If anyone from Xuanqing’s group had returned at the last moment, they would have seen the “Immortal” laughing heartily, clutching his knees and slapping the ground. Unfortunately, those people were so frightened that they had already traveled several miles away, and even if Yu Ci laughed loudly, they wouldn’t hear it.
Once Yu Ci had laughed enough, he no longer put on a show of intimidation. He settled into the most comfortable position, leaning back against the incense table, and casually placed his sword aside.
Why did he initially believe Xuanqing was a fellow practitioner? Because, whether big or small cons, a scam is a scam, and they were of the same ilk.
“Immortal, Immortal, what a joke.”
Yu Ci knew himself best. He was no true Immortal; at most, he was on par with Xuanqing in terms of cultivation. With the help of those skilled men, if they had recognized him, being surrounded would indeed be troublesome.
Of course, he could have bypassed this temple or torn off the facade right at the entrance to escape before being surrounded. But acting like that wouldn’t allow him to enjoy the comfort and solitude he had now.
As he relaxed, he began to assess Xuanqing’s true level. Judging by the Calm Heart Spell, Xuanqing could use common cinnabar to draw symbols and produce spiritual responses. He was a practitioner of some skill, likely at the peak of the Enlightened Spirit.
In the world of cultivation, there were three stages known as the “Three Mortal Obstacles”: Qi Cultivation, Qi Breathing, and Enlightened Spirit.
Qi Circulation involved refining the body through breathing techniques, resulting in a sense of vitality, often referred to as “refining essence into qi.”
Qi Breathing led to the cultivation of inner vitality, allowing bursts of great strength with each breath, circulating energy throughout the body, and prolonging lifespan to around 150 years.
As for the Enlightened Spirit realm, there were no further physical advancements, but under the nourishment of true energy, one’s soul would strengthen, gradually opening spiritual senses and exhibiting mysterious responses. In this realm, with sufficient cultivation and the aid of high-quality materials like cinnabar and peach wood, one could use various methods such as symbols, techniques, and sorcery to perform feats like summoning wind and rain or commanding thunder and lightning.
Yu Ci was at this level, familiar with numerous talismans and capable of using talismanic magic to calm, ward off evil, and even perform a few lightning strikes. Xuanqing was probably similar.
However, Xuanqing seemed to lack courage. Yu Ci’s long sword, intended as a precaution, ended up scaring him into submission.
Perhaps Xuanqing had suffered from “superior” figures before?
This was not impossible.
If the Enlightened Spirit represents the peak of mundane cultivation, transcending it opens the door to a mystical world of extraordinary beings and phenomena.
Those in this world are known as practitioners, and “channeling Qi into talismans” is a unique skill of theirs.
Xuanqing’s lack of insight led him to overestimate Yu Ci as a legendary practitioner, leaving him terrified. Yu Ci, however, had firsthand experience…
As Yu Ci watched the bonfire, he was absorbed in thought. The red flames danced, and in a daze, he felt as if he were leaping from the inferno towards a life-changing spark on the table.
The sound of “clink” jolted him out of his reverie, realizing he had accidentally touched the demon’s head beside him. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
The demon’s head rolled a couple of times, its side facing the roaring flames. The reflected light gave its red eyes an eerie glow, catching Yu Ci’s eye. Though he disliked the grotesque object, he had found its texture intriguing when he was pretending with it earlier. It felt unusual, not quite like flesh but with a strange warmth beneath its cold surface.
Perhaps it was worth studying further.
With a newfound interest, Yu Ci decided to keep the dubious head but found it odd to carry it openly. He wrapped it in a piece of cloth, securing it in his sleeve.
While storing it, his fingers brushed against another object, prompting him to smile again. After properly securing the demon’s head, he straightened up and retrieved the item.
It was a small, round bronze mirror, about the size of a palm. The mirror’s surface was flawless, reflecting one’s image clearly. However, the back was different—there was no knob, only faint, irregular engravings that seemed randomly scratched on.
This was indeed a mirror, but Yu Ci did not use it as one.
With the mirror facing up, he infused his true Qi and gently shook it. The mirror suddenly emitted a green light, casting a green hue over him.
He curled his index and middle fingers, and with a flick of his fingers in the green light reflected by the mirror, a faint light separated from the main green light. It traced a clear path in the air, attracting points of spiritual light that danced and gathered around him.
This was the true nature of “guiding Qi into symbols.”
Yu Ci had not transcended the “Three Mortal Obstacles.” He still needed spiritual guides to draw symbols. Xuanqing used cinnabar and talismans, while Yu Ci used the bronze mirror in his hand as a substitute.
By drawing out the green light from his sleeve and performing an aerial sketch, he could easily create scenes where spiritual light gathered without relying on external objects, as long as his technique was skillful.
This kind of mystical and deceptive technique was familiar to Yu Ci, as he was originally from such a background. When he was only eight or nine years old, just beginning to guide Qi and without much cultivation, he was already known as a “celestial child” in the Twin Immortal Sect. Within a thousand miles, he had countless followers and was worshiped by thousands. In comparison, Xuanqing pretending to be an immortal in this dilapidated mountain temple was far less impressive.
Reflecting on this, he couldn’t help but laugh again, though this smile was cold and eerie, as if the green light from the bronze mirror sensed it.
To the north, tens of thousands of miles away, was a country named Chen. Chen had a population of a hundred thousand households, who did not believe in Buddhism or Daoism but devoted themselves to the so-called “Twin Immortals.” The Twin Immortals, male and female, were known as Zi Lei and Chi Yin. They founded a sect in Chen, capable of calling the wind, commanding thunder, and creating mist. To the people of Chen, they were no different from immortals.
Yu Ci, as a close attendant in the Twin Immortal Sect, was also revered as a “celestial child” and received widespread admiration. However, his disposition was different from others; he was not as fervent about the Twin Immortals as the people of Chen. After several years as an attendant, he saw more clearly that the so-called Twin Immortals were also flesh and blood, with desires and emotions. In some respects, their desires were even stronger than those of ordinary people.
For instance, they were afraid of death.
The Twin Immortals spent most of their time researching so-called “longevity techniques.” Their ultimate goal in founding the sect in Chen was to achieve eternal life, for which they were willing to pay any price.
Because of this, Yu Ci and other “celestial children” were not as glamorous as they appeared to outsiders. Yu Ci knew well that “celestial children” were essentially test subjects for various longevity techniques. The Twin Immortals used “beauty and longevity” as bait, forcing them to practice strange and esoteric techniques, regardless of the severe consequences.
Fortunately for Yu Ci, he was assigned to learn talismanic techniques. Although it was arduous, it was relatively safe. However, those less fortunate suffered from internal injuries, meridian ruptures, madness, and ultimately disappeared without a trace.
After more than four years by the Twin Immortals’ side, Yu Ci saw several changes among the “celestial children” who had been his peers. He understood that if he continued on this path, his name would eventually be added to the list of the disappeared.
Fortunately, he had some luck. One night at thirteen, the Twin Immortals seemed to have enemies, and there was a thunderous sword sound, like rolling thunder, causing the house to collapse and trees to break, as if the end of the world had arrived.
While most people were caught up in despair, Yu Ci recognized this as his best chance to escape.
Boldly, before fleeing, he dashed into the burning Immortal Zi Lei’s chambers and seized two treasures: the bronze mirror he now held and a book titled Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual. Amidst the chaos, he escaped, changing his appearance to flee.
Perhaps it was divine protection, but in the following months, he evaded the Twin Immortal Sect’s influence and escaped Chen without being pursued. Yet, he dared not linger near Chen. Over the years, he traveled south, covering thousands of miles, gaining broader knowledge and realizing the vastness of the world and the many extraordinary people. To be confined to just Chen was like being a frog in a well.
He learned what kinds of figures the Twin Immortals truly were.
The Twin Immortals were also cultivators. Cultivators might seek enlightenment through various means, such as consuming elixirs, practicing divination, or seeking divine beings. Ultimately, their goal was the same: to extend their lifespan through cultivation, aiming for immortality and eternal life.
There are also distinctions among cultivators based on strength.
The six realms are: Divine Connectivity, Core Refinement, Void Stepping, True Immortal, Tribulation Immortal, and Earthly Immortal.
These six realms are categorized from lowest to highest, alongside the Three Mortal Obstacles, forming a total of nine stages in cultivation. However, the comparison is not straightforward; each step up from Divine Connectivity brings profound changes.
Yu Ci knew that the Twin Immortals, Zi Lei and Chi Yin, were experts in the Core Refinement realm. They could control artifacts to fly and kill with flying swords from a hundred miles away. With hundreds of years of lifespan, they appeared eternally youthful to ordinary people, and were considered divine beings.
But above the Twin Immortals, there were even more profound realms. Legends spoke of the most powerful cultivators being able to ride dragons, traverse mountains, and wield incredible supernatural powers.
People are often like this; the more they see, the less they find it extraordinary. After wandering for a while, the shadow cast by the Twin Immortals on Yu Ci’s heart was blown away, replaced by a feeling of eager anticipation.
It turned out they were not unique. If they could achieve such feats, why couldn’t he?
Thus, Yu Ci began his cultivation journey, which continued until now.
A loud crack from the campfire shattered the silence in the hall. Yu Ci sighed, pulling himself out of his reverie, and gently stroked the edge of the bronze mirror with pure gratitude in his heart.
Yes, he had to be grateful for this treasure in his hand.
When he broke into Immortal Zi Lei’s chambers and took the “Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror,” it was indeed the most valuable risk he had taken in his life.
Only by truly starting his cultivation did he understand its difficulties.
From learning the method of storing and guiding Qi at eight years old to using the talismanic techniques from the Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual, after more than ten years, he had only reached the peak of Enlightened Spirit. He was still far from the basic standard of a true cultivator—Divine Connectivity.
The idea of catching up to or surpassing the Twin Immortals was simple, but in practice, it required unwavering faith, extraordinary courage, incomparable luck, and an immense amount of resources.
Cultivation might seem simple, but it demanded methods, elixirs, spiritual veins, and for talismanic techniques, high-quality materials such as cinnabar, talisman paper, and incense. As a wandering practitioner, Yu Ci had limited resources.
Fortunately, he had the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror.
Over the years, Yu Ci had not only used it for mystical purposes. In fact, calling it mystical was not entirely accurate; the mirror had real effects.
When the mirror was activated by true Qi, it emitted green light. This light served as a superior spiritual guide, and using it to draw symbols was more effective than cinnabar or talisman paper. It was readily available and nearly inexhaustible, making it more practical for someone like Yu Ci, who did not have a wealth of resources.
The reason Yu Ci was able to reach his current level of cultivation with only the Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual was largely due to this bronze mirror.
However, this was still not enough. The path of cultivation could not be supported by just one or two treasures. Yu Ci had traveled alone and faced great hardship, paying a price beyond ordinary imagination for every small advance. But he had not lost heart; he was actively seeking faster progress, even if he had achieved nothing in the short term.
He wondered if the “Three Yang Talisman Sword” he used to exchange for Shrimp Whisker Grass at the Sun Light Sect might serve as a reference to improve his talismanic techniques.
As his thoughts slowly dispersed and finally faded into nothingness, Yu Ci entered a state of semi-sleep. At this time, the five vital energies in his body, represented by green, yellow, red, black, and white, gathered and rolled within the small space of his spiritual platform.
Simultaneously, the cool, rounded energy of the brain’s Niwan Palace, like a bright moon, radiated clear light like rain, falling upon the five-colored mist of his heart. An attraction formed between them. The bright moon remained suspended, while the colorful clouds, influenced by the force, slowly rose and then sank again.
Throughout this process, his internal organs, limbs, and all bodily apertures seemed to be influenced by this attraction, subtly interacting with the Niwan Palace. Gradually, his entire body’s breath unified, with the five vital energies as the core, forming a more diffuse mist that enveloped his body. Only his brain remained illuminated by the moonlight, with the Niwan Palace at the center, unaffected by the surrounding clouds and mist.
Because it was so clear, it was sensitive. After an unknown period, Yu Ci, previously in a trance-like state, suddenly felt a sensation and, with a slight movement of thought, the scene of the moon and clouds dispersed, and he opened his eyes.
This method of storing and guiding Qi was taught to Yu Ci in his youth by the Red Yin Immortal and was called the “Nine Palaces Moonlight True Art.” It was also known as “Chasing the Moon through Clouds.” As the name suggests, it used the divine as the moon and Qi as the clouds, integrating spirit and Qi during contemplation to refine the body and mind.
This method was not particularly extraordinary, but it was easy to learn and straightforward. After twelve years of diligent practice, Yu Ci had reached a stage where spirit and Qi responded to each other, opening his spiritual apertures, allowing him to nourish his soul with true Qi, and achieved some success.
However, he was not in the mood to marvel at his progress now. He sensed that there were people approaching outside, judging by their aura. Yu Ci could tell that they were not part of Xuanqing’s group, but he was unsure of their intentions.
He put the bronze mirror back in his sleeve, grasped his long sword, and adjusted his state to remain prepared.
After a moment, shadows moved outside the room, but no one entered. Instead, someone knocked on the doorframe, which no longer had a door panel: “Friends inside, we are herb gatherers heading to Sky Rift Valley. May we come in?”
Yu Ci sighed lightly, released his sword, and laughed heartily: “In this remote wilderness, there is no such thing as early or late. Please, come in.”
His straightforward and bold demeanor was the best way to ease others’ doubts. That night, the place became lively again.