Chapter 144: The Path Ahead Gradually Clears, A Plan for Cultivation

"I really am just an ordinary person; apart from sweat and hard work, I have nothing. Oh, that's right, and a face as handsome as a god's."

"Those heaven-favored children, at this age, are likely already accomplished in a Superior Grade Qi Refining Method and are charging straight toward an Upper Grade Dao Foundation."

"But me? I study and practice diligently, and not only is my Qi Refining Method only one-third complete, but after finally mastering the accompanying cultivation technique, it takes a full hour just to open one aperture under perfectly smooth conditions?!"

Inside Dong Bi Yan Fu, Chen Ci covered his face, struggling to keep himself from being overwhelmed by grief, and it took a long time for him to emerge from the faint sense of loss.

As an ordinary He Mountain Light, even though the path is obstructed and difficult, Chen says he will still walk forward bravely and strongly.

Heh~

"Phew, calm down, we've barely even started."

Chen Ci rubbed his face and glanced at the stone bed that had shattered into pieces, feeling somewhat speechless: "The current duration of the Five Ghosts Possession Method is only two breaths. To put it bluntly, that's not even enough time to take off my pants, let alone have time to absorb Qi and practice the method."

Even though he was certain he hadn't misread it, because it concerned his Dao path, Chen confirmed it once more after resting for a day while performing the Five Ghosts Possession Great Method.

Only when the Five Ghosts enter his body, placing him in a state called 'Yin Demon Body', does the detailed explanation of the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method on his Gold Finger panel change; once he dispels the secret technique, the explanation reverts to the words: 'Five practices a day, six hundred days to advance one step.'

As for the Five Ghosts Transportation Method, Five Ghosts Possession Method, and Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method, Chen Ci vaguely felt that this set of complementary cultivation techniques was the correct way for a cultivator to step onto the Dao path.

This also confirmed to Chen Ci that a Superior Grade Qi Refining Method truly depends only on a cultivator's natural talent. Whether it is this Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method or that remnant Dao scroll obtained from Ma Family Village, it is extremely difficult for an ordinary person to cultivate, and it is actually not as good as an Inferior Grade Qi Refining Method for extending one's life. But if a genius were to practice it, that would be true vigorous advancement, smooth and unobstructed.

However, although Chen Ci now understands the mystery between the three methods, there are still several problems difficult to resolve before him.

Five Aggregates Yin Demon leads to Longevity.

Chen Ci rubbed his chin; the joy of his path gradually becoming clear faded from his face this time. If things continue like this, he fears he will have to practice the Five Ghosts Possession Method to proficiency or great success before the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method has any possibility of vigorous advancement.

Moreover, his cheap senior brother had hinted that Force Path techniques are beneficial to practicing the Five Ghosts Possession Method; he estimates that is where the key lies, though he still needs to ponder the problem of it hindering True Qi cultivation.

But he has only just begun; once he practices it to a deeper level in the future, the duration will surely increase significantly, so he isn't too panicked.

To tell the truth, when he first obtained this method, Chen Ci was wondering how much of a boost it would provide to the practice of the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method after mastering the Five Ghosts Possession Method—onefold, twofold, fivefold?

He laughed; it couldn't possibly be a hundredfold.

Third, after the Five Ghosts Possession Method is dispelled, he suffers from severe exhaustion and great loss of essence and blood, as if he had been drained for three days and three nights, unable to recover.

Don't think about it so much; since he has rented a cultivation cave, he will just grind it out.

He doesn't even know where the He Mountain Sect found this set of methods. It's just that he doesn't know if the first two methods are incomplete, or if there are other secret techniques to assist them, causing He Mountain Sect cultivators to lose their lives one after another as soon as they practice them. In one tribulation, only one Lin Laohu was able to master it. Of course, now Master Chen also has hope of success; otherwise, how could the He Mountain Sect only be a side-door major sect? Even by relying on apprentices to pile up, they could pile up a path to Longevity.

Five Ghosts Transportation nourishes Spirit Ghosts.

Second, when the Five Ghosts are possessing him, his thoughts are difficult to focus, and he is full of distracting thoughts, exploding at the slightest touch like a grumpy old man.

First, the current duration of the Five Ghosts Possession state is too short—a mere two breaths—which is simply not enough for him to absorb Qi, practice the method, and cultivate Nether Yin True Qi.

Cultivators also need to eat and live; at least Chen Ci still has to earn cultivation resources. It is unrealistic to want to quit his job and specialize in secret techniques; this is also a difficulty.

It is fine in the cultivation secret room, but if he were outside, Chen Ci admits he would not dare to practice with peace of mind.

He currently has no good ideas for this point; in the future, he can look for some Dharma Artifacts, pills, or Spirit Incense that focus the mind to test their effects.

When a cultivator refines Qi, they must ultimately seek a state of 'stillness'. If you let your mind wander while cultivating True Qi, don't blame others when you suffer from Qi deviation.

Five Ghosts Possession changes aptitude.

Result

Five Ghosts: Master Chen, please broaden your perspective.

"I wonder if there is any way to alleviate this weakened state—Force Path techniques?"

He will see what the situation is with Force Path techniques after he goes out; the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce or his cheap senior brother should both have channels, though he doesn't know if his meager assets are enough.

He estimates it's a bit shaky.

Money is hard to earn, and the pie is hard to eat, sigh.

Twenty days later.

Chen Ci slowly opened his eyes in the quiet room and glanced at the empty Spirit Nourishing Bottle to the side, clicking his tongue lightly and shaking his head. He had originally thought that preparing three hundred drops of Essence Refining for cultivation in the cave would be enough, especially after learning that the Five Ghosts Possession Method did not require Essence Refining to assist in cultivation, which made him feel much more relaxed and reduced the burden of resources by two parts.

But there was naturally a reason why the Fuhu Altar had been widely collecting Essence Refining for the past two years, even making the He Mountain Sect disciples in the entire prefecture supply it with all their might.

It was based on this reason that Chen Ci tried a few times and discovered that if he let the Five Ghosts consume Essence Refining beforehand and then performed the Five Ghosts Possession Method, it could make his own Five Ghosts bear about one-third of the essence consumption. Although it did not increase the duration, after the spell was dispelled, he himself would not be completely drained, and it would be slightly faster to recover.

If Chen Ci previously needed to rest for twelve hours to recover his body after practicing the Five Ghosts Possession Method once, letting the Five Ghosts consume five drops of Essence Refining could shorten this time to about eight hours, which was still of some help to his cultivation.

Five Ghosts Transportation Method: Perfected/24/100

Five Ghosts Possession Method: Entry/7/100

"Practicing this Five Ghosts Method is ultimately a huge consumer of Essence Refining. It's only because there is still order in the Liang Kingdom that one can use livestock and animals as substitutes. If it were in the He Mountain territory, one wouldn't even have the face to greet fellow disciples when going out without harming three or five people every day."

Chen Ci stretched and subconsciously looked at his palms. He didn't know if it was because he practiced the Five Ghosts Possession Method too frequently, but he vaguely felt that his skeleton had become a bit thicker, but his muscles were a bit thinner, and his skin had lost two parts of its healthy color, appearing slightly cold.

Ignoring these details, Chen Ci thought for a moment that he had been in bitter cultivation for more than thirty days. Now that the Essence Refining was exhausted and there were only ten or twenty days left until the Dragon Lord's birthday banquet, there was no great significance in staying any longer; it was time to break through and leave.

Longgong... eh, speaking of which, with Jiao Zhenren as a precedent, he, Chen, could... also endure humiliation for the sake of He Mountain.

"I originally thought Lin Laohu was the model for our generation, rising from the bottom, learning wonderful methods, living in immortal mansions, and enjoying demon concubines; he lacked nothing."

"But thinking about it again, Jiao Zhenren is truly the master among them; the essence of it is worth our repeated study and pondering. Tsk tsk tsk, haha, I won't think about it anymore. But to be honest, this kind of ability is not something others can necessarily learn; it's not a bit easier than cultivation. I'd better honestly refine pills and make talismans; that is the right path."

Qiuzhen Workshop.

Chen Ci took the mansion token to return the rental. The rent for this Dong Bi Yan Fu where he had been in closed-door cultivation was not cheap, and he still had four Spirit Pearls deposited here.

After Chen Ci handed over the mansion token, the middle-aged cultivator on duty checked off a rental book, nodded at Chen Ci to indicate he could leave, and that was the end of it.

Chen Ci waited patiently for a long time. Seeing that this fellow seemed to have forgotten something, he couldn't help but tap the table and remind him: "This Daoist, shouldn't my deposit be returned to me?"

"Deposit?"

The middle-aged cultivator glanced at Chen Ci and said leisurely: "You rented the cave mansion for a total of thirty-eight days; how could there still be a deposit to return to you? It is written clearly in black and white in the rental book: no refunds for overages, and shortages must be made up. Remember to come out on time next time; just consider this a lesson."

"Are you joking?"

Chen Ci frowned: "The rock mansions in Qiuzhen Workshop are rented starting from seven days. How can one calculate the time so accurately for closed-door cultivation? Even if it exceeded by a few days, you should just deduct the deposit; you should still return two Spirit Pearls to me."

"Since you rented it for a month, it starts from a month. Eight days over is a full month, and one day over is also a full month."

The middle-aged cultivator waved his hand impatiently: "Go away, go away, don't pester me here."

Chen Ci stared at the middle-aged cultivator for a few moments, his eyes narrowing slightly. With a True Qi cultivation of only a few apertures, he probably wasn't even a proper disciple of Longhu Mountain; placed outside, he was truly at the level of someone who could be crushed with two fingers.

After watching for a moment like this, until the middle-aged cultivator's expression became somewhat unnatural, Chen Ci gave a cold laugh and asked in a low voice, "You shouldn't be an Inner Sect Disciple of Longhu Mountain, should you?"

"You—"

This middle-aged cultivator trembled inexplicably; perhaps because Chen Ci had been standing here for too long, a Deacon Daoist hurried out from behind a screen nearby, over fifty years of age, wearing a Longhu Daoist Robe, with a rather square face.

Seeing Chen Ci, this Daoist stepped forward, bowed slightly, and asked with a smile, "This Daoist, is there something you do not understand? Could you tell this poor Daoist about it?"

"Deacon Feng, this Daoist is being somewhat unreasonable; it is clearly he who missed the deadline to return the cave dwelling—"

The middle-aged Daoist, perhaps seeing that he had found a backer, hurriedly recounted the ins and outs of the matter, his expression quite aggrieved.

Upon hearing this, Deacon Feng also frowned slightly and scolded him in a low voice, "How can you be so stubborn? Do you not know how to be flexible?"

He then turned his head to smile at Chen Ci, "A misunderstanding, this Daoist, it is all a misunderstanding. Come this way, I will handle it for you. It is but a small deposit, let us not harm our harmony. By the way—"

Deacon Feng seemed to have remembered something and smiled apologetically, "However, the cave dwelling deposit has indeed been entered into the ledger. If it is to be returned to you, Daoist, there are some things that must be inquired about and recorded, otherwise the accounts will not match. I ask for your understanding, Daoist."

Hearing this, Chen Ci's expression softened quite a bit. He glanced at the middle-aged cultivator; look at the conduct and service attitude of a disciple from a major sect, yet you, a temporary worker, are still so arrogant. Hmph.

"It was just a small matter, I have troubled you, Daoist Feng."

Chen Ci nodded, indicating his cooperation.

"No trouble at all. Hmm, may I ask from which immortal mountain you hail, Daoist?"

Deacon Feng picked up the rental ledger and a gold brush, his attitude gentle as he asked.

Chen Ci was just about to answer truthfully, but subconsciously paused, swallowing the words "He Mountain" that had reached his lips, and only managed to squeeze out, "I come from a small sect, unknown and unheard of; I have let you laugh, Daoist."

"No matter, no matter, all cultivators under heaven are Daoists, after all."

Deacon Feng gave a dry laugh, lifted his brush as if to record something, and asked again, "By the way, Daoist, do you have any relatives or seniors who have reached the Golden Core stage living in the Sea Market? If you have a Dharma Tablet token for a cave dwelling, you could let me record it, so I may fulfill my duties."

"This—"

Chen Ci thought for a moment: "I do have some, but as for this Dharma Tablet token—"

"Oh, I see."

Deacon Feng simply put away the rental ledger and smiled apologetically, "Then that won't do. Your conditions, Daoist, do not meet the criteria for a deposit refund. The rules of the Qiuzhen Workshop are as they are, and I can only act according to the regulations. I ask for your understanding, Daoist, please leave quickly."

Chen Ci: "..."

???

"By the way, Daoist, if you stay here any longer, this poor Daoist will have to call for the patrolling cultivators."

Deacon Feng's expression turned slightly cold, "Longhu Mountain disciples have never bullied others, nor are they bullied by others. If you, Daoist, wish to act presumptuously based on your cultivation, you had better weigh it carefully."

Chen Ci realized what was happening; this fellow was truly a talent, making him think just a moment ago that there was actually reason to be had.

So it was about power and background, probing his bottom line?

"Ha!"

Chen Ci gave a cold laugh, stared at the two of them, and turned to leave. Before he had walked many steps, he heard a sneer from behind, though he could not tell who it came from.

Cultivators, cultivators, one must still rely on cultivation to speak; he had almost forgotten that low-level cultivators do not have much say.

"Damn it, it looked like it was just a matter of two Spirit Pearls, but now it doesn't count, heh!"

Chen Ci exited the Qiuzhen Workshop, looked back, and muttered to himself, "You two, don't let your Master Chen run into you in the wild, or you two will have a bitter fruit to eat."

I'll go find a Force Path Facie to practice later; we cultivators must be brave and diligent.

And then I'll get my own back!

(End of chapter)