Chapter 25: Awakening
At this point, Li Yan completely understood what had happened to him. This was the final result of the gray-robed elder's painstaking efforts and willingness to waste ti explaining everything.
He recalled that mont when he had regained consciousness, and the elder told him not to open his eyes, he now understood the reason.
Had he woken up and opened his eyes at that mont, he would have instinctively sat cross-legged and begun refining the dicinal energy, which would have imdiately triggered the suppressed fire poison in his body to erupt once more.
Where would he find another stroke of luck, another person with mystical powers like this gray-robed elder to save him again? If things had gone differently, today would have been his second senseless death.
Thinking of this, Li Yan felt lingering fear in his heart.
By now, the elder’s figure had beco misty and faint, even his voice had turned hazy and unsteady.
“All right, having said so much, I trust you now understand why I saved you, don’t you?”
Li Yan raised his head and looked at the increasingly illusory elder, and nodded softly.
“Of course I understand. I must be the person with the correct spiritual root that you’ve been searching for, the one suitable for the Guishui Immortal Sect.”
From the mont the elder began speaking about the five ancient sects searching for soone with a special spiritual root constitution, Li Yan had already guessed it. It wasn’t difficult to piece together.
“That’s right. You are the one I’ve been searching for through endless ages. My strand of divine intent is also about to dissipate completely. I’ve already placed our sect’s cultivation technique, the ‘Guishui True Scripture’, into your sea of consciousness.
You’ll soon be able to sense its presence. It’s a complete set of immortal techniques, ranging from Qi Condensation all the way to the Mahayana Stage. However, you will only be able to view the techniques that match your current cultivation level.
Only as your cultivation level rises will you be able to unlock the corresponding chapters of the scripture. So for now, you’ll only see the Qi Condensation-level techniques. If you unfortunately perish, then this scripture will vanish along with you.”
At this point, the elder couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“Originally, if I had found you under normal circumstances, even with the little divine intent I have left, though I could no longer perform great magical techniques, accompanying you for a thousand years would have been no problem.
During that ti, I could’ve guided your cultivation step by step, helping you avoid detours.
Unfortunately, you already took a step into the gate of death. After realigning your ridians and suppressing the fire poison, the road ahead can only be walked by you alone. How far you can go… will depend on your own fate.”
Hearing this, Li Yan couldn’t help but murmur awkwardly:
“Immortal... senior, I… I don’t want to cultivate. I just want to return ho to my parents.”
Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder froze. In his understanding, cultivating immortality was sothing everyone longed for, and he had already spent so much precious ti explaining everything.
But then he snorted coldly.
“Hmph! You think you still have a choice?
If you don’t cultivate, then in a few years at most, the fire poison in your body will swell and grow stronger. Once it breaks the suppression, your death will be even more miserable.
Besides, after your initial cultivation and the dicinal guidance I just perford on your body, you’re already at the first level of Qi Condensation. You think your so-called ‘teacher’ will let you go now that you’re awake?
Sooner or later, he’ll extract your spiritual energy. The result won’t be any better than dying from poison. If you instead cultivate the immortal technique I gave you, you might at least have a fighting chance, and yet you say you don’t want to cultivate?”
Li Yan was stunned into silence. Monts ago, he had truly been thinking only of returning to his family, but he had completely ignored his current situation.
Just as the elder said, he was already on the tiger’s back and couldn’t get off. Not cultivating ans death, and only through continuing to cultivate did he have even a sliver of hope to survive.
Seeing Li Yan fall silent, the elder let out a cold laugh.
“Set aside those childish thoughts of yours. You should be thinking about how to survive.
With the poison in your body, if you can cultivate the Guishui True Scripture to the peak of the first level of Qi Condensation, you should be able to expel it. Once you read the scripture, you’ll understand this.
In the future, you should train more often by the pool, this will enhance your water-type spiritual root cultivation. Strategist Ji chose this valley as his residence not without reason. It’s the only place in the area with even a trace of spiritual energy.
That spiritual energy originates from deep within the pool. Beneath it, there’s likely a tiny spiritual energy eye, a small node where spiritual energy gathers. After dispersing, the energy lingers in the valley, allowing cultivation. Without it, none of you would be able to cultivate at all.
Of course, the amount of energy is minimal. The eye is small. Otherwise, this Great Qing Outpost wouldn’t still exist, it would’ve been seized long ago by a cultivation sect.
Another thing… and I don’t know whether this is a blessing or a curse, because your cultivation path used poison as its foundation, even though I’ve repaired your ridians, my power is too weak now. I cannot change the poisonous nature of your spiritual energy.
From now on, as your spiritual energy circulates throughout your body, the toxins will continue to grow, infiltrating your muscles and bones.
However, once you switch to cultivating the Guishui True Scripture, and reach the peak of the first level of Qi Condensation, this toxic energy can be refined and purged.
So for now, your concern should be how to properly cultivate the Guishui True Scripture, and how to escape. Everything else can only be considered after you get away.”
As he said this, the elder’s now faint, flickering voice carried a rare weight of seriousness. He too was worried: after all the effort to find a successor, if the boy died at the hands of a re Qi Condensation cultivator like Strategist Ji, that would be an unbearable humiliation.
Soone like Strategist Ji, once the elder could’ve annihilated him with a single thought. But now, he was utterly helpless to do anything about it.
Li Yan frowned deeply. It was just as the gray-robed elder said: his priority now had to be escaping from Strategist Ji alive.
The elder’s voice drifted once more into Li Yan’s ears:
“You probably have around one year. Whether you reach the peak of Qi Condensation’s first level or not, Strategist Ji will act by then.
The poison in his own body can only be suppressed for about a year at most.
But if you manage to train hard, and reach the peak of the first level, there may be a slight chance for a reversal… maybe even so… unexpected developnts. Hehehe…”
At this point, the elder’s now faint voice actually let out a sinister chuckle, but he said no more on the matter. Instead, he changed the topic:
“If you want to escape, you might consider seeking out Marshal Hong. He’s extrely interested in Strategist Ji’s so-called ‘martial arts.’
Moreover, I sensed another martial expert in the Marshal’s residence, soone not inferior to Hong Linying. Although neither of them alone can defeat Strategist Ji, together they might buy you so ti.
Also, you don’t need to worry about your parents and family for now. In fact, if you run away now, they will only beco your weakness. Strategist Ji won’t hesitate to use them as bait.
One last reminder, Strategist Ji has already learned several entry-level immortal techniques, including Wood Spike, Fireball, and Wind Blade. You’d best prepare yourself.
They may be basic spells, but immortal techniques are still immortal techniques. They’re not sothing mortals or rookie cultivators like you can withstand.”
As the elder spoke, he deliberately emphasized the words “martial arts,” but his voice had already grown extrely faint.
Li Yan was still confused by so parts of what the elder had said earlier, especially that sinister laugh and talk of “unexpected developnts.” But when he heard the ntion of Marshal Hong’s intentions, his eyes lit up.
He thought back to that day in the training ground and now understood why Marshal Hong had used inner energy to probe his body, he was clearly coveting Strategist Ji’s cultivation thods.
That… might really be a chance he could use.
But as for how to deal with Strategist Ji’s immortal techniques, for now, he had no idea. After all, those were true spells of the immortals…
"Alright, boy, I’d like to talk with you longer, but that’s no longer possible. Let’s hope my true body may et you again one day.
At the very least, you should show so respect and call out ‘Sect Master’!
Rember, this old man’s na is Floating Water Venerable, Dong Fuyi!"
As he spoke these words, the old man’s voice was already fading away, and his figure gradually transford into a mist of water droplets, dissolving into the air.
Li Yan, seeing the mist scatter into the sky, anxiously cried out:
“Old man! Old man, you haven’t told how to get out of here!”
But from the drifting mist, no reply ca. Li Yan couldn’t help but think to himself:
“Sect Master? What Sect Master? He didn’t even explain anything properly, and I sohow got dragged into joining so immortal sect. A sect that has no base, no support and now I’m its only disciple!”
“So where’s the cultivation thod? And how am I supposed to leave this sea of consciousness?”
While he was still lost in thought, the last of the mist completely dispersed. As it did, Li Yan suddenly felt his vision blur, and then a wave of dizziness struck, everything went pitch black.
His whole body felt slightly cold. He abruptly opened his eyes, only to be blinded by piercing sunlight, which forced him to imdiately shut them again.
At that mont, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Disciple, you’ve finally woken up! How are you feeling? Are you any better?”
Hearing this voice, Li Yan’s body instantly stiffened. After a brief pause, he slowly opened his eyes again.
The first thing he saw was a man in black robes, bending slightly to block the sunlight. A gentle and kindly face was gazing at him with concern, it was his master Strategist Ji.
Li Yan forced a strained smile. Glancing left and right, he quickly realized that he was soaked from head to toe, lying on the ground. He braced himself with one hand and slowly sat up.
He was still beside the water pool, the sun overhead was still angled slightly eastward, it was still morning. It seed as if not much ti had passed, yet in the “dream,” he had experienced what felt like a long conversation.
After a brief hesitation, Li Yan asked:
“Old... Teacher, I... what happened?”
Strategist Ji, seeing Li Yan awake, breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and gently replied:
“You had a problem during your cultivation, your ridians went awry during qi guidance, and you fell into the pool. I pulled you out just now. It’s been about half a tea's ti. You were unconscious all that while.
So I’ve been transferring spiritual energy to help heal you. Now that you’re awake, it seems... huh?”
As he spoke, he unconsciously swept his divine sense over Li Yan’s body and was startled. With Li Yan’s awakening, the aura around him was visibly changing and strengthening.
Not only that, but his once-swollen, twisted face was visibly returning to normal, slowly recovering. Strategist Ji instinctively scanned again and was shocked to see that Li Yan had already reached the first level of Qi Condensation!
For a mont, he was dazed. He gently shook his head, bewildered.
When he had pulled Li Yan from the water earlier, he had responded slightly to Ji’s initial injection of spiritual energy. But after a few more pulses, there had been no further reaction.
Li Yan’s breathing was normal, but when Strategist Ji used divine sense to examine him, his cultivation was still at the Qi-guiding stage, no sign of a breakthrough.
This had greatly disappointed him. Still, since the boy was alive, he could always try again. So he continued channeling spiritual energy into him, hoping to suppress the fire poison.
But Li Yan remained motionless, showing no sign of waking. Strategist Ji could only stand aside, watching and thinking, while ti ticked on. After about the ti it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Yan suddenly woke up on his own.
And now, after instinctively scanning him again, he had clearly reached Qi Condensation first level.
Had he been seeing things earlier?
He scanned again with divine sense. After all, no one here knew what divine sense was.
Monts later, even Strategist Ji’s calm expression broke into a delighted smile. Sure enough, it was real. Li Yan’s aura now matched that of soone newly stepping into Qi Condensation. His eyes also appeared sharper, clearer, and far brighter than before.
But then doubt once again crept into Strategist Ji’s heart. Just now, he had scanned Li Yan’s body several tis, why hadn’t he detected this?
Eventually, he brushed it off. After all, Li Yan had spent forty-nine days cultivating under his watchful eye. What problems could there be?
Perhaps the few pulses of spiritual energy he injected earlier had catalyzed the breakthrough. Or maybe the boy’s constitution was more unique than expected. Likely, he was just overthinking it.
The reason he hadn’t noticed earlier could be due to Li Yan's unstable aura while unconscious. Having just broken through, his energy had been too faint to detect. Now that he was awake, his aura was naturally starting to surface.
anwhile, Li Yan had clearly noticed sothing.
When Strategist Ji had spoken halfway and then suddenly paused with a “hm?”, Li Yan had felt a strange invisible force sweep over his body.
It was like a pair of invisible eyes peering through him, from top to bottom, inside and out. It made him feel utterly exposed, as if no part of him could remain hidden.
“Divine sense!”
The term flashed through his mind, he couldn’t help but think of it. The mont that realization surfaced, he could clearly feel those invisible eyes continuously scanning him.
It felt unreal, yet he could truly sense it. The discomfort was intense.
At the sa ti, he was shocked to discover that his senses had beco incredibly sharp. Without turning his head, he could hear fish swimming in the pool and the soft chirping of insects around the valley.
With the corner of his eye, he glanced at a patch of grass dozens of zhang away, and he saw dew droplets as clearly as if they were right in front of him, each glistening with dazzling clarity.
He could see ants crawling among the blades of grass and droplets, their antennae twitching under the morning sun.
Turning his gaze toward the water, he saw wisps of energy drifting above it, intertwining, distorting, expanding. He guessed this was the spiritual energy the elder Dong Fuyi ntioned, spreading from the pool.
'So… it really wasn’t a dream. I was in my own sea of consciousness!'
Li Yan now felt that everything he had just experienced, all of it was incredibly surreal.
And according to his “teacher,” he had only been unconscious for half a tea’s ti.
Yet, in that strange space, he had spoken with Dong Fuyi for what had to be at least an hour.
How could that be explained?
(Chapter End)
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