True Law Lies Ahead

"The three treasures of man are essence, qi, and spirit, the foundation of cultivation. The Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art is the introductory basic technique of our temple. It involves treating oneself as a precious furnace to absorb and refine qi, which can nourish the three treasures and manifest mana..."

"At the beginning of qi gathering, one should visualize the precious furnace during the zishi, yinsi, and wushi hours each day. Following the guiding postures in the manual corresponding to these times, absorb yang qi into the body at different moments. At zishi, the nascent yang arises, like a dormant dragon stirring from sleep; at yinsi, the yang qi subtly emerges, ..."

Li Qingyun felt a bit regretful that the manual only contained the techniques for the first three levels of qi refining.

Perhaps Lu Nanling thought he wouldn't achieve much and just casually handed it over.

Or maybe it was a rule of Lingbao Temple, where higher-level techniques required meeting other conditions to be obtained, and they wouldn't grant the full set upon entry.

Li Qingyun read with rapt attention, even practicing the movements as he read.

He had "trained" before.

Although his family's "Yang Sha Refining Art" was a unorthodox path, disdained by Lingbao Temple, it did involve some cultivation knowledge about meridians, acupoints, and intent.

Therefore, he didn't find the initial viewing and practice difficult.

For any points of confusion, he decided to set them aside for now and ask someone later, or perhaps attend a lecture and seek guidance at the temple's scripture hall.

Just then, the sun began to shift westward. It should be the weishi hour. Sunlight slanted into the bamboo hut through the window, illuminating the room brightly.

He stood in the patch of sunlight inside the hut as described in the manual, legs slightly apart, hands relaxed and slowly reaching forward, as if to grasp something from the golden crow's radiant light in the sky.

Simultaneously, he visualized the inner precious furnace, communicated with the great sun, and coordinated with a special breathing rhythm to absorb qi with the furnace.

His breathing was audible, his chest and abdomen rising and falling slowly.

Following the meditation and qi absorption method of the Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art, he quickly immersed himself in a state of profound tranquility.

Half an hour passed, then another...

Li Qingyun absorbed qi for a long time but ultimately sensed no trace of the so-called qi sensation.

His cultivation aptitude was truly abysmal.

"Cultivation in this world really has an extremely high barrier to entry!"

"And here at Lingbao Temple, am I truly just here to live out my days?"

Li Qingyun's limbs felt numb and weak, his vision even seeing stars. He had spent half the day absorbing qi with nothing to show for it.

This body, originally full of essence and qi with inherent yang sha, had become weak and frail after being "harvested" by that demonic woman, Cui Wan'er.

Just striking a qi-gathering pose left him exhausted and unable to sustain it, let alone feel any happiness.

But this wasn't what made him feel the most dejected and disappointed.

It was this mortal body, "estranged from the Dao," that was so sluggish, stubborn, and rigid in its response to the so-called spiritual energy, filling him with despair.

Although it was normal not to have immediate results when just starting to practice qi gathering, he had a feeling:

"Even with further diligent practice, this physical body's aptitude will likely yield nothing. In the end, I'll just waste my days at the temple and die in regret!"

The third young master of the Marquis's mansion had truly poor cultivation aptitude, inherently destined to be a mere "mortal."

The Great Dao is unfeeling; without a Dao Bone and Spiritual Root, all luck and wishful thinking are in vain.

The Qinghe Marquis Mansion's inherited "Yang Sha Refining Art" belonged to an unorthodox path. Although its requirements were extremely strict, it might have been his only hope!

"Without a so-called Dao Bone and Spiritual Root, is there truly no way to cultivate?"

Li Qingyun panted, his whole body sore and weak, covered in a fine sweat. He slumped to the ground, somewhat dejected, but a stubborn glint of defiance flashed deep in his eyes.

Jingle!

At that moment, the bamboo hut's curtain rustled, and the small wind chimes attached to it rang out.

A light mountain breeze blew in, followed by the entrance of a young Daoist with handsome features, clad in a green Daoist robe.

As soon as the man entered the room, Li Qingyun smelled the strong scent of alcohol emanating from him.

He guessed it was likely his roommate, the fellow disciple named He Xiao.

Lin Wanjin had briefly introduced him, saying He Xiao had also encountered Master Lu's "Dao affinity" and had entered the temple earlier in the year.

Considering this, they were both disciples under Lu Nanling, and with that connection, their future interactions should be more harmonious.

"Heh! You must be Junior Disciple Li. You carry yourself well, though you seem a bit weak!"

He Xiao, his long hair carelessly falling over his shoulders, a wine gourd in his hand, and exuding the smell of alcohol, entered the room. He paused slightly upon seeing Li Qingyun and then greeted him proactively, quite warmly.

However, Li Qingyun still noticed a flicker of displeasure in his roommate's eyes upon their first glance.

It made sense; he was essentially occupying a single room, and now there was an extra roommate disturbing the peace.

"I don't like having a drunken roommate either!"

Li Qingyun thought to himself, then forced himself to stand up, his bones and muscles aching faintly.

He offered a gentle smile and greeted He Xiao.

"Senior Disciple He, we will be sharing a room from now on. If I cause any disturbance, please forgive me!"

He then added, "I was engrossed in my cultivation just now and practiced for a bit too long. I'm not actually weak. Before entering the temple, I also tempered my physique..."

As he spoke, he felt his words were rather weak and unconvincing.

He had ultimately been "harvested" by that Cui Wan'er of mysterious origins, and now he was "deficient"!

Ordinary marital relations, the pleasure between man and woman, could not possibly reduce him to such a weak and pathetic state; she was a demoness...

"Haha, I understand, I understand. I didn't expect Junior Brother Qingyun to be such an interesting person! But our aptitudes are flawed, so rushing is useless. We still have to take it slow."

After a few pleasantries, He Xiao's initial displeasure seemed to vanish instantly, and he began to chat and laugh happily with Li Qingyun.

Driven by a sense of psychological superiority, He Xiao even began to lecture Li Qingyun, as an elder brother, on the precautions for absorbing and refining Qi.

Li Qingyun, for his part, humbly sought his advice on this matter.

He could also tell that He Xiao had already cultivated Mana, though it might be meager, it was still far superior to his own!

During their conversation, upon learning that Li Qingyun's secular identity was the third young master of Marquis Qinghe's estate, He Xiao became more amiable and, with a glint in his eyes, mentioned the Qingyang Fish, a rare specialty of Qinghe County.

"Qingyun, we both have inferior aptitudes. Our future cultivation will be incredibly difficult. To achieve anything, the effort and resources required will undoubtedly far exceed those of the heaven-favored genius disciples!"

"But there's no need for us to belittle ourselves. The first thing we can do is for us, as fellow disciples, to share what we have!"

"I come from the Lan Shan He Family, and my family has some influence. We can obtain the Blue Spirit Grass, the main ingredient for refining the Minor Grass Pill. Your family, on the other hand, has access to Qingyang Fish. I've heard that eating this fish frequently can improve one's bones and marrow over time, and it's particularly suited to our Lingbao Temple's Qi-refining techniques..."

He Xiao was undoubtedly a talkative roommate, offering many words of encouragement and motivation.

Li Qingyun also knew very well that He Xiao had his eye on the Qingyang Fish and wanted to obtain the spiritual fish, coveted even by true sect cultivators, from him, the third young master of the Marquis's estate.