Once a Qi Refining cultivator reached the Core Formation stage, they could soar on clouds and ride mists.
Much like magic treasures, these clouds and mists had to be gathered first and then refined. Only Earthly Evil qi could condense the ethereal mist until standing on it felt as solid as standing upon the earth.
Cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Building stages fled from evil qi at the first sight of it; they lacked the means to refine such a treasure.
After inspecting the True Water Mist and the evil qi, Mao Yan gave a well-meaning reminder. "Young Qin, I'm afraid you don't know much about refining evil qi for Core Formation."
Recalling the Daoist scriptures he had read in the past, Qin Xuan replied:
"When a Qi Refining cultivator reaches the tenth layer, the Flowery Pool realm, a spirit spring is born within the dantian. The spirit spring connects to one's Dao bone, extending upward into the lotus of the Dao foundation—that is Foundation Building.
"When the lotus of the Dao foundation blossoms, revealing one's initial foundation, one enters the Core Formation stage.
"That is when one begins refining evil qi, using the thick Earthly Qi concealed within the Earthly Evil to bring forth a third-grade lotus flower, fully unfolding all of one's accumulated foundation. Then, after being forged by core fire and surviving the Yin Fire Heart Demon Tribulation, one can complete the Jade Fluid Reverted Dan and achieve a Golden Core."
Mao Yan nodded slightly. "It is roughly as you say.
"However...
"You haven't experienced it firsthand, so you don't know how arduous refining evil qi truly is. Even Core Formation cultivators must spend years of hard labor just gathering it. The evil qi you've brought out today could save you an immense amount of effort in the future. Do you truly want to refine it together with this True Water Mist?"
Qin Xuan hesitated briefly, but on second thought, the Soul-Eroding Cold Evil and the Gui Yin Corpse-Refining Divine Evil were ill-suited to him after all.
"Senior, let us refine it. If the evil qi is gone, I can always search for more in the future. Right now, I only want more means to save my own life."
Seeing his mind was made up, Mao Yan relented. "Very well."
"Will it be troublesome to refine?"
"Everything is ready to hand—what trouble could there be?"
Mao Yan muttered under his breath, "It's just that your evil qi and the True Water Mist don't match very well. When you ride it in the future, it'll likely billow with dark, sinister clouds. Anyone who doesn't know better will mistake you for someone from the demonic path."
Qin Xuan offered a wry smile. "No matter, as long as it works."
Seeing Mao Yan nod, Qin Xuan thanked him once more.
If Senior Mao refused to help, Qin Xuan would have these items on hand with no way to refine or use them for the time being.
To express his gratitude, Qin Xuan produced Old Man Black Corpse's myriad treasure pouch and offered it for Mao Yan to take his pick.
This amused Mao Yan. "Put it away. I may not possess immense wealth, but how could I covet the belongings of a junior?
"Still, how did you deal with that old demon of Mount Tong? If you fought him, you couldn't possibly have stood a chance."
He then added, "I'm merely curious. Everyone has their secrets; if it's inconvenient to say, you need not speak."
Qin Xuan weighed his words carefully:
"My feud with the Xieling Sect stems from a friend named Geng Zhi. Before he left, he told me of a terrifying killing trap inside the Pingyuan King's tomb. I used that very trap to lead Old Man Black Corpse into an ambush."
Next, he recounted the Divine Way of Hawk's Beak Mountain, the spider demon, and what he had discussed with the Black Bear Monster.
The more Mao Yan listened, the more he felt Qin Xuan possessed an exceptionally sharp and agile mind.
"Senior, I also need to borrow the treasure furnace."
"Go on, go on."
Qin Xuan smiled, thanked him, and headed for the boiler room. Mao Yan stroked his beard, watching his departing back.
"Not only is this boy a natural genius suited to cultivating my Chongjin Pass's secret treasury, but he also dares to scheme in the cracks between various factions. Isn't he the perfect fit to roam the East Sea?"
He took a deep breath, finding the idea more and more appealing the longer he pondered it.
The Dao Seed of Guanjiang Mountain had gone missing, and a contest for the headmaster lineage was underway. If young Qin were dragged into that, how could he ever cultivate in peace? He ought to step out of Yunzhou Prefecture and become a chosen prodigy of the East Sea.
Who knew how long the struggle against the Huanyin Sect would drag on? During this period, the affairs in the commandery were the perfect grindstone to temper him.
When he went to Chongjin Pass in the future, he would be able to adapt all the sooner.
Mao Yan's thoughts drifted far ahead. He felt that even if their layout in Pingyuan Commandery failed this time and they couldn't catch the Huanyin Sect in their trap, it wouldn't be much of a loss.
After all, he had found a genius perfectly suited to cultivating the secret treasury.
Just as his thoughts were wandering, a sudden commotion came from the boiler room, and a wave of spiritual qi rippled out of the chamber.
This was...
Mao Yan let out an "Oh?" and immediately understood.
"Innate spiritual qi... He has opened the Flowery Pool and unleashed a spirit spring."
To a grand Golden Core cultivator, seeing a junior open a Flowery Pool was thoroughly commonplace.
Yet...
As a seasoned practitioner of the Secret Demon Fiend-Breaking Great Art, Mao Yan's expression gradually changed. From that wave of Innate spiritual qi, he sensed an unmistakably distinct Metal Spirit Origin Qi.
This boy...!
With only a Qi Refining cultivation, how could he have advanced so profoundly in Metal Spirit Origin Qi?
In all his two centuries at Chongjin Pass, this was the very first time he had witnessed such a thing.
A broad smile broke across Mao Yan's stern face. Not wanting to disturb him, he took the evil qi and went off to refine the True Water Mist.
***
Inside the boiler room.
Qin Xuan sat upright before the treasure furnace, sweat rolling down his cheeks in bean-sized drops. Not only had Senior Mao failed to foresee this, but even Qin Xuan himself felt utterly bewildered.
He had followed the standard procedure: first swallowing a Solidifying Origin Pill, then tossing in the spirit metal ore, and finally using the fan palm fan to stoke the deep-sea yin charcoal beneath the treasure furnace. But as wisps of golden qi sprayed forth and he used his secret method to draw them into his body, an unexpected change suddenly occurred!
This anomaly stemmed directly from the Scripture of Rinsing Jade.
Originally, when cultivating the Lesser Heavenly Circulation Mind Technique, stoking the furnace fire sped up the absorption of the Solidifying Origin Pill, and any distracting thoughts spawned in the process were devoured by the fiend. It had been a self-reinforcing, continuous cycle.
Now, however...
As the spirit metal qi entered his body, it resonated with the Scripture of Rinsing Jade's implicit accord with the way of Heaven-born water—metal generating water.
Every wisp of spirit metal qi absorbed stirred the waters of Rinsing Jade.
This unleashed an unrelenting surge of majestic spiritual qi, just as Old Daoist Wu had once said: *Transforming the qi of the lower jiao to rise, returning once more as fluid. Circulating thus without cease, its efficacy matches milk turning into clarified butter.*
Qin Xuan directed his perception inward, inspecting his Flowery Pool.
The Flowery Pool was merely the tenth layer of the Qi Refining stage, yet it already offered a glimpse down the path of Foundation Building.
Within his dantian, an expansive space dense with spiritual mist had opened up, shaped like a great pool. At its center lay a spring eye connected to his Dao bone. As his cultivation technique circulated, milky-white spirit spring water gushed forth in bubbling streams.
The spirit spring within the Flowery Pool could be converted into spiritual power. The moment Qin Xuan opened his Flowery Pool, the magic power in his body nearly doubled.
Once his spiritual power stabilized, he swallowed seven Solidifying Origin Pills in a row and tossed the remaining two pieces of spirit metal ore into the treasure furnace.
Drawing in the golden qi spewed by the furnace, he sat in meditation once more to circulate his art...
Sure enough!
Metal Spirit Origin Qi could stimulate the Scripture of Rinsing Jade. The principle of metal generating water and Heaven-born water was in perfect harmony with his Dao bone!
It was too fast!
The spirit spring of the Flowery Pool expanded at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Meanwhile, the distracting thoughts spawned by the rapid circulation of his technique provided a feast for the fiend, gorging it to the brim.
Between the three, a complete, self-sustaining heavenly circulation seemed to take shape.
However, this period of rapid growth in magic power soon came to a halt.
The spirit metal ore had been completely consumed.
Qin Xuan felt the intoxicating itch of having tasted something wondrous, even feeling a reckless urge to corrupt the little fox and convince her to steal all of her grandfather's spirit metal ore.
*No, that would be far too immoral.*
There were still some yin spirits inside the myriad treasure pouch of the Xieling Sect's Great Elder, which could be traded once more.
Yet even that wouldn't be quite enough...
Qin Xuan felt he was bordering on obsession, actually hoping the Xieling Sect would send a few more people his way.
*According to Perfected One Jiuya's Huachi Tongqi, once a Qi Refining cultivator opens their Flowery Pool, they should advance step by step, because the root of the spirit spring lies in a person's Dao bone. Cultivating like this, could I be leaving behind hidden flaws?*
*Songsong gave me the Scripture of Rinsing Jade. I should go ask her.*
Leaving the boiler room, he bid farewell to Senior Mao and hurried back toward Yuansong Temple under the cover of night.
***
At this moment, Yuansong Temple was still brightly lit, its usual tranquility shattered.
The Xieling Sect had crossed the bottom line of Pingyuan Commandery's foremost power. Several reclusive elders rarely seen outside the Scripture Pavilion had emerged, joining Temple Head Wu in launching a forceful strike against the Xieling Sect.
Blood had stained the city, and many buildings lay in ruins.
The corpses of the Xieling fiends were laid out in a row at the commandery city's northern gate—the very direction from which the Xieling Sect had come from Mount Tong.
This great battle had begun when Old Man Black Corpse abducted Qin Xuan. When the dust settled, Qin Xuan had discarded Old Man Black Corpse's remains in the most bustling part of the commandery city.
This act had dealt no small shock to the various factions.
Those that had harbored restless ambitions now withdrew into quiet submission.
When Qin Xuan returned to Yuansong Temple, even in the dead of night, it caused quite a stir. Many disciples came out to meet him, eager to inquire about Old Man Black Corpse. Unfortunately, by the time they descended from the mountainside dormitories, Qin Xuan had already headed for Old Daoist Wu's quarters.
Yet that did nothing to stop their chatter:
"Tell me, who on earth killed Old Man Black Corpse?"
"It was Senior Brother Qin."
From within the crowd, Liu Xi spoke as if it were a matter of course. "Back then, Senior Brother Qin's sword pierced Old Man Black Corpse's neck three times in a row! That old demon of Mount Tong grew careless, never expecting Senior Brother's sword art to be so sublime. A century of terrifying prestige, destroyed in a single moment!"
Someone questioned, "Then why are people outside saying there were no wounds on Old Man Black Corpse's body?"
Liu Xi froze. Beside him, Junior Sister Yu Han chimed in, "The sword was so fast that the wound couldn't even be seen."
The surrounding disciples burst into laughter, knowing full well it was a joke.
Not far away, Shen Yunfei and Zhou Cang watched this scene before turning back toward their residence.
Zhou Cang wore a look of suspicion and shock. "Something is more and more amiss. Aside from the temple head, no one in the temple could have dealt with Old Man Black Corpse."
Shen Yunfei said with certainty, "A powerful expert intervened."
"Could it be that grey-robed senior who visited the temple last time?"
"Perhaps."
Shen Yunfei rolled his fierce, leopard-like eyes. "In the future, steer clear of Qin Xuan. If he has caught the eye of that senior, even Elder Lai will have to think twice."
"What should we do then? Should we send word to the Upper Court?"
"Elder Lai will only be infuriated if he hears such bad news. Let Elder Ji report it instead."
Zhou Cang looked troubled. "Senior Brother Shen, this is getting difficult. To tell the truth, I'd rather back out, but I don't dare disobey Elder Lai's orders."
Shen Yunfei said, "Don't panic. Our task is only to block him from entering the Upper Court. If Qin Xuan is taken away by a senior from another branch of Lingbao, wouldn't that also mean he never enters Guanjiang Mountain?"
"That works too?"
"It works. The path may be winding, but the result is the same."
*Winding?* Zhou Cang was left speechless. Wasn't this just pulling the wool over Elder Lai's eyes?
***
Under the night sky, Qin Xuan arrived at Pine Breeze Lodge. As always, Old Daoist Wu was burning incense and sitting in quiet meditation, looking thoroughly placid.
"Temple Head."
Qin Xuan bowed deeply. His mind was filled with the scene of Old Daoist Wu drawing out the Dao flower from his dantian; had things gone slightly differently, it would have been a lifelong regret.
Old Daoist Wu stroked his beard and smiled, entirely unbothered by today's events.
The white crane trotted over as well, circling around Qin Xuan. Only after seeing that he was missing neither arm nor leg did it relax. "Zihou, how did Old Man Black Corpse die?"
Old Daoist Wu was immensely curious as well.
And so, Qin Xuan recounted everything that had transpired that day.
Both the old man and the white crane were astonished.
Old Daoist Wu could not help gazing up at the starry sky. His eyes held bewilderment, yet also a deep reverent awe as he sighed:
"Those who attained the Dao and lived through the Chaotic Antiquity Great Tribulation dare not taint themselves with tribulation qi. When I was at Guanjiang Mountain, I heard that the Patriarch had not left behind a single word in nearly a thousand years. For this female immortal to actually intervene, she must be an extraordinary existence indeed."
Qin Xuan asked, "Does Elder know her origins?"
"I do not."
Old Daoist Wu sighed at length. "Even if you asked Ancestor Xuangling of our branch, I fear he couldn't give you an answer. The ages before the Great Tribulation were long and vast, impossible to trace. Who knows which era's dazzling figure she was?"
The white crane could not resist asking, "Zihou, did the female immortal take you as her disciple?"
Qin Xuan shook his head. "She did not."
The white crane felt immense regret, stamping its feet repeatedly. It had always believed that taking the female immortal as his master was the finest choice imaginable.
Yet an immortal affinity was far too difficult to seek; becoming overly obsessed with it would only breed an internal demon.
Thinking of *Spring Letters, Autumn Post*, Qin Xuan found himself rather puzzled.
Why would a peerless female immortal write her own sword art into a romance tale?
Gathering his thoughts, he turned to the main business with Old Daoist Wu. "Temple Head, I need to handle a matter for Senior Mao. Might the elders of our temple assist us?"
"They may."
With this answer, Qin Xuan felt confident.
After chatting a bit longer about idle matters, he took his leave and returned to his small courtyard. He walked straight over to the pine tree and called out for quite some time, but Old Pine paid him no heed. Even after he watered it with spiritual water, it remained unresponsive.
*Could she have fallen into a deep slumber again?*
Just as he was about to leave, an airy woman's voice sounded beside his ear: "What is it?"
Delighted, Qin Xuan quickly asked, "Something seems to have gone awry with my cultivation. The Scripture of Rinsing Jade and my Metal Spirit Origin Qi circulated in mutual harmony, bursting open the Flowery Pool. The spirit spring is gushing forth far too quickly—could it damage my foundation?"
The woman's voice replied, "Do you feel possessed by demons, or overrun with wild delusions?"
Qin Xuan pondered for a moment. "No."
"Then there is no problem. When an immortal cultivator seizes spiritual qi, it is a communion with heaven and earth. One comes into contact with the boundless thoughts of the world, and the tribulation qi of the unseen follows in their wake, stirring delusions and leading one to fall to demons. That is why one seeks the Great Dao methods to cultivate, deepening the practice of sitting in tranquil oblivion, untouched by the six dusts, walking a smooth and open road."
The woman's voice continued, "As for the Scripture of Rinsing Jade you cultivate, if you take a wrong step, you will naturally feel restless whether walking or sitting, sensing an omen.
"It isn't as though you are crossing a tribulation; there is no need for wild fancies.
"I am going to sleep. Do not disturb me unless you have actual business."
By the end, Old Pine sounded as though she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
Yet that did not matter...
Qin Xuan furrowed his brows, pondering one detail.
*Possessed by demons, overrun with wild delusions? But weren't all the demonic thoughts eaten clean by the fiend? Is there really no problem with that...?*
Chapter 62