Liu Hong said, “Qingshan is cultivating, don’t disturb him!”
Yan Song said, “Little Dragon, you also have to cultivate very carefully. You don’t have the talent to directly refine qi, but as long as you break through to the innate realm by transforming internal strength into true qi, then it ‘s very easy to break through to the second level of qi refining. It’ s not certain you’ll be worse than others.”
Li Qingshan had done in that hall master Wu, so Liu Hong had again humbly requested Yan Song to take Dragon Li with him to Clear River City so he could go study martial arts in the Iron Fist Gate’s headquarters. Liu Hong wouldn’t have spent such a big price in order to curry favor with Yan Song otherwise.
Dragon Li said in solemn respect, “Yes, protector!”
The three of them looked at door of the cultivation room, different thoughts going through their minds.
Roosters sang and daylight shone upon the world. An entire night had gone by before Li Qingshan opened his eyes. He silently sensed the true qi flowing inside his body with a burst of happiness. He finally cultivated to the first layer of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets].
This didn’t actually mean that he could easily complete this technique. It was harder the higher you went no matter the skill. The time and effort needed also presented a geometric increase.
It was unfortunate he’d entirely eaten the spiritual pills whose names he didn’t know that Halfmoon had given him. Otherwise he was confident he could have completed the first three layers of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] with a single pill, and even unblock the Yang Heel meridian then breaking through to the second layer of qi refining.
The road of cultivation was still inseparable from the four words “Wealth Companion Law Place1.” Wealth was first, but this wealth wasn’t silver or gold but spiritual pills and immortal herbs. No matter the supernatural skill, the essence always consisted of gathering spiritual qi in the process. One had to eat one’s fill to train in martial arts. One had to feed one’s belly with qi to cultivate. External pills were an absolutely essential help.
Natural talent and comprehension ability were also very important, but it was entirely impossible to immediately achieve great progress in skills and power after mere enlightenment, except for a very deep acc.u.mulation already stored beforehand.
Even a weak true qi was crucial for him however. He took out the [Cursive Sword Script] and injected true qi inside. The [Cursive Sword Script] indeed accepted the true qi. Although it didn’t end up shooting out even a single brush stroke, it was still a great encouragement for him.
That meant he could trigger and use the several talismans he had on him. The greatest difference between humans and animals was the ability to use tools and build things. Monsters and demons strengthened their own bodies, whereas humans drew support from external tools. They couldn’t directly attract the spiritual qi between heaven and earth, but they could refine pills and medicines. They didn’t have a powerful body, so they manufactured spiritual devices and talismans.
This was humankind’s power. Li Qingshan had to use such advantages the best he could. Moreover he couldn’t do without such power if he ever wanted to open that Sumeru ring from Soaring Dragon Elder. He again sat in mediation for a spell and recovered the formerly consumed true qi.
He groped out that finger ring and put it on his middle finger. He injected true qi inside. He knew he probably couldn’t open it yet, but good or bad he still had to give it a try.
The true qi sank like flowing water into the ring and revolved inside, then flowed back to Li Qingshan’s body. The ring naturally didn’t show the slightest sign of opening, but what made him dumbstruck was that the innate true qi he’d painstakingly managed to cultivate had been cut down to less than a half in the turn of an eye. That wasn’t the same as being consumed by the [Cursive Sword Script], which could be restored. This was a loss of strength.
He’d been forcibly kicked down from the first layer of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. But the true qi left over had become very pure, like a great muddy river turning into a limpid stream. The quant.i.ty had lessened but the quality had greatly improved. The speed at which it circulated had also suddenly gone up a notch.
Moreover the more turbid the true qi was, the harder it was to break through to a new realm. It was very easy then to be struck at a bottleneck. Many qi refining warriors had to harden their wills and temper their true qi bit by bit just like the tempering of iron, in order to break through. But this Sumeru ring had directly helped him temper the impure iron into fine steel without requiring an ounce of energy from his part. Countless qi refining warriors and even cultivators of a higher realm would yearn for such a treasure inside their dreams.
Li Qingshan hadn’t expect the Sumeru ring would even have such a function apart from storage.
This should be a good thing probably! But Li Qingshan’s face was actually filled with a bitter smile. Was it easy for him to painstakingly cultivate this little bit of true qi? Not only he had to be exploited by the monster core, he also had to go through the ring’s honing. It would simply be the death of him. It was much the same feeling as struggling for several decades and then returning overnight to the same situation before liberation2.
Li Qingshan heaved a heavy sigh. He knew this was actually the correct choice. He would waste some time now, but then save a lot of time in the future. For the great majority of people, their time wasn’t wasted on cultivation but when stuck in a bottleneck, unable to advance an inch further.
Just like protector Yan. He’d already reached the second layer of qi refining long long ago, but no matter how he couldn’t break through to the third level. He was stuck at this juncture. He’d wanted for so many years to temper and purify his true qi, but he didn’t have this ability even if he had the will. The true qi transformed from internal strength was truly too impure.
Li Qingshan closed his eyes and once against started to cultivate. However he didn’t take the ring off this time.
Yan Song was already done selecting the disciples and was ready to set off, but he couldn’t catch sight of Li Qingshan even until deep into the night. He knocked several times on the door, but there was no answer.
Liu Hong said, “Could something have happened?” But he was actually thinking, could protector Yan have deliberately given him a problematic set of qi refining secrets to set a trap and lead Li Qingshan into suffering deviations.
Yan Song frowned tight, also unaware of the reason. If he hadn’t heard Li Qingshan’s extremely mild and long breathing, he would simply have suspected Li Qingshan of suffering from deviations and dying already.
Refining qi was the same as doing other things. One had to pay attention and strike a balance between work and rest all the same, keep control of the right measure of tension and relaxation. It wasn’t just better the longer you kept at it. Otherwise it would not only be useless but even harmful instead.
He didn’t remind Li Qingshan of this point because one would be aware of it even more keenly during the process of cultivation. The results from refining qi would increasingly worsen along with the pa.s.sage of time. The spirit would also become increasingly exhausted and burned out. Moreover true qi was also extracted from the body’s primordial source. It needed the replenishment from food and drinks, otherwise it would be like a river without a source, a tree without roots.
Li Qingshan had indeed encountered such a problem, but he’d instead turned to the the cultivation of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. The spirit turtle sank into the abysses of the seas and slept for thousand years, but actually swallowed the spiritual qi of the world at all time. Sitting in meditation wasn’t something that exhausted Li Qingshan; it was the same as cultivating while sleeping instead.
His thoughts flashed. He once again revolved the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]. It was very difficult at the beginning, and the slightest carelessness would break him away from his state of meditation, screeching the cultivation of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] to a halt. But he gradually mastered the knack of it and turned the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] into a sort of instinct. It was the same as someone being still able to continuously breathing even when they slept. This wasn’t because of any cleverness on Li Qingshan’s part, but because this supernatural skill was truly too profound, far surpa.s.sing his imagination.
Afterward he felt himself in a kind of state both asleep and awake. He circulated the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]; it was equivalent to two supernatural skills from both demons and humans revolving inside his body at the same time.
Li Qingshan discovered that the monster core wasn’t so greedy for true qi in such a state. It would leave behind a greater part of the fruits of his labor for him.
The cultivation speed of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] also reached an unprecedented peak in such a state. How formidable was the primordial source of his body? Not eating nor drinking for several days was simply not a great problem for him at all.
For a full three days and three nights, Li Qingshan didn’t rest and didn’t sleep, didn’t eat and didn’t drink, fully submerged inside his cultivation. Finally he once again opened his eyes after forcibly cultivating the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] back to the first layer.
He heaved a long sigh and felt the fiercely hunger in his belly. He once again took out the [Cursive Sword Script] and injected an incomparably pure true qi inside. A stroke had already lit up even before the true qi became fully exhausted, then a beam of sword qi shot out.
Earlier he’d seemed to be tossing damp logs inside the stove; it had been very difficult to ignite a fire. But now what he was using was high level charcoal. It burned easily and provided a great amount of heat.
Two Iron Fist Gate disciples stood guard outside the door. They suddenly felt a chill behind their backs. They looked each other said said, “Are you feeling a little cold?” “Really a bit cold. It’s a sunny summer day though.”
Li Qingshan took back the [Cursive Sword Script] and took off the Sumeru ring, once again hanging it in front of his chest. Then he stood up and opened the door. The sunlight was harsh on his eyes.
“Young hero Li, you finally came out!” said an Iron Fist Gate disciple. The other rushed out to transmit the news.
Yan Song and Liu Hong rushed over in not long of a time.
Liu Hong said, “Qingshan, you came out? I even thought something had happened to you, and was almost going to break inside several times.”
Li Qingshan said with a laugh, “My apologies, this technique protector Yan gave me is truly too profound. I was absorbed in trying to comprehend it and forgot the time.”
Yan Song said, “Were you really refining qi? How many layers have you cultivated to?”
Li Qingshan said, “I just cultivated to the first layer.”
Yan Song said, “This can’t be said to be slow.” But it could definitely not be said to be fast either. The first layer of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] was the simplest one. He’d seen with his own eyes children with special talents cultivate to the first layer in only four hours. Of course Li Qingshan couldn’t be regarded as slow, but it was really unheard of to use three days the first time one refined qi.
Li Qingshan said, “I’ve made you all wait for a long time. Now we can depart!”
Liu Hong fished out a stack of silver bills and handed them to Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan had came knocking at their doors to demand repayment to begin with.
Li Qingshan said, “Gate master Liu is looking down on me now. Protector Yan has been so generous, how can I be a petty man. There’s no need to mention the matter of money again.” He’d never been willing to owe anyone in the slightest in his whole life. His heart and mind could only be at ease if no debt were owed. That set of [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] wasn’t any extraordinary secret collection of supernatural skills, but it was extremely important for him. It was worth it obtaining it even one day earlier.
Liu Hong was happy inside. Of course he couldn’t make Yan Song hand over the money he’d gifted to him. These were all actually from his retirement fund.
Yan Song was also admirative. He could disregard ten thousand taels of silver with a faint smile. It wouldn’t be much if he were a n.o.ble son of a wealthy family, but it was truly too rare for a young man like him who’d come from the mountains. This kid had an innate spirited boldness that was out of the ordinary. It was no wonder someone would recognize his worth and take a fancy to him.
Li Qingshan finally gathered two thousand taels worth of silver notes as travel expenses after declining several times.
When Li Qingshan came out of the Iron Gate Sect, he saw the previously always cold and cheerless Iron Fist Gate filled with gongs and rums clamoring to the skies, along with firecrackers crying in chorus. There were even teams of dragon and lion dancers3 surrounding the Iron Fist Gate so tight even water wouldn’t leak through. Of course it wasn’t for the sake of seeing Li Qingshan off.
Four children with reddened eyes were sent in front of Yan Song. They were the chosen children who had the opportunity to leave this tiny Suncheer City and reach a vaster world. But at the same time they were leaving the land of their births, leaving their loved ones far behind.
Li Qingshan crossed his arms and watched on the sidelines. He suddenly heard someone call his name. He turned his head and saw Village Chief Li and Steward Liu also inside the crowd, with the two brothers Tiger Li and Panther Li beside them. There were even several villagers from Crouching Bull Village behind them.
1. As a reminder this is a Daoist saying about the things needed for cultivation. Namely wealth for resources, companions to cultivate with, techniques/scriptures to follow after and a place to cultivate in.
2. “Struggling for several decades and then returning overnight to the same situation before liberation”: A sentence which references the household-responsibility system introduced by Deng Xiaoping starting from 1978, which held individuals responsible for profits and losses and was seen as a quasi private ownership system, instead of the egalitarian system where the state a.s.sumed all profits and losses. Google tells me this is a sentence written by a journalist at the time. Some communists felt they’d struggled for decades to finally see communism’s victory, but then things returned to the same (as in the return of “private ownership”) as before the communist liberation in a single night.
3. Dragon and lion dances are those people you see dancing while wearing dragon and lion costumes during Chinese festivals, especially the new lunar year.