we'll need to expend will far exceed what those gifted disciples favored by the Heavenly Dao ever have to consider."

"But there's no need for us to sell ourselves short. The first thing we can do — and should do — is share what we have between us as fellow disciples."

"My family, the He Clan of Blue Mountain, has some influence. By making use of what's available to us, we can obtain Blue Spirit Grass — the main ingredient for refining the Minor Herb Pill. And your family has access to Clear Yang Fish. I've heard that eating this fish regularly over time can improve one's bone constitution, and it's especially compatible with the Qi Refining techniques of our Lingbao Temple..."

He Xiao was undoubtedly a talkative roommate, and he said a great deal by way of encouragement and motivation.

Li Qingyun understood perfectly well what was going on: He Xiao had his eye on the Clear Yang Fish, and was hoping to get his hands on those prized spiritual fish — coveted even by true Cultivation Sect cultivators — through this Third Young Lord of the Marquis's Manor.