Chapter 4: Impossible to Guard Against

“Man is formed from Innate Primordial Qi. To refine Qi is to refine the self, purifying one’s being and reversing toward the Innate. In doing so, one may attain the righteous fruit of Innate Primordial Qi, where both body and spirit become profound…”

After a long while, Lü Yang opened his eyes, his gaze bright with delight.

Compared to the Ode to the Supreme Bliss of Yin and Yang, the Innate Dao Scripture actually resembled what a complete inheritance ought to look like.

The scripture began at the mortal stage. Beginners first practiced a set of body-tempering exercises called Innate Arts to temper the physique, and the exercises even came with a matching martial art called the Great Innate Seizing Technique.

Once the body had been fully tempered, the cultivator was to begin “reversing toward the Innate.” First, the five organs and six viscera would be transformed, then the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, until finally the physical form dissolved entirely. The body would be refined into a strand of Innate True Qi, free to gather or disperse at will, impervious to spells, allowing one to stand in an unassailable position in combat.

Beyond that, the scripture also recorded numerous spells designed to complement Innate True Qi.

Techniques such as the Heaven-Shrouding Dust Smoke, the Single-Intent True Qi Sword, the Spirit Breath Qi Absorption Art… The sheer variety and range of functions opened Lü Yang’s eyes to a world he hadn’t imagined.

But just then, Lü Yang, who had been reading with rapt fascination, suddenly froze.

“…Where’s the rest?”

He looked up at Liu Xin, only to realize that the Innate Dao Scripture in his hands contained only the first half. The contents cut off abruptly.

“Junior Brother, the Dao is not taught lightly.”

Liu Xin chuckled softly. “The second half of the Innate Dao Scripture contains the secrets of Foundation Establishment. That’s not included in the sect’s welcome package. You’ll need to exchange Contribution Points for it.”

Lü Yang shook his head helplessly. “I see. Forgive me for getting carried away.”

“No matter. Half the scripture is more than enough for you to cultivate with.”

Liu Xin gave Lü Yang a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Come on. I’ll take you to Heaven-Mending Peak to pick out a cave dwelling. Pick a good spot so we can visit each other often.”

Lü Yang nodded. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Half an hour later, on Heaven-Mending Peak.

Lü Yang settled into a secluded cave dwelling at the foot of the mountain. The furniture and belongings left behind by the previous occupant had been swept out like garbage.

As he watched this, a thousand thoughts churned through his mind.

Being an official disciple doesn’t seem so easy either.

Heaven-Mending Peak was not large. With the sheer number of registered disciples the Primordial Saint Sect took in every year, even a promotion rate of one in ten thousand should have been more than enough to fill Heaven-Mending Peak.

And yet?

On his walk here, he had seen that Heaven-Mending Peak was far from overcrowded. It was practically empty. Many cave dwellings sat vacant, with no disciples living in them.

Where had all those official disciples gone? Surely they couldn’t all have been unable to afford the rent?

Lü Yang shook his head and set the question aside. He took out a meditation cushion, sat down with his five centers facing the heavens,[1] and began his first cultivation session inside the cave dwelling.

The moment he began, he noticed nearly twice as much spiritual qi as in the Outer Sect flooding toward him, pouring into his Dantian. It coursed through his meridians, circulating through his entire body before seeping inward, step by step, fusing into his organs, his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.

The sheer efficiency stunned him.

In the same amount of time, using the same technique, the True Qi that would have taken a full day to refine in the Outer Sect required only two hours inside an Inner Sect cave dwelling.

No wonder the cave dwellings cost money to rent.

It was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to return from luxury to frugality. After experiencing this cultivation speed even once, one would find it nearly impossible to tolerate cultivating anywhere else.

The following day, Lü Yang stayed indoors, alternating between cultivating and studying the Innate Dao Scripture.

Cultivation in this world does account for talent, but there’s no such thing as a Spiritual Root. Basically, anyone with the desire can set foot on the path of cultivation.

That said, cultivation was hardly easier because of it.

While mortals didn’t face the barrier of Spiritual Roots, the quality of the True Qi they refined could still determine the upper limit of a cultivator’s future achievements.

This was where the “techniques” came in.

The more advanced the cultivation technique, the higher the grade of True Qi it produced, and the greater the possibility of reaching higher realms. Conversely, an inferior method meant a greater likelihood of hitting a bottleneck.

True Qi was classified into nine grades and thirty-six ranks. The lower the grade number, the higher the quality. The higher the rank, the greater the power.

As a general rule, True Qi below the seventh grade had no hope of Foundation Establishment. Below the third grade, forming a Golden Core became nearly impossible. And without first-grade True Qi, attempting to condense a Nascent Soul was a path to certain death.

Rogue cultivators really have no way out.

Lü Yang couldn’t help but sigh. Compared to major sects with complete inheritances, rogue cultivators didn’t have the luxury of choosing their cultivation techniques. They cultivated whatever they could get their hands on.

Under such circumstances, no matter how high their talent and comprehension ability, they had already lost at the starting line and were destined for a life of regret.

The difficulty of cultivating immortality was plain to see.

At this thought, Lü Yang’s brow furrowed.

The “Innate True Qi” produced by the Innate Dao Scripture ranks at the first rank of the sixth grade. A cultivator practicing it has a reasonable chance at reaching Foundation Establishment. Strictly speaking, it’s not weak.

But it still fell short of his expectations.

If he were an ordinary cultivator, he could have accepted it.

But he possessed a miraculous treasure like the Book of a Hundred Lives. His future was limitless. A cultivation technique that capped out at Foundation Establishment could no longer satisfy his ambitions.

If only I could get my hands on one of those supreme first-grade true inheritances…

Lü Yang entertained the fantasy for a moment, then sighed. Forget it. The road must be walked one step at a time. If I take too big a step, crack, I’ll end up hurting myself.

I’ll cultivate the Innate Dao Scripture and become a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator first.

Once the Dao Foundation was established, a cultivator’s lifespan would extend to three hundred years, nearly the length of a mortal dynasty. In the cultivation world, such a person was worthy of being called a Great Cultivator.

Once he had the strength, he could pursue higher-level inheritances. The moment he obtained one, he would restart immediately.

By repeating this cycle, he would one day see his dreams come true.

As long as he was patient and didn’t act rashly, time would always be his friend. That was the confidence the Book of a Hundred Lives gave him.

Ten days later, in Lü Yang’s cave dwelling.

A strand of white qi rose and billowed, shifting into rolling black smoke one moment, a formless Sword Qi the next, before finally coalescing into an ethereal, immortal-like figure.

“I’ve done it!”

The Innate Dao Scripture was profound, but not particularly difficult to cultivate. In just ten short days, Lü Yang had successfully discarded his physical form and refined his body into a strand of True Qi.

【Name: Lü Yang】

【Age: 18】

【Cultivation: Qi Refinement, First Layer】

【Talents: Dual Cultivation Prodigy (White)】

【Cultivation Technique: Ode to the Supreme Bliss of Yin and Yang (Perfected), Innate Qi Refinement Transformation Art (Perfected)】

【Divine Abilities: None】

【Treasures: None】

【Book of a Hundred Lives Pages: 99】

Looking at the updated information on the Book of a Hundred Lives, Lü Yang stepped into the air, feeling better than he ever had. Even the original owner’s terminal illness had cured itself without medicine.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, in the midst of his self-satisfaction, Lü Yang’s brow furrowed. He stopped, looked back at the Book of a Hundred Lives, and fell into a strange, uneasy contemplation.

…Something’s not right.

Something had slipped past him.

Lü Yang recalled the events of this life. He had encountered no real difficulties. He had smoothly become an official disciple, smoothly received the Innate Dao Scripture…

The next second, he finally realized what he had overlooked.

【After draining you, Yu Suzhen successfully broke through to the Qi Refinement realm. However, she contracted your illness. Unable to purge the affliction from her True Qi, she was bedridden for months before ultimately dying of the disease】

In the previous life, why had Senior Sister Yu died?

As an official disciple, she must have also received the Innate Dao Scripture. If she had cultivated it and transformed her body into Qi, how could she possibly have died of a sexual disease?

Had she failed to master it?

“Impossible.” Lü Yang shook his head.

The Innate Dao Scripture wasn’t that difficult. If Yu Suzhen had the ability to break through to Qi Refinement, then no matter how poor her aptitude, it was inconceivable that she would fail to master it within several months.

“Unless the technique she received wasn’t the Innate Dao Scripture at all.”

In that instant, Lü Yang felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss.

The sound of his own heartbeat had never been so loud. His breathing quickened. The excitement drained from his face in an instant.

“The Innate Dao Scripture… was something Liu Xin prepared specifically for me?”

His mind flashed back to the scene he had witnessed in the Artifact Refinement Hall.

That registered disciple had believed he was on the verge of achieving the Grand Dao, only to walk straight into his own death. Far from breaking through, he had refined himself into a Spiritual Treasure.

Was that moment not exactly like this one?

Just then, a familiar and warm voice called out from outside the cave dwelling.

“Junior Brother Lü, are you in?”

Notes

[1] Five centers facing the heavens (五心朝天): A Daoist meditation posture. The practitioner sits cross-legged with both soles turned up on the thighs, both palms turned up on the knees or in the lap, and the crown of the head held upright, so that the five “centers” (two palms, two soles, crown) all face the sky.