Under the Tree
Three figures were gathered beneath a tree, chatting idly. Chen An, Li Yin, and a third companion appeared somewhat distracted—the two named seemed to steal glances now and then toward the grand door of the Marshal's Mansion. Just then, they saw Li Yan stepping out from the group. Their faces lit up with delight. They had just inquired with Liu Chengyong about the matter; although they'd been told it was simply about updating the personal records of the troops, a lingering sense of unease remained. After all, whether large or small, such a task carried weight—military superiors are accountable to the officials appointed by the court, and even if it wasn't a critical post, it boiled down to a decision made on the word of a local high-ranking officer.
Li Yan, noticing the three approaching, smiled and said, "Everything's been arranged. Hehe—you see, next I'm headed to check on Li Shan and the others, and then at noon, how about we go have a drink?"
Liu Chengyong had no objection. Although he still sensed something odd beneath the surface, Li Yan's prompt, amiable appearance suggested that nothing serious was afoot at the Marshal's end. Besides, the midday opportunity to get closer with Li Yan was too good to pass up, so he readily agreed.
Even though Chen An and Li Yin secretly wished to leave early, they dared not voice it. They could only nod and consent.
Soon the four set off for the "Iron Weapon Pavilion" to seek out Li Shan. Upon seeing Li Yan's arrival, Li Shan was overjoyed. Without hesitation, Li Yan dispatched Chen An and Li Yin to ask Li Shan's master, Lü Kui, for leave on Li Shan's behalf, while he and Li Shan slipped into a private section of the pavilion to talk.
Left to his own devices, Liu Chengyong wandered through the "Iron Weapon Pavilion." Every so often he came upon an impressive weapon, which sparked his curiosity—even picking one up to examine it closely. When Chen An and Li Yin rejoined him, the trio (all of them veterans in the military) eagerly gathered around to inspect and discuss the arms with genuine interest.
After a while Li Yan and Li Shan emerged. At first, Li Shan's face bore an expression of puzzlement, but Li Yan quickly put him at ease—throwing an arm around his shoulder and laughing as he called out to their senior brother, Liang Shi, so the group could then proceed to the "Natural Wine House" to seek Li Yu. Come noon, the seven of them sat down together and drank heartily.
After the Midday Feast
That afternoon Li Yan rode back with three of his companions—each a little tipsy. Over the remaining part of the day, Li Yan resumed his diligent cultivation. His demeanor had grown noticeably steady. Noticing his improved state, Master Ji (the military strategist overseeing his training) finally relaxed a bit; after some time, he even came out to offer a few pointers.
Time flew, and as the spring scene burst everywhere—with grass sprouting and orioles singing—Li Yan had now been stationed at the Military Office for over half a year. At that moment he was immersed in a cold pool. With his eyes half-closed and his upper body bare (only his shoulders and above exposed), he emitted wisps of heat that rose slowly into the cool air. His internal energy had reached the early mid-stage of the Condensation Qi level, yet his condition was not entirely good; a faint trace of blood still curved at the corner of his mouth.
Since last winter, Li Yan had been practicing with almost relentless rigor. In time his cultivation had improved, but so, too, had his temper become increasingly irritable. Apart from making occasional trips into town, he'd begun engaging in strange behaviors. Every time he returned from the city he would buy more clothes, belts, boots, and the like—which even troubled Master Ji's intuitive sense.
Once, the small vegetable garden on the south side of the pool had been carefully tended by Master Ji. He had planted greens and a few flowering shrubs there as a means of soothing his own inner turmoil—with the occasional watering and fertilizing providing a moment of calm. But now Li Yan had transformed that garden into a dazzling display of wildflowers and grasses; from afar it resembled a gigantic, multicolored cauldron of dye. The mixed fragrance even clung to clothes drying outside—so much so that Marshal Hong and a band of soldiers couldn't help but take notice. Master Ji, forced to attend military affairs in the city, could only offer a helpless, wry smile.
As long as Li Yan's cultivation continued to progress, Master Ji largely allowed him free rein. Yet in recent times, Li Yan's inner agitation had grown; after each session his cultivation left him with a bit of blood at the lip, as though something inside was struggling to be restrained. This increasingly troubled Master Ji, who, after checking Li Yan's internal condition, detected that the "wood spirit qi" was now intermingled with traces of burgeoning fire spirit power. The discovery made him worry greatly. (In truth, Master Ji had even considered – in the past – taking advantage of the purer energy in Li Yan's blood before his internal energy grew muddled. Fortunately, Li Yan's recent progress had gradually purified his wood spirit qi again and reduced the frequency of blood spitting, which had calmed Master Ji's thoughts—at least for the moment.)
There, in the chilly pool, Li Yan sat with his eyes nearly closed. A few streaks of blood marred his lips as he appeared to savor the cold moisture; in reality, he was carefully drawing on the slow, seeping spiritual energy rising from the bottom to channel it into his "Gui Water True Scripture."
After months of grueling practice, his mastery of the "Gui Water True Scripture" had reached the mid-stage of the early Condensation Qi level. His pace was impressive—even by the standards of the immortal sects. And yet, in this place where spiritual energy was sparse, such rapid advancement was as surprising as it was admirable.
Still, Li Yan did not measure his progress by comparison with others. He only felt that, despite spending nearly half the day immersed in the pool (and practicing even at midnight), time was slipping away. Also, other hours of the day had to be spent in pretense—portraying a rigorous practice of the "Wood Yin Technique" indoors in the morning, and then, at other times, even acting out some unruly behavior for effect.
All he had in mind was to raise his spiritual power—to accumulate the strength that would be his very lifeline.
After another half-hour, a subtle twitch of his eyelashes betrayed a moment of awakening, though his eyes remained shut. Having wrapped up his daytime cultivation, Li Yan turned inward and quietly reflected on all that had transpired over the past few months.
"I'm still progressing too slowly," he thought bitterly. "In these last few days, the improvements feel almost negligible… why is that?"
What Li Yan did not know was that his rapid progress at the very beginning was due to two factors. First, upon entering the Condensation Qi stage his meridians were several times wider than those of normal cultivators, allowing him to absorb spiritual energy at a blistering pace. Second, his body and technique were perfectly in sync; in the early stages he didn't require huge amounts of energy. Now, however, having moved into the mid-stage of Condensation Qi, the ambient spiritual energy simply could not keep up—and as with all cultivation, the higher you climb, the tougher the breakthrough becomes (especially when one approaches the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages, where waiting centuries is not uncommon).
"Even though I haven't yet revealed my full strength—just a hint of my near-peak early Condensation Qi—this is still enough to keep me alive. Had I lingered at the initial level for a few more months, I'm sure they would have deemed me unworthy of further investment and lost patience."
After practicing the "Gui Water True Scripture" for some time, Li Yan realized that while his progress was fast it also risked drawing Master Ji's attention. Yet by delving into the scripture with his spiritual awareness and through repeated, painstaking experimentation, he managed to iron out the discrepancies.
The method was based on the principle: "Energy grows, gathers into the sea, then disperses and is stored." At first he misunderstood this tenet. Ultimately he discovered that the technique allowed the spiritual energy in his dantian to spread freely into five "energy reservoirs." The outward display would then only show the level of the highest reservoir—but this could conceal that his true cultivation was not much higher. The trick was that all five reservoirs must not be completely full; if even one had no spare capacity, the overflowing energy would break through into the next level.
"Not long ago, during my practice I accidentally injured myself and began to spurt blood. I had to let some of the fire spirit energy disperse—so it appeared as if I were suffering from fire poison, which set Master Ji off. Thankfully, with my most recent progress I managed to conceal the fire spirit energy, putting that worry to rest. Still, as my overall power grows, I can sense that his internal fire poison too is intensifying. It won't be long before it becomes uncontrollable."
Even though Li Yan had not yet achieved astral separation, his sensitive cultivator's senses could detect that Master Ji's fire poison was steadily increasing. When that internal pressure reached its limit, it would mean the end of Li Yan—even if his own cultivation reached ever-higher levels, Master Ji would no longer wait.
"During my recent outings I've also managed to forge an understanding with Hong Linying via letters—courtesy of Liu Chengyong. The agreement is that if Hong Linying helps me get out of this bind, I'll pass on the method of the 'Wood Yin Technique' to him. Now, all that remains is to pick the right moment—and I cannot wait too long."
In that moment, Li Yan's mind raced with calculations. No longer was his sole concern how to elude his current predicament—he had a far grander scheme in mind: how to eliminate Master Ji. If that didn't succeed, his own family might not escape the full measure of Master Ji's wrath.
Just yesterday, Master Ji had come over to guide his cultivation. Yet the look in his eyes had changed—softer, warmer even—though his face had taken on a darker, graver hue. That subtle shift only made Li Yan feel that time was running desperately short.
"Let it be set for two months from now—by early summer, no matter what, I must put everything on the line," Li Yan resolved silently, clenching his fists as he sat in the pool.
In a Remote Palace
Far away—in the deep forest millions of li beyond the Qing Shan Pass—inside a grand palace atop a mountain peak that seemed to pierce the clouds, a formal discussion was underway.
A blue–robed scholar smiled as he addressed a hawk–like elder dressed in a dark green robe: "Old He, what brings you here today?"
The elder replied, "Peak Master, regarding the grand inter–peak competition held every five years, I have already conferred with several of our senior elders. This time, our peak will be sending roughly twenty elite disciples and a few true–transmission disciples—all of whom were rigorously selected by the inner hall not long ago."
The scholar interjected, "Oh? The true–transmission disciples are one thing—as there aren't many to begin with—but the number of elite disciples from our peak is noticeably lower this year. I remember that five years ago our peak fielded as many as thirty."
"Indeed," the elder answered, "it is fewer than before. In recent years, the influx of new disciples has dwindled; many gifted with spiritual aptitude have been swept up by those so–called orthodox Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian sects."
The scholar continued with a knowing smile, "Even if our numbers are a bit lower, they still outnumber those from Xiao Zhu Peak, where in past competitions only a few have participated."
"Ah, you mean Wei Shidi's group," the elder remarked with a wry tone. "Their whole peak—including support personnel—numbers fewer than twenty, and they have only seven disciples. Once you discount those three already in the mid–stage of Foundation Establishment, hardly any remain eligible."
The scholar then stated firmly, "Let's not even talk about Wei Shidi's side. For our group of over twenty this time, I expect that among our Foundation Establishment novices, two or three should break into the top ten, and among our Condensation Qi competitors, three should likewise rank in the top ten. Do you concur?"
There was a brief pause as the elder hesitated. Finally, with a slight grimace he murmured, "Mountain Master…"
The scholar's eyes narrowed as he pressed on, "What? No confidence? Have our disciples over these last five years really committed themselves only to this level of cultivation?"
"Very well—pass on my words. If the competition results are lacking, each of you elders will have your offerings reduced," the scholar commanded.
"Understood, Mountain Master," replied the elder in resignation, inwardly thinking, "I'll return and confer with the other elders so that we tighten the reins on these brats; otherwise, their cultivation resources in the next five years will be severely curtailed."
The scholar then waved him away, "If that's all, you may leave."
Before he departed, the elder added hurriedly, "Mountain Master, there is one more matter. Regarding the search for the individual of the 'Seek Immortals' lineage—a letter has just arrived today."
The scholar inquired, "Oh? Are you referring to the one who filched the cultivation method from that outcast of the outer sect?"
"Exactly," the elder confirmed. "We've broadened our search area, and finally, on the eastern fringe of the Great Qing Mountain at a place called 'Qingshan Ai,' we've discovered a clue. Among the imperial garrison stationed there, a military strategist might be the person we seek. In recent years he has been purchasing medicinal herbs from a nearby town's pharmacy—and those herbs match those stipulated in our secret formula."
The scholar cautioned, "A military strategist? If we begin meddling with a civilian official, especially one involved in border military affairs, it could give other sects plenty of ammunition against us. Remember, the paths of immortals and mortals are distinct. Unless a mortal has wronged us, we do not use force. Even though we aren't part of any orthodox sect, we must still abide by that principle."
"Indeed, Mountain Master. I have arranged for it so: because the five–year competition is approaching, many of our law–enforcing disciples have already begun to return from their assignments abroad, leaving only a handful in the mid–to–late Condensation Qi stage. Once we obtain more details, we will move to apprehend them."
The scholar concluded, "That will do. I suppose that after all these years scouring for medicinal herbs, these individuals haven't advanced very far—the mid–to–late Condensation Qi disciples should suffice."