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Fourteen days. It wasn't a long time, not in the grand scheme of an immortal's path, but it was enough. Enough for Qin Yi to lay the first, solid plank of his new foundation: the initial stage of Immortal Cultivation.
He was now a Dao Practitioner. The title meant little in terms of power, but everything in terms of intent. It signified a person who had truly stepped onto the path, possessing a fundamental grasp of cultivation and the Way that governed it.
For anyone else, even those born with great natural talent, this would have taken half a year, perhaps a full year, of rigorous study and meditation. They would need to pore over Daoist scriptures, awaken the 'light of wisdom' within their minds, and slowly perceive the complex nature of the world. It was a painstaking and often agonizingly slow process.
But Qin Yi's unique perspective, the Talent Endowment he possessed, made him an anomaly. In a mere two weeks, he had comprehended what others spent months or years striving for.
With the foundation set, he moved to the next step: Qi Absorption, preparing to bridge the gap to the next realm.
Qi Refining is the act of connecting oneself to nature, forming a living bridge between the microcosm of man and the macrocosm of the heavens. The process itself is not inherently difficult, yet it demands unwavering focus.
The essence of it is to strengthen the spirit and deepen the understanding of the surrounding world. The spirit, once robust, commands the Qi, linking the inner vitality and essence to the boundless energy outside, allowing one's power to condense, grow, and strengthen with steady persistence.
Within the flower garden, the air began to thicken, not with humidity, but with an invisible current of Spiritual Qi. It swirled around Qin Yi's seated form, spiraling into a gentle vortex that swept against his skin, seeping through his pores, along his newly opened meridians, and finally settling into his dantian.
He exhaled slowly, the tension leaving his shoulders as he felt a sense of profound fullness in his body, a feeling of lack he hadn't even realized he possessed until that very moment.
"So this... is True Qi," he mused, the pure, distilled essence of all life.
The energy gathered in his center, circulating along the guided routes, the minor and major circulations, he was meticulously mapping out. As more Spiritual Qi condensed, it grew denser. What had been a formless, invisible element began to coalesce into a faint, soft mist that shimmered with an almost liquid light.
With his mind's eye, Qin Yi peered inward, able to see the entire intricate process with breathtaking clarity. This was the proper sequence: without first reaching the initial Dao Practitioner stage, this inner perception was impossible, and thus, the vital step of Qi Absorption and mapping the meridians could not even begin.
Unlike the worlds of Naruto or One Piece, where raw, explosive power could be gained in short bursts, the Path of Immortal Cultivation demanded a bedrock of stability. Without a firm foundation, the road ahead was fraught with the danger of heart demons, inner corruption, and inevitable ruin.
He sat cross-legged, unmoving amidst the vibrant flowers, his focus absolute. Flashes of insight sparked in his mind, linking the Daoist scriptures he'd read to the fragmented notes he'd acquired from the Manual of Qinghui.
The whirlpool of Spiritual Qi around him tightened, intensifying as it flooded into his body in powerful, steady waves.
In the blink of an eye, three full days of uninterrupted cultivation passed.
Inside, his True Essence continued its steady growth in volume. His Qi Refining practice was now fully engaged and running smoothly.
He began the subtle work of comparison. The difference between Chakra and this True Essence was profound. Chakra, though versatile and capable of creating astonishing techniques, paled in comparison to the purity of the Essence he now drew directly from nature.
Chakra was a force extracted from within the limited human body; True Essence was drawn from the vastness of the world. The gap between the smallness of man and the immensity of the natural order was indeed enough to drive one to despair.
He didn't hesitate. He began the slow, delicate process of dismantling his remaining Chakra, converting the internal energy into the purer True Essence.
The boundless energy of the Ten-Tails (Jūbi), he thought with a wry internal smile, if converted into True Essence within this kind of world, would likely amount to nothing extraordinary.
The very energetic essence of each world, he realized, differed unimaginably.
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
Soon, all of his Chakra was gone, fully transformed. Though the sheer volume of energy in his dantian was now less than a third of what it had been, he had not weakened.
In fact, due to his deepened understanding of the Immortal Path and the subsequent improvement in his fundamental realm, he had only grown stronger.
Closing his eyes once more, he recommenced his cultivation. The final conversion of the foreign Chakra had an expected effect: his Qi Refining realm surged upward.
By the fifth day, a powerful, subtle wave pulsed outward from his body. The Spiritual Qi whirlwind surrounding him expanded dramatically, he had stepped cleanly into the Second Realm: Seeking the Dao.
That was merely his cultivation realm. Factoring in his hard-won combat experience from other lives, Qin Yi estimated his true fighting power could already rival those in the Sixth Realm: Contacting the Dao.
In the worlds of Naruto and One Piece, power often came with breathtaking speed, but that power possessed a clear, almost inherent flaw. The growth was explosive, unstable; the mind was often brittle, the lifespan relatively short, and the very essence of their being was still that of an ordinary mortal, with comparatively low overall energy levels. Still, their instantaneous combat strength was undeniable.
However, having just arrived in this more rigorous world, Qin Yi's primary task was the proper, stable conversion of all his power.
Fortunately, he had time. His observations confirmed that this period was set approximately thirty-seven years before the main story of The Legend of Sword and Fairy 1.
Thirty-seven years later, the true plot begins. I have more than enough time to solidify this path, he acknowledged.
His knowledge of the world was a great advantage. He knew that the events of the Third Side Story, the Love Inquiry Arc, were about to unfold. That explained the palpable tension currently gripping Mount Shu and the deep, furrowed worry on the brow of the Sect Lord, Xu Zhangqing.
Immortal Cultivation was a marathon, a long, steady commitment. Qin Yi felt no need to rush, understanding perfectly that if he could establish an absolutely firm foundation in this world, the ultimate benefits would eclipse anything he could reap from conquering weaker realms.
There's no need to concern myself with outside matters. All I must do... is increase my own strength.
With that single thought, Qin Yi resumed his cultivation.
With each successful breakthrough, new abilities unlocked: the capacity to cultivate new Qi Refining methods, and to begin learning specialized techniques like Sword Control and Talisman Inscription.
His talent was extraordinary, and his plan was clean and efficient: first, raise his fundamental realm and Qi cultivation, then focus on perfecting the techniques these new realms would allow.
Ten days slipped by.
On that final day, a solemn, recognizable figure appeared on the path leading to his garden.
As the man stepped into the clearing and saw Qin Yi seated, completely enmeshed in a powerful swirl of Spiritual Qi, his body gave a faint, involuntary tremor.
"The Third Realm, Asking the Dao," he murmured, recognizing the level of cultivation in a single, astonished glance.
"So fast!"
He distinctly remembered that barely a month ago, this same man, his Junior Brother, had possessed no cultivation at all, spending his days in the simple, mundane tending of flowers and medicinal herbs.
The man had only come today out of a quiet curiosity, remembering Qin Yi's casual comment that he intended to begin cultivation. What he witnessed, however, went far beyond simple astonishment.
After a long silence, a genuine, warm smile spread across the man's face.
"The path of cultivation, though filled with hardship, also speaks of a strength born from long, patient accumulation," he said softly, almost to himself.
"Junior Brother Chang Yi, after so many years devoted to the Way of Nature and the tending of life, it seems your realm was indeed long ready to rise."
"With this, Mount Shu shall soon gain another powerful Elder."
"I can rest easy."
He sighed, his expression one of profound, relieved warmth.
He refused to break the spell of cultivation, instead watching quietly for a long moment. Only when he was utterly certain that Qin Yi's process was steady and flawless did he turn and depart in silence.
Leaving the flower garden, the Sect Lord, Xu Zhangqing, followed the winding mountain path toward the residence of Elder Chang Ji.
"Chang Ji."
"Sect Lord!" Elder Chang Ji was startled from his own meditation and immediately rose to bow.
"There's something I must trouble you with," Xu Zhangqing said, smiling faintly but with a serious undertone.
"Is it about Huang'er?" Chang Ji's eyes flickered; he had been anticipating this. His adopted son, Nangong Huang, had already mentioned that the Sect Lord had a specific mission in mind and intended to instruct him personally.
"So you already know," Xu Zhangqing replied, his expression turning grave. "Then I'll speak plainly. This matter concerns the very safety of Mount Shu. But it must be carried out by someone not officially bound to our Sect."
"Huang'er... is the most suitable candidate."
At that, Chang Ji's expression stiffened; his eyes grew solemn. The two men spoke in detail within the quiet chamber for a long time before Xu Zhangqing finally took his leave.
At that very same moment, back in Qin Yi's hidden garden, another mysterious figure quietly appeared, watching the cultivating man with a chilling, calculating stillness.
(End of Chapter)