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墨書 Inktalez
The sky gradually turned dark blue, and the Green Forest became dim. In a small clearing within the woods, Li Hong sat cross-legged, his mind immersed in the Upper Dantian Purple Palace.
With a thought, the small Multicolored Light Sphere in the center of the vast dark space began to slowly rotate. Upon closer inspection, the center of the Multicolored Light Sphere was blood red, with a tiny green dot at its core. The three colors were distinct and clear.
As the light sphere spun faster, the three colors began to blur together until only a dazzling Multicolored Light Sphere remained visible. The edges of the light sphere gradually extended into many long, thin threads.
Unbeknownst to him, numerous tiny Multicolored Light Dots floated into the forest, drawn to Li Hong's body, seeping in little by little. They flew straight into the dark space from all directions, converging towards the ends of the thin threads. Gradually, the Multicolored Light Sphere grew larger, and the threads became longer, resembling an endlessly tangled ball of yarn.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Hong noticed that no more tiny Multicolored Light Dots were entering his body. With another thought, he slowed the rotation of the light sphere in the Upper Dantian Purple Palace until it finally came to a complete stop, quietly suspended in the center of the vast dark space as before. The newly arrived Multicolored Light Dots had fully integrated into the surface of the light sphere. At this moment, the three colors were once again distinct and clear.
Li Hong felt refreshed. The first part of his practice was complete.
With a thought, the small blood-red portion at the center of the light sphere suddenly brightened. This was Li Hong's Innate Vital Blood condensed into form, enveloping his Three Souls and Seven Spirits. Currently, however, his Three Souls and Seven Spirits were in a state of chaos, indistinguishable from one another.
With another mental push, a tiny protrusion gradually emerged from the surface of the blood-red sphere. Correspondingly, a part of the outer Multicolored Light Sphere also began to bulge outward, slowly piercing through like a root tip extending from the Multicolored Light Sphere into the vast dark space, reaching further and further. However, it could not touch any boundary until Li Hong could no longer push it forward and it slowly retracted.
Then he extended another thread in a different direction. He did not know how many times he had practiced this repeatedly until he was utterly exhausted and could no longer push it forward.
At this point, he began his third task. Carefully separating a portion of the Multicolored Light Sphere, he pushed it out from the Upper Dantian Purple Palace along the Great Circulation to travel through all twelve meridians and eight extraordinary vessels. Wherever this small Multicolored Light Sphere passed brought an extremely comfortable and warm sensation, as if warm water flowed through his meridians. Initially moving slowly, after completing one Great Circulation, its speed gradually increased. It sped up more and more until Li Hong willed it to swiftly complete two Great Circulations in an instant.
After one breath and two turns through nine rounds of Great Circulation, Li Hong finally stopped pushing. The small light sphere had diminished significantly.
Li Hong opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air. The previous fatigue had vanished without a trace.
He wondered what kind of substance these Multicolored Light Dots were. Being able to draw them into his body indicated that he had likely reached the late stage of Qi Refinement. However, according to his master, he showed no signs of being at that level.
A few days ago, he asked a Spirit Stone about his cultivation stage; it had been vague and evasive until finally saying: "Probably Refining Qi Early Stage; that's already quite good."
What did "probably" mean? Was it possible that the cultivation stages recognized by Immortal Sect did not apply to him? Given Spirit Stone's understanding of cultivation levels, it should be accurate! Li Hong felt puzzled. Perhaps he truly was an anomaly. Yet deep down, he still felt quite pleased.
Qi Refinement is a watershed moment, as it allows one to draw Spiritual Energy from the heavens and earth into the body, enabling the practice of simple Spirit Summoning Technique. When reaching the Cautious Phase, one can officially control objects by converting all innate internal energy into spiritual power. For instance, one could fly in the sky like Master Spirit Stone while wielding a sword. This is truly an exhilarating prospect.
Although I cannot practice the Spirit Summoning Technique yet, having entered the Qi Refinement stage means that flying in the sky is not far off. Li Hong feels excited just thinking about it.
Chuxiong has been very diligent lately; his talent is remarkable, and he has reached the mid-stage of Guarding. He and Chu Xi have the same cultivation level, making them standouts among their peers. Meanwhile, Chuxuan and Chu Liang, who also have decent talent, are only at the early stage of Guarding, showing minimal improvement since they joined. Even so, this is still considered significant progress. It is said that about ten disciples are struggling to even establish their foundation. Spirit Stone, Ling Panzai, and Ling Shizi spent a fortune combining their spiritual power with countless Elixirs just to help them barely establish their foundation. They are now diligently practicing in seclusion and have yet to officially step into the first threshold of cultivation—early stage of Guarding.
Compared to myself, who has already reached the Refining Qi Early Stage, my progress is astonishing. Li Hong grins foolishly.
He stands up, focuses his mind, and pushes off the ground with both feet, propelling himself upward to the treetops. Calming his mind, he lightly taps his right foot on a branch and leaps forward like a great bird. His sleeves billow as he gracefully glides over the treetops, heading toward another nearby tree.
In this way, he silently jumps from tree to tree, feeling an indescribable power coursing through him. After playing for a while and having stepped on every tree in this small forest, he reluctantly jumps down and suddenly starts grinning again—can he consider himself a legendary martial arts master?
After laughing for a while, Li Hong sits cross-legged again, wanting to see if there are any techniques in the remaining three chapters of the Six Spirit Salty Ritual that he can use at his current stage.
Soon, he murmurs aloud: “Summoning Technique?”
The Summoning Technique is a progressive spell that grows stronger with cultivation level, allowing one to summon and command various Yin Spirits. In its initial stage, it can only summon weak Yin Spirits, while in later stages it can summon various mountain spirits and monsters of increasing strength—provided one's cultivation is sufficient.
At present, with his cultivation level, he can only summon Yin Spirits.
Yin Spirits? Li Hong feels uneasy. The so-called Yin Spirits are nothing other than ghosts. These are not ordinary ghosts but somewhat capable years-old Evil Spirits, which barely qualify as Yin Spirits that can be summoned. They might very well be those from Golden Lantern Gorge.
To cultivate or not to cultivate? Thinking back to that night in Golden Lantern Gorge, Li Hong feels conflicted. It seems that this Summoning Technique is not very enjoyable. Just imagine summoning something shrouded in dark energy with a terrifying appearance; practicing it would definitely not be a pleasant experience.
He tries to browse through the spells in the Six Spirit Salty Ritual, discovering that only this Summoning Technique can currently be practiced. After some thought, he decides to give it a try.
Taking a deep breath and calming his mind, he forms hand seals with his fingers while standing firmly on his feet and silently recites: “Heaven and Earth, All Things Have Spirits, chaos grants me form; heaven turns and earth rotates as my spirit wanders through the purest realm; evil spirits compel demons and monsters to submit. Swiftly!”
After finishing the chant, Li Hong opened his eyes wide and carefully observed his surroundings. It seemed that there was nothing… wait…
A chill wind suddenly rose from the ground, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Li Hong's robes fluttered wildly. Shadows began to flicker in the forest. One by one, pale and terrifying faces emerged beside the tree trunks, slowly revealing their entire forms.
Despite being mentally prepared, Li Hong's hair stood on end. He could actually see their true forms!
In the past, they had always been invisible. That night at Golden Lantern Gorge, if they hadn't revealed themselves to cause trouble, he would never have seen them. But at this moment, he could clearly see their true appearances, unable to disguise themselves any longer. Most of the Evil Spirits displayed expressions of fear and resentment.
They were indeed summoned by him! Li Hong felt a sense of relief in his heart.
The Evil Spirits dared not approach, standing in a circle six feet away, hesitating and drifting uncertainly. He really wanted to ask who had scared him that day at Golden Lantern Gorge, but he knew he did not have the cultivation to do so at this moment.
He steadied his mind, formed a hand seal pointing to the ground, and shouted sternly, "Go!"
The Evil Spirits obediently turned and floated away, one by one disappearing beneath the ground.
However, one Evil Spirit lingered behind. It struggled unwillingly to leave but was forced by the divine power, twisting rigidly. In a moment of desperation, it suddenly turned around. Li Hong was taken aback. This ghost had actually managed to turn itself around completely, facing forward with its rear end.
This was a cultivator! The clothing it wore clearly resembled that of a Nine Li Sect disciple, topped with a tattered high crown.
Li Hong was shocked; only elders and senior brothers above the Golden Core Stage were qualified to wear such crowns. This ghost was actually a cultivator from Nine Li Sect above the Golden Core Stage. It appeared as a man with high cheekbones and a pale face, its mouth moving as if trying to speak. Unfortunately, with Li Hong's current cultivation level, he could not communicate with him.
He watched helplessly as the ghost of the cultivator reluctantly sank into the ground. A cool breeze blew by, and Li Hong realized he was drenched in cold sweat.
What did that ghost of a cultivator want to say? Unfortunately, his cultivation was insufficient; he would have to summon him again in the future for clarification.
With some time left until dawn, Li Hong jumped back up onto the high treetop to stretch his muscles. Just as he was jumping joyfully, he suddenly felt a movement in his heart and looked up at the sky with his hand shielding his eyes.
A streak of white light shot straight towards Nine Vermilion Peaks, disappearing into the mountains in the blink of an eye.
It was still dark; who could be visiting?
In Nine Li Cave Heaven, there were many who could control objects, and disciples with cultivation above Cautious Phase possessed this ability. However, the place was vast, and there were dedicated disciples responsible for purchasing all necessities from the outside world and delivering them via Wingless Ship. Each lineage of disciples had everything they needed without leaving their homes. Except for a few who enjoyed visiting each other, it was rare for anyone to fly in the sky, especially at dawn. This was somewhat suspicious.
While pondering, two beams of light, one red and one white, soared from the mountainside and surprisingly—headed straight towards him.
Li Hong was taken aback. The red light was familiar; it belonged to his master, Spirit Stone. As for the white light… he quickly guessed and inwardly cursed trouble.
The two beams of light approached together, and in an instant, Spirit Stone's voice was already by his ear: "Old Six, come out."
"Yes." Li Hong replied loudly, steeling himself as he flew out of the woods, lightly gliding over the treetops to land on the roof of Small Pavilion. With a gentle push off the ground, he silently descended like a large bird onto the ground in front of Small Pavilion.
Indeed, it was Spirit Stone and Ling Xiangzi.
Spirit Stone was dressed in a simple blue cloth robe and wore no socks on his feet, just hastily put on cloth shoes. He scratched his head and said, "Old Six, Master Uncle Ling has something to ask you."
"I humbly request Master Uncle Ling's instruction." Li Hong had no choice but to appear respectful as he cupped his hands in greeting.
Ling Xiangzi snorted coldly, her face as frosty as ice: "Has Chu Xi been here?"
"Chu Xi Junior Sister?" Li Hong was puzzled. "No, she hasn't come for several days..."
"Stop wasting words! I'll ask you one more time: have you seen Chu Xi or not?" Ling Xiangzi's eyes glinted with coldness.
Chu Xi was missing? Li Hong's heart sank. Forgetting about how Ling Xiangzi might react, he raised his voice to ask: "How long has Chu Xi Junior Sister been gone?"
Ling Xiangzi felt as if she had caught the tail of a fox. She shouted sternly, "I knew it was you! Speak up, or don't blame me for being rude!" With a wave of her sleeve, a tremendous pressure surged toward them.
Li Hong's legs trembled uncontrollably, and he instinctively wanted to kneel. Gritting his teeth, he stood firm and argued loudly, "It has nothing to do with me. Last time, Junior Sister Chu Xi came to collect Forget-Me-Not Butterflies and dragged me to ask about Golden Lantern Gorge..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a beam of white light shot up from the ground and disappeared in an instant. The pressure suddenly vanished, causing Li Hong to stagger back three steps, feeling so frustrated that he almost wanted to spit blood. A gentle force supported him, swirling three times at his chest before his internal energy stabilized, allowing him to breathe again.
Spirit Stone lowered his hands and adjusted his sleeves, just about to say something when he suddenly fell silent.
The white light flew back.
Ling Xiangzi returned, standing on the White Reed and shouted at Spirit Stone, "Bring your disciple with you! If anything happens to Chu Xi, I will throw him down from the sky immediately!"
Is there any reason in this? Li Hong muttered under his breath as he had no choice but to jump onto Spirit Stone's Flying Sword.
At this moment, the Golden Lantern Flowers had dimmed significantly, lacking the brilliance they had during the day.
The faint golden light outlined the beautiful large plants resembling Golden Lamps, with tiny golden pollen lazily drifting through the flowers. The night in Golden Lantern Gorge appeared even more beautiful than during the day but was a thousand times more dangerous.
In mid-air, Ling Xiangzi stood on the White Reed, frowning as she gazed below. After a while, she turned to Spirit Stone beside her and whispered, "Strange, I can't find Chu Xi; she seems to be absent."
"I often come here to collect Golden Lantern Flowers and know some details. At night, this place strangely isolates Divine Consciousness. It's normal that you can't sense Chu Xi's presence. Let's concentrate and search again," Spirit Stone replied.
Li Hong quietly tugged at Spirit Stone's sleeve from behind: "Master, searching above is useless; we should go in and look."
"Alright then." Spirit Stone gracefully descended with Li Hong.
As soon as they landed, a strange feeling washed over them—unable to distinguish east from west, surrounded by endless Golden Lantern Flowers.
Ling Xiangzi was worried about Chu Xi and took off running.
Spirit Stone pushed Li Hong forward and whispered, "We didn't bring the Soul Stabilizing Pearl today, so we mustn't be careless."
Li Hong nodded in agreement, feeling a warmth in his heart. This "master" seemed to genuinely care about him.
The three of them moved through the thicket of Golden Lantern Flowers. After a short while, Li Hong suddenly had a feeling—they were heading in the wrong direction. He stopped and pointed behind him, saying, "Master Uncle, we took the wrong way; we should go that way."
Ling Xiangzi abruptly turned around and shouted sternly, "How do you know?"
"I stayed here for a night," Li Hong replied calmly as he looked at Ling Xiangzi. Without waiting for her to believe him, he turned around and walked in the correct direction.
A flash of white light appeared as Ling Xiangzi's White Reed blocked their path.
"Junior Sister, wait! Li Hong is practicing the Six Spirit Salty Ritual; let's hear him out," Spirit Stone called out.
Ling Xiangzi frowned slightly, withdrew the White Reed, and exchanged a silent glance with Spirit Stone.
Li Hong didn't notice them at all. He closed his eyes to sense for a moment before starting to jog, gradually picking up speed. The Golden Lantern Flowers brushed past his ears, golden pollen covering him completely.
Screams reached the ears of the three.
Ahead in the thicket of Golden Lantern Flowers, Chu Xi was trembling uncontrollably, covering her ears as piercing screams escaped her lips one after another. Countless shadows swirled around her, thick black mist enveloping her as countless elongated, distorted claws reached out toward her head and body.
Li Hong dashed forward. Before he could reach Chu Xi's side, a White Shadow burst through the black mist with brilliant light. The White Reed expanded to over ten feet long, emitting dazzling white light. The shadowy figures let out eerie screeches as they were shredded by the White Reed and scattered in all directions.
Ling Xiangzi rushed over and embraced Chu Xi, anxiously shouting, "Xier, don't be afraid, Master is here!"
Chu Xi's eyes were tightly closed, her face pale, and even in Ling Xiangzi's arms, she continued to scream.
Ling Xiangzi felt a pang of heartache and without hesitation, picked up Chu Xi and jumped onto White Reed. A streak of white light swiftly shot away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After returning to Nine Vermilion Peaks, Spirit Stone sighed and said, "If we had been even a moment later, it would have been dangerous. This child, Chu Xi, has too strong a competitive spirit."
Li Hong secretly breathed a sigh of relief; as long as they arrived in time, that was what mattered. He had intended to use Summoning Technique earlier but did not expect Ling Xiangzi to take the simplest and most direct approach.
Every time he encountered this unreasonable female Master Uncle, he felt overwhelmed. However, seeing her so anxious about Chu Xi suggested that their relationship was more than just that of a master and disciple. Was there some hidden truth behind it?
Li Hong pondered silently and suddenly recalled the faint fragrance he had sensed when he first met Chu Xi at Azure Oil Temple. It was the scent of the Forget-Me-Not Butterfly flower. But at that time, Chu Xi had not yet joined Nine Li Sect!
The Forget-Me-Not Butterfly could only be cultivated at Nine Vermilion Peaks; if transplanted elsewhere like Nine Li Cave Heaven, it would wither away. It was Spirit Stone's cherished treasure. The extracted essence was subtle and elegant, lingering for a long time. Applying it not only smelled pleasant but was also said to have a calming effect during cultivation. Every female disciple under Ling Xiangzi at Nine Purple Peak loved it and often sent people to pick it; recently, this task had been assigned to Chu Xi.
Chu Xi... Ling Xiangzi... Master Spirit Stone... Could there be some connection between the three of them? Spirit Stone showed no favoritism towards anyone but seemed somewhat fearful of Ling Xiangzi; perhaps "fearful" was too strong a word—maybe it was more about accommodating her.
Li Hong entertained an absurd thought: could it be that Chu Xi was the illegitimate daughter secretly raised by Ling Xiangzi and Spirit Stone at the foot of the mountain? His gaze towards Spirit Stone suddenly became strange.
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