Li Yuan shook his head, let out a soft sigh, and reminded himself—it was still best to cultivate steadily. Slow and steady sails the long voyage.
By now, the moon was high overhead. It was already deep into the night. The spiritual energy in the market town had grown thin, making cultivation ineffective. He found an old tree, climbed up its trunk, and sat cross-legged to meditate and regulate his breathing, planning to return to the sect gates in the morning.
There were inns in the market, of course, but Li Yuan was dirt poor. Spending spirit stones just for a night's rest was far too extravagant.
In the latter half of the night, another traveler arrived under the tree—an old Daoist, also looking for a place to rest.
Li Yuan opened his eyes and exchanged a glance with the elder. The old man smiled and gave a courteous bow."Forgive the disturbance."
"We're all fellow cultivators, no need for politeness," Li Yuan replied calmly.
The market town was overseen by genuine Foundation Establishment cultivators and protected by a mid-grade warding formation. Ordinary cultivators wouldn't dare to fight within its borders. That made it the safest place to spend the night.
Besides, anyone with eyes could see that he was just a struggling loose cultivator—there was nothing worth robbing him for.
Li Yuan sighed inwardly. The cultivation world wasn't only filled with glorious sects, bustling markets, and admired masters. Far more common were people like him—mediocre, nameless cultivators scraping by in the shadows.
At dawn, Li Yuan rose and spent ten spirit stones on a bundle of low-tier beginner talismans—twenty-six sheets in total.
Most were simple charms: Fireball Talismans, Frost Talismans, and Swift Movement Talismans. Since spell cultivation was difficult for him, he decided to rely on these talismans instead.
After tidying up, Li Yuan left the market. He changed into the robes of a disciple of the Qi Ling Sect. To loose cultivators, a sect disciple was not someone to provoke lightly.
Of course, Li Yuan himself was weak and inexperienced, with very little real combat ability. But he had no choice but to borrow the sect's reputation to protect himself. He knew well: sect disciples relied on powerful techniques, refined cultivation, quality talismans, and high-grade artifacts to suppress rogue cultivators. He had none of those. Meanwhile, loose cultivators were seasoned by countless struggles. Li Yuan didn't dare underestimate them.
On the road, he encountered several groups of cultivators headed toward the market. When they saw his robes, they gave him a wide berth. After all, the Qi Ling Sect was a mid-sized sect in the region. Who knew if attacking a junior disciple might bring the wrath of their seniors down upon them?
By sunset, Li Yuan, weary and out of breath, finally arrived back at the sect gates.
He didn't mind being underestimated or mocked. As long as others considered him the most unremarkable figure, that was exactly how he wanted it.
Dusty and travel-worn, he stood before the two gatekeeping senior brothers.
"Well, well, Junior Brother Li Yuan has returned," said Senior Brother Zhao, the one who had joked with him yesterday. "What happened? Were you chased all the way back? Why are you running like this?"
Catching his breath, Li Yuan managed a smile. "Forgive me for making Senior Brothers laugh. I was only worried about being robbed."
"Haha, Junior Brother, you underestimate the Qi Ling Sect too much," Zhao laughed. "For dozens of miles around our mountain gate, who would dare to cause trouble? Even a casual sweep of the Ancestor's divine sense would detect them instantly. Next time, you can be at ease. Come on, let's head in. Things inside the sect are lively this time."
"Lively? What happened?" Li Yuan asked curiously.
"You don't know? Just yesterday, among the new disciples Elder Wang Yi brought back, there's actually one with an Earth-Grade Spiritual Root!" The other gatekeeper couldn't help blurting it out.
"What? An Earth-Grade Spiritual Root?" Li Yuan's eyes widened. "Doesn't that mean we'll likely have another Ancestor within a hundred years?"
"Exactly!" Zhao said with emotion. "Spiritual roots are fate itself. I heard that Qi Peak and Ling Peak are both fighting over this new disciple. Even the Peak Master of Qi Peak came out of seclusion. Tsk, I wonder which peak will win him."
Inside the sect, passing by Ling Peak, Li Yuan heard many disciples discussing the newcomer—this prodigy named Li Yunming.
"Same surname as me… what a coincidence," Li Yuan muttered, indifferent. He turned and returned to his own cave residence, crossing paths with a few fellow disciples along the way.
It seemed that in recent years, the sect had expanded rapidly—likely close to two hundred disciples now.
Back at his cave, he sealed the wards, calmed his breath, and prepared to push through to the Mid-Stage of Qi Refining in one stroke!
If not for changing to cultivate the Lower Yuan Spirit-Linking True Art, his chances of failure would still be high. Many fellow disciples had tried and failed before him. But now, with his foundation repaired by this method, and with the Black Smoke Python Heart Pill in hand—a rare treasure that harmonized heart, qi, and acupoints—his odds were much better.
Closing his eyes, Li Yuan guided his spiritual power according to the Qi Refining mid-stage technique.
He circulated qi through the Shenque, crossed the Weilü Pass, and into the Heart Meridian.
The resistance surged the moment he neared the heart channel. Without hesitation, he swallowed the Heart Pill. As soon as it entered his stomach, heavy water energy surged, and his heart pounded violently, flushing his face scarlet.
Fortunately, the water-elemental pill was extraordinary. A cool, pure current rushed into his heart, driving his spiritual power through nine vital acupoints until it finally reached the heart cavity.
With full concentration, Li Yuan guided the qi into his heart-blood. Blood swelled and glowed with spiritual power. Mortal blood transforms to immortal essence.
In an instant, the surrounding spiritual energy froze—then erupted. His body began devouring the heaven and earth essence within several meters like a starving beast.
The blood of his heart glowed within, cleansing his organs and flesh. His dantian's qi mass expanded tenfold.
Suppressing his excitement, Li Yuan steadied his breath. Ten days later, he finally opened his eyes.
Standing up, his spiritual perception was crystal clear. His divine sense now extended fully across his courtyard, nearly a hundred feet in range.
"Mid-Stage Qi Refining—transforming blood into spirit—truly extraordinary!"
He tried a spell. Forming seals, he counted three breaths, and a flame bloomed in his palm, its heat reddening his youthful face.
"Yes! Much faster than before. The True Art's restrictions on spellcasting seem to have limits after all."
In the vast world of cultivation, the mid-stage of Qi Refining was nothing. But for Li Yuan, this was the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream.
A few days later, during his turn at menial duties, Li Yuan entered Ling Peak's great hall. At once, the place erupted.
"Li Yuan! You actually broke through to mid-stage?"
"Am I sensing wrong?"
"This is insane!"
His fellow disciples surrounded him, buzzing with disbelief.
Li Yuan simply smiled in embarrassment. "I was lucky, that's all."
"Silence!"
A stern voice cut through the noise. An elder with a sword strapped to his back stepped out. His sharp presence instantly cowed the disciples into silence.
This was one of the sect's few sword cultivation elders—his combat power was renowned.
"I will preside over this round of duty assignments," the elder declared.
He swept his gaze across the hall, comparing each disciple to the jade slip in his hand. Suddenly, he paused, then flickered forward—appearing right in front of Li Yuan.
"You, boy—you broke through to mid-stage this quickly?"
Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat. The difference between early and mid-stage was vast, and he hadn't even seen the elder move before he was standing there.
"Elder Gu," Li Yuan bowed quickly, "this disciple was fortunate. I broke through a bottleneck recently, aided by a Black Smoke Python Heart Pill I purchased in Wenshan Market. By sheer luck, I entered mid-stage."
"Hoho, fortune indeed," Elder Gu chuckled. "Seems you benefited from the fortune stirred by the true cultivator of Qingfeng Pavilion. You should thank your seniors someday."
Li Yuan blinked in confusion. The only reason he dared not hide his aura was because his technique resembled the sect's, difficult to tell apart. He had no other adventures to reveal.
"Elder, what do you mean?"
"Just last month, a cultivator of Qingfeng Pavilion mastered the True Yuan Water Wall spell and advanced to Foundation Establishment. The entire region resonated—water essence ascended. Since your cultivation belongs to the Yuan Water branch, it's only natural your progress was smoothed."
Elder Gu laughed. "Since you are now mid-stage, next year you can qualify as a Deacon Disciple in the Sect Assembly."
"Yes, many thanks for Elder's guidance!" Li Yuan bowed, accepting it calmly.
As expected, his duty was once again assigned to carving restriction wards. With his new strength, the task was far easier, and after a month's rotation, he returned to his cave.
Now, as a mid-stage cultivator, his status changed. No longer the sect's laughingstock, he received many visits from fellow disciples.
Li Yuan, however, remained humble and polite to all. He cared nothing for reputation. While his breakthrough at twenty-five amazed some, it paled in comparison to the genius Li Yunming. That suited him perfectly—he preferred to stay low-key.
He soon hung a "No Visitors" plaque and resumed secluded cultivation.
In the Qi Refining stage, even a small gap was immense. A mid-stage cultivator could defeat three to five early-stage ones with ease. A late-stage could crush ten mid-stage. Crossing stages was nearly impossible without senior-bestowed talismans or artifacts.
As for great realm differences—one hundred Qi Refining disciples could not match a single Foundation Establishment cultivator, unless with the aid of profound formations.
If Li Yuan had a magic weapon, dealing with early-stage opponents would be trivial. But he was too poor to buy one. His only path was to keep cultivating and saving his monthly stipend.
Other methods of earning, he dared not waste time on. With his mediocre talent, without the aid of the Spirit-Linking True Art, he might not reach mid-stage until fifty or sixty years old.
He thought of one thing the sect was famed for: puppets.
He had long mastered all thirty-six external restriction seals for the Jia Wood Puppet. Only the four core inner restrictions remained. With materials—spiritual wood, spirit fluids, and five other key components—he might be able to craft a puppet himself.
If he could refine one, his weak personal strength wouldn't matter. He could rely on puppets for combat power.
Besides, once he became a Deacon Disciple, the sect would grant him a mid-stage puppet for free! One-on-one, he might be weak—but with numbers, who knew?
Thus, alongside cultivation, Li Yuan began studying the four core inner restrictions of the Jia Wood Puppet.
The sect's puppet methods differed little from those in the Ten Thousand Puppet True Scripture. The inner restrictions, however, were complex. It took him over a year to master them.
Naturally, he planned to start with the Jia Wood Puppet. He had everything prepared, save for one obstacle—the earthfire required to forge the puppet's body.
Over that year, his cultivation advanced little. Mid-stage to late-stage was far more difficult than early to mid.
Finally, on the fifteenth day of the tenth month, disciples across the Qi Ling Sect dropped their tasks and gathered at Fengxian Plaza, between the two peaks. It was time for the Deacon Assembly, held once every five years.
Li Yuan stood at the center with four other disciples who had reached mid-stage within the last five years, awaiting their ordination.
Over two hundred disciples filled the plaza, some envious, some jealous, some dismissive—but none could step forward.
Eighteen massive crimson-gold pillars ringed the square. Upon the high dais stood more than a dozen elders. At the center were the Peak Masters of Ling Peak and Qi Peak—their auras so powerful that even standing still, they radiated authority.
On the left was Qi Peak's master, Wang Qiu, a stern, middle-aged man whose cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Refining.
On the right stood Ling Peak's master, Helian Wei—a handsome young scholar in his twenties. His white robes shone among the older men, drawing countless gazes from admiring female disciples.
"Junior Brother Helian," Wang Qiu said coolly, "this time, only Ling Peak has produced a single Deacon candidate. Don't forget your duties as a Peak Master, even while focusing on your own cultivation."
Helian Wei gave an awkward smile. "I appreciate your guidance, Senior Brother. My disciples are each unique, unlike Qi Peak where the Wang clan passes knowledge down carefully through generations."
Wang Qiu let the matter drop, switching topics. "And your own cultivation progress, Junior Brother? Where are you now?"
"Another five years have passed, but Dao comprehension is harder than I imagined," Helian Wei sighed. "I hear Uncle Wang personally took the Earth-Grade root prodigy as a disciple last year. Surprising he didn't place him under Qi Peak?"
"Since Uncle has accepted a disciple, he no longer belongs to Qi Peak. That's sect rules," Wang Qiu smiled. "Let us proceed with the rites."
"After you, Senior Brother," Helian Wei gestured with a polite smile.
Wang Qiu nodded. Raising a hand, he drew a streak of light from the heavens, condensing it into a decree that settled in his palm.
"Deacon Disciples, heed the decree!"
Li Yuan and the other four immediately knelt in respect, bowing their upper bodies with cupped hands."Your disciples are here!"
"The Immortal Dao prospers, eternal and unbroken. Honor Heaven and Earth, gather the ten thousand qi. Today, I hold the Xuanyuan Primal Qi Decree, taking your blood to honor our ancestors. From this day, uphold the legacy of our forebears, treat fellow disciples with kinship, and carry yourselves with righteousness. Do not fail your elders above, nor bring disaster to those who come after. … May the Qi Ling Sect flourish, and the Immortal Dao endure forever!"
"We disciples obey!"
The five pressed their fingers to draw a drop of essence blood, which was absorbed into the treasure decree. Each felt a tug upon their hearts.
This decree was akin to a soul lamp. Once infused with their blood, it could sense their life and death from thousands of miles away. With secret techniques, even their approximate location could be tracked.
Only now were they true disciples of the Qi Ling Sect.
When the rite was complete, Helian Wei stepped forward.
"From this day forth, you are Deacon Disciples. You bear the protection of the sect, and every word and deed represents the Qi Ling name. Walk the righteous path, train diligently, and strive to reach late-stage soon!
According to tradition, the sect gifts each of you a guardian puppet."
With a sweep of his sleeve, five streaks of green light descended, materializing as wooden puppets—some wielding swords, others bows.
(End of Chapter)