Chapter 19: The Path of Cultivation

Nie Yu had never imagined that Qingxi would be such a rare prodigy, an aberration whose twelve principal meridians were all open. In the cultivation world, the odds of all twelve meridians opening were even lower than the birth of a profound-grade spiritual root, on par with the emergence of a martial soul.

Qingxi shifted his gaze to the book Nie Yu held in his hands, “Ninety-Nine Insights into Alchemy: Volume One.”

“Senior Brother Nie truly deserves his reputation as a young genius alchemist, with such profound passion for the craft. In my opinion, it won’t be long before you become a sixth-grade alchemist.”

No one dislikes being praised. Though Nie Yu’s face wore a bashful expression, as if to say “Not at all,” “You flatter me,” or “Please don’t praise me,” he was inwardly delighted.

He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then quickly and discreetly produced two bottles of elixirs and handed them over.

“Junior Brother Qingxi, I have high hopes for you. These two bottles of second-grade pills—no matter what, you must accept them!”

“Senior Brother Nie, you are too kind!” Qingxi replied, feigning embarrassment, but his hands honestly accepted the pills. He then promised, “Rest assured, Senior Brother—when I achieve success in my cultivation, I will certainly repay your kindness.”

“Think nothing of it. Helping others is what I do,” Nie Yu replied, trying to keep a straight face, though inside he was overjoyed. To him, using a couple of second-grade pills to deepen ties with a prodigy like Qingxi was a deal bound to pay off.

“I see that you’ve just been promoted to the outer sect, which means you can now take on sect missions beyond the gates. As it happens, I’ll be heading to the Roaring Tiger Woods in a few days—would you care to join me?”

Nie Yu’s thinking was simple. Although Qingxi was now an outer disciple, his tenth-level Qi Refining cultivation was still too low to be of much help on this trip. However, as long as he could further strengthen their relationship during the journey and seize the chance to probe for news about the Sect Leader’s disciple Lin Feng, it would be a great gain.

“Being able to train alongside Senior Brother is exactly what I hoped for,” Qingxi agreed without hesitation.

This was because Ouyang Changfeng had once said: if you wish to improve quickly, you must not stay in a greenhouse—the best way is to temper yourself in real combat. Going out for experience was the best choice.

Qingxi had been worried about not having a guide; now that Nie Yu had offered himself, he naturally wouldn’t refuse.

Soon after, Qingxi, cradling several martial arts manuals, registered them on the first floor and left the Library Pavilion. As for Nie Yu, he had already departed, beaming, with “Ninety-Nine Insights into Alchemy: Volume One” in his arms.

Back at Elder Ouyang Changfeng’s residence, Qingxi sat cross-legged atop a bluestone beneath the boughs of a Chinese red pine, beginning to study one of the martial techniques.

Although he used the system to copy all the ancient texts from the first and second floors of the Library Pavilion, he needed to take some of them out to avoid arousing suspicion. This way, even if he mastered several techniques, no one would suspect he possessed some ability to copy cultivation methods.

“Seven Star Steps—by treading the positions of the Big Dipper, one can move with extreme speed and dodge within short distances.”

“Wood Spirit Shield—condense wood-elemental energy into a round shield, endowed with the power of endless regeneration, able to ward off the attacks of powerful foes.”

“Spirit Thread Array—release numerous spirit threads like a spiderweb, effective at binding, ensnaring, or interfering with enemies.”

Qingxi perused the three manuals—one for movement, one for defense, and one for interference. Since his spiritual root was elevated to common grade, his comprehension had improved significantly. After going over each manual a dozen times, he began to practice.

At that moment, Ouyang Changfeng ascended the stairs, and through the window, his gaze fell upon Qingxi under the pine.

He saw Qingxi forming seals with his hands, then pointing forward as multicolored threads shot out, wrapping around the pine’s trunk. Yet, as soon as the wind blew, the threads snapped and dissipated like wisps of smoke.

Qingxi scratched his head, a look of puzzlement on his face, as if stumped by the Spirit Thread Array.

Ouyang Changfeng raised his chin slightly and mused, “This boy is still too young. He needs to hit a wall before he remembers to seek my guidance… Wait, he succeeded!”

Before Ouyang Changfeng could finish his thought, Qingxi performed the Spirit Thread Array again. This time, five threads intertwined and shot out, tightly binding the pine’s trunk. The threads fluttered in the wind but held fast, as tough as fishing lines.

This meant the technique had already reached the stage of initial mastery.

“Mastered it in just two tries—what kind of monstrous comprehension is this?” Ouyang Changfeng sat up straight, his surprise soon giving way to excitement, as though he had found a treasure.

“This boy’s understanding seems even higher than I imagined. Perhaps, he really can pass every trial and fulfill my wish…”

Ouyang Changfeng slowly relaxed, leaning back in his chair, basking in the warm sunlight that streamed through the window. His gaze never left Qingxi under the pine tree.

Having gained initial insight into the Spirit Thread Array, Qingxi changed his hand seals. He placed his right palm beneath his left, extending them forward.

With a hum, green elemental energy surged forth, automatically shaping itself into a round shield the size of a pot lid.

“He learned the defensive technique, Wood Spirit Shield, in a single try?”

Ouyang Changfeng was astounded.

But before his astonishment faded, Qingxi suddenly moved. His feet seemed to dance over starlit dots, and in the blink of an eye, his figure shifted through several positions, like short-range teleportation.

“In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he mastered three techniques in succession—how is this possible?” Ouyang Changfeng could no longer remain seated. He sprang to his feet, gripping the window frame, eyes wide with shock as he watched below.

He had intended for Qingxi to struggle, so that he could step in as a master and offer guidance. That way, he could not only impart techniques but also demonstrate his authority and reinforce his stature as a teacher.

But now, witnessing Qingxi’s terrifying comprehension, Ouyang Changfeng suddenly felt the illusion that perhaps he should be the one seeking advice from Qingxi—asking how on earth he managed such feats.

Yet Ouyang Changfeng could not bring himself to do so. His pride would not allow it.

With a slight frown, he reasoned to himself, “Perhaps this is the benefit of having all twelve meridians open.”

The full opening of the twelve principal meridians was far too rare, on par with the birthrate of profound-grade spiritual roots. Even as a master in the Innate Realm, Ouyang Changfeng did not know if this phenomenon conferred any special advantage to cultivators, so he could only speculate in this direction.

Only Qingxi knew the truth: his ability to quickly master techniques came from the system’s reading function, which provided detailed guidance on meridian routes. This allowed him to channel energy along the precise paths needed for each technique.

Anyone else, even with the meridian diagrams in the manuals, would still need countless attempts to accurately grasp the routes for channeling energy.

It didn’t take long for Qingxi to become proficient in using these techniques—meaning he could now return the manuals.

“It’s still early enough—there should be time to learn a few more techniques,” Qingxi thought, glancing at the sun still hanging in the sky. He packed up the books and hurried back to the Library Pavilion.

This time, under the astonished gaze of the presiding elder, he checked out ten martial arts manuals at once.

“To take away ten manuals at once—such overreaching ambition. Are all new disciples this arrogant nowadays?” the elder muttered with a shake of his head, disappointment in his eyes.