Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 92 - 87 Xuan Yin Formless, Promoted to Qi Refinement

Outside Seeking Immortal County, above the stream in the mountain valley, between the peach blossom forests on both banks.

Tao Qian was leading Little Age and Lian Jing'er, two refined alien species, with a round pebble suspended in front of him, emitting a luminescent jade light.

Tao Qian looked at the fresh and pleasant scenery before him, then began to recite and visualize from the depths of his heart:

"...Along the creek, forgetting the distance of the road. Suddenly I came upon a peach blossom forest, hundreds of steps along the banks, with no other trees, fresh beautiful grass, and falling colorful petals... At the end of the forest where the source of the water lies, a mountain appears, with a tiny opening, seemingly with some light. I abandoned the boat and entered through the opening. Initially, it was very narrow, barely passable by one person. Walking a few dozen steps further, it suddenly opened up..."

As Tao Qian recited each word from his heart, the soft surface of the pebble began to shed fragments that, with a gentle breeze, drifted away, gradually revealing a tranquil, peaceful image.

At this moment, the "Infant Mother Fetus Stone," even not being a magical treasure and lacking that abnormal aura, could still fetch a good price in the mortal world just from the bas-relief on its surface.

Those nobles who favored the reclusive style, like the proverbial 'Man who loved dragons,' would surely go mad over it.

"It's done!"

When Tao Qian reopened his eyes, delighted by what he had achieved, his mind moved accordingly.

The stone suddenly shot forward, crashing into the depths of the mountain stream and peach forest.

In an instant, Tao Qian saw the stone strike the void and with a "pop," ripples spread across the water, and the stone completely merged into this territory.

Afterward, everything seemed unchanged.

The stream remained the same, as did the peach forest.

But at this moment, Tao Qian revealed a smile, leading the two little ones to land on the surface of the stream, nonchalantly on top of a fishing boat that appeared.

"Although it might be a bit of a quirky taste, this secluded spot for cultivation is indeed very fitting for my name."

"At least, the lessons from my childhood were not recited in vain."

With these satisfied words, Tao Qian and his two companions began to travel along the creek.

Soon they entered deep into the peach forest and arrived at the source of the stream, suddenly coming upon a very hidden cave entrance.

After disembarking, Tao Qian led Little Age and Lian Jing'er into the cave.

It was initially narrow, just wide enough for one person to pass through, but after walking a few dozen steps, it suddenly widened dramatically.

In front of them lay a flat, open secret realm.

At the far end of the secret realm stood a simple, solitary wooden hut.

Tao Qian looked very pleased with this secret space, balancing reality and illusion. He could have envisioned more settings such as "hut, good fields, beautiful pond, mulberries and bamboos, chickens and dogs," and so on.

But after all, he came here for secluded cultivation into the "Qi Refining Realm," not truly to escape the world and create a paradise.

Moreover, as his cultivation would take some days, he had no time to care for the two little ones.

This open space was just right to give them something to do.

Tao Qian thought for a moment, then pulled Little Age and Lian Jing'er closer, pointed at the vast secret realm in front of them, and specifically entrusted them:

"I will need a few days for secluded cultivation, which must not be interrupted. I'm giving you a task for this period."

"With such a large area, you can decorate and arrange it however you like. After I finish my retreat, I will come and check your work."

"How does that sound?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Qian saw the two little ones.

Their eyes, like gemstones, both lit up, Taisui Baby nodding furiously, while the odd bronze robot, Lian Jing'er, responded with his mechanical voice: "Task accepted... Task accepted!"

With such a harmonious atmosphere, Tao Qian was very satisfied.

He let the two little ones freely express themselves, heading towards that wooden hut.

"Raising kids isn't as hard as I imagined, even though they're just two refined little aliens."

Mumbling this to himself, Tao Qian entered the secluded wooden hut.

Having obtained the "Innate Dao Seed," Tao Qian was often astonished by his own cultivation speed. Though he had just stabilized the Life Seed not long ago, the accumulation of Spirit Treasure Source Qi in his body was already impressively vast and restless.

There were no elaborate decorations in the hut, apart from a meditation cushion, nothing else, making it a truly simple room.

Tao Qian sat down cross-legged, aware that the two little things had already busied themselves, he smiled and sealed the hut.

However, Tao Qian did not start his cultivation right away; advancing into the "Qi Refinement" stage was not simple, and haste could not be afforded.

As he adjusted his state, he spat out the Mustard Seed Talisman Seed gifted to him by Lin Xiaohua.

His Divine Thought delved in, beginning to inventory the various items; in a way, this was also a sort of inheritance.

Lin Xiaohua had said: The talisman seed contains resources for Tao Qian to cultivate up to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Now quickly checking through, the elder Lin Xiaohua had been somewhat modest.

It contained elixirs, talisman papers, Spirit Food, magical artifacts, and such, neatly arranged on two wooden shelves.

Tao Qian assessed the time, concluding that if he was economical, perhaps even after advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would still have plenty to use.

Beyond that, Tao Qian also saw a surprise prepared for him by Lin Xiaohua.

Right in the center on the table, a small treasure chest.

Inside, there were two items: a stack of particularly textured talisman papers, seemingly made from some sort of grass leaves, blackish-green in color, and a Sword Elixir.

As Tao Qian opened the treasure chest, he immediately heard Lin Xiaohua's voice left inside the box, which unusually this time, carried a tinge of melancholy.

"Brother Tao, these two items are respectively one hundred and eight sheets of Xuan Yin Invisible Sword Talismans, and a Hundred Refinement Sword Pill."

"The latter will allow you to unleash the full power of the Secret Demon Sacrifice Body Sword Technique. Should you encounter a formidable enemy in the future, you may slay them with a single strike."

"If you can't cut it, you can use these one hundred and eight sword talismans, activated by Source Qi to instantly deploy the 'Xuan Yin Invisible Sword Array'. It's ferociously incomprehensible, even a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm, if caught off guard, might not die but will certainly be grievously injured. As for cultivators at the Qi Refining Realm, even if dozens were thrown into the array, none would survive."

"This talisman array was originally prepared by me to compete for the position of a 'True Cultivation Disciple'. Master has always treated me kindly, yet I've repeatedly embarrassed him. I hoped to secure a true cultivation position to make him proud too, but fate played tricks on me. Not only did I fail to become a true cultivator, but I was also expelled from the sect, truly a disgrace to him."

"Sigh."

With that final sigh falling, Xiao Hua Daoist's voice also disappeared.

Tao Qian also sighed, then reached out to touch those two items.

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In his mind, indeed, the information on the alien items appeared in greater detail.

The power of these two items, according to Lin Xiaohua's description, was even stronger by three parts.

Tao Qian had guessed that the slaughter treasure Master Xiao intended to offer him was probably the same. Unfortunately, he had chosen the Infant Mother Fetus Stone in a hurry to leave this stormy area and head to the Spirit Treasure Sect Mountain Gate.

Little did he know, this regret was compensated for by a surprise prepared by Xiao Hua Daoist.

"Master Xiao was right, my fortune is indeed excellent, and my judgment in friends is also exemplary."

After muttering this with some self-satisfaction, Tao Qian stowed the treasure box away.

Just then, feeling that his state was sufficiently adjusted.

Tao Qian's divine thought withdrew from the talisman seed, he swallowed it back into his belly, and was about to begin preparations for a breakthrough.

What is Qi Refinement?

The essence of this realm lies in the character "refine". When a cultivator is confident enough, they can fully open themselves up and let endless Source Qi enter their body unceasingly to cleanse them. The cultivator must treat their own physical body and life seed as a crucible to refine the Source Qi entering their body into the True Spirit Qi of the basic method they cultivate.

If not even a thread of the basic method's true Qi can be refined, then it's an empty effort and indicates a failed breakthrough.

If true Qi can be refined, then the cultivator should try to refine more to strengthen the foundation and control more extraordinary powers.

However, during the refining process, accidents often occur resulting in the cultivator's physical body and life seed being mutated and uncontrollably altered, leading to instant death on the spot.

Even within the Twelve Major Daoist Sects or Buddhist Temples, many disciples die this way.

"This realm must be advanced with a surge of effort, and one cannot repeatedly grind back and forth, wasting divine soul vitality."

After a flash of insight regarding the breakthrough experience once advised by Lin Xiaohua, the guide, crossed Tao Qian's mind,

He immediately cleared all distractions from his mind, focused his spirit attentively in an unprecedented manner, completely immersed within himself, and began to recite the 'Spirit Treasure Nine Truths Diagram' word by word.

Perhaps the time was right, as on the very first recitation, Tao Qian completed it flawlessly without any error or omission.

He didn't even need to rest. Under the fortune of an inspired mind, Tao Qian continuously started the second, third, fourth recitation…

Time began to pass swiftly.

Tao Qian fully entered the state of cultivation. As he successfully recited the diagram repeatedly, the air in this humble room grew increasingly dense with the natural Qi of clear spirit, although there were no external items or elegant decorations. Yet, if anyone were here, they would undoubtedly feel as if they were within a secret realm of the Daoist.

One day!

Two days!

Three days!

Tao Qian had long lost any sensation of the outside world and had no concept of time. His divine thought and spirit seemed completely integrated into the surging Spirit Treasure Source Qi like a vast river.

Master Xiao had once declared that Tao Qian, if he used the "Infant Mother Source Pearl," could enter the Qi Refining Realm within half a month.

Her judgment as a heterodox expert was indeed sharp, yet she still underestimated Tao Qian.

On this third day, when Tao Qian should have awakened to timely consume that Source Pearl and enter the risk-free state of transitioning from Acquired to Innate,

However, Tao Qian did not do so.

The Infant Mother Source Pearl was indeed an exotic treasure that could aid a cultivator in refining Source Qi, but it was also a shortcut.

Relying on such a treasure might allow one to break through, but the cultivator would fail to deeply comprehend the mystery of "refining". Any cultivator with a bit of ambition would avoid using it if possible.

Moreover, Tao Qian was currently in a state of profound enlightenment, having long forgotten about the likes of the Infant Mother Source Pearl.

When he recited the 'Spirit Treasure Nine Truths Diagram' once again, suddenly, a dramatic change occurred in the humble room.

Accompanied by a booming sound, a light seed the size of a baby's fist suddenly leapt from Tao Qian's crown and directly struck the void, forcefully opening a hazy portal.

Boom!

A more vigorous and powerful rush of Spirit Treasure Source Qi than Tao Qian had ever experienced in any previous cultivation session enveloped his body and life seed completely, pouring down like inverting the Heavenly River.

In that instant, Tao Qian should have been crushed directly by this powerful Source Qi.

But as the Innate Dao Seed swirled and bobbed, not only did Tao Qian survive, his physical body and life seed suddenly underwent Light Transformation, completely merging with the deluge of powerful Source Qi.

Subsequently, inside the humble room, impurities and demon thoughts mixed with black-red Source Qi began to continuously drift.

During this process, the expression on Tao Qian's "Light Transformed" face showed not pain but a joyful smile that only comes with enlightenment.

Thus, the washing and refining continued, and Tao Qian's Light Transformation grew even more complete.

Unknown how much time had passed, suddenly, Tao Qian, in the midst of it all, opened his eyes, uttered a Dao Formula, and formed a Dharma Seal.

His Inner World seemed to explode, and amidst a muffled booming sound, a stream of pure, natural Qi imbued with Daoist charm was born. It seemed to have its own consciousness, moving unimpeded through the powerful Spirit Treasure Source Qi.

As this Qi emerged, the dark and humble room was suddenly filled with light, fragrant breezes, and echoing Dao sounds.

"Three days of cultivation, and he entered the Qi Refining Realm."

"Do not stop, cannot stop."

As Tao Qian voiced this joy, he did not even take a moment to perceive the sublime nature of that thread of Daoist infused Qi, but simply closed his eyes again and, bolstered by the Innate Dao Seed, continued refining Qi.