Sumeru Ring
Liu Hong said, "Qingshan is cultivating. Don't disturb him!"
Yan Song said, "Xiaolong, you need to cultivate properly too. Although you don't have the talent to directly practise qi, as long as you break through to the innate realm, your inner force can be converted into true qi. It'll be very easy for you to break through to the second layer. You won't necessarily lose to others."
After Li Qingshan finished off hall chief Wu, Liu Hong begged Yan Song to take Li Long to the headquarters of the Iron Fist in Clear River city. If that were not the case, Liu Hong would not have spent so much money to curry favor with Yan Song.
Li Long said politely, "Yes, protector!"
The three of them gazed at the door of the room. They all had different thoughts.
The rooster crowed, and the world turned white. Only after an entire night did Li Qingshan open his eyes. He silently sensed the true qi flowing through his body and felt delighted. He had finally completed the first layer of the Innate Method of Practising Qi.
However, this did not mean he could complete the cultivation method easily. The higher one progressed with any cultivation method, the more difficult it would be. The amount of time and effort required would increase exponentially as well.
It was a pity that he had already eaten all the unknown pills Xuanyue had given him. Otherwise, he was confident he could complete the first three layers of the Innate Method of Practising Qi with just a single one. He could even clear the Yang Heel meridian and break through to the second layer.
The path of cultivation was still the same: wealth, companionship, method, and place. Wealth came first, but the wealth here was not gold or silver, but spiritual pills and immortal herbs. No matter what kind of ability or cultivation method he practised, it was essentially a process of gathering spiritual qi. If he wanted to practise martial arts, he needed to have a full stomach. If he wanted to cultivate, he needed to eat the bait. External pills were indispensable.
Although a person's talent and ability to comprehend were very important, it was impossible for his cultivation to increase drastically as soon as he comprehended it, unless he had already accumulated a lot beforehand.
However, even if it was weak, it was still very important to him. He took out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and injected his True Qi into it. Sure enough, the Cursive Sword Calligraphy accepted his True Qi. Although he couldn't even draw a single stroke in the end, it was still a great encouragement to him.
This meant that the talismans on him could be activated and used. The biggest difference between humans and animals was how they made and used tools. Demons strengthened themselves, while humans relied on external objects. If one could not directly absorb the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth, one would have to concoct pills and medicines. If one did not have a strong body, one would have to craft Spiritual Artifacts and Talismans.
This was the strength of humans. Li Qingshan wanted to use this advantage as much as he could. Moreover, if he wanted to open the Soaring Dragon Elder's Sumeru Ring, he needed this power. He meditated for a while to recover the True Qi he had consumed.
Zhang Xuan took out the ring and wore it on his middle finger before infusing his zhenqi into it. Even though he knew that it was impossible for him to open it, he still had to give it a try.
Li Qingshan's Genuine Qi flowed into the ring like water, circled around the ring, and flowed back into Li Qingshan's body. Of course, the ring didn't show any signs of opening, but what made him dumbfounded was that the Innate Qi he had painstakingly cultivated was reduced by more than half in the blink of an eye. It wasn't like the Cursive Sword Calligraphy, which could be recovered after being used up. Instead, he had lost his cultivation.
He had once again been forcefully kicked out of the first realm of the Innate Method of Training of Qi. However, the remaining True Qi had become extremely pure, like a muddy river turning into a clear stream. Even though the quantity had decreased, the quality had greatly increased, and the speed at which it circulated had also increased.
Moreover, the more impure one's True Qi was, the harder it was to make breakthroughs. It was very easy to get stuck at a bottleneck. Many Qi Practitioners had to put in a lot of effort to make breakthroughs, like forging iron, slowly refining their True Qi. However, this Sumeru Ring had directly refined the impure iron into fine steel. He didn't need to spend any time or effort. It was a treasure that countless Qi Practitioners, and even cultivators of higher realms, dreamed of.
Li Qingshan hadn't expected the Sumeru Ring to have such a function other than storage.
This could be considered a good thing! However, Li Qingshan smiled bitterly. Was it easy for him to painstakingly cultivate a bit of True Qi? Not only did he have to be exploited by the Yao Core, but he also had to go through the refinement of the ring. It was simply killing him. He felt as if he had gone through decades of hard work, only to be liberated overnight.
Li Qingshan sighed heavily. He knew this was the correct choice. If he wasted a little more time now, he could save a lot of time in the future. Most people did not waste their time on cultivation. Instead, they were stuck at bottlenecks, unable to advance any further.
Just like Protector Yan, who had reached the second level of Qi Cultivation long ago, but couldn't break through to the third level no matter what. He was stuck at this stage for so many years. Even though he wanted to refine and refine True Qi, he was completely powerless. The True Qi that was transformed from inner force was simply too impure.
Li Qingshan closed his eyes and began to cultivate again. This time, he didn't take off the ring.
Yan Song had already chosen his disciples and was ready to set off. However, he waited until late at night and still didn't see Li Qingshan come out. He knocked on the door several times, but no one answered.
Liu Hong said, "Could it be that something happened?" However, he thought to himself, Did protector Yan purposefully give me a problematic method of Practising Qi to drive Li Qingshan into qi deviation?
Yan Song frowned. He had no idea why either. If it were not for the fact that he could hear Li Qingshan's extremely slow and steady breathing in the training room, he would have suspected that Li Qingshan had died from qi deviation.
Practising qi was the same as doing other things. It was about a proper balance between work and rest. It was not just about wasting time. Otherwise, not only would it be pointless, but it would even be harmful.
He did not remind Li Qingshan of this, as he could comprehend this during the process of cultivation. As time went on, the effects of practising qi would worsen, and his mind would become more and more exhausted and anxious. Moreover, true qi was extracted from the body's origin, so it needed to be replenished through food and drink. Otherwise, it would be like water without a source, a tree without roots.
Li Qingshan had indeed encountered this problem, but he switched to practising the Spirit Turtle's Method of Sea Suppression. The spirit turtle sank into the depths of the sea and slumbered for a thousand years, but it constantly inhaled and exhaled the spiritual qi of the world. To Li Qingshan, meditating was not something that exhausted him. Instead, it was more like sleeping and resting.
With a flash of inspiration, he began practising the Innate Method of Practising Qi again. In the beginning, it was extremely difficult. He would break out of his meditative state with the slightest carelessness, and his cultivation of the Spirit Turtle's Method of Sea Suppression came to a halt. However, gradually, he grasped the trick, turning the Spirit Turtle's Method of Sea Suppression into an instinct. It was like breathing constantly even when he was asleep. This was not because Li Qingshan was clever, but because the ability was just too profound. It had completely exceeded his imagination.
Afterwards, he would practise the Innate Method of Practising Qi in a dream-like state. The two abilities that belonged to daemons and humans circulated through his body at the same time.
Li Qingshan discovered that under this state, the daemon core was not as greedy for true qi as before. It could give him more of the fruits of his labour.
Under this state, his cultivation speed of the Innate Method of Practising Qi reached an unprecedented peak. With how powerful his body was, going without food or drink for a few days was nothing to him.
For three whole days and nights, Li Qingshan did not sleep or rest. He did not eat or drink. He was completely submerged in cultivation. Finally, he opened his eyes again. He had forcefully returned the Innate Method of Practising Qi to the first layer.
He let out a long sigh. He felt incredibly hungry, so he took out the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and poured his incomparably pure True Qi into it. Before his True Qi ran out, one of the strokes lit up, and a beam of Sword Qi shot out.
Just Now, it was like he had tossed wet logs into a furnace. It was very difficult for him to ignite the flames, but what he was using right now was high-grade charcoal. It was easily ignited, providing him with large amounts of heat.
The two Iron Fist disciples standing guard outside the door suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. They looked at each other and said, "Don't you feel a little cold?"
Li Qingshan put away the Cursive Sword Calligraphy and took off his spatial ring, hanging it on his chest again. He then stood up and opened the door. The sunlight was blinding.
"Young Hero Li, you're finally out!" One of the Iron Fist disciples said while the other hurried to pass on the message.
Not long after, Yan Song and Liu Hong rushed over.
Liu Hong said, "Qingshan, you're finally out? I thought something happened to you and wanted to break in a few times. "
Li Qingshan smiled and said, "I'm sorry, the technique that Protector Yan gave me is too profound. I was so engrossed in comprehending it that I lost track of time."
Protector Yan said, "Are you really refining qi? What layer are you at? "
Li Qingshan said, "I just reached the first layer."
Yan Song said, "That's not slow." But it definitely wasn't fast. The first layer of the [Innate Training of Qi] was the easiest. He had personally seen a talented child master the first layer in four hours. Of course, Li Qingshan couldn't be considered fast.
But it was unheard of to use three days for the first time to refine qi.
Li Qingshan said, "I've made everyone wait for a long time. Can we set off now?"
Liu Hong took out a stack of banknotes and handed it to Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan was originally here to collect debts.
Li Qingshan said, "Sect Leader Liu, you're looking down on me. Protector Yan is so generous, I'm not a stingy person. Don't mention money again." He never wanted to owe anyone anything in his life. Only when he felt that he didn't owe anyone could he be at ease. Although the [Innate Training of Qi] was not an impressive collection of abilities, it was extremely important to him. It would be better if he could obtain it as soon as possible.
Liu Hong rejoiced inside. He obviously could not make Yan Song hand over the money he had given him. This was his retirement savings.
Yan Song admired him as well. He did not take ten thousand taels of silver seriously as he chatted. If he were the young master of a wealthy clan, it would have been nothing, but a young man from the mountains like him was far too rare. This child was born with an extraordinary bearing. It was no wonder that people would appreciate him.
Only after a few rounds of refusal did Li Qingshan accept the two thousand taels of silver as his travelling expenses.
When Li Qingshan arrived outside the Iron Fist school, he saw that the Iron Fist school that had always been quiet was currently filled with a cacophony of gongs, drums, and firecrackers. There were even groups of dragon and lion dancers, completely surrounding the Iron Fist school. Of course, it was not to send Li Qingshan off.
Four children with reddened eyes were delivered before Yan Song. They were the children that had been chosen. They had the opportunity to leave this tiny Qingyang city and enter an even vaster world, but at the same time, they would have to leave their homes and distance themselves from their families.
Li Qingshan watched on from one side with his arms crossed. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw village head Li and caretaker Liu in the crowd as well. Beside them were the two brothers, Li Hu and Li Bao, with a few villagers from the Crouching Ox village behind them.
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