"The three treasures of man are essence, qi, and spirit, the very foundation of cultivation. The Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art is our temple's foundational introductory technique. It treats one's own body as a precious furnace, absorbing and refining qi to nourish the three treasures and manifest dharma power..."
"At the very beginning of harvesting qi, during the hours of zi, yin, wu, and so on, one should contemplate the precious furnace and use the guiding postures corresponding to those hours in the manual to gather yang qi into the body at different times. At the start of the zi hour, the nascent yang is born, and the dormant dragon is as if between sleep and waking; at the yin hour, the yang qi lurks and stirs..."
"..."
The only thing that left Li Qingyun somewhat regretful was that the manual only contained the pithy formulas for the first three levels of Qi Refining.
Perhaps Lu Nanling felt he could not possibly produce any results in his cultivation and had casually dismissed him.
Or perhaps it was the rules of Lingbao Temple that higher-level technique formulas required meeting other conditions before they could be obtained, making it impossible to bestow the complete set upon entering the temple.
Li Qingyun read with mesmerized fascination, even gesturing along as he read.
He had, after all, "practiced" before.
Although his family's ancestral "Yang Sha Refining Art" belonged to unorthodox paths and was beneath the notice of Lingbao Temple, it still involved certain training knowledge regarding meridians, acupoints, and mental intent.
Therefore, his initial viewing and practicing did not feel overly arduous.
Any points of confusion were temporarily set aside in his mind, to be inquired about later from others, or to be addressed by attending lectures and seeking instruction at the temple's Scripture Hall.
At that moment, the sun happened to begin its westward shift, which should have been the wei hour. Sunlight slanted through the bamboo lodge's window, casting a bright and clear glow across the interior.
Following the manual's instructions, he stood within that patch of sunlight inside the room, his legs slightly apart and his hands relaxed as he slowly reached forward, as if trying to snatch something from the clump of dazzling golden crow radiance in the sky outside.
Simultaneously, he visualized his inner precious furnace, communing with the blazing sun while coordinating a special breathing rhythm to gather qi with the furnace.
The sound of his breathing through his nose was wheezing, his chest and abdomen rising and falling slowly.
According to the Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art's method of entering meditation to gather qi, he soon immersed himself in a certain dim and distant state.
Half a quarter of an hour passed, a full quarter of an hour passed...
Li Qingyun harvested qi for a long time, yet in the end failed to sense even a shred of the so-called qi sensation.
His aptitude for Daoist cultivation was truly wretched to the extreme.
Cultivating in this world really has an extraordinarily high threshold!
And in Lingbao Temple, am I really just destined for retirement?
Li Qingyun's tendons were numb and his bones felt like jelly; he even saw spots before his eyes. He had harvested qi for half the day with nothing to show for it.
This physical body of his had originally been brimming with essence and qi, with inner baleful yang intent, but ever since he was "harvested" by that enchantress Cui Wan'er, it had already grown feeble and frail.
Striking a qi-guiding posture left him utterly exhausted and unable to sustain it, let alone feel any sense of happiness.
Yet this was not what made him feel most depressed and disappointed.
Rather, it was that this mortal shell, "severed from the Dao," appeared exceptionally dull, stubborn, and rigid toward the perception of so-called spiritual qi, filling him with despair.
Although he had only just attempted the practice of harvesting qi and having no harvest was entirely normal, he nevertheless had a premonition:
Even with diligent practice and arduous training, this bodily aptitude of mine will probably still yield nothing, ultimately leading me to waste my days drifting along in the temple and die of old age in resentment!
The Marquis's third young master's aptitude for Daoist cultivation was truly too poor. Destined by birth, he could only ever be a "mortal."
The Great Dao was ruthless; without so-called Dao bones and spiritual roots, all wishful thinking and delusions were in vain.
The "Yang Sha Refining" of Marquis Qinghe's Estate belonged to the unorthodox paths. Although its demands were extremely harsh, it might have been his only remaining hope!
Without a so-called Dao bone and spiritual root, is there really no way to cultivate?
Panting, his limbs sore and weak, and his body breaking out in a dense layer of cold sweat, Li Qingyun slumped dejectedly to the floor, yet a stubborn glint of defiance flashed deep within his eyes.
Tinkle-ling!
At that moment, the curtain of the bamboo lodge was stirred, and the small wind chimes hanging upon it rang out in unison.
A gust of brisk mountain wind poured in, followed by the entry of a young Daoist priest wearing cyan Daoist robes with a handsome countenance.
The moment this person entered the room, Li Qingyun caught the heavy scent of alcohol drifting off him.
He guessed in his heart that this should be his roommate, the fellow disciple named He Xiao.
Lin Wanjin had already briefly introduced him, mentioning that He Xiao had also encountered Master Lu's "Dao affinity," except that he had already entered the temple earlier in the year.
Counting it up, both of them were disciples under Lu Nanling's seat. With this connection, they should get along somewhat more harmoniously in the future.
"Ha! You must be Junior Brother Li, quite dashing indeed—hmm, though you seem a bit frail!"
He Xiao's long hair hung unconstrained over his shoulders, and he carried a wine gourd in his hand, his entire body radiating the smell of alcohol. Upon entering and seeing Li Qingyun, he paused slightly before proactively greeting him with considerable warmth.
Yet Li Qingyun still detected that the very first glance cast by this roommate He held a trace of slight displeasure in his eyes.
Naturally—having had what was essentially a single room, there was now an extra roommate disturbing his peace.
Well, I don't fancy having a heavy-drinking roommate either! thought Li Qingyun inwardly while forcing himself to rise, his whole body's tendons and bones aching faintly.
He put on a warm smile and greeted He Xiao.
"Senior Brother He, sharing the same room from now on—if Qingyun causes any disturbance, please forgive me!"
Immediately following that, he added, "I was just so engrossed in my cultivation earlier that I practiced a bit too long, not that I'm truly frail. Before entering the temple, I tempered my physique as well..."
As he spoke, even he felt his words sounded rather pale and weak.
After all, he had been "harvested" by that mysterious Cui Wan'er; right now, he was indeed "frail"!
Ordinary bedchamber matters and the joy of men and women could not possibly have reduced him to such a feeble and frail state. That woman was simply a monster...
"Haha, I understand, I understand. I didn't expect Junior Brother Qingyun to be such an interesting person! But our aptitudes are lacking, and worrying is useless; we still have to take things slowly."
After chatting for a few moments, He Xiao's initial displeasure seemed to vanish instantly, and he began to converse and laugh merrily with Li Qingyun.
Driven perhaps by a sense of psychological superiority, He Xiao even began to instruct Li Qingyun on the precautions for harvesting and refining qi from the stance of a senior brother.
In this regard, Li Qingyun humbly asked for advice.
He could also tell that He Xiao had already cultivated dharma power; though it might still be very thin, it was vastly superior to his own!
During their conversation, upon learning of Li Qingyun's secular background as the third young master of Marquis Qinghe's Estate, He Xiao displayed an added touch of friendliness. His eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he brought up the Qingyang Fish, a rare specialty of Qinghe County.
"Qingyun, both of us have inferior aptitudes, and our future cultivation will be incomparably arduous. To achieve anything, the effort we expend and the resources we require will undoubtedly far surpass those talented disciples favored by the Great Dao!"
"Yet there is no need for us to belittle ourselves either. The very first thing we can do is for the two of us, fellow apprentice brothers, to trade what we have to mutual benefit!"
"I hail from the Lan Shan He Family, and my household has some influence. Relying on the mountains, we can procure Blue Spirit Grass, the primary ingredient needed to refine Minor Grass Pills. Your family, on the other hand, has channels to Qingyang Fish. I've heard that eating plenty of this fish will, in time, improve one's bone structure, making it especially compatible with our Lingbao Temple's Qi Refining techniques..."
He Xiao was undoubtedly a talkative roommate, offering many words of encouragement and motivation.
Li Qingyun knew full well in his heart that He Xiao had his eyes on the Qingyang Fish, hoping to acquire spiritual fish—which even genuine sect cultivators coveted—from the hands of a Marquis's third young master.
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