Chapter 48: Isn

Perhaps to avoid trouble, the owner, upon realizing Feng Xue had no intention of taking change, added two more food-based herbal prescriptions said to strengthen the foundation and nourish the origin.

Feng Xue naturally accepted this unexpected windfall; considering its value was only a few dozen copper coins, he simply opened the book labeled "General Outline" on the way home and read as he walked.

How to put it…

It was plain and unadorned.

Wu Xiu, as the name suggests, trains in martial arts, seemingly following an external-to-internal path with no concept of internal energy—on first glance, it looked like military physical training.

But when compared to the foundational methods of Xuan Xiu, corresponding relationships become apparent.

Xuan Xiu emphasizes Jian, Ning, Yang; so too does Wu Xiu, though the process differs slightly.

If the human body is likened to land, the first step for both Xuan Xiu and Wu Xiu is "Jian" (strengthening the physique), meaning improving the land to make the soil fertile.

But at the second step, "Ning" (consolidating the harvest), a distinction emerges: if Xuan Xiu plants grass in the field—a crop that drains soil fertility (Qi)—then Wu Xiu plants grain, a food that fills the belly (Blood and Qi).

At the third stage, "Yang" (enjoying the harvest), Xuan Xiu feeds the grass to livestock (the spirit) to gain greater returns, while Wu Xiu eats the grain directly.

In terms of yield, Xuan Xiu's livestock are nutritionally superior and more valuable than grain, but grain excels in volume, satiety, and risk resistance—it can not only feed oneself but also be sold occasionally to buy more arable land; even if yields dip unexpectedly, one won't lose everything.

Livestock, however, are far more vulnerable to risk: even if more valuable, one must wait until they are ready for slaughter before gaining income to buy grain or land, and any misstep along the way can break the cycle—either starving before slaughter (spirit unformed, lifespan exhausted) or slaughtering the livestock for meat (Ghost Xiu).

This is also why Xuan Xiu and Wu Xiu cannot be practiced simultaneously.

After all, the body is a finite plot of land.

To cultivate both, one must choose how much land to devote to grain and how much to grass.

Too much grass means insufficient grain for sustenance, let alone buying new land; too much grain means insufficient grass to feed livestock, and the grass may even steal nutrients from the grain, reducing yields—ultimately yielding less than specializing in one path alone.

But in this logic, Feng Xue noticed a problem—

That Wu Xiu can seamlessly transition into Xuan Xiu.

In other words, one could first cultivate Wu Xiu, grow abundant grain while expanding the land's size, then plant grass and raise livestock—this way, sufficient grain reserves would sustain one during livestock cultivation, and the larger, richer land would produce more grass.

Yet this idea had barely surfaced when Feng Xue discarded it himself.

Such an obvious principle—surely the masters of this world would have seen it?

Perhaps the original cultivation path in This World was to begin with Wu Xiu before switching to Xuan Xiu?

Why did it change to how it is now?

Because Wu Xiu is too inefficient!

Growing grain can earn land (lifespan) by selling surplus, but the progress is excruciatingly slow—even a Grandmaster-level Wu Xiu gains only sixty years of yang life, and by that age, the un-nourished spirit inevitably decays; even with larger, richer land, it's hard to raise qualified livestock.

Perhaps in ancient times of This World, rare herbs and treasures were everywhere, and people could easily reach Grandmaster level in Wu Xiu by simply eating a few, then immediately transition to Xuan Xiu.

But later, as rare treasures dwindled, Wu Xiu progress slowed, forcing people to switch to Xuan Xiu earlier; the timing became a problem, and as returns diminished, eventually skipping Wu Xiu entirely and practicing only Xuan Xiu maximized gains—thus the two systems became completely disconnected.

But Feng Xue was focused on another issue—

His grass (Qi) came for free!

It consumed neither soil fertility (lifespan) nor competed with grain for nutrients (Essence); thus, couldn't he cultivate Wu Xiu and Xuan Xiu simultaneously?

He'd merely wanted to accumulate more techniques, yet stumbled upon a bug only he could exploit (ah, no—this was a game mechanic!), and his mood instantly lifted, even making him want to sing aloud.

But that good mood vanished the moment he returned home and saw the soldier waiting at his door, apparently for some time.

"Could the Port Gang still be colluding with Lu City's authorities?"

It wasn't unreasonable for Feng Xue to immediately suspect the Port Gang—he'd only been in this world nine days, and they were the only ones he'd had conflict with.

He brushed his fingertips against Liu Yunxi, prepared for the Road Roller's Sheath Draw, and gripped a jade tablet in his pocket, ready to unleash the Spirit-Commanding Spell.

But just as Feng Xue prepared to kill and flee, the soldier spoke politely:

"Are you Mr. Feng? The County Magistrate requests your presence."

"???" Feng Xue was deeply suspicious of the soldier's politeness; though a "first courtesy, then force" trap couldn't be ruled out, some caution would still be expected—yet this man carried a gun yet showed zero vigilance…

Could higher-ups not have been notified? But if so, why send a soldier? And only one? Why not send a secretary—or better yet, have him not wear military uniform to lower his guard?

Feng Xue's mind raced with thoughts; after hesitation, he asked:

"I've never met the Magistrate. How does he know of me? And why does he want me?"

The soldier, sharp as they come, immediately sensed Feng Xue's suspicion and explained:

"Actually, the Magistrate didn't invite only you—every expert in Lu City received an invitation. Recently, strange events have occurred in the county, so they wish to consult everyone. The location is Wangxian Tower."

"All of them?" Feng Xue, seeing the soldier's words held no deception, remained wary—but if this were a trap, there must be other ambushes beyond this soldier; even if he killed the man instantly, escaping Lu City would be nearly impossible, especially since the last train had passed at noon—ramming a train to cross over wasn't realistic…

"Then lead the way."

Seeing Feng Xue agree, the soldier exhaled in relief, stepped forward with a smile, yet kept sufficient distance:

"Mr. Feng, do you need to bring anything?"

"No." Feng Xue had always carried all his belongings on his person before acquiring the Pot Heaven Bag; since acquiring it, even more so—simply to flee at any moment.

In terms of Yin and Yang, Wu Xiu, which cultivates yang energy, belongs to Old Yang.

That is, continuously enhancing one's yang energy, strengthening life force, until yang reaches its peak and generates yin, nourishing the spirit—Old Yang gives birth to Young Yin.

Xuan Xiu cultivates Young Yin—consuming yang to cultivate yin, directly succeeding Wu Xiu; at its peak, one either dies and becomes a Ghost Xiu—Young Yin gives birth to Old Yin—or achieves balance through mutual nourishment of yin and yang.

As previously stated, Ghost Xiu, as cultivation advances, reaches Yin's extreme and generates yang—Old Yin gives birth to Young Yang, forming a ghostly body no longer reliant on incense or Qi; or one may reincarnate, becoming human again—a process that can also be viewed as Old Yin giving birth to Young Yang, facilitated by the ultimate yin entity: the underworld's cycle of rebirth.

Final summary: Humanity's complete system is a Yin-Yang cycle—

Wu Xiu cultivates Old Yang; ultimate goal: Old Yang gives birth to Young Yin.

Xuan Xiu cultivates Young Yin; ultimate goal: Young Yin gives birth to Old Yin.

Ghost Xiu cultivates Old Yin; ultimate goal: Old Yin gives birth to Young Yang.

Ghost Xiu who achieve Yin's extreme and generate yang gain physical form indistinguishable from the living; if they still cannot attain non-leakage, they repeat Wu Xiu's path, turning yin into yang via Young Yang giving birth to Old Yang.

Any stage in the middle can be cultivated independently; the ultimate goal is achieving mutual nourishment of yin and yang, forming a self-sustaining cycle—transitions occur only out of necessity due to talent, lifespan, or other limitations.

Conversely, if Wu Xiu achieves Yang's extreme and generates yin, and Xuan Xiu's yin spirit returns to yang, one enters the True Immortal realm (not the transcendent immortals of cultivation novels who ascend to celestial realms, but the traditional concept of immortals who achieve eternal longevity).

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(End of this chapter)