Stealing Immortal
Chapter 33 - 32: Slowly

Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Slowly

By now, the four wisps of Golden Qi in Chen Qingyang’s Dantian could also be called four wisps of Sword Qi.

The world’s cultivation methods were vast and numerous, far too many to count.

There were those based on the Yin Yang Five Elements, on mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon. There were those that sensed the changing of the seasons, those that corresponded to the twin paths of Heaven and Earth, and even those that specialized in the Divine Dao of temples and shrines...

The Fire Control Three Acupoints was a Dao, the Righteous Great Divine Dao was a Dao, the Ice Skin Jade Bone Technique was a Dao... and the One-Origin Sword was also a Dao. These paths were different from a basic Dharma Gate like the Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique. They each had their own profundities and unique might. After long periods of evolution, they had formed their own complete doctrines, each secretly aligning with a certain aspect of the Celestial Dao.

From this moment on, Chen Qingyang had officially begun his journey on the path of cultivation.

As he put away the One-Origin Sword, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. The piercing aura within his body vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a hint of a transcendent sage, a touch of a centenarian, and the overwhelming presence of a Miscellaneous Task disciple from the Tai Xu Sect’s Four Golden Peaks.

Just as he finished tidying up and was about to head out, he saw that the door to Lü Yunshen’s room across the way was open. The moment Lü Yunshen saw Chen Qingyang, he hurried over.

He had a real knack for picking his moments, always catching Chen Qingyang when he wasn’t busy and Xu Yong wasn’t around.

"Senior Brother Chen, I’ve been waiting for you all morning. It’s mainly because Senior Brother Hu Kai had a few words for me to pass on to you yesterday, and he insisted I tell you!"

’Well, this is unexpected.’

’Last time, the man didn’t react at all; he didn’t even meet with me. Could this change of heart today be because of that woman, Gong Yueshu?’

"Go on."

"Senior Brother Hu said he has to go on a long trip soon. The Sect is sending him with an Outer Sect Steward to bring back new Miscellaneous Task disciples. He’ll be gone for at least a month. In the meantime, all Profound Light Association matters will be put on hold until he returns... Oh, right, he also mentioned a Senior Sister Gong!"

Seeing Chen Qingyang nod, Lü Yunshen continued, "He said this Senior Sister Gong’s cultivation is far above his own. Even in the Outer Sect, her talent is considered quite high. She’s from the same lineage as the former Senior Brother Xu You. If you run into her, you must be extremely careful. Of course, it would be best if you don’t encounter her at all."

After finishing, Lü Yunshen carefully observed Chen Qingyang. "Senior Brother Chen, what does Senior Brother Hu mean by that? We never had any grudges against Senior Brother Xu. How could his own disappearance have anything to do with us?"

Chen Qingyang simply asked, "Is that all?"

Lü Yunshen thought for a moment. "Yes, that’s everything."

"Well, that’s strange!" Chen Qingyang said, his tone laced with a hint of contemplation.

Lü Yunshen was a sharp one. He had a nagging feeling that these two—Chen Qingyang and Hu Kai—were speaking in riddles and hiding something from him. He quickly leaned in and asked, "Senior Brother Chen, what’s so strange about it?"

"What’s strange is that he’s just washing his hands of the entire Profound Light Association. He didn’t even say he was leaving it in the care of that newcomer, Junior Sister Gong. Don’t you find that odd?"

Lü Yunshen took this to heart. "You have a point, Senior Brother Chen. What’s the deal with this Senior Sister Gong? Do you know anything about her background?"

"Good question. You should spend the next few days asking around and find out exactly what her origins are." Chen Qingyang paused here. "After all, this matter concerns you the most. Do you understand?"

Lü Yunshen nodded repeatedly. "I understand. I understand."

He was counting on Chen Qingyang’s elixirs to reach Perfection in his foundation, and then relying on the Profound Light Association to get into the Golden Summit. It made sense that this concerned him the most.

"Alright, I don’t have any elixirs for you today. Focus on refining the blockages in your Meridians. I’ll give you more in two days. Make sure you’re thorough and careful with the task I’ve given you... Get me some results in the next two days, understand?"

Lü Yunshen, of course, nodded like a bobblehead. "Understood."

After Lü Yunshen left, Chen Qingyang sat alone under the Locust Tree in the small courtyard, sipping a pot of tea.

Hu Kai’s words led Chen Qingyang to at least two conclusions.

First, within the Profound Light Association, Gong Yueshu and her faction were completely separate from him.

Second, Hu Kai had never shown any hostility toward him.

And if there was a third, it was that Hu Kai’s words revealed his certainty that Xu You’s incident was related to him.

’So be it. My dealings with the Profound Light Association have always been baffling, and I have far too little information. It’s only natural that I can’t figure everything out. As long as I raise my cultivation, I can handle whatever comes my way.’

Putting down his teacup, Chen Qingyang went to the Hongling Token.

...

This was the fourth day, the fourth tribulation of Qi Xiuyuan’s ordeal.

While he was busy with the Hongling Token, the image of Qi Xiuyuan, who now resembled a vicious specter, suddenly appeared in his mind.

If he had still looked somewhat human yesterday, he had now lost all semblance of it. His hair was dry, gray, and brittle. His face was so gaunt that not a shred of flesh remained, and his eye sockets were deeply sunken. His bloodshot eyes bulged red.

His ten fingers and both arms were nothing but skin and bone. His shoes looked enormous on his feet; as he sat on the dark ground with his legs splayed, they seemed to dangle from his ankles like they were hanging off withered branches.

The sight was so gruesome that even Chen Qingyang couldn’t help but feel a tremor of shock.

He thought back to when Li Qianxue was a disciple; she had never encountered a situation like this. From beginning to end, she had been the center of everyone’s world. It was proof that the fortunes of different people in the Tai Xu Sect were as different as night and day.

Geniuses lived in the clouds; failures languished in Hell.

Every moment, Qi Xiuyuan’s Divine Soul was tormented by a pain that gnawed at his bones and corroded his heart. The sensation grew ever stronger, forcing him to exhaust his own Essence Blood, True Qi, True Essence, and every other power at his disposal to resist, until he was completely spent...

Sure enough, when the small golden characters appeared, he collected 279 strands of Immortal Seedling this time.

Using Xu Baoling as a benchmark, Qi Xiuyuan’s supply should be down by about half.

He had only managed to complete three Dao Rhyme Patterns today. He couldn’t bring himself to finish the last one and decided to make up for it tomorrow. Without a word to Wu Boyou, he left the Hongling Token and headed straight for the Golden Summit.

Halfway there, he stopped and sat down under that familiar pine tree.

With a single thought, he used 264 of the strands to fill the deficit in his Great Soul Scripture, and his Divine Soul was immediately plunged back into that profound state.

This time, he not only sensed the chirping of birds, the buzzing of insects, and the shifts of Heaven and Earth, but he also became keenly aware of the blades of grass growing beneath him. He could feel the tiny whirlpools formed by the passing breeze, see how the solid ice in a nearby shadow melted into water under the sun’s refracted light. He could even perceive the decay of the soil and the slow smoothing of a tiny wrinkle on his cheek...

It was a marvelous feeling, as if he could perceive the slowest thing in the world: change. Yes, the kind of change that is invisible, that is normally impossible to sense, but is nonetheless always occurring.

If his last breakthrough allowed him to perceive things of extreme subtlety that were normally unnoticeable, then this time, he could perceive things of extreme slowness.

When he turned his attention inward, he was finally able to grasp the subtle changes in the Qi Mechanism within his pores, which also followed a unique pattern.

’If I can quiet my mind, grasp this pattern, and make use of it, could I achieve true control over my Qi Mechanism?’

Seeing that it was still early, Chen Qingyang settled his mind and focused once more.

At this moment, it was as if there was only one thing in the entire universe: himself.

The only change in the world was the change within him!

...

A little over an hour later, Chen Qingyang seemed to have made a discovery and stopped.

He summoned Xu Baoling from the Warm Jade Scroll. He had treated this servant quite well these past days, often providing Qi Refining Pills to nourish her Divine Soul. Her soul, which had been so severely injured by Liu Tao that less than a tenth of it remained, had slowly begun to recover.

"This servant greets you, Master!"

As was customary, she first bowed to Chen Qingyang, after which he gave her an elixir. She took a moment to look at the surrounding scenery before going off to refine it.

Being trapped daily inside the Warm Jade Scroll, a place of nothing but blazing fire, made every glimpse of the outside world precious to her.

Chen Qingyang understood human nature and the importance of balancing discipline with leniency, so he always let her have these moments.

"Look closely. Do you notice any changes in me?"

At first, Xu Baoling was a little confused. She had long known that Chen Qingyang’s cultivation was at the Third Realm of Qi Refining, so there was nothing surprising about it. But a moment later, she couldn’t help but gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.

"M-Master... you’ve had another breakthrough, and in the Sword Dao!"

Chen Qingyang had let her inspect him without restraint, so naturally, she could see everything clearly.

Xu Baoling seemed completely stunned. The way she looked at Chen Qingyang was filled with a sense of unfamiliarity, as if he were a stranger.

"Now, look again."

"Ah!" This time, Xu Baoling was even more astonished.

She felt Chen Qingyang’s Qi Mechanism vanish in an instant. All that stood before her was a hundred-year-old man.

"Remember, look very carefully!"

After a long moment, Xu Baoling finally said, "If I were to judge by your breathing alone, it would indeed seem like you haven’t even entered the Qi Refining Realm. But someone like me who focuses on Divine Soul Cultivation is extremely sensitive to the Qi Mechanism. I can still detect subtle fluctuations. I can tell you’ve at least entered Qi Refining."

Chen Qingyang shook his head, not quite satisfied with himself. "It would be better if you couldn’t see any flaws at all. I still need to work on this skill."

Xu Baoling added, "But to only know that you’re in the Qi Refining Realm, without being able to tell which realm you’re in, proves that your Magic Technique is still quite effective, Master."

"What if I encountered a Foundation Establishment Master, someone like your former master? Could they tell which realm of Qi Refining I’m in?"

Xu Baoling’s expression turned serious. "I dare not speculate on those whose cultivation has reached that level. But their perception is incredibly acute. The slightest ambiguity would arouse their suspicion. You would definitely not be able to hide it from them."

Her words were very much to the point, and Chen Qingyang thought so as well. He would have to work on this more in the future.

He gave Xu Baoling a Qi Gathering Pill, then said, "I intend to help you restore your Divine Soul. Do you know of any elixirs that can repair the Divine Soul? Tell me the name, and if I have the opportunity to find the Pill Formula in the future, I will refine it for you."

Just receiving the Qi Gathering Pill was already a great favor in her eyes. Now, hearing his offer, a feeling of gratitude began to stir in her heart, alongside her usual fear.

Her posture became even more humble as she gave a graceful bow. "If you have the chance, Master, you might try refining the Jade Flower Spirit Dew Pill. The ingredients are easy to find, and the refining process is not too demanding."

Chen Qingyang nodded. "I’ll keep that in mind."

He put Xu Baoling away and continued up the mountain. After refining his elixirs at Liu Tao’s place, he collected his share and headed back down.

Because Chen Qingyang had used his dozen or so remaining strands of Immortal Seedling on the Tier Two Qi-Introducing Pills, the quality of today’s batch was exceptionally high. Liu Tao was overjoyed, feeling that she was now one step closer to Essence Condensation.