Chapter 40

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(The first update is here. The grand drama involving the Heavenly Dynasty, martial arts world, noble families, demons, and the people is about to begin. Please give recommendations and add to your collection.)

The Qingyang Palace was in ruins, silent for too long, with weeds and rocks everywhere. If it were during its heyday five hundred years ago, there would be dozens to hundreds of miscellaneous Taoist priests sweeping the palace three times a day, morning, noon, and night, with the eternal lamps never extinguished, and the incense from the beast-headed copper tripod permeating the entire Qingyang Peak.

For the entire morning, Su Qignian and the other two had only managed to clean one-tenth of the Qingyang Palace. With some broken walls needing repair, the palace being empty, and various items like tables, incense burners, and cushions needing to be purchased, there were so many tasks that three people could not handle them all.

"Damn it, I'm not doing this anymore!"

At noon, the fat man threw down the broom and plopped down on the stone steps in front of the Qingyang Hall. His face was covered in dirt, his once white inner clothes now black and gray, his shirt open, and his body drenched in sweat, making him look like a large steamer in the winter.

"Three Peak Masters, this is your lunch."

A miscellaneous Taoist priest carrying a bamboo basket entered and placed it next to a pile of weeds. His eyes were full of strange expressions, as if calling them "Peak Masters" was awkward. After glancing at Su Qignian and the other two, he quickly turned and left.

With a gloomy face, the fat man was about to speak but was stopped by Su Qignian, who said, "If they don't help in times of need, they won't add flowers to brocade in the future. Martial power can create everything. We need to strengthen ourselves first. If the three of us all succeed in building our foundations, there will surely be some changes."

Putting down the broom, Qing Yu also pondered, "That's right. This can't go on. The three of us still need to practice martial arts, and we can't delay. We should put everything in the palace aside for now and wait until the three of us have built our foundations before raising funds. It's a pity that five hundred years ago, our Qingyang Peak owned two hundred acres of good land, all planted with tiger-tooth rice irrigated with demon tiger blood. One pound of tiger-tooth rice was equivalent to one tael of silver, and silver was abundant, with no worries."

"Words are empty. When the peaks were divided, the palace was emptied. Five hundred years have passed like flowing water, and it's hard to reverse the tide."

Su Qignian shook his head. Five hundred years had passed, and one hundred years was a generation. Five generations had already become a muddled account.

Taking the bamboo basket and opening it, there were three large bowls of hot demon bear meat soup inside. However, Qing Yu knew that after leaving the outer courtyard, the cost of these blood foods would be charged to their Qingyang Peak. In the miscellaneous room, there was even a ledger specifically recording each expense.

All of these would need to be settled and new annual contributions started after their Qingyang Peak reopened.

In Wudang Mountain, each of the seventy-two peaks had its own good land, and there were also various properties in the surrounding counties and towns, such as incense shops and martial arts schools. Each year, there were fixed incomes to be submitted to the sect to support its operations, including the selection and training of disciples.

Truly taking charge of a peak, Su Qignian and the other two felt the pressure on their shoulders. Managing the affairs of a lineage was not as simple as the title "Peak Master" suggested.

...

After drinking the demon bear meat soup, Su Qignian felt his blood and qi surging, as if he had swallowed a ball of fire, making his limbs and bones feel hot.

This was a type of demon beast from the wilderness, stronger than a demon tiger. One demon bear could barely fight two demon tigers. In the martial arts world, the seventh layer of the Turtle-Snake Technique required the strength of a fierce horse, which could not be resisted.

Performing the seventh layer of the Turtle-Snake Technique, Su Qignian's movements were slow and soft, but Qing Yu and the others saw a sense of gravity in his actions. In the outer courtyard, where strong people were everywhere, their eyesight was much better than the convicts in Xianyao Valley. Although Su Qignian's movements were slow, once he exerted force, they would immediately become extremely hard, a clear understanding of the principles of Tai Chi Yin and Yang, which they could not yet achieve.

After a few rounds of practice, Su Qignian felt his bones tingling, his blood and qi penetrating deeper, and his bone marrow becoming more viscous. However, compared to the effects of the seven people's blood and qi, which he had used to build a furnace and forcibly refine his body, this was much weaker.

After practicing a few rounds, Su Qignian sat down to meditate and woke up in less than an incense stick's time, feeling refreshed and his eyes shining, which left the fat man speechless.

"Meditated for an incense stick's time? You entered a meditative state!"

Qing Yu's lips twitched, and he was speechless. Meditation and cultivation involved harmonizing with nature, adjusting oneself to blend with the surrounding world, and using the power of heaven and earth to nourish and restore one's spirit, accelerating the absorption of blood and qi. There were five levels of cultivation: meditation, deep meditation, turtle breathing, innate, and divine illumination. Typically, those who had not yet built their foundations or opened their dantian could hardly enter a meditative state.

This was because only after generating true qi could one understand the subtle details of the body's blood and qi, providing a foundation for deep meditation.

Of course, there were exceptions. In the Wudang outer courtyard, there were a few disciples who had read three hundred volumes of Taoist scriptures, practiced Taoism from a young age, and harmonized with nature, entering a meditative state before building their foundations. With extraordinary insight, they made rapid progress in the Turtle-Snake Technique after the age of fifteen, successfully building their foundations within a few years and being recruited by the peaks as indoor disciples.

"I never thought that after spending several years in the outer courtyard, we would now have to seek guidance from Qignian. It's truly embarrassing," Qing Yu said, shaking his head.

"Sages do not feel ashamed to ask questions, and we are not even as good as a sages' toenail. What's there to be ashamed of?"

The fat man, Qing Ye, rolled his eyes, and Qing Yu glared at him. From this simpleton's mouth, there was never a good word.

An hour later.

In front of the Qingyang Spring, Qing Yu threw the Qingyang Token, and the dry spring suddenly gushed with water, the cold mist swirling like white fog, resembling a fairy spring or a star fallen from heaven.

The quiet yet solemn Qingyang Palace, with the scent of incense, made one's mind calm. The eternal lamps never went out, and the green smoke from the beast-headed incense burner made the atmosphere even more solemn.

One could see miscellaneous Taoist priests passing by, sweeping, moving incense burners, adding lamp oil, and transporting vegetables and fruits. There was red rice, curved like fangs, crystal clear, which made Qing Yu's eyes light up. This was clearly the tiger-tooth rice recorded in the Wudang history in the scripture hall.

Five hundred years ago, during the peak of prosperity, the palace disciples consumed tiger-tooth rice, which cost one tael of silver per pound. The consumption of the entire Qingyang Peak was not a concern.

Su Qignian sighed, realizing that it would take more than a month or two, or even a year or two, to recreate such prosperity.

In front of the Qingyang Hall.

Ji Yuan Zhenren stood tall, along with the three young Taoist priests, waiting for the three of them.

"From today, they will guide your cultivation."

Ji Yuan Zhenren spoke, his gaze gentle, sweeping over Su Qignian and the others, and said calmly, "Disciples of the peak, those who have not reached the eighth layer of the Turtle-Snake Technique cannot build their foundations."

What!

Su Qignian and the others were all shocked. Those who had not reached the eighth layer of the Turtle-Snake Technique could not build their foundations!

Qing Ye immediately looked distressed. Breaking through the eighth layer of the Turtle-Snake Technique was not easy. Among the more than a thousand disciples in the Wudang outer courtyard, only about twenty had built their foundations with the eighth layer of the Turtle-Snake Technique. It seemed that breaking through the eighth layer was not easier than building a foundation, and some even died from broken meridians and reversed blood and qi.

"Scoundrel, follow me!"

Before Qing Ye could react, a large hand grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him up. Su Qignian was startled and noticed that one person was missing from in front of the Qingyang Hall. It was a young man as tall as an iron tower, with a simple and honest face, who was now furious, carrying Qing Ye and walking away.

"Put me down, damn it, I have a reputation to maintain..."

Slap!

Qing Ye's voice was cut off as the young man struck him with a palm, and he fainted, his head drooping, leaving only a faint breath.

Even Su Qignian's face twitched, but he soon focused his gaze, as a figure appeared in front of him without any warning, standing three feet away. (The first update is here. The grand drama involving the Heavenly Dynasty, martial arts world, noble families, demons, and the people is about to begin. Please give recommendations and add to your collection.)