In Startled Alarm, He Severed Thoughts for Purity

The practical proof of the <Branch-Splitting Myriad Transformations Origin-Seizing Art> was the key to Liu Dongqing's entry into this struggle for position.

And precisely because of that,

only upon seeing the Jade Cloud Fruit plant parasitizing the wood burl flourish so vigorously

did the last thread of tension in Liu Dongqing's heart finally ease.

Only now

did he have the mind to sort through the many gains from this journey, his clear gaze falling upon several bundles of varying sizes on the table.

Following the principle of saving the best things for last, Liu Dongqing first opened the bundle containing spirit stones.

'Oh-ho—'

The instant he opened the bundle, Liu Dongqing let out that cry of surprise.

For the first time, the crystalline gleam of spirit stones seemed poised to pierce straight through Liu Dongqing's pupils.

Before his eyes lay whole spirit stones, every one cut into a regular oval shape! The crimson radiance from each stone brimmed with a soul-stirring force.

'Forty-four... forty-five... forty-six...'

'Forty-six whole spirit stones.'

'Not even a round number...'

'Could that steward have pocketed four stones himself when he handed out my reward?'

He mentally added another mark against that steward.

Yet the faint anger had barely risen within him before it was instantly drowned beneath an even more surging delight.

'Senior Sister Zhang truly makes a grand gesture!'

'One whole spirit stone can be divided into ten fragments for use.'

'This reward will be enough to sustain my trade with Yan Rong for quite a long time.'

'Earlier, I had been worrying that he would send several Ash-Feathered Crows at a time, while I only had the fifty spirit stone fragments Manager Hou gave me. What would I do to maintain my trade with Yan Rong once those spirit stones ran out?'

'Now I don't need to worry!'

With that thought, Liu Dongqing carefully put away the spirit stones, then opened another bundle beside it.

At once, azure light filled the room.

Yet faced with more than two hundred Azure Light Spirit Beads, Liu Dongqing appeared somewhat calmer.

'These are merely nourishment for the Bloodthirsty Medicinal Vine's growth. They must ultimately be transformed into Elixir Fruit before they can be of use to me.'

Not only that.

At the same time, Liu Dongqing even opened the third bundle, shifting his gaze to the flask of Azure Fire Heavenly Dew Elixir.

The jade bottle was slender, no larger than a person's forearm. Its thin walls even revealed the dark azure liquid within.

'Should I consume and refine this Azure Fire Heavenly Dew Elixir for cultivation? Or should I pour it all into the jade vat as growth nourishment?'

Liu Dongqing hesitated for a rare moment. He already leaned toward one choice, yet could not quite make the final decision.

After all, consuming and refining the Azure Fire Heavenly Dew Elixir directly could still weakly purge a small amount of Demon Blood Baleful Qi.

In the end,

Liu Dongqing's eyes fell upon the Daoist manual titled <Little Thought Primordial Furnace Fire-Nurturing Art>.

'This must decide it!'

In the past, Liu Dongqing had regarded the Demon Blood Baleful Qi spreading through his body as something with a hundred harms and not a single benefit. But Senior Sister Zhang had pointed out a path called "Seven Emotions Enter the Flame."

In that case, the distracting thoughts produced by the Demon Blood Baleful Qi invading his body instead became nourishment to bolster the might of his natal Candle Flame.

Reaching out to pick up the handwritten Daoist manual from the table, Liu Dongqing took advantage of the azure light filling the room to carefully read the neat, elegant sigil-script characters one by one.

When he had read only halfway through, Liu Dongqing suddenly revealed an expression of enlightenment. In his excitement, he even slapped his thigh.

'No wonder it had felt vaguely familiar from the very beginning!'

'The Heavenly Light Bewildering Spirit method I secretly learned from Manager Hou, as well as the dazzling light-traces that bewildered the spirit which I once used upon the Azure Flame Flying Bird Spirit Aspect—those were actually applications of the path of Seven Emotions Enter the Flame.'

'If the Flame-Nourishing Art can still be considered an introductory method for Seven Emotions Enter the Flame, then Manager Hou's usage was no more than skin-deep. As for my earlier usage, it was skin-deep of the skin-deep.'

'But with this Daoist manual, it can point out the proper road ahead on this path!'

With the delight of meeting an old friend on a strange road, Liu Dongqing focused even more intently, continuing to read without missing a single word.

A long while later,

Liu Dongqing slowly closed the Daoist manual.

Even without anyone's instruction, faced with an unfamiliar cultivation art, Liu Dongqing had still connected it all through his experience cultivating the Little Azure Light Incantation.

'Assume the posture of holding the Candle Flame with the body. Let the body uphold the righteous thought of the mind. The instant that righteous thought is held by the body like a candle, all else may be regarded as stray thoughts—these are the many Little Thoughts.'

'Such Little Thoughts may be severed one after another.'

'Then use every thought as oil, igniting them with the Primordial Candle Flame. First, this strengthens the Primordial Candle Flame itself. Second, as the candle flame brightens and dims, it disperses through layer upon layer of Sky Light. With Sky Light carrying every thought, it not only adds might, but can also throw an opponent's mind into disorder when unleashed.'

'This is the true proper path of Heavenly Light Bewildering Spirit: inward refinement into a method, outward application as an art!'

For a moment,

Liu Dongqing grew ever more excited and delighted, already unable to wait to personally verify the brilliance of this cultivation art.

But just as the words in the Daoist manual began flowing through Liu Dongqing's mind bit by bit,

his entire body suddenly froze.

'Wait...'

'This path is called Seven Emotions Enter the Flame. Could it have some connection to the Seven Heavenly Light Incantations, the foundation of all cultivation methods on Departure Peak's Yang Fire Path?'

'Could its ultimate form be seven lights bearing the Seven Emotions?'

'Then if I sever all stray thoughts in one stroke now, would that mean I had made a mistake?'

'Stray thoughts, stray thoughts—Liu has never heard of any aspect of inner refinement and foundational cultivation, whatever it may be, where being mixed and impure was the most exquisite state!'

'Moreover, after the section in the Little Thoughts manual about using the mind to stabilize righteous thought and observe all around, there is a section on observing how the various stray thoughts divide among the Seven Emotions.'

'Since it was written into the cultivation art, it should not be useless content.'

At that thought, Liu Dongqing's expression became exceedingly complicated.

'Did Zhang Qiwei nearly lead me into a massive pitfall in this silent, unseen place?'

'After all, if I severed every stray thought, then aside from righteous thought, the countless chaotic thoughts would entwine with the Seven Emotions and fall into my natal Candle Flame. It would be like adding oil to a raging blaze. In the short term, the increase in offensive power might be the greatest and fastest possible.'

'But though I might seem to be advancing fiercely along the path of the Seven Emotions, once I truly encountered this path's profound orthodox teachings in the future, I might discover that I had already cut myself off outside the gateway to the great broad road!'

'In the end... I lack the guidance of a true master...'

At that thought, a great deal of bewilderment first flashed across Liu Dongqing's face. Then every expression was replaced by decisiveness.

'Perhaps my conjecture is merely worrying over nothing.'

'But if something cannot be confirmed, I should treat it as though it truly were so!'

'After all, if I refine all stray thoughts into the Candle Flame today, purging and purifying them in the future will be harder than climbing to the heavens.'

'But if I refine only a single pure emotional thought into the Candle Flame today, then even if I lack the complete Seven Emotions in the future, I can still find a way to turn back and make up for it.'

'Addition has always been easy; subtraction has always been harder than climbing to the heavens!'

'Then the Seven Emotions are—joy, anger, sorrow, thought, grief, fear, and alarm.'

'Which one should I choose and sever into lamp oil?'

The instant he thought of it, Liu Dongqing already had his answer.

'Anger!'