Chapter 13

"这是虫毒。"

The old Taoist priest coughed lightly and said, "You have studied medicine and know that most poisons are made from plants or venomous snakes and insects, but this is a living poison. To put it simply, the insect poison is alive."

The old Taoist priest spoke at length, seemingly unable to suppress his injuries. He patted his chest and whispered, "In more esoteric terms, it is called a gu insect, or gu poison."

Qin Xianyu was struck as if by lightning, standing in place, speechless for a moment.

"If you cultivate true qi, you can suppress the gu insect. Otherwise, in thirty years, you will surely be devoured by it," the old Taoist priest's expression remained calm. "If you can cultivate true qi to the point of external emission, you can expel the gu insect from your body."

"Perhaps you have a rather indifferent nature, thinking that life is only a few decades long, and living for another thirty years is enough. But I must tell you, this gu insect awakens every three years, and each time it will gnaw on your bone marrow, erode your internal organs, and affect your blood. At that time, life will be worse than death. Only by cultivating true qi or internal strength can you slightly suppress it and alleviate the pain."

"Do not think I am bluffing. This is recorded in a medical book I obtained while staying in a village in the State of Chu. I have traveled the world for over ten years to gather the materials needed to create just a few of these, and this is the last one."

"Given that there is such a gu technique, the immortal arts and magical powers in this world must also be real."

The old Taoist priest spoke slowly, as if telling a calm story, without any ripples. He sighed and said, "It's not my fault. Who would have thought that you, a young Taoist, have such a calm and composed nature, like a hermit who has transcended the mundane world. With such a calm nature, you are indeed an early wise person, and you probably view the immortal arts and the pursuit of immortality as trivial. To ensure the continuation of the tradition, I had no choice but to resort to this extreme measure with the gu poison."

Qin Xianyu remained silent for a long time, standing like a wooden stake. After a full half-hour, he raised his head, gritting his teeth, and said, "When did I ever say I was unwilling to cultivate the Dao?"

The old Taoist priest was slightly taken aback.

Qin Xianyu looked up to the sky, speechless. This old Taoist had lived for over a hundred years, with vast experience and keen eyesight, yet why did he misjudge me?

The immortal arts and magical powers are trivial, and immortality is a common matter?

I am a young Taoist, inexperienced in the world, at most having heard stories and knowing the dangers of the world, but how could I have such a detached and transcendent mindset?

Feeling as if there was a worm inside him, Qin Xianyu felt a bit nauseous.

He looked at the old Taoist, who was now surprised, and gritted his teeth.

"I shouldn't have taken you in!"

...

Half a month later.

Whoosh!

Qin Xianyu swung his sword, splitting a soybean in half in mid-air, which then fell to the ground.

He turned slightly and swung his sword again, instantly splitting the incense in the incense burner in half from the tip. It seemed that due to the effects of the jade elixir and spiritual water over the past half-month, his strength had greatly increased, and he managed to split the incense burner in half with one swing.

With a sigh, Qin Xianyu exhaled.

The old Taoist frowned and shouted, "Your breathing technique is incorrect. You should use the true qi circulation method to exhale. As cultivators, we must always pay attention to our breathing, ensuring it is correct."

Qin Xianyu's expression became serious, and he nodded.

Over the past half-month, he had practiced splitting the incense tip and cutting the incense in half, and now he could split a soybean in mid-air with perfect accuracy.

He had trained his wrist strength, arm strength, and waist strength to a high level of proficiency.

Originally, the old Taoist had said that if he mastered this sword technique and learned swordsmanship and body techniques, he could become an expert in external martial arts. However, for some reason, the old Taoist seemed unwilling to teach him swordsmanship, body techniques, or explain sword paths, only focusing on this one sword technique without teaching any other methods.

Qin Xianyu was quite puzzled, but the old Taoist had over a hundred years of experience and had been reading the "Introduction to Sword Dao" day and night for the past half-month, so he must have gained some insights and changed his mind. Qin Xianyu, with his calm nature, was patient and found no boredom in refining this one sword technique.

Over the past half-month, he had cooked porridge and meals using the spiritual water, and the secrets of the jade elixir could no longer be kept hidden. Moreover, Qin Xianyu had officially become a disciple of the old Taoist, so there was no need to hide anything.

"This jade elixir is indeed extraordinary, truly like an immortal elixir."

The old Taoist sighed, "Guanyun believed that cultivating the Dao had no future, and only alchemy could cure diseases and extend life. If he saw this jade elixir, he would surely die content. This jade elixir is comparable to an immortal elixir and must have been refined by a true immortal. It seems that the existence of immortals is indeed real."

Over the past half-month, Qin Xianyu had cooked porridge and meals using the spiritual water, not only making him strong and healthy but also slowing the deterioration of the old Taoist's injuries.

Originally, Guanxu thought he had only seven or eight days left and intended to pass on the tradition of Baiyun Temple to Qin Xianyu. But now, if he consumed the spiritual water porridge and meals daily, he could live for another month.

He took a deep breath and beckoned to Qin Xianyu, saying, "Come here."

Qin Xianyu obeyed and stood by the bed, slightly bowing his head, ready to listen to his teachings.

"This jade elixir is indeed an immortal elixir. Over the past few days, I have had you drink a cup of water soaked with the jade elixir every night in addition to the porridge and meals, and the effects have been excellent," the old Taoist was very satisfied and nodded. "In just half a month, you have mastered the content of the 'Introduction to Sword Dao' and, with the jade elixir and spiritual water, your constitution has gradually improved, and your strength has greatly increased. Although I intended to teach you the Dao, you are already a young man, and while you have good potential, your physical foundation is already forming and somewhat fixed, making you not the best candidate for teaching. However, because of the jade elixir, the constraints on your body can be ignored."

"With such a great blessing and opportunity, the old Taoist believes you will surely achieve great success."

Guanxu said, "Over the past few days, I have observed that the jade elixir, when soaked in water, gradually shrinks and becomes more condensed, so the effects of soaking it in water are weakening. I have carefully observed and found that it has completely solidified, and it should be boiled in boiling water to be effective."

"Let's put the jade elixir aside for now."

Guanxu's expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice, "I have discovered some clues in the 'Introduction to Sword Dao'."

Qin Xianyu was slightly startled. What else was different about the 'Introduction to Sword Dao'?

The old Taoist instructed, "Get some fire."

Qin Xianyu quickly lit a lamp and brought it to the bed, protecting the flame.

The old Taoist waved the 'Introduction to Sword Dao' over the flame.

The 'Introduction to Sword Dao' was a small booklet, only a few pages bound together, and it immediately caught fire.

Qin Xianyu cried out in surprise.

"Don't worry," the old Taoist threw the almost burned booklet to the ground.

The booklet turned to ashes and scattered on the floor.

A golden ball rolled out.

The golden ball, freed from its bindings, instantly transformed into a golden sheet of paper.

"Indeed!" The old Taoist was overjoyed and said, "Quickly, get the treasure."

Qin Xianyu was greatly shocked. He quickly picked up the golden sheet, shook off the ashes, and felt that the golden sheet was entirely golden and seemed to glow. Although it was paper, when Qin Xianyu touched it, it felt as smooth as silk.

The golden sheet was filled with tiny, densely packed characters. He quickly brought it to Guanxu.

Guanxu held the golden sheet in his hands, glanced at it, and burst into laughter.

As he laughed, tears began to fall.

"Immortal secrets... Unfortunately, the old Taoist's life is short."

"Spending a lifetime cultivating the Dao and knowing that the path is not yet cut off is a great joy."

"Never mind, with such a great opportunity, it is the will of heaven, and you will surely go further in the future. With this jade elixir, your path will be longer than the old Taoist's, and with this true sword technique, you will surely become a sword immortal."

Guanxu looked out the window and smiled, "Master, Guanyun, it turns out that beyond the external emission of true qi, there is indeed a more profound realm."

Guanxu, acting wildly, was greatly out of character. Qin Xianyu was puzzled and glanced at the golden sheet, seeing four large characters at the top: "True Sword Technique."

Another day passed.

Night fell.

Guanxu finally came to his senses from the "True Sword Technique" and said in a deep voice, "What is recorded here is a flying sword technique, but it is different from the common flying swords in legends. This flying sword is called a Dao sword, which is a small sword made of either gold or jade, boiled into a broth, and drunk."

Qin Xianyu found this very mysterious. However, to boil a small sword into a broth, what kind of high temperature would be required? To drink the broth, it would have to be done before the small sword solidified, which would surely scald the throat and internal organs, burning the person to death?

Guanxu held the golden sheet and said, "The following part teaches how to draw a fire talisman, which can be used to boil the small sword into a broth. Below that is a recipe for a medicinal broth that can neutralize the poison from the small sword."

"The small sword is one foot and three inches long, preferably made of jade, with gold being the second choice. If you can obtain a thousand-year-old peach wood or lightning-struck wood to carve the sword, it can be as good as high-quality jade."

"When the small sword is made, it must first be inscribed with talisman patterns. Additionally, after ingesting the small sword, it will be highly toxic, and the medicinal broth can neutralize this poison."

Guanxu also found this extremely mysterious, as he had never seen such a secret technique.

Qin Xianyu could sense that the voice of the hundred-year-old Taoist was slightly trembling.

Guanxu, who was over a hundred years old, had only now seen that the path of cultivation still had a future, and his emotions were hard to calm. After a long time, he looked at the golden sheet and then at Qin Xianyu, saying, "The most urgent task for you is to cultivate true qi."

Qin Xianyu nodded slightly.

On the table was a secret manual, about two fingers thick, with a blue cover bound with thread.

The night wind blew, causing the oil lamp to flicker.

The flame flickered.

On the cover of the book, ten large characters were visible: "Purple Mansion Divine Hall Mixed Primordial Ancestral Qi True Technique."

This was the Dao technique that Qin Xianyu was currently cultivating.

According to Guanxu, in the two generations before Baiyun Temple, there were immortal figures who could ride clouds and perform magical techniques, but for some reason, these skills were lost in the previous generation, and the legends of the ancestors seemed to have become false.

The Dao techniques of Baiyun Temple were originally just a common Qi induction technique. When practiced to a high level, it could enable a person to cultivate true qi, but it took several decades to achieve success. Guanxu, after a hundred years of cultivation, had reached the peak of the Qi induction technique by cultivating the external emission of true qi. Therefore, he began to improve this technique.

Since he achieved the external emission of true qi, it took him several decades to finally improve the Qi induction technique, naming it after the mixed primordial ancestral qi in the Daoist scriptures, calling it: "Purple Mansion Divine Hall Mixed Primordial Ancestral Qi True Technique."