nyslfriends Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Chapter 55
In particular, after Fang Shi had a cursory reading of "The True Explanation of the Seven Emotions of the Supreme Being Transformed into True Water and Attained the Dao", he could no longer suppress the idea of using the turbid qi.
Turbid air refers to the air that sinks downwards.
In the beginning of time, the light and clear elements rose to become the sky, while the heavy and turbid elements sank to become the earth.
However, purity and turbidity are inherently one; it is rare to find pure purity or pure turbidity in the world.
Every breath a cultivator exhales is a mixture of pure and impure substances.
The pure energy enters the body, like light smoke entering the orifices, and naturally rises.
When turbid qi enters the body, it sinks to the bottom like heavy water, unable to rise.
Therefore, the pure energy is light and agile, and is of the same nature as the essence, energy and spirit, and they combine upon contact.
The turbid air is heavy and stagnant. When the essence, energy, and spirit encounter it, it is like a bird flying into the mud. Not only can they not blend together, but they are also dragged down by the turbid air and sink together.
Even worse, not only is turbid energy useless on its own, but if the proportion of turbid energy in spiritual energy is too high, the pure energy will be entangled by the turbid energy, just like a bright pearl covered in dust, making it difficult to connect with the essence, energy and spirit.
Therefore, the higher the purity of spiritual energy, the more effective the refining process; the lower the purity, the more of the spiritual energy will be wasted by impure energy.
That wasted effort will damage your meridians.
The more you repeat the cycle, the harder it is to cultivate your inner energy.
Therefore, the cultivators of the three realms only dared to draw in the pure and not the impure.
However, for those with the seven emotions, the slightest thought causes a fluctuation between purity and turbidity.
Why is that?
The heart is the abode of the spirit, and the spirit is the true essence that existed before the distinction between purity and impurity.
When a person is extremely angry, their blood and qi boil, and both the pure and impure are swept away.
In moments of great sorrow, the breath sinks and the pure and impure condense together.
But while it is easy to draw upon it, it is difficult to use it effectively.
Anger subsides and turbidity returns; excessive grief leads to stagnation of qi.
The seven emotions are like the wind, and the turbid air is like dust. When the wind rises, the dust is stirred up; when the wind stops, the dust settles down.
Using emotions to stir up trouble can only create chaos, not tame it.
"The True Understanding of the Seven Emotions of the Supreme Being: Transformation into True Water and Attainment of the Dao" uses extreme emotions as fuel to boil turbid air, integrate essence, energy, and spirit, and refine them into magical power.
Fang Shi also used the Seven Steps of Invoking the Spirit to perform the Wave-Surging Technique, enveloping his essence, energy, and spirit in his magical power.
It's something that others would find difficult to do.
Fang Shina requested that Ling take seven steps until he reached a state of proficiency, which might not be impossible.
He coughed up blood, then used the Seven Steps of Spirit Invocation to extract the turbid qi from the sinking and gather it in his meridians.
Then he suppressed his surging blood and qi, and activated the "Minor Water Cloud Technique".
A mist gradually rose, spreading through the meridians.
The turbid air was forcibly driven into the spiritual mist, intending to use the turbid air as mud and sand to forcibly envelop the essence, energy, and spirit and integrate them into the magic power.
However, the spiritual mist is a mixture of pure and impure spiritual energy, and the "Small Water Cloud Technique" aims to separate the pure from the impure.
Fang Shi added this extra turbid energy, causing the proportion of turbid energy in the spiritual mist to rise sharply.
When pure energy is entangled by impure energy, it is like a bright pearl covered in dust, making it difficult to connect with the essence, energy, and spirit.
The newly added turbid air enveloped the original turbid air in the spiritual mist, and the two turbid airs combined to sink downwards, with the essence, energy, and spirit being carried along with them.
[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency - 20]
What's worse, Fang Shi's meridians were already severely damaged at this moment.
Another surge of blood welled up in his chest, and more blood gushed out.
This mouthful of blood was darker and thicker than before, leaving a hazy, murky stain on the soil.
Fang Shi stared at the pool of blood stained with turbid stains, his brows furrowed.
He misunderstood.
Turbid air is a source of interference with pure air; the more it mixes in, the more it hinders the integration of pure air with essence, energy, and spirit.
Adding mud and sand to it is overconfidence, assuming that the spiritual mist derived from the "Little Water Cloud Technique" will not be mixed in.
Since the turbid air cannot be mixed into the spiritual mist, let it remain outside the spiritual mist.
The walls are made of meridians.
The spiritual mist moves inside, while the turbid air presses down on the outside. The combined force of both sides forms a double channel, narrowing the meridian passages slightly.
When the passage narrows, the collision of vital energy and spirit with pure energy naturally becomes more frequent.
He began to breathe again, first using the Seven Steps of Spirit Invocation to expel the turbid air, which gathered outside the meridians, forming a layer of turbid air.
Then he activated the "Minor Water Cloud Technique".
The spiritual mist spread along the meridians, forming walls around them. The passage narrowed by one-tenth, and the flow rate of the spiritual mist increased accordingly.
The turbid air does not touch the spiritual mist, and the pure and turbid do not mix, but it can force the essence, energy and spirit to collide with the pure air in a narrower channel through physical compression.
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +2]
[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency +25]
However, the turbid air layer lasted for less than a moment before problems arose.
The Seven Steps of Spiritual Inquiry merely removes the turbid qi and attaches it to the outside of the meridian walls; it does not continuously guide its flow.
Once the "Small Water Cloud Technique" is activated, the flowing spiritual mist naturally generates a forward thrust, and the turbid air layer is driven by the meridian walls, being swept downstream by this force.
As the turbid air slides downstream, it accumulates more and more, gradually blocking a section of the meridian at the end, making it impossible to pressurize the entire meridian.
The frost has now seeped into the meridians of Tianzhi Fangshi, causing his extreme energy to break and seep into the spiritual mist, allowing the two to merge.
[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency - 20]
Fang Shi quickly stopped his practice and expelled the accumulated turbid air from his body.
The hazy cloud of gas fell to the ground with a hissing sound.
The problem lies in the fact that after the seven steps of the Spirit Invocation exercise are completed, the turbid energy loses its continuous guidance.
The flow of spiritual mist naturally pushes the turbid air downstream. Since there is no opposing force to resist it, the turbid air slides all the way to the end and becomes blocked.
He needs to maintain pressure on the meridians while the turbid qi circulates in the spiritual mist, preventing it from being pushed away by the spiritual mist.
Then, after the seven steps of inviting the spirit to dispel the turbid energy, it is necessary to continue to operate and perform the synchronized operation of the seven steps of inviting the spirit, namely the "Small Water Cloud Technique".
Therefore, Fang Shi broke down the seven steps of the Seven Steps of Invoking the Spirit one by one and matched them with the breathing techniques of the "Little Water Cloud Technique".
Purification of Turbidity – At the moment when the spiritual mist is born and the pure and impure are initially separated, the impure energy is extracted.
When the pure Qi rises and enters the meridians, the turbid Qi settles in place.
The natural vibrations during the propulsion of the Zhenmai magic power stabilize the turbid qi.
Guiding the Spirit – The spiritual mist flows to the middle section, where the essence, energy, spirit, and pure energy begin to merge.
Stepping on the spiritual mist, it transitions to the final stage, merging with the middle stage.
Once the incantation is recited and the purification process is complete, the sound of the incantation vibrates the turbid air, causing it to flow freely and not stagnate.
Absorbing Qi – Expelling turbid Qi, concluding the exercise.
This is naturally extremely difficult.
But now, Fang Shi was experiencing extraordinary phenomena, disregarding the physical strain, and coughed up blood several more times, even coughing up his lungs. His proficiency level fluctuated wildly—
[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency +33]
And so, the mission was finally accomplished.
However, after completing a cycle of practice, Fang Shi discovered that operating both sets simultaneously resulted in an additive drain on his mental energy.
Each step of the Seven Steps of Spirit Invocation must be matched with the rhythm of the flowing spiritual mist.
How is this different from the previous driving force behind the "Little Water Cloud Technique" being subdivided into dozens of stocks?
With so much turbid energy accumulated in the meridians, practicing this new method puts even more pressure on the meridians than before, and the daily time spent practicing Qi is actually shorter than before.
If efficiency cannot be increased sufficiently within the compressed timeframe, this new technique will be useless and a net loss.
We need to draw on external resources to reduce the dual burden on our mind and meridians.
Fang vowed to immerse himself in his memories.
Before the earth veins exploded, every day upon waking up, the first thing he did was calculate his daily income of spirit stones. If he was slow in drawing talismans, he would not be able to pay the rent. If he could not pay the rent, he would be driven to the edge of the Great Wilderness, and being driven out would cut off his path to cultivation.
After the ley line explosion, one faces the blockade of the Three Plates Temple. The tighter the blockade, the more inexplicable the inspections become, and then one falls into inexplicable hallucinations.
Fear of being controlled by the master, Fang vowed to take advantage of the power of fear to guide the turbid qi to attach to the meridians.
[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +3]
[Minor Breath Concealment Technique (Beginner): 86/100]
The next day.
When Zhao Hu crawled out of the tent, he habitually glanced towards Fang Shi's tent, and then he froze.
Qi Xueyi stood at the entrance of Fang Shi's tent, her light blue shirt fluttering gently in the morning breeze.
Zhao Hu said, "Sister-in-law Qi? Why aren't you doing any work today? The stove isn't lit yet. Brother Fang will be hungry when he gets up later."
Qi Xueyi turned around and said, "My husband is not here."
Zhao Hu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Sister-in-law Qi, what nonsense are you talking about? How could Brother Fang not be here? Brother Fang! Brother Fang!"
-
He strode to the tent while shouting and reached out to lift the curtain.
The curtain was lifted.
The tent was empty, the dry grass was neatly laid out, but there wasn't a single person in sight.
Zhao Hu's hand froze in mid-air for several breaths before he suddenly slapped his own thigh.
"It's not good! It's not good at all!"
"Sister-in-law Qi, tell me—what gives Fang the right to swear that oath?"
"I, Zhao Hu, am twenty-eight years old this year, and I've been stuck at the second level of Qi Refining for almost two years. I've practiced that 'Little Mountain Stone Manual' over and over again for ten years, ten years more than him, and I'm still only at the beginner level!"
"And then there's this job! I carry blue bricks every day, each weighing twenty or thirty pounds, a thousand at a time. By the end of the day, my shoulders are swollen like steamed buns. And what about Fang Shi? He sits in Han Laoliu's stone house, idly absorbing his first-grade mid-level spiritual energy, drawing a few tattered talismans with a talisman brush, without even breaking a sweat!"
"Adding the daily subsidy of five spirit fragments, plus the free mid-grade spiritual energy he gets from farming, I've calculated it for him, it's at least three hundred spirit fragments a month! Three hundred! I, Zhao Hu, would be doing all that manual labor for nothing!"
"And those mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators like Han Mu, they keep calling me 'Fellow Daoist Fang,' you'd think they'd been friends for decades!"
"And you too."
He stopped abruptly and stared at Qi Xueyi.
The morning light shone on it, and that face looked truly beautiful.
The fire in his heart burned even brighter.
"Does a piece of trash like you deserve a place in the 'He Fang Shi' camp? You cook for him, and he doesn't even say a kind word. You wash his clothes, and he doesn't even thank you. I, Zhao Hu, have lived for twenty-eight years! Twenty-eight! I've never even touched a human hand! Every day when I return from working in the capital, the tent is cold, the stove is cold, and I have to boil my own hot water. At night, I still lie alone on the straw mat—what about him?"
Just lift the curtain and there's hot food and a lovely, soft-looking person waiting for him!
"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and when I think about the whispered words you two exchanged in the next tent, do you know how I feel? It's like someone is cutting my flesh out with a knife. What do I, Zhao Hu, lack compared to him? Why does he get all the good things?"
He's the one who's mastered the cultivation techniques, he's the one who easily makes money drawing talismans, he's the one whose mid-stage Qi Refining seniors are eager to curry favor with him, and he's even the one who married a beautiful woman who warms his bed every day! Heaven has given him all the good things, while I, Zhao Hu, can't even get a sip of soup!
"So, it's good that Brother Fang isn't here. I feel much better without him."
"No good!"
A sudden sound rang out from the side, startling Zhao Hu.
He turned his head and saw that Sun He had walked over at some point, his fair face flushed red.
"Brother Zhao, I've been holding these words in for half a month!"
Sun He walked over and stood next to Zhao Hu.
"I can tolerate everything you just said, whether it's about martial arts techniques or daily tasks. But do you know what I hate most about him?"
"He's a master of pretense. Do you remember that day at the construction site, when Yong and Yi were squatting together eating? I, being the smart aleck I am, asked him how to draw the angles of the Qi-guiding channels. What did he say? 'No trick, just go through the main line first, then draw the branches, and it'll naturally match.' 'It'll naturally match,' you hear? How easy is that! I was so grateful at the time, thinking that Fellow Daoist Fang was a truly good person, willing to guide me. Later, I realized that he wasn't guiding me at all; he was just showing off! The more casually he made it sound, the more stupid we all seemed!"
"I apologize for my lack of skill; please forgive any oversights!" If he's lacking skill, then what are we? In the three other array formation assessments, everyone who saw his array diagrams praised them highly! Yet he insists on denying his lack of skill! Do you know what that is? He's clearly smug inside, but on the surface he's putting on a humble act, so others will say, "Fellow Daoist Fang is truly magnanimous!" Bah!
"Brother Zhao, let me tell you, what I hate most about him is his attitude. He clearly has everything, yet he insists on acting like he's nothing special. The more he acts like that, the more disgusted I feel. If you had just admitted to being a beggar, I, Sun, would have respected you as a man. But what about you? You insist on pretending! Pretending like you don't care about anything. The more you pretend, the more it makes us all look stupid and greedy. He claims to be innocent, while we are all villains! On what grounds?!"
The two seemed to have started talking.
Immediately afterwards, a scream came from the tent at the east end.
"How dare you lie there! Old Zhou's son next door got into Songyuan Academy, and what about you? You're thirty and still loitering around on the second floor of the Qi Refining Hall! I was blind to have married you!"
"You dislike me? Take a good look in the mirror! If I were Old Zhou next door, I could raise a student for Songyuan Academy! With a slut like you dragging me down, I'd be lucky to even break through to the second level of Qi Refining!"
The entire Jiazi district is like a hornet's nest that has been poked.
Curses poured in from all directions; some were cursing their own husbands, some were cursing their neighbors, some were cursing the person in charge, and some were cursing the Sanpan Temple.
As Zhao Hu listened to the shouts and curses all around him, the fire in his heart burned even brighter.
He suddenly turned to Sun He and said, "Sun He, you just accused Fang Shi of being pretentious—but aren't you pretentious yourself? I remember clearly the look on your face when you asked Brother Fang for advice at the construction site that day. 'Fellow Daoist Fang is truly a genius. Don't forget us when you become successful in the future!'—When you said that, your smile was practically bursting with honey! Was the beggar actually accusing him of being pretentious?"
You don't deserve it!
Sun He's face changed drastically. Pointing at Zhao Hu's nose, he cursed back, "Zhao Hu! How dare you talk back to me? You're always following Fang Shi around, calling him 'Brother Fang' this and 'Brother Fang' that, acting like he's your own brother! You'd even lick the leftover soup he drinks, but you wouldn't even appreciate his farts! You're even better at pretending than me! At least I only asked you for advice once, but you? You're always following him around like a dog! You're ten times more disgusting than me!"
The two argued more and more fiercely, spitting at each other's faces.
Zhao Hu grabbed Sun He by the collar, while Sun He gripped Zhao Hu's wrist. The two of them were locked in a struggle, neither willing to let go.
The shouting and cursing from the surrounding tents grew louder and louder. Some people smashed pots, some kicked over stoves, and some even started fighting.
Qi Xueyi remained standing in the same spot, her pale blue cedar branches swaying gently in the morning breeze, while Zhao Hu and Sun He completely forgot about her.
"Sister, you unleashed the seven emotions and desires, planting anger in your heart. Now, this anger permeates the entire town. Is this what you wanted?"
"Otherwise, these people would have already lost their lives."
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