Chapter 9: A Gu Worm Hidden Within
One point, two points, three points…
Li Qingyun counted with gleeful excitement.
The spectral figure sitting in meditation was generating roughly one point of Dharma Power per second!
These scattered specks of Dharma Power, budding and spreading throughout his meridians, bloomed like stars scattered across the sky — a little chaotic and disordered at first.
Yet in a fleeting moment, a hundred tiny "sparks" had already lit up!
Then they drew toward one another — like raindrops merging into a trickle — and swiftly condensed into a single thread of Dharma Power, flowing like silk through his meridians.
This thread of Dharma Power moved with an almost sentient grace along the circulation pathways of the Treasure Furnace Qi Absorption Art, traveling through his meridians.
Wherever it passed, his impoverished inner constitution and frail body began to benefit — nourished and repaired…
Just as the Treasure Furnace Qi Absorption Art described: the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit were being nourished.
"One hundred seconds to produce one hundred points, one hundred points to form one thread… How many threads make up the One Furnace of Dharma Power that Lu Nanling spoke of?"
"At this rate, I might enter the Dao in half a day and step into the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm — no worse than any of those so-called geniuses and prodigies…"
But he had no time to rejoice.
The moment that first thread of Dharma Power condensed within him, a sudden, wrenching pain tore through his chest.
He felt something lurking deep within his heart — something that had been dormant — now stirred awake by the Dharma Power, gnawing, tearing, and thrashing about.
Worst of all, that freshly cultivated thread of Dharma Power vanished like mud swallowed by the sea, devoured entirely by whatever was nestled in his heart.
"What's going on? How can there be such a sinister gu worm inside my heart?"
Drawing on the tiny amount of Dharma Power that had just been generated, he turned his senses inward — and witnessed a sight that filled him with dread.
Deep within his own heart, a pale, ghostly-white worm lay coiled and entrenched!
It had the shape of a white silkworm, yet radiated a ferocious aura — ravenous, greedy, and vicious!
He shuddered, his entire body trembling.
He had no idea when he had fallen victim to it — someone had secretly used their arts to plant a gu worm inside him, and in such a fatal location as his heart, no less.
His thoughts raced. Memories of life at the manor flashed through his mind like a spinning lantern.
Then, it all clicked.
"The Cui Clan of Hejian — and you, Elder Brother the Heir — what a vicious, ruthless scheme!"
"No wonder they let me enter the temple without a second thought. I assumed they simply believed that a clay-bodied mortal like me would get nowhere with cultivation — but I never imagined that mother and son had secretly shackled me with something this insidious!"
"This must be the Soul-Devouring Gu from the legends. They say that once it takes up residence inside a cultivator's body, it ceaselessly devours Dharma Power. After feeding enough to grow strong, it goes further — consuming the host's soul and vitality — until it transforms from worm to butterfly, bursting free from its shell and tearing through the body. And the original host, naturally, perishes…"
Li Qingyun felt a storm raging within him, impossible to calm.
He was far from ignorant about gu worms and other Unorthodox Path techniques — in fact, he had gathered and studied quite a bit on the subject.
He simply never imagined that Lady Cui and the Heir would go so far as to truly seek his death.
The moment real interests were at stake, these "natives" of this world — Lady Cui and her ilk — proved to be this ruthless and cold-blooded.
Whether it was Li Jiuling's Yang Blight Refinement or Lady Cui's covert Gu Arts, both were Unorthodox Path techniques — sitting at the very bottom of this world's hierarchy of transcendent cultivation.
But against an ordinary mortal, they remained an overwhelming and inescapable force.
Li Qingyun had thought that leaving the manor meant escaping his cage. He never expected that even here at Lingbao Temple, he would still be shrouded by the shadow of the Cui Clan of Hejian, manipulated from afar.
Thinking back to the journey to Lingbao Temple — to Yin Xunshan's insufferable, smug expression — he finally understood completely why that old servant had been so brazen and fearless…
By now, the Soul-Devouring Silkworm coiled deep within his heart had tasted Dharma Power and grown excited, swaying its head and tail with abandon, greedily devouring every last speck of Dharma Power that arose within him.
Its gluttony was a sight to behold — like an insatiable Glutton.
"Let's see just how much you can eat, you little wretch — I'd like to see you burst from overeating!"
Li Qingyun watched the plump, pale Soul-Devouring Silkworm swell noticeably after consuming several threads of Dharma Power, and a thought stirred in his heart.
He made up his mind. Maintaining his meditative posture, he let the Dharma Power flow ceaselessly.
He let it feast to its heart's content.
"Everything must have its limit — the Soul-Devouring Silkworm is no exception. After all, it's just an Unorthodox Path creature, and still a larva at that…"
With the mysterious Dao Effigy in his mind as his foundation, Li Qingyun had confidence to spare.
Two hours passed.
Nearly four hours passed.
One side poured in relentlessly; the other devoured without pause. Li Qingyun endured through gritted teeth, suffering through the ordeal.
Without realizing it, dusk had nearly arrived.
Outside the bamboo cottage, the last rays of the setting sun faded from the horizon. The maple leaves blanketing the mountain glowed a deep crimson — hauntingly beautiful, yet carrying a strange, blood-stained eeriness.
"Junior Brother Qingyun, don't tell me you've been sitting in meditation this whole time — that's quite the dedication! But you know, just sitting there won't do anything. You have to follow the qi-gathering postures laid out in the technique!"
He Xiao had finally woken up. The room still reeked of wine.
He got up to wash, and when he saw Li Qingyun's stern, strained expression — still locked in stubborn meditation as if fighting some invisible battle — he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
In his eyes, this was nothing but blind practice with no method behind it.
No talent, no insight, and apparently no sense either. His roommate was truly pitiable!
"If following the technique gives you no qi sensation, do you really think sitting there like a fool will let you gather qi? Stupidity truly is the greatest obstacle on the path of cultivation…"
With such a hopeless roommate as contrast, He Xiao felt a swell of superiority rise within him.
"Take a break. I'll take you to the dining hall — if we go too late, all the good stuff will be gone…"
He Xiao's smile grew even brighter as he walked over and reached out to pull Li Qingyun off the bed.
"Then I'll trouble Brother He to lead the way. I'm curious to see what the dining hall has to offer!"
Li Qingyun rose and stretched his numb, aching limbs. His smile was a little strained — which, to He Xiao's eyes, simply looked like sullen resignation.
Li Qingyun was, of course, somewhat displeased.
Nearly four hours!
If not for the Soul-Devouring Silkworm coiled in his heart, he felt certain he would have made real progress by now — possessing at least One Furnace of Dharma Power!
That was the entry standard Lu Nanling had mentioned — the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm as described in the Treasure Furnace Qi Absorption Art.
And yet this Soul-Devouring Silkworm had devoured every last drop of his Dharma Power without leaving a trace.
The worm's body was now bloated and swollen — more than twice the size it had been when it first awakened — but it hadn't burst. If anything, its aura had grown even stronger.
It was doing just fine.
"If this keeps up, I might just be fattening this worm for nothing…"
It was just as well that He Xiao had woken up and extended the invitation. Li Qingyun took the opportunity to end his meditation.
Leaving the bamboo cottage, he and He Xiao walked side by side, chatting and laughing as they went.
In the hazy dusk, night began to settle over the mountain forest. He noticed the bamboo cottages nearby, with Daoist disciples emerging one after another and heading toward the dining hall.
They were all disciples of the temple, much like himself. More than half of them showed no fluctuation of Dharma Power whatsoever — they had clearly not yet truly entered the path, meaning they had not yet condensed One Furnace of Dharma Power.