Chapter 52: The Division of Guards, The Emergence of the Mysterious Path

After collecting the necessary implements for a new disciple and registering her name at the dining hall, Chen Ling looked at Jiang Youling with relief.

"Youling, thank you for accompanying me through all of this."

"Mother, saying such things makes me feel like a stranger."

Jiang Youling waved her hand. "I am not very familiar with the affairs of the dining hall, and my cultivation is only at the beginning stages. There isn't much I can do to help you."

Chen Ling spoke with a serious expression, "You have already helped me so much. I will cultivate diligently and work hard, and you must take good care of yourself as well."

Jiang Youling nodded vigorously. After having her evening meal at the dining hall, she finally departed.

Upon returning to her courtyard, she heard Shen Yingshu let out a strange cry. "Youling! Where have you been these past few days? I thought you had been kidnapped!"

Suppressing a laugh, Jiang Youling gave a brief summary of her recent experiences.

To her surprise, before she could even finish, Shen Yingshu flew into a rage.

"What? An Acting Senior Brother from your Talisman Hall actually ordered you to go out and hunt demons? Is he doing this to make things difficult for you on purpose? No, I must go and report this! Even if this matter reaches the Hall Master, we are in the right!"

"Alright, alright, haven't I returned safely?"

Jiang Youling hurriedly pulled her back. Zhao Cheng was still implicated in the "Living Talisman" case; she couldn't let her meddle recklessly.

"Look at you, being so spineless! No wonder people bully you!"

Shen Yingshu glared at her huffily and sat down on a stool in displeasure.

"If this happened to me, I would start a fight with them immediately! So what if he's an Acting Senior Brother? Does that give them the right to disregard sect rules and treat human lives like a joke?"

Jiang Youling felt helpless. During the days she fled with her father, she had witnessed too much darkness and corruption. Even worse, she had seen many demon calamities in various places that were actually orchestrated by the local Demon Suppression Bureau!

When the common people grew indignant and sought to appeal, they would ultimately die violent deaths in their homes, leaving nothing but blood and chaos.

Within her, the naive passion that Shen Yingshu possessed had long since vanished.

However, she did not recount those dark truths. Instead, she merely advised, "The Hall Master is busy with many official matters. Why should we waste his energy on such a small trifle?"

Only then did Shen Yingshu calm down. "Fine, since you don't want to pursue it, then forget it. But if there is a next time, I will absolutely not let it go!"

To divert her attention, Jiang Youling picked out two interesting incidents from her demon-hunting trip to tell her.

As expected, Shen Yingshu listened intently, alternating between tension and gasps of surprise. Finally, she patted her chest and sighed with lingering fear.

"Too dangerous! I wouldn't go even if they gave me more spirit stones! Unless my cultivation improves significantly in the future."

Hearing this, Jiang Youling remembered something else. "How is your body-tempering technique coming along?"

Shen Yingshu's face flushed. "Don't even mention it! I only practiced it for one day, and the next day my hands were swollen like steamed buns. It even hurt to do work. It took many days to recover. I never want to practice that wretched technique again!"

Jiang Youling couldn't help but frown. "Is there no hardship in the path of body tempering? To give up so easily—isn't that a waste of those five spirit stones?"

"It was ten spirit stones."

Shen Yingshu made a bitter face. "Five for entering the Scripture Pavilion, and the transcription of the technique was an extra cost."

Jiang Youling felt a pang of sympathy just listening to it. "Then why haven't you hurried to practice it?"

"Give me a break... just let me recover a bit... it really hurts too much..."

To avoid the topic, Shen Yingshu hurriedly found an excuse. "I'm sleepy. I'm going back to my room to rest."

Leaving Jiang Youling feeling both amused and helpless, she returned to her room alone to continue her cultivation.

The next day, Jiang Youling went to the Talisman Hall to request the end of her leave from Senior Sister Ruan, only to be lectured.

"Junior Sister Jiang, we miscellaneous disciples can only take leave once every three years. Since your leave has already been approved, why are you in such a rush to return to work? Wouldn't it be better to take this opportunity to rest properly?"

Thus, Jiang Youling was dizzily ushered out of the Talisman Hall and sent back to her courtyard to continue her training.

Two days later, it was time to go to Mount Danyang to attend lectures.

Jiang Youling arrived at the grotto early. Not seeing Hong Dengyuan, she did not grow anxious but continued to meditate.

Through countless observations, she was gradually able to sense the circulation patterns of the Ying and Wei Qi.

The Ying and Wei Qi moved through her body like swimming fish, sometimes converging and merging into a warm, gentle current, and sometimes suddenly separating to follow their respective paths.

The Wei Qi was as piercing as frost, carrying a hint of sharpness; the Ying Qi was as long-lasting as water, showing a certain flexibility.

As Jiang Youling focused her inner vision, she discovered that whenever the breath circulated to her dantian, the two energies would connect head-to-tail like a Yin-Yang fish, cycling repeatedly.

But once they reached the extremities of her limbs, they would diverge like spring streams, heading in different directions.

How could she cause them to diverge?

While she was lost in thought, a voice suddenly sounded by her ear.

"The key to the divergence of Ying and Wei lies in 'concentrating the spirit to gather the Qi, and guarding the intent at the Profound Gate'."

Jiang Youling's heart jolted. She heard the voice continue

"The Wei Qi should be like a sword unsheathed, pointing directly at the Baihui point; the Ying Qi should be like spring water returning to a pool, sinking into the Yongquan point. When the two diverge, one must leave a trace of intent at the Shanzhong acupoint to act as a mediator."

She hurriedly circulated her breath according to the guidance, and indeed, she felt the two currents of Qi gradually become distinct.

However, this state only lasted for three breaths before returning to normal.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that Hong Dengyuan had stood before her at some unknown moment, looking at her with a smile.

"Master..." Jiang Youling hurriedly rose to pay her respects.

"Not bad," Hong Dengyuan nodded, stroking his beard. "To grasp the essence of divergence in such a short time shows that you have indeed put in much hard work."

He suddenly pointed a finger at the space between Jiang Youling's eyebrows. "However, the true secret lies in maintaining an intent of 'divergence that is not quite divergence' during the split. Only then can it be sustained for long."

Jiang Youling nodded, half-understanding, and continued her meditation following Hong Dengyuan's method. Indeed, the duration of the Ying and Wei divergence was extended.

Hong Dengyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze as piercing as a torch. "When you can make the Ying and Wei Qi move like the sun and moon in parallel—each guarding its own position without interference—that will be the optimal time to receive the Primordial Qi."

He waved his sleeve lightly, tracing a profound trajectory in the void.

"The Primordial Qi cannot enter a postnatal body. Only when the Ying and Wei are thoroughly diverged, carving out a 'void passage' within the body, can the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth be drawn in to temper the mortal frame."

As she meditated, the duration of a lecture passed quietly.

After rising to pay her respects to Hong Dengyuan once more, Jiang Youling left Mount Danyang.

In the following days, except for the time spent eating, Jiang Youling spent all her time meditating to achieve complete divergence of the Ying and Wei Qi.

During this time, Shen Yingshu had invited her to the Hall of Listening to the Dao, but she had declined all invitations.

Finally, on the fourth day, the two currents of Qi within Jiang Youling's body gradually formed a stable cycle.

The Wei Qi was like a silver thread piercing the crown, reaching directly to the Baihui; the Ying Qi was like a jade belt wrapping around the feet, sinking into the Yongquan. Between the two, a faint, ethereal passage began to emerge.

Jiang Youling's spirits lifted. Just as she was about to press forward and receive the Primordial Qi, she heard the deep tolling of a bell.

It was a new day. Her leave had ended; today, she had to return to work.

When Jiang Youling arrived at the Talisman Hall, although Senior Sister Ruan was busy, she had arranged for a disciple to arrive early to familiarize her with all the duties.

"Junior Sister Jiang, I heard you are interested in making Spirit Summoning Talismans? I have been making them for over ten years."