The Yin Water Art and Blood-Refining Soup

"I can think of two ways to awaken your bloodline completely: through outside help, or through your own efforts. Outside help means taking medicines that aid awakening. Your own efforts would involve practicing body-tempering arts to stimulate your bloodline into awakening."

"I'll find a way to obtain the medicines for you, but body-tempering arts are rather rare. I'll need time to search for one. Before that, though, I intend to teach you the White Cloud Abbey's foundational art, the Yin Water Art. To learn it, you must first undergo Spirit Seed implantation with yin energy. Hmm, I just stimulated your blood and vital energy, so your body is in exactly the right condition for implantation." Daoist Chongyun spoke slowly as he considered the matter.

"Spirit Seed implantation with yin energy?" Wang Yu asked in surprise.

"Correct. Although you possess Spiritual Perception, you must first have a Spirit Seed implanted in your body before you can embark on the true path of cultivation. Only then can you use cultivation arts to nurture the Spirit Seed until it eventually becomes a Spirit Root. The implantation will be extraordinarily painful. You must endure it with tremendous willpower. If it fails, you could suffer injuries that leave you bedridden-or, in the worst case, breathe your last. You must hold on." The Daoist's warning was solemn.

"I understand, Master. I'll endure it." Wang Yu did not know what a "Spirit Seed" or "Spirit Root" actually was. His heart lurched when he heard how painful and potentially fatal the procedure would be, but remembering that this body was not his real body reassured him somewhat.

"Now close your eyes and relax your entire body..."

The moment Wang Yu closed his eyes, he felt two palms press against his shoulders. Two streams of chilling energy poured in through them. At first, they were only slightly cold, but moments later, they became bone-piercingly frigid and slowly traveled down his back. Wherever they passed, it felt as though countless needles of ice were sinking deep into his flesh, making his muscles and blood vessels spasm. His entire back gradually turned a dark, bruised blue.

As a modern university student from Blue Star, Wang Yu had never experienced such inhuman agony. At first, he managed to keep his teeth clenched, but moments later, his eyes flew open, and he was about to scream regardless of the consequences.

Daoist Chongyun seemed to have anticipated this. He abruptly withdrew one palm and lightly struck Wang Yu's back twice. Wang Yu immediately felt his entire body go numb, leaving him unable to move a muscle. Yet the freezing pain also lessened by nearly half, allowing him to barely hold on.

The Daoist's cold voice reached Wang Yu's ears. "I'm using the Meridian-Sealing Method to assist you now. All you need to do is try your utmost to stay conscious. If you pass out later, the implantation will fail."

No sooner had he spoken than Wang Yu felt the two streams of freezing energy gather into a mass in his lower abdomen and begin to rotate, slowly at first, then faster and faster. What had felt like stabbing needles suddenly became countless blades churning inside his belly.

Although Wang Yu could not make a sound, his eyes instantly became bloodshot and bulged from their sockets. Inwardly, he could not help unleashing a torrent of curses.

How could anyone possibly endure pain this extreme? Daoist Chongyun was clearly trying to kill me!

Within a few breaths, the torment had brought Wang Yu to the brink of death and back. Had his bloodline awakening not greatly strengthened his body, he would probably have passed out long ago.

He did not know how much time had passed, but it felt as though a hundred years had gone by. At last, the freezing agony in his abdomen began to ease, dwindling into a single point of coolness before vanishing altogether.

Smack! Smack!

The Daoist finally removed his hands from Wang Yu's shoulders. After patting his back twice more, he spoke with a trace of weariness on his face.

"It's done. The Spirit Seed has formed inside you. I truly didn't expect you to endure it so easily. When Qingfeng underwent implantation, the pain nearly drove him to bite off his tongue and kill himself. A bloodline bearer truly is beyond comparison with ordinary people."

"Thank you for your help, Master!" Wang Yu felt his body loosen, and movement returned to his limbs. He struggled to rise and bowed to the Daoist in gratitude.

"All right. Implanting your Spirit Seed has tired me out a little as well. Come back tomorrow afternoon, and I'll teach you the formulas for the first three levels of the Yin Water Art. In the morning, go to Qingfeng and learn the basics of cultivation." The Daoist waved a hand to dismiss the boy, then closed his eyes to rest.

Wang Yu acknowledged the instructions, quietly withdrew from the Quiet Chamber, and returned to his quarters.

He had learned far too much in a single morning. He needed to sort through it all properly.

Yet the moment he returned to his room, he suddenly felt utterly exhausted. Heavy drowsiness seemed to fill every cell in his body, and his eyelids immediately refused to stay open.

"What's..."

Before Wang Yu could think any further, he collapsed onto the bed with a thump and fell into a deep, blissful sleep, his breathing loud and steady.

Wang Yu woke the next morning and was astonished to discover how long he had slept.

Still, the first thing he did after getting up was carefully examine the cold spot in his abdomen. When he pressed his palm against it, he felt nothing unusual apart from a slight chill.

It seemed this so-called Spirit Seed was something intangible, and "seed" was merely a metaphor.

Remembering the Daoist's instructions from the day before, Wang Yu ate a little and hurried out.

Daoist Chongyun had told him to learn the basics of cultivation from Qingfeng. Naturally, he would not miss the opportunity. This knowledge was precious information about another world.

On the way, however, he ran into Dongyue, who burst into startled exclamations upon seeing how much taller Wang Yu had become.

It took Wang Yu considerable effort to escape the endlessly curious Dongyue.

In one of the abbey's side rooms, Qingfeng pointed to a densely annotated diagram of the human body as he explained to the boy before him.

"Master told me your Spirit Seed implantation succeeded, Junior Brother. Congratulations! Since he asked me to teach you about cultivation, I certainly won't hold anything back. First, I'll explain the meridians and acupoints you'll need for cultivation. Then I'll cover the basic things to watch out for while cultivating, and most importantly, how to use your Spirit Seed to sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. The meridians are divided into regular and extraordinary meridians..."

Wang Yu listened earnestly, nodding from time to time.

Two hours later, Wang Yu sat cross-legged on the floor across from Qingfeng, holding his hands before him as though cupping a goblet. His eyes were lightly closed, and Qingfeng's clear voice sounded in his ears.

"Junior Brother, now that you have a Spirit Seed inside you, a Spirit Sea can naturally emerge in your mind. It's also called the Divine Sense Sea. Remember: Spiritual Perception is the sense of touch of the spirit, and the spirit is the wellspring of Spiritual Perception. Only when the two unite do they become divine sense. Spiritual Perception is divine sense, and divine sense is also a form of our active consciousness. We can wield it, and we can expend it. As Immortal Cultivators, we need only reach into the surrounding void with our divine sense to detect the presence of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Here's how: don't think about anything else. Simply imagine yourself in an empty space, and carefully sense whether anything exists around you... You can't sense anything? If it doesn't work the first time, keep trying..."

With his eyes closed, Wang Yu followed Qingfeng's method. After more than a dozen attempts, he finally "saw" scattered motes of light emerging around him through his divine sense. The larger ones were like soybeans, while the smaller ones were only the size of ants. They floated in the void in a dazzling array of colors.

For a moment, the boy was spellbound...

That afternoon.

With anticipation on his face, Wang Yu once again entered Daoist Chongyun's Quiet Chamber.

As soon as he entered, a rich medicinal fragrance reached his nose. To his surprise, a large white porcelain bowl sat before the cross-legged Daoist, filled to the brim with green liquid. The fragrance came from that bowl.

"This is Blood-Refining Soup, which I prepared myself. It will greatly benefit your bloodline awakening. Drink it while it's hot," the Daoist ordered, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, Master."

Without a second thought, Wang Yu picked up the large bowl and drank all the green liquid in one go. It was not bitter in the slightest; in fact, it tasted a little sweet.

"Very good. This Blood-Refining Soup cannot be stored. Although it takes a long time to take effect, it must be drunk within the time it takes to finish a cup of tea after preparation. Otherwise, it loses most of its potency. Now, before I teach you the cultivation art, I'd like to ask you something. What sort of person do you think your master is?" The Daoist looked at the boy with a faint, enigmatic smile.

"Master, Eldest Senior Brother can cast spells, so surely you can too. Aren't immortals the only ones who can do that?" Wang Yu blinked as he spoke. After drinking the medicinal soup, he felt a slight fullness in his abdomen.

"Haha, of course I'm not an immortal. They say immortals can live forever, untouched by age. Who wouldn't want to become one? But people like me are still only Immortal Cultivators. Although our White Cloud Abbey has few members, it is actually one of the few Immortal Cultivator factions in the Yellowstone City region," Daoist Chongyun said proudly.

Immortal Cultivators!

Wang Yu excitedly committed the term to memory. Apparently, this was the true name for those who wielded supernatural powers in this world.

"An Immortal Cultivator is, in essence, a practitioner who draws in and releases Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Upon reaching a certain realm, they can not only summon wind and rain and command the forces of heaven and earth, but also extend their lives far beyond the span of ordinary mortals. Calling high-level Immortal Cultivators immortals would be no exaggeration. Yet people in this world have never been born equal. Without Spiritual Perception, one cannot sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, leaving no possibility whatsoever of cultivating. Thus, becoming an Immortal Cultivator requires the innate gift of Spiritual Perception. Once someone with that gift passes the implantation stage, they can practice breathing arts to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, gradually nurturing the Spirit Seed within them. When the Spirit Seed grows strong enough to become a Spirit Root, the practitioner can use that root to greatly increase their ability to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Only then do they count as a true Immortal Cultivator. Before that, they can only be called a 'False Cultivator.' At most, they can perform paltry Parlor Trick Arts. Even controlling a low-grade Magical Artifact is a considerable struggle."

Spirit Roots! Parlor tricks! Magical Artifacts!

Wang Yu silently committed these key terms to memory.

"I will now formally teach you the Yin Water Art, a foundational breathing art that Immortal Cultivators must learn. Its first three levels will strengthen the Spirit Seed within you. Listen carefully. The opening general formula is: nothing beneath heaven is softer than water; nothing beneath heaven is more yin than cold..." Daoist Chongyun began teaching the art with a solemn expression.

Naturally, Wang Yu listened with complete concentration. Whenever he encountered something he did not understand, he asked directly, and the Daoist patiently explained each point.

The formulas for the first three levels were neither particularly long nor difficult to understand. After memorizing them all, he closed his eyes under the Daoist's watchful gaze, rested his hands on his knees, and began the first true cultivation session of his life.

"Remember: the Spirit Seed becomes a root, Spiritual Perception becomes divine sense, the meridians provide passage, and the cultivation art forms the foundation. Breathe slowly according to the first-level formula. You must remain completely focused, without the slightest distraction. Every inhalation and exhalation must accord with the rhythm of heaven and earth..."

Following the first-level formula of the Yin Water Art, Wang Yu breathed rhythmically. As he devoted his entire being to sensing his surroundings, the drifting motes of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy gradually moved toward his body with each breath, turning into threads of coolness that gathered in his dantian. Yet the slightest distraction sent the motes rippling away again, forcing him to keep his divine sense expanded to its utmost...