Primordial Qi

Chapter 1 In the Name of Loneliness

Outside Tianshan City, in a secluded village, several young men were wielding hoes in the fields, sweating profusely. The air was filled with the smell of earth, and it was about to rain.

"Wow, this damn God doesn't want us to live. It rains every few days. I'm almost tortured to death. Brother Bird, what are you doing? Still digging? Go back and collect your clothes." A young man wiped the sweat off his body and said with a curse.

"Okay, then let's go back and pack our things. Brother Dog, call the others to come along." Brother Bird responded and packed their things in a short while.

Bird Brother and Dog Master don’t have names yet. According to the custom in the village, children under the age of twelve do not have names, only nicknames.

Why is Gou Ye called Gou Ye? Because his father is called Li Er Gou, so people in the village call him Goudan.

Of course, the name Goudan was given by the elders in the village. He vowed to have a loud and domineering name in the future that would make people's eyes light up when they heard it. However, now he can only call himself "Gou Ye" in front of his peers because of his seniority.

"Gou Ye, you will be almost twelve years old next year, and it's time to have a name. Have you thought about it?" Bird Brother joked. Every time the question of name was mentioned, Gou Ye would think about it for a long time, then say with a sad face that he didn't know, and then smile and say that my dad would give you a name.

"Brother Bird, what about you? When you were little, you were the best at touching bird eggs. Everyone called you Bird Egg, but you can't keep calling it that forever. My mother said that you grew up eating at many people's homes, so you can't just give yourself a random name. There are many things to pay attention to..."

Dog Master kept chattering in Bird Brother's ear, while the older ones next to him just held their stomachs and laughed. They already had their own names, and they had also been troubled by the issue of names when they were young. Seeing the two people younger than them also discussing names, they couldn't help but laugh out loud.

After laughing and playing with a few people for a while, Bird Brother separated from the others. He lived outside the village, in a thatched house of medium size, with a bamboo bed, a few bamboo chairs and a table, nothing else. There was a shed next to the thatched house, which was where he cooked.

The boy's eyes revealed a look that was not typical of a boy, but they were clear and did not seem fake. There was a lot of melancholy between his brows, which did not relax until he lay down on the bed.

"I didn't expect that it would be just like in my previous life. It's still more comfortable to lie in bed." Bird Brother said to himself. He stretched comfortably and then changed to a more comfortable lying position. His thoughts couldn't help but go back to six years ago.

He has been in this world for six years. He remembers what he did in his previous life. He was just an ordinary student in the 21st century. As for his name, it was extremely ordinary and unimportant.

In the past, I often saw short videos of people with golden fingers transcending to another world and becoming the king, as well as talented young men who made their own weapons and then unified the continent.

As a result, I slept for a while and woke up to find that my body had become light and disappeared. My soul floated into the sky and was sucked into the underworld. I can't remember anything else.

The only thing that was clear was that he crossed a bridge and drank a bowl of soup. This was the only impression he had in the underworld. When he opened his eyes again, he was already a six-year-old child.

I heard from the old village chief that he was a fool from birth. All he did was smile foolishly and he couldn't even speak. His biological parents sold him to the village as a village guard for a few copper coins.

The village chief took pity on Bird Brother and bought him, letting him grow up eating at many families' homes. On weekdays, he would work with anyone who needed help, so at least he would have food to eat and could make ends meet.

For example, if I did farm work at Gou Ye's house today, I could go to his house in the evening and have a meal. Sometimes I could also help people wash clothes or carry things to earn a few copper coins...

"Hiss~, that's pretty cool. Anyway, I was originally a farmer, and I'm still a farmer in this reincarnation, which is good."

After saying this, Bird Brother stood up with a somersault. The rain outside had gotten heavier, so he had to close the windows.

On the muddy road, a white-haired old man holding an umbrella was leading a man in blue clothes. The man was not holding an umbrella, but the rain could not touch his body, as if he was holding a transparent umbrella.

Bird Brother, who was closing the window, happened to see the two of them, because he lived at the entrance of the village and most likely had to pass by here on the way into the village.

"Old village chief."

Bird brother greeted him, and the old village chief smiled and responded, then continued to lead the man with a hunched back. Looking at his appearance, Bird brother knew that this man was not ordinary, at least not ordinary in the eyes of ordinary people like them.

Bird brother was puzzled. He hadn't seen such a cultivator in six years. Why did he suddenly come to visit? After a little thought, Bird brother closed the window. What did the big man's affairs have to do with them, the little minions?

This world is covered with spiritual energy. The air we breathe every day contains spiritual energy. Unfortunately, people who cannot practice cultivation cannot retain the energy in their bodies. Even if they force themselves to retain it, it will dissipate on its own.

But these are what I heard from the people in the village. In this village, there are only a few masters who practice martial arts, but they cannot cultivate spiritual power.

"This is the village guardian of our village. He is a little stupid, but he is loyal and honest. If you are testing his spirit, please give him a chance to test his physique. If he really has no talent, it is his fate to be a village guardian for the rest of his life." said the old village chief. He also hoped that young men like Bird Brother could have the opportunity to join the sect, so as not to live like this for the rest of his life.

"No problem. We only recruit disciples once every sixteen years. I will naturally check them out one by one." The man replied.

"Sir Li, if you walk a little further you will reach our Lingxi Village. It is a rural village and our humble home is simple. If we have been negligent, please forgive us." said the old village chief.

"Sixteen years ago, a good seedling emerged from your place. He practiced martial arts in obscurity for fourteen years. It was only in the past two years that he showed his brilliance and became a grandmaster. Considering his hometown, I beg the sect to give a few places to you. These are internal places, and you must cherish them." The man surnamed Li said.

"Yes, yes, that's what the adults said. You can just take the kid you like away directly. It's also thanks to the little guy Maodan that he worked hard to become a grandmaster and still remember his hometown, which made the adults come all the way here to accept him as a disciple." The old village chief felt a little more confident when he mentioned the word Maodan, with a bit of pride in his tone.

"Mao Dan is talking about Zhao Xun, right? He has reached the Grandmaster level at the age of 30, which is really good. He will probably be able to become a sect elder in the future."

The two of them soon arrived at the village. The old village chief was about to go door to door to inform everyone, but the man gave up and said, "I am Li Danqing, the elder of the Chuyun Sect. I am here to recruit disciples by the order of the master. This is your chance to practice cultivation, so you must cherish it. Everyone in Lingxi Village, listen up. At noon tomorrow, send all teenagers and children under the age of sixteen to the village entrance. I will personally test your physique. No one will be accepted after the time is up."

Many people heard this voice, even the bird outside the village heard it, many people came out to look for the person who was talking, and many people knelt in the rain and begged the immortal to take their children away...

The secret art of sound transmission, bone measurement, Izumo Sect...

These terms flashed through Brother Bird's mind. Could it be that in this world, one really needs to cultivate immortality? Wouldn't that mean... immortality?

He took a deep breath. He thought that this was actually some feudal world. Cultivation was just hearsay and even illusory. He was just an ordinary farmer.

After feeling the sound transmission ability today, I couldn't help but have some ambitions in my heart. If my luck turns, I don't have to farm for my whole life? I can even increase my lifespan.

As expected, those who reincarnate with memories are not ordinary people. My luck is about to change.

In just a moment, Brother Bird fantasized about turning himself into a top-level warrior, moving mountains and filling the sea, and having the ability to bring the dead back to life. Then, he lay down on the bed in decadence.

"In fact, I am just an ordinary person. No matter where I am, I am..."

Without thinking any more, he just wanted to live peacefully in this life and not live with the memories in the next.

The next morning, it had rained heavily all night, and the muddy ground was still a little slippery, but many people had already arrived at the village entrance. There were hundreds of people who met the requirements waiting in line for Li Danqing to measure their root bones. Bird Brother got up early, but there were still a lot of people who had already lined up under the command of the village chief waiting for Li Xun to come.

Soon, it was Chenshi (noon hour), and Li Danqing measured the root bones of the children in the village one by one. The first one to go up was the village chief's grandson, named Zhao Dahu, who was exactly sixteen years old.

Li Danqing first pointed two fingers at Zhao Dahu's lower abdomen, chanted a spell, and then a red light emanated from his two fingers.

"lead."

Li Danqing whistled softly, and soon, several emerald green lights appeared on Zhao Dahu's body, and a green spiritual mist gathered above his head.

"Wood spiritual root, earth spiritual root, fire spiritual root, these three spiritual roots have pretty good aptitude. Practicing wood attribute exercises can achieve twice the result with half the effort. If you learn a fire control technique, maybe you can embark on the path of a pharmacist." Li Danqing nodded with satisfaction. After all, the first one has the attributes of wood spiritual root and fire spiritual root, and it is not a mixed spiritual root. It can be considered a good start.

"Oh my, alchemists are the best in the world of cultivators. They are respected by everyone they go out. The old village chief's family will produce a big man in the future." Someone commented. Although they had never practiced cultivation, they had heard of the world of cultivators. They had heard of alchemy, refining, and formations.

All the eligible children in the village were very active and enthusiastic. Some of them took the lead and were found to have talent. Naturally, they saw hope.

In one morning, Li Danqing finally finished testing these more than one hundred children. Only three of them met the standards and were able to embark on the path of cultivation. Most of them were just ordinary people with mixed spiritual roots, which means that there was no quick way to practice cultivation. They had to rely on themselves for everything, step by step.

"Sir, there is one more person. Please help me measure his physique." said the old village chief. The other person was naturally Brother Bird. He did not go to measure it. He did not want to get involved in the world of cultivators. He still wanted to die early and reincarnate early. It would be better to be reborn into a good one in the next life than anything else.

Li Danqing frowned. He had promised to help the boy at the entrance of the village to measure his physique, but he had to come to him. He was a little unhappy, but he still followed the old village chief to Brother Bird's residence.

"Bird Egg, open the door quickly, the immortal is coming." The old village chief knocked on the door and shouted. Bird Brother's heart tightened, he was lying down peacefully, why did he come to the door?

After opening the door, Bird Brother gave his signature silly grin, then invited the old village chief and Li Danqing in.

Li Danqing didn't waste any more words and used the same method to measure Bird Brother's bones. After a long time, he couldn't find the spiritual root of the bird egg. Even the spiritual energy injected into the body could not be stored.

"Without spiritual roots, weak spiritual veins, and blocked meridians, he is simply unable to cultivate." Li Danqing said. This kind of talent is not even as good as that of the children outside. In other words, anyone in the village has better talent than him...

Hearing this, Bird Brother did not show any emotion, but just smiled foolishly twice, which made him look abnormal, and he could only survive in the world by pretending to be stupid.

The old village chief was obviously a little disappointed. Not to mention that he could get 20 spirit stones for taking one person away, he didn't know how much gold and silver he could get in the mortal world, at least it was more money than he could earn in his lifetime in the village. In their eyes, being able to embark on the path of cultivation was a great thing, much better than staying in a small village.

"You've worked hard, sir. Well, let him continue to guard the village. That's good too." The old village chief sighed, hunched over, and led Li Danqing back to the village.

Suddenly, Li Danqing seemed to have thought of something and stopped in his tracks.

"The upper sect needs a group of people like him with useless spiritual roots, useless spiritual veins, and who cannot practice to cultivate spiritual medicine. I don't know if he is willing to go. The treatment is much better than that of the Izumo Sect."

Li Danqing said that he had paid attention to the news from the upper sect before. If such a person is found, he will be rewarded with three thousand spirit stones. For a being of his level, three thousand spirit stones is not a small number.

"How about this, two hundred spirit stones, and I want to take that young man away." Li Danqing said.

The old village chief was stunned, then he took Li Danqing back again. Looking at the people who came back, Bird Brother was also stunned. He had just cooked the dishes, and these two couldn't be here to eat for free.

"Good news, good news, Bird Egg, you can go to the main sect now." said the old village chief.

Brother Bird was completely stunned? He blurted out: "Aren't I a useless spiritual root?"

“It’s a useless spiritual root, but the sect needs people like you to cultivate spiritual medicines. The reward is still good. If you perform well, you may be able to get a panacea that can prolong your life.” Li Danqing said.

"Oh, then do you want to eat here? I feel like there's not enough to eat." Bird Egg avoided the question and said, "I'll just go to another place to farm. Isn't it the same wherever I go?" There weren't so many restrictions in the village. He didn't really want to go.

"Go ahead. After all, it's a big sect. Even if you just grow spiritual herbs, it's better than wasting time in this small mountain village." The old village chief said earnestly. If it was twenty spirit stones, he would think it didn't matter, but this was two hundred spirit stones, and it wasn't an internal quota. It was a good thing that killed two birds with one stone.

"Old village chief, you, are you going to sell me out?" Brother Bird looked confused. This old guy suddenly didn't look like a good person.

"When are we leaving?" Brother Bird suddenly asked. He was also ready to see what this world looked like. It would be nothing more than being slapped to death by a strong man, and it would not be a bad idea to reincarnate early.

"We will set off tomorrow." Li Danqing said. He felt that he had already obtained the two thousand spirit stones.

"Okay, by the way, what's your name?" Li Danqing asked again.

"Name? I don't have a name, they all call me Bird Egg." said Brother Bird.

"Yes, yes, yes. The rule in our village is that no one is without a name when he is twelve years old. A humble name is easy to raise and will lead to a long life." The old village chief explained. After all, these nicknames have been used by countless people. Only when you are twelve years old can you have your own name.

"Then let's pick one right away." Li Danqing said, thinking for a moment, and then said, "Choose the others who don't have names, so that they can be registered in the register."

"Okay, we'll arrange it tomorrow morning. But this child is a little special. He was abandoned since childhood. In fact, I picked him up. His biological parents don't know anything about it. They said they spent a few copper coins to buy him just to shut others up. It depends on his own ideas to name him." said the old village chief.

"I've thought about it, let's call myself Gu," said Brother Bird.

"Name yourself as Gu? It does fit your background, but you should not name yourself with a single word. Think of a proper name. Remember to come to the village entrance tomorrow morning. You don't have to pack your things. Don't make me look for you again." Li Danqing said.

After saying this, the two of them left, waiting only for the next morning.

"My surname is Gu, and my given name is Chenyu, just like the rain in this mortal world that is blown away by the wind." Gu Chenyu muttered to himself. He had never really understood this world, and had never truly integrated into this world. Now, he wanted to understand it.