With each breath in and out, Li Yunjing absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, refined it, and drew it into his blood, where it pressed against his heart. The strength of his whole body was stirred by his breathing.
Without realizing it, Li Yunjing entered a state of complete self-forgetfulness.
The beginning of Qi Refining lay in training the five internal organs.
All things in heaven and earth were composed of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
Cultivation of the human body meant refining essence, qi, and spirit. The five organs were the foundation of Qi Refining, and strengthening the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys was its central purpose.
Only by training the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys to their utmost limits could one hope to break through to Foundation Establishment.
Li Yunjing had exceptional comprehension. After reading the Divine Firmament Jade Records just a few times, he understood the most basic principles of cultivation.
Once he understood how cultivation worked and set his sights on his goal, training naturally became much easier.
Following the Qi Refining instructions in the Divine Firmament Jade Records, Li Yunjing spent the whole night sitting cross-legged, continuously drawing in and releasing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
By dawn, he had reached the peak of the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm and advanced to the second.
After advancing to the second layer, Li Yunjing found that his muscles, bones, and internal organs had grown denser and stronger. His whole body brimmed with power.
At the same time, his hearing had become sharper.
The slightest rustle would put him on alert. He could even sense faint sounds within a two-kilometer radius.
His senses of smell, taste, and touch had all become stronger as well.
With each advancement in the Qi Refining Realm, the body evolved, becoming extremely sensitive and more nimble in its reactions.
His internal organs grew stronger, while impurities in his flesh and blood were gradually refined and expelled.
Entering the Qi Refining Realm brought another benefit: Li Yunjing seemed able to "see" inside his own body. He had gained the ability to look inward.
With this ability, he could adjust himself according to his body's condition.
Every Qi Refining cultivator was a good doctor, fully aware of their own condition.
On his final day, Li Yunjing hurriedly ate a meal, then devoted all his energy to cultivation.
The spiritual energy in the central area of the Menial Hall was unimaginably dense.
Li Yunjing was certain he wouldn't receive such treatment at the place he'd be working tomorrow.
He wasn't here to relax. He couldn't afford to waste a single second.
He meditated, practiced Qi Refining, ate, then went back to meditating and practicing Qi Refining!
He wasted not a moment.
Before he knew it, the third day had passed.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
A knock sounded at the door.
Li Yunjing sighed and emerged from his cultivation.
He'd known from the start that someone was outside.
He stood, tidied himself, and only then opened the door.
The gray-robed Daoist he'd seen on the first day stood outside.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
Li Yunjing cupped his hands and greeted him.
"Mm. Your time is up. Starting today, you'll be serving the sect."
The gray-robed Daoist nodded, then continued, "Your first assignment is to go to Qiongze Peak and tend to the piebald horses there."
"What's a piebald horse?"
Li Yunjing froze. What kind of thing was that?
He'd traveled the jianghu for three years and had never heard of such a thing.
It sounded like some kind of horse, but he had no idea what breed.
"Heh! They're not native to the Great Ming Dynasty. They came from a distant land in the east. The great figures of the sect brought them back to the mountains to raise. Much of the meat served at the Elegant Fragrance Garden comes from piebald horses. Understand?"
The gray-robed Daoist smiled.
"I see!"
Li Yunjing nodded, understanding what his work would involve.
"As for the details, hand me your Identity Token so I can issue the task. The instructions for raising them and your wages will then appear in the Divine Firmament Jade Records."
"You can look up all the relevant information there."
The gray-robed Daoist explained again.
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Li Yunjing unclasped the Identity Token from his waist and handed it to him.
"Mm."
The gray-robed Daoist took out his own token. He stacked the two tokens together, and a flash of yellow light passed between them. Then he returned Li Yunjing's token.
"Good. Come with me to meet your companion!"
The gray-robed Daoist turned and walked away.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Li Yunjing hurried after him.
As they walked, Li Yunjing checked his Identity Token.
Just as the senior brother had said, a task had appeared on the back of the token, issued by Tian Wenju.
[Menial Disciple: Li Yunjing.]
[Task: Qiongze Peak, tend to piebald horses.]
[Duration: One month.]
[Days off: One day.]
[Reward: 4 contribution points, two Low-grade Spirit Stones.]
So this senior brother was named Tian Wenju?
A map of Qiongze Peak had appeared in the Divine Firmament Jade Records as well.
Li Yunjing glanced at it. Reaching the peak from the Menial Hall meant crossing eight mountain peaks.
"Quite a distance!"
Muttering to himself, Li Yunjing couldn't help marveling at the sect's magical artifacts.
So the Divine Firmament Jade Records was also an artifact designed to work with the Identity Token!
It could clearly display all the relevant details of an assigned task.
That was incredibly convenient!
Tian Wenju didn't take Li Yunjing all the way to Qiongze Peak. It was simply too far.
He only brought Li Yunjing to meet Ma Xingyuan, then left the two of them to make their own way there.
"Brother Ma, you got this assignment too?"
Li Yunjing was still a little surprised to see Ma Xingyuan.
"Heh! We're fated to be brothers. Of course I'd go with you!"
"I gave Senior Brother Tian a Spirit Stone, and that's how I got assigned to feed horses with you."
Ma Xingyuan said with a grin.
"It can work like that?"
Li Yunjing was dumbfounded. Tian Wenju had looked so stern and impartial, yet he was a hypocrite after all. Give him a Spirit Stone, and he'd make things easy for you.
"Heh! Brother Li, you clearly don't know how the cultivation world works!"
"Spirit Stones are hard currency. Forget mere Menial Disciples—even Outer Disciples and Inner Disciples can be bought off if you have enough of them."
Ma Xingyuan chuckled, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice.
"I've certainly learned something new."
Li Yunjing nodded. Apparently, there were unwritten rules beyond what was recorded in the Divine Firmament Jade Records.
A smile spread across Li Yunjing's face. It seemed that getting by in the Divine Firmament Dao Sect wouldn't be too difficult after all!
What kind of work had he done in his previous life?
He'd specialized in dealing with people!
"In that case, we brothers should look out for each other."
Li Yunjing said.
"Of course! Brother Li and I hit it off at first sight. Otherwise, I wouldn't have paid to work alongside you."
Ma Xingyuan nodded, then looked startled. "Brother Li, have you advanced to the second layer of the Qi Refining Realm?"
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