"Such spells are merely petty tricks to Foundation Establishment cultivators like us."
"After all, whether they use food, water, or some other object as a medium, they still have to deliver it to us."
Xu Xiao spoke with easy confidence.
"No matter how well concealed the magical power attached to it is, we can detect it. If they plant a gu worm, we can suppress it and burn it away with true fire, unless their cultivation is a full realm above ours."
"What we fear most is an enemy getting hold of our hair or fingernails, followed by personal belongings. If they use those things together with the eight characters of our birth dates, our names, and our origins, their attacks become impossible to guard against."
"The sect elders have warned those of us from sects about these hidden dangers. That is why we never carelessly leave belongings behind outside, much less things like hair or fingernails."
Hearing this, Zhang Qing immediately said, "Father, we must keep our personal belongings well hidden. As for hair, fingernails, and the like, we should burn them outright and leave no traces."
Zhang Qingyun nodded repeatedly. "You're right, Qing'er. But what should we do if those evil cultivators keep killing people in the city?"
Zhang Qing smiled. "Those rogue cultivators have been eating and drinking at our expense all this time without lifting a finger. Isn't this precisely the time to put them to use?"
"We can post notices announcing that evil and demonic cultivators are causing trouble, and anyone who catches them can claim a reward at the county office. Offer suitable rewards, and we won't have to worry about those rogue cultivators holding back."
Zhang Qingyun clearly approved of the idea, but then he sighed. "Unfortunately, Daoist Jiang and the others probably can't be bothered with such matters."
Xu Xiao added, "It would certainly be best if Daoist Jiang were willing to help. I heard he came from Penglai?"
When Zhang Qingyun and Zhang Qing nodded, Xu Xiao continued, "Penglai is a renowned orthodox Xuanmen sect, and its talismans are second to none across the entire Eastern Domain Continent."
"If Daoist Jiang took action, those evil cultivators would have nowhere to hide."
"Unfortunately, Daoist Jiang has already returned to Qingping Mountain to cultivate. I doubt he will leave the mountain before the plan begins."
These words left Zhang Qing somewhat deflated as well.
Although Jiang Sheng and the others had agreed after the entire plan was laid out that night, they were all the sort who would not release the hawk until they saw the hare.
With the plan yet to begin, those strongest Foundation Establishment cultivators had either gone into seclusion or set out to travel among the towns of Qingshan County. Jiang Sheng had even returned directly to his own Daoist temple on Qingping Mountain.
Now, only Xu Xiao and those few Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivators remained in Qingshan County Seat.
The thought left Zhang Qingyun somewhat agitated. "Let's try using these people first. If they truly can't manage it, I'll go ask Daoist Jiang."
Zhang Qing sighed. "That is all we can do."
Meanwhile, heavy snow blanketed Qingping Mountain, covering the entire peak in dazzling white.
The ordinary trees had all withered and yellowed. Only the green pines and emerald bamboo retained their verdure, offering some of the few signs of life around the temple.
Goose-feather snowflakes drifted down, blurring the black-brick, blue-tiled temple in the snowfall.
Only the curling wisps of incense smoke continued to linger above the temple each day, unhindered by wind or snow.
In such snowy depths of winter, ordinary people would never venture deep into the mountains.
Quite apart from the rugged, slippery mountain paths, dangers often lay hidden beneath the snow.
Yet that day, Tian Guofu arrived at Qingxuan Temple undeterred by wind or snow.
Not only had Tian Guofu come, but he had also brought his young grandson, saying they wished to offer incense to the True Lord.
Jiang Sheng watched helplessly as Tian Guofu, bundled in a fur coat like a plump marmot, struggled to kneel on a meditation cushion. "Mayor Tian, what brings you here again?"
Tian Guofu chuckled. "Daoist, this great temple is far too quiet with only you here most days."
"My little grandson may not know much else, but he is quick with his hands and feet. If he helped clean the temple every day, wouldn't that save you some trouble?"
Jiang Sheng glanced again at the young master of the Tian Family beside Tian Guofu.
The boy was named Tian Ming'an. He was twelve that year, with handsome, refined features. Clearly, the old Tian family had good genes.
Though young, Tian Ming'an was clever and sensible. Ever since Tian Guofu had brought him up the mountain, he had come alone every few days to offer incense, always treating Jiang Sheng with great courtesy.
He treated Jiang Sheng entirely as an elder and even volunteered to help clean the temple.
One did not strike a smiling face, and Tian Ming'an's conduct truly left nothing to criticize, so Jiang Sheng allowed him to read in the temple.
At first, Tian Ming'an had only come every few days. But after Tian Guofu heard that evil cultivators were causing trouble in Qingshan County, he brought Tian Ming'an up the mountain and refused to leave.
He was clearly terrified that those evil cultivators would harm his precious grandson.
Jiang Sheng paid Tian Guofu no further attention. Instead, he studied Tian Ming'an for a while before saying, "Then let him come up the mountain each day to clean the temple. He must bring his own food. I have little to eat here."
Though these conditions seemed austere, Tian Guofu was delighted. Never mind Qingping Town—across Qingshan County, countless people wished to send their children to Qingxuan Temple as errand-running servants.
Among them were wealthy gentry, yet Jiang Sheng had accepted none.
Who did not know that entering the temple meant a chance to become a cultivator in the future?
Cultivators ruled the entire Qi Kingdom. Once someone became a cultivator, even if they could not join Penglai, becoming a Daoist official in the Qi Kingdom would still bring endless wealth and glory.
Tian Guofu understood that Jiang Sheng had effectively accepted his grandson. In his excitement, he said repeatedly, "Wonderful, wonderful. Ming'an, hurry and thank Daoist Jiang."
Tian Ming'an quickly stepped forward and bowed. "Ming'an thanks you, Daoist."
Jiang Sheng said nothing more, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
The next day, the snow stopped.
Winter sunlight shone into the mountains, making the pristine snow dazzlingly bright.
Inside the black-brick, blue-tiled Qingxuan Temple, Tian Ming'an was clearing snow from the courtyard. He worked steadily with his broom, his forehead already covered in sweat.
Jiang Sheng sat quietly before the portrait of the ancestral master in the front hall, his eyes half closed.
Spiritual power flowed from his dantian, circulating through his meridians.
With each greater celestial circuit, the spiritual qi in his dantian grew a little denser. Once enough condensed spiritual qi accumulated, it naturally formed a drop of spiritual liquid.
Cultivation was a patient task, like grinding with water.
In the Qi Refining realm, one had to continually absorb spiritual qi from the world and turn it into one's own, accumulating it in the dantian until it reached fullness, allowing advancement to the next level.
Qi refining was a process of continually condensing the spiritual qi within the dantian, repeatedly expanding it to hold more.
Upon reaching the ninth level of qi refining, once the spiritual qi in the dantian reached fullness and could advance no further, one could attempt foundation establishment.
With the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, an ordinary cultivator could barely enter the Foundation Establishment realm by condensing the spiritual qi in their body into nine drops of spiritual liquid.
However, this was merely low-grade Humanly Foundation Establishment, with an extremely low ceiling.
Most rogue cultivators remained at the Foundation Establishment early stage for their entire lives. Even those who reached the Foundation Establishment late stage had no hope of opening their purple mansion.
Mid-grade Earthly Foundation Establishment also required a strand of qi of Earth Sha, using its baleful energy to temper the spiritual qi in the meridians and dantian, making the spiritual liquid purer and denser.
This allowed twenty-four drops of spiritual liquid to condense within the body, making one's starting point comparable to that of an ordinary low-grade Foundation Establishment middle-stage cultivator.
Moreover, Earthly Foundation Establishment allowed one not only to progress smoothly to the Foundation Establishment late stage, but also to reach the Purple Mansion realm.
Ordinary sect disciples and aristocratic clan descendants mostly pursued Earthly Foundation Establishment. Achieving a mid-grade foundation was enough to take pride in.
As for high-grade heavenly Dao foundation establishment, it required not only qi of Earth Sha, but also qi of Heaven Gang.
One gathered and consumed Heaven Gang and Earth Sha, transforming them into power one could wield.
So long as one endured the marrow-piercing agony of Heaven Gang and Earth Sha rampaging through the meridians, subdued them, and fused their power with the spiritual qi within, one could condense thirty-six drops of spiritual liquid.
The spiritual liquid formed this way incorporated the power of Gang and Sha. Not only was it supremely pure, but every drop also contained boundless power.
Even an ordinary low-grade Foundation Establishment cultivator who reached the late stage might not possess as much spiritual liquid as an early-stage cultivator with a heavenly-grade foundation, let alone match its purity.
As for heavenly Dao foundation establishment, so long as its practitioner could mature, they were certain to attain the Golden Core realm, with the Great Dao within reach!
Every cultivator with a heavenly Dao foundation was a true seed nurtured by a great sect or major power, a future pillar.
Only cultivators with a heavenly Dao foundation could become Dao-foundation cultivators.
A Dao foundation was, as its name suggested, the foundation of the Great Dao.
Jiang Sheng was a cultivator with a heavenly Dao foundation.
When establishing his foundation, Jiang Sheng had consumed Heaven Gang and Earth Sha to temper his spiritual qi. This had not only widened his meridians and dantian, but also made them exceptionally resilient under the grinding force of Gang and Sha.
Thus, the spiritual liquid in Jiang Sheng's dantian had long since gathered into an azure pool. In both the purity of his spiritual power and the amount he had stored, he far surpassed ordinary Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivators.
The principal task in the Foundation Establishment realm was to continually increase the spiritual liquid within the dantian.
Once the spiritual liquid filled the dantian to capacity and one reached the Foundation Establishment late stage, one could attempt to direct the spiritual qi within to break through the great dragon of the spine.
If the spiritual qi could pierce the great dragon of the spine, one could open the purple mansion between the brows, gaining another four sixty-year cycles of life and enjoying a lifespan of five hundred years.
Ordinary rogue cultivators struggled even to obtain complete Foundation Establishment cultivation methods. Establishing a foundation was already a stroke of heavenly fortune, and remaining trapped at the early stage for life was perfectly common.
Anyone who managed to open a purple mansion was certain to have encountered some extraordinary opportunity.
Moreover, to preserve one's vitality and leave room for recovery when attempting to open the purple mansion, one needed spiritual treasures such as purple yang jade to help retain most of one's vital energy.
After several years of recuperation, there would still be a chance to attempt the breakthrough again.
Otherwise, if a cultivator mustered all their spiritual power and blood vitality but failed to pierce the great dragon of the spine, the consequences ranged from a sharp fall in cultivation and a drastically shortened lifespan to being crippled on the spot, or even dying outright.
However, anyone who could rouse their spiritual power and pierce the great dragon of the spine in a single attempt without spiritual aids such as purple yang jade necessarily possessed excellent comprehension and root bone.
Their starting point in the Purple Mansion realm would be more than a cut above those who had relied on spiritual treasures.
It was just like cultivators who forged a Dao foundation without relying on external aids: their meridians were more resilient, and the spiritual qi within their dantian was exceptionally abundant.
Neither Jiang Sheng's aptitude nor his cultivation method was ordinary. Reaching the Purple Mansion realm would not be difficult for him.
Jiang Sheng's only worry was being unable to cultivate in peace.
Yet such was the way of all things: the tree longed for stillness, but the wind would not cease.
Here is the second update. Although I still can't sign a contract, I, Lin Yuan, continue to guarantee three thousand characters per chapter. Don't say I'm padding things out—these are free chapters, three thousand characters each, and I'm working very hard. Truly, dear readers, please bookmark, recommend, and keep reading. If you could share this unlucky fellow's work with others who enjoy xianxia and fantasy, I would be endlessly grateful.
(End of chapter)
Please take a moment to share this website on Facebook so we can keep it running.
Before you continue