Chapter 34: Insight into the Ways of the World, True Fire Refines the Meridians

Jiang Youling left Danyang Mountain and returned safely to Bainafeng via the cableway.

Some meddler had spread the word about her being transferred to Danyang Mountain, adding vivid, fabricated details claiming she had been subjected to various forms of punishment by Master Hong on the mountain for several days.

Jiang Youling felt an urge to defend herself, but remembering the specific instructions Master Hong had given her before her departure, she ultimately remained silent, tacitly accepting the rumors.

Upon returning to her courtyard, even Shen Yingshu felt indignant on her behalf.

"Master Hong is going too far! It was just a few arguments in class; how could he go as far as transferring you to Danyang Mountain? You must have suffered a lot these past few days, right?"

Jiang Youling shook her head. "I'm fine."

Looking at the indignant young girl before her, Jiang Youling felt a momentary pang of melancholy.

Mortals arrived at the immortal mountains with hearts full of sincere devotion to the Dao, yet they failed to attain true methods. Instead, they were deluded by the illusion of immortality, wasting their prime years.

An impulse rose within her to tell the girl the truth.

But reason quickly restored her clarity: the immortal sects were eternal, while mortals were like ants. Telling Shen Yingshu the truth would change nothing; it would only accelerate their demise.

"How can you be fine? You've lost so much weight!"

Shen Yingshu snorted coldly. "Master Hong is truly out of line! In a few days, during the Abbot's lecture, no—I must inform the Abbot of this!"

"Forget it!"

Jiang Youling hurriedly grabbed Shen Yingshu's sleeve. "The Abbot is busy with many affairs; why bother him with such a trivial matter? Besides, I am perfectly fine. The rumors outside are exaggerated; in reality, Master Hong only gave me a few warnings. It wasn't nearly as serious as they say."

After much persuasion, Shen Yingshu finally abandoned the idea of reporting him.

Through her experiences over the past few days, Jiang Youling had become clear-headed. The Abbot would never punish a Master over such a minor incident; at most, he would offer a few words of comfort.

This land of immortals was, in truth, not much different from the mortal realm. Justice, when spoken by those in power, rarely reached the common masses.

Returning to her room, Jiang Youling found that during her cultivation, she could now distinguish between "True Fire" and "False Fire."

When False Fire entered the meridians, it was like a flickering candle in the wind—difficult to move and ultimately futile.

When True Fire flowed through the meridians, it was like the warm sun melting snow, dissolving obstacles inch by inch.

Jiang Youling could clearly feel the flame moving bit by bit down her meridians, leaving everything in its path unobstructed.

By the time the stillness bell rang at the hour of Hai, the flame had descended about an inch.

At this rate, after a few more hours of cultivation, she would be able to clear the path from the Yunmen to the Tianfu.

The power of True Fire was indeed incomparable to False Fire.

Fleeting thoughts rose in Jiang Youling's mind before settling back into silence.

The next day, she went to the Ink Workshop. Everything there was as usual; no one cared whether she stayed or left.

Enjoying the peace, Jiang Youling slipped into a side hall to meditate quietly. As expected, she successfully pushed the flame to the Tianfu.

At this point, she had cleared two of the six acupoints and five segments of the Hand Taiyin Meridian.

In the following days, Jiang Youling practiced diligently without pause. Before the new moon arrived, she had actually cleared the entire Hand Taiyin Meridian.

By this time, it had been less than two months since she entered the Taixuan Sect and embarked on the path of cultivation.

When the new moon arrived, Shen Yingshu had already gathered news from her senior sister that the Abbot would be lecturing today, and her face lit up with joy.

"This is wonderful! The principles explained by Immortal Yugu are obscure and difficult to grasp, and Master Hong's discourses are useless to us miscellaneous disciples. Only the Abbot's lectures are profound yet simple, making them easy to understand. Youling, come on, let's go early so we don't lose our front-row seats!"

Since learning the true intentions that cultivators held toward mortal miscellaneous disciples like them, Jiang Youling had lost interest in these monthly lectures.

However, since everyone else revered them, it would be conspicuous if she failed to attend, so she decided to go.

The two hurried to the Lecture Hall, where people occasionally cast curious glances at Jiang Youling.

"Is she the new disciple who publicly confronted Master Hong?"

Someone replied with a sneer, "Just a reckless novice. I heard she was punished by being sent to Danyang Mountain and suffered quite a bit."

"You can't entirely blame this junior sister... Master Hong was being rather unreasonable..."

As the Abbot stepped in, the surrounding chatter fell silent, followed by waves of greetings.

Qingweizi raised his right hand and made a downward pressing motion, silencing the room.

"Last time, we discussed the *Initial Connection of Qi Nourishment*, the source of Qi, and the twelve meridians. Today, I shall speak on the method of separating Ying and Wei Qi once the twelve meridians are connected!"

The disciples listened intently. Qingweizi's gaze lingered on Jiang Youling's hands for a moment before he spread his wide sleeves.

With his movement, two streaks of light suddenly appeared in the air: one red and one white, intertwining and moving like dragons.

"Ying Qi belongs to Yin, like a stream nourishing the veins; Wei Qi belongs to Yang, like fire tempering the form. Both share the same source but flow differently. A cultivator must understand the mechanism of their convergence and divergence."

As Qingweizi explained, he pointed to the two flowing streaks of light in the air.

"The white is Ying Qi, and the red is Wei Qi. If one only clears the meridians without understanding their separation, it is like these two energies mixing into a chaotic, indistinguishable mess."

As he finished speaking, the Ying and Wei Qi suddenly collided and merged into one.

"Only by causing the Ying and Wei Qi to diverge—allowing Ying Qi to nourish the organs and Wei Qi to temper the body—can one, when the time is ripe, sense the Primordial Qi and draw it into the body..."

A disciple couldn't help but frown. "It's so difficult! I've been here for three years and have only cleared two meridians. To clear the rest and achieve the separation of Ying and Wei Qi to draw in spiritual energy... I don't know how much time that will take!"

"If you feel cultivation is too slow, you can buy more medicinal pills, or use spirit stones directly to cultivate so your body adapts sooner."

"The monthly stipend is so small, it's really not enough... I truly envy those with spiritual roots; they can absorb spiritual energy just by breathing. Sigh!"

Qingweizi heard their words and spoke gently.

"The path of cultivation is inherently long and arduous. Each person has their own destiny; why compare yourself to others? Spiritual talent is certainly important, but a steadfast Dao heart is even more critical."

His gaze swept over the disciples as he continued, "Clearing meridians is not a feat achieved in a single day; it requires perseverance. If it is not cleared today, practice again tomorrow; if it is not achieved this year, try again next year. Cultivation is like water dripping through stone; its value lies in persistence.

As for pills and spirit stones, they are ultimately external objects. If your foundation is unstable, even with the help of divine medicine, you are merely building a castle in the air. To be grounded and take one step at a time is the true path.

Cultivation is not about speed, but about whether you are on the right path. As long as the direction is correct, what does it matter if you are slow? You will eventually arrive."

The disciples nodded one after another, treating these words as sacred principles. Those whose resolve had wavered felt a deep sense of shame.

If she did not know the truth, Jiang Youling would have been deceived by these words as well.

After all, as a mere mortal, it was already a stroke of luck to catch a glimpse of the Great Dao. How could she possibly know that the methods taught by this kind-looking immortal sage were actually a deliberately simplified version?