Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 16: Herbal Cleansing Sutra (1)

The sun slowly rose from the mountain valley, and birds chirped and fluttered about in the forest. As time passed, the sun gradually moved from the east to the center of the valley, and then slowly inclined towards the western mountain peak.

By dusk, the sun slowly sank behind the mountain, casting the earth in darkness, with only the autumn insects chirping in the distance…

Time passed day by day, and it had been eight or nine days since Li Yan started cultivating. Except for eating and simple washing, Li Yan rarely opened his door, and spent most of his time with the door closed.

Inside the room, Li Yan sat on a wooden bed, wearing a black long gown, with his eyes slightly closed and his hands forming a hand seal on his abdomen, breathing evenly.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, furrowing his brows.

He had been practicing diligently for eight or nine days, but still couldn’t activate the Qi in his Dantian. He had even asked his teacher about it.

Military Advisor Ji’s response was that the time it takes to activate the Qi in the Dantian varies from person to person, ranging from three to five days to half a month. The key to cultivation is to avoid being impatient and anxious, and to calm one’s mind and spirit.

However, it had already been almost ten days, and Li Yan still couldn’t find the sensation of cultivating, which made him feel somewhat discouraged.

He got off the bed, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Looking at the darkening sky, he strolled slowly in the valley, pondering the meaning of each sentence and each word in the incantation.

Suddenly, he heard the gentle sound of running water, and realized he had unknowingly arrived at the water’s edge.

Listening to the sound of the mountain spring flowing down the cliff, and gazing at the half-moon shining brightly in the sky, the sound of the water resonated deeply in his heart, and he suddenly felt a sense of connection.

Standing still, Li Yan remained motionless, unaware of how much time had passed. He suddenly felt as if there was a cool sensation in his body, resonating with the sound of the water.

He then sat down by the water’s edge, and the “Breathing Guidance Technique” he had been thinking about naturally unfolded. Not long after, a faint black aura began to appear on his face.

The black aura that appeared on his face didn’t seem eerie, but rather gave off a sense of calm and tranquility, like a gentle, transparent mist.

At this time, Li Yan himself didn’t know what was happening, he only felt the sound of the flowing water filling his mind, and with each breath, it began to permeate his body.

Suddenly, he felt a cool sensation rising from his Dantian, and the “Breathing Guidance Technique” began to guide the flow of Qi through his meridians.

As the cool sensation flowed through each meridian, it would leave a trail of icy coolness, but Li Yan didn’t feel cold; instead, he felt like a fish swimming in the ocean.

With each cycle of the cool Qi flowing through his meridians, the sensation in his Dantian grew stronger, making the Qi in his Dantian even more vibrant.

In the stone house on the east side of the valley, Military Advisor Ji sat with his eyes closed, suddenly opening them.

He gazed towards the door, although it was closed, a smile appeared on his face.

“Finally, you’ve sensed the Qi of heaven and earth? It seems we can prepare the herbal medicine. This is truly exciting.”

After speaking, he slowly closed his eyes again.

Unaware of how much time had passed, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes, and the valley was still the same, with the sound of the water flowing down the cliff, but the moon had disappeared, and it was now midnight.

His face showed a hesitant expression, as autumn nights in the mountains were very cold, but Li Yan didn’t feel the cold at all, because the cool sensation in his body was even stronger, making him feel refreshed and light.

However, he remembered that the “Breathing Guidance Technique” said that the Qi in the Dantian should be warm, so why did he feel the opposite?

“Did I make a mistake in my practice? Will I end up like my senior brother?”

Thinking of this, Li Yan couldn’t help but feel anxious, and just as he was hesitating, he felt the Qi in his Dantian stagnate, as if it was being pulled by something.

At the same time, a voice sounded in his ear.

“Li Yan, you’ve finally completed the entry-level cultivation. Well done.”

Hearing this voice, he was startled and quickly turned around, seeing a figure in black standing silently behind him, like a ghost in the dark night.

However, after hearing the voice, Li Yan felt relieved and hurriedly bowed.

“Teacher, you haven’t rested yet.”

He felt a sense of wonder in his heart, as his teacher’s internal strength was truly profound. He had only just experienced some changes in his body, and his teacher already knew about it. It was truly amazing.

Although the moon had disappeared from the valley, Li Yan could still see his teacher’s face, which was slightly smiling, under the starry sky.

“I’m not sure if I’ve succeeded,” Li Yan said, his voice filled with hesitation.

“You’ve activated the Qi in your Dantian, it should be like this,” Military Advisor Ji said calmly.

“But I didn’t feel the warmth in my Dantian as described in the incantation, instead, I felt a cool sensation,” Li Yan said, his face filled with anxiety.

Military Advisor Ji listened, then laughed lightly.

“This is something I didn’t explain to you in detail. The Breathing Guidance Technique is only meant to activate the Qi in the Dantian, and each person’s experience is different. Some may feel sour, numb, itchy, cold, or hot. Usually, warmth and heat are the most common sensations, which is why I only listed the common feelings in the incantation. You don’t need to worry about this.”

Li Yan listened, and his anxiety dissipated, replaced by a sense of relief.

‘It seems that I should just ask my teacher directly in the future, instead of worrying and frightening myself.’

Military Advisor Ji seemed to see Li Yan’s relieved expression in the dark night.

“You’ve been tired for the past few days, so you don’t need to cultivate anymore today. Get some rest early, and we can formally start practicing the ‘Wood Shadow Technique’ tomorrow.”

“Yes, teacher, I’ll take my leave,” Li Yan said, his heart filled with joy. It seemed that he had finally entered the door of cultivation and was qualified to practice real techniques.

He felt an urge to start practicing immediately, but he also knew that he couldn’t rush and that his body and mind were truly exhausted after nearly ten days of practice.

So, he headed towards his stone house, and as he walked, the stagnation in his Dantian began to dissipate.

He couldn’t help but admire his teacher’s profound internal strength, realizing that even without any internal Qi, he had already felt the pressure of his teacher’s presence, and now, with a hint of internal Qi, he felt it even more.

As Li Yan disappeared from view, Military Advisor Ji turned around and disappeared from the spot, reappearing in his own room.

With a flick of his sleeve, the door closed silently behind him, and he sat down at his desk, his smile disappearing, replaced by an unpredictable and changing expression.

“Originally, he sensed the Qi of heaven and earth through water, which means that the black aura I saw during the trial was real.”

“It’s not the best choice to cultivate the Wood Element technique, but fortunately, he has a miscellaneous Spirit Root, and judging from his previous performance, his Wood Qi is still present, second only to his Water sense.”

“It should be possible to cultivate, but it will definitely take longer. I don’t know if I can suppress the poison, but I’ll wait until he achieves success in his cultivation.”

Military advisor Ji thought for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile.

“I’m already lucky to have found a second person; I’m thinking too much. Can I ask for a better result than this?”

“However, I must speed up his cultivation. Let’s start tomorrow. No matter what, my body can’t wait any longer.”

Thinking of this, he closed his eyes and entered meditation again.

The next morning, Li Yan woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed, with a mood as bright as the autumn sky outside.

After finishing breakfast, he hurried to his teacher’s house, just like last time. As soon as he arrived at the stone house, Military advisor Ji’s voice came from inside.

“Come in!”

Li Yan knew that his teacher would rarely go out, and usually stayed in the mountain valley stone house to cultivate.

Li Yan went in and stayed for a short while. When he came out, Military advisor Ji also walked out slowly, called Chen An and Li Ying over, and gave them some instructions. Then, he walked straight into the second stone house.

Not long after, Chen An and Li Ying carried a beautifully crafted copper furnace to Li Yan’s house. Li Yan was waiting in his room according to his teacher’s instructions.

When he saw them arrive, he greeted them and asked them to put the furnace in the room. The stone house was spacious, and they could easily find a place to put it.

The copper furnace was about half a person’s height, made of refined copper, with a subtle yellow glow emanating from it. The base was a sturdy jade stone. The furnace body was adorned with three purple dragons, their heads raised upwards, forming a supporting shape. There were a few small gaps between the dragons and the furnace body, where the interior of the furnace could be faintly seen.

At this time, the furnace was already burning fiercely, but it was unclear what fuel was being used, and there was no smoke coming out. The furnace body was emitting waves of heat.

About a quarter of an hour later, Military advisor Ji walked out of the second stone house, looking somewhat fatigued.

Chen An and Li Ying immediately entered the stone house, and soon came out carrying a copper basin, which was also emitting hot air. They then carried the basin to Li Yan’s stone house.

They placed the basin on top of the three dragon heads on the copper furnace, then bowed to Military advisor Ji and Li Yan before closing the door and leaving.

Military advisor Ji came to the copper furnace with a smile on his fatigued face, and said to Li Yan:

“Have you memorized the oral formula I taught you this morning?”

Li Yan stood respectfully in front of the copper furnace and replied:

“Disciple has already memorized it.”

“Good! Although each stage’s oral formula is not too long, its profound and subtle meaning requires understanding and comprehension. I spent half a day explaining it to you, so you should now fully understand the usage of the first stage’s oral formula. From now on, it’s up to you to cultivate diligently and persevere.”

Military advisor Ji nodded and said:

“The saying goes, ‘The teacher leads you to the door, but cultivation depends on the individual.’ This is an unchanging principle, and you must remember it in your heart.”

Li Yan bowed his hands and stood respectfully, his attitude humble and reverent.

At this time, the copper basin on top of the copper furnace was emitting hot air. Upon closer inspection, the basin was filled with medicinal herbs, and a faint, dark green gas was rising from the surface, swirling around the basin.

“These medicinal herbs are a secret formula passed down through our school, and this basin of herbs can be used repeatedly for seven days. After seven days, the herbs will lose their effectiveness, and you’ll need to prepare a new batch, increasing the dosage each time. After 49 days, your meridians will have undergone a thorough cleansing and strengthening process, making them extremely resilient. Only then can you cultivate the inner energy of our school’s dominant technique, and even among the Third-Rate Experts in the martial arts world, your meridians will be unmatched.”

Military advisor Ji’s voice became stern as he continued:

“Usually, it takes years of bitter practice for martial artists to reach this level, but our school’s secret formula can achieve this in just 49 days. However, this process is extremely painful and requires immense willpower. You’ll need to persevere through it all, and it’s up to you to get through it.”

Li Yan’s eyes shone with determination as he gazed at Military advisor Ji. He had already been warned about this earlier, and he was mentally prepared. He was a resolute person, and once he made up his mind, he would not give up.

“I understand, and I will not disappoint my teacher!”

“Good! Then begin now. I’ll be waiting outside for you, and if you encounter any difficulties, I’ll be there to help you.”

With that, Military advisor Ji stopped speaking, opened the door, and walked out. He then closed the door behind him and sat down on a stone bench outside, closing his eyes to meditate.