Dui White Pure Metal Sha

The Central Palace of Yuanhuai Heaven had once been where the relatives of the Grotto-Heaven's cultivators lived and raised families. Over the course of several centuries, they had become a force that could not be underestimated.

In particular, the master of the Grotto-Heaven had never returned to their place, and the Weak Water Dao Fruit remained suspended on high. When the last Divine Core cultivator died in battle in the Six Realms, all of Yuanhuai Heaven fell into chaos.

The prominent clans of those relatives who had once depended on the Grotto-Heaven began entertaining thoughts they should not have had. The chaos only gradually subsided after True Lord Chengyue ascended to the Green Water Dao Fruit and took charge of Yuanhuai Heaven.

Now, aside from Luyu Port, which was used for commercial development, most of the Central Palace was under the academy faction's control. Only a small corner had been left for those remnants of the old order to reminisce about the past.

Lin Tongjiang was a Kan Water Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator, True Person Chonghuan's eldest disciple, and Jiang Wangxuan's teaching assistant.

It was an awkward situation. Six years ago, Luyu University had no teachers who cultivated Grand Yin, and neither did the Grotto-Heaven.

After great difficulty, they had recruited a promising Grand Yin cultivator with a Spirit Aperture at the brow, yet they could not put together a team of teachers to guide and protect him.

This troubled True Person Chonghuan, who had no choice but to bring his eldest disciple back from cultivating in the Grotto-Heaven to serve personally as Jiang Wangxuan's teaching assistant.

With a personal disciple of Luyu University's president overseeing matters, Jiang Wangxuan was granted extensive privileges at the university. Some of the school's old hands had grumbled at first, believing that True Person Chonghuan was using Grand Yin's name to let his own disciple grab power on a grand scale.

As Jiang Wangxuan's cultivation rose steadily, everyone stopped objecting. Grand Yin was precious, and he was only drawing on resources for the Qi Refining Stage, which did not exceed regulations, so they let it be.

After finishing a day of reviewing documents, Lin Tongjiang glanced at his contact list and learned that Jiang Wangxuan was already waiting downstairs with his younger sister.

Thinking of Jiang Wangxuan made Lin Tongjiang somewhat melancholy. It was bad enough that his master had seized on this pretext to drag him to the university as a workhorse; he also had to sit in the president's office and handle official business for him.

He had been told he was coming down to be a teaching assistant, but he barely saw his student a few times in half a year, and every meeting was to apply for a loan allowance on behalf of this Grand Yin student.

As Jiang Wangxuan's cultivation climbed layer by layer, the presence of Grand Yin about him grew stronger and stronger. Many of his fellow students, and the younger teachers, could not withstand its oppressive weight,

As a result, the boy lived like an ascetic at school, rather in the manner of an ancient cultivator.

Ever since Old Ancestor Qingheng established the Clear Ring Convention, the Dao Fruits' influence on the present world had been far weaker than in ancient times. Before antiquity, if a Water Virtue cultivator attained the Dao, it was commonplace for a great river that had appeared only in the primordial era to emerge out of thin air across the northern and southern lands.

But by the Qinghuan era, it had become very difficult to project the mighty power of these Dao Fruits directly into the present world. Instead, they exerted a powerful influence on cultivators who had embarked on the corresponding Dao Lineages.

The more closely a cultivator's practice matched a Dao Lineage's preferences, the more likely the cultivator was to win the Dao Fruit's favor. This phenomenon of the Dao Fruits' mighty power spilling over into cultivators only gradually disappeared once the cultivators entered the Foundation Establishment Realm.

It was not that the Dao Fruits stopped watching these Foundation Establishment cultivators. Rather, the immortal foundations the cultivators had forged were already capable of containing the Dao Fruits' connection to them, so it no longer manifested outwardly.

After Old Ancestor Qingheng established the convention, the Dao Fruits' connection to heaven and earth gradually weakened, while their connection to cultivators grew stronger by the day. For ordinary people in Qinghuan, this was a tremendous blessing.

No one wanted to be sleeping soundly at night only for a great river to appear from nowhere and flood their entire city, or for a canyon torn open from the depths of the earth to swallow up a good portion of a province.

Cultivators of the Grand Yin Dao Lineage had always been rare, and each one who appeared received at least some measure of attention from the Grand Yin Dao Fruit. Jiang Wangxuan had only just turned twenty and was already at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement; it was hard to say he had not gained Grand Yin's favor.

Lin Tongjiang stood up and looked out through the curtain wall at the sea of clouds. A glance down at the plaza beneath the administration building revealed a conspicuous young man and woman. The girl was pulling the delicate-looking young man into poses and asking nearby tourists to take their pictures.

Looking more closely, he saw that it really was Jiang Wangxuan. He had not expected the young man to have this side to him.

In Lin Tongjiang's impression, Jiang Wangxuan had a face beautiful enough to bring down cities and ruin kingdoms, but he always wore a poker face. Coupled with the powerful presence of Grand Yin about him, he naturally inspired awe at a glance.

Lin Tongjiang watched the siblings wander around the plaza below, playing and fooling around, and a faint smile appeared on his face. In the end, he was still just a boy who had only turned twenty.

Luyu University's administration building was not located in the blessed land below but stood in the Central Palace. It was a square-seal-shaped megastructure, with a courtyard at its center, that blended modern elements with the architectural aesthetics of the immortal Dao. It covered a thousand zhang and was strictly symmetrical along its central axis.

Golden Spirit Gathering Formation patterns were engraved across the vast marble plaza, while spiritual jade tiles were embedded in the ground, their faint light flowing by day. Panels of metal curtain wall bearing green-and-gold talismans were arranged vertically along the administration building's exterior. The megastructure's four wings enclosed the center, with several floating white jade corridors suspended in the air between them.

The entire building was suspended low in the air, its base engraved with a floating-cloud formation. It stood three zhang above the ground, with a sea of clouds surging beneath it.

After spending the afternoon sightseeing, Jiang Jinyi was tired from playing. She sat on a jade bench outside the plaza, formed a diamond with the thumbs and index fingers of both hands, and aimed it at the magnificent administration building.

"I came here once when I registered, but seeing it again still gives me quite a feeling."

Jiang Wangxuan braced himself so his sister could lean against him. "You'll get tired of it once you've seen it enough. It's huge and empty inside, and even taking care of a little errand can mean walking for ages. You can't use Law Techniques to get around in there, either. It's a real nuisance."

His sister shook her head. "That's what you call grandeur, what you call style. It shows Lüyu's spirit. Where else could you see an immortal megastructure like this? You can only see a sight like this in Xuantian."

"Hey, brother, have you been to Yuanhuai Grotto-Heaven? What does the Grotto-Heaven look like?" Jiang Jinyi suddenly asked.

A deep voice abruptly sounded beside the siblings. "The Grotto-Heaven is actually much as your brother described: huge and empty. It's a True Lord's Daoist sanctuary, with strict rules and clear distinctions of rank. It's nowhere near as relaxed as the Central Palace or the university."

Having finished a day of doing someone else's work, Lin Tongjiang had come downstairs and walked silently up to the siblings.

At his first glimpse of Jiang Wangxuan, his steps faltered slightly. When had the boy reached Qi Refinement Perfection? Hadn't it only been a few months since he broke through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement?

Seeing his teaching assistant's reaction, Jiang Wangxuan naturally knew that the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator had noticed his breakthrough. He patted Jiang Jinyi, then bowed respectfully.

Although Teaching Assistant Lin could not help him much with his cultivation, he had arranged everything in his life to perfection. Over the past six years, Jiang Wangxuan had received many kindnesses from him.

"Teaching Assistant Lin, sorry for catching you here."

Lin Tongjiang chuckled and patted Jiang Wangxuan on the shoulder. "Wangxuan, I'm quite happy that you came looking for me of your own accord. Otherwise, wouldn't I have too little presence as your teaching assistant?"

"This is your younger sister Jiang Jinyi, isn't it?"

Jiang Jinyi solemnly gave the Foundation Establishment lord a disciple's bow. "Lüyu's Metal Virtue, Jiang Jinyi pays her respects, my lord."

With his left hand behind his back and his right arm across his chest, Lin Tongjiang calmly accepted the new student's bow. "Eighteen years old, in the full bloom of youth, the very season of sunshine. Jinyi, while you're at Lüyu, think more, learn more, play more, and enjoy yourself more. Don't follow your brother's example and become an ascetic."

"Ah!"

Jiang Jinyi raised her head and looked at the Foundation Establishment lord. He was very different from the Foundation Establishment expert she had imagined; he seemed far too approachable. She hurriedly replied, "Yes! Jinyi will heed your instruction, my lord."

"All right, now that we've exchanged greetings, there's no need to be so formal. My surname is Lin, and my given name is Tongjiang. According to the Grotto-Heaven's rules, I haven't received a Daoist title yet. Jinyi, just call me Teaching Assistant Lin, like your brother does."

Jiang Jinyi did not quite dare agree and turned to her brother for help, but Jiang Wangxuan nodded at her. "Since our teacher has said so, naturally we should do as he asks."

Only then did she change how she addressed him and call him Teaching Assistant Lin. Then she found herself smiling again. How wonderful—she had met another Foundation Establishment mighty figure.

Lin Tongjiang was dazzled by her smile. On the surface, the siblings had completely opposite dispositions.

"Since Jinyi has called me her assistant, I can't very well be stingy, can I?"

With that, Lin Tongjiang took a jade box from his Storage Bag. It was crystalline and transparent, and a stream of pure white Qi flowed inside.

The Qi was as fine as silkworm silk, its color like the first Autumn Frost, its substance like cold iron yet to be forged. Its light did not shine, nor did its sharpness show; only at its tip did a faint glimmer of cold silver appear. Jiang Jinyi recognized this strand of "Dui White Pure Metal Sha" at a glance.

"Jinyi is currently at Fetal Breathing Perfection, and the method she received from Huaqi was the 'Dui Metal Aperture Heart Qi Gathering Formula.' This formula ranks at the sixth grade, and the Cultivation Method covers everything from Embryonic Breathing to Qi Refinement Perfection. It is a fundamental method of the [Dui Metal] path, and this 'Dui White Solemn Metal Sha' is the best Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for breaking through to Qi Refinement with it."

Lin Tongjiang smiled as he went on, "Knowing that Jinyi hadn't reached Qi Refinement when she came to Lüyu, I made a point of looking out for this and preparing it. I nearly missed it. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi a cultivator takes to break through to the Qi Refining Stage is extremely important. It concerns the foundation of their entire future Dao Path, so they must never be careless or settle for less."

"The 'Western Marsh White Sha' the university arranged for you is certainly good, a superior-grade Qi, but it's still a tier below this 'Dui White Pure Metal Sha' of mine."

"Jinyi, here. This is a greeting gift from your teacher. Get yourself into good condition as soon as you can, then take this Sha Qi to break through to Qi Refinement."

Jiang Jinyi stood rooted to the spot. She had only ever seen information about "Dui White Pure Metal Sha" in ancient texts. Very little of it remained in the world, making it a treasure that had a price but no market.

Such precious Spiritual Qi had appeared right before her eyes, and all she had to do was reach out and respectfully accept it to obtain this incomparably rare Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

But Jiang Jinyi did not dare. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi needed to break through from Embryonic Breathing to Qi Refinement was not like the pills needed for ordinary cultivation. Although the price was not exceptionally high, every strand of precious Spiritual Qi had an owner behind it.

Ordinary Aristocratic Clans would begin planning early and prepare suitable Spiritual Qi as soon as a Spirit Aperture was detected in one of their children. When Jiang Jinyi learned that Luyu University had prepared "Western Marsh White Sha" for her, she had been so happy that she had hardly slept well for a week at home.

Now, faced with this "Dui White Pure Metal Sha," what standing did she have to dare accept it?

"Wangxuan thanks you, my lord."

After his teacher brought out the Spiritual Qi, Jiang Wangxuan's heart had been far from calm. He had indeed asked Teaching Assistant Lin beforehand to find a strand of Spiritual Qi more suitable for his sister's breakthrough to the Qi Refining Stage, but he had never imagined that his assistant would bring out such a treasure.

He could only say that Teaching Assistant Lin was indeed a cultivator from the Grotto-Heaven. How could an ordinary person obtain Spiritual Qi like this?

But Lin Tongjiang caught Jiang Wangxuan's arm as he was about to make a deep bow. "This strand of Spiritual Qi isn't worth such a grand gesture from you, Jiang Wangxuan. Besides, it's for Jinyi. What does it have to do with you?"

With that, he pressed the jade box into Jiang Jinyi's arms, then took the girl by the wrist and made sure she was holding the "Dui White Pure Metal Sha" securely.

"Go back and take good care of yourself. Your 'Dui Metal Aperture Heart Qi Gathering Instruction' is slow to cultivate to begin with, but it carries great weight, though you haven't realized it yourself. Once you break through to the Qi Refining Stage, a teacher will give you careful instruction. Jinyi, you can go back for now. Your brother and I will talk a little longer."

"Yes!" Jiang Jinyi looked up with tears in her eyes at the teacher she had just met and at her brother. After bowing to each of them, she hugged the precious jade box, wiped away her tears, and turned to run back.

Many years later, Lin Tongjiang would often remember the sight of that young girl running toward the setting sun. Only by then, he could no longer easily share that memory called youth with others.