Daoist Magic and Sword Qi

...Monday's new-release rankings recalculated, advancing today's update a bit early. Asking for recommendations and collections, bowing in advance to thank you.

"I can't run as fast as you, but I can beat you up just fine. You'd better hand it over honestly to save yourself a thorough beating." Another beggar rolled up his sleeves.

Ah! How did you find me? Chu Wan'er, who had been calm and playful a moment ago, lost her composure because she saw the figure walking up behind the two beggars was none other than the bad daoist priest she had shaken off during the day.

The first beggar sneered, "Trying that trick again? We'd be fools to fall for it now that we've been scammed once." Just as he finished speaking, he felt a tap on his shoulder. His smile froze instantly, and he lunged forward, preparing to execute a Lazy Donkey Roll.

Who could have expected that Shi Xuan intended to make an example of himself in front of Chu Wan'er? With a sweep of the Soul-Bewildering Banner and a flash of black light, the beggar fainted right there in midair, plunging straight down to crash heavily onto the ground. With another sweep, the second beggar hadn't even had time to turn around before he too passed out.

"Well? Not running anymore?" Having made his show of force, Shi Xuan looked toward Chu Wan'er, who had already retreated into a corner.

Chu Wan'er's small body was doubled over, looking as though she wanted to worm her way into some crevice, but now she was frozen in place. The face she turned toward Shi Xuan was still filled with shock, incomprehension, and curiosity.

Shi Xuan walked over to Chu Wan'er, grabbed her collar, and hoisted her up. Only then did he see that there was indeed a tiny hole in the corner, one that he estimated only a six- or seven-year-old child like Chu Wan'er could possibly squeeze through.

Hehe, so you were all prepared when you fled here. Shi Xuan still harbored quite a bit of appreciation for this little girl's mischievous spirit.

Hearing his voice, Chu Wan'er snapped out of her daze, then tilted her little head back to look at Shi Xuan behind her. Her eyes shone brightly, her face plastered with excitement and curiosity. "Is this immortal magic? Is this immortal magic?..."

He had assumed Chu Wan'er would be terrified and frightened upon being caught by him, but he never expected the little girl to completely forget the fact that she had been captured, focusing entirely on questioning him about immortal magic. She truly was just a kid. Left with no other choice, Shi Xuan nodded, then hauled Chu Wan'er away by the back of her collar, carrying her out of the alley just like a kitten.

Seeing Shi Xuan nod, Chu Wan'er grew even more excited, swaying her body from side to side. "Then you're an immortal, right? Are you taking me to the heavens to eat good food? To play fun games? Is that it? Is that it?" Swaying about, Chu Wan'er finally realized the reality of being dangled by her collar and immediately started loudly protesting, "Bad Daoist, let go of me right now! This is so uncomfortable."

"This looks so ugly, let go!" Chu Wan'er tried hard to stretch out her little arms and legs to reach Shi Xuan, but alas, her person was small, her arms short, and her legs short too. After flailing about for a long time to no avail, she only succeeded in making herself pant for breath.

"Wuwuwu, you really aren't an immortal, wuwuwu, you're a bad Daoist." Finally, a child's true nature erupted, and Chu Wan'er burst into wailing tears.

Fortunately, Kaiyang City was in utter chaos at the moment, with throngs of busybodies rushing toward the Divine Lord Crimson Cloud Temple. No one paid any attention to Shi Xuan as he strolled past, carrying a wailing little beggar.

Finding a rather decent inn, Shi Xuan booked two ordinary superior rooms. At the same time, he instructed the shopkeeper to prepare a wooden tub of bathwater and hot water, and to go fetch a few sets of children's clothing. Shi Xuan offered a brief explanation to the shopkeeper and the shop assistant about this being a runaway child from his household. Whether they believed it or not, he tipped them generously anyway, and they accepted it.

Carrying Chu Wan'er—who had cried herself hoarse with sobs and smeared her face with tears and dirt—Shi Xuan slowly paced up to the second floor. Just as they stepped into the room, the shop assistant hurried up carrying hot and cold water.

Whether it was because she had entered the room, Chu Wan'er regained a bit of energy and immediately started cursing again, "Stinky Daoist, bad Daoist..." The language grew increasingly foul afterward, likely picked up during her time wandering the streets, though judging by the little girl's expression, she had ninety-nine percent no idea what the words actually meant.

"Wah... cough... cough." Right in the middle of her hearty cursing, Chu Wan'er suddenly felt her body plunge downward, then she dropped straight into warm water. Caught off guard, she even choked on a gulp of water.

Recovering her wits, Chu Wan'er glared fiercely with a look that could kill at the bad Daoist who had caused her to choke. Unfortunately, her large, watery, starkly black-and-white eyes completely ruined the ferocious expression.

"Are you going to undress and wash yourself, or do this humble Taoist need to help you take them off?" Shi Xuan looked at Chu Wan'er with a teasing gaze. A little girl of this age had nothing much to be modest about.

"Hmph." Though she was grunting and snorting, Chu Wan'er still stripped off all her ragged, filthy clothes and tossed them out. Before long, she was happily scrubbing away inside the wooden tub, looking as though she had wanted a bath like this for a very long time.

After casting a fresh Concentric Charm upon Chu Wan'er, Shi Xuan walked over to the door and sat down to wait. Less than a quarter of an hour later, the shop assistant delivered several sets of children's clothing, both boys' and girls'.

Draping the garments over the edge of the wooden tub, Shi Xuan didn't mind the dirty water Chu Wan'er splashed at him in the slightest, instead mocking her for making the water so filthy—which infuriated Chu Wan'er into splashing him over and over again.

Once she finished washing, Chu Wan'er slowly and sluggishly dressed in a set of small white girls' clothes while looking all around the bathing alcove. Seeing only a single exit, she walked out with a dejected expression.

Freshly bathed, Chu Wan'er's little face was pale and tender, with clean eyebrows, fine eyes, and extremely delicate facial features. Her wet long hair cascaded down behind her, hanging all the way to her shoulder blades. She looked pure and adorable; though she had yet to fully blossom, she was already the template for an peerless beauty.

"Actually, you didn't need to dawdle like that just now. You know I possess immortal magic—no matter where you flee to, I'll be able to find you." Facing a child of such a tender age, Shi Xuan found himself unable to maintain a straight face.

"Eh." Chu Wan'er froze for a second, but quickly her face lit up with joy. She respectfully dropped to her knees on the floor and kowtowed in a proper manner. "Master is above, please accept this disciple's bow!"

Shi Xuan was baffled by the little girl's train of thought. "Chu Wan'er, what are you doing?"

Lifting her head, Chu Wan'er answered with complete earnestness, "Isn't it just like what they say in plays and vernacular storybooks—that those people of the Dao always come out to look for geniuses with extraordinary constitutions to take as disciples?" After thinking about it for a moment, her face immediately crumpled into a miserable expression. "Could it be that even though Wan'er is so smart and cute, she doesn't have an extraordinary constitution either?"

Shi Xuan was helpless. A child's way of thinking was truly formidable. "Wan'er, where on earth did you hear all this? Surely your mother wouldn't let you read these things." A dignified Demon Empress of a generation would certainly not raise a child like this.

Lifting her chin proudly, Chu Wan'er said with a look of triumph, "Wan'er heard them herself during this time!" Then she put on a wronged expression. "Is Master really not going to take Wan'er in? Wan'er is so cute and so smart."

Left with no alternative, Shi Xuan could only say, "Didn't you see in the plays and storybooks that those geniuses always have to be tested a time or two by seniors of the Daoist Sect before they are accepted as disciples?" He couldn't crush Chu Wan'er's enthusiasm just yet; he still had to rely on her to lead him to the Demon Empress. However, if her constitution truly was good, in terms of age, she would make an exceptional successor for the Returning to Truth Scripture.

"It does seem like they say that." Chu Wan'er recalled the stories, then stared intently at Shi Xuan, her face plastered with an expression that screamed Test me! Test me!

"Alright, let's rest for today. Matters like tests must be taken slowly." Seeing that the night was already deep, Shi Xuan led the reluctant Chu Wan'er off to rest in another superior room. Perhaps it was because she hadn't taken a hot bath in a while, or because she hadn't slept in such a comfortable bed, but Chu Wan'er lay down and fell fast asleep before long.

After returning to his room, Shi Xuan carefully took out the Geng Metal, inspecting it closely for a long time before finally setting his mind at ease. Then he carefully put it away and began his daily cultivation.

Once his cultivation session concluded, Shi Xuan began earnestly pondering the cultivation method for the Great Yin Lung Yang Geng Metal Sword Qi from the Treasure Record. This involved using the power of the soul to control the Geng Metal Qi, slowly drawing it into the lungs, and then combining it with internal energy using Yin-Yang secret techniques, integrating it with the lungs' inherent metallic nature. Through prolonged tempering, it would ultimately transform into a Daoist magic technique of Geng Metal Sword Qi. Because it merged with the physical body, it was akin to a divine ability engraved upon the soul, becoming a part of oneself entirely; thus, it was also referred to as a divine ability.

Shi Xuan didn't dare to begin practicing right now. First, due to the affairs at the Governor's Residence and the Divine Lord Crimson Cloud Temple, Kaiyang City wouldn't be peaceful anytime soon, and his appearance had already been witnessed by people at the Governor's Residence; hence, cultivating Daoist magic spiritual powers made one susceptible to disturbances from external affairs. Second, this spiritual power's cultivation method was exceptionally complex and could not be mastered overnight. It required slow, deliberate contemplation, and seeking quick success would only harm his own physical body.

The most comforting thing was that the knowledge for cultivating this Daoist magic spiritual power still fell within his capabilities. Had it exceeded his realm, Shi Xuan wouldn't have dared to cultivate it rashly without seeking out a Daoist Sect and starting his practice under someone's guidance. Therefore, Shi Xuan intended to use this period primarily for contemplating and simulating the method, only starting his actual practice once he left Fengzhou and found a quiet location.

Two months later, in a quiet courtyard within a small city close to the Divine Capital in Weizhou, inside a room with tightly shut doors.

Shi Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes slightly closed. When he exhaled, a faint white rainbow expelled from his nostrils, reaching several inches in length. When he inhaled, the white rainbow returned through his nostrils back into his lungs.

With every inhalation and exhalation, the white rainbow expanded and contracted unpredictably. The piercing sharpness emanating from it made even Shi Xuan's hair stand on end. A teacup sitting on a table a zhang away, positioned directly in the path of the white rainbow, seemed to sense this as well, fracturing into several pieces with cuts so neat they looked as though they had been cleaved by a sword. Deep slash marks scored the table's surface.

Shi Xuan took a deep breath, drawing the white rainbow back into his lungs. Then, using secret techniques, he circulated his energy to temper it before finally sealing it away in a mysterious spot within his lungs. Only then did he stop, open his eyes, and begin coughing violently.

He had finally successfully forged this divine ability! Ever since arriving at this small town a month and a half ago, he had painstakingly absorbed Geng Metal Qi day and night, tempering it with Yin-Yang secret techniques, and today he had finally succeeded!

Even though he had already severely overestimated the might of the Geng Metal Qi, during the actual cultivation process, it still injured his lungs. Fortunately, the secret techniques in the Treasure Record were appropriate, and they hadn't damaged his foundation; a dozen or so days of recuperation would see him fully healed.

Standing up and looking at the landscape of the table, Shi Xuan was utterly shocked. This was merely the bit of piercing sharpness that leaked out during the cultivation of the Great Yin Lung Yang Geng Metal Sword Qi, yet it produced such an effect. Daoist magic truly lived up to its name!