Great Qi Cultivation Realm - Lingzhou
Lingzhou was one of the nineteen provinces of the State of Qi. Though remote, lying on the southwestern frontier bordering the vast Ten-Thousand Mountain Range, it still spanned tens of thousands of square miles. Three great mountain ranges Wangyue, Wutong, and Liuyun intertwined across the land.
The Song family was one of the six major Foundation Establishment clans in Lingzhou. The entire Wangyue Mountain Range was under their control, encompassing seven counties and more than six hundred thousand mortal clan members.
The clan's ancestral grounds were located atop Cangmang Peak a towering summit over a thousand zhang high. Its breathtaking scenery, surrounded by spiritual mountains shrouded in mist and lush vegetation, along with the many rare beasts that roamed within, gave the peak an aura of ethereal beauty, as if it were a realm of immortals.
At this moment
On a cliff halfway up Cangmang Peak, a young man in a blue robe embroidered with silver cloud patterns sat cross-legged, facing the sun. A gourd hung from his waist, and his hands formed cultivation seals.
His name was Song Changsheng. Standing seven feet tall, with a handsome face like carved jade and sharp, sword-like brows that gave off a stern aura, he tied his thick black hair loosely behind his head with a silk ribbon. Dashing and refined, he was truly a striking young man.
Now, with his eyes closed and mind focused, he was cultivating a steady rhythm of breathing. Each inhale and exhale was long and deep, yet followed a mysterious pattern.
Threads of solar essence from the air flowed into the Baihui acupoint on his crown with each breath, then traveled through his Hand and Foot Yang Meridians and various acupoints, eventually gathering in his lower Dantian, where they condensed into a misty gray-white aura.
Suddenly, as if he had touched upon some profound insight, the spiritual energy surged through his meridians and rammed fiercely into a barrier in his Dantian. With a muffled grunt, the barrier shattered.
Song Changsheng immediately accelerated the circulation of his cultivation technique. Water and fire spiritual energy swirled around his body, gradually calming the turbulent flow of qi.
"I've finally broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining," he murmured, slowly opening his eyes and exhaling a breath of turbid air. Joy filled his heart.
"Congratulations, little brother! You're one step closer to the Foundation Establishment Realm."
Just as Song Changsheng finished his session, a cheerful voice called out from behind him.
Without needing to look, he instantly recognized the voice it was his elder brother from the same lineage, Song Changming.
Back when the clan's forefather, Song Taiyi, had slain a third-rank demonic beast and claimed the Wangyue Mountains, he had taken many wives and concubines to expand the family line. He established a ten-character generational naming convention for the cultivators of the clan:
"Tai, Chu, Yun, Xian, Lu, Chang, Qing, You, Jing, Ming."
Now, nearly five hundred years have passed. The clan had nearly four hundred cultivators, including six at the Foundation Establishment stage. The oldest among them bore the Xian generation name, while the youngest those of the Qing generation were mostly still children.
The Lu and Chang generations made up the core strength of the clan and were gradually taking over leadership and responsibilities.
Turning around, Song Changsheng saw a middle-aged man standing in the distance, his face showing signs of age.
"I was wondering why I heard magpies chirping this morning turns out my elder brother was coming to visit. What brings you here today?" Song Changsheng stood and cupped his fists with a smile.
Song Changming gave a wry smile. "I'm afraid I'm here to ask you for a favor."
"You're too kind, Brother. You've helped me greatly on the path of cultivation. If there's anything I can do for you, just say the word." Song Changsheng gestured to the nearby stone bench and spoke sincerely.
"Alas... ever since that battle ten years ago, the clan has been in decline. Many of our external industries are understaffed. The clan has assigned me to oversee a mining outpost. Who knows how long I'll be gone... which is why I've come to ask you to craft a protective talisman for Xier."
As he spoke, Song Changming waved his hand, and a green jade pendant along with a small pile of spirit stones perhaps a dozen appeared on the stone table in front of him.
"I see... but isn't Xier living on Cangmang Peak? She should be perfectly safe. Isn't a protective talisman a bit... unnecessary?" Song Changsheng asked, puzzled.
Now sixty-three years old, Song Changming had long since given up hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment. He had taken a wife from a non-clan cultivator and had a daughter, Song Xi, a few years ago. The talisman was meant for her.
That was what puzzled Song Changsheng. While talismans did contain some spiritual power, they were only effective against mortals. His young niece lived in the clan's heavily guarded stronghold what use was such a feeble object?
With a complicated expression, Song Changming explained, "Xier is now six years old, and it's almost time to test her spiritual roots. If she has them, fine. But if she doesn't... according to clan rules, she'll be sent to live in one of the county towns with the rest of the mortal branch."
"And once I leave, there's no telling if I'll return. If that happens... she'll be all alone. I just can't rest easy. Please, help me, little brother."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng fell silent. The clan's rules were strict. Mortals of the family could only live in the county towns. Only those with spiritual roots, like Song Changming, had the right to live on Cangmang Peak.
However, the path of mortals and cultivators diverged. Those without spiritual roots would be sent to live in mundane cities. No one is made of stone how could one rest easy when it comes to their flesh and blood? That was why Song Changming came to request the talisman.
Song Changsheng had never experienced such a situation, so to him, the talisman seemed rather useless. But to Song Changming, it was a token of protection something he could leave behind for his daughter.
"I understand now. I will do everything in my power," Song Changsheng said solemnly as he swept his sleeve and put away the jade pendant, but pushed the pile of spirit stones back.
"No, that won't do. Even between brothers, accounts must be settled. This is your rightful payment," Song Changming said hastily, trying to push the stones back.
But Song Changsheng reached out and stopped him. "Elder Brother, I'm still her uncle after all. Let this talisman be my gift to her. Once you leave the mountain, you'll need spirit stones for everything. You should keep them."
Cultivation requires vast amounts of spiritual energy. However, due to the world's incomplete laws and chaotic ambient qi, cultivators had difficulty absorbing it naturally. This made cultivating in areas with spiritual veins essential.
The higher the grade of the spiritual vein, the denser the qi and the faster the cultivation progress.
Cangmang Peak possessed Lingzhou's only third-grade spiritual vein, making cultivation highly efficient. But outside, it was a different story most places had only first-grade veins or none at all.
In such environments, spirit stones became essential, or one's cultivation would stagnate. Spirit stones were extremely valuable, and for lower-level cultivators, even a dozen of them was no small sum.
Deeply moved, Song Changming said, "Thank you, Brother."
"No need for thanks. Will you stay and have a few drinks with me?" Song Changsheng smiled and reached for the gourd at his waist.
"Hahaha! It's that fine wine brewed by Sixth Aunt I've been thinking about it for a long time. I wouldn't miss it for the world," Song Changming's eyes lit up.
Song Changsheng gave a faint smile. The wine was brewed by his mother, and he wouldn't have brought it out if it weren't to see his brother off.
He took out two small cups, and the two brothers drank together on the edge of the cliff until mid-morning before parting reluctantly.
Even though he reeked of alcohol by the time he returned to his courtyard, Song Changsheng's mind was exceptionally clear. He shut the door behind him and sat down cross-legged.
His consciousness quickly sank into a deep calm, and in the sea of his mind, a white jade slip floated silently.
Drawn by his spiritual will, the slip slowly unfurled, revealing densely packed scriptures.
Forming hand seals, Song Changsheng began to channel his spiritual power. The alcohol in his body steadily transformed into pure qi, and he started to comprehend the scriptures recorded on the jade slip.
This jade slip contained a Daoist scripture known as the Mystic Canon of Creation, a text of profound and esoteric truths.
In his previous life on Blue Star, he had been an orphan raised by a Daoist temple, living with an old Daoist priest for twenty years. Before the priest passed away, he handed him a blank jade slip.
The first time Song Changsheng opened it, it triggered a celestial disturbance nine bolts of mysterious lightning descended from the heavens and struck him, reducing his body to cinders.
Luckily, the jade slip protected his soul, allowing it to escape through the void and reincarnate in the Ziyu Realm, into the Song Clan.
At first, his soul was in a chaotic state, and he was no different from a normal child. But ten years ago, during a devastating war, when he was six years old, he witnessed the death of his father, Song Luyan.
That traumatic event awakened the memories of his past life and from that moment, he realized the jade slip had always existed in his mind.
When he began to study it, he discovered that it was filled with Daoist classics, rooted in the very principles of the universe. Every word and line brimmed with supreme truths.
When he first entered the path of cultivation and drew in spiritual energy, he comprehended a technique called the Scripture of Yin-Yang Essence a heart technique that allowed him to absorb solar and lunar qi and form Primordial Energy in his dantian.
This energy was extremely profound, capable of harmonizing his water and fire spiritual roots.
His dual water-fire roots were both a blessing and a curse. They allowed him to absorb spiritual energy at a faster rate than others, but the inherent opposition between water and fire meant he had to expend great effort to maintain balance during cultivation.
This severely slowed his progress until he began practicing the Yin-Yang Essence Scripture, which completely resolved the issue.
Not only did it harmonize his opposing elements, but it also enhanced their synergy, significantly speeding up his cultivation. That was how he had managed to reach the late stage of Qi Refining by the age of sixteen.
However, while the Daoist scriptures were profound, they required spiritual energy to comprehend. Thus, before each session of study, he needed to consume a large amount of spirit wine.
Time ticked by, and just as his spiritual power was about to be depleted, the jade slip suddenly emitted a brilliant light. The ancient characters for "Water" and "Fire" came to life, flying out from his mind and merging into his palms.
Song Changsheng opened his eyes, and a flash of brilliance passed through them as he murmured, "Art of Water and Fire Control?"
Looking at his palms, he saw the character "Water" on the left and "Fire" on the right. As he lightly circulated his qi, the water and fire elements in the surrounding heavens began to stir. He could feel that with just a thought, he could command these forces.
"What a marvelous technique… to think it allows control over water and fire. I've gained a new advantage in battle," Song Changsheng said with delight.
"There truly is a pattern to this. I often study the Daoist scriptures, but most of the time, it yields little just minor improvements in spiritual insight and mental strength.
"But each time I break through a new realm, I seem to comprehend a new technique or secret art.
"When I first drew qi into my body, I grasped the Yin-Yang Essence Scripture. When I reached mid-stage Qi Refining, I learned Breath Concealment. Now, after entering the late stage, I've gained this incredible Art of Water and Fire Control.
"I wonder what kind of supreme Dao I will realize once I step into the Foundation Establishment realm…"
With that hopeful thought in his heart, Song Changsheng adjusted his breathing slightly, then took out the green jade pendant from his storage pouch and began refining the protective talisman...