Chapter 23: Shared Participation in the Dharma Lineage, Thunder Arts Locking the Dao

Shen Yingshu stuck out her tongue playfully. "I know, my Senior Sister told me. Relying solely on medicinal pills to enter a state of meditation will actually make one's mind restless. I was just teasing, haha.

Senior Sister also said that to clear the Lung Meridian of Hand Taiyin, it would take at least half a year. For those with lesser talent, it could even take a year or two.

You've managed to clear a small section of a meridian so quickly, Youling. Even with the help of the Heart-Calming Pill, that is still very impressive."

Jiang Youling smiled without speaking. Seeing that the time was right, she finished her cultivation and accompanied Shen Yingshu to the dining hall.

On the way, she whispered to Shen Yingshu, "While eating, you can actually devote a sliver of your consciousness to visualizing the birth of nourishing qi from the formless and subtle. This might increase your sensitivity to the flow of qi."

Shen Yingshu looked enlightened. "I know! That's called the Method of Food Bait; my Senior Sister told me about it. But when I eat, I simply cannot multitask. That method doesn't suit me!"

The smile on Jiang Youling's face faded slightly. If it weren't for the fact that she had earned the resentment of others by obtaining the Songwen Sword, perhaps Senior Sister Ruan would have guided her with such care, just like Shen Yingshu's Senior Sister.

Shen Yingshu was a perceptive person. Although she didn't know what Jiang Youling had gone through, she keenly sensed that her mood seemed somewhat low.

So, she hurriedly changed the subject. "Besides the Food Bait Method, Senior Sister also taught me another cultivation technique called the Qi-Eating Method. Have you ever heard of it?"

Jiang Youling quickly suppressed the trace of disappointment in her heart. "I haven't."

"To put it simply, the Qi-Eating Method is just gathering the essence of the sun and moon. During the hours of Yin or Chen, you choose a high place, stand facing east, and gather the essence of the sun; or during the hours of You or Hai, you find a place near water to absorb the essence of the moonlight."

Shen Yingshu emphasized, "However, Senior Sister said this method is quite difficult for beginners. Some have practiced it for three consecutive years without grasping the essence, wasting three years for nothing. If you want to practice it, it's best to wait until you have cleared the twelve meridians in your body before attempting it."

Jiang Youling noted down the essentials of the Qi-Eating Method one by one and thanked Shen Yingshu. "Thank you for telling me this."

"What's there to thank?"

Shen Yingshu waved her hand dismissively. "Didn't you tell me about the Food Bait Method too? Come on, let's hurry and eat. After eating, I still have three hundred catties of firewood waiting for me to chop. Sigh, Senior Sister says my temperament still needs tempering, so I have to chop firewood for a few more months before she'll teach me how to control the furnace and identify medicinal herbs."

Hearing Shen Yingshu's words, Jiang Youling suddenly felt that if she were eventually kicked out of the Talisman Academy and went to the Alchemy Academy, it might actually be quite good?

But such a thought could only remain a thought.

If she truly reached the point of being expelled from the Talisman Academy, whether the Alchemy Academy would be willing to accept her was still an open question.

Jiang Youling stepped into the Ink-Making Workshop, which was still shrouded in swirling mist just as it had been yesterday.

Having visualized her Heart Lamp and cleared a small section of a meridian, she could now tentatively be considered someone with cultivation.

Jiang Youling took a piece of Red Sandstone. The stone possessed a hot nature; the moment her fingertips touched it, she felt a surge of scorching heat penetrate her skin.

Frowning slightly, she tossed the Red Sandstone onto the coarse stone slab, scooped a spoonful of Rootless Water, and then used a wooden pestle to press against the stone surface, beginning to grind it meticulously.

The Red Sandstone was exceptionally hard; every rotation felt like pushing a mountain.

After only a dozen turns, her web of the thumb and index finger felt numb, and her palm was rubbed bright red by the stone pestle.

It seemed that before she cleared the Lung Meridian of Hand Taiyin, she wouldn't be able to finish grinding this Red Sandstone.

Jiang Youling decisively put down the pestle and returned to the side courtyard to continue her meditation, visualizing the Heart Lamp from the Yun Gate to the Tian Mansion.

She did this for several consecutive days.

Upon receiving the news, a cold sneer curled at the corner of Zhao Cheng's mouth.

"To realize that it is futile and proactively give up—she isn't too stupid after all. There is no need to bother with her anymore. In three months, we will simply expel her from the Talisman Academy. By then, she will come to me begging for the Songwen Sword!"

In the blink of an eye, the day of the full moon arrived.

Being free of tasks, Jiang Youling was a true idle person. Having finished her breakfast early, she went to the Hall of Listening to the Dao and took a seat in the front row.

Just as she sat down, a figure appeared beside her.

It was him, the youth whose rank in the grand examination was second only to hers.

After Ye Zhangzhou sat down, he stared straight ahead at the lecture platform, showing no intention of acknowledging anyone.

Jiang Youling treated him as if a block of ice had landed beside her, simply opening her copy of *Basics of Qi Nourishment* to study in silence.

While she was reading, footsteps sounded behind her, followed by a few voices deliberately lowered.

"Which Master is lecturing today?"

"Hmm, counting the days, it seems to be Master Hong..."

"No way?? To think Master Hong's lecture day has come so soon again. That Master looks down on us miscellaneous disciples the most; he thinks teaching us is a pure waste of time!"

A chorus of wails rose around them. It seemed everyone feared this Master Hong; some even whispered that if they had known it was Master Hong today, they wouldn't have come.

Jiang Youling observed that the number of disciples attending the lecture today was indeed much lower than usual.

The Hall of Listening to the Dao, which was usually packed, was now sparse, and some disciples even took the opportunity to slip away before the lecture began.

This was a situation that had never occurred before.

It seemed this Master Hong was quite unpopular.

A quarter of an hour later, the bell in the Hall of Listening to the Dao rang, and a middle-aged man dressed in purple with a majestic countenance walked in with broad strides.

His cold eyes swept across the room. Seeing the scattered disciples, he let out a soft snort of disdain and strode onto the platform.

As Hong Dengyuan leaned back against the Teaching Cloud Couch, his expression toward the disciples below became increasingly arrogant.

"Today, I shall lecture you on the wonders of the Lightning Induction Technique."

As soon as these words were spoken, the new disciples had no reaction, but many experienced disciples could not sit still.

"The Lightning Induction Technique? Is such a profound technique something we miscellaneous disciples can learn?"

"Only those born with a Lightning Spiritual Root can practice the Lightning Induction Technique. We don't even have spiritual roots; how could we learn it?"

"Isn't Master Hong clearly making things difficult for us? If I had known, I would have listened to my Senior Brother and not come at all."

Hearing the complaints of the disciples, Hong Dengyuan let out a sneer and retorted.

"Who told you that only those with a Lightning Spiritual Root can practice it? This Lightning Induction Technique is merely a basic technique; any Foundation Establishment practitioner can practice it."

The Hall of Listening to the Dao fell into sudden silence, followed by an even greater outburst of dissatisfaction.

"Foundation Establishment? Is Master Hong joking? Discussing Foundation Establishment with us miscellaneous disciples?"

"Everyone knows that for a mortal to ascend is as difficult as climbing to heaven. Out of thousands of miscellaneous disciples, it would be lucky if one or two could reach Foundation Establishment."

"Forget it. Master Hong isn't truly here to teach. I won't be coming to Master Hong's classes anymore."

Hearing this, Hong Dengyuan's sneer deepened. "The sect sent me to lecture you mortals, and I did not refuse, yet you have the audacity to be picky? If you can listen, listen; if you can't, get out!"