Chapter 288 - 159: Initial Practice in the Marrow Cleansing Realm

Chapter 288: Chapter 159: Initial Practice in the Marrow Cleansing Realm

This was about the same amount of time it took for a genius Cultivator with superior innate talent. But those geniuses didn’t need medicine, or even the assistance of an Array.

He shook his head, banishing these comparisons from his mind.

After briefly regulating his breath, Yang Wenqing didn’t rest. Instead, he began cultivating the Entry Level of the Yuqing Secret Skill, nurturing his Five Yang Qi.

He focused his mind and centered his awareness on his five vital organs. The faint but self-sustaining Five Yang Qi slowly circulated as he tried to use this nascent energy as a tendril to sense and attract the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Soon, he perceived the elemental affinities of the free-roaming Spiritual Qi in the air—this was the Five Elements Spiritual Qi.

What he needed to do was use the Five Yang of his own five organs as a catalyst, drawing in the scattered yang-aligned Spiritual Qi of the Five Elements strand by strand. He would then merge it into the faint Five Yang cycle, slowly nurturing and strengthening this wisp of source energy, and gradually convert the ordinary Spiritual Qi in his body into Five Yang Qi.

This process was even slower than Qi and Marrow Fusion. The attracted yang-aligned Spiritual Qi of the Five Elements was extremely thin, making absorption highly inefficient. It also required exceptionally fine control to ensure a balanced integration into the five-organ cycle and avoid triggering an imbalance in the Five Elements.

Yang Wenqing was completely focused. Time slipped by, and he only emerged from his deep meditation when the sky outside his window began to show the pale light of dawn.

In his Golden Core World, the cycle of Five Yang Qi among his organs seemed unchanged. Or rather, the change was so minuscule that he had to carefully observe it with his Divine Sense just to notice any progress.

He roughly estimated that at this rate, completely converting his vast reserves of Spiritual Qi into pure Five Yang Qi would take at least a sixty-year cycle, if not longer, even if he worked at it every single day.

After completing this step, he would still need to connect the Five Yang Qi in his body to the upper, middle, and lower Qi Seas to complete an internal, circulatory world. Only then would he successfully achieve Entry.

This final step sounded simple, but very few succeeded. Furthermore, unlike Foundation Establishment which could be attempted multiple times, this advancement was a point of no return. Once he chose to advance, there was no turning back; retreat could mean death and the dissipation of his Dao.

Thus, the path of cultivation grew more arduous the further one walked, and the time required grew ever longer. One might be able to accelerate through the Marrow Cleansing Fifth Transformation with resources and talent, but for the Yuqing Five Yang Qi that laid the foundation for Entry, there were no shortcuts. There was only the slow, grinding work of perseverance.

However, he believed that as his cultivation progressed, his speed would surely increase. Achieving Entry before the age of one hundred wouldn’t be difficult. A pace like that would be on par with the geniuses from the Central Bureau and the Provincial Hall.

Yang Wenqing glanced at the sunlight streaming in through the window, quickly composed himself, and rose. He then walked out to the training grounds.

He was ready to officially begin practicing the Wind Manipulation Technique his master had taught him. This Yuqing Skill focused on using one’s own Five Yang Qi to sense and control the ever-present power of wind in the world. At initial mastery, one could lift off the ground. At minor mastery, one could glide short distances on the wind. And at major mastery, one could soar through the heavens, riding the wind’s power. It was a practical Magic that even a Yuqing Cultivator at the Marrow Cleansing Realm could learn.

The key to this technique lay in using the Five Yang of the five organs as a foundation, with particular emphasis on harmonizing the Wood Yang of the liver and the Metal Yang of the lungs. Wood governs wind, and Metal governs qi; only when these two worked in concert could one stir the winds of the outside world.

To cast the spell, one first had to use their internal Five Yang Qi to construct a Wind-Inducing Spell within specific meridians, creating an internal-external resonance. Next, this spell had to be projected outside the body with Divine Sense to connect with the wind power of the world. Finally, one would use their own Five Yang Qi to guide the wind to lift or push their body.

Yang Wenqing first simulated the steps of casting this Magic in his mind. He then calmed his heart and qi, focusing his awareness on his liver and lungs. He mobilized the faint yet pure Wood and Metal Yang Qi within them and, following the Spell, slowly circulated them, attempting to construct the complex Wind-Inducing Seal inside his body.

The very moment he focused his full attention and infused the first wisp of Five Yang Qi into the seal, the projection of his Golden Core World deep within his mind suddenly quivered!

The tremor wasn’t violent; it was an extremely subtle and profound resonance, like ripples spreading across a calm lake after a small pebble is tossed in. It acted directly upon the Wind-Inducing Seal he was constructing!

In that instant, Yang Wenqing felt his perception of the wind become unprecedentedly clear and sharp. The power of the world’s wind, which he originally had to carefully seek and sense using the Spell and his Five Yang Qi, now actively presented itself to his senses...

He could sense the gentle path of the morning breeze brushing past the bamboo leaves in the courtyard. He could feel the movement of air currents carrying damp, salty moisture from the distant sea. Even the formless, shapeless layers of airflow high in the sky left faint traces in his Divine Sense.

This sudden, clear perception drastically increased the speed and precision with which he could construct the Wind-Inducing Seal. The seal’s structure, which should have required repeated attempts, formed rapidly and naturally with the aid of the Golden Core World’s profound resonance. Moreover, the structure was stable, and its internal-external connection was exceptionally responsive.

’Rise!’ Yang Wenqing shouted in his mind, activating the completed Wind-Inducing Seal with his Divine Sense.

BUZZ...

An extremely faint vibrating sound filled the air. The air within three feet of him seemed to have been gently stirred by an invisible hand, creating an orderly flow, imperceptible to the naked eye, that enveloped his body.

The next moment, his feet left the ground!

However, just as his body rose to a height of about one meter, his nascent Five Yang Qi was rapidly depleted. Lacking a continuous supply of energy, the Wind Dharma Seal’s connection to the external wind broke.

WHOOSH...

The miniature wind field dissipated. Yang Wenqing’s body dropped, and he floated lightly back to the ground.

’As expected, sensing it is one thing, but actually casting the spell is another. My Five Yang Qi is still insufficient.’ Yang Wenqing wasn’t too disappointed.

He activated the Spirit Gathering Array his master had given him and casually sat cross-legged to recover. As a five-colored light emerged, he was fully restored in just ten minutes. He then tried several more times, but the results were largely the same.

He did, however, discover that these attempts had slightly increased his internal Five Yang Qi. The gain was equivalent to three hours of sitting in meditation. But only he could recover so quickly; an ordinary Yuqing Cultivator who had just entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm would never be able to.

’This is probably the real reason Master wanted me to practice this Magic,’ Yang Wenqing thought.

Just as he was about to continue practicing, a flash of Spiritual Light sparked in his mind. He realized that since he couldn’t yet fly purely by relying on his Five Yang Qi, why not use the Wind Manipulation Technique as a Light Body Spell?

He immediately put it to the test.

He pushed off forcefully with his feet, leaping into the air. At the apex of his jump, just as his momentum gave out and he began to fall, he activated the Wind Manipulation Technique again.

WHOOSH!

His downward momentum slowed abruptly, as if an invisible hand had gently cushioned him from below. At the same time, a horizontal breeze manifested from thin air, pushing his body forward in a smooth glide for several dozen feet before he slowly touched down.

After landing, Yang Wenqing didn’t pause. He launched himself into another leap, drawing power from his Qi Sea. Then, at the turning point in mid-air, he used the Wind Manipulation Technique to make micro-adjustments to his direction, buffer his momentum, and extend his glide...

For a time, the training grounds were filled with Yang Wenqing’s figure, soaring high and low. At one moment, he leaped like a nimble ape; the next, he glided on the wind like a willow catkin. Though he couldn’t yet truly soar through the heavens, he could already leap to great heights and scale walls with ease. The agility and grace of his Body Technique far surpassed that of an ordinary Cultivator who relied solely on physical strength and crude lightening techniques.

He became completely engrossed, only forcing himself to stop practicing when Yang Zhong appeared at the edge of the training grounds. After all, he had a lot to do today, the most important of which was the arrival of the new deputy director.

He first cast a Dust Clearing Skill on himself to wash away the thin layer of sweat and fine dust, then headed to the dining hall.

Breakfast was already prepared, but his younger brother, Yang Wenjian, wasn’t there. The action team had been swamped with missions the past two days, so he had to be on duty at the garrison. Yang Wenqing finished his simple breakfast alone and was just picking up the day’s internal briefing to read when a clansman on duty in the front courtyard hurried in.

"Patriarch, there is a Cultivator at the gate asking to see you. She claims to be your senior martial sister," the clansman said, his voice tinged with hesitation.

’Senior martial sister?’

Yang Wenqing was taken aback for a moment. Then, a thought stirred in his mind, and he realized she might be a fellow disciple from the Xuanyue Lineage, which he had just joined. ’For her to call herself my senior martial sister, could she really be a disciple of one of my martial uncles visiting?’

But on second thought, if such a fellow disciple were truly coming, the thoughtful Qin Huaiming would have certainly informed him in advance, perhaps even introducing them personally. To arrive uninvited like this, and directly at his private residence, was not only a breach of etiquette but also carried an air of refusing to be denied.

This visitor might not be coming with good intentions.