Chapter 27: Qi Cultivation, Telekinetic Retrieval

He had originally assumed that Daoist methods involved setting up ritual altars, drawing talismans, and chanting scriptures. He never expected that Li Yanchu’s method of exorcism would be so direct and forceful.

Even though he didn’t understand Daoist arts, Head Constable Wang could clearly see the cold yin qi seeping out of Yue Niang’s body, being forcefully purged.

This is a miracle!

Head Constable Wang exclaimed inwardly.

Li Yanchu focused his full attention on extracting the yin energy from Yue Niang's body, while also drawing on the true qi of the Primordial Chaos Technique.

The pure yang true qi it generated had a suppressing effect on the yin energy within her.

Roughly the time it took to burn one stick of incense passed. At this time, the ghostly cold yin energy within Yue Niang had been entirely driven out by Li Yanchu, and beads of sweat now formed on his forehead.

Though the process appeared gentle on the surface, it was in fact extremely perilous. That chilling ghostly energy had already penetrated deep into Yue Niang’s internal organs, and it even possessed a rudimentary ability to sense danger and seek safety, making it quite cunning.

Conventional exorcism methods would have had little effect. In contrast, Li Yanchu’s direct and forceful purging approach proved far more effective.

Just as Head Constable Wang thought everything had been settled, the lights in the room suddenly began to flicker wildly. Seeing this, everyone’s faces took on a ghostly pallor in the dim, eerie glow.

The doors and windows began to rattle despite there being no wind. Bursts of yin wind swept through the room, and faint wails seemed to rise by their ears. It sounded shrill and mournful beyond comparison.

Yue Niang huddled into a terrified ball, while Head Constable Wang’s face turned ashen as he drew his sword with trembling hands. Something unclean had begun to stir in the room!

Seeing this, Li Yanchu frowned. He had assumed there was no spirit actually inhabiting Yue Niang’s body... Had he been mistaken? Could it be that the spirit had left earlier to hunt for qi and essence elsewhere? Or... could it be that the ghost had just arrived?

The strange happenings in the room continued, and the oppressive, terrifying atmosphere left Head Constable Wang and Yue Niang frozen in place, too frightened to move.

Li Yanchu, however, remained calm and composed.

Clang

!

A crisp dragon-like ring echoed through the room, and a flash of cold steel streaked through the air. Then, everything abruptly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened, as though the terrifying events from moments before had all been illusions.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Li Yanchu sheathed his saber. The Jiaoslayer was brimming with murderous qi, and one slash was all it took to annihilate the invading yin spirit.

“Is... is it over?” Head Constable Wang asked, uncertain and still in shock.

Li Yanchu nodded. “Some filthy creature that didn’t know its place showed up, and I killed it.”

Head Constable Wang let out a long breath of relief. Then his gaze shifted, now instead filling with admiration.

I've decided, I’m making this person my friend.

Li Yanchu also gained a deeper understanding of the saber’s true power.

But he found it odd. With the Jiaoslayer on him, such a potent warding weapon, no evil spirit should have dared approach within a hundred paces. That evil spirit he didn’t even get a good look at actually dared to show up?

Judging by its strength, it was likely on par with that lustful ghost he’d slain at the Chen household, and not even as formidable as the paper effigy. Certainly nowhere near the headless ghost he’d faced in Zhang Family Village.

Thinking of this... Li Yanchu couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

Without realizing it, I’ve already slain quite a number of evil spirits,

he thought, silently giving himself a mental thumbs-up.

Having settled the matter at Head Constable Wang’s home, Li Yanchu finally let out a breath of relief.

***

The next day, Li Yanchu received word from the apothecary clerk that the rare herbs he had previously ordered for refining Qi-Booster Pill had all arrived.

Overjoyed, he rushed eagerly to the shop.

“To be honest with you, Daoist Master,” said the shopkeeper, “a few of the herbs are slightly younger than the age you requested.”

When dealing with monks and Daoists, it was best not to lie.

Li Yanchu nodded. Now that he had finally gathered all the ingredients for the Qi-Booster Pill, he was quite pleased. He didn’t fuss too much over the small discrepancy. He had already planned to enhance the pill’s effectiveness through consecration after refining it anyway.

These Daoist elixirs turned out to be even harder to make than he had imagined, mainly because the herbs were so difficult to obtain. Fortunately, Li Yanchu had the ability to perform consecration rituals.

With herbs in hand and in high spirits, he returned to Qingyun Temple and began preparing for alchemy. As a properly trained Daoist disciple, he had dabbled in a bit of everything: talismans, alchemy, feng shui, formations, and fortune-telling.

But he wasn’t being modest when he said he only “dabbled”, he truly just knew a little of each. He had a wide range of knowledge, but none of it was especially deep.

Thankfully, the Qi-Booster Pill wasn’t too complex a formula, and the refining process was relatively straightforward.

After an hour, Li Yanchu finally completed a batch of Qi-Booster Pills. He didn’t rashly try the pill, as these herbs were far too precious to allow for even a bit of waste.

Staring at the newly refined pills in front of him, he felt a wave of excitement.

“Decree of Bestowal!”

As the familiar tides of the Great Dao surged forth, the pills on the table instantly began to transform. Their previously uneven coloration turned to a rich, earthy yellow. The scent grew thick and mellow, and the fragrance of potent medicine filled the entire room.

Li Yanchu quickly took one of the pills. Almost immediately, he felt a surge of pure spirit qi spreading throughout his body. His sensitivity to spirit qi also increased noticeably.

He was stunned at first, then broke into a broad, joyful grin. Without delay, he returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating the

Yellow Court Classic

.

Vital energy within him was stirred into motion. The spirit qi flowed continuously, circulating along the prescribed cosmic orbit[1].

***

At dawn, as the eastern sky began to lighten, Li Yanchu had already started his morning cultivation using the methods of the

Yellow Court Classic

. After completing an unknown number of cosmic orbit cycles, he finally opened his eyes. A divine brilliance radiated from them, carrying with it a subtle, indescribable aura of the Dao.

After consuming five Qi-Booster Pills, Li Yanchu had at last formally stepped into the Daoist Qi Cultivation stage. His earlier cultivation had been painfully slow, barely enough to count as scratching the surface. Now, however, he could truly be considered to have reached the early stage of Qi cultivation.

Previously, even using the Qi Sight was a struggle. He could use it no more than three times a day, and with very limited range. But now, Li Yanchu could cast the Qi Sight at least ten times a day.

And many of the spells recorded in the

Yellow Court Classic

were now available for him to learn and practice. For example, Wall-Passing Technique, which allowed one to pass through walls without harm. Mastering that spell meant places like the Wei City prison could no longer confine him.

There was also the Rapid Aging Technique, which could transform a handsome youth into an old man with grey hair in an instant.

Of course, that was primarily a form of illusion magic, and it didn’t truly cause aging. True aging spells belonged to far more advanced tiers of Daoist abilities.

Li Yanchu was overjoyed. Having taken Daoist Master Xuancheng as his teacher, and now as the sole disciple of Qingyun Temple and its current master...

To finally master real Daoist arts had been his original aspiration all along. That was what truly aligned with his identity.

Of course, there were also those extraordinary individuals who pursued the Dao through martial cultivation, eventually reaching the realm of Martial Dao Immortals.

But Li Yanchu didn’t believe he would ever reach such lofty heights. Only a rare few, true prodigies, were capable of such a feat.

Li Yanchu was already more than content to cultivate immortality properly and dutifully through traditional means.

***

During this period, Li Yanchu devoted himself to the rigorous study of the

Yellow Court Classic

, and successfully mastered a Daoist spell: Telekinetic Retrieval, also known as the Art of Transference. However, it was different from the Five Ghosts Transference Technique; this was a legitimate, orthodox Daoist art.

After mastering it, Li Yanchu could stand in the courtyard, make a simple gesture, and summon the Jiaoslayer from within the house. It would appear out of thin air, right in his hand.

How convenient.

Li Yanchu took great joy in repeatedly testing the spell.

1. cosmic orbit (周天), or "cosmic orbit," is a key concept in Daoist Inner Alchemy (内丹), referring to the cyclical movement of vital breath (气, qi) through the human body in alignment with the rhythms of nature and the cosmos. ☜