Chapter 1 Brother and Sister

  Rushing out of the low shrubs, Lu Chen didn't stop at all. Who knows if the fairy behind him would suddenly come to her senses and shout for someone to kill him.

  Qigong has seven layers, it's not something you can resist on your own.

  A small stabilizing symbol, with infinite uses, taking the initiative at a moment's notice and the opponent's mistake, can make oneself escape from danger, it is already a blessing from heaven. Lu Chen would not think that he could still pin his opponent by the creek next time.

  The plan for a bath was scrapped, and the stench of sweat all over his body was only temporarily masked by the cold water vapor.

  "Ah, I'll make sure to clean myself up properly when I get back." Lu Chen thought helplessly, quickening his pace.

  Through the forest, climbing the winding mountain path, leaping over the rugged and majestic mountains, directly to the foot of the mountain, and then walking along a narrow and long river, finally arrived at the foot of the towering peak. Here, you can already see the disciples coming and going, some may be going to Dan Tang to learn alchemy, others may be preparing to collect medicine... The vast majority of people have their own things to do, only oneself, except for cultivation is still cultivation.

  My body is still wet and hasn't dried yet, and the glances cast around me have increased by a few degrees of doubt. However, it's okay, the contempt and disdain from a few months ago, even the murmurs that would start just by seeing myself, have decreased a lot, and that disdain has turned into envy, uh, and also suspicion.

  Lu Chen knew that his performance of heavily stepping on Chen Hu in the Yu Ning Temple square had achieved its effect, and now the title of waste could basically be removed. As for the title of madman, it was still hanging on his head. Because every day when he cultivated to the extreme, the fatigue and burden all over his body would make him burst out a loud roar at the cliff of Pianfeng, which was also the moment when the people in the sect were sleeping soundly.

  Back in the small bamboo house, he entered the hut and casually took off his Taoist robe that had been splashed with creek water and threw it into the wooden basin. He wiped his body from head to toe clean. When taking out another Taoist robe to change into, Lu Chen deliberately counted the things in his Qiankun bag again. Then he secretly scolded himself.

  "What bad luck! I wasted a Restriction Token. Sigh..." With a heartfelt sigh, Lu Chen sat down cross-legged.

  The secret to clearing the mind is still in cultivation, this skill of exhaling and inhaling is the foundation of all Taoist techniques, also known as the foundation of Tao. Through the absorption of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it can make the true yuan in the dantian increase infinitely, and the realm comes from this.

  When it comes to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it is naturally mixed, with both good and bad, and cannot be absorbed together. It's far from being as convenient and safe as the pure spiritual energy in a spirit stone. However, spirit stones are rare, even the lowest grade of inferior quality ones require looking at Dust's face, and taking out dozens more than ordinary entry-level disciples. Once used, it's gone.

  Fifty pieces in total, which should be enough to promote Lu Chen to the fifth layer of Qi Refining according to common sense, but actually not.

  His hands first converged, mobilizing the true yuan to circulate within his body. A warm current-like true energy stirred, like a small snake crawling along the meridians, causing a ticklish yet comfortable sensation. Lu Chen had not yet reached the realm of inner vision, but he could feel it, forming a microscopic image in his mind, allowing him to ponder and gain some insight.

  No matter whether it's the spiritual energy of heaven and earth or the spiritual energy in the spiritual stone, every time Lu Chen operates the Clear Mind Secret, he always feels a strange sensation. This feeling is hard to describe in words, as if those spiritual energies haven't been refined by the Clear Mind Secret and entered the elixir field, they need to be extremely condensed before being absorbed by the elixir field.

  At first, this feeling was not obvious, but as Lu Chen's proficiency in the Clear Mind Secret improved, his absorption of the essence of heaven and earth spiritual energy accelerated, and this phenomenon became more apparent, especially when his body was most tired and his dantian was almost depleted.

  The spiritual energy transforms into true yuan, and with the improvement of strength, it gradually transforms into magical power. This process is simple to say, but in reality, it is very complicated. The condensation of spiritual energy is to compress its purity to the extreme. In this way, every time you use a Taoist technique or martial art, its power will become much greater, and from this aspect, we can see the importance of Xuan Gong Miao Fa.

  The more exquisite the Xuan Gong Miao Fa is, the more obvious this situation becomes. From this, Lu Chen dares to conclude that the Qing Xin Jue passed down by Leng Chen is far beyond the Xuan Gong recorded in the Tao Te Ching.

  The profound and mysterious techniques revered in the Xianling Continent are collectively known as the Mysterious Techniques of Cultivation. Although there is no clear distinction between levels, the higher one cultivates, the more they require advanced Mysterious Techniques to increase their strength; otherwise, their progress will stagnate, not to mention possibly regressing.

  The source of the accumulated spiritual energy comes from the mysterious and wonderful method of inhaling and exhaling, from the pure spiritual energy in the Ling Stone, and also from demonic beasts, elixirs, spirit fruits and other heavenly treasures. In general, there are many aspects that can be improved. Of course, similar to heavenly treasures and Ling Stones, they are hard to come by, so mainly it still relies on absorbing and taking in the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

  From these aspects, the Qing Xin Jue that Liede passed on should be based on condensing the spiritual energy to its maximum intensity and accumulating it to a certain amount before it can be upgraded. That's right, this method can greatly increase one's strength, far surpassing fellow cultivators of the same realm. However, its drawbacks have also emerged.

  "It requires a huge, enormous amount of spiritual energy to do so. No wonder fifty low-grade spirit stones couldn't raise me to the fifth layer of Qi Refining, it must be because of this reason." Lu Chen muttered to himself while meditating and practicing his Qi: "In that case, during my previous four layers of cultivation, the amount of spiritual energy accumulated in my meridians wasn't a small number, otherwise reaching the sixth layer of Qi Refining now wouldn't be a problem either."

  A small storm, although it wasted a fixed body symbol for Lu Chen, but under the confrontation with Mu Rong Yu Xi of Qi Refining Seventh Layer, he gained some insights, and it can be said that there were gains and losses.

  "Whatever, it's just a talisman. I'll just ask my senior brother for some more talisman paper and cinnabar later." He let out a soft sigh, putting aside his previous frustration, and once again became immersed in the pleasure of cultivation.

  The following days passed relatively comfortably, originally in Qianyu Gate he was already an outcast, without complicated work to burden him, all his time was spent on cultivation. The usual running, body techniques, finger techniques training, Dao techniques refinement, and even drawing talismans when there's nothing else to do.

  The disciples inside the gate looked at him with a slightly different gaze, no longer as contemptuous as before. Of course, this change was very small, after all, it was just a single earth spirit root, and in everyone's eyes, Lu Chen's future was still not promising.

  In his free time, he would go for a walk in the mountains and play with water to relax. Chen Hu had been seeing him sneaking away recently, probably because he was scared of being stepped on a few days ago. Every time he saw himself, he would touch that shiny face and then run away quickly to who-knows-where.

  Occasionally, I would see Wang He, this kid had a sour face all day long, with an expression that was as if he had just sucked on a lemon. When he saw me, he would even give me a malicious glare. No need to ask, it must be because of Xiao Yatou's reason, having an extraordinary hatred towards me.

  No need to bother with such people, their noses have always been pointing upwards since birth. Lu Chen thought to himself.

  Yang Zhen often came to Wangduan Peak to run, saying that he didn't fit in and had a hard time getting along with Wang He and the others. When there was nothing to do, he would compare notes on Taoist techniques with Lu Chen and exchange ideas. As time went on, the two became good friends. Moreover, they had found an opponent for each other, and Lu Chen's cultivation was no longer dull. Even his meticulous study of Taoist techniques had risen rapidly. Every time the two sparred, Yang Zhen would look at himself with a gaze as if he were looking at a strange creature.

  There's no way around it, Qing Xin Jue is just too useful, and Lu Chen's true yuan was far stronger than theirs.

  Nowadays, the art of acupuncture has made some small achievements, and with the constant guidance of Master Yuyang Zhenren, progress is being made.

  In the spring and summer seasons, the continuous light rain always makes Mount Miaomo shrouded in a misty state. The fresh air is so refreshing that it's like inhaling dew, making one feel moist and relaxed, with a wonderful and comfortable feeling.

  That day, Lu Chen was practicing his Qi as usual on the Wanjian Peak, and just finished collecting his energy. He was about to practice the Wu Luo Flowing Cloud Step and the Flowing Sand Finger again, when he saw Xiang Liangjun's petite figure walking slowly up the mountain under the morning sunlight.

  At the age of fourteen or fifteen, it was considered a blossoming period, especially for girls whose bodies grew rapidly. Perhaps in just half a month, there would be significant changes, and with day-and-night cultivation of Xuan Gong, she could transform into a true young girl.

  She was petite, but her figure was exquisite. A white long dress perfectly showed off her plump upper body and slender lower body. A three-foot green sword hung obliquely from her waist, a perfect display of a heroic woman's demeanor.

  "Brother~" From afar, Zuo Qinghua also saw Lu Chen's figure and waved her small hand.

  PS: Whatever, I'm heading back home today and won't dare to stay up late again. I've managed to write two chapters with great difficulty, and will revise the outline a bit more. During Mid-Autumn Festival, I'll maintain two chapters, and after the festival, I'll adjust the update speed (definitely speeding up). Everyone, please don't worry, after the calm comes the exciting part that unfolds naturally. Wishing everyone a happy and fulfilling Mid-Autumn Festival! Finally, as usual, I'm begging for votes. It's Mid-Autumn Festival, so all you book friends, don't hide anymore, give me some rewards, okay? ^_^