Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 17: Herbal Cleansing Stura (2)

After Military Advisor Ji left, Li Yan felt a surge of energy within him, and he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. As long as his teacher stood beside him, he would feel stifled.

At this moment, he calmed himself and didn’t think too much about it.

Earlier, Military Advisor Ji had told him that the copper furnace would burn for about an hour, and he couldn’t afford to waste any time.

Li Yan quickly walked to the copper furnace, stood upright, and placed his hands into the dark green aura above the copper basin. He then silently recited the incantation and operated the mental method.

Suddenly, the dark green aura surrounding his hands seemed to be drawn in, dividing into ten black threads that pierced into his fingertips.

Li Yan felt as if a burning hot needle had suddenly opened up his fingernails, causing a sharp pain that stabbed into his heart and brain.

Although Li Yan had mentally prepared himself, he didn’t expect the pain to be so intense. He let out a muffled groan, and his legs trembled, causing him to take two steps back.

A strange phenomenon occurred – the dark green threads of aura didn’t dissipate, but instead stretched out as he retreated, as if being pulled by the method, still trying to pierce into his fingernails.

Li Yan’s black robes were instantly drenched in sweat, and he gritted his teeth, mustering his willpower to take two steps forward, regaining his stance.

At the same time, the dark green threads of aura, like burning silver needles, continued to pierce through his meridians.

Every inch they advanced, his entire body would shudder, and sweat poured out like a flood.

He didn’t know how long he could endure, but his stubborn nature drove him to persevere, even if he couldn’t do it perfectly.

Time slowly passed, and eventually, Li Yan’s nerves became numb, with only his subconscious mind still operating the method, guiding the dark green aura to circulate within his body.

Outside, Military Advisor Ji, who was sitting on a stone table, occasionally twitched his eyelids, revealing his anxiety.

More than half an hour later, Military Advisor Ji suddenly opened his eyes, and in an instant, he disappeared from the stone table. The door of Li Yan’s house was simultaneously opened by an invisible force.

At this moment, Li Yan’s face was pale, and his hands and arms were covered in dark green aura. He had lost consciousness and was unable to operate the method even subconsciously.

His body was leaning back, and the dark green aura was still connected to his ten fingers, forming an arc shape as he fell backward. It was a bizarre sight.

Just as he was about to fall to the ground, a figure appeared behind him, and with a sweep of his sleeve, he caught Li Yan in mid-air.

At the same time, the figure’s other sleeve flicked, and with a soft “whooshing” sound, the dark green aura was severed from Li Yan’s fingers.

However, Li Yan’s body seemed to still have an attraction to the aura, and the severed threads of dark green aura still twisted and turned in the air, as if they were venomous snakes, writhing and shaking towards Li Yan’s body.

Military Advisor Ji didn’t pay attention to the dark green aura and instead used his sleeve to lift Li Yan and gently place him on the bed.

He then walked to the bedside, performed a few complex hand seals, and pointed his fingers, releasing a few blue stars that fell onto Li Yan’s abdomen.

Li Yan felt as if he was trapped in a volcano, with his body burning in agony. He wanted to scream, but his voice was stuck in his throat, and he was suffering unbearably.

Countless red-hot lava flows surrounded him, constantly burning and boiling him. Li Yan felt like he was going to die in this volcano.

Suddenly, a cool sensation rose in his abdomen, and the scorching hot volcano and endless lava flows rapidly receded. His mind also cleared up instantly.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed, with Military Advisor Ji standing beside him in black robes. He tried to sit up, but his chest and abdomen were still in intense pain.

He let out a heavy “hmm” and fell back onto the bed, feeling like his body was about to erupt again.

After calming down, he turned to look at Military Advisor Ji and forced a smile.

“Old… teacher, I’m sorry, I didn’t meet your expectations…”

“Ha ha ha… you don’t need to apologize. You were able to persist for over half an hour, which exceeded my expectations. You did very well.”

Military Advisor Ji smiled warmly at him.

“Does this mean… I can cultivate the method?”

Li Yan’s face was twisted in pain as he spoke with difficulty.

“This is natural! However, you’re currently suffering, but you still need to refine the herbal medicine’s power that you just absorbed. If you don’t, these powers will remain in your body, causing harm and no benefits.”

Li Yan knew this, as Military Advisor Ji had already explained it before.

Each cultivation session consisted of two steps: absorbing the herbal medicine’s power and refining it through internal energy.

After 49 days, he would reach the first stage, and his body would produce true internal energy, unlike the temporary cooling sensation he felt now. In the future, his body would be based on this foundation, and he wouldn’t need to absorb herbal medicine again, but could cultivate through continuous practice.

Li Yan took a deep breath, enduring the burning pain inside his body, and slowly sat up, beginning to meditate and refine the herbal medicine’s power within him.

Military Advisor Ji saw this and quietly retreated, sitting down on the stone table outside the house.

After sitting down, he looked back at Li Yan’s house and murmured to himself.

“This child has a stubborn nature, but whether he can maintain his calm state after refining the herbal medicine’s power is hard to say. I truly hope everything goes smoothly.”

He said this and seemed to fall into deep thought.

From that day on, Li Yan began his daily routine of absorbing herbal medicine and refining its power, which  was a painful and arduous process.

Under the intense pain, Li Yan persisted, and his ability to maintain clarity while absorbing herbal medicine also increased.

As time passed, although the herbal medicine’s power increased nearly twofold every seven days, it was unclear whether Li Yan’s cultivation had progressed or his endurance had improved, but the pain of absorbing herbal medicine gradually decreased.

Military Advisor Ji only intervened a few times to help him resolve the crisis, but later on, Li Yan was able to complete the cultivation process on his own.

Li Yan couldn’t see the changes within his body, but if he could, he would be shocked. At this point, his main meridians had already expanded by a circle.

The main meridians, which were initially as thin as a pipe, had been forcefully expanded by the herbal medicine’s power, causing immense pain.

As the herbal medicine’s power was refined and absorbed, his body’s small and large meridians gradually expanded and strengthened, especially the main meridians, which became thicker and more robust.

Li Yan let out a long sigh after finishing his daily cultivation.

He didn’t stand up, remaining seated, but opened his eyes and frowned, feeling a surge of anxiety in his heart. He took another deep breath.

As his daily cultivation progressed, he discovered that his mood was becoming increasingly irritable, as if a fire was burning inside him, making him feel restless and uneasy.

Military advisor Ji told him that this was due to the medicinal power washing his body, and that after forty-nine days, when he entered the first stage, this situation would improve. As his cultivation deepened, this situation would completely disappear.

Li Yan listened and thought about his teacher’s unparalleled martial arts skills, feeling that it made sense. However, he felt a sense of unease in his heart, which he couldn’t explain, possibly due to fear of the unknown.

Putting aside these thoughts, Li Yan felt frustrated again, and this frustration had already started to affect his cultivation, making it difficult for him to calm his mind.

Li Yan stood up and walked out, and it was already nighttime. His heart was frustrated, so he took a stroll in the valley, feeling the autumn wind blowing on his face, bringing a refreshing coolness.

As he walked aimlessly in the valley, the cool breeze in the wind made him feel that his frustration had dissipated. He took a few deep breaths, feeling the coolness in the air, and continued walking slowly in the valley.

The valley wasn’t very big, and after walking halfway around, Li Yan arrived at the edge of a pond, where the cold air was even more intense, and his heart felt a sense of coldness.

At this moment, he felt that the energy in his body had become smoother, and his spirit was greatly lifted.

Li Yan quickly walked a few steps to the edge of the pond and sat down, feeling the cold air emanating from the water, which made his chest feel extremely comfortable.

Li Yan was overjoyed and sat down by the pond, where he sat for half an hour. When he stood up, the heat in his body had completely dissipated, and he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. He returned to his room and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

When morning arrived, Li Yan woke up from his sleep, feeling refreshed and energized. It had been twenty-plus days since he started cultivating, and with the changes in his body, he hadn’t slept as soundly as he did last night.

After waking up, Li Yan stood in front of the table, looking out the window at the misty fog swirling above the pond, and his eyes grew brighter.

Then, he quickly walked towards Military advisor Ji’s stone house. When he arrived at the stone house, Military advisor Ji’s familiar warm voice called out.

“Come in.”

“Yes, teacher!”

Li Yan’s face stiffened, and he quickly walked in.

When he entered the house, he saw that his teacher was still sitting calmly behind the table, holding a book that was neither gold nor jade, and smiling at him.

But he knew that every time he saw his teacher, he would feel a sense of unease in his body.

“Hehehe… You look quite well today. It seems you’ve discovered something in the valley.”

Military advisor Ji looked at Li Yan with a smile in his eyes.

“Do you know why I came to see you, teacher?”

Li Yan asked curiously.

“Did you discover that the pond can dispel the heat in your body?”

“Yes, teacher! So you knew about the pond’s effects all along.”

Li Yan’s face showed a strange expression.

“Of course, I knew. One of the reasons I chose this mountain valley as our residence is because of the pond’s unique cold properties.”

“Then… then why didn’t you remind me to cultivate by the pond?”

Li Yan asked hesitantly.

“Hehe, our sect’s entry-level cultivation method is indeed a bit harsh, so our disciples will experience this situation when they first start cultivating. There are several ways to resolve it, such as immersing oneself in one’s hobbies to calm the mind, like playing the zither, blowing the flute, or writing. Alternatively, one can use external forces to directly dispel the internal fire, such as using ice, snow, or cold springs.”

As Military advisor Ji spoke, he paused and looked at Li Yan, who didn’t ask any further questions, knowing that his teacher would soon provide the answer.

Military advisor Ji looked at Li Yan’s calm demeanor and couldn’t help but sigh.

‘This child is too quiet and likes to think too much.’

Then, he continued, “The reason I didn’t let you cultivate by the pond from the start is that you should rely on your own endurance to overcome the challenges at the beginning of your cultivation. This will help temper your mind; if you rely on external aids from the start, the effects will diminish as you progress in your cultivation, and you’ll end up harming your own progress.”

Li Yan listened and thought to himself, ‘So there were these reasons, and these solutions can’t be used lightly.’

He immediately bowed his head in respect.

“I was wrong, teacher.”

Military advisor Ji waved his hand.

“This isn’t your fault, it’s just that your teacher didn’t make it clear.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “Let’s do this: I’ll observe your cultivation for the next few days. You should have reached a certain bottleneck, but for now, don’t go to the Water Pond to cultivate. Your teacher will use another method to help you resolve the anomalies that appear during your practice.”

“Wait until you’ve broken through to the first stage, and then you can cultivate by the Water Pond. The effect will be the best then, and after entering the first stage, you can cultivate there for a long time.”

Li Yan’s heart was filled with joy upon hearing this.

“What… what method will you use, teacher?”

“You’ll know when you practice today.”

Military advisor Ji smiled faintly, but didn’t explain further.

Li Yan sighed inwardly and bid farewell.

After a few hours, Li Yan ingested the medicinal pill and began to refine the medicinal power. Soon, the hot and dry energy began to surge within his body.

Li Yan tried to suppress it several times, but eventually, he couldn’t hold it back anymore. His emotions became agitated, and his anxiety grew.

Just then, a gentle melody floated in from outside the window.

The music was like a serene autumn moon, like a jade rabbit rising in the east, or a gentle breeze rustling the leaves in the forest. It was as if a young girl was whispering secrets, and then it was like the morning dew dripping onto his heart…

As the music entered his ears, Li Yan suddenly felt a coolness in his heart, and his anxiety began to dissipate. His mind gradually cleared, and his spirit became tranquil.

He suddenly understood what method his teacher had used. It turned out that his teacher’s mastery of the guqin was so profound that it could calm one’s spirit.

At that moment, he didn’t dare to think further and instead focused his mind, slowly entering a state of selflessness.