Chapter 263 – To the Academy of the Hundred Schools (1/2)
For the past few days, Li Qingshan had focused on studying the techniques. He had managed to gain a basic grasp over the Cloud Riding technique in just a few days. Although he still could not “fly”, he had already made it past the basics, so all he needed was practice now.
This was not because of how great he was at comprehension, but the fact that his affinity with water among the five elements was extremely high. In particular, his true qi was extremely pure. When he used techniques, his advantage would be on full display. He could control true qi as he wished. It was like a group of elite soldiers under strict orders, able to move according to their commander’s wishes and fall into various formations without the slightest disorder. These various formations were the crux to using the technique.
Then, Li Qingshan switched to the Mist Wielding technique. In just a few days, the entire cave became filled with clouds of mist, while Li Qingshan circled around and flew through the cave like he was going for a space walk.
As long as he could combine these two techniques, he would truly be able to fly. However, the difficulty of this was even greater than just practising one of the techniques at a time. All he could do about this was gradually merge the two techniques and accumulate experience. There were no tricks in this at all.
However, Li Qingshan was extremely patient. He took his time to think it through and learn and practise. With Xiao An by his side, he did not find it boring.
The so-called secluded cultivation was actually akin to being in prison, but to be able to temporarily leave all the disputes and conflict at the stone door, he felt indescribably relaxed. He was not pained by this, instead finding peace. If cultivation went with the flow without insisting on a particular thing to happen, the effects would instead be optimal.
This mentality was even more important than the Spirit Gathering formation in the cave. In the path of cultivation, resources were a crucial foundation, but just stockpiling resources could not create powerful cultivators.
Only with a certain disposition and a certain understanding could people perform wonders.
At this moment, Li Qingshan gained a deeper understanding of the importance of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression. As more and more pills were being converted into daemon qi and stored in his daemon core, his thoughts became calmer too, without any impatience or restlessness.
Time passed bit by bit, while the clouds and mist permeating the cave grew smaller and smaller, denser and denser. They seemed even more corporeal than before. Li Qingshan grabbed at it, and he felt like he had grabbed a ball of pliable, elastic rubber. However, it was also extremely moist, smooth and light as he sped around in the cave.
“You don’t!” Xiao An answered honestly.
“In what way?”
“If you don’t, then you don’t.” Xiao An refused to make eye contact with him.
“Alright you, Xiao An, how dare you say this immortal doesn’t seem like an immortal! Get over here!” Li Qingshan extended his hand, and the true qi sprayed over like water, wrapping around Xiao An.
Xiao An giggled, but she did not dodge. She allowed him to grab her, pinch her cheeks, and squeeze her nose, wreaking havoc on her face.
If Diao Fei saw this, he would definitely feel that Li Qingshan was not as terrifying as he imagined him to be. However, if it were not for the fact that Xiao An was here, why wouldn’t he bare his fangs in the dangerous world outside?”
Suddenly, there was a rumble in the distant sky.
Li Qingshan said, “It’s springtime thunder!”
Spring had already arrived. The earth was returning to life.
The bug pouch twitched constantly as Milliped awoke from his lengthy sleep. He was wriggling his body.
Xiao An said, “It’s the stirring of insects1!”
Insects stirred, thunder rumbled, bugs awakened.
Li Qingshan opened the bug pouch and Milliped emerged. He seemed to have grown slightly bigger as he waved his feelers. “Food! Food!”
“You glutton!” Li Qingshan teased him before taking out the food so that Milliped could bury himself in it.
Two months had already passed now. There was less than a month until the Academy of the Hundred Schools began to take in new students.
Li Qingshan wanted to use this month to break through to the sixth layer.
The fifth layer and sixth layer of Qi Practitioner were two completely different concepts. Whether it be in terms of strength or status, they both represented completely different things. As long as he reached the sixth layer, he believed that he would not have to worry about being smothered out even in the Academy of the Hundred Schools, a place teeming with talented people.
He was not going to the Academy of the Hundred Schools to seek refuge. He was not planning on following the principle of remaining discreet and keeping himself safe. No matter the environment, there would always be the survival of the fittest, the laws of the jungle. Only the fittest would receive better resources and be able to enjoy better environments to cultivate in.
This was the path he wanted to walk.
Through this period of waiting, the true qi in his four yin and yang meridians was already full. This was nothing difficult to him, as he could absorb the spiritual qi of the world. Moreover, he had become extremely familiar with the tricks for controlling Gui Water true qi.
Am I ready? Even he did not know, but it was time to go!
Li Qingshan’s gaze became determined.
Below the mountain, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.
It was pitch-black within the parlour. After the few incidents, the Parlour of the Clouds and Rain was heavily weakened, and due to pressure from various sides, it struggled to recover its former prosperity.
The hollow centre of the building had once carried and linked the prosperity and liveliness throughout the entire place, but now, it seemed particularly quiet. Only the paintings of flying and dancing women continued to smile.
In the underground palace, a middle-aged man with pepper hair asked, “Is that little bastard really on the mountain?”
The current master of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain replied carefully, “Sect master, we’re absolutely certain. Many people have seen him. L- Li Qingshan is in secluded cultivation in a cave on the mountain.”
“As soon as he emerges, contact me. I refuse to believe that he won’t leave the mountain.” Surprisingly, the middle-aged man was the vice sect master of the Sect of Clouds and Rain, Wei Zhongyuan. He no longer wore his fancy violet robes, but a set of old, grey robes. Clearly, he was here in secret. He ground his teeth the moment Li Qingshan’s name was mentioned.
Ever since Li Qingshan splattered the Parlour of Clouds and Rain with blood and killed the procuress, he had developed grievances with the Sect of Clouds and Rain. Until now, even Wei Zhongyuan’s son and the two grannies of the sect had died under mysterious circumstances.
Wei Zhongyuan refused to believe that Li Qingshan possessed the strength to kill the two grannies, but he was thoroughly convinced that he had something to do with their deaths.
He was hiding below the mountain with great determination. As soon as Li Qingshan appeared, he would capture him and torture him savagely to force out a confession. Only then would he be satisfied. As long as the Hawkwolf Guard did not possess direct evidence, there was nothing that they could do about him.
Of course, he also lacked the courage to charge up the mountain and directly kill Li Qingshan right now.
“Don’t worry at all, sect master. Everything that happens on the mountain and below the mountain is within the range of my perception. As soon as he emerges, the sect master will know immediately.”
As Li Qingshan tried to open the Girdle meridian, he finally realised that the latter four meridians of the eight extraordinary meridians were different from the former four.
Right now, just opening and connecting all the acupoints was not sufficient. During that process, he needed to constantly balance the flow of true qi through the four yin and yang meridians, but the difficulty did not just increase by four times. The difficulty was compounded for each meridian.
In the beginning, he tried to have true qi circulating all four meridians, but he soon realised that this was an impossible mission for him right now.
He could only slow down and urge on the true qi in the Yin and Yang Heel meridians first, but even with his foundation built from using techniques, he often still lost focus over one of the meridians.
Fortunately, Li Qingshan had bought the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi that was complete with comprehensions. The experiences of the past people were extremely detailed, but when Li Qingshan tried replicating them, it would always end in failure.
At a time like this, Li Qingshan obviously went to Xiao An for guidance. Just how was he supposed to balance the true qi?
“Can’t you just split your focus a little?”
“Split my focus? How am I supposed to split my focus?”
Xiao An’s eyes widened. For the first time ever, she was unable to help Li Qingshan, as she completely failed to understand where the difficulty lied.
“I know my talent for comprehension is only so-so, so you don’t need to verbally strike me like that.” Li Qingshan patted Xiao An’s shoulder and said to the upright Milliped, “Yeah, Milliped? How can we grasp something like that so easily?”