Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 12. Cultivation
A moment later, Tian Kuizi left, and the copy of "Tai Bai Jin Gang Jue" was placed in a cultivation room next to the cultivation hall. The two wooden boxes sealed with thousand-pound talismans remained in place. Zhang Yi and Zhong Xu tried to move them, but found that they could not be moved at all. As for tearing open the talismans, that was even more impossible.

The four entered the cultivation room, intending to read together, but a conflict soon arose.
"Stay away from me!" Que Tan'er tugged at her fragrant sleeve in disgust, looking warily at Zhang Yi beside her.

It was fine from a distance, but now that they were closer, a faint smell of blood emanated from Zhang Yi.

However, Zhang Yi's clothes were clean, and his beard was meticulously groomed. The smell of blood wasn't in these areas, but rather seemed to be ingrained in his flesh and blood.
Zhang Yi gave her a cold glance.

That one glance was like looking at a dead person.

Que Tan'er was startled, but then became angry and said, "I am a member of the Que family from the capital! What are you looking at?!"

Zhang Yi said calmly, "It seems that the teacher said that it's okay to kill anyone who tries to cheat by using their identity."

Zhong Xu looked up and asked coldly, "You want to kill us?"

Zhang Yi said, "I just want to see the cultivation technique."

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Song Chen looked at Zhang Yi, and the murderous aura of the man in front of him was impossible to block. This easily led people to think that the bloody smell on him was from killing too many people, so much so that it could not be washed off and had been pickled into his body.

But that doesn't matter. Strictly speaking, it's not easy for him to get here. This past autumn, he was still in the cannon fodder camp.

What he cared about was that there weren't three vacancies at Jinxia Mountain, but four. In other words, four positions at Jinxia Mountain suddenly became vacant. So, what happened to the previous four people? Where did they go?

After a moment's thought, Song Chen smiled and said, "How about we split into two groups and switch every hour? Brother Zhang, if you don't mind, how about joining my group?"

Que Tan'er said, "Then let's take a look first!"

Song Chen looked at Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi scoffed, "A kid like you, if it weren't for a good family background, hmph!"

As he spoke, he took the initiative to leave, clearly having no intention of arguing about who went first.

Song Chen followed him out, and as he left, he turned an hourglass on the side of the bronze platform upside down.

He could faintly hear Que Tan'er stomping her feet behind him.

Outside the meditation room is a platform halfway up the mountain.

Outside the platform, there were rolling clouds and mist.

There are several such meditation rooms in Jinxia Mountain.

At this moment, Zhang Yi stood in front of the clouds and mist. Song Chen walked to his side and looked into the distance with him. Then he said, "The way the aristocratic families play their roles might be a little different from what you do there."

Zhang Yi turned his head to look at him, his expression shifting, and said, "You mean she's faking it, trying to lull me into a false sense of security?"

Song Chen said, "Brother Zhang is covered in blood and has killed countless people. She felt weak, so she used a little trick to make Brother Zhang make the wrong judgment."

Zhang Yi pondered for a moment and said, "That's right. You're from the capital too, so you know about these things. But they all seem to ignore you. Could it be that they're just pretending?"

Song Chen smiled and said, "That's not it, it's just that I'm of lowly status."

Zhang Yi sneered, “We’re all cultivators now, we’re all on the same starting line, so who’s superior or inferior? A hero’s origins don’t matter. If I become a great cultivator one day, won’t countless powerful and wealthy people be bowing down at my feet?”

Song Chen said, "Brother Zhang has a lot of experience, but since we're all starting from the same point and come from the same school, wouldn't it be good to leave some lingering affection?"
If outsiders were to mention Miss Tan'er, they would say that she was Brother Zhang's junior sister.

Even among fellow disciples, there may be competition, but it doesn't necessarily come to the point of resorting to violence.

"Fellow disciples?" Zhang Yi paused for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly. He looked down at his hands, where there was blood seeping into his flesh, and the memories that had flowed through them.

"What a distant concept."

The two chatted.

Time flies by in the mountains.

An hour passed quickly.

Zhong Xu kept his word and walked out with Que Tan'er. Upon seeing the two people outside, he gestured for them to come in.

Zhang Yi took two steps and suddenly said, "Que Tan'er, if you want to use the mask of a noble lady to deceive me and gain an advantage in the competition for the jade slip later, you should give up this idea as soon as possible."
The teacher said that sword cultivators need to focus on cultivating their mindset, moving forward without hesitation. Why bother with so many detours? Don't ruin your own life!

Que Tan'er was taken aback for a moment, then looked deeply at Zhang Yi and said, "Then I'll greet you, Senior Brother Zhang."

Zhang Yi patted Song Chen on the shoulder, thought for a moment, and then surprisingly said, "He told me."

As he spoke, he gave a mischievous smile.

It's a very strange laugh.

All three understood that what he meant was "mischievousness," and that his goal was to ease the previous atmosphere. However, the smile on Zhang Yi's face looked particularly ferocious. The two completely different emotions mixed together seemed incongruous.

Zhang Yi clearly realized that this kind of laughter didn't suit him. He coughed, composed himself, and said coldly, "Brother Song is right. Since we are fellow disciples, we should stop at competition and stop at killing each other."

The air suddenly became quiet.

After a long while, Zhong Xu bowed to Song Chen again and said, "Then I'll greet you again, Brother Song."

Song Chen said, "You knew this would happen?"

Zhong Xu said, "I am a member of the Zhong family, so I naturally know more than Brother Song."

I didn't know who Brother Song was before, so I thought we would definitely break off relations and go our separate ways to compete for resources.

Even if there is a forced harmony, it is merely lip service, so why bother making friends? However, the situation is indeed better now.

Fellow disciples should engage in competition, not slaughter.

Please, Brother Song, do not take my previous rudeness to heart.

Que Tan'er stuck out her tongue and said, "Brother Song, it's not that I'm not coming to your wedding, it's that you didn't send me an invitation."

Song Chen laughed heartily, then leaned closer and said, "It's not too late. Miss Tan'er can give a congratulatory gift now. How about we give her the Divine Jade Slip as a gift?"

Que Tan'er spat and said, "Don't even think about it!"

The tense atmosphere that had been building up suddenly disappeared.

The four of them got to know each other again.

Que Tan'er looked at Zhang Yi curiously and said, "Senior Brother Zhang is older than all of us, he should be thirty, right?"

Zhang Yi said, "Twenty."

The chat ends.

Song Chen and Zhang Yi headed towards the cultivation room.

Zhong Xu thought for a moment, then suddenly called out, "Brother Song, Brother Zhang."

The two stopped.

Zhong Xu said, "Brother Song, Brother Zhang, you two don't really need to worry about the jade slip."

As far as I know, no disciple of the Imperial City Temple has ever failed to receive the complete transmission. This is merely Master Tian Kui Zi's teaching method.

"If someone hasn't yet received the inheritance of supernatural powers, Master Tian Kui Zi will definitely make it up to them later; I can guarantee that."

Song Chen looked at Zhong Xu and said, word by word, "Brother Zhong, I will definitely do my best."

Zhong Xu was taken aback, his face showing shame. He then cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Song. I will certainly do my best."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Zhong Xu said, "There is a Zhong family restaurant in Fengling County. When I come down the mountain one day, I will have a big drink with Brother Song and Brother Zhang."

Song Chen said, "Definitely."

Zhang Yi said coldly, "I don't drink."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Chen put his arm around his shoulder and pulled the fierce man, who reeked of blood, into the cultivation room. At the same time, he said, "He and Miss Tan'er are sitting at the same table, drinking some fruit drinks."

Zhang Yi trembled, but did not resist. He just shouted, "You're the one who drinks fruit juice!"

The Taibai Jin Gang Jue teaches how to gather metal energy.

The places where metal energy is generated are not ordinary. They are mostly areas with gold and iron ore veins, or ancient battlefields with broken weapons. However, the latter are too complicated and not as stable as the former.

Jinxia Mountain is a mountain rich in mineral veins. The abundance of metal ores in the mountain makes the sunrise and sunset shine with golden light, and the clouds appear golden. When viewed from a distance, it looks like a glittering treasure mountain, hence the name.

The method of gathering Qi transmitted in the "Taibai Jin Gang Jue" does not seem complicated. Its core essence is four words: "swallowing the Qi and transforming it into Qi".

The so-called "swallowing the energy and transforming it into qi" means that during the daytime, one should practice the method in places where the metal energy is abundant, breathing in and out the metal energy. Over time, this metal energy can form a "spiritual root" in the body, which is the first level of Qi gathering. Once you reach this level, you can also fly on a sword, although it consumes a great deal of energy.

The Taibai Jin Gang Jue also mentions that to cultivate this skill, one must regularly take a pill called "Night Dew Pill" to harmonize the sharp and unrestrained metal energy and prevent one's internal organs from being damaged by it.

The effect of one Night Dew Pill can last for a month.

The Night Dew Pills for the first year were provided free of charge to the disciples by the Imperial City Temple.

However, starting from the second year, you need to exchange contribution points to get Night Dew Pills.

One contribution point can be exchanged for one Night Dew Pill.

Of course, contribution points can be exchanged for more than just Night Dew Pills.

As for the source of contribution points, they are obtained through tasks assigned by the sect.

As for the tasks, the sect assigns them based on current and backlogged matters, taking into account the disciples' cultivation levels; there's no choice in that. The tasks may be simple or difficult, but contribution points will be awarded afterward based on the level of difficulty.

Several days later.
Deep within Jinxia Mountain.

As the sun rose, the mountain mist turned golden, and Song Chen circulated the "Tai Bai Jin Gang Jue" (a martial arts technique), exhaling wisps of mountain energy imbued with gold.
He felt that his cultivation speed was very fast, all of which was due to his innate wisdom.

As he was cultivating, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: what would happen if he cultivated while merging with the "Marrow-Eating Crane Demon"?

But he quickly remembered what Tian Kui Zi had said—"There is a prohibition passed down through generations in my Imperial City Temple, which is that you must never mix cultivations! Since you have cultivated the Five Elements Metal Technique, you must not touch the Water, Earth, Fire, or Wood elements. If you are not single-minded, how can you reach the pinnacle of the Great Dao? You must remember this and never disobey the prohibition, lest you delay your path."

The power of the marrow-eating crane demon is clearly water-based.

In the Five Elements, metal can generate water, and water can also nourish metal.

'Why not give it a try since it's your first time practicing?'

Song pondered deeply.

He quickly found another reason: "Night Dew Pill" is clearly a water-based pill. If taking "Night Dew Pill" can harmonize metal energy, it means that the two are not absolutely incompatible.

(End of this chapter)