The Earth God's Admonition

The old man looked Qi WuHuo up and down.

Finally, he nodded with a smile and said, "Good."

"I've met many cultivators before. Your aptitude isn't particularly outstanding, but your comprehension is excellent."

"However, the method of Primordial Essence shouldn't be cultivated this quickly if you're just grinding away at it."

"Tell me, what did you encounter?"

So Qi WuHuo recounted the entire story of meeting the Fierce Tiger Mountain God when he first came up the mountain, and also explained the method of refining Primordial Essence that the god had taught him. The old man stroked his beard and said, "So that's how it is... you obtained this method for refining Primordial Essence."

"It's impressive that you were able to grasp the secrets of cultivation between action and inaction from this method."

The old man looked at Qi WuHuo and smiled, saying, "However, this method of refining Primordial Essence is too basic and was rather crudely developed back in the day."

"Looking at it now, there are always some inappropriate aspects."

Qi WuHuo asked in confusion, "Crudely developed back in the day? But this seems to be from the Dao Ancestor..."

The old man laughed heartily, "Not all techniques attributed to the Dao Ancestor were written by the Dao Ancestor."

"Otherwise, with so many methods in the world, wouldn't he be worked to death?"

"Come, come, come here. I'll tell you about it."

The old man beckoned Qi WuHuo over, had him sit beside him, and then explained the Primordial Essence method in detail. Compared to the Fierce Tiger Mountain God's five hundred years of comprehension, his explanation was even more profound. In contrast, the old man's explanation was incisive and more concise, while the Fierce Tiger's refining method seemed to have been obtained long ago, and his comprehension at the time wasn't sufficient, leading to many issues when viewed now.

After finishing, the old man stroked his beard and waved his hand, "This is the Fierce Tiger's fated technique. I just found it interesting and told you about it."

"It's not like I passed it down to you."

"So I haven't broken my word."

Before he could finish speaking, even the old man himself couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head and laughing.

He pointed to the mountain goods, "There's ginseng, huangjing, and various other medicinal herbs inside. While external aids shouldn't be relied upon long-term, you're still building your foundation now, so it's fine to consume them. You've only planted the seeds for the Three Flowers so far. With some time, when the Complete Three Talents are achieved and Essence merges with Qi, you'll always be able to cultivate something."

Qi WuHuo glanced at the mountain goods, seeming to have something to say.

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "Whatever you want to say, just say it."

Qi WuHuo cupped his hands and said, "...Regarding the errors and modifications in this Primordial Essence method, may I tell that Mountain God..."

The old man said casually, "I've already said, this is the method the Fierce Tiger found."

"I didn't pass it down to you; I merely narrated it. Whatever you decide to do is up to you."

Qi WuHuo bowed deeply.

Then, he picked up the sword he used for protection, turned, and lifted the curtain. The old man smiled and called out to him, "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes."

"When will you be back?"

Qi WuHuo glanced outside. By the time the lecture was over, the sky had already darkened. He replied, "After I inform him, I will leave."

The old man smiled, "Then have dinner first."

Qi WuHuo prepared dinner for the old man before finally leaving and heading back up the mountain.

The Fierce Tiger was on the mountain, drinking under the moonlight, nurturing his spirit. Not many spirit beasts accompanied him, making him appear somewhat solitary yet composed.

He had been cultivating for over five hundred years.

His Primordial Essence and Primordial Qi had reached extremely high realms. Three hundred years ago, he had already achieved [Essence Merging with Qi] and cultivated Primordial Prenatal Qi.

He had spent another three hundred years diligently cultivating, never slacking off for a single day.

If he wished, he had methods to enter the next realm, such as swallowing the moon and drinking dew to ascend to the heavens; or gathering elixirs and refining Qi to condense Earthly Fiends; or even directly swallowing the Mountain God's talisman to completely connect with the earth's veins and become an Earthly Deity.

At the very least, he could find a way to seek a decree from the Heavenly Emperor and let the world's affairs flow by.

In any of these cases, he could become a formidable power.

But, no, no...

The Fierce Tiger lay there, severing the various distracting thoughts that arose in his mind.

Ever since he had the opportunity to witness the great path of cultivation in his youth, he had resolved to step into that realm with a true foundation of the Great Dao.

[Refining Essence] [Transforming Qi].

Cultivating to this point, one could be called a True Person.

And his realm had already completed the next step.

Primordial Essence and Primordial Qi merged into Qi, which is the Great Medicine.

He had spent a full several hundred years meticulously refining away the Yin impurities of the Great Medicine, transforming it into pure Yang.

This was the process of [Refining Qi].

A further step, where the pure Yang Qi and the Primordial Spirit merge, is the cultivation stage called [Spirit Return].

That realm is called the Yang Spirit by Daoists.

It allows for the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.

It is no longer mortal.

However, it was also this bottleneck that trapped him for a full three hundred years.

Perhaps he would die on this mountain without ever taking that step.

The Mountain God was drinking under the moonlit snowfield when he suddenly raised his eyes slightly, sensing a faint sound. He looked up and saw, on the mountain road below the peaks, a youth in blue clothes pushing aside snow-covered branches and striding forward.

A visitor under the moon.

"Hmm? Qi WuHuo..."

The Mountain God recognized him and asked playfully, "It's late at night, why the hurry? Are you short of spiritual medicine?"

The youth replied, "It's because I received the supplement to the Primordial Essence refinement method you gave me."

"Oh?"

"Haha, in that case, I shall listen with a calm heart."

The Mountain God had initially been indifferent, but when Qi WuHuo casually lifted the hem of his robe, sat on a rock, and recited the method for refining Primordial Essence, as perfected by the old man, the Mountain God's expression shifted from relaxed to tense. The youth's features were ordinary, but as he sat there, recounting the Daoist methods under the moonlight, his expression was gentle and serene.

After listening, the Mountain God was lost in thought for a long time.

The bottleneck that had long trapped him seemed to be subtly opening.

But how was this possible?!

After finishing his explanation, Qi WuHuo added, "Primordial Essence, Primordial Qi, and Primordial Spirit—these three cannot be separated for even a moment."

"Only when all three have been nurtured to completion can one step into the next stage. Otherwise, progress may be rapid at first, but one will always be stuck at a bottleneck in later cultivation."

"Perhaps thirty years, perhaps fifty years without any advancement."

"An elder in my family told me the flaws in this cultivation technique, so I came to tell you."

"Why rush? The Great Dao can be walked slowly."

Under the moonlight, the Mountain God saw that the youth, who had been sitting meticulously, had a few strands of hair slightly out of place, and his robe was stained with dirt and snow from walking on the snowy mountain path at night. There was no doubt that the youth had rushed here at night to tell him this as soon as he learned of it.

The Fierce Tiger sighed emotionally, "Why the rush?"

"You could have come tomorrow."

Qi WuHuo smiled without speaking, then rose to take his leave.

The youth did not accept the Mountain God's invitation to stay for spiritual wine and discussion. Instead, under the moonlight, he walked down the mountain, carrying a simple yet clean sword, his steps faltering in the snow.

He returned home.

His shoes were soaked.

The old man, flipping through a leisure book, did not look up and asked, "Did you tell him?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you stay?"

Qi WuHuo replied, "Because the task is done."

"And, dinner is almost ready."

"Old man, it's time to eat."

The old man looked up at Qi WuHuo, who seemed happier than usual, and smiled slightly.

"Good."

The next morning, after Qi WuHuo woke up, he practiced his breathing exercises, refined his Qi, and assimilated Primordial Essence.

He also prepared a meal for the old man.

Then, he picked up the cleaned winter bamboo shoots and mountain delicacies and headed towards the Li Residence.

Meanwhile, the Mountain God, who had been sitting there all night, finally felt the barrier that had been blocking him was about to break. He invited the nearby Water God and Earth God to his mountain Dao Field. When these Earthly Deities arrived, they learned that the Fierce Tiger wished to exchange some items for nurturing his spirit.

The Fierce Tiger brought out all his accumulated possessions—

Perhaps it would require a considerable price now to make up for his past impatience.

But the Fierce Tiger did not feel any heartache.

Then, one Earth God arrived a little late. Upon arrival, he quickly apologized before taking his seat. The other Earthly Deities jokingly demanded he make amends with wine. He did not hesitate, drinking three cups before explaining the reason for his tardiness amidst his friends' teasing: "Alas, it's my duty!"

"I don't know why, but the town under my jurisdiction has a large mansion with an extremely dense miasma today."

"I fear it has attracted some malevolent influence."

"It took me quite some effort to isolate this malevolent energy and prevent it from affecting the earth veins. I suspect someone coveted gold they shouldn't have."

"Truly a foolish death."

The Earth God and Mountain God, these earthly deities, aim to regulate the earth's veins and do not interfere in human affairs.

Others inquired what kind of residence it was.

The Earth God, holding a wine cup in one hand, raised his hand and pointed towards the northwest corner, saying, "It's right there, a family surnamed Li."

"The one that has many guests visiting today."

The Mountain God, a Fierce Tiger who had been drinking heartily, paused.

"Huh?!"

"Whose family?"

And at the same time.

Qi WuHuo looked up at the large plaque above the main door that read "[Li Residence]" and knocked.