Twelve Immortal Qi

"Ancient Chu Kingdom, also known as the Fire Kingdom, stretched for hundreds of millions of li..."

Beside the bonfire, a group of people were chatting about everything under the sun. The old man from Red Crow City, named Chu Huo Gun, was speaking at length:

"It was said that within the ancient Chu imperial court, a fire-attribute Mountain Sea Exotic Beast called the Lei Bird was imprisoned. Its Fire Virtue Qi was so vigorous that it had actually spread all the way to this Southern Wilderness Border..."

"This borderland is now under the jurisdiction of our Red Crow City... A red crow is a firebird."

"Red Crow City marks the boundary. To the north is the territory of Ancient Chu Kingdom, while those great mountains to the south belong to the demons, monsters, and ghosts."

"Old Chu, you're truly well-traveled and knowledgeable. You've really broadened my horizons."

Chen Xuan was greatly impressed and kept nodding. At the same time, he glanced at the heavy snow outside the temple, silently judging how much truth there was in the old man's words.

There seemed to be some real substance, but not much.

According to Chu Huo Gun, the three members of his family had come from the illustrious Red Crow City.

They had taken the remote path through Willow Town and were heading toward Peach Town, a hundred li away, where not a soul could be found.

Beyond Peach Town lay the boundless mountains of the Southern Wilderness.

Besides them, other people from Red Crow City had come as well, but they had taken different routes. The main roads were farther, but relatively safer.

"The farther we go, the more perilous the journey becomes. The closer we get to the Southern Wilderness, the fiercer the local customs are."

"Just the little Willow Town we passed the day before yesterday had a vicious martial artist named Chen Xuan. Relying on his formidable martial skills, he crippled his own master and even slaughtered two disciples of Green Deer Mountain. He was practically a wicked fiend from the heavens, stirring everything into utter chaos..."

Chu Huo Gun ate wild boar meat as he boasted about what he had seen along the road. "Some say he fled south, but there's not a soul for a hundred li south of Willow Town. With the snow pouring down and his injuries so severe, he probably died somewhere along the way."

Chen Xuan froze when he heard this. He had not expected to hear his own story, and his expression immediately turned strange.

Chu Huo Gun did not know much about what had happened in Willow Town. He had merely overheard passersby chatting when he went through, and remembered it. Now he brought it up as an anecdote, casually offered his judgment, cursed the culprit a couple of times to keep up with current events, and then asked Chen Xuan, "By the way, young brother, meeting is fate. I haven't asked your honorable name yet?"

"..."

Chen Xuan blinked, keeping his expression calm. "...Wang Chan."

"When the autumn wind has yet to stir, the cicada senses it first. What a good name."

Chu Huo Gun stroked his goatee and offered his assessment. Then he said, "Brother Xiao Wang, do you know that Green Deer Mountain, which Chen Xuan offended, is truly an extraordinary place..."

Chen Xuan immediately perked up, putting on a look of eager attention.

"Bring more wine!"

Chu Huo Gun was very pleased by Chen Xuan's enthusiastic audience. He immediately stretched a hand toward the beautiful girl beside him, once again asking for the wine gourd in her possession.

The girl named Chu Qing Ling glared at him with a pair of peach-blossom eyes and refused to hand it over, worried that he would say something improper. "Grandpa Huo Gun, you're drunk!"

Chu Huo Gun was not angry. He pointed at the girl with a laugh and said, "You little girl, you're always afraid I'll drink too much and say something wrong. But there's no one from Green Deer Mountain here."

Then he turned around and, without the slightest reserve, began telling Chen Xuan some rumors about Green Deer Mountain.

Green Deer Mountain.

It was one of the most renowned great powers near Red Crow City. Its disciples came in all varieties: martial artists, Daoists, and even demons, monsters, and ghosts.

It normally dominated its territory and committed every kind of evil, but because its flames burned too fiercely, even Red Crow City's official forces sometimes had no way to deal with it.

Good, Wang Chan Junior Brother. You're in league with wolves and jackals, and now you have one more reason to die.

Chen Xuan gave a cold snort inwardly when he heard this.

According to Chu Huo Gun, Red Crow City and Green Deer Mountain were the two greatest powers in the surrounding region.

Most of the Qi Refiners in Red Crow City followed the orthodox path, cultivating Fire Virtue Red Qi and seeking to "burn mountains and boil seas" and "wear away the three thoughts of greed, anger, and delusion."

The Qi Refiners of Green Deer Mountain, meanwhile, mostly cultivated Wood Attribute Green Qi.

Chen Xuan knew nothing about this, so he calmly asked the old man for guidance. Chu Huo Gun found it unbelievable. "You don't even know this?"

Chen Xuan answered with a load of nonsense. "Old Chu, you don't know? Years ago, I received guidance from a Daoist in the mountains and, by sheer luck, set foot on the path of Qi Refining... I'm just a wild cultivator of the mountains and marshes, blindly practicing whatever came to hand. I don't understand anything..."

Chu Huo Gun knew how difficult life was for wild cultivators of the mountains and marshes, so he did not begrudge him a few bits of information that were not considered secrets.

Qi Refiners cultivated "Qi."

Mountain and Sea Twelve Immortal Qi.

This referred to the Immortal Qi passed down from the Mountains and Seas Era. There were twelve most common types, each possessing different mystical properties.

It was said that in the distant Mountains and Seas Era, the first Ancient Sage of humanity had accidentally absorbed a wisp of Immortal Qi from the body of a dead Mountain Sea Exotic Beast, and thereby feathered into an immortal.

Later.

Taotie, the nine-tailed fox, the phoenix, the Fei Ox... One Mountain Sea Exotic Beast after another was slaughtered by the increasingly powerful Ancient Sages, who took their Immortal Qi. Many species went extinct because of this, and the Mountains and Seas Era came to an end.

Thus.

The era of Qi Refiners, when Immortals and Ghosts Ran Rampant and the Purple Firmament had withered, arrived.

"I see."

Chen Xuan nodded. This reminded him of the magnificent Immortal Locking Sun Painting on the vault of the sky.

Could the sun in the heavens truly be one eye of Candle Dragon, the Ancient Mountain God of the Mountains and Seas Era? Had it really been imprisoned by certain ancient immortals? It was simply horrifying.

As for the realms of Qi Refiners, they were rather interesting as well.

The very first realm was called Feather Transformation.

Through practicing a breathing method, one caused the body to undergo feather transformation and rebirth, producing a metamorphosis that remade one from the inside out. In the end, one nurtured the first wisp of Mountain Sea Immortal Qi within the body.

The three members of the Chu family were all at the Feather Transformation level.

The old man had feathered into an immortal long ago in his youth and had already nurtured a strand of Immortal Qi.

As for the brother and sister, they had only begun refining Qi recently. Their trip to the Southern Wilderness was made in hopes of obtaining a mature Terrestrial Treasure Tree from the mountains during the Taotie Feast held once every twenty years, thereby achieving perfect Feather Transformation.

"In Red Crow City, some gifted Qi Refiners swallow heavenly treasures after feathering into immortals, and their strength rapidly rises to a terrifying five or six thousand jin in a short time," Chu Huo Gun said.

Five or six thousand jin!

Chen Xuan's heart shook when he heard this. It was too horrifying. If the human body could bear six thousand jin of terrifying strength, its bones, muscles, and skin must have already transformed into something incomparably tough. Tearing tigers and leopards apart with bare hands would be effortless.

Such beings had already climbed to the summit of the pyramid of mortal strength and feared no threat.

Chu Huo Gun scrutinized Chen Xuan several times before suddenly asking in puzzlement:

"Brother Xiao Wang, I can see that your stance is steady and your foundation is extraordinary. You should have been born a martial artist... But why is your blood and qi only around a mere thousand jin? Could it be that you practiced whatever you pleased in a confused, haphazard way and somehow muddled through the Feather Transformation Path?"

He was a veteran Qi Refiner who had undergone Feather Transformation long ago, with an incisive eye. At this moment, he noticed something unusual about Chen Xuan and was deeply puzzled.

An ordinary person's blood and qi could not possibly be as vigorous as Chen Xuan's. He was either a monster or a Qi Refiner who had already undergone Feather Transformation.

But if he had already undergone Feather Transformation and possessed only a thousand jin of strength, that meant his aptitude was unbelievably poor. He had barely qualified to refine Qi at all.

Even if such a person became a Qi Refiner, he would have no future and would ultimately remain at the very bottom.

Normally, after a Qi Refiner completed one full Feather Transformation Path, their strength would increase to around two thousand jin. That was the normal state.

Three or four thousand jin indicated some talent. If one was lucky enough to reach five or six thousand jin, one was a true genius. In an entire era, Red Crow City had only a few such influential figures.

Chu Huo Gun's face was full of regret. "Brother Xiao Wang, alas, you've reaped what you sowed. You can see the end of the Qi Refining path at a glance..."

He was even inferior to the two youngsters in his family, who had only just begun refining Qi.

"..."

Chen Xuan opened his mouth and was about to speak when the beautiful girl named Chu Qing Ling suddenly complained loudly, "Grandpa Huo Gun, you really are drunk. Stop saying such things!"

After speaking, the girl hurriedly gave Chen Xuan a faint smile. Her peach-blossom eyes were full of helplessness. "My grandpa's drunk. Brother Xiao Wang, don't listen to his nonsense."

Having one's own elder say such unpleasant things to someone's face, even without malicious intent, was still bound to sting and make things awkward.

Although the handsome young Qi Refiner before her was weak and had no future,

even a "straw bag" Qi Refiner had his pride. They were going to offend someone for no reason again today!

"..."

Chen Xuan actually had no extra thoughts on the matter. He was rapidly digesting the precious information he had obtained while warning himself inwardly.

He had not yet set foot on the Feather Transformation Path.

But from now on, he had to be cautious.

Now, every breath he took was in harmony with the ancient Mystic Cat Breathing Method, causing his body to brim with new life.

He had a premonition that within the next few days, or perhaps even tonight, he would successfully set foot on the Feather Transformation Path.

This was merely an accidental meeting between strangers.

Before long, the wind and snow outside the temple weakened, and the three members of the Chu family prepared to leave.

"Brother Xiao Wang, Peach Town lies ahead, close to the mountains of the Southern Wilderness. The road will be even more dangerous. Your strength is insufficient. If you don't wish to travel with us, it would be best to stop here."

When Chu Huo Gun left, he kindly warned Chen Xuan.

Peach Town had never been peaceful in past years, and few people went there.

Now it would become even more chaotic. Qi Refiners were gathering, and even some hidden demons, monsters, and ghosts would emerge from the mountains of the Southern Wilderness.

During the Southern Wilderness Feast held once every twenty years, battles in the heavens brought disaster to those below. That desolate stretch around Peach Town was no longer suitable for ordinary people to live in.

"Thank you for your concern, Old Chu, but I have other arrangements."

Chen Xuan shook his head and refused. He would soon undergo Feather Transformation, and when that happened, he would inevitably fall into a deep sleep.

Although he could tell that the three members of the Chu family did not seem like bad people,

when one was alone far from home, one could never be too wary of others. It was better for everyone to take the broad road to heaven and go their separate ways.

That night.

Chen Xuan ate all the remaining roasted wild boar and began to undergo complete Feather Transformation.

"Whoosh!"

Countless fine, radiantly colored threads continuously emerged from Chen Xuan's body and danced wildly through the air. Their light fell upon the snowfield like flickering auroras on an icy polar plain.

The radiance was rich and beautiful. It outlined an exquisite scene across the snow. Millions of golden, silvery-white, scarlet... threads gleaming with metallic luster intertwined, finally outlining a flawless Ascension Immortal Garment.

When the feather garment covered the body,

one became an immortal.

This Ascension Immortal Garment contained twelve colors, black being the predominant one, and covered Chen Xuan's body.

"Whoosh!"

In his sleep, Chen Xuan felt his entire body grow numb. The Ascension Immortal Garment seemed like millions of gentle hands, cleansing his marrow and reshaping his bones. His whole body shuddered repeatedly, yet also felt warm and comfortable.

With every shudder, his body underwent another transformation. His mind grew clearer, while his blood and qi surged higher and higher, wave after wave, seemingly without end.

Without a doubt, he was undergoing a complete Feather Transformation.

"Whoosh!"

The long night passed. At a certain moment, Chen Xuan abruptly opened his eyes. With every breath, faint dragon roars and tiger howls seemed to echo.

He rose from a puddle of melted snow and looked at the withered old tree beside him, which was as thick as a bowl. He clenched his five fingers into a fist, then suddenly unleashed a heavy punch that could only be described as earth-shattering.

"Bang!"

The old tree broke with a crash and fell, while snowflakes scattered through the air.

Although the old tree had already withered and decayed, Chen Xuan had shattered it with a single punch. It was an extraordinarily shocking sight. If an outsider had seen it, they would have been left dumbfounded, their jaws dropping in disbelief.

"This punch has at least two thousand jin of force!"

Chen Xuan himself was shocked. The blood and qi in his body surged like a great river roaring, as if his entire body possessed inexhaustible strength.

His strength had skyrocketed to twice that of the Straw Bag Qi Refiner, the Fat Yellow Man!

"Old Chu said that ordinary Qi Refiners possessed two thousand jin of strength, but I've only just set foot on the Feather Transformation Path, and I'm already on par with them."

Chen Xuan murmured. He had always firmly believed that he was no ordinary man, and this had now been proven once again.

Moreover, as he swung his fist, he faintly sensed a nearly tangible current of energy rapidly flowing through his limbs and bones. That seemed to be the legendary Immortal Qi!

"After setting foot on the Feather Transformation Path, my strength will continue to undergo a terrifying increase over the next few days."

Chen Xuan returned to the temple and put on his clothes. He murmured, "If it can keep increasing until I reach six thousand jin, then within a thousand li of Red Crow City, I'll count as one of the few truly gifted Qi Refiners."

With that thought, he charged rapidly into the darkness beneath the night sky.

The Feather Transformation process consumed too much energy. In a mere day, he had nearly finished eating a wild boar weighing close to two hundred jin, yet it still was not enough!

Food.

He needed to eat a great deal of food. Waves of hunger rumbled through his stomach, and he was almost unable to bear it!