Chapter Thirteen: Ascetic Practices

  To draw Chinese characters well, you need to master three key points.

  First, the power of the wrist.

  Every stroke of a spirit symbol has its own rules for representing power. If there is even the slightest mistake, the spirit symbol cannot be used, so a strong and healthy wrist strength is crucial.

  Jiang Le is fond of brush calligraphy and has practiced diligently, with a strong wrist force that is beyond compare.

  Secondly, being calm and composed is another strong point of Jiang Le. He had a hard time learning since he was young and would often forget things after just one day. If he couldn't work several times harder by calming his mind and focusing, he would have dropped out of middle school.

  Thirdly, the rule of law. This is something Jiang Le cannot satisfy for the time being.

  But if you can't even walk properly, how can you run?

  His current task is to first master the technique of drawing talismans, and then he can introduce his magical powers to complete all the steps of a spiritual talisman.

  As expected, drawing symbols was a breeze for Jiang Le, and after mastering it easily, Mao Xiaofang assigned him the task of producing 1,000 talismans every day.

  This looks much easier than practicing the Tianxia Step, but when Jiang Le drew a thousand of them, he felt that his arms were no longer his own, and his fingers trembled as if they had epilepsy.

  Today is really being tossed around enough. This cultivation, indeed arduous.

  "Master! I've finished drawing a thousand times, what's next?"

  Jiang Le gave Mao Xiaofang a somewhat arrogant look.

  He was underestimated by others since he was a child, but time and again he broke people's stereotypes, doing no worse than any normal kid. He has every reason to be proud of himself.

  "Hmm, done? Here, this is the Canyuan Pill I refined for you. Take one and start cultivating the Daojie." Ma Xiaofang responded calmly, then handed over a bottle of pills, continuing to urge Jiang Le to cultivate.

  A whiff of fragrance entered my nostrils, and suddenly I felt invigorated, my body feeling a wave of comfort, as if my fatigue had been alleviated.

  Jiang Le's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise: "What a fragrant elixir! It was successfully refined so quickly. Master is indeed extraordinary. There must be several hundred pills in this bottle."

  Mao Xiaofang smiled and said, "You think it's beautiful, you bought the medicine material with old ginseng, a total of 35 pills were refined. From today on, every time you practice, use one pill until your body's energy gathers like the sea and can be controlled at will."

  Jiang Le was taken aback, his face twisted in pain as he said: "Only thirty-five pills? Are you kidding me? If I practice twice a day, they'll be gone in half a month. These medicinal materials are worth over a million, how can there be so few?"

  "Medicines are the essence of medicinal materials, and can be refined into thirty-five grains. It's because my refining technique is more mature for this type of medicine that I can refine so many. If someone else were to refine it, they might not even be able to guarantee thirty grains, so you should just be content with what you have."

  Jiang Le's face was tangled as he took over the dan medicine and poured out one pill.

  This Zhēn Yuán Dān is only about the size of a soybean, it's purple-black in color, shiny and glossy, emitting a clear fragrance of medicinal herbs.

  Such a small thing is worth a thousand pieces of gold, truly don't judge by appearance.

  "Alright, having something is better than nothing. As long as I can cultivate magical powers, I'll accept it." Jiang Le sighed.

  "Cut the nonsense, it's getting late, hurry up and cultivate. With the Zhan Yuan Dan, you must master your magical powers within three days, otherwise you're just a waste of resources." Mao Xiao Fang scolded.

  Ginger is speechless, don't be so hard on your apprentice! Don't you know that kids need praise to have motivation?

  However, Jiang Le did not refute it and obediently sat down in a lotus position, opening his mouth to swallow a Yuan Dan.

  The medicine dissolves as soon as it enters the mouth, goes down smoothly, and transforms into a warm current that spreads in all directions. It continuously penetrates into the five internal organs, tendons, and bone marrow.

  In an instant, a numb and tingling sensation spread through his body, as if many ants were crawling inside him.

  Feeling the changes in his body, Jiang Le was overjoyed. Having a magic pill really made a difference, its effect was amazing.

  He hastily made a silent vow and began his cultivation.

  Slowly, Jiang Le's consciousness once again entered that state of cultivation which was neither sleep nor wakefulness.

  Mao Xiaofang saw Jiang Le entering a state, and instantly the seriousness on his face disappeared, replaced by a burst of admiration and praise.

  This kid is so talented and hardworking, his future achievements will definitely surpass himself.

  If this world can still leave a thread of life for cultivators.

  Mao Xiaofang's eyes looked complexly at the bright moon outside the window, and then transformed into a red light entering the Pure Yang Bagua.

  At this time, Jiang Le was completely unaware of the outside world. His mind was immersed in the Dan Palace, constantly trying to communicate with those strands of spiritual energy.

  As the effect of Canyuan Dan began to show, Jiang Le discovered that his connection with Jingqi had strengthened a lot. This time, he only slightly stirred it up, and the Jingqi, which was previously like an elder, obediently followed his command.

  Jiang Le was overjoyed and hastily tried to control the second strand of essence, which was also successfully controlled. He then quickly moved on to the next one.

  He had been controlling over thirty strands of spiritual energy in a row, and only then did Jiang Le feel that manipulating them was somewhat laborious.

  He gave up on trying to entice new spiritual energy, and instead focused his mind on constantly soothing the spiritual energy that he could control, allowing himself to grasp them more strongly.

  Kusui, on the second day of waking up, Jiang Le only felt a refreshing and invigorating sensation, as if there was an inexhaustible power within his body.

  Especially in the Dan Tian, the controlled part of the essence can be felt even if it is not cultivated, just like a ball of hot air in the lower abdomen, very strange.

  "I'm really not hungry anymore! The elixir is truly amazing. And I can also grasp a part of the vital energy now, as long as I continue to work hard, in no more than three days, I'll be able to control all the vital energy within my body, condense and cultivate my magical powers, humph, absolutely won't let you this old ghost look down on me."

  "Huh? My memory? This is the Condensed Way of Dao, I actually remember it clearly, not a single word forgotten!! Haha, looks like my brain injury is almost healed. After 13 years, damn it, I'm finally going to become a normal person."

  Jiang Le was delighted with his own progress in refining his Qi, but when he thought about it a bit more, he surprisingly found that the Cong Fa Dao Jue that Mao Xiao Fang had passed on to him hadn't been forgotten at all, and even the other cultivation knowledge he had taught yesterday was still clearly imprinted in his mind, which made Jiang Le even happier.

  Cultivation is indeed Ge's only way out of his predicament.

  After a simple breakfast, Jiang Le returned to the courtyard and began practicing his Tianxia Steps.

  Although he didn't like these silly eight moves and even thought they were childish, not matching its domineering name at all. But since it was taught by his master, he had to take it seriously.

  After walking through the Heavenly Footwork a hundred times, Jiang Le surprisingly felt that he still had some energy left. After thinking for a moment, Jiang Le gritted his teeth and continued to practice the Heavenly Footwork.

  His previous painful learning experience told him that slow birds should fly first, so they can lead others.

  The master said that his talent is still okay, which made Jiang Le a bit insecure. The meaning of "still okay" could be either not bad or just barely satisfactory.

  Well, in that case, I'll just have to work hard to make up for it.

  After another hundred rounds of walking in the heavenly steps, Jiang Le was drenched in sweat, emitting steamy heat, his limbs aching and he could barely walk steadily.

  Quickly washing up, Jiang Le began to mourn for Old Jin and tidy up some miscellaneous items in the antique shop.

  In the afternoon, Jiang Le started practicing the water-gathering symbol, and just like the Heavenly Gate Step, Jiang Le didn't stop at a thousand repetitions, but instead drew 1,200 of them before his arm finally felt tired and stopped.

  Then he didn't think much and swallowed a Xuan Yuan Dan, entering a state of cultivation.

  Seeking collection and promotion.