Chapter 26: Where Is the Immortal Art?
Li Yan had no idea that his appearance alongside Dong Fuyi in the Sea of Consciousness, though seemingly a long conversation, had in fact occurred in an extrely short span of ti, since it was purely a matter of consciousness exchange.
If Dong Fuyi hadn’t spent such a long ti using his spiritual power to extend Li Yan’s life and heal his injuries, their conversation might have been completed in just a few dozen breaths.
While Li Yan was still in a daze of doubt and suspicion, he suddenly felt his body lighten, the presence that felt like a watchful eye had vanished.
Strategist Ji withdrew his divine sense, steadied his mind, and smiled at Li Yan.
“Li Yan, you have completed the cleansing ridian step of our sect’s secret thod. You have now officially entered the first level of the Wood Yin Art. I am very pleased with your performance. Go and rest for now.
After lunch, co to , and I will formally teach you the incantation and heart thod for the first layer of the Wood Yin Art.”
After saying this, he looked directly at Li Yan.
Hearing these words, Li Yan first froze, then a joyful expression spread across his face. He pushed off the ground with both hands, stood up, and bowed deeply to the Strategist Ji.
“Thank you, teacher. I’ll go back and change my clothes first!”
A faint trace of gratitude flickered in his gaze. Then, with light steps, he turned and headed toward his stone room.
Strategist Ji watched Li Yan's departing figure, slowly withdrawing his gaze, a complex look flashing through his eyes. He stood there for a while longer before turning and heading back to his own quarters.
As Li Yan walked toward his stone hut, he once again felt that invisible eye staring at him from behind, like a thorn in his back. Only after a short while did that feeling finally dissipate.
Yet, just like before turning around, he kept a smiling face and walked lightly into the stone hut.
After entering, Li Yan casually shut the stone door behind him. His expression imdiately darkened. Now he knew that even the stone hut and door could not block that wisp of divine sense from Strategist Ji.
Nevertheless, after entering, he felt much more at ease in his mind. He also confird that the divine sense had indeed been withdrawn.
Looking at his drenched clothes, he recalled the gentle voice and warm smile of Strategist Ji when he opened his eyes earlier, and couldn’t help but feel a tightness in his chest. A cold sneer surfaced in his heart.
'Do you really care about that much? You’re just afraid this ‘pig’ might die too soon and be a waste of your investnt!
Otherwise, how could you let a person with such a weak body lie soaked on the ground for half an hour, when we’re already approaching late autumn?
Hmph! Or were you afraid the fire poison in my body hadn’t been fully suppressed and used cold water to keep pressing it down?
All that talk before about joining the sect without complicated rituals, the made-up story about ‘Woodshadow Sect,’ the detailed introductions to the major sects and martial realms in the current martial world, was all just to make believe you’re a noble recluse passing down a martial arts secret manual. Truly ticulous! Even the tiny details were faked so well. A deception so thorough it could kill without the victim even realizing it.'
But no matter how perfect a lie is, it will always have flaws. Li Yan recalled that when he first joined Strategist Ji’s sect, after kowtowing, the teacher had imdiately wanted to teach him the “Breathing Guidance Technique,” which had left him montarily stunned.
Even in private schools, a new student would at least be taught the basic rules of the school first, how much more so for a sect.
Upon entry, there had been no ntion of sect rules or regulations. At the ti, Strategist Ji had seed almost desperate, as if he couldn’t wait to make Li Yan learn.
Thinking back now, it was clear the man was cunning beyond asure, but he had still slipped up slightly. Li Yan had only realized all this in hindsight.
Looking again at his soaked state, he now also slled a nauseating stench.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed sothing black and greasy clinging beneath his clothes, vaguely visible through the water stains. Confused, he undressed and was imdiately stunned.
His body beneath his clothes was completely covered in a layer of sticky, black, oily substance, as though soone had slathered him in crude oil. It was emitting a foul odor.
What Li Yan didn’t know was that upon reaching the first level of the Qi Condensation stage, the spiritual energy in his body had forced out impurities and waste through his pores. He thought it was so kind of toxin expelled with Dong Fuyi’s help.
This greasy filth clinging to his body made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.
When Li Yan opened the door again, he had already returned with a smile, fetching so hot water. After a simple wash, he imdiately felt refreshed and clear-headed, his body light and comfortable.
He changed into clean clothes, then sat cross-legged on the wooden bed in the room, eyes half-closed, as though consolidating his cultivation.
Of course, Li Yan wasn’t cultivating at this mont. Sitting upright cross-legged, he now felt that in addition to his senses being several tis sharper than before, the ‘internal energy’ in his body had grown incomparably thicker, though he now understood this was spiritual power.
Previously, while practicing the “Breathing Guidance Technique,” he had already felt his body lightening and his senses sharpening. But never had the world around him felt this vividly clear.
Inside his body, he felt more at ease than ever, as if every drop of blood was dancing and surging joyfully. Though he still couldn’t examine his internal state directly, he could feel it clearly.
He rembered what Dong Fuyi had said, that the fire poison still resided in his body, and he should no longer cultivate the “Wood Yin Art.” Instead, it should be the “Dark Night Cyan Curtain Technique,” otherwise the fire poison would be triggered again.
With a focused thought, he cautiously began running the “Dark Night Cyan Curtain Technique” incantation and his face imdiately changed.
At first, he had only intended to verify Dong Fuyi’s words, and partly out of youthful curiosity, had wanted to circulate spiritual energy along the technique’s path.
But to his shock, the mont he moved his spiritual energy along the route outlined in the technique, before it could even flow through his ridians, a wave of scorching heat erupted from a corner of his dantian.
In the next instant, it roared like a beast that had slled blood, raging and boiling as though it would burst from his body. Terrified, Li Yan imdiately halted the technique.
Even so, it took a long ti before the turbulent spiritual energy in his dantian slowly cald down, and the wave of intense heat in that corner gradually faded until he could no longer sense it.
Only then did Li Yan finally let out a long breath and thought to himself:
“So Dong Fuyi was telling the truth. The fire poison is truly suppressed and entrenched in my dantian. That ans the ‘Guishui True Scripture’ in my Sea of Consciousness is also real. But… how do I access the Sea of Consciousness?”
For soone like him with no foundation in cultivation, it was like being lost in a fog.
“Could it be by directing spiritual energy to the Baihui acupoint? No… that would involve spiritual power again.
And the only thod I know for controlling spiritual energy is the ‘Dark Night Cyan Curtain Technique.’ Wouldn’t that be asking for death? Is it through focused ditation? Or is there so other way to trigger divine sense?”
A mont later, he shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Since Dong Fuyi said the immortal art was left in my Sea of Consciousness, and he also understands my current condition, then it clearly doesn’t involve spiritual energy. What am I thinking?
Besides, he clearly said the Sea of Consciousness is a space ford by ntal awareness, so it must be opened with thought alone. The Sea of Consciousness must be located in the brain area, either the crown of the head, forehead, or the back of the head. The possible areas to test aren’t that many.”
At that mont, Li Yan stopped overthinking. He began slowly regulating his breath, calming his heart and mind, and focused his consciousness on imagining the Baihui acupoint at the very center of his crown. After a while, seeing no response, he shifted his attention to the Shenting acupoint located at the top of his forehead.
Still, nothing happened. He didn’t get discouraged and again moved his focus from the top of his forehead to the space between his brows, intending to examine the Yintang point.
But just as his awareness moved to the center of his forehead, before even reaching the Yintang acupoint, he suddenly felt his vision blur, and a dizzying rush of images flashed before his eyes.
Before Li Yan could react, the images stopped. He stood there, stunned.
Because he had once again arrived in that sa space where he’d t Dong Fuyi. Beneath his feet was the sa black lake; above his head, the sky was still pitch dark.
The lake remained still, no wind, no ripples, utterly silent as if he had never left and had always been here. He continued to float above the lake just like before.
He imdiately understood where he was. Dong Fuyi had said this place was his Sea of Consciousness, if not here, then where else? It wasn’t like he could have multiple Seas of Consciousness.
He looked around. The surroundings were a gray haze, completely empty. A single glance took in everything. There was nothing here, no books, no techniques.
Li Yan didn’t believe Dong Fuyi would go through all the trouble to save his life just to lie to him. He figured he simply hadn’t found it yet. But the truth was, there really was nothing here.
Thinking to explore farther, the mont that thought ford, his body flew forward. Startled, he lost control and wobbled in mid-air before finally stopping.
He had tried to move in this Sea of Consciousness before, but back then, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take a single step or shift his position.
Now, just a thought had sent him flying forward, how could he not be shocked?
After calming himself, he tried once again to move forward using only his inten, and once more, he floated forward. Thinking of accelerating, he willed it and he sped up.
This discovery made him a little excited. He began flying around as if playing, his movents becoming more agile: zigzagging left and right, soaring up and down, having a grand ti.
After a long while, Li Yan ca to a stop mid-air, slowly calming his excitent, thinking to himself:
“Flying feels amazing, so fast, no need to walk around twisty paths. If only I could really fly in the real world…”
Thinking this made him feel a bit reluctant to leave. He liked this feeling, this freedom.
Everyone dreams of flying freely like a bird through the skies, but for most, it remains just that, a dream.
Li Yan stood there for a while, his eyes gradually brightening.
Immortals...immortals can fly! After becoming immortal, not to ntion flying, even ascending to the heavens or diving underground is easy. At this mont, Li Yan found himself deeply yearning to cultivate.
If Dong Fuyi knew what he was thinking, he’d surely curse him out. Back then, Dong Fuyi had tried to convince him that cultivating led to longevity, but all Li Yan wanted was to return ho and live as an ordinary person.
And now, the reason he wanted to cultivate was simply because flying was fun? That reason was truly enough to make anyone speechless.
Soon, Li Yan pushed aside those thoughts. Right now, the most urgent task was to find the Guishui Immortal Sect's technique.
Half a cup of tea’s ti later, Li Yan stopped mid-air. This space wasn’t very large, only about five or six hundred zhang, shaped like a half-sphere. Besides the small circular lake in the center, everything else was a misty gray.
The ground was a bluish-gray color, and the sky was dark and gloomy. When he flew to the edges, he found an invisible force that prevented him from going any further, no matter how hard he tried.
He flew around searching, occasionally landing to tap and check different spots. Ti passed slowly, but he found nothing.
“I’ve searched every corner of these few hundred zhang. Any place that seed suspicious, I’ve already checked. But there’s still no sign of any immortal scriptures. Where are they hiding?”
Monts later, he suddenly slapped his forehead and cursed himself, “Idiot!”
The most obvious place in this space was the central lake. Was he seriously overlooking what was right under his nose? Realizing this, he quickly flew toward the center.
Soon, he reached the area above the small lake. Looking down, the surface was calm and still, the black water like an abyss, seemingly bottomless.
“Could it be… I have to dive into the lake? If that’s the case, that old man’s really got a sense of humor!”
Helpless, Li Yan began descending toward the lake, hoping it wasn’t too deep.
But as he neared the surface, an invisible force blocked his feet. He couldn’t go in at all.
The surface of the lake was like a smooth, black mirror. He could only stand on it, it didn’t allow him to sink even an inch.
Li Yan imdiately felt a headache coming on, extrely frustrated. This was the only spot that gave him the feeling sothing might be hidden here, and now he couldn’t even enter it. Was he just supposed to stare at this mirror-like lake forever?
“A mirror-like lake…”
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Li Yan. He looked again at the lake beneath his feet. Unfortunately, he still saw nothing. The dark surface reflected only his scowling face.
After standing there a bit longer, he abruptly flew upward. Once he reached a point above the lake, he narrowed his eyes and focused his consciousness downward at the lake’s surface.
The mont his spiritual awareness touched the surface, the pitch-black mirror-like water lit up in dazzling golden light. Countless characters floated up in dense patterns.
Li Yan was overjoyed, but before he could even get a clear look, his spiritual awareness collapsed, and the golden words disappeared instantly.
Hovering mid-air, Li Yan let out a long breath of relief. Finally, he found it.
Steeling himself, he once again focused his spiritual awareness down toward the lake’s surface. Sure enough, countless rows of tiny golden characters reappeared. On the far right side of the lake, four large golden words glowed brightly: True Scripture of Guishui.
Right next to it, arranged vertically, were rows upon rows of slightly smaller golden characters. Knowing his spiritual awareness was weak, Li Yan didn’t dare waste a mont and imdiately began reading carefully.
(Chapter End)
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