Chapter 41: Siquan
Li Weiyi sat cross-legged, hands forming the Submeridian Taiji Seal, performing the Jade Void Breathing Technique.
The Blue and White Ash Jar bounced back and forth in front of him, saying, “Magic Power is the power of Heaven and Earth, existing in every corner. A speck of dust, a wisp of air, a river, a mountain—where it is grand, it is there; where it is small, it is there too.”
“But the distribution of Magic Power between Heaven and Earth is not even.”
“In ordinary mud, stone, and dust, Magic Power is thin and barren. In places where Precious Medicine grows, where Martial Arts Cultivators gather, where Heaven Earth Springs exist… Magic Power is naturally abundant, more suitable for cultivation.”
Nearby, Zhao Meng asked, “Places where Martial Arts Cultivators gather are more suitable for cultivation?”
“Exactly!”
The Blue and White Ash Jar said, “Martial Arts holy lands can be artificially created. Imagine, in a place with numerous Martial Cultivators, all having opened Spring Eyes, all performing Breathing Techniques— the Magic Power of Heaven and Earth will naturally converge there, making the Magic Power in that region incredibly thick.”
“Sometimes, a top Martial Arts expert, by performing a Breathing Technique or having their Nine Springs surge, can pull the Magic Power from a thousand li around to that region. Wherever he exists becomes a Martial Arts holy land.”
“One person attains the Way, and even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.”
“Of course, top experts, crowds of Martial Arts practitioners, and Heaven Earth Springs often appear together—who wouldn’t want to stack strengths and create the strongest cultivation ground?”
“So often those prefectural cities are the most suitable places for cultivation in a state. Not only because Martial Cultivators gather there, but also because when the ancients chose sites to build cities, they definitely selected locations with Heaven Earth Springs.”
“The Spring Gushing Realm goes without saying—in prefectural cities, it’s definitely easier to break through Spring Eyes. At the Five Seas Realm, the advantage is even greater.”
“Your two biggest advantages are the Breathing Techniques you’ve practiced since childhood.”
“Your Breathing Techniques, at the same realm, draw in far more Heaven and Earth Magic Power, and faster, than other cultivators, making it naturally easier to break through Spring Eyes. Li Weiyi, have you felt the palpitation in the palm of your left hand?”
Li Weiyi shook his head.
Jar Senior said, “Today, this old man will teach you a fierce move: Combine Springs Break the Wall.”
“The Laogong acupoint in the palm of your left hand is the gateway to the Spring Eye. But now there is a barrier that must be shattered—you can open the Spring Eye and acquire the Magic Power surging in from Heaven and Earth.”
“Originally, every cultivator grinds away bit by bit, like water dropping wearing through stone.”
“But that’s too slow.”
“We have good conditions, with Golden Crow Blood’s vitality nourishing and supplementing the body, so we can take a more aggressive approach. Hmm… anyway, it’s just the palm of the hand, not the Fifth Spring’s core at the back or the Sixth Spring’s Tanzhong at the chest—it won’t cause issues.”
He didn’t say it was fine; the more he spoke, the more panicked Li Weiyi felt, always sensing that if it went wrong, his hand might be ruined.
“Jar Senior, how about we play it safe instead?” Zhao Meng was somewhat worried.
“Very safe, trust me. This move is an absolute art of my sect—I wouldn’t teach it to others!”
Jar Senior was very confident and began instructing: “First, drink a jar of Golden Crow Blood to make your body’s vitality reach its peak. Then mobilize all the Magic Power surging from the three already opened springs, and in the instant of inhaling with the Breathing Technique, surge toward the left arm… right, surge toward the left arm—the Magic Power will naturally rush to the palm…”
“Adjust your breathing, again.”
“Inhale! Magic Power surges out!”
“Adjust your breathing, again.”
…
“Boom!”
Li Weiyi impacted again and again; his entire left arm gradually became painfully cracked, unable to form the Submeridian Taiji Seal, and it drooped down.
Zhao Meng saw that Li Weiyi’s condition was off and immediately rushed over, angrily saying, “Your absolute art has no technical content at all—we revere and trust the owner of the Bronze Ship, not you. If you harm my Junior Disciple Brother, I’ll throw you into the Blood Sea.”
Jar Senior said, “It’s just Spring Gushing Realm—how much technical content can it have?”
“Stop arguing, I seem to feel the palpitation in my palm!”
After Li Weiyi’s left arm recovered, he lifted his palm.
“Splash!”
After the palpitation in the palm, a surge of bone-chillingly cold Magic Power erupted. At the same time, silver Veins extended from the Spring Eye throughout the body.
Li Weiyi formed the Submeridian Taiji Seal again and sat cross-legged.
The Veins rooted in the palm of his left hand grew more and more, finally birthing eleven in total, matching the number in the palm of his right hand.
At this point, the total number of Veins throughout his body reached forty-eight.
The remnant souls of the Ash Jar, Spirit Tablet, and Stone Coffin were all watching Li Weiyi’s situation. Not long after, a layer of faint silver Magic Energy appeared in Li Weiyi’s palm, preliminarily achieving Magic Power Leaving the Body to Form Qi.
In the body as power, leaving the body to form qi.
The three remnant souls, well-traveled and knowledgeable, naturally weren’t particularly shocked by this sight, but they secretly gained some confidence—finally having a bit of faith that they could complete the task assigned by the Bronze Ship’s owner within ten years.
Ten years to forge longevity!
Before this, they had not a shred of confidence.
Jar Senior muttered to himself, “I originally thought it would take two or three days of impacting, a dozen or so times, to succeed.”
Li Weiyi stood up, his body’s vitality abundant, his spirit full as if he could go days and nights without sleep. He solemnly looked at the Blue and White Ash Jar, bowed deeply, and changed his form of address: “Thank you, Jar Master, for your guidance!”
Li Weiyi naturally knew that the three remnant souls willingly acting as his guides must have a reason. Perhaps it was the Bronze Ship owner’s decree, or maybe they were promised some benefits.
But regardless, he had indeed learned something.
Combine Springs Break the Wall wasn’t particularly profound, but without guidance, he absolutely wouldn’t have dared to do it himself. In the future, this move might still be useful at critical moments.
Including the words from the mummified corpse in the Stone Coffin, they too gave Li Weiyi some gains and food for thought.
Zhao Meng said, “See that? That’s the character of our sect—absolutely respecting the master and valuing the Way. Whoever sincerely helps us even a little, we’ll repay tenfold.”
Jar Senior said, “This is just the beginning—this old man has much more knowledge to impart, hmm… anyway, I’ll definitely teach you everything I know. Right, after returning to the Lingxiao Life Realm, we need to quickly settle in a prefectural city—only great cities sell Broken Spring Needles, so cultivation can progress faster. The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Springs will be much harder—aim to break through within half a year. Right, do you two have money from this world? Courtyard rentals in great cities aren’t cheap.”
Li Weiyi naturally had some money, obtained from looting corpses, but he didn’t know just how expensive Jar Master meant.
He said, “I hear that Otherworld Coffins from the Blood Sea in this world aren’t cheap—how about we scoop a few when we leave?”
The mummified corpse in the Stone Coffin said, “That’s trafficking private coffins—if caught by the Jiu Li clan’s enforcement guards, the consequences are very serious.”
Earlier, Jar Master had exposed the identity of the Stone Coffin’s mummified corpse—this one likely had deep ties to the Jiu Li clan.
Spirit Tablet Senior said, “Otherworld Coffins are right in front of us, and we’re short on money—why not scoop them? Weiyi, you can hide the scooped Otherworld Coffins in the Evil Camel Bell and quietly sell them at the Departed Spirit Market in the Nether Realm later.”
The mummified corpse in the Stone Coffin, in front of his wife, chose compromise: “Not necessarily the Departed Spirit Market—every prefectural city definitely has underground trading venues.”
“We’ll talk about coffin scooping tomorrow when we leave.” Jar Master asked, “Weiyi, besides Magic Power overflowing outside the body after breaking through the Fourth Spring, have you felt any other changes?”
With four springs surging inside Li Weiyi’s body, Magic Power erupted simultaneously from his four limbs, and then on the Floating Coffin, he practiced the Chan Sect Twelve Loose Hands.
Finishing one round, it was exhilarating and thorough.
He said, “It’s like my whole body has been connected by forty-eight Veins! Whether punching or footwork, there’s a feeling of being able to explode with full power effortlessly. Combat power has grown more than from any of the previous three springs.”
Then Li Weiyi mobilized Magic Power, running it through his body’s Veins toward his eyes.
In the mist, the visible distance actually doubled.
Then toward his ears, hearing rapidly spread out.
In the distance, the rocking sound of the Floating Coffin in the water, the sound of the wind, even the sound of the mist drifting, and… light and familiar footsteps…
Li Weiyi suddenly opened his eyes wide, whooshed, and leaped to the top of the six-meter-high giant coffin behind him, looking toward the direction of the footsteps.
The people below, including the three strange remnant souls, all grew tense.
Zhao Meng stood up, on tiptoe, looking toward the distant rear of the giant coffin, asking in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
“Someone’s coming!” Li Weiyi knew who it was.
Zhao Meng noticed the vigilance in Li Weiyi’s eyes and realized the visitor meant no good, immediately tensing all his muscles.
Not long after, a slender and graceful girl’s figure, stepping on blue mist light marks, appeared in Zhao Meng’s vision. He was stunned—it didn’t look like some great villain; she was soft and weak, grown very obedient and delicate, like an elf under the night curtain.
“Jin Brother, I finally found you—how could you leave me alone?”
Li Ling quickly stepped forward, her eyes both resentful and somewhat pitifully aggrieved.
Li Weiyi took half a day to react, realizing “Jin Brother” was calling him.
“Thud!”
Jumping down from the giant coffin, Li Weiyi blocked Li Ling, who wanted to approach the scientific expedition team members, worried she meant no good.
Li Ling looked behind him, joyfully and enthusiastically greeting, “You must be Jin Brother’s companions, right? Hello, very nice to meet you.”
Her eyes were like crescent moons, her gaze sincere, smiling to reveal snow-white teeth, paired with her delicate charm at just blooming age, looking utterly innocent.
Zhao Meng strode over, appearing behind Li Weiyi, laughing, “You call him Jin Brother? Who’s this girl?”
Li Ling pretended to be startled by his massive frame, her face paling as she dodged toward Li Weiyi’s chest, saying softly, “Of course Xie Jin Brother—doesn’t he go by that name?”
Zhao Meng looked at Li Weiyi with a strange expression.
Li Weiyi quickly dodged away, not daring to let Li Ling get too close, very vigilant: “How did you find this place?”
Too strange—by rights, they were extremely far apart; Li Ling couldn’t possibly have precisely tracked him.
His vigilance was strong; he could confirm Li Ling hadn’t been following him from the start.
His body might have been tampered with by her.
Seeing Li Weiyi’s cold gaze, Li Ling froze, as if in disbelief.
Gradually, tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t cry, looking at the ground as if greatly wronged, saying softly, “I was the one who brought you out of the Departed Spirit Fog Domain, but you left me alone at the Coffin Dock Ferry Terminal—I thought you didn’t want me anymore!”
Zhao Meng felt his Junior Disciple Brother had a story with this girl, but not purely gossiping—he spotted the suspicious points, saying, “Young Lady, I’m your… Jin Brother’s Senior Disciple Brother, just a bit taller, not some bad person. You’re so young, and this place is so eerie and dangerous—how are you alone, not afraid?”
Li Ling glanced at Li Weiyi, saying softly, “Jin Brother had to come find you, which means passing through the Departed Spirit Fog Domain, but he couldn’t do it alone—only I could help him. But after leaving the Departed Spirit Fog Domain, he left me alone!”
Zhao Meng frowned deeply, glancing at Li Weiyi, feeling his Junior Disciple Brother was a bit unkind.
But there were still suspicious points, so he asked again, “You only just met not long ago, right? Why help him so much?”
Li Ling’s face overflowed with the happiness only a girl in love could have: “Though we only just met, we’ve already been through life and death together…”
“You’d better not say more, and stop making trouble.” Li Weiyi said again, “What exactly do you want?”
He felt Li Ling would spin a wildly implausible story.
Li Ling immediately shut her mouth; bean-sized tears uncontrollably surged out one by one, splattering on the ground.
Everyone present watched and felt aggrieved and heartbroken.
Finally, Zhao Meng said, “Junior Disciple Brother, this kind of thing Senior Disciple Brother originally shouldn’t meddle in and can’t, but let her finish— what’s the harm?”
Li Ling immediately choked up, “We encountered enemies at Zangxian Town, lived and died together—it was he who saved me. I once said I’d marry him; he also said he liked my aloof demeanor.”
“I took the initiative to hold his hand, hug his neck—he didn’t refuse then. He also carried me forward when I was badly injured, so gentle.”
“I promised to lead him out of the Departed Spirit Fog Domain to find his companions… without asking for anything in return. I said I’d find him a beautiful wife— I have a cousin who’s just eight days from turning sixteen; eight days—actually, in eight days it’ll be my birthday. But after leaving the Departed Spirit Fog Domain… he… wuwu…”
“I swear by the Jiu Li God: if I’ve said a single lie, let me die a bad death. Senior Disciple Brother, I know you only believe your Junior Disciple Brother, but I really haven’t said a single lie!”
Zhao Meng was completely at a loss!
Originally, the three remnant souls had been watching the show, but seeing her dare swear by the Jiu Li God, they immediately grew prudent.
Lying to deceive a god really could kill.
From behind, the mummified corpse in the Stone Coffin couldn’t help speaking: “Child, never casually swear by the Jiu Li God’s name—this isn’t a joke; it will come true.”
“I know, of course I know.” Li Ling nodded desperately through her tears.
“He’s not called Xie Jin; he’s called Li Weiyi.” Spirit Tablet Senior was clearly a bit angry, feeling Li Weiyi had character issues—a little Jiu Li clan girl of just over ten being deceived by him, used up and then discarded.
Deceiving her emotions, no less.
No wonder he told them to take a detour.
Li Ling looked at Li Weiyi, reciting with inquiring yet somewhat resentful eyes: “Li… Wei… yi… so your real name is this? Why… why deceive me?”
Li Weiyi’s head throbbed with pain.
“Junior Disciple Brother, Senior Disciple Brother knows you best—your character is absolutely fine.” Zhao Meng said this to everyone, then asked softly, “The name Xie Jin doesn’t seem made up by her. Did you really say those words, do those things? Deceiving about a name is just a small matter.”
Li Weiyi was deeply impressed—Li Ling’s level was far beyond her age. If her acting were even a bit off, or she weren’t so young, she absolutely couldn’t have fooled the worldly-wise veterans present.
If it were him, encountering a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl swearing on her life, tearfully recounting a story of deception and abandonment, all true word for word, he’d probably feel anger and sympathy too.
Seeing Li Weiyi slow to deny or refute immediately, Zhao Meng’s head began throbbing too.
