Yellow Court Daoist

Chapter 111 - 102 Cultivation [3rd update, please subscribe!]

The Juyun Mountain Range was dotted with peaks, and no one knew just how many demon beasts hid within its deep forests.

Silver Horn Mountain was seven hundred li from Jinyun Peak, and although sects regularly sent people to clear out the nearby mountains every so often,

There were always some that slipped through the net.

Wang Yuan was in charge of guarding the Medicine Garden. Besides tending to the herbs, the most important task was to fend off any demon beast attacks that could devastate the garden.

"Hide away!"

"Elder, be careful!"

Wang Yuan first shouted at the several disciples confused in the Medicine Garden, and then he warned Lu Qingfeng while drawing a soft sword from his waist.

Upon seeing it, Lu Qingfeng noted it was merely a Third-tier Talisman Artifact.

Magic Artifacts were rare.

Talisman Artifacts were precious.

Even for a Luoxia Sect Deacon, their personal wealth was certainly not abundant, still less than what Lu Qingfeng had in Upper Sun Country.

Seeing Wang Yuan prepared for a stern fight, Lu Qingfeng smiled and said, "Steward Wang, do not panic. These spirit birds are raised by me and won't harm anyone."

"Raised by the elder?"

Wang Yuan gripped his soft sword, ready for a tough battle and a chance to perform well in front of Lu Qingfeng, but he was taken aback upon hearing Lu Qingfeng's words, his eyes widening with surprise.

"Indeed."

"Aren't you coming down?"

Lu Qingfeng nodded and called out to the spirit birds in the sky.

Then, seven spirit birds of varying sizes descended and gathered around Lu Qingfeng, clamoring for affection.

"Red Bird, Luanniao, Iron Feathered Flying Eagle, Five-Colored Bird, White Crane, Swan Goose, Divine Cat Hawk."

Wang Yuan identified the seven spirit birds one by one, his curiosity about this Elder Lu growing.

As for the few disciples in the Medicine Garden, their eyes were filled with tremendous wonder when looking at Lu Qingfeng and the spirit birds.

These were no common birds to be seen, and what was even more unusual was how they were now vying for attention by Lu Qingfeng's side. Then they saw Elder Lu extract several Elixir Pills from his waist and place them in his palm, emanating spirit light, clearly not your ordinary Yellow Dragon Pill or Golden Marrow Pills.

The spirit birds, seeing the Elixir Pills, joyfully snapped them up and swallowed them, then cooed endearingly at Lu Qingfeng.

"Such Spirit Pills, given so freely to a few spirit birds to consume; this is really—"

Seeing this, Wang Yuan felt Lu Qingfeng to be extravagantly wasteful. But then, he became even more convinced of Lu Qingfeng's identity as an Alchemist.

Lu Qingfeng fed the seven spirit birds.

These seven birds were specifically targeted by his Puppets in the Crying Swamp, seduced and subdued with a carrot and stick approach. It wasn't their combat power he valued so much as their ability to perform the 'Seven Beasts Small Divine Number' technique.

After two to three years of nurturing them with Yellow Chestnut Pills and Feeding Spirit Pills, all seven spirit birds reached a power level comparable to the Second-rank within the True Qi Realm. Among them, the White Crane and Iron Feathered Flying Eagle had even reached the peak of Second Rank, almost at the cusp of ascending to Third-rank (Foundation Establishment Qi Introduction).

Their aura was impressive.

Before coming to Luoxia Sect, Lu Qingfeng had them find a place to wait quietly in the Juyun Mountains. Now settled in Silver Horn Mountain, he called them over using a secret technique.

"From now on, they will reside with me on Silver Horn Mountain, so I'll count on Steward Wang to look after them, and inform the elders and deacons in charge of dealing with demon beasts in the sect to avoid any misidentification and accidental harm,"

Lu Qingfeng instructed Wang Yuan.

"Your subordinate will obey."

Wang Yuan glanced at the seven joyously fluttering spirit birds, swallowed hard, and immediately answered.

...

After a tour around the Silver Horn Mountain Medicine Garden with Wang Yuan, Lu Qingfeng returned to his cave abode.

With today's visit, the issue of spiritual medicine sources was temporarily resolved. At least until Foundation Establishment, he wouldn't lack top-level elixir.

As for the Entry-level Spirit Pills needed for cultivation after Foundation Establishment, it would be easier to

It's only because of Lu Qingfeng's experience from the game that he's able to grasp them quickly. Ordinary cultivators indeed need to exert much effort and may even find entry difficult, hindering their cultivation progress.

The second aspect is the Mind Method Synopsis.

The circulation of meridians enhances and tempers True Qi, but the Mind Method Synopsis is the core of the Technique, associated with realm advancement, various states of being, and containing the Daoist meaning.

For these two aspects, the former requires polishing, while the latter requires contemplation.

Most cultivators can only handle the strain of their Cultivation Technique's meridian circulation for an hour or two at the most. And to ponder the intentions of the Cultivation Technique and the various truths contained within it, the rest of the day isn't even enough.

Of course, there are cultivators with resilient meridians, able to circulate their Cultivation Techniques for long periods. Or, by slowly circulating their Technique to reduce strain on the meridians while meditating on the profundities of the Technique.

In such cases, one can engage in ceaseless cultivation day and night.

This is commonly referred to as entering seclusion.

The reason why Lu Qingfeng spends most of his time in the game and can still keep up with his real-world cultivation progress is that he ponders each level of the Cultivation Techniques in the game over and over, gaining thorough understanding. When he cultivates in reality, there is no need for further comprehension; he just needs to focus on refining his True Qi.

This saves countless hours.

Otherwise, if one only haphazardly cultivates for an hour or two each day, without keeping up with the understanding and enlightenment of the Cultivation Technique, their cultivation is bound to eventually come to a standstill.

This is why the vast majority of cultivators encounter bottlenecks, remaining stuck in a particular realm for years, decades, or even a lifetime.

Lu Qingfeng does not have this concern.

Although his Root Bone is poor, his thorough comprehension of Cultivation Techniques means that, as long as he has enough elixirs, he won't have bottlenecks and can surge forward triumphantly.

By contrast, this is not unlike the lesson from the tortoise and the hare.

...

With his eyes closed in meditation, Lu Qingfeng circulated his Cultivation Technique, continually refining the medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pills into True Qi.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

During cultivation, streaks of Sword Qi encircled Lu Qingfeng, appearing and disappearing both inside and outside his body, sharp and elegant.

This was the "Luofu Sword Scripture".