novelraw Chapter 15 : Chapter 15
Chapter 15 : Chapter 15
Chapter 15 : Illiterate Genius
Xun Qiu was illiterate.
Although she sounded decent when she spoke, could occasionally recite a couple of lines of poetry she had heard from somewhere, and could even mix in some idioms and allusions in her speech, she was indeed an illiterate.
The man discovered this point when he was explaining the Tai Xuan Heart Sutra to her, because the questions this person asked were not ones a literate person would ask.
For example, when he said a line like “Separate qi to sweep the divine repository, sink the heart into the step corridor,” anyone who was literate would ask what “divine repository” and “step corridor” were, and where they were.
And Xun Qiu?
She would just ask you to explain every single word from beginning to end.
After trying to explain two sentences, the man immediately realized that this would not work at all.
He didn't know if Xun Qiu could cultivate to the Middle Four Realms in three days, but he knew that he definitely could not teach her to be literate and proficient in the Tai Xuan Heart Sutra in one day.
So he simply gave up on teaching the complete Tai Xuan Heart Sutra.
All the profound and mysterious parts that he himself didn't quite understand and could only consider as admonitions and maxims were discarded, leaving only the most basic method of circulating true qi.
He then explained it in detail to Xun Qiu in language that even a monkey could understand.
She indeed had astonishing comprehension, and just by listening, she understood about seventy to eighty percent of the acupoints.
Even so, it was already the afternoon of the second day, and the man had only taught the true qi circulation route for the Qi Refining stage.
Bo Qiuyun wanted Xun Qiu to cultivate the Nameless Book, and Yun Qingping also believed that it was the most suitable cultivation technique for her, but the latter was unwilling for Xun Qiu to start cultivating it immediately after remodeling her body.
The secondary reason was that she didn't quite understand the essence of the Nameless Book and felt that teaching it would mislead the younger generation, and it was even less reliable for Xun Qiu to practice it on her own.
The main reason was that the Nameless Book was unconventional, and Xun Qiu's personality was also different from that of ordinary people.
She was worried that if she cultivated this way, the best outcome would be Xun Qiu suffering a cultivation deviation, her Dao vanishing and her body perishing.
The worst outcome would be the Five Continents and Four Poles gaining a Heaven and Human Realm demonic head who would bring disaster to all directions.
Therefore, Yun Qingping planned to have Xun Qiu first cultivate a proper Daoist technique like the Tai Xuan Heart Sutra, and then let her junior martial sister, who was the Sect Master of the Tai Xuan Sect, subtly correct Xun Qiu's worldview, and only then switch to cultivating the Nameless Book.
“I wonder how long it will take for her to enter the gate?”
The man looked at Xun Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged with spiritual energy lingering around her, and thought to himself, “With such a root bone and no lack of comprehension, it should be very fast.”
Back then, it took him two hours to find the first wisp of his own true qi from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and he was considered to have good talent and was thus able to enter the Tai Xuan Sect.
He didn't know much about the true top-tier geniuses among the Six Surnames and Twelve Sects.
Those people had all grown up eating heavenly materials and earthly treasures and couldn't be equated with ordinary people.
He had only heard that it generally took a quarter of an hour.
A top-tier expert of the Heaven and Human Realm like their own Sect Master was said to have only taken three minutes back then, and was considered the number one prodigy since the founding of the sect.
Looking at Xun Qiu's momentum, he felt that even if she couldn't compare to their own Sect Master, she was definitely not weaker than those top-tier geniuses.
If it was a quarter of an hour, calculating based on the cultivation progress of those geniuses, and regardless of whether the foundation was unstable, if she only cultivated true qi for three days, it would be enough to reach the peak of Qi Refining.
This level of strength was too much to ask to turn the tide of battle, but if the timing was right, it might not be impossible to play a role.
As long as she could attract the attention of that Demonic Cult member, he would have a chance for a one-hit kill.
While waiting for Xun Qiu, the man also used his true qi to dissolve his injuries.
About a quarter of an hour later, Xun Qiu opened her eyes.
The man immediately slowed down his healing and asked with divided attention:
“Found the qi sensation? Let me see your true qi.”
Xun Qiu closed her eyes, feeling the true qi that was flowing along her meridians, nourishing her five viscera, six bowels, flesh, and bones.
She once again confirmed that this was the Tai Xuan true qi that the man had described.
So, without further hesitation, she extended her right hand.
The man was about to place his fingers on it to feel the internal breath in Xun Qiu's body.
This was normal, because the newly cultivated true qi was very weak and difficult to release outside the body, so an outsider had to take the initiative to probe it.
To actively erupt with true qi, enhance the body's strength and speed, or perform saber moves, sword moves, or escape arts, one had to gain a firm footing in the Qi Refining stage.
Only at the peak of Qi Refining could one achieve continuous external release of true qi, thereby controlling magical artifacts, performing introductory immortal arts and Daoist techniques, and activating talismans.
If the true qi was not abundant enough or condensed enough, it would dissipate rapidly after leaving the body.
If the recovery speed was not fast enough, one would not be able to release true qi for a long time.
As the man recalled what he had learned, he suddenly saw wisps of Tai Xuan true qi appear on Xun Qiu's right hand.
They exuded the unique sense of neutrality and peace of Daoist true qi, coiling around Xun Qiu's fingertips like long white snakes, swallowing and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and did not dissipate for a long time.
Did not dissipate for a long, long time.
“……”
The man suddenly fell into silence.
What is the meaning of life, what is the meaning of effort, when listening to the Grand Elder's lecture two years ago, he should have raised his hand to answer the question, when confessing to his beloved junior martial sister, he should have bought a better-looking Daoist robe, what am I, and what is me, where is the end of the world.
In this instant, he thought of many things, and felt that he had understood the ultimate mysteries of the world and the universe.
He would rather believe his old eyes were failing him than accept this result.
But the facts were right in front of him, and no matter how he thought about it, they would not change one bit.
The man's face contorted due to his complex emotions.
A quarter of an hour?
Peak of Qi Refining?
To make the hunted and life-threatened Bo Qiuyun specifically free up his hands to pull her out of the mortal world, to make Yun Qingping, who had feigned death and betrayed the Tai Xuan Sect, believe that she had received a decree from heaven, willingly lending one hundred thirty-nine million high-grade spirit stones, and risk being exposed just to send her into the Tai Xuan Sect.
This was Xun Qiu's talent.
From knowing nothing about cultivation, to the peak of Qi Refining, it took her nearly a day, but the actual cultivation only took a quarter of an hour.
A quarter of an hour, peak of Qi Refining.
Su Wantian naturally did not know how astonishing Xun Qiu's talent was.
He rushed back to the Su Residence overnight, and when he found Master Su, Xun Qiu was still struggling to try to learn how to read.
“Coming to find me so late, what are you up to again?”
Master Su sat in the room wearing a nightgown.
It was not an elegant attire, but there was no need to consider so much between father and son.
Su Wantian cupped his hands and said:
“Your son has a favor to ask.”
“If it is about seeking immortals and visiting the Dao, don't even talk about it.”
Master Su said coldly.
When you were young, you said you wanted to study.
You studied for more than ten years and didn't make a name for yourself.
I don't blame you, everyone has their own strengths.
Your talent is not in this, and it's useless to force you.
But you, you must regret it.
You regret wasting time, wasting money.
“Tell me about yourself, what have you ever persisted in to the end since you were a child? Spending money, it doesn't matter, the family has plenty of money for you to spend, but what about the time you've wasted? You are no longer young, you haven't started a family, haven't established a career, how much time will you waste before you regret it again?”