Azure Gate Cultivation System!
night.
The moonlight, like water, spills across the wilderness.
Inside the stone statue, Qi Yun, whose eyes had been closed for a year, suddenly opened them in absolute darkness!
There was no glint of light in his eyes, only a deep darkness like an ancient well, and a trace of calm that came after a long period of silence.
"Splash--"
It was no longer the sound of tiny cracks, but a holistic sound of the outer shell peeling away!
The grayish-brown "stone skin" peeled off and disintegrated in large chunks along the pre-existing fine cracks, crashing to the ground and turning into ordinary gravel and dust.
A person appeared in the spot.
The deep blue Daoist robe remained, spotless.
Her face was still young, her complexion was pale as if she had never seen the sun, but beneath her skin, her Qi and Blood were surging like a tide.
Qi Yun slowly and somewhat stiffly turned his neck, his bones making a faint "crackling" sound.
He raised his hand, his fingers spread out, then slowly clenched, feeling the power returning to his body, and also feeling the subtle, almost imperceptible, repulsion and pressure from the spiritual energy of the Azure Gate Realm Heaven.
He gently exhaled a breath of stale air.
The aura dissipated quietly three feet away from the body, without causing the slightest ripple of Spiritual Qi.
It was a success.
They deceived everyone and took root wherever they landed.
The first step has already been taken.
For the past year, Heaven's Will has been monitoring and exploring this area.
On average, it happened every three days until two months ago, when the Heaven's Will's surveillance gradually receded, giving him a chance to recover.
Instead of leaving immediately, Qi Yun sat down cross-legged on the spot, closed his eyes slightly, and cautiously and extremely slowly spread out his newly awakened Divine Sense, like the softest spider web, covering an area of several miles.
He is perceiving, confirming, and adapting.
The direction of the wind, the breath of the grass and trees, the rustling of insects, the faint sounds of people from the distant county town—and the latent pressure of "Heaven's Will" hanging high above, temporarily silent yet still unsettling.
An hour later, he opened his eyes again.
My gaze was drawn to the city wall, several miles away, its outline faintly visible in the morning light – Clear Source County.
Clear Source County is not large; the rammed earth and brick walls are only about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) high, and there are many signs of repair.
The city gates were wide open, and those coming and going were mostly farmers carrying loads on their shoulders and peddlers pushing wheelbarrows. Occasionally, a well-dressed country gentleman would pass by in a donkey cart.
The guards, carrying their spears, leaned lazily against the wall, basking in the sun, and did not check anyone coming or going.
Qi Yun blended into the crowd entering the city, completely inconspicuous.
He changed into a coarse gray cloth outfit that he had "borrowed" along the way, and made some adjustments to his face, darkening his skin and making his features more ordinary.
He looked like an ordinary traveling traveler or down-on-his-luck scholar, with a slightly haggard and weary appearance.
The scene inside the city was not much different from that of ordinary cities in the Xuanhuang Realm.
The bluestone path has been worn smooth by time, and on both sides are tiled houses of varying heights, with wine flags and tea banners swaying gently in the wind.
The air was filled with the smells of cooking smoke, food, animal manure, and the unique hustle and bustle of the city.
Qi Yun at a steady pace, his gaze calmly sweeping over the street scene, pedestrians, and shop signs, his ears catching snippets of conversation—
talk.
"The blades at Zhang's blacksmith shop have become brittle again lately."
"Wang Po's tofu pudding, they gave me half a spoonful less gravy this morning--"
"Have you heard? Scholar Li from East Street was possessed again last night. The whole house was filled with eerie winds, and bowls and chopsticks were flying around on their own. They had to call in a soothing shaman from the West City God to calm him down—"
"Tsk tsk, scholars are easily distracted and prone to attracting Divine Soul— "
"The Sun family in the north of the city has hired a sorcerer known for his Night Wandering Realm to oversee things, saying that their ancestral graves are somewhat disturbed."
"Night Wandering Realm? That's incredible! It allows one's Divine Soul to Out-of-Body at night and travel hundreds of miles! Master Sun is really willing to invest this time—"
Qi Yun stopped in front of a pancake stall, ordered two pancakes, and while slowly eating them, seemingly casually struck up a conversation with the stall owner. "Brother, I just overheard them talking about 'soul wandering,' ' Night Wandering Realm,' and 'spirit mediums'..."
Is our area unsafe? Haunted?
The stall owner was a dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man. While deftly collecting money, he lowered his voice and said, "Sir, are you from out of town?"
Our Clear Source County is located near the Vast Mountain, where the Yin Qi is heavy, and occasionally there are ghosts, spirits and monsters causing trouble.
However, there's no need to be too afraid. There's City God on the west side of the city, and the priests there have some real skills. They can communicate with the Yin and Yang and appease the souls of the deceased.
For something even more powerful, you'd have to ask a real "cultivator" for help.
"Cultivators? The Night Wandering Realm I mentioned earlier?"
"That's just one level." The stall owner seemed to be getting into the conversation, glancing around as he lowered his voice.
"I've heard that cultivators cultivate their Divine Soul!" The powerful Divine Soul can even leave their bodies to Night Wandering or Day Wandering, and even Manifestation as humans to Object Manipulation battles!
Beyond that—that's beyond the knowledge of ordinary people like us.
Anyway, those with a special aura and intimidatingly bright eyes are most likely cultivators, so you wouldn't dare to offend them.
Qi Yun nodded, thanked him, and continued walking forward with the steamed bun in his hand.
Divine Soul cultivation?
Night Wandering, Day Wandering, Manifestation, and Object Manipulation —is this the cultivation system here? It is indeed quite different from the Xuanhuang Home Realm.
Over the next few days, Qi Yun moved quietly within Clear Source County, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
He went to the West City God and observed from afar those people called "Zhu Youshi".
These people mostly wear plain or dark-colored robes, and their demeanor carries a unique sense of calm and detachment. They are surrounded by a faint scent that is similar to incense or sandalwood, and they can preside over small rituals to appease the spirits of the dead and cleanse them of evil.
However, the aura was not strong in Qi Yun's perception, roughly equivalent to the Early Qi Refining in the Xuanhuang Realm.
Moreover, it emphasizes "communication" and "appeasement," without showing any sharpness.
If a fight really breaks out, one Xuanhuang should be able to take on seven or eight without any problem.
Qi Yun then went to the only shop in the county that also sold miscellaneous books and a few old classics, [Literary Ink Studio], and spent a little money to buy several rather old books with yellowed pages, including "Strange Tales of Azure Gate", "Collected Elementary Discourses on the Divine Soul", and "Examination of Strange Rural Tales".
He then "casually" borrowed a tattered copy of "A Record of Nourishing the Spirit and Calming the Mind" from the bottom of the shop owner's treasured box. The copy was damaged and the writing was blurry.
However, most of the content is imagined, and many paragraphs don't match up.
He casually burned these worthless books and Qi Yun sneaked into the library of two local gentry families in the county, whose ancestors were said to have been scholars.
Under the cover of night, he quickly flipped through the dusty clan records, notes, and some basic copies of the methods of Divine Soul visualization.
Through various channels, Qi Yun gradually pieced together the general outline of this world.
Seven days later.
Outside Clear Source County City, in an abandoned mountain god temple.
Qi Yun sat cross-legged on the dusty altar, with the written materials he had collected over the past few days spread out in front of him, sorting through the information he had gathered.
The core of the cultivation system in [Azure Gate] lies in the "Divine Soul".
The initial stage is called "Spirit Stabilization," which requires focusing the mind and calming the breath to perceive one's own soul, initially stabilizing the spirit, and resisting external evil influences. This state is not particularly special, except that the spirit is stronger than that of ordinary people.
[Out-of-Body]: The Divine Soul is stable and can briefly leave the body in a quiet room, at midnight, or with the help of incense or talismans. However, it is extremely fragile, afraid of wind, light, and yang Blood Qi, and the distance is limited.
[Night Wandering], the Divine Soul further strengthens, and can leave the body at night to wander around, sense yin energy, make initial contact with the netherworld, and possess some ability to influence other people's dreams or frighten ordinary people. The "master" hired by Master Sun in Clear Source County is in this state.
[Day Wandering], with a refined Divine Soul, is not afraid of ordinary sunlight and yang energy. They can leave their body even during the day, greatly increasing their range of movement. They can more clearly perceive and mobilize certain energies between heaven and earth, and can perform some rudimentary illusions and lift light objects.
[Manifestation] When the Divine Soul solidifies to a certain degree, it can manifest a blurry form in the eyes of mortals, like a ghost appearing. It can more directly interfere with reality, intimidating, confusing, or even slightly harming mortals. Cultivators at this level can be revered as "highly accomplished" in the secular world.
[Object Manipulation] refers to a powerful Divine Soul that allows one to attach to and manipulate physical objects such as flying needles, small swords, and command flags for extended periods. This ability possesses substantial physical attack power and is a true indicator of combat prowess.
Those who cultivate in this realm are often treated as honored guests by worldly powers, or they establish altars and temples to collect Incense and Fire Prayer Power to aid their cultivation.
Further back, the ancient texts are vague, and the folk tales are even more fragmented.
It only vaguely mentions chilling terms such as "thunder tribulation" and "Yang Spirit".
That seemed to involve a deeper, more dangerous, and more powerful realm, one that could not be easily glimpsed by ordinary people.
The methods of spiritual practice are mostly related to visualization, mental concentration, Qi Ingestion, sacrifices, and the Incense and Fire Prayer Power. Some also involve the use of external alchemy and talismans.
Formation Art support.
But the fundamental aspect still lies in the strengthening and purification of the Divine Soul.
Qi Yun closed the incomplete copy of "Records of Nourishing the Spirit and Calming the Mind," which contained a very basic "Bright Moon Illuminating the Spirit Visualization Method."
It's crude and simple, but the principle is clear.
He closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind and focus his attention on the Purple Mansion a point on the lower abdomen) according to the method described.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, a look of understanding flashing in them.
"As expected—cultivation in this world values spirit over qi."
Or rather, their "qi" is more inclined towards the outward manifestation and concentration of spiritual energy.
"The starting point is different from the path of my Xuanhuang Realm, which involves absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and establishing a foundation for enlightenment."
"Restricted by the Heaven's Will, I cannot use the Xuanhuang Law Technique and Divine Ability."
However, the Dao Foundation [Great Luo Heaven] is of supreme and unparalleled quality, encompassing all laws, and its nurturing and control over the Divine Soul is one of its foundations.
Using this method as a starting point, it should be feasible.
"Moreover, the [Fruition Status] lost by Desolate Halberd True Lord must be deeply related to the cultivation system of this world."
To ultimately obtain it, one would likely need to delve deeply into the cultivation path of this realm, and might even need to reach a considerable level of attainment.
He gazed into the deep night outside the mountain god temple, his eyes unfathomable.
The exploration of Clear Source County ends here.
The information here is too superficial; at most, it's just a rumor about the "Object Manipulation" realm.
He needs to travel to more prosperous places with more complete cultivation traditions to obtain higher-level Cultivation Method and contact higher-level cultivators in order to truly understand the cultivation patterns of this world and prepare for seizing [the Fruition Status].
It's time to leave this remote border town.