Cultivator

That night, the moonlight was bright and clear. Li Chijing sat cross-legged in the courtyard, concentrating his qi and settling his mind as he set about condensing the third wheel—the Zhouxing Wheel. The human body held endless mysteries, possessing twelve meridians and three dantian—upper, middle, and lower. The *Taiyin Breathing and Wheel Nourishing Scripture* stated: "The lower dantian is the manor that stores essence; the middle dantian is the manor that stores qi; the upper dantian is the manor that stores spirit." Among the Six Wheels of Embryonic Breathing, the Xuanjing, Zhouxing, and Yujing Wheels were called the Three Barriers of Embryonic Breathing, renowned for their difficulty. The crux lay in the fact that each of these three wheels had to be condensed from nothingness within a different dantian. The remaining three wheels were comparatively easier. Just as the Xuanjing Wheel resided in the lower dantian's Qihai acupoint, once it was condensed, one needed only to diligently breathe and circulate qi, and the Chengming Wheel would naturally arise from within the Qihai acupoint. The Zhouxing Wheel, on the other hand, was situated in the Juque Court, the human body's manor of storing qi. Once condensed, dharmic power would circulate ceaselessly throughout the entire body. Channeled into the eyes, it allowed sight over great distances; channeled into the feet, it granted swift, divine steps, making leaping onto roofs and scaling walls effortless. After resting and adjusting his breathing for a quarter of an hour, Li Chijing felt the Qihai acupoint brimming with vigor, the two spirit wheels encircling and intertwining without end. Forming a hand seal, he guided his qi through the Shimen, Guanyuan, Shenque, and Mingmen acupoints, gathering it into the Juque Court in an attempt to condense the spirit wheel. Lu Jiangxian was channeling his divine sense to watch over Li Chijing, having cast a Calming Charm upon him, standing guard alongside Li Tongya and Li Xiangping. Just as he watched Li Chijing pinch the incantation gesture to prepare for the breakthrough, Lu Jiangxian suddenly felt as if thorns pricked his back. From far away, he sensed a vast and majestic aura approaching, flying straight toward Mount Dali. Comparing their respective strengths, Lu Jiangxian decisively yielded to prudence. His divine sense receded like an ebbing tide into the mirror, ceasing even to absorb the moonlight cast through the skylight. It lay like an inanimate object in the secret chamber of the ancestral hall, resembling nothing more than a genuine bronze mirror. In just a few breaths, an azure streak of light swept across the sky above the Li family compound. Sensing the aura receding, Lu Jiangxian was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the streak of light make an effortless turn, drifting back to hover slowly above the Li residence. *** Si Yuanbai had emerged from his secluded cultivation at Qingsui Peak with his cultivation further advanced. Intending to head into Mount Dali to find trouble with that boar demon, he rode his flying shuttle southward along Guli Road. "That great war severed the spiritual vitality of Mount Dali's northern foothills and threw the earth veins into utter chaos. Now that three hundred years have passed, the earth veins and spiritual energy are gradually recovering, and quite a few demons have grown formidable." As he neared Mount Dali, Si Yuanbai noticed that there were surprisingly quite a few villages at the foot of the mountain. Especially along the banks of that nameless river, settlements were scattered in clusters of two or three, looking remarkably lively. "The war wiped the land clean and slaughtered all the demons in the northern foothills. Though it severed the spiritual vitality, it unexpectedly turned out to be a good haven for these mortals." Si Yuanbai cast his gaze downward, only to suddenly spot ripples of dharmic power within the small village beneath his feet, which stirred his curiosity. Thinking at first that some petty demon was causing mischief, he channeled his mystical sight to take a closer look. Under the moonlight, a handsome youth sat cross-legged; what was more, two youths with similar features stood watching by his side, both seemingly possessing dharmic power as well. "How extraordinary. A youth breaking through a bottleneck without any elders guarding him." Si Yuanbai swept his divine sense lightly across the village, detecting no further ripples of dharmic power. Mildly surprised, he clapped his hands and laughed. "Most likely the wild seed left behind by some fellow Daoist." Below, Li Chijing was completely oblivious. Instead, inspiration struck him like a flash of insight. As he continuously attempted to condense the wheel, every doubt and perplexity regarding the incantation dissolved one by one. Streams of dharmic power rapidly converged within his Juque Court, and a crystal-clear spirit wheel formed swiftly, as effortlessly as if he had practiced it thousands of times. "What a fine youth!" Si Yuanbai stroked his beard and praised softly. The path of cultivation was fraught with perils and hardships. A spirit aperture was merely the basic threshold for entry; one still had to consider karmic fortune, comprehension, and willpower—and even more so background, sect, and cultivation techniques. This youth possessed commendable talent and comprehension, and his technique was profound. Yet trapped in a mortal village deep within the mountains, how many cultivation resources could he ever enjoy, and how many secret scrolls and scriptures could he obtain? In the end, he would likely reach no further than Qi Refinement, turning to ash and dust after a fleeting two hundred years. The path of immortal cultivation was long and arduous; how many heroes had fallen by the wayside, and how many talents had met their end with their clans wiped out? Gradually lowering his flying shuttle, Si Yuanbai formed a seal to cast an invisibility spell. Sitting leisurely atop the rockery in the courtyard, he watched the people below with easy amusement. Just then, a mortal old man walked in from outside the courtyard, and one of the youths standing guard called out: "Father." Hearing this, Si Yuanbai's expression turned peculiar. Those blessed with spirit apertures were not one in a thousand, yet here were three spirit apertures in a single household. Could they truly be the offspring of an ordinary mortal elder? Judging by their mellow, pure dharmic power, they certainly practiced a profound method. It had to be the illegitimate offspring unintentionally sired by some fellow Daoist. Cultivators rarely had children, yet having fathered them, he dared not bring them home, leaving them in this village to cultivate first. "Moreover, all three of these children possess spirit apertures. That fellow Daoist's cultivation must be above Foundation Establishment." While it became harder for cultivators to sire offspring the higher their cultivation grew, the probability of their children having spirit apertures increased drastically. Qi Refinement cultivators might manage one or two out of ten, while Foundation Establishment raised the chance to fifty percent. With all three children possessing spirit apertures, their father was almost certainly a Foundation Establishment cultivator. As for the Purple Palace? Excluding the patriarchs of the immortal sects, there weren't even enough of them to fill two hands in the entire State of Yue. Why would an exalted Purple Palace figure settle for such an arrangement in a tiny village? Even if he fathered illegitimate children, who would dare question him if he took them home? They would be revered like young ancestors. Seeing the youth below finish his circulation, his face lit with joy as he announced: "Father, I broke through!" The Li family was naturally filled with joy. Atop the rockery, Si Yuanbai looked at him, an idea stirring in his mind as he pondered: "The stretch from Guli Road to Mount Dali is home to many mortals, yet because of that great war, no cultivator has guarded it for three hundred years. Now that the earth veins have aligned and spiritual energy is gradually returning, this land should soon be brought back under the sect's governance. "Why not subordinate these few to the sect and have them guard this place? Borrowing the prestige of that Foundation Establishment senior, they should be able to keep these demons in check." The Qingchi Sect controlled the five southern commanderies of the State of Yue and naturally maintained its own system of governance. The sect only dispatched disciples to govern down to the city level; below that, it relied on the intricate, intertwined bloodlines and marital alliances of cultivation clans to control the lowest rungs. Using pills and dharmic tools to compel clans into cultivating raw materials and supplying vast amounts of low-cultivation labor, while annually reaping the clans' outstanding disciples to replenish the sect—this was widely recognized throughout the cultivation world as an effective practice. The Qingchi Sect had employed it for over five hundred years, ever since its founding. "And along the way, I can forge a good bond with that Foundation Establishment cultivator." With this thought, Si Yuanbai formed a seal to reveal himself, drifting lightly down into the courtyard. Li Chijing was still immersed in his joy, savoring the sensation of endless dharmic power surging from the Zhouxing Wheel, when a green-robed figure materialized out of thin air in the courtyard. The newcomer wore green robes and appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with handsome features, a gentle smile, and a glowing, luminous sword at his waist, giving him an otherworldly and ethereal air. Li Chijing and the others immediately tensed as if facing a mortal foe, quickly moving to shield Li Mutian behind them. Li Tongya barked in a low voice: "Who are you, sir?"