Chapter 71: Bestowing the Sword

"Hiss, this Breaking Aperture Pill is truly potent. No wonder it explicitly stated that only a robust young man with a healthy body should take it; it is a medicine for tigers and wolves, and it lives up to its reputation."

Chen Ci sucked in cold air repeatedly; his muscles and bones felt as if they were splitting, and even his meridians and acupoints suffered some damage.

However, the effects were also there.

Three Yin Qi-Eating Method: 34/100

One pill results in opening one acupoint.

Chen Ci had just taken the Breaking Aperture Pill with the heart blood of a Tiger Sha, practicing the Qi-eating method.

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, he did not feel any spiritual Qi or spiritual opportunity dispersing into his limbs and meridians; under the guidance of the Tiger Sha heart blood, Chen Ci vaguely felt one of his acupoints transform into a fierce tiger filled with baleful energy, charging at him to kill.

Naturally, he was not afraid, and he channeled his True Qi to strike back at it.

Just kidding; if he couldn't beat it into a little kitten, it would really think that Master Chen had no means or skills.

After finally subduing this baleful tiger, Chen Ci opened his eyes abruptly and realized he had opened one acupoint, his cultivation advancing a step further.

"My body hurts a bit; I'm afraid it won't recover to its original state for three or five days. It seems I must be careful when taking this Tiger Sha Breaking Aperture Pill."

Chen Ci channeled his Three Yin True Qi, slowly nourishing the injuries in his body, and decided to wait seven days to recuperate before breaking through another acupoint.

It wouldn't do to not recuperate; if the True Qi failed to subdue the baleful tiger, this pill would likely be wasted, which would be too unjust.

Chen Ci recuperated for a moment, suddenly thought of something, hesitated for a moment, took out a Longevity Pill, and swallowed it.

A sense of satisfaction, distinct from the feeling of being full, rose in his stomach; at the same time, the blood in his body seemed to accelerate slightly, warm and incredibly comfortable.

"This Longevity Pill is indeed beneficial for physical recovery, but its curative effect on meridians and acupoints is minimal. It seems these areas that are neither solid nor void must be carefully protected. The Tiger Sha Breaking Aperture Pill can only be taken three times by one person; I suppose this is the reason."

Chen Ci stood up and stretched his muscles and bones; at this rate, charging toward forty acupoints before the end of the year was very promising.

"Swallow the Golden Core into the belly, like a person of Longevity."

Chen Ci stood up satisfied, adjusted his Daoist robe at the waist, and covered up Little Chen.

Having a good body has this one downside: the internal fire is quite strong.

"I'll have to be careful even when channeling True Qi these next two days."

Chen Ci felt himself inexplicably getting a bit hot and subconsciously looked at Little Right; although the Spirit-Absorbing Spell was good, he was afraid of being struck dead by a void Thunder Technique from an expert of the Eight Views Palace.

Question: What should a lonely man do?

Of course, practice martial arts.

Since he couldn't practice the Qi-eating method, Chen Ci simply began practicing the Stone Lock Hunyuan Art during this time to polish his muscles and bones; at least judging from the process of taking the Tiger Sha Breaking Aperture Pill, a strong and sturdy body was indeed useful.

Stone Lock Hunyuan Art: 79/100 (Taking this pill, three per day, five days of bitter cultivation can advance one more)

"Hoo!"

As a puff of white air was slowly exhaled from Chen Ci's mouth, the heat in his body slowly receded, but that feeling of being full of energy remained; he felt he could go a few more times.

Comfortable!

"I overlooked it; this Longevity Pill is likely of no small use to ordinary martial artists in the secular world, but because I have already entered the Dao and am re-practicing mortal arts, I can succeed in one year."

Chen Ci nodded; if the time were stretched out, this Longevity Pill would not be something ordinary martial artists could afford. However, those on the verge of Zhoutian Consummation could try it to keep their body's Qi and blood in a peak state for a long time.

"It's alright, but the feeling of cultivating by popping pills is just like getting rich overnight; it makes one unable to stop."

Chen Ci sighed; it was a pity that only two Breaking Aperture Pills remained. Finishing them meant bankruptcy, and he would have to go back to the bitter cultivation of True Qi like a poor man.

Sanyin Temple, backyard.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Chen Ci looked at Liu Heming kneeling on the ground, rubbed his chin, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

During these days, he had not had much contact with the spirit child Liu Yanyi, only maintaining the image of an expert, occasionally bestowing some favors, and giving some pills to help Liu Heming heal his injuries.

With him taking one Longevity Pill a day, after only ten days of effort, except for his left hand which was still a bit inconvenient, the rest of the child had recovered seven or eight tenths, no different from a normal person; he had even grown two parts stronger, not losing any vitality at all because of the injury.

At this moment, Liu Heming knelt on the ground, holding his hands up; on his hand was an object that looked like a soybean.

Chen Ci took one look and recognized that this was the Soldier Bean that the old Daoist Ge Zhou had thrown down when fighting; it could summon an armored ghost, which was considered somewhat miraculous.

This art of scattering beans to become soldiers, while seemingly magical, was actually quite similar to raising ghosts; it was also a means of commanding ghosts. However, the method depends on the person; this ghost had the luck of eight lifetimes following a Daoist from Longhu Mountain, but if it had followed a cultivator from the He Mountain Sect, it would have had the misfortune of eight lifetimes.

Ahem, of course, except for following him, Chen Ci; don't you see that those five fierce gods, under Master Chen's daily cleansing, are about to escape the sea of suffering and ascend to the Great Dao.

"Reporting to Benefactor True Person, this is a fairy bean given to this little one by Ge Shi for self-defense; this little one could not bear to use it."

Liu Heming bowed a few times: "This little one has no extra wealth; could I use this bean as payment, and beg Benefactor True Person to send this little one to Quanshan? I dare not trouble Benefactor True Person; if you could choose a reliable person to escort me, this little one would be eternally grateful."

"Heh!"

Chen Ci chuckled; it wasn't a sneer, but rather he felt this kid was truly decisive.

To this child, this bean was not just a simple protective object.

It was a token of the Immortal Gate.

Didn't you see that even when this child was almost hacked to death, he couldn't bear to activate this Soldier Bean, just for fear that when he arrived at Quanshan later, no one would recognize him and he wouldn't be able to enter the sect.

But Liu Heming had figured it out; at his tender age of ten-plus years, let alone going to Quanshan a thousand miles away, whether he could survive leaving the Changping County area was questionable. If he dragged it out too long, the meager legacy of his cheap master would likely dissipate, and it would be useless even if he went.

Cut when it is time to cut; he couldn't stay in Changping County, and only by going to Quanshan would he have a chance.

Chen Ci pondered for a moment; he was actually quite curious about this craft of making talismans from beans. The waste beans he had picked up before had their interiors destroyed, so he couldn't see anything at all.

And this Soldier Bean, in terms of value alone, was likely worth about two Spirit Pearls.

"Put it away."

Chen Ci said with a faint smile: "Since you know you have the aptitude for cultivation, yet you have never begged to join the Sanyin Temple, I fear it is because Daoist Ge spoke ill of me to you?"

Liu Heming's face turned pale, and he bowed to the ground, not daring to speak.

"Let me tell you this: if I, the poor Daoist, send you to Quanshan, or if someone else sends you to Quanshan, you will not have the slightest chance of entering the sect."

Chen Ci said indifferently: "Because your Dao Heart is not firm and your foundation is not pure. Quanshan is not short of a cultivation boy. Only by holding this token and going there by your own strength will you have a slight chance of achieving your wish."

Having his thoughts pointed out by Chen Ci, Liu Heming was both anxious and desperate; with a thousand miles of distance, how could he go?

Even holding the Soldier Bean, it only had the power of one strike, and he did not have the ability to gather the ghost again.

Should he simply join Sanyin Temple?

"Do you truly wish to seek the Dao?"

Chen Ci did not know what this little boy was thinking; if he had known, he would likely have just chuckled and kicked him out the door, truly thinking that he, Master Chen, would take in just any stray cat or dog.

It was just that his foundation was too shallow; otherwise, if Chen Ci were to take an Apprentice, it would have to be that little girl sweeping the floor outside, as only she would be worthy of being an Apprentice to Master Chen.

What a pity.

Chen Ci withdrew his gaze with regret, saw Liu Heming kowtowing on the ground repeatedly, and said indifferently: "Daoist Ge and I can barely be considered friends who have shared life and death. Although I cannot pass on my Daoist arts to you, I can pass on a few sword moves; they may barely suffice for killing enemies, but they are more than enough for self-protection."

"As for the payment."

Chen Ci paused for a moment: "This Soldier Bean is worth about two hundred taels of gold. If you can enter Quanshan, use this item as a benchmark for valuation and pay me back with interest in the future, can you do that?"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Liu Heming's eyes, and he bowed fiercely: "This kid swears, I will never dare to forget."

"Hmm, the path of swordsmanship is easy to say it is easy, and hard to say it is hard, but I do have a method for quick success; you must take care of yourself."

Chen Ci said indifferently: "I will only teach you for half a month; how much you can learn depends on your own fortune."

He hoped this kid could protect the two of them as they went to Quanshan together.

Chen Ci, however, did not believe that if this kid knocked on the gates of Quanshan, the cultivators on the mountain would miss the fact that the burden by his side was a piece of uncut jade.

"If the Five Ghosts Possession Great Method is not viable..."

Chen Ci muttered in his heart: "My own path of the Dao may have a sliver of hope resting on you."

(End of this chapter)