togophonebook Chapter 87 Emerging from Seclusion
Chapter 87 Emerging from Seclusion
At the peak of Qi cultivation, only the Qi Sea and the Spiritual Consciousness exist. At the Great Perfection, the Qi Sea and the Spiritual Consciousness Sea are connected, and both the quality and quantity of True Qi are improved.
Above that is Foundation Building, where one transforms true qi into true essence and uses spiritual awareness to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, thus establishing the foundation for the Great Dao.
Zhang Lin stood up and stretched his limbs.
I did a quick calculation and realized I'd been in seclusion for seven days; my body was starting to feel stiff.
He practiced a set of boxing techniques in the courtyard to warm up his body and improve his circulation.
With his spiritual senses expanded, everything within a radius of fifty feet was within his perception.
Afu was still peeking out from outside the courtyard wall, his little notebook already filled with dense notes.
A cold smile curled at the corner of Zhang Lin's mouth.
This person has been watching him for so long; it's time to pass on a message to the person behind him.
He pushed open the door and went out.
Afu was so frightened that he shuddered and turned to run away.
"stop."
The sound wasn't loud, but it reached Afu's ears clearly.
Afu stood frozen in place, his face deathly pale. He slowly turned around and forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
"Senior Brother Zhang... What a coincidence! I'm just passing by..."
Zhang Lin stood with his hands behind his back, looking at him calmly.
"Please pass on this message to your young master."
"You've been watching me for so long, it must have been tough."
"I have things to do soon, so I don't have time to play with him."
After Zhang Lin finished speaking, he ignored the terrified Taoist boy, turned around, went back to the courtyard, and closed the door.
Continue to adapt to all the changes in your body after the breakthrough.
Until dusk.
The setting sun, like blood, gilded Cuiping Peak with a layer of dark gold.
Suddenly, Zhang Lin's joints emitted a series of soft crackling sounds, like bamboo bursting open.
A faint golden light shimmered around him, and his physique was greatly enhanced under the nourishment of true qi and elixirs, making him as strong as a magic weapon, and difficult to harm with ordinary swords and spells.
He concealed the golden light on his body, expanded his spiritual sense, and took in the entire area within a radius of fifty feet.
Outside the courtyard wall, Afu's figure had long since disappeared without a trace.
He must have been terrified by his words and ran back to the inner sect to report the news.
Zhang Lin withdrew his spiritual sense and walked to the courtyard gate.
As dusk deepened, a thin layer of afterglow spread across the cobblestone path.
He pushed open the door and walked along the bluestone path toward No. 83 Courtyard in the Outer East District.
Yu Youwei was meditating in the courtyard.
She sat cross-legged on a small blue stone stool, her hands forming a mudra and placed on her dantian, a thin layer of white mist swirling around her.
The mist was so thin and faint that it was almost impossible to see her clearly unless the glow of the sunset shone on her.
Zhang Lin recognized it at a glance. This was an unusual phenomenon that occurred during the cultivation of the "Mysterious Yin Technique". The Mysterious Yin Qi was manifested externally, like frost or mist, and it was cold to the touch.
He didn't say anything, but just stood at the gate of the courtyard.
A moment later, Yu Youwei finished her practice and opened her eyes.
The layer of cold mist slowly receded into her body, and her gaze fell on Zhang Lin, causing her to pause slightly.
"Your aura..." She paused, as if searching for the right words, "is different."
"I've reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining," Zhang Lin said.
A look of surprise flashed in Yu Youwei's eyes.
She remembered clearly that when Zhang Lin left Qingxuan City more than a month ago, he was still in the late stage of Qi Refining.
Even after three years of arduous cultivation at the Yu family, she only progressed from sensing spiritual energy to the early stage of Qi refining, which is already quite fast.
She knew in her heart how many obstacles Zhang Lin had to overcome from the later stages to the perfection and then to the opening of spiritual consciousness.
She stood up and patted the wrinkles on her blue robe.
"Come in and sit down."
The layout of the courtyard is similar to Zhang Lin's No. 72 courtyard, except that it lacks the spirit-gathering array and has a nursery in the corner with a few spirit orchids growing well.
A rough pottery teapot sits on the stone table, steam still rising from its spout.
Yu Youwei poured two bowls of tea, pushed one bowl in front of Zhang Lin, and sat down opposite him.
"When did this happen?"
"Today." Zhang Lin picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was slightly bitter; it was ordinary mountain tea.
"After seven days of seclusion, I managed to break through thanks to a stroke of luck and the culmination of my hard work."
Yu Youwei glanced at him, her gaze cold and devoid of emotion.
"Your luck is something that even the most outstanding talents from many sects cannot achieve."
Zhang Lin didn't reply, but instead asked, "And you, how's your cultivation of the Profound Yin Technique going?"
"You've reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining," Yu Youwei said. "The Xuan Yin Meridian is indeed a perfect match for this technique, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort."
Yu Youwei was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I heard the competition is about to start."
"That's exactly why I've come." Zhang Lin took out a jade bottle from his sleeve and pushed it to the center of the stone table.
"These are several Qi-Nourishing Pills, whose medicinal effects far surpass those of ordinary Qi-Nourishing Pills. They can broaden the meridians and strengthen the body's foundation."
"You'll miss this year's minor competition, but you can try again next year. Take one of these pills every half month, and your meridians will expand by 20% to 30%."
Yu Youwei picked up the jade bottle, uncorked it, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out.
Her expression changed slightly, and she quickly stuffed the cork back in and pushed the jade bottle back.
"This elixir is too precious; I cannot accept it."
"Keep it." Zhang Lin's tone was calm but left no room for negotiation. "Now that your meridians have been widened, you'll be able to cultivate the 'Mysterious Yin Technique' faster in the future. Consider this my investment in you."
Yu Youwei looked at him with a complicated expression, but in the end she accepted the jade bottle.
She looked down at the jade bottle in her hand, remained silent for a long while, and then whispered, "Thank you, I owe you even more."
Zhang Lin stood up.
"I'm going to set up a stall at Qianzhangyan tomorrow. If you're free, you can come with me."
"it is good."
The next morning, at Thousand-Foot Cliff.
Just after 9 AM, dozens of stalls had already been set up on the stone platform at the top of the cliff.
With the minor competition just around the corner, the outer disciples are busy preparing spirit stones, purchasing pills, and repairing magical artifacts, so everyone's business is booming.
Zhang Lin found his usual spot near the cliff edge, spread out a blue cloth, and laid out the last batch of pills before his seclusion.
Several bottles each of Peiyuan Pill, Huiqi Pill, and Ningxin Pill, all of the highest quality.
He was already quite well-known in the outer area, and as soon as he set up his stall, regular customers gathered around.
"Junior Brother Zhang, we've been waiting for you!"
A round-faced disciple squeezed to the front of the stall and pulled a cloth bag out of his sleeve.
"Last time you sold me the Qi Cultivation Pills, I took three and broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining. This time I want ten, no, twenty!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Senior Brother Zhang's pills are really effective. They are the best quality of all the superior pills I have ever taken," someone chimed in.
"Last time I broke through to the fourth acupoint and third gate, I was very troubled, but I calmed down after taking a Mind-Concentrating Pill." A female cultivator with a face like a peach blossom and eyes like autumn water looked at Zhang Lin and said in a soft voice with alluring eyes, "Senior Brother Zhang, do you need a Daoist partner?"
Zhang Lin glanced at her, his expression unchanged: "I don't need it."
The female cultivator covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, not annoyed at all. She bought two Mind-Concentrating Pills and left.
While greeting customers, Zhang Lin also took orders for several batches of food to be refined on-site.
As long as the formula and medicinal materials are complete, there is almost nothing he cannot refine; making first-grade pills is already second nature to him.
Even if it's a second-grade pill, now that he has spiritual control over the fire and the Hundred-Refined Bronze Furnace in hand, he's 70% confident in its effectiveness.
Yu Youwei sat to the side, helping him sell pills and buy spiritual herbs while he refined them. She was quick and efficient, and didn't say much.
She keeps accounts extremely quickly, remembering every single spirit stone that comes in and goes clearly, with neat and elegant handwriting, and never making a mistake.
In the days that followed, the two had worked together many times and were so in sync that they didn't need to speak.
With just a glance from Zhang Lin, she knew what price to quote; with just a wave of his hand, she knew which pill to hand over.
In less than an hour, most of the pills had been sold.