Qi Refiners

Early the next morning, when Lu Chuan woke, Shen Gongbao, who had been meditating beside him, was already gone.

Lu Chuan jolted awake, the sleepiness clearing from his mind at once. He scrambled to his feet and ran outside the temple, but Shen Gongbao was nowhere to be seen.

"Master! Master, where did you go? You could've at least let your disciple know!"

Lu Chuan searched all around the dilapidated temple, but when he still couldn't find anyone, he started to panic and shouted.

From sneaking out to crash Jiang Ziya's wedding night, to meeting Shen Gongbao and becoming his disciple, to encountering a monster, and then being taught a cultivation method...

All of it had happened in a single, short night. That night had been more thrilling and eventful than some people's entire decade.

Of course, he had also realized that aside from having a somewhat odd temper and being hard to read, his master wasn't nearly as detestable as the stories claimed. He was even quite easy to talk to.

In such a short time, Lu Chuan had decided to take off his old "colored glasses" and set aside his prejudices to see Shen Gongbao as he truly was.

"Master! Master! Mas—" Lu Chuan left the temple, calling as he searched along the way.

Only now that the sky had grown light could he see that there really was a small lake not far from the temple.

But the lake had shrunk by two-thirds, exposing a cracked lakebed.

Even more horrifying, human skeletons lay scattered across the lakebed, their bones stark white. They had been gnawed clean, not a trace of flesh left.

There had to be at least a hundred, perhaps nearly two hundred. One lay every few paces, and as far as the eye could see, the ground was thick with them, all bone-white.

Lu Chuan's scalp went numb on the spot, and a shudder ran through him.

These had all been people, eaten just like that.

Though he had prepared himself to accept this world, seeing such savage cruelty for the first time still left him feeling troubled and sick at heart.

And afraid.

It seemed that the night before, he had come close to becoming one of them, keeping those skeletons company.

At the thought, Lu Chuan clenched his fists tight.

Now that he had obtained a cultivation method, he had at least seized control of his own future.

In this life, he, Lu Chuan, would never become anyone's food.

Never!

Shen Gongbao stood not far away, his right hand forming a spell seal, his eyes half-closed as he murmured toward the lake.

After seeing the skeletons, Lu Chuan felt the place grow gloomy and sinister.

It was daytime, but the sun had yet to rise on this early morning, and a thin mist still drifted through the air.

"Achoo... Master, what are you doing?"

Rubbing his arms, Lu Chuan walked over and muttered, "There's a lot of yin energy here. Let's go!"

"Step aside. I'm using the Primordial Soul-Crossing Sutra to dispel the resentment here."

Shen Gongbao opened his eyes. "You have no cultivation, so you shouldn't stay here long. Wait for me over there."

"Oh!"

Lu Chuan glanced warily at the pale mist all around and obediently headed to the side.

But as soon as he turned, wisps of white mist began following him.

Lu Chuan took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, as if he'd sensed something. His expression shifted, and the mist behind him stopped too.

"Why are you following me?"

After a moment's thought, Lu Chuan's eyes darted about. He suddenly spun around with a fierce expression and shouted, raising a hand high. "Believe it or not, I'll use the Five Thunders Method to blast your souls into oblivion!"

Whoosh!

The moment the words left his mouth, the mist scattered completely. The sinister feeling that had made his hair stand on end vanished at once.

"Damn..."

Lu Chuan froze, then bolted. "There really is something wrong with this place."

The mist seemed to want to chase him, but Lu Chuan quickly ran beyond the lakebed and reached the shore.

Seeing that they couldn't catch him, the mist gave up.

Lu Chuan ran to the water's edge. The mist retreated, and he couldn't help muttering, "Ghost Mist. Master, lend me your Divine Tiger."

Without turning around, Shen Gongbao asked, "What for?"

"To give me courage!"

Lu Chuan patted his chest. "That scared me half to death. I heard tigers have a powerful baleful aura, and ghosts are afraid of them."

Shen Gongbao fell silent.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later—

Shen Gongbao suddenly opened his eyes. Golden Light shone in them, and light gleamed around his body. He called out, "The demon has been eliminated. You wronged souls are no longer enslaved and driven by monsters. Why haven't you hurried to leave for the Netherworld? What are you waiting for? Go!"

With that—

The mist suddenly thickened and churned. One by one, men dressed in white emerged from within and bowed in thanks. "Many thanks for your great kindness, Immortal Elder."

Then they turned into a gust of dark wind and vanished.

Shen Gongbao nodded, then abruptly swept his sleeve toward the lakebed. The bones floating there all rose into the air and one by one entered the small temple where they had sheltered the night before.

"Monster, you did evil and harmed people when you were alive. Now your temple will serve as their shelter—a small way to atone for your sins." Shen Gongbao nodded.

As his words fell, a thunderous crash rang out. The dilapidated temple collapsed at once, forming a great tomb.

Shen Gongbao sighed and stepped off the lakebed. Lu Chuan was staring at him with a strange expression.

"Is there... a flower on my face?"

Shen Gongbao touched his face in puzzlement. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Master, I have to admit, you've really made me see you in a new light." Lu Chuan said.

"Why?"

"Um... Master, lend me your Divine Tiger, and I'll tell you." Lu Chuan smiled mysteriously.

"You little rascal, still thinking about my Divine Tiger..."

Shen Gongbao couldn't help laughing. Then he glanced east and hurriedly said, "Right, sit down at once. Clear your mind and contemplate the method..."

Though Lu Chuan didn't know why Shen Gongbao was in such a hurry, he naturally did as his master instructed.

Lu Chuan quickly sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind...

Before long, the glowing text of the Five Elements True Origin Formula appeared in his mind.

The wording was obscure and difficult to read, filled with profound meaning.

Lu Chuan tried three times before he could recite the entire text fluently in his mind.

After reciting it just once, he felt clear-headed and invigorated. His heart leaped with joy, and he knew he'd struck gold.

"We cultivators are also known as Qi Refiners. Every day, we feast on rosy clouds and breathe in qi, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and absorbing the essence of the sun and moon in pursuit of longevity."

Shen Gongbao said, "The first hurdle in cultivation is to awaken your sense of qi, turning the insubstantial into the substantial and forming the first wisp of qi within your body..."

Qi Refiners?

Lu Chuan's heart stirred. He'd thought it would be like in novels, with Golden Elixirs and Nascent Souls!

But in Investiture of the Gods, they really were called Qi Refiners. The dialogue that often came up was:

Jiang Ziya: "Which immortal mountain and grotto do you cultivate in, fellow Daoist?"

Then those experts would obligingly introduce themselves: "I am a Qi Refiner from such-and-such mountain, such-and-such cave..."

The ones who had left the deepest impression on Lu Chuan were a few Qi Refiners from some place called Nine Dragon Island. They were known as the "Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island," he thought.

Of course, in the end, they still met the same fate: they arrived in a blaze of glory and died in utter disgrace!

As Shen Gongbao explained beside him, Lu Chuan faced east and followed the method, practicing his breathing and exhalation.

Before long, his breathing fell into a rhythm unlike that of ordinary people, settling into a peculiar cadence.