Chapter 36: Cultivation
The progress bar… it can fail?
Is it because the other party is too strong?
Li Qi thought to himself.
However, he immediately cast aside these thoughts.
There was no need to dwell on such irrelevant matters. It was better to focus on how to cultivate; that was the proper path.
It was spring, and spring signifies the stirrings of life. Its position is in the East. Its color is green. Its sound is jiao, which means the movement and brilliance of qi. Its emperor is Taihao, hao means the great awakening and bustling of myriad things. Its deity is Goumang, who presides over the beginning of life; his essence is the Azure Dragon, and mang means budding.
Sacrifice was not merely kneeling and begging; that was only a small part. Li Qi looked at the descriptions in the "Zhu" book. First, one needed to use ash and water to trace a winding path from outside the door into the room, encircling it. This was called: "Guiding the Dragon Back."
After that, one had to light dried plants. He grabbed a handful from outside, lit it, and waved it, calling it: "Fumigating Insects."
Then there were other rituals, such as "Stir-frying Beans" and "Dancing for Rain," completing the full rites of food and drink. Only after this entire process was the sacrifice considered complete.
Although there were no stir-fried beans, rice cakes were used instead.
It probably wouldn't cause any problems.
Li Qi was busy for nearly half an hour before finishing.
Then, he felt a peculiar change in his body.
The rising dragon-shaped constellation in the East projected a stream of qi into his body.
A peculiar power.
He couldn't describe what it was at all.
He only felt that he seemed to have grown stronger? And then… there was a vibrant, vital feeling?
It was very normal. Spring is the time when heaven and earth communicate, all things begin to grow, and yin and yang intertwine. The Azure Dragon is the East of the Four Symbols, and wood governs the East; it corresponds to spring. Mu (wood) means 'to touch'; it is the stirring of yang qi, emerging from the earth to grow. Water flows towards the East to nourish wood; wood grows upwards and provides cover below, which is its natural quality.
Earlier, he used water to guide wood, achieving "Guiding the Dragon Back." Water nourishes wood, qi is immeasurable, things mature in due season, branches and leaves flourish, forming a dense forest, taking its abundance of wood. When wood grows, the spirit is vigorous and prosperous, hence it is called "Great Forest Wood."
This was the power representing the breath of life, and it was the power one could obtain from offering sacrifices and prayers at this moment.
Li Qi only felt that all the fatigue from the past two days disappeared.
He was full of energy, and even the qi emptiness caused by the Bull Strength Art was healed!
His barren miniature heaven and earth finally welcomed its first wisp of external qi.
It was as if a long drought had met sweet rain; a vibrant, vital power filled his body. Li Qi even felt that he had grown taller.
A sudden realization dawned within him, and even the world before his eyes changed.
He… had truly stepped onto the path of cultivation, following the ritual priest's path within the Shamanic Way, with the Earth Deity branch.
After truly drawing qi into his body, he felt that his perception of the world had changed.
Under the guidance of the Great Forest Wood Qi, he could vaguely perceive the different types of qi between heaven and earth.
Heaven has heavenly qi, earth has earthly qi, humans have human qi, demons have demonic qi, and gods have divine qi; different things have different natures of qi.
Various qi are also different. For example, heavenly qi includes the Eight Winds and the Six Temperaments; it is heavenly qi that helps heaven and earth create all things, much like music, which harmonizes qi, transforms all people, and completes their nature and destiny.
There is the qi of Taicu, symbolizing the birth of all things.
Yin qi resides beneath the Yellow Springs, nourishing all things.
There are also many, many classifications of qi: summer qi, dew qi, mixed qi, and so on and so forth.
Different types of qi, when gathered, can produce different effects.
Just like humans, who are born from the blending of yin and yang qi.
Thunder is the exhalation of yang qi.
Wutu qi can generate mist; earth has no inherent qi, but arises from fire and manifests through the sun.
Clouds, on the other hand, are the qi of mountains and lakes.
The book "Zhu" states: "All things in heaven and earth are born of qi. Qi interacts and transforms to give birth to all things, so where qi reaches, one can know the kind from which it originates."
This means that countless types of qi combine to give birth to this world. As long as one can distinguish the nature and capabilities of all types of qi, one can understand the origin of the world.
For example, the four seasons are the rotation of the Six Qi to form the four seasons. The four seasons are the result of the cyclic production of six types of qi: yin qi, yang qi, wind qi, rain qi, murky qi, and bright qi.
As the saying goes: "Heaven has six qi, namely yin, yang, wind, rain, murky, and bright."
Li Qi didn't recognize most of the various types of qi, and only barely recognized a small portion with the help of the "Zhu" book. However, at this moment, he couldn't concern himself with so much. He wielded the Great Forest Wood Qi he had just acquired, opening his eyes to observe all the qi around him.
By attaching qi to his eyes, he could observe other types of qi.
Although this would cause consumption, it wasn't enormous; even someone like Li Qi, who had just drawn qi into his body, could maintain it for about an hour before it ended.
In this state, Li Qi could even see the ying qi and wei qi on the still-sleeping Shen Shuibi.
They were all newly generated qi. It seemed she indeed hadn't lied; the qi on her body was very weak and very new, clearly the result of her cultivating again after abolishing her previous cultivation.
At the same time, he used the Bull Strength Art.
Now, his Bull Strength Art no longer had a ten-minute time limit. Instead, it would end only when the qi in his miniature heaven and earth was exhausted.
Of course, the limit of three uses per day still applied.
He now understood why there was a limit of three uses per day: because… the Earth Deity Qiong didn't want others to take his power whenever they pleased, as that would make it seem cheap… so if someone borrowed his power three times in a row, he would stop lending it.
How truly willful.
The Bull Strength Art, when activated by the Great Forest Wood Qi, seemed to have improved in its duration. This was determined by the nature of the qi.
Furthermore, he could feel the process…
This spell didn't come out of thin air. When he activated it, he could feel a faint wisp of qi transmitting from the void.
That was the divine qi of the Earth Deity Qiong.
This divine qi brought extraordinary abilities: thickened skin, vigorous yang qi, and abundant strength, allowing Li Qi to possess combat power equal to ten men.
The wood qi brought a new characteristic to this spell. Because the natures of the qi were compatible, Li Qi felt his stamina had become stronger. Previously, although his explosive power was fierce, there was always a need to recover his breath. But now, he didn't need to recover; he could unleash many punches at full strength in one go.
Having completed the Heaven Spirit sacrifice and acquired the first wisp of Great Forest Wood Qi, Li Qi unhesitatingly began the second round, which was the Earth Deity sacrifice.
What should be sacrificed to the Earth Deities at this time of year?
At this time, it was appropriate to sacrifice to the Five Household Deities.
What are the Five Household Deities? They are the gods of the door, the household gate, the well, the stove, and the central dwelling. Why are they sacrificed to? Because they are where people enter and exit, and where they eat and drink, so they are worshipped as gods.
But there are also specific rules:
Why is it that the Five Household Deities are sacrificed to once a year? It is to follow the Five Elements.
Therefore, in spring, one sacrifices to the household gate. The household gate is where people enter and exit; similarly, in spring, all things begin to emerge from their dwelling.
In summer, one sacrifices to the stove, the master of fire, by which one nourishes oneself. Summer is also when fire flourishes, nurturing all things.
In autumn, one sacrifices to the door. The door is for closing and securing oneself; autumn is also when all things mature, and one prepares and defends oneself inwardly.
In winter, one sacrifices to the well. The well is where water is stored and contained within the earth; winter is also when water flourishes, and all things are hidden away.
Therefore, the book "Zhu" explicitly states: "In spring, its sacrifice is to the household gate."
Sacrificing to the household god actually means sacrificing to the two deities, Yulei and Shentu.
These two Earth Deities are good at governing evil spirits, and thus are revered as household gods.
To sacrifice to them, Li Qi took out his willow branch.
(Chapter End)