Su Yu sat beside the metal desk, a thin booklet spread open before her. The booklet had no title, and what it contained was not some profound Dao method or Demonic Art, but rather the most basic techniques of breathing and energy regulation, the circulation of spiritual power, and even a few simple Meridian Diagrams of the Human Body, marked with the pathways of spiritual power flow.
This was left by You Li before she departed in the morning, again without explanation, simply placed on the desk.
Su Yu’s fingers brushed over the slightly rough texture of the beast-hide booklet, trembling faintly at the tips. Spiritual power… this term felt as distant to her as a memory from a past life. Ever since being implanted with “Love’s Entanglement,” her Dao Foundation suppressed and her spiritual power sealed, she had been completely cut off from that world where one could ride the wind on swords and wield mystic arts.
What did You Li intend? To have her cultivate anew? To restore her spiritual power? It was absurd. She was a prisoner, a plaything, a thoroughly controlled “possession.” Restoring spiritual power meant strength, meant the possibility of resistance—how could You Li permit that?
Unless… this was yet another trap. One that appeared to offer hope while in truth pushing her deeper into the abyss. For instance, letting her experience the wonder of spiritual power once more, only to snatch it away with her own hands? Or, tampering during her cultivation, causing her spiritual power to further merge with the Gu poison and the Blood Mark Pact, completely plunging her into the demonic path?
Su Yu stared at those simple diagrams and words, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. Desire and fear waged a fierce battle within her. Desire to touch that long-lost power, even if only the faintest trace; fear that this was another meticulously designed trap by You Li, one that would lead to eternal damnation the moment she stepped into it.
She sat motionless for a long time, until the dim crimson light seemed to fade slightly, before finally, with extreme slowness, she turned to the first page.
It described the most basic meditation and breathing. It required clearing the mind of distractions, focusing the intent on the dantian, sensing the free-flowing “qi” between heaven and earth, guiding it into the body, and gently nourishing the meridians.
Clearing the mind of distractions… Su Yu smiled bitterly. Her thoughts were now a tangled mess—fear, humiliation, confusion, memories of the past, numbness toward the present… How could she clear them?
Focusing the intent on the dantian… Within her dantian lurked the “Love’s Entanglement” Gu poison, the latent imprint of the Blood Mark Pact, and that faint, almost extinguished glimmer of Profound Jade True Essence. How could she focus her intent there?
Yet she tried anyway. Closing her eyes, she adjusted her breathing as described in the booklet, attempting to settle her chaotic thoughts. It was difficult. Countless images flashed through her mind—the morning bells and evening drums of Xuan Yu Zong, Qing Li’s innocent smile, You Li’s blood-red eyes, the gloom of the dungeon, the coldness of Xue E Gong, the unfinished chess game from last night…
She forced herself to concentrate on her breathing, inhaling and exhaling, slow and steady. Gradually, those noisy images began to blur and fade, leaving only the sound of her breath and the subtle sensations within her body.
Then, she tried to sink her consciousness into her dantian.
The expected obstruction and pain came immediately. The Gu poison, like a disturbed venomous snake, began to stir at once, bringing the familiar burning sensation. Though the Blood Mark Pact did not manifest, it transmitted a faint, throbbing sensation. Only that faint glimmer flickered weakly at the touch of her consciousness, like a candle flame in the wind.
Su Yu did not force an impact. Instead, following the booklet’s subtle hint—”If encountering obstruction, do not force it. Follow its flow and proceed gradually.”
She made no attempt to resist or disperse the Gu poison’s scorching heat. Instead, she carefully guided her own pitifully weak consciousness, like the finest thread of silk, skirting around the core area where the Gu poison was entrenched, moving with extreme slowness along the edges of her meridians.
The process was arduous and painful. Each movement of her consciousness felt like walking on the edge of a blade; the slightest misstep could disturb the Gu poison or the Blood Mark Pact, triggering even more violent backlash. Cold sweat soon soaked her temples and back, causing her thin garments to cling to her skin.
She had no idea how much time had passed. Just as her spirit was nearly exhausted, that thread of consciousness finally captured a trace of… cool, flowing energy at the end of an extremely fine branch within her meridians.
It was not the Profound Jade True Essence she was familiar with, nor the scorching heat of the Gu poison, nor the chilling cold of the Blood Mark Pact. Instead, it was a balanced and harmonious “qi,” as if it were the most primal energy of heaven and earth.
Only a trace, as faint as the first glimmer of dawn before daybreak.
Yet, at that moment, Su Yu’s heart began to pound violently. She had actually managed to sense the presence of spiritual power once again within this body, which had been sealed layer upon layer! Though it was so weak it could almost be ignored, and though it was fraught with uncertainty and risk, it truly existed!
She dared not make any significant movements, only cautiously maintaining that thread of consciousness, allowing that faint stream of qi to slowly flow along the branch toward her dantian. She avoided letting it come into contact with the Gu poison and the Blood Mark Pact, allowing it to flow like a gentle, silent stream, nourishing the parched and cracked land of her meridians.
When that stream of qi finally reached the edge of her dantian and resonated faintly with the glimmer of light there, Su Yu trembled all over, her eyes snapping open as she gasped for breath. Her face was pale, but her eyes shone with startling intensity, swirling with a complex mix of emotions—shock, elation, fear, confusion…
Had she succeeded? Had she truly… managed to channel a trace of spiritual power again? Though it was so weak it could hardly be utilized, it had indeed completed a minor celestial cycle within her body!
Just then, familiar footsteps sounded outside the door.
Su Yu’s heart nearly leaped out of her throat! She had no time to conceal anything and could only rely on instinct, forcibly cutting off the guidance of her consciousness and attempting to disperse the faint stream of qi she had just drawn into her body.
But the newly born spiritual power was like a slippery fish or a sudden downpour on parched earth, eagerly seeking to merge with her depleted meridians. It was beyond her control, and her forced interruption only caused it to stir restlessly, provoking warning tremors from both the Gu poison entrenched in her dantian and the latent Blood Mark Pact!
“Pfft—”
A sweet taste rose in her throat as she forcibly spat out a small mouthful of stagnant blood. Her face instantly turned as pale as paper, and her body swayed, nearly toppling from the chair.