As a decaying piece of wood that had been quietly growing in Qingyang Temple, Bai Yu experienced—for the very first time in his life—the crushing blow of being utterly outclassed by a study god. His whole body went stiff. Even when Yun Jiao dragged him to the table to eat, he still hadn’t recovered.
Sure, it was great that Qingyang had produced a genius, but… damn it, wasn’t this just too much of a blow?!
Five days… it was five days! Not five months, not five years, not even ten years. She had actually spent just five days to comprehend the entire Xuanxin Jue. This couldn’t be called genius anymore—this was the very daughter of the Heavenly Dao itself!
Who knew what kind of speed she would reach once she formally started cultivating? Bai Yu’s eyes drifted enviously toward Yun Jiao, who was nearly finished eating. He couldn’t help asking, “When do you plan to start cultivating?”
Yun Jiao froze, then suddenly thought of something. She set down her bowl. “There’s still one critical question I haven’t fully understood. I wanted to ask if you know the answer.”
“What? What is it?” Bai Yu jumped, instantly full of energy. So she did have something she hadn’t figured out yet. His confidence returned. “What’s the question? Ask, ask! I won’t hold back anything, hahaha!”
“I’ve looked through some of the basic manuals in the sect’s library. Although these texts differ, they all summarize that cultivation methods rely on spiritual energy. Whether it’s talisman crafting, pill refining, or exorcising demons, the key element is always spiritual energy.”
“Yes, exactly!” The old man nodded. “Spiritual energy helps one shed the mortal body, transcend the world—it’s the foundation of cultivation.”
“So, in other words, what you call cultivation methods are essentially manuals on the various reasonable applications of spiritual energy, or perhaps how to control spiritual energy to produce abnormal reactions under different conditions?”
“Uh… yes? I guess?” He didn’t fully understand, but it didn’t sound wrong either.“Then here’s my question!” Yun Jiao sat straighter, her face serious. “What exactly is this so-called spiritual energy? What kind of substance is it? In what form does it exist? Under what conditions is it produced, and by what principle?”
“Huh?”
“From what the manuals say, since it can alter the human body, it proves this substance is diverse and extremely unstable, prone to change. So why is it that when stored in the body, it produces beneficial effects for health and strength, but when released outward, it becomes harmful and destructive as spell attacks? Does this relate to the human body’s structure?”
“…” What are you even talking about?
“I see all the materials saying the first step of cultivation is to absorb heaven and earth’s spiritual energy. But they never specify where to absorb it from. Does that mean this substance is universally present, like air?”
“…”
“If it’s like air, then is it hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen… or some other gas?”
“…”
“My understanding is that it must be an element separate from those. But if it’s everywhere, why do you need a special method to absorb it? Air, after all, is inhaled with every breath. Though people rely mainly on oxygen, other gases inevitably enter the body too. So how does spiritual energy avoid entering when you’re not using a technique?”
“…”
“Or is it that the human body automatically rejects spiritual energy? And cultivation methods are really just ways to disable that rejection mechanism?”
“…”
“That’s the part I can’t figure out. Can you explain it to me?”
Bai Yu: “…” His mind went blank with a thousand questions flashing by: Who am I? Where am I? What did I just hear?
Σ(°△°|||)︴
Yun Jiao quietly waited five minutes, but all she saw was him sitting there with his mouth hanging open, utterly dazed. No answer came. Disappointment flickered in her eyes. With a sigh, she said, “Forget it!” She lifted her gaze toward the tall tower. “I’ll just ask the ancestral master. He should know.”
She stood, grabbed a thick stack of books from the cabinet, and after a moment’s thought, also picked up the untouched bowl of chicken soup. She couldn’t go empty-handed. Then she walked out.
The old man didn’t react at first. When he finally noticed the plate in front of him had only a few scraps of chicken bones left, he jolted awake and rushed out.
“Wait, girl! At least leave me a mouthful of soup! I haven’t had any yet!”
Bai Yu chased all the way to the top of the tower, but he was still a step too late. Yun Jiao had already placed the steaming bowl of chicken soup on the offering table. His stomach loudly protested. He hurriedly grabbed her arm, trying to persuade her. “Girl, what are you doing? People usually offer incense, not chicken soup! What a waste if it gets covered in ash.”
Yun Jiao paused, looking at the bowl on the altar. “This doesn’t work? But the chicken’s already gone.”
The old man kept coaxing, “Cultivation is always about self-comprehension. What others teach you can only go so far. If you really have questions, once you achieve some accomplishments, I can take you to visit a few masters. Let them see what kind of genius Qingyang has produced!” Absolutely not bragging. “Don’t look down on me just because this temple only has me. I still have a few old friends in the Daoist world.”
“Friends who can’t even see fierce ghosts?” Yun Jiao said plainly.
Rip—
Bai Yu felt like a knife stabbed into his chest. Could she not bring that up? Opening the Heavenly Eye makes you so great, huh?!
“I’m telling the truth!” Bai Yu swallowed hard, his eyes lingering on the soup. He just wanted to carry it back. “Besides, meeting the ancestral master once was already a great blessing. He only descended a few days ago. Even if he favors you, he can’t possibly come again, right?”
Descended? Yun Jiao gave him a strange look. She ignored him, knelt down, and called loudly, “Ancestral master, disciple Yun Jiao has something to ask!”
“I told you, the ancestral master won’t—”
“What is it?”
Before he could finish, a white light flashed above the altar. A white figure appeared in the air, his stunning face tinged with confusion as he looked directly at Yun Jiao.
Bai Yu: “…” Damn it! Is the ancestral master some kind of summoned beast?!
Meanwhile, the ancestral master floated straight toward Yun Jiao, not sparing Bai Yu even a glance.
“Ancestral master, I’ve finished reading the Xuanxin Jue,” Yun Jiao said directly.
The ancestral master froze, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes, but quickly nodded with approval. “Mm, not bad.” He really hadn’t misjudged her.
He was just thinking of giving her a few more manuals when Yun Jiao suddenly lifted the thick stack of books in her arms. One by one, she placed them on her knees, explaining seriously as she did.
“Ancestral master, this is my Academic Report. This is my Overview of Cultivation Methods. This is my thesis on The Extensibility of the Xuanxin Jue, and this is the Detailed Analysis of the Xuanxin Jue. I don’t know if my understanding is correct, so I also included some of my questions about spiritual energy, the dantian, the five elements, and other terms. Please, ancestral master, resolve my doubts!”
After finishing her explanation, she picked up the entire stack of books and stuffed them all into his hands in one go.
Ye Yuan, suddenly buried under his disciple’s stack of books: “…”
Bai Yu, completely dumbstruck by the outrageous move: “…”
(End of Chapter)