Chapter 69: Lingxiang Gives a Lesson in Qingwei

Banxia truly had not expected that Peak Master Lingxiang would actually take her seriously; when the messenger boy arrived, it had indeed given her quite a start.

Therefore, when Liu Xia saw Banxia at Xianyun Abode, his expression stiffened for a moment, but recalling what Lingxiang had said to him, he immediately returned to his normal state and even greeted Banxia.

Yet Banxia responded with indifference and began to curiously observe her surroundings, which made Liu Xia feel a blockage in his heart:

Even the weather doesn't change this fast!

However, it was not that Banxia intended to slight Liu Xia; it was truly because the appearance of Xianyun Abode puzzled her deeply. In the past, when she helped with the cleaning, she had been to the residences of the Elders; though they could not be called opulent, they were fully equipped with various halls, pavilions, and terraces, all possessing the air of a great cultivation household.

Yet the appearance of this Xianyun Abode was just like the houses in their village: a small courtyard enclosed by a fence, a few rooms and a long corridor inside, built of nothing but wood or thatch, and there were even a few vegetable patches on the side, with not a single Daoist boy to be seen in the vicinity.

Could it be that the Qingwei Peak Master actually lived in such dire poverty?

While she was in the midst of her confusion, she saw Lingxiang emerge from the main room dressed in plain clothes; perhaps because her serious injuries had not yet healed, although she looked spirited enough, her complexion was somewhat pale.

"I summoned you all today to prepare for the upcoming martial exercise. I originally promised Wuyang to assist him in his cultivation, but I thought that since we have all come to know one another, and I am of similar age to you all, we can be considered friends. There is no reason to favor one over another, so I have summoned you all here," Lingxiang said, sitting on the railing outside the room.

"Of course, I will not teach Daoist techniques for nothing," she said, pointing to the rooms destroyed by the Pill Furnace: "You have all seen it; my rooms are truly in a state of disrepair now. After you all finish the martial exercise, I will have to trouble you to help me repair them."

Long Qi could not help but roll his eyes upon hearing this—so this woman still had a trick up her sleeve; he knew she wouldn't be so kind-hearted.

Just as Long Qi was thinking of other things, Lingxiang called Xinyi over and whispered something to him. Seeing Xinyi nod as he listened, he called Long Qi and Liu Xia over, signaling for the two of them to follow him to the backyard.

Seeing this, Long Qi felt a wave of confusion in his heart; since when had Xinyi become so familiar with Lingxiang?

Along the way, he followed in silence, but when they reached the destination, he finally could not hold back and asked.

"What was that little girl whispering to you just now? To actually make you bring the two of us to the backyard?"

Liu Xia was also full of confusion and hurriedly looked at Xinyi.

"Nothing else," Xinyi turned around, "she was merely instructing me to teach the two of you the method of the Weapon Formula."

"You are teaching us?" Long Qi looked incredulous, and also seemed somewhat unwilling, "Why must it be you who teaches us?"

Seeing this, Xinyi smiled lightly: "You and I have crossed hands before. I remember that I did not use my full strength at that time, yet you seemed to have been injured quite heavily."

Hearing this, Liu Xia was puzzled; when had the two people beside him fought until their faces were red with anger?

Long Qi, however, hurriedly spoke up: "Right, right, I know now, let's start quickly!"

Zhao Wuyang did not understand why she had sent away Elder Brother Xinyi and the others while keeping the two of them behind. Facing Lingxiang, he still had lingering fears; although this woman was kind-hearted, she was ultimately exceptionally fierce, and she often acted against common sense. Who knew if she might take liberties with him later? Just as he was full of wariness, thinking about what he should do now that there was no one else around, he heard Banxia beside him perform a Daoist salute and speak.

"Qingwei Peak Master, I do not know why you sent those three to the backyard but kept the two of us?"

"Such an arrangement naturally has my reasons; just listen to me explain slowly." As she spoke, she took two cushions from beneath her and tossed them to the two, signaling them to sit down and listen.

The Daoist techniques practiced by those who cultivate the Dao are roughly divided into Mysterious Arts, Array Formation, Talisman techniques, and Martial Dao. However, low-level cultivators who wish to perform Daoist techniques must recite true words and perform hand seals to achieve them. If one's realm breaks through to Foundation Establishment, one can forgo the recitation of true words, and those with even deeper cultivation can perform Daoist techniques using Word Spirit. If one reaches the realm of True Immortal, a single thought is enough to make wind, rain, thunder, and lightning move according to one's will.

Of course, if two people of equal cultivation perform a Daoist technique, one using both true words and hand seals while the other uses only hand seals or Word Spirit, naturally the Daoist technique performed by the one using both true words and hand seals will have deeper and more powerful Mysterious Power.

However, when facing an opponent, every moment is precious. If one is truly performing a Daoist technique during a confrontation, naturally the faster the better. Therefore, relatively speaking, more cultivators with profound cultivation will prefer to use only hand seals or Word Spirit.

But although the principle is such, the root cause still lies in the depth of the practitioner's own cultivation.

"Do you two understand this explanation?" Lingxiang said, changing her sitting posture; the place where her leg was injured was aching faintly—she feared it might be going to snow again.

Banxia pondered for a while upon hearing this and nodded to show she understood, while Zhao Wuyang nodded and then shook his head. Seeing this, Lingxiang inwardly exclaimed that little Wuyang was truly adorable, but in an instant, she regained her composure and asked sternly:

"Wuyang, you are nodding and shaking your head; do you understand or not?"

Zhao Wuyang deliberated for a while and said: "The principles of Daoist techniques you spoke of just now, although I found them somewhat obscure, I understood seven or eight parts. But what I do not understand is, since you sent Xinyi Dage and the others away, do they not need to be taught hand seals?"

Lingxiang smiled softly upon hearing this: "That is what I am about to say next. I spoke of the four ways of Daoist techniques at the very beginning. The reason I sent those three away is because what Xinyi and Long Qi can utilize is the Weapon Formula within Martial Dao. Liu Xia has excellent swordsmanship, so starting with the Weapon Formula will likely be more appropriate. If they can put the Weapon Formula to use, in the future, even if they lack the talent for learning Mysterious Arts and Dharma Techniques, they will at least be able to perform some."

This made Zhao Wuyang even more confused.

"But since you sent the three of them to the backyard like this, who is teaching them?"

Lingxiang suddenly remembered that Zhao Wuyang did not know Xinyi's identity. With Xinyi's Golden Core stage, teaching the two of them hand seals was naturally a simple task.

"The backyard naturally has an instructor I invited; you need not worry about that." Lingxiang brushed Zhao Wuyang off with this, then continued: "You two are different from them."

"How are we different?" Banxia asked.

"As I said just now, no matter what kind of Daoist technique, all require hand seals and true words. Martial Dao is mostly a method for subduing demons and protecting the Dao, but neither of you is skilled in Martial Dao, so you must start from the three: Mysterious Arts, Array techniques, and Talisman techniques."

Mysterious Arts and Dharma Techniques are relatively speaking simply performing magic; they mostly involve the Five Elements, Heavenly Dipper, and Yin and Yang methods. Although Talisman techniques are also a method of Weapon Formula, when reciting a talisman, they tend more toward the power of Dharma Techniques; they are mostly used for summoning gods and exorcising ghosts, subduing demons and suppressing evil, curing illnesses and eliminating disasters, and can also be used for other things. Relatively speaking, as long as one remembers the drawing method, it is easier to get started.

"As for Array Formation, it is mostly divided into three types: Dharma Array, Talisman Array, and Weapon Array. The mysteries within are profound; it is enough for you to know of them for now." Lingxiang smacked her lips as she spoke—although she knew some of these Array Formations, she herself had been confused for a long time, and she certainly could not explain them clearly in a short while; if she said too much, she reckoned she would get herself tangled up in it.

"Hand seals are also divided into many types: Heavenly Dipper Formula, Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formula, Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Formula, and so on. Learning them one by one would surely take a year or two. But the martial exercise is imminent, so today I will teach you the simplest Five Elements Formula and Four Images Six Harmonies Formula to solve your immediate needs before discussing anything else." Lingxiang said, and sat down casually on the wooden steps.