Ancient Qi Practitioners

Zhou Yi stepped into Lanruo Temple.

Yan Chixia was jolted awake.

Newly entered Innate, Zhou Yi couldn't yet perfectly control his aura, like a walking human furnace.

Demonic Monsters and Ghosts couldn't approach; Chimeras and Ghouls turned to ash.

"Senior Brother, I'm back!"

Zhou Yi's mind stirred, the Purple Lightning Sword leaping into the air, its fierce aura pressing down on the Monk's Quarters.

Boom!

Hundreds of three-inch True Yuan Flying Swords instantly shredded the Monk's Quarters' door into fragments, like a torrential Purple Sun Sword Rain.

"This is nothing like the Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture anymore!"

Zhou Yi's face was full of shock—he had merely comprehended the Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture to perfection, wielding sword qi as he pleased.

In just two short years, Yan Chixia had innovated, turning Purple Sun Sword Qi into Purple Sun Sword Rain.

Each True Yuan Flying Sword had the power to instantly kill a Peak of Houtian, and a single thought unleashed dozens or hundreds.

"Haha, Junior Brother's progress is swift, I can't fall behind. This Sword Qi Scripture is just one of True Person Ziyang's inheritances, but a glimpse reveals the whole—the subtlety of sword qi use is truly boundless!"

Yan Chixia flew out stepping on the Xuanyuan Sword, his appearance unchanged, save for a Big Wine Gourd strapped to his back.

"Junior Brother has stepped into Innate, and my sword qi art is perfected. Let's go slay that old demon and rid the people of this scourge!"

"Senior Brother, don't rush. I have a foolproof plan. That Tree Demon has a thousand years of cultivation, terrifying strength. But as a Plant Spirit, though its Lifespan is long, its flaws are immense."

Zhou Yi said this, then transmitted via true essence: "Unless the Tree Demon sheds its physical form, it's ultimately afraid of fire. In a few days, we'll set the mountain ablaze first, cutting the old demon's power by half!"

Yan Chixia had been locked in a standoff with Tree Demon Granny for a long time, so a few days or weeks made no difference: "As Junior Brother says, I also have some things to tell you."

They found another Monk's Quarters, and Yan Chixia pasted Talismans on the doors and windows to block sound and seal off Divine Sense probing.

"Junior Brother, I told you before that our sect is based at Kunlun Mountain, the ancestral home of Daoism, hence called the Kunlun Sect. But that's not actually true."

Yan Chixia's face reddened as he said this. His nature was bold and unrestrained, careless of trifles, but he had never lied to anyone.

Given Yan Chixia's strength, there were few in the world worth deceiving.

Zhou Yi asked in confusion, "Then where does Senior Brother claim your lineage?"

"It's somewhat related to Kunlun. Back then, I had completed Minor Circulation but couldn't break through to Innate. While traveling the world, I passed Kunlun Mountain and encountered an Avalanche, then fell into a predecessor's Cave Mansion..."

Yan Chixia recounted how he had met danger and how he had obtained the predecessor's inheritance texts.

Zhou Yi listened, dumbfounded—it was practically a textbook protagonist template.

Compared to Ning Caichen, who ultimately became a high-ranking official with a happy family and children, Yan Chixia was more like a Child of Destiny.

Orphaned, a harsh childhood, stumbling upon an ordinary martial arts manual, then unstoppable—by twenty-five, he had opened the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and achieved Minor Circulation.

After that, he traveled the world, encountered danger at Kunlun Mountain, and an Avalanche—a natural disaster that would kill even an Innate Grandmaster—yet Yan Chixia survived and fell into a Qi Practitioner's Cave Mansion from a thousand years ago.

"A thousand years passed, and nine out of ten texts in the Cave Mansion turned to ash. Only one volume of a Qi Practitioner's Cultivation Notes, a Sword Control Technique, and the Xuanyuan Sword remained. After I mastered them, I called myself the Kunlun Sect, but I'm really just a latecomer, blessed by a predecessor's legacy."

Yan Chixia finished and said, "The reason I had you break through to Innate through martial arts is that the predecessor's inheritance had no true Qi Refining method."

Yan Chixia took out a roll of Bamboo Slips, the script on them different from modern writing, with more complex strokes.

"These are the predecessor's Cultivation Notes, profound and arcane. Just browse with Divine Sense, and the meaning becomes clear instantly."

Zhou Yi's heart stirred—this was similar to the legendary Jade Slips used by immortals to record techniques.

His Divine Sense extended outward, landing on the Bamboo Slips, and a passage of Qi Refining insights appeared in his mind.

"Breath Absorption grants divine clarity and immortality, enduring to attain the Dao... Gather essence and focus spirit, harness qi to roam... Refine spirit into the Dao, ride the wind and dance... Create from nothing, the form of ten thousand spirits..."

"...Written by Kunlun Rogue Cultivator True Person Taiyuan as his Lifespan ends."

In an instant, Zhou Yi read through it and knew the value of this text—no less than a true Qi Refining method.

True Person Taiyuan, drawing on a lifetime of cultivation experience, opened directly with the essence of Qi Refining—Breath Absorption!

Then he divided Breath Absorption into stages: first, condense the mind to control qi; second, merge spirit with heaven and earth to fly with qi; the final step, creating from nothing, Zhou Yi couldn't fully grasp.

This True Person Taiyuan's Cultivation Notes directly pointed the way for Zhou Yi's future cultivation—even without a proper Qi Refining method, he could grope forward step by step.

"Senior Brother's kindness I'll never forget. Whether the Kunlun Sect existed before or not, from now on, Chixiao is the Deputy Sect Master of Kunlun."

Yan Chixia waved dismissively: "I care nothing for these worldly matters, don't bother with them either. Focus on cultivation. True Person Taiyuan's power was heaven-shaking, yet when his Lifespan ran out, he still couldn't achieve immortality. Our talent can't match his, so we must cultivate even more diligently."

"There's another reason I was willing to teach you the Sword Control Technique back then."

Yan Chixia took out a Crystal Compass from his bosom, divided into five colors—green, red, yellow, white, black. After infusing it with spiritual energy, the needle pointed to the number one position in the yellow zone.

"I tested you with the Spiritual Root Compass. You possess an Earth Spiritual Root. Drawing spiritual energy into your body makes breaking through to Innate ten times easier than for ordinary people."

Zhou Yi's heart stirred and he asked, "Are there many people with Spiritual Roots?"

"Extremely few, of course. Since I got the testing Compass from the predecessor's Cave Mansion, I've met fewer than ten with Spiritual Roots. Unfortunately, having a Spiritual Root doesn't necessarily suit martial cultivation, and I had no Qi Refining method, so you're the only one—both with a Spiritual Root and able to break through to Innate through martial arts."

"What Spiritual Root does Senior Brother have?"

Yan Chixia said casually, "Just average—a Fifth-Grade Gold Spiritual Root!"

Zhou Yi was one hundred percent certain that he had seen a hint of smugness in Yan Chixia's eyes.

Deliberately revealing the spiritual root testing compass—wasn't that just for show? Given Yan Chixia's free-spirited and unrestrained nature, it was highly likely!

Yan Chixia seemed to see through Zhou Yi's thoughts and cleared his throat. "This senior brother isn't showing off—I'm letting you know that even someone as talented as me still works hard. You should cultivate with even more dedication!"

"Thank you for the lesson, senior brother!"

Zhou Yi was even more convinced that Yan Chixia was showing off.

For the next half month, Zhou Yi stayed in Lanruo Temple.

With his cultivation breaking through to the Xiantian realm, even if he couldn't defeat the Thousand-Year Tree Demon, having Yan Chixia around meant he could protect himself without worry.

Nie Xiaoqian never appeared again after failing to seduce him with her zither on the first night. The ghosts on Black Mountain also suddenly became scarce, with only the occasional wandering spirit peeping from afar, not daring to approach.

Having just entered the Xiantian realm, Zhou Yi had many questions to ask.

Yan Chixia had been practicing Qi cultivation for a long time. Though he had no formal sect inheritance, his experience was rich.

Every day, as the morning sun was about to rise and the Purple Mist from the East arrived, he would sit in meditation and practice Qi, inhaling and exhaling the purple mist between heaven and earth. This not only allowed for rapid cultivation but also had the effect of tempering the body.

Within the purple mist was an extremely mysterious power that did not belong to the Five Elements Spiritual Energy, yet it could increase cultivation.

At the same time, it strengthened the foundation, nourished the soul, and refined the physique—truly an endless array of wondrous uses.