Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Xia He sighed and released her grip: "Be careful." She took a half step back, her internal energy flowing quietly, her mind tense, ready to strike at any moment.

Cheng Mo smiled at her, then crouched down and crawled into the body-refining furnace.

The hatch closed with a soft, airtight sound.

Ma Xianhong walked to the control panel, pressed a few buttons, and began to mobilize his internal energy, carefully guiding the natural energy into the furnace. Having learned from his previous experience, he was certain he wouldn't be dragged into that endless, vast...

Qi just left the body —

hum~

A low hum exploded in my mind.

Ma Xianhong's vision blurred, and his consciousness instantly slipped out of his control, being dragged into that vast and ethereal imagery of heaven and earth, where he could no longer take control of himself.

……

Inside the self-cultivation furnace.

Cheng Mo leaned back in his seat, examining the interior. He hadn't looked closely last time he came in, but this time he found the interior to be quite modern.

Pipes of varying thicknesses were arranged regularly along the inner wall, and there were several grooves of unknown purpose next to the armrest of the seat, which reminded him of the cockpit of a mecha in some cartoons.

A low hum suddenly came from inside the furnace, and pale white mist spread out from nowhere, quickly filling the cabin.

Cheng Mo immediately calmed down.

Soon, he felt that vast image of heaven and earth again. But this time, he did not immerse himself in it as before, nor did he resonate with it as he had in his dream the previous night. His consciousness seemed to detach itself, calmly observing this vast image.

What is that?

It rises and falls, fluctuates, is formless and intangible, yet it pervades everything.

Water? Air? Indescribable, inexplicable.

But this was the first time Cheng Mo had felt its presence so clearly.

Excitement and exhilaration surged up, but he quickly suppressed them, and a distracting thought arose in his mind.

Is this the one that moved the ancient sages to tears?

Perhaps Laozi and Zhuangzi saw the same thing back then? Or... no.

Click... hiss.

The hatch opened, letting in outside air and sunlight.

Cheng Mo opened his eyes, his gaze clear and unwavering.

A fair hand reached out to him. Xia He bent over, clinging to the hatch, her eyes filled with nervousness.

Cheng Mo smiled at her, took her hand and led her out of the cultivation furnace. He stretched out his arms and bones made a series of soft cracking sounds.

"Where's Lao Ma?" he asked.

Xia He turned to the side and pointed to the control panel.

Cheng Mo followed the gaze.

At the control panel, Ma Xianhong lay motionless, his cheeks sunken and his eyes closed, looking completely drained. Only the slight rise and fall of his back proved that he was still alive.

Hearing the noise, Ma Xianhong moved his fingers with difficulty and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Only two words could be made out from his mouth: "I...sleep..." Then he fell into a deep sleep.

Cheng Mo: "..."

He walked over and poked Ma Xianhong with his finger: "Old Ma, what happened to you...? You've been drained again? Didn't you say you definitely wouldn't this time?"

Cheng Mo turned to look at Xia He, "How much time has passed?"

Xia He glanced at the timer in the corner of the room: "Ten minutes, I guess."

Cheng Mo exclaimed in surprise, "So fast?"

"I didn't pay much attention to him," Xia He shrugged. "The furnace was buzzing and vibrating for a while, then it suddenly stopped. I turned my head and saw Village Chief Ma lying there."

"What a mess this is." Cheng Mo shook his head, bent down to pick up Ma Xianhong, carried him into the rest room of the Xiu Shen Tang, put him on the bed, covered him with a quilt, and then lit some calming incense.

A faint scent of herbs and trees wafted through the air.

Xia He leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, watching Cheng Mo busy himself, and pouted: "Little Mo, you're usually not this patient with me. You just throw the blanket at me without even covering me with it."

Cheng Mo didn't even turn his head: "Old Ma helped me a lot this time, I have to thank him."

Xia He's eyes lit up, and she jumped in: "You can sense Qi now?"

Cheng Mo shook his head.

Xia He was immediately disappointed.

Cheng Mo turned around, his face full of smiles: "Although I haven't been able to feel the Qi precisely, I feel like I've almost found the direction."

"Direction?" Xia He asked, puzzled. "Isn't that something you can clearly sense immediately? We seem to find it naturally..."

Cheng Mo: "..."

Xia He realized what she meant and quickly waved her hand, "Oh dear, that's not what I meant! Little Mozi, you're different from us. You've never been able to sense it before, so it's already good that you've made progress this time! No, it's a huge improvement!"

Cheng Mo: "...Thank you."

Xia He chuckled: "Why are you being so polite with me?"

Cheng Mo stopped arguing with her. Although Xia He's words were a bit hurtful, he was in a good mood at the moment.

His previous observation made him feel that there was only a thin membrane separating him from that invisible barrier.

If Lao Ma could hold on for another ten days or half a month, maybe...

Ma Xianhong on the bed suddenly twitched, his already thin face scrunched up, making him look ten years older.

Xia He peeked in and whispered, "Shall we wait for Village Chief Ma to wake up and then do it again?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "No need for that. I'll talk to him about a few things after he wakes up, and then we'll leave."

"Huh?" Xia He asked, puzzled. "Didn't you say you found the direction? Wouldn't it be better to let Village Chief Ma help you one more time, getting you closer to the finish line?"

"No matter how much the current cultivation furnace is modified, it can no longer provide me with any more stimulation."

Cheng Mo knew that this wasn't a problem of Lao Ma's Qi being insufficient. His body wasn't a bottomless pit. Even without relying on the Qi of heaven and earth, as long as Ma Xianhong was completely drained, it would be enough to give him a temporary enlightenment.

The reality is that even Old Ma failed to activate the Qi of Heaven and Earth, which indicates that there is a problem with the core principle of the Body Cultivation Furnace...

Although the stove didn't help him break down the door, it allowed him to see the location of the keyhole on the door with perfect clarity for the first time.

The remaining task is to figure out how to forge that one and only key using one's own strength.

Cheng Mo let out a soft sigh. "Let's go back and get some tonics for Lao Ma."

Xia He immediately perked up: "Okay, let's go hunting!"

……

Not long after the two left the Cultivation Hall, Bi Yuan strolled over with his hands behind his back.

Yesterday, he watched as Ma Xianhong finished modifying the furnace, and guessing that it should enter the testing phase today, he pretended to casually come over for a look so as to give the president firsthand feedback.

"Huh, why is nobody here?"

Bi Yuan walked into the empty cultivation hall and saw the cultivation furnace with its hatch wide open. Curious, he went closer and found it completely empty.

He looked around and noticed that the door to the inner room was ajar. He walked over, pushed the door open, and saw Ma Xianhong lying on the bed, his face ashen, looking like he might die at any moment.

"Village Chief!" Bi Yuan exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to check.

He lifted Ma Xianhong's eyelids to look at his pupils, then reached out to feel his pulse. He gathered a wisp of Qi at his fingertips and carefully probed into Ma Xianhong's body to examine him. Then, he leaned down and pressed his hand against Ma Xianhong's chest to listen to his heartbeat, and then felt his carotid artery.

After working for a while, it was confirmed that Ma Xianhong was just severely overworked and would recover with more rest.

As for whether it has caused any fundamental damage, we'll have to wait until the person wakes up to know.

"What's going on here?" Bi Yuan shook his head, walked out of the Cultivation Hall, and found Qiu Rang who was taking inventory of materials in the storeroom.

"Chou Rang, go to the Xiu Shen Tang and keep an eye on the village chief."

Qiu Rang was startled: "What's wrong with the sect leader?!"

Bi Yuan: "I've drained myself dry again."

Qiu Rang: "..."

Watching Qiu Rang's hurried departure, Bi Yuan shook his head again and turned to report the situation to the club president.