Chapter 35: Practice

Li Qi was completely bewildered by the explanation of Guard Qi and Camp Qi.

What is this? I don't understand...

He only understood that what the other party said about self-destructing her cultivation had caused her to lose all her cultivation.

No wonder she was so weak; that was the reason.

However, Shen Shuibi saw the confusion in Li Qi's eyes, so she explained, "The Spiritual Pivot Classic states: 'It receives water and grain and transforms them into substances. Its Qi enters the five Zang organs internally and connects to the limbs and joints externally. The floating Qi that does not follow the Meridians is Guard Qi; the refined Qi that flows through the Meridians is Camp Qi. Yin and Yang follow each other, internal and external are interconnected, like a ring without end. How grand and profound, who can fathom it?'"

"This means that the refined substances transformed from food and drink enter the five Zang organs internally and are distributed to the limbs and joints externally. Among them, the Guard Qi floats outside and does not circulate in the Meridians, while the Camp Qi circulates within the Meridians. The Yang-attributed Guard Qi and the Yin-attributed Camp Qi follow each other, penetrating internally and externally, circulating endlessly within the body like a ring."

"The last sentence, 'How grand and profound, who can fathom it?', means: how can the circulation of Camp Qi and Guard Qi ever be fully understood?"

"Neither medical practitioners nor Daoists know the circulation patterns of Camp Qi and Guard Qi, so they only left behind the phrase 'who can fathom it?'" Shen Shuibi explained, "Therefore, with my Guard Qi implanted within, there was no other way besides self-destructing my cultivation."

"I was afraid they would find me and get clues about Empress Luofu from me, so I simply crippled my cultivation, expelled all the Guard and Camp Qi, and reconstructed my circulation. That's how I got rid of those things."

But at this moment, the rabbit suddenly slapped her head, as if enlightened, and suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right! After that, I was caught by you all! That Grand Invoker!"

Li Qi hadn't expected this turn of events.

How could she remember it at such a time?!

"But wouldn't Empress Luofu be safe this way?" Li Qi quickly said.

"Why?" Shen Shuibi's expression was wary.

"You also know that Shaman God Mountain is an enemy of Tang Nation. We wouldn't capture Empress Luofu and hand her over to Tang Nation, would we? On the contrary, Empress Luofu can find refuge in Shaman God Mountain, and Tang Nation can't possibly attack Shaman God Mountain, can they?"

"If we go and find Empress Luofu, then Empress Luofu will definitely be safe!" Li Qi said, "Shen Guniang, isn't that right?"

"It... it seems so." Shen Shuibi thought about it carefully, and it did seem to make sense.

"So, let's rest for one night, and then we'll set off to find Empress Luofu. The sooner we find her, the sooner she'll be safe." Li Qi kept instilling this idea into Shen Shuibi.

After their previous chat, combined with her initial impression, Shen Shuibi's resolve began to waver.

Li Qi immediately continued, rambling on.

Time slowly passed, and the moon gradually rose.

In short, by the time the moon was about to hang above the treetops, Shen Shuibi was finally persuaded to travel with him.

This rabbit, though knowledgeable and having remembered many things, was still quite foolish and easily swayed.

Moreover, there was good news for Li Qi.

Because Shen Shuibi saw that Li Qi had nowhere to sleep, she took him back to the inn.

This was the first time Li Qi had ever stayed in an inn.

He had to admit.

It felt great.

— — — — — — — — — —

The next day arrived.

It was still dark, with stars filling the sky, when Li Qi woke up.

It wasn't that he was anxious to set off or to mooch food from Ba Kui, but rather because the Cultivate method for Invoker, as recorded in the book 'Zhu' in his mind, required him to Cultivate at this time every day.

This book truly was just a book in his mind; besides not needing to hold it in his hands or worry about losing it, it was exactly like a physical book.

It wasn't a memory, nor was it a searchable database; it was a very simple, very ordinary book.

Want to know the knowledge within?

Alright, then open it yourself, and read it slowly, memorize it slowly.

Li Qi felt that he probably wouldn't finish reading all of it within five years.

However, a good point was that the Cultivate method itself was very short, with nothing complicated. In summary, it involved extracting various different Qi from heaven and earth, gathering them into the small heaven and earth of the human body, nurturing the inner body spirits, and then sacrificing to himself.

Depending on the path, the main direction of sacrifice also differed.

There were still the three major categories: Heavenly God, Di Qi (Earthly Qi), and Human-Ghost. These were the three different focuses for sacrificing to the inner body spirits within the small heaven and earth of the human body.

Because of Mr. Zhu, Li Qi naturally entered the branch of Di Qi.

However, it was actually just a focus; in reality, all three branches still needed to be Cultivated, but the effort invested in each was simply different.

And the Cultivate method was also very mystical.

Since it was spring, at this moment, one should sacrifice to the Azure Dragon among the twenty-eight lunar mansions.

The "twenty-eight lunar mansions" are divided into Four Greats groups according to the four directions: East, West, South, and North, forming the "Four Symbols": Eastern Azure Dragon, Western White Tiger, Southern Vermilion Bird, and Northern Black Tortoise.

Among the "twenty-eight lunar mansions," the seven mansions of Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Celestial Dwelling (Xinxiu), Tail, and Winnowing Basket form a Dragon-shaped constellation, which people call the Eastern Azure Dragon. Among them, Horn represents the Dragon's horns, Neck represents the Dragon's throat, Root represents the Dragon's claws, Celestial Dwelling (Xinxiu) represents the Dragon's heart, and Tail and Winnowing Basket represent the Dragon's tail.

The records stating that the Dragon "can be hidden or visible, small or giant, short or long, ascends to heaven at the vernal equinox and dives into the abyss at the autumnal equinox" actually refer to the changes in the Eastern Azure Dragon constellation.

The Azure Dragon constellation rises from the eastern night sky in spring and sets in the west in autumn. Its cycle of appearance and disappearance and its position coincide with the annual agricultural cycle. When spring farming begins, the Azure Dragon constellation begins to rise in the eastern night sky, revealing its bright Dragon head. In summer, crops grow, and the Azure Dragon constellation hangs in the southern night sky. In autumn, when crops are harvested, the Azure Dragon constellation also begins to set in the west. In winter, all things are hidden, and the Azure Dragon constellation also hides below the northern horizon.

At this moment, the transition between spring and winter, the Azure Dragon constellation begins to show its head from the east; Horn, representing the Dragon's horns, begins to appear above the eastern horizon.

When the Azure Dragon constellation fully appears in the sky, it is the time when spring plowing officially begins.

This is commonly known as "February 2nd, the Dragon raises its head."

This time point is for sacrificing to one of the Heavenly God, the "Eastern Azure Dragon," also known as: Azure Dragon.

"Among the Heavenly God, none is nobler than the Azure Dragon." The Azure Dragon itself is the head of the Four Greats Symbols. At this time, sacrificing to the Azure Dragon can obtain the Qi of the East, which can fill the small heaven and earth of the human body and store the spirit within the body.

That's why Li Qi would get up at three or four in the morning, struggling out of his warm bed.

How could sleep compare to Cultivate?

This was Cultivate!

The path to becoming a superior person, the path to no longer being a Boat Towmen!

So, he immediately set up the formation and sacrificed to the Azure Dragon.

This was a sacrifice to the Heavenly God.

Afterward, he still needed to sacrifice to the Di Qi (Earthly Qi).

Once everything was finished, that day's Cultivate would be complete, and he would officially have entered the ranks of Cultivate practitioners!

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought this as he watched his progress bar.

However, as he watched, Li Qi suddenly realized something.

After getting used to the progress bar appearing anytime, anywhere, Young Master Zhu... never seemed to have a progress bar appear on him.