Chapter 13: As Simple as Breathing
The mention of the sword instantly quieted the great hall.
Finally, the sect leader Xiang Yan was the first to speak up:
“Whether it can gain its recognition, who can say for sure?”
“When her cultivation reaches the First Realm, the truth will be revealed.”
“But regardless, being able to recruit a disciple with the Profound Yin Physique is truly a fortune for our Daoist Sect.”
“Junior Uncle has been away from worldly affairs, traveling down the mountain for so many years, and has finally done something substantial.”
Upon mentioning Junior Uncle, everyone present had a somewhat awkward expression.
The Ninth Elder, Nangong Yue, spoke at this moment, “Since Han Shuangjiang possesses the Profound Yin Physique, what about Chu Huaixu who came up the mountain together with her?”
As soon as this was said, everyone’s gazes unanimously turned to Li Chunsong, their eyes full of curiosity.
This youth, being favored by Junior Uncle along with someone of the Profound Yin Physique, must have extraordinary qualities.
The Fifth Elder, Zhao Shuqi, began to urge, “Sixth Brother, stop being mysterious. We’re not buying it, just tell us quickly!”
Li Chunsong, standing in the center of the hall, hesitated to speak, but in the end, he let out a sigh and gestured, “Him? It’s better not to mention him! Better not to mention him!”
The crowd exchanged glances, looking at each other in bewilderment.
The Great Elder Lu Pan’s brow furrowed, making his forehead wrinkles appear even deeper. He said displeasedly, “Sixth Brother, just say it when asked!”
Among his fellow disciples, except for Junior Sister Chu Yinyin, everyone feared their Eldest Brother Lu Pan. Even the current sect leader, Second Senior Brother Xiang Yan, was actually afraid of him in his heart.
Li Chunsong immediately put on a smile, rubbing his hands together, “Eldest Brother, it’s not that I’m unwilling to tell you, it’s just… I don’t know where to begin!”
“As for now, he is likely a False Spiritual Embryo.” The Sixth Elder spread his hands.
“What do you mean ‘likely’?” Lu Pan continued to frown, his usual seriousness unwilling to accept such an ambiguous answer.
“Because I don’t know why Junior Uncle would send someone with a False Spiritual Embryo up the mountain. Also, you haven’t seen this kid. Let me tell you, this kid is very handsome, and tall too.” Li Chunsong narrowed his eyes, as if speaking of something of utmost importance.
“What!?” The Daoist Sect leaders present were truly startled.
The reason was simple: they all knew their Junior Uncle too well.
Junior Uncle had many small quirks.
One of them was his jealousy!
He wasn’t tall and had an ordinary appearance, yet he considered himself dashing.
He disliked men who were too handsome, especially those who were tall and handsome.
Why was Sect Leader Xiang Yan so highly regarded by Junior Uncle back then?
They had speculated privately that Second Senior Brother’s ugliness and baldness must have been contributing factors.
Under these circumstances, for Chu Huaixu, a mere False Spiritual Embryo, to be chosen by Junior Uncle, he must possess something astonishing!
For this reason alone, their curiosity and attention towards Chu Huaixu had subtly surpassed that of Han Shuangjiang, the Profound Yin Physique!
Sect Leader Xiang Yan asked with concern, “Have you completed all his registration procedures, and chosen a cultivation technique for the Meridian-Opening Stage?”
Nangong Yue added from the side, “For the Profound Yin Physique… I recall the most suitable one being the Art of Icy Purity, right?”
Li Chunsong waved his hand, appearing somewhat helpless, “Do I not know to choose the Art of Icy Purity? For such a small matter, I will certainly handle it properly, you can all rest assured.”
“It’s just this Chu Huaixu, I don’t think you guys can recommend anything for him either, right?” He raised an eyebrow.
Upon hearing this, everyone could not refute.
A False Spiritual Embryo, it hardly mattered what they chose.
Even if Junior Uncle himself came, he wouldn’t know where to start.
Too difficult, this problem is too difficult!
“Ahem, it’s just the Meridian-Opening Stage, nothing irreversible. Once he formally enters the path of cultivation and attempts to break through to the First Realm, we will discuss it properly and select a new cultivation technique for him,” Xiang Yan declared, making the final decision.
With his words, everyone nodded in agreement.
Seeing that sufficient groundwork had been laid, Li Chunsong began rubbing his hands together again in the center of the hall.
“I suspect they are already cultivating in their rooms now.”
“Since everyone seems to be in a good mood today, how about we have a small wager for fun?” He rubbed his hands even more vigorously.
Lu Pan, as the Enforcement Elder, immediately snorted, “Sixth Elder, there are laws for the nation and rules for the sect. Our Daoist Sect has always discouraged such behavior. According to sect rule seventeen, privately setting up a gambling den incurs a fine of one hundred silver taels, and all participants are fined fifty.”
“Do not break the rules!”
Sixth Elder Li Chunsong immediately smiled and said, “I understand, I understand.”
With that, he took out one hundred taels of silver notes from his Storage Token and walked to Lu Pan, presenting them with both hands.
The Enforcement Elder stared at him sternly, then scanned everyone present in the hall.
One silver note after another was taken out from Storage Tokens, then carried by Spiritual Power and floated onto his table.
Now it was their turn to stare at him.
Lu Pan’s expression remained solemn, as unmovable as a mountain.
Finally, it was Ninth Elder Nangong Yue who gave him an out, “Oh, Eldest Brother, don’t be such a spoilsport. It’s rare for everyone to be in such high spirits today, let’s all participate.”
The Enforcement Elder with very deep forehead wrinkles, wearing a grim expression, let out another snort, took out his silver notes, and placed them on the table with a ‘snap—!’. “This is the last time!”
In the great hall of the Daoist Sect, Li Chunsong began to propose, “Let’s wager on how long it will take them to open their first acupoint, how about it?”
Zhao Shuqi waved his hand, “What’s the point of betting on that? Han Shuangjiang has the Profound Yin Physique, she only needs to circulate the Art of Icy Purity within her body for one week, and she will successfully break through to open her acupoint.”
“Yes, with her physique, it’s equivalent to all nine acupoints being naturally open. Currently, there are just some impurities accumulated in her body. Her acupoints are practically nonexistent,” Nangong Yue added.
“Betting on her is naturally not interesting.” Li Chunsong began rubbing his hands again, his face even flushing slightly, “If we’re betting, let’s bet on the False Spiritual Embryo!”
As soon as this was said, everyone exchanged glances.
Hiss—! If it’s a False Spiritual Embryo, then it’s really unpredictable.
“Then how do you intend to bet?” Zhao Shuqi asked.
“Within three days?” Li Chunsong proposed.
“Alright, I bet he breaks through the first acupoint within three days!” Xiang Yan spoke first.
“I also bet within three days.”
“Count me in.”
“Within three days, it should be enough.” Even Lu Pan said so.
Now, Li Chunsong was getting anxious.
I want to bet on within three days too!
“No! He’s a False Spiritual Embryo. It’ll be good if he can break through the first acupoint within ten days, and that still requires Body Refining. Why are you all betting on within three days?” He was getting anxious, he was getting anxious.
“Because he was chosen by Junior Uncle,” Nangong Yue replied as a matter of course.
“Precisely, precisely!” Zhao Shuqi chimed in.
Seeing Li Chunsong speechless, they asked with a smile, “You don’t mean you want to bet on within three days too?”
“Why not?” Li Chunsong was truly speechless.
Xiang Yan, with his bald and ugly head, suddenly asked, “Sixth Brother, how long did it take you to break through your first acupoint back then?”
Li Chunsong raised his chin, “Although I don’t have a top-tier spiritual embryo like the Profound Yin Physique, I was considered someone with all nine acupoints naturally open. Naturally, I only needed to circulate my energy once.”
“Then why don’t you have more confidence in Chu Huaixu?” Xiang Yan asked in his extremely unpleasant voice.
Hearing this, Li Chunsong’s gambling nature began to flare up.
—No child cries all the time!
I refuse to believe that every time I go for wealth through risk, it’s so hard to achieve!
“May Junior Uncle protect me!” he chanted in his heart.
This fellow, known by players as the King of Charitable Gamblers, had his face turn even redder, “I bet he can open his acupoint with just one circulation of energy!”
Everyone chuckled in unison, betting the opposite.
As mentioned before, the Meridian-Opening Stage is also known as the Meridian-Opening and Body Refining Stage.
Why was it said that Xue Hu, who was instantly killed by Chu Huaixu with a single sword strike, only had Body Refining as his only path to survival as a False Spiritual Embryo?
It was because people with a False Spiritual Embryo, even if they spent money to buy a Meridian-Opening Pill and consumed it, still needed to continuously refine their bodies with external force.
Those with a Spiritual Embryo would absorb the medicinal effects and transmit them to their limbs and bones.
Without Body Refining, their bodies could strengthen through consuming medicine alone.
False Spiritual Embryos couldn’t transmit the medicinal effects of the Meridian-Opening Pill throughout their bodies, so they needed to rely on Body Refining methods for external stimulation.
This process was very painful and tormenting.
Many people couldn’t even persist in exercising their bodies daily, let alone the excruciating pain of Body Refining.
What was even more despairing was that many False Spiritual Embryos, after spending a fortune to buy Meridian-Opening Pills and persisting in daily Body Refining, could ultimately only open two or three acupoints.
After all this effort, they were only slightly stronger than an ordinary person in terms of strength and physical fitness.
Only by entering the First Realm would one be considered a true Cultivator! There would be a world of difference compared to mortals!
Xiang Yan, as an Eighth Realm expert, had secretly scanned Medicine Mountain with his Divine Sense. He had already detected that Chu Huaixu’s nine acupoints were all completely sealed, utterly blocked.
Circulating energy for one week would take about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
With such thorough blockage, how could it possibly be opened?
The wager officially began.
The great cultivators in the hall each dispersed their Divine Sense to perceive the current situation of Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang.
“Eh, this little girl has already succeeded in opening her acupoint!” Nangong Yue smiled, “It seems she couldn’t wait to start cultivating.”
On the other hand, Chu Huaixu had just finished reading the small booklet. He unhurriedly spread out the jade slip, preparing to cultivate the Sword Refining Art.
The hall fell silent. Everyone closed their eyes, patiently perceiving with their Divine Sense.
However, not long after, everyone’s eyes snapped open, their faces filled with incredulity.
Because Chu Huaixu’s first acupoint had actually been opened.
And it only took three breaths of time.
