Night fell heavily outside Yin Spirit Pavilion, and the sky was dark and lightless. Clouds and mist entwined year-round, as if invisible Yin Qi wandered through the air. Mountain winds came from the gaps in the forest, carrying moist, cold air as they swept over the courtyard platforms, stirring up a few wisps of white mist. Outside the pavilion, lights were sparse, with only an occasional Spirit Lamp swaying, emitting a ghostly green radiance that made the tiled eaves shimmer like jade.
However, in the depths of the night, heaven and earth became extremely quiet. The chirping of insects was delicate and graceful, occasionally accompanied by the startled cries of night birds. The bright moon hung high, its cold glow spilling through the cloud rifts, casting a silvery sheen on the bluestone paths. The world was vast, yet it felt all the more solitary. If a person sat quietly within it, the bitterness of longing would be drawn out by the moonlight, turning into silent sighs.
Inside Yin Spirit Pavilion, in the front part of this ancient courtyard, lights remained burning in the room of an ordinary disciple. The room was deathly still, with only the sound of the wind outside lightly tapping on the wooden lattices. It was a narrow yet luxurious quiet room. A Pale Azure Jade Stone was embedded in the wall, faintly emitting light that illuminated the Sandalwood Writing Table. The smoke curling from the incense burner was as thin as silk thread. Several jade artifacts, embroidered pouches, and bronze mirrors were displayed on one side, all showing the extraordinary wealth and arrogance of Yin Spirit Pavilion. Mortal dwellings were mostly mud walls and thatched roofs with dim candlelight, but here, even a stone bench was carved with fine patterns where Spirit Qi flowed.
Lin Dalu sat cross-legged on the Meditation Couch, his posture upright and his eyes slightly closed. He held two Jade Slips in his hands, their appearance identical to the Image-Recording Jade Slip thrown by Qiu Shengshui during the day, one was carved with the three characters Tranquil Spirit Art, and the other was the Qi Refinement Levels 2–5 Cultivation Formula bestowed by Qin Yue as ordered. He took a deep breath, followed the instructions taught earlier, and lightly pressed the Jade Slip against his forehead. He settled his spirit and stilled his Qi, focusing his thoughts. However, during the circulation of breath, his mind remained empty as usual, without a single glimmer of spirit light. Lin Dalu frowned, fine sweat appearing on his forehead. He sighed inwardly, it seemed his Spirit Power was indeed not flowing, making it difficult to glimpse the true formula. He tried several more times to no avail. Spirit Qi remained in Qi Dissipation outside his body, like mist that could not be grasped. At this thought, a hint of anxiety grew in his heart, it seemed he still could not control his own Spirit Power.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/hPdsF3mb/Q0015A1.jpg
Lin Dalu's thoughts shifted, and the scene from earlier today surfaced in his mind. At that time, Qin Yue had suddenly reached out, her fingertip lightly touching his lower back. At that moment, a wisp of warmth rose from the contact point, like a hidden spring surging in spring, slowly ascending along his spine. Lin Dalu felt a slight tremor throughout his body. His Qi and Blood seemed stirred, and a faint current ran ceaselessly between his meridians. That warm current gathered around his navel, and a line of spirit light faintly lit up in his lower abdomen, flickering hazily before following the meridians upward to reach his brow.
That feeling was strange and soft, like morning mist dispersing or spring breeze brushing willows, making his thoughts wander and almost leaving him speechless. Qin Yue stood close then, her fragrance like orchids, her gaze half-smiling as if she saw through all the panic and fear in his heart. That touch of warm fragrance had actually left a Spirit Qi Imprint within his body. Recalling this, Lin Dalu's face grew slightly hot.
He slowly regulated his breath, stabilizing his mind, and tried once more to concentrate his thoughts on his brow. Suddenly, there was a flash in his mind, like a thin line cutting through a black curtain. A page of Spirit Script appeared vividly, it was the cultivation formula for Qi Refinement Level 2. Lin Dalu's heart shook, and he immediately held his breath to memorize it, his thoughts moving with the flow. The Qi Mechanism originated from the lower abdomen, like a thin line or a wisp of smoke, winding and flowing through the meridians.
Suddenly, an echo seemed to sound in his mind, it was Qin Yue's voice from that day, "Junior Brother Lin, when practicing this formula, do not be greedy for haste. You must Transform Qi into Spirit, Condense Spirit into Awareness in order to stabilize your foundation." At that time, Qin Yue stood under the lamp, her eyes shimmering and her sleeves fluttering, half-smiling. When she handed over the Jade Slip, her fingertip lightly brushed the side of his palm. It was fleeting, cool and soft, causing Lin Dalu's heart to flutter.
"Junior Brother Lin," Qin Yue stepped half a pace closer, her fragrance scattering slightly. Her fingertip lightly touched a line on the side of his lower jaw, her voice low and soft like a light chant... "Remember to cultivate well. If one day you truly reach the Divine Transformation Stage and ascend... Senior Sister might, perhaps, look at you differently."
After speaking, she brushed her robes and turned to leave. That wisp of faint fragrance and her light figure were like a dream, turning into a cloud of blue smoke and dissipating into the Spectral Glow outside the door. Only her smile remained echoing in his ears.
Lin Dalu stared blankly at the door, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Qin Yue's beauty was rare in the world, and any man with a heart would have likely succumbed to it. However, in the depths of his heart, the shadow of Xiang'er appeared, that young girl with a clear smile. Thinking of this, he pursed his lips, his expression gradually turning cold.
"Without Sufficient Cultivation, All is Void." He secretly clenched his fists, his knuckles trembling slightly. If he wanted to find Xiang'er, if he wanted to gain a foothold in Yin Spirit Pavilion, he had to engage in Diligent Cultivation Without Pause. Once this resolve was set, he closed his eyes again to concentrate, all other thoughts dispersing, leaving only the Spirit Current and the movement of his meridians.
Outside the window, the moonlight grew colder and the sound of the wind grew quieter. A faint light gradually flickered on the surface of Lin Dalu's body, and Spirit Qi faintly appeared under his skin. Sitting quietly in the room with curling Spirit Mist-Smoke, the night deepened further in this silence.
Lin Dalu sat quietly on the Meditation Couch, his mind sinking into the Jade Slip. With a flash of light, he saw the Qi Refinement Levels 3–5 Cultivation Formula. The characters were like flowing light, bobbing and changing, as if a spiritual intent was born from between the words and entered his mind. Lin Dalu held his breath and focused, silently reciting the heart formula, and the Spirit Power within him moved accordingly.
He took a deep breath and slowly performed Breath Cultivation according to the formula. He only felt the heaven and earth Spirit Qi pulsing slightly around him. Wisps of Spirit Breath, thin as silk, were inhaled through his nose, turning into a cool air that flowed down his throat into his abdomen, then dispersed to his whole body through the meridians. At first, the breath was as light as mist and fleeting, but gradually, he felt the surrounding Spirit Qi being pulled by some force, engaging in Spirit Qi Convergence.
Lin Dalu did not let his mind waver. He performed Qi Guidance according to the formula, and that Spirit Qi flowed from his chest to his abdomen, forming a Qi Sea. The Spirit Current within him first moved, as if invisible rivers were slowly spreading between his meridians. His Qi and Blood pulsed accordingly, and there were faint sounds within his bones and muscles, like surging springs or tearing silk.
"Hu--" He let out a long breath of Turbid Qi. He felt his chest suddenly open up and his mind become clear. Immediately, he regulated his breath again, and the Spirit Qi rose once more. At this moment, the meridians in his body were moistened by spirit light, clear and unobstructed. As the Spirit Qi flowed through his tissues, there was a slight numbing sensation wherever it passed, which then turned into a warm current that washed his bone marrow.
Lin Dalu felt slightly amazed, this feeling was completely different from a Mortal breathing the air of heaven and earth. That Spirit Qi seemed to have a life of its own, seeking out meridians and exploring acupoints on its own, bringing bursts of Spirit Resonance Sound as it wandered. Especially in the Qi Sea, a point of spirit light gathered, turning into a tiny Qi Vortex that rotated slowly, with Spirit Qi converging within it without dispersing.
He concentrated and did not dare to be slack. As he followed the formula, the Spirit Qi became like silk, gradually forming bundles and turning into a thin Spirit Current. The Spirit Current surged into the Qi Sea, like rising waves. A slight tremor came, spirit light flickered, and a mass of white Qi could be seen swirling within.
Lin Dalu's heart moved. Wherever his thoughts went, that white Qi actually followed, as if it could be driven by his will. He was secretly shocked, "Is this... Spirit Power?" That Spirit Power coiled and wound in the Qi Sea, as mild as water yet containing the momentum of thunder. He operated it for a moment and felt all the meridians in his body were clear, the Qi Mechanism flowing without hindrance. Between breaths, the heaven and earth Spirit Qi rose and fell naturally, not feeling difficult at all.
Outside the window, the sky turned from dark to bright, and then from bright to night again, yet he was completely unaware. Only when the Spirit Qi slightly retracted did he open his eyes, his expression showing a hint of the incredible.
"A day and a night..." he murmured. His palms were slightly warm and his breath was long. The Spirit Power in his body was running in an orderly fashion, and he could even control the flow rate in his meridians at will. The originally crude control had now become skilled. Lin Dalu felt a quiet joy in his heart, it seemed he had finally stepped onto the threshold of the Dao.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/rFrj6Y49/Q0015B.jpg
Another day passed. As the sun set in the west, Lin Dalu practiced quietly again. His breath was steady and his mind was like a mirror. Suddenly, in the depths of the Qi Sea, that mass of white Qi trembled incessantly, and the Spirit Power surged like a tide.
His heart went cold, and he hurriedly stabilized his breath and concentrated, following the formula. In an instant, the Qi Sea pulsed, Spirit Currents crossed, and it felt as if thousands of light lines had converged into a vortex within his body. With every rise and fall of his breath, his bones made light cracking sounds, as if being washed by Spirit Power.
"Hu--" He suddenly spat out a mouthful of Turbid Qi. That breath was mixed with a faint black mist, carrying out the mortal filth accumulated in his body over the years. Immediately, the Spirit Power in his body surged again, like a river tide hitting the shore, unstoppable.
Only a light "Om--" sounded from within his body. The Spirit Power in the Qi Sea exploded, and the Swirling White Qi was like a dragon. Between breaths, his Spirit Power increased several times. Lin Dalu felt his whole body lighten, the scenery before him became clearer, and everything his mind perceived was illuminated.
"Is this... a Cultivation Breakthrough?" He opened his eyes and looked forward. A flash of spirit light appeared in his eyes. In the air, there seemed to be thin threads of Spirit Qi floating, and the Spirit Breath of heaven and earth was also responding to his Qi Mechanism.
He reached out and touched his chest, clearly feeling the Spirit Power Pulse, gentle yet powerful, as if there were a second beating heart inside his body.
Lin Dalu was stunned for a long while, unable to help but murmur in a low voice, "Others cultivate for thirty years before achieving minor success... I have only spent three days, yet I have reached Qi Refinement Level 2?" His heart shook. Aside from the shock, the words of Qiu Shengshui from that day faintly surfaced, "Profound Yin Spirit constitution..."
"A Three-Life Profound Yin Spirit... could it be that the sacred object abandoned Xiang'er and chose me because of this?" Lin Dalu spoke to himself in a low voice, his expression complex, with a flash of confusion and a hint of hidden worry in his eyes.
He shook his head and sighed lightly, "This matter is still early. I cannot yet fathom the mystery of the sacred object." Before his voice fell, his gaze darkened again. Since the spirit opportunity was open and his cultivation could progress, he should take advantage of the momentum and not be slack.
He silently recited the formula for the next level and after a short while, laughed softly, "Since heaven has gifted this opportunity, then I shall continue to cultivate."
Immediately, he sat cross-legged again, his mind settling. Spirit Power rose again from the Qi Sea. The meridians pulsed like thunder and tides, making the Meditation Couch wood tremble slightly. Outside the window, the night wind wailed and the Spirit Lamp swayed, reflecting his expression as calm as a mountain.
At that moment, Lin Dalu suddenly felt that he had merged with the Qi of heaven and earth. All things were silent, leaving only his breath and the Spirit Sound resonating, his heart completely clear.
He let out a light breath, the spirit light in his eyes piercing, "I am now a true Dao Cultivator!"
——(To be continued)