I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 31 The White Ape Knocks on the Door
When Ying Chan awoke, the Xuanming Altar was completely empty.

He glanced at the sky again and realized that the sun had already passed its zenith.

At this time, Zhengyuantan had probably already begun his lectures, but Yingchan had missed it.

However, Ying Chan was not overly upset, because he had gained a great deal from this lecture.

As he got up and walked through the mountains, he had a particular feeling—

As long as one has a single thought, one can ride the wind and soar away!

Of course, Ying Chan would not attempt it.

He knew this wasn't a misperception, but he was also acutely aware of how dangerous it was.

Because Qi Refining cultivators have heavy mortal bodies and insufficient magical power, whether they rely on spells or magical artifacts to fly off the ground, once their magical power is exhausted or something goes wrong, they will immediately face the danger of falling to their death.

But if one opens the meridians of heaven and earth and cultivates the profound light, everything will be different.

Xuan Guang cultivators have completed the convergence of the inner and outer worlds, so they can take off and fly directly without relying on any spells, magic tools, or even expending any magical power, and can also freely cope with all kinds of changes while flying in the air.

It can be said that only by cultivating the Xuan Guang can one begin to experience the freedom and ease that Taoist cultivators pursue.

However, taking advantage of the gentle breeze and soaring through the air is something worth trying.

As Ying Chan walked, a gust of wind suddenly rose from the flat ground, causing his clothes and sleeves to flutter.

With a light tap of his foot, he actually floated up, leaping two or three zhang high before landing back down in the mountains.

Ying Chan looked down, stepped on the branches and leaves of the trees in the mountains, and flew away gracefully.

At that moment, he truly had the illusion of being freed from the shackles of the earth, and a longing for the sky arose spontaneously within him.

"Having cultivated the Profound Light, one can enter and exit the Azure Netherworld..."

Ying Chan sighed softly, then floated down again, stepping on the branches and leaves of the trees, and gracefully descended the mountainside.

However, once they left the Xuanming Altar and returned to the main road, the number of pedestrians increased again.

Ying Chan then restrained himself and stopped riding the wind.

It's impossible to go to Zhengyuantan now. Whether I arrive late or leave midway, it would be disrespectful to my teachers.

Although Ying Chan wanted to hear about swordsmanship, it wouldn't be too late to wait until next time.

He turned onto a familiar road and headed towards Yunji Pavilion.

Today's lecture allowed Ying Chan to fully organize his understanding of the principles of wind.

His ability to control the wind and air has also improved significantly, allowing him to cultivate more advanced wind-based spells.

……

The sun sets in the west.

Ying Chan walked through the Yunji Pavilion with ease, and soon found himself holding a thin copy of a Taoist book.

Although he had already copied it once, he was still somewhat unable to extricate himself from it, so he had to divide his mind into two, looking for the way while constantly flipping through the copy.

This Taoist book does not describe the traditional magic of wind, but rather the method of cultivating the 'Five Qi Spiritual Wind'.

It states that wind is the sigh of heaven and earth; although it is not among the five elements, it is closely related to them.

By using the Five Elements and Five Qi, different characteristics can be given to the wind.

Of course, despite this, the book only mentions three methods of refining spiritual wind: metal wind, water wind, and fire wind.

Metal energy is strong and sharp; water energy is cold and damp; fire energy is fierce and scorching.

They are all top-notch.

As Ying Chan looked through the pages, he couldn't help but nod slightly, flipping through them repeatedly until he finally stopped on one page.

"Moisture and cold wind..."

"Absorb moisture, store it in the kidney acupoints, and circulate yin and yang..."

"When the wind is summoned, it is combined with the cold air of water..."

"This method also has the effect of preserving essence and promoting growth... When practicing this method, one should especially avoid being frightened."

Ying Chan, lost in thought, stepped across the stream stones and stopped in front of the courtyard gate.

A moment later, he turned and walked towards Xiaxi, stood by the lake, and silently circulated his qi.

"Hiss—!" With the force of gathering energy, wisps of mist on the lake surface turned into a line with the water vapor and were inhaled into his mouth until his chest swelled up.

With a single breath, that's all the moisture it can absorb.

Ying Chan should use the methods he has just learned to transport the water vapor to the kidney acupoints and refine the yin and yang...

The vitality of water, the warmth of water, the flow of water... nourish the kidney acupoints, store essence and generate vitality.

The coldness, dampness, and heaviness of water... are used in refining and processing.

"Uu——!"

Ying Chan slowly exhaled, and a white, cold aura shot out, landing on Xiaqi Lake, instantly forming thin ice crystals on the surface.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Although the ice crystals were quickly swallowed up by the ripples on the lake, Ying Chan had already truly experienced what the coldness of water meant.

But to combine with the wind and refine it into a true water vapor and cold wind is not so simple.

Ying Chan glanced at the Taoist book in his hand, stuffed it into his robes, and began to absorb the water vapor again.

He stopped moving only when he felt that his kidney acupoints were full of moisture, returned to the room, and began to slowly separate yin and yang.

Thus, the sun sets and the moon rises, the moon sets and the sun rises.

Ying Chan followed the steps systematically, gathering qi, listening to lectures, practicing exercises, refining qi, and demonstrating techniques every day...

During this time, he went to Yunji Pavilion to look for Taoist books for reference, drank wine with Li Xuanying by Xiaqi Lake, and once again lit the furnace fire in the alchemy room to try to absorb fire energy...

Before I knew it, several turns had passed.

There were no classes that morning.

Ying Chan and Li Xuanying went together to gather qi, and after returning, they each went their own way.

In the main room, Li Xuanying began to read the Taoist books that Xu Yuan had given him.

Ying Chan, having been away from the field for quite some time, began practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.

But before he could complete a full set of sword techniques, he heard a knocking sound coming from outside the courtyard.

But then there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Ying Chan was somewhat surprised. He twirled his sword, sheathed it, and hung it on the wall before opening the courtyard gate.

"Squeak..."

The wooden door creaked open with a familiar, rough sound, but his gaze immediately fell downwards—

A small white ape, about half a person's height and standing on two legs, appeared before Ying Chan.

Ying Chan asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

"Woo-woo!" The little white ape gestured with its hands and feet, looking quite anxious.

Ying Chan was completely baffled.

Although there are many spirits and monsters in the Taoist temple, and there are often new faces, this is the first time Ying Chan has seen this ape.

He was certain that the little white ape wasn't looking for him, so he asked again, "Did you come to the wrong courtyard? Or are you looking for Xuan Ying?"

"woo woo woo woo!"

Sure enough, upon hearing the name Xuan Ying, Yuan'er immediately became excited and began gesturing wildly with both hands and feet.

Upon seeing this, Ying Chan was about to return to the courtyard to find Xuan Ying, but he had already heard the commotion and went out of the main house.

"what?"

Sure enough, Li Xuanying let out a soft exclamation upon seeing the white ape.

He strode forward, patted the ape's head, and asked with a hint of surprise, "What brings you to the Taoist academy?"

Upon seeing this, Ying Chan realized that the man and the ape were indeed acquainted.

Just as he was about to make way, Yuan'er grabbed Li Xuanying's hand and began to whimper as if begging.

"What?" Li Xuanying wasn't an ape after all. After listening carefully several times, his expression suddenly turned serious: "You mean Brother Ape? What happened to it?"

(End of this chapter)