Chapter 102: Chapter 85: Breaking Through to Level 6 and Reciting a Poem Again, Requesting the Celestial Book to Reveal Dao Wisdom

Several days went by in a flash. The snow fell ever heavier, snapping the branches of the holly tree in the courtyard.

The peaks of the Outer Sect were quiet. Most of the Mortal Servants lingering on the mountain huddled in their shacks, unwilling to venture out.

That night, the moon was clear and splendid, its pure light scattering down from on high. It illuminated the deep snow, making the world exceptionally bright.

Jiang Yi sat upright in his Quiet Chamber. He had deliberately left the doors open, allowing the cold wind to pour in from all directions, yet he felt no chill at all.

’I beg the Celestial Book, show me the day of my breakthrough to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.’

Tadpole-like characters, small as raindrops, leaped onto the golden paper and delivered their verdict.

“Looks like tonight’s the night.”

Jiang Yi understood now, and he felt the timing was right.

He quickly calculated the date. The Great Cold had passed; spring would arrive in fifteen days at most.

With the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer and the backing of Elder Sui, a position in the Inner Peak was already in the bag. His real concern now was standing out too much and attracting the secret attention of some High Cultivator.

Fortunately, the Qianji Sect wasn’t large. Aside from Sui Liushu, who was stuck at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, there was only the Sect Leader, Liu Huan, at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer. Only these two could be considered half-step High Cultivators.

Out on the Beimang Ridge, not just anyone had the “good fortune” to enjoy a Daoist Can. Without the profound Cultivation of the Twelfth Layer as a foundation, it was impossible to cultivate suitable talent.

He lit a stick of Concentration Incense and placed a Nourishing Essence Pill in his mouth, meticulously bringing his body and his Primordial Inner Mansion into harmony.

The corners of Jiang Yi’s mouth lifted as he mused to himself:

’My life is getting better and better. To think I’m actually treating Nourishing Essence Pills like Snacks.’

The bottle of Nourishing Essence Pills in his hand had been sent by Zhou Can from Sewing Peak. There were five pills in total, which he’d said were a gift from Senior Brother Xu Yan.

He had to admit, the Inner Peak Disciples who guarded the Resource Lands and could get their hands on Spiritual Objects and supplies were truly extravagant and incredibly wealthy.

They could give away items worth hundreds of thousands of talisman coins without a second thought.

The medicinal power of the Nourishing Essence Pill slowly dissolved in his mouth, splitting into two gentle streams of milky-white qi that swirled up and down. The pure stream was drawn into his Primordial Gate, while the impure stream sank into his Inner Mansion.

In an instant, his Brain God surged, his thoughts becoming perfectly clear. It was like a Spiritual Light had illuminated his mind, banishing any trace of sluggishness.

At the same time, his Inner Mansion was like a jade pool filling to the brim. The gurgling Spiritual Liquid gathered and coalesced into a thick fog, which then rose and spread throughout his internal organs, like a sweet rain nourishing his flesh and blood.

His Cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, which was already at Nine Tens and nine-tenths of the way to Perfection, instantly filled that final gap!

BOOM!

A great thunder rumbled within his body. The vast and mighty Essence Qi ground against itself, like thousands of flints striking at once, sending clap after clap of thunder exploding through his internal organs.

“HISS!”

Jiang Yi felt all seven of his orifices—his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth—vibrating. His entire skeleton trembled as if it were about to fall apart.

His physical body felt as if it were being repeatedly smashed by a ten-thousand-jin sledgehammer, the pain unbearable.

’This Body Barrier of the Cultivation Furnace is truly not easy to overcome.’

Jiang Yi’s expression remained peaceful. He stabilized his Heart Spirit, and with the continuous sound of his controlled breathing, he used his well-practiced Cultivation to gradually wear down and suppress the violent tremors.

After the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, the core of one’s practice is to forge a solid Cultivation Furnace in order to gather and refine the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism.

The sturdier the Furnace Cauldron, the more abundant the Spiritual Energy the Primordial Inner Mansion can absorb, which in turn solidifies one’s foundation and strengthens their underlying power.

Therefore, every time a cultivator passes a bottleneck and breaks through to a higher level, they will encounter what is known as a “Body Barrier.”

In essence, it is the result of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, the Vitality of the Internal Organs, and the properties of one’s various Techniques all clashing and merging within the physical body as their battlefield, triggering all sorts of changes.

’The Celestial Book says that to shed one’s turbid flesh and mortal bones and achieve a Dao Body fit for ascension, one must undergo tribulations.’

’Such as knives cutting flesh, lightning and fire striking, reed shoots piercing the knees, or bones and flesh rotting away… One must endure it with the heart and subdue it with the spirit, for all of it is but a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow.’

Jiang Yi was unshaken. This was because the Celestial Book had shown that his success in this breakthrough was ten-tenths certain—there was absolutely no chance of failure.

He opened his mouth, inhaling like a toad swallowing qi. The moonlight beyond his door poured down like a crystalline liquor, flowing straight down his throat.

This was not the Moon Dew he had previously obtained through the Celestial Book’s guidance, but rather a few wisps of Chilling Cicada Qi that he had refined from the cold moonlight using the Mixed Refining Origin technique.

This qi didn’t have many great uses, but it possessed the unique ability to subdue the sound of thunder and quell any agitation.

Sure enough, the thunderclaps exploding within his organs weakened in the blink of an eye. The perilous Body Barrier was overcome in a single moment.

’With the Celestial Book in hand, what difficulty or obstacle could possibly hinder my Cultivation?’

A faint smile touched Jiang Yi’s lips. He methodically continued his Cultivation, gradually sinking into a state of deep immersion where he forgot both himself and the world around him.

…

…

On the other side of the mountain, at Sewing Peak, Zhou Can was pacing restlessly, his brows knitted into a tight knot.

For the past few days, Senior Brother Xu had been pressing him with increasing frequency, asking again and again if Jiang Yi of Red Flame Peak had accepted the Nourishing Essence Pills and when he would be able to come to Guanlan Peak for a gathering.

Jiang Yi had accepted the items, but every time Zhou Can sent someone to invite him to a banquet, he would refuse, using the excuse that he was in seclusion to accumulate Merit. He hadn’t agreed even once.

’Is he giving me the cold shoulder on purpose?’

Zhou Can paced back and forth in his room, deeply unsettled. If he couldn’t even handle a small matter like this, how could he expect Senior Brother Xu to give him any serious responsibility?

Wouldn’t his hopes of becoming the Marketplace’s Grand Steward just turn to dust?

’Damn that son of a bitch! That bastard must still be holding a grudge over me stealing his woman. He’s doing this on purpose to make things difficult for me!’

Zhou Can gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffed with rage. With a belly full of fire and nowhere to vent it, his resentment instantly turned toward Luo Qian’er.

’It’s all that bitch’s fault! She does nothing but cause trouble for me!’

’I’ve spent so much talisman money and used so many schemes on her. If she can’t even give birth to a few Cultivation Seeds…’

Fuming, Zhou Can stomped toward the solitary little courtyard at the top of Sewing Peak, the snow crunching under his feet.

But he stopped abruptly halfway there. Perhaps the bitter cold and deep snow had cleared his head a little.

’Senior Brother Xu values Jiang Yi not just for his Cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, but also for his connection to Elder Sui.’

Zhou Can reasoned:

’That bastard’s talent for Cultivation is impressive; getting into the Inner Peak is a sure thing for him. My own future is so bright right now, why would I pick a fight to the death with him? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?’

Zhou Can had come from a family of Tenant Farmers in the countryside. He’d nearly killed himself climbing to his position as a Servant on Sewing Peak, so he cherished his life and his future prospects above all else.

What’s more, he had already sold off all his assets and used the talisman money to hoard large quantities of Purple Shadow Silk and Flowing Cloud Brocade at a low price. He was now gradually selling them off at a markup to the purchasing merchants in the southern Marketplace.

With Senior Brother Xu providing a steady stream of raw materials from the Heart-Stealing Forest, once the workshops opened next spring, talisman money would come pouring in. He’d probably need sacks to carry it all!

’No need to make enemies. Everything is negotiable.’

As Zhou Can consoled himself, the malicious fire in his heart gradually faded. He felt as if the road ahead had suddenly become wide and clear.

’Women are like clothes; if one gets old, you just get a new one. At worst, I’ll just give Luo Qian’er’s Primordial Yin to Jiang Yi. Once I make my fortune, won’t I be able to take my pick of any pretty girl from my home village?’

Having come to this realization, Zhou Can’s face broke into a smile again. He walked briskly into Luo Qian’er’s courtyard and called out to her.

“In a little while, I want you to go to Red Flame Peak and see that brat surnamed Jiang.”

Luo Qian’er had been beaten by Zhou Can so much these past few days that she was terrified of him. Hearing his words, she shrank back and replied:

“I… I really haven’t been in contact with Senior Brother Jiang! Please, don’t hit me anymore!”

But Zhou Can’s tone was uncharacteristically gentle, a complete change from his usual violence.

“I’m not here to test you today. That kid surnamed Jiang has had a breakthrough in his Cultivation, and even Senior Brother Xu holds him in high regard. You know that I’m not really one for women; otherwise, I wouldn’t have left your Primordial Yin untouched for so long.”

Luo Qian’er froze, almost suspecting that the Zhou Can standing before her had been possessed by a Demon.

“From now on, you can get closer to that fellow Jiang. I won’t hold it against you.”

Zhou Can smiled faintly, his tone coaxing.

“As long as you put in a few good words for me with him and clear up the misunderstanding between us, I’ll write off that talisman money debt you owe me. What do you say?”

Luo Qian’er was stunned. Then, her eyes lit up. ’It must be Junior Brother Jiang! He must have used some method to get this bastard Zhou Can under his thumb!’

She was ecstatic, wishing she could fly to Jiang Yi’s side and throw herself into his embrace.

…

…

Unbeknownst to him, the incense in the Quiet Chamber had long since burned out. Outside, several days and nights had passed.

Jiang Yi sat just as he had before, like a clay statue. His mouth and nose seemed to be sealed, and his Qi Mechanism was silent and still.

Lying beside him, True Master Xuanmiao had its chubby body curled up, snuggled tightly against Xiao Jiang.

If it hadn’t known the secrets of Cultivation and understood that this was the “Nourishment” phase that followed passing the Body Barrier, it might have thought Xiao Jiang had died.

The tribulation of the Body Barrier originated from within. While passing through it was an agonizing ordeal, once it was broken, the entire body felt as if it had been cleansed by a Spiritual Spring. Robust Primordial Essence would then sprout from the flesh and marrow, condensing into clusters of warm, gentle Essence Qi that would continuously nourish the newly transformed Cultivation Furnace.

’Xiao Jiang’s life force is quite full,’ True Master Xuanmiao thought. ’Even though he worked in the Quenching Room for years, he doesn’t have any lingering hidden injuries. That’s all thanks to the Pool and Fire Swamp Refining.’

True Master Xuanmiao gave a lazy yawn and suddenly recalled a saying from ancient times.

It was said: “A mortal’s life has Four Classes. A person may live to be a hundred. From one to thirty is the prime of youth; from thirty to sixty is maturity; from sixty to ninety is old age; and from ninety to one hundred or one hundred and twenty is decline.”

The more vigorous a Qi Cultivation Cultivator’s life force and the fuller their Primordial Essence, the deeper their foundation, and thus the higher their chances of reaching the Twelfth Layer.

In ancient times, All Cultivators called this fullness of life force and Primordial Essence “aptitude.” They even developed many methods to measure the amount of one’s Primordial Essence during their prime.

’Xiao Jiang passed the Body Barrier in a single thought, and his Nourishment phase is lasting a full three to five days. His aptitude can be rated ’upper-mid’.’

True Master Xuanmiao was quite satisfied. Its former master’s lineage had always favored talent that was like unpolished jade with a hidden brilliance. Paired with the secrets of their Dao Inheritance, such talent could be carved and shaped until it reached a state of natural perfection.

Its former master used to say that this was the true mystery of the Great Dao. To turn the acquired into the Innate—that was what displayed true, supreme skill.

As for those favored by fortune, or the Fate Shuzi who are born to face calamities, their path of Cultivation has few tribulations. It’s too smooth. Later on, they are bound to suffer even greater hardships.

But then True Master Xuanmiao considered it more carefully and felt it was more likely because its own Dharma Lineage had such a fearsome reputation. Those Fate Shuzi avoided it like the plague, which made it rather difficult to trick them into joining the sect.

The cat was lost in its memories of the past when it suddenly felt the air in the Quiet Chamber begin to roil. It was as if a calm lake had been thrust apart by an immense force as an invisible pillar of qi erupted from the ground with a great roar!

’Xiao Jiang did it!’

It saw Jiang Yi’s body, which had been sitting as still as a stone and seemingly lifeless, twitch slightly. Immediately after, an incomparably vast surge of life force and Primordial Essence erupted from within him.

Potent True Qi condensed until it was almost tangible, overflowing through his robes and transforming into a fiery glow. It wasn’t scorching like a blazing inferno; instead, it was like the gentle flame of a candle magnified a thousand times over, illuminating the entire chamber.

Outside, most of the thick, accumulated snow instantly melted, turning into streams of white vapor that rose into the air, only to be caught by the cold wind and scattered.

“When clouds disperse, the body’s truth is known,From leaden furnace, a pure Dao Body’s grown.Within, without, no trace of Yin remains,O, mystery of mysteries, a wondrous state one gains!”

After reciting the verse in a clear voice, Jiang Yi rose to his full height.

Then, he summoned the golden paper—

’I beg the Celestial Book, show me: after reciting that poem, has my Dao Wisdom increased by even a single iota?’

…

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