Chapter 8: The Mysterious Dao Effigy

Li Qingyun sighed inwardly. "What a pity — you, He Xiao, can still draw on your family's resources to support your cultivation. But I'm just a castoff, a good-for-nothing they've already given up on."

"As for the Clear Yang Fish — a spiritual creature like that — I only ever got two from Yuanbao's mouth. Even on the rare occasions the manor managed to obtain some, or a lucky fisherman caught one and sold it to the manor, most of it ended up in the hands of Lady Cui and her son..."

Despite his laments, his expression remained calm and composed. Out of habit, he maintained the dignified bearing of the manor's Third Young Master, betraying no weakness.

Still, the thought of his big black cat Yuanbao — whereabouts unknown, fate uncertain — made him ache with longing and worry.

That spiritual cat of his had the gift of drawing in wealth. What a genuine shame.

After the two of them chatted for a while, the wine went to He Xiao's head. He apologized and flopped onto the bed without even taking off his shoes, falling fast asleep.

Snoring soon filled the room.

Listening to the snores and breathing in the stale smell of alcohol, Li Qingyun felt a helpless resignation.

This was hardly a place suited for cultivation.

"I'll adapt for a few days. After that, I'll see if I can arrange a place of my own. Lingbao Temple practically has 'money' written all over it — as long as you're willing to spend, it shouldn't be too difficult."

His whole body ached terribly. He simply climbed onto the bed, crossed his legs naturally into a seated position, opened the small booklet, and set about reading through the techniques thoroughly.

What talent lacked, wisdom would make up for.

He intended to draw on the wisdom and perspective of his past life to study the cultivation method deeply, hoping to compensate at least a little for his innate deficiencies.

Hm!

However, the moment he settled into a proper meditation posture, his expression suddenly changed. A flush of color crept across his pale, bloodless face.

Shock, confusion, and elated surprise — his expression shifted through them all in rapid succession.

"What is going on?!"

At that moment, deep within his mind, a mysterious Dao Effigy suddenly appeared.

It resembled a sculpture, yet also like a spectral projection of a real person — its entire form suffused with a dim, dark radiance. It wore a jade crown and Daoist robes, eyes cast downward, seated in meditation within a void of nothingness. Its garments looked extraordinarily ancient.

A strange feeling stirred in Li Qingyun's heart. For some reason, he felt as though this spectral Dao Effigy had been forgotten for far too long — like a divine statue in a desolate temple that no one had worshipped in ages.

He tried to focus his inner "gaze" on the face of the spectral Dao Effigy, but his vision blurred, obstructed by some unseen force.

Yet deep in his heart, he had a vague sense that the outline of the effigy's face seemed somehow familiar — the kind of familiar that looked remarkably like his own...

Behind the spectral Dao Effigy lay a vast, profound darkness — so utterly black it made his skin crawl.

Li Qingyun felt as though unknown shapes lurked within that dark chaos. Curiosity stirred, and his thoughts reached out, trying to pass beyond the Dao Effigy to see what lay behind it — but his inner "vision" was blocked once again.

No matter how he tried, he could not cross the boundary marked by the spectral Dao Effigy's position.

At the same time, a sudden pang of dread welled up in his heart.

It was as if something were warning him: do not look, do not think — or unimaginable terror would follow.

Li Qingyun suppressed his confusion and curiosity, withdrew his inner "gaze," and refocused his attention on the spectral Dao Effigy itself.

At that moment, a flash of light and shadow appeared before the Dao Effigy, and a small booklet gently floated up into the air.

He immediately recognized it. "That's my Treasure Furnace Qi Absorption Art — it's been projected in there?"

Then, from the crown of the spectral Dao Effigy's head, a wisp of pure qi drifted upward.

At the same moment, Li Qingyun felt a faint tingling sensation in his chest.

The sensation was subtle, yet unmistakable.

Even that tiny amount was enough for him to feel a clear, gentle warmth spreading through his body.

"Warmth rising like a hot spring — the first stirring of Dharma Power from the Qi Absorption Art... Isn't this exactly what the Qi Absorption Art describes? I've actually cultivated Dharma Power?"

He was instantly overcome with excitement.

The Treasure Furnace Qi Absorption Art drew upon the fire-yang Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth. When the guided absorption succeeded, one would feel a sensation like warm spring water bubbling up from within.

"I'm clearly a cultivation cripple — can it be that this Dao Effigy is cultivating on my behalf?"

Just moments ago, he had carefully followed the technique's instructions and guided the qi absorption for a long while, with absolutely no result.

Now, sitting cross-legged in meditation, a mysterious spectral Dao Effigy had suddenly appeared in his mind — and had directly cultivated a trace of Dharma Power for him.

And this state was continuing!

Each time a wisp of pure qi rose from the crown of the Dao Effigy's head, another trace of Dharma Power was added within Li Qingyun's body.

"It can actually ignore the comprehension requirements of the technique, ignore the limitations of this body of mine that has neither Dao Bone nor Spiritual Root..."

"Three years... have I finally awakened my golden finger?"

Joy surged through Li Qingyun, and a tide of emotions washed over him.

When his soul had crossed over and taken the place of the drowned Third Young Lord of the manor, and he had learned that this world was a cultivation civilization, his heart had burned with fierce enthusiasm.

For the sake of cultivating his family's Yang Blight Refinement, he had kept himself pure, declining the tender affections of many young ladies of Qinghe County, never setting foot in High-class Brothels or other places of entertainment, guarding his Primal Yang Essence with stubborn resolve.

He had even begun to show promise, earning the recognition of his nominal father, the Marquis of Qinghe — which, of course, had alarmed Lady Cui and her son, drawing their ruthless suppression down upon him.

Yet it turned out he had been fumbling in the dark all along, never finding the right way to unlock his golden finger...

"Strange, though — it's not as if I've never sat in meditation and practiced breathing before. Nothing unusual ever happened. Could it be that meditation only works when combined with a proper orthodox Daoist cultivation method? That the two together are what summons this stand-in spectral figure from within my mind?"

"Or perhaps... the time simply wasn't right before?"

Li Qingyun "gazed" at the cross-legged spectral figure deep in his mind, and at the small Qi Absorption Art booklet floating before it, his thoughts running wild with speculation.

In the past, he had lacked both the means and the opportunity to access a genuine orthodox cultivation method. He had learned a little about Unorthodox Path techniques — which came at a steep price — but the only complete transcendent cultivation method available within the Marquis of Qinghe's Manor had been the Unorthodox Path's Yang Blight Refinement.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

While he marveled and reflected, traces of Dharma Power continued to emerge one after another throughout the meridians of his body.

A tingling, numbing warmth spread through him — as comfortable and refreshing as soaking in a hot spring.

The Dharma Power seemed to arise from nowhere, rather than being drawn from the blazing solar Spiritual Energy outside the bamboo dwelling.

Not the slightest fluctuation of gathering Spiritual Energy could be detected anywhere near the bamboo dwelling.

Deep in his mind, the mysterious spectral Dao Effigy was cultivating Dharma Power for him in a manner he could not begin to comprehend — an endless, unceasing flow.

This was, frankly, heaven-defying.

"This Daoist is going to make it big."

Li Qingyun desperately wanted to laugh out loud.

A surge of grand ambition rose in his chest. The Great Dao felt within reach; the fog of uncertainty and wandering had lifted.

Even the thunderous snoring of his roommate He Xiao seemed somehow more pleasant to the ear.

As long as he sat cross-legged in meditation, the spectral Dao Effigy would automatically appear in the depths of his mind and cultivate on his behalf.

He didn't even need to calm his mind or Enter Meditation — no external distraction could interfere at all.

Trace by trace, Dharma Power was born throughout his meridians — like countless tiny pinpricks of starlight kindling one by one in an endless, boundless night of darkness.

Brilliant and mysterious, it entranced and captivated him.

"So this... is my path of arduous cultivation."