The First Trial of Life and Death

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Ju Yunxiu said, "Don't look at me with such affection. I saw that look in your eyes just last night. In the end, isn't it all about that little thing? I see through it. Bah, you big jerk."

Qin Yi: "Injustice..."

"Anyway, it's not going to happen today," Ju Yunxiu said. "You're in a good state right now, Tengyun is just right, don't think about anything bad."

Qin Yi thought to himself, "It's rare that you and Bangbang share the same views. Who says you're different? You have something in common in many things."

He didn't say anything more, stood up and said, "Then I'll go back and make preparations."

"There's no need to rush. Take these next few days to think about anything you might have overlooked, and make sure you're all prepared before you go into seclusion. The Ascension is a life-or-death hurdle, and it's extremely important. Don't take Qin Xin lightly."

"Yes."

"While you're in seclusion, I have nothing to do, so I can go to Master's grave and retrieve the last painting for you." Ju Yunxiu extended her slender hand again. "Give me your set of paintings, and I can sense the remaining one, so I won't need to explore Master's entire grave. I can just go straight to the destination, take it, and leave."

Qin Yi hesitated for a moment. "Won't there be a problem?"

Ju Yunxiu shook her head and said, "If there's a problem, it's only the problem that arises after the whole set is assembled. What problem could there be with my own master's tomb?"

Qin Yi thought it made sense. At worst, he could just collect them all and not study them. There shouldn't be any problems with the process of taking the paintings. So he took out the set of paintings and handed it over.

Ju Yunxiu stared at the painting for a while, then sighed, "Thinking of my master's passing and the decline of his calligraphy and paintings, I feel a little down because I haven't been able to properly carry on his legacy."

Qin Yi hugged her and gently kissed her cheek. "With your hand-appointed sect protector and gatekeeper Little Qin, here, this sect won't wither away so easily. When those children achieve their goals in the future, it will be a scene of a hundred flowers blooming. Why should I bear all the burden myself?"

Ju Yunxiu smiled slightly, "I hope so. I have no heart to play the zither today, so you should go and make the preparations, and remember not to force yourself."

Back at the Transient Peak cave abode, Qin Yi looked at the Liusu of the stick that were floating out.

This conversation with her Senior Sister perfectly aligned with Liusu's prior plans, calming and stabilizing her previously restless soul without causing any other distracting thoughts due to matters between men and women.

At this moment, my mind is calm, yet my spirit remains in a state of near-breakdown, which is extremely mysterious.

The ethereal Little Ghost- like figure of Liusu grew two legs, sat cross-legged to one side, and said calmly, "For you, the Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting are merely means to connect different things and to experience the ethereal and otherworldly. To put it bluntly, they are tools. In my eyes, Ju Yunxiu is only of that value. She can suppress your obsession with Li Qingjun Minghe in the distance, bringing you peace of mind, and when necessary, she can satisfy your desires—of course, this is my perspective. You don't want to hear it, and you don't need to think this way."

Seeing its adorable appearance and hearing it say such things, Qin Yi pursed his lips, unable to argue with it.

Having been together for so long, we all know each other's true nature. No matter how cute a Liusu looks, it's not truly cute.

On the contrary, it was the blood color accumulated over tens of thousands of years, the dark red and ferocious on the Wolf Tooth Club.

He sighed, "If you think this way, just keep it to yourself. Why say it out loud? It'll only lead to an argument."

Liusu said, "Because I'm trying to persuade you of something, which you may not agree with."

"Hmm? What is it?"

Liusu pointed to his ring. "I was inside just now, studying the 'Great Joy Paradise Sutra.' I think it can quickly condense the Water Marsh Imagery in your Dantian into a pill. It's a very good quick method. The side effects aren't too serious and are easy to smooth out."

Qin Yi felt a chill run down his spine. "You don't mean you want me to take advantage of Senior Sister, do you?"

"I'm not that malicious... I can modify this technique of Yin-Yang Harvesting' to benefit you while causing her only minor harm, without damaging her foundation. With her cultivation level, even if some energy is extracted from her, it's just a drop in the ocean, which is equivalent to no harm at all."

"Then there's no need. Even a small loss is still a loss." Qin Yi waved his hand and said, "It's only worth trying if it can benefit both parties. Otherwise, I won't do such a thing."

"This cannot be achieved based on the foundation of the Great Joy Paradise Sutra, because the fundamental principles are different. If you were to achieve the result you desire, it wouldn't be based on the Great Joy Paradise Sutra, but rather on the Righteous Path Mysterious Gate dual cultivation method." Liusu paused, then continued, "Moreover, Mysterious Gate dual cultivation has a foundation. Both parties must have similar cultivation levels and learn the same Technique Method to operate together in order to achieve this Yin-Yang cycle. How can you, Qin Xin, and Hui Yang, achieve Taiji harmony? Therefore, it must be the art of Yin-Yang Harvesting's to forcibly seize the Cauldron, without needing such complicated conditions for union."

Qin Yi said, "Great! I can fly on the clouds by cultivating properly myself, why would I want to think about these unorthodox methods?"

Liusu shook her head. "I was just as optimistic before. Seeing how quickly you broke through, I thought you could fly through the clouds within a month! But it turns out that you've only just replenished the Spiritual Qi needed for the eighth to ninth level of Qin Xin, not to mention the enormous energy required to reach the ninth level or even break through. It seems that pills alone are not enough."

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Hmm... The reason why Tengyun Pass is regarded by many as a landmark of the Great Dao, and even called the Life and Death First Barrier, is not just empty talk; it involves many aspects. For example... when you reach the stage of Qin Xin (the state of mind in music), as long as you establish the Dao as your foundation, comprehend it and practice it, you can achieve the Three Stacks of the Heart of the Harp, harmonizing and accumulating as one, and break through in one day. But Tengyun Pass is not that simple; it won't be broken through just because you have a momentary inspiration or enlightenment..."

"First, it requires a huge amount of energy?"

"Yes." Liusu asked, "Your imagery is 'ze,' which, from the perspective of the current ninth level of cultivation, is roughly equivalent to the sea?"

"It is... an ocean, stretching to the horizon, with clouds and mist rising from it."

"Imagine what kind of power would be needed to condense an entire ocean into a solid Golden Elixir?"

Qin Yi: "..."

"The power of Core Formation is the beginning of soaring through the clouds. The energy required to break through this barrier is far greater than the minor improvements after soaring through the clouds. The latter's improvement is merely accumulation, while this breakthrough is a qualitative change. Therefore, this barrier is extremely difficult."

Qin Yi listened with a sense of seriousness, as he had never encountered such a hurdle during his previous breakthroughs. Breaking through the Bone Forging Barrier was merely painful, something one could endure, unlike this kind of obvious qualitative change, which felt like an insurmountable wall.

Liusu continued, "Turning the sea into elixir is only one step, which can be regarded as the earth; the other step is opening the Ming Tang, the initial forging of the soul, which can be regarded as the heaven. When the body becomes heaven and earth, and the self transforms into yin and yang, the body and soul rise together, and the spirit and flesh unite, one can ride the mist and clouds and travel thousands of miles. This is called soaring through the clouds."

Qin Yi thought to himself, no wonder there were several Huiyangs in the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace, but not many Tengyuns, maybe only twenty or thirty, with the vast majority being Qin Xins. The one on the Soaring Cloud Sixth Layer the Great Joy Temple was the Chief Seat the hall, a very high position.

The Soaring Cloud Realm is indeed a life-or-death barrier that can kill countless heroes.

Even the Heart of the Harp Perfection will not exceed five hundred years, while the beginning of a journey through the clouds will reveal a thousand years of vicissitudes.

Therefore, my Senior Sister repeatedly told me not to rush things and to make sure everything was prepared before proceeding.

Liusu said, "Do you know why you suddenly had the urge to fly through the clouds?"

"Hmm, was it because I had Aperture Opening at that time?"

"Human knowledge and perception are too limited, confined to the physical body and limited by understanding; this is an obstacle. Only the spirit is boundless, ever-changing, and transcends knowledge and perception—this is insight. Your interactions with them may have led to some understanding that breaks through preconceived notions, thus triggering Aperture Opening." Liusu said, "However, this is only because you have just reached this stage of your cultivation. Tengyun Pass was originally designed for this purpose; it was just a coincidence. Don't think that your few words of nonsense are particularly useful."

Qin Yi laughed and said, "If you hadn't said that, I almost would have really wanted to go back and chat with them a bit more."

Liusu rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, and said, "Once the Purple Mansion is opened, subsequent cultivation will continuously shift towards the Upper Dantian. The Cloud Soaring Stage is also a process of gradually perfecting the body's cultivation and then shifting the focus to the Spirit Platform Purple Mansion. When the Purple Mansion is in full bloom, it is the Radiant Sun."

Qin Yi nodded and asked, "The biggest difference between Martial Cultivation and Daoist cultivation. So, how does one Aperture Opening?"

"The upper Dantian has three parts: the Ming Tang, the Dongfang, and the Purple Mansion... Don't laugh, the Dongfang doesn't mean what you think!"

As if a balloon had been popped, Qin Yi's grin instantly dispelled the somewhat solemn atmosphere. Liusu stared at him for a long time before laughing too, "You rascal, how should I put it... with such a carefree attitude, I don't think you'll have any inner demons."