Chapter 21: Cultivating the Mind in Adversity, Tempering the Character through Indifference

The difficulty of producing this Red Sand Ink was far greater than that of talisman paper.

Red Sandstone is a fire-attribute ore with a hot nature, containing a faint trace of fire spiritual qi within it.

To crush it into coarse sand, one could not succeed without having cultivation.

She had not yet entered the Dao; wanting to hand in ten coins' worth of Red Sand Ink within a month was nearly an impossible task.

Having realized this, Jiang Youling’s mind actually steadied, and she began to survey the entire ink-making workshop.

The production of Red Sand Ink consisted of seven steps: sand collection, crystal crushing, glue melting, ink grinding, ink aging, ink testing, and sealing.

Accordingly, the entire workshop was divided into several areas, such as the Sand Collection Area and the Crystal Crushing Workshop.

Jiang Youling patrolled the workshop twice. Seeing that everyone was performing their respective duties and that no one was paying attention to her, she found an unoccupied side hall and sat down cross-legged.

Since someone was clearly trying to make things difficult for her, hoping she would fail her task and be expelled from the Talisman Academy, she saw no need to continue diligently researching talisman ink.

In any case, the academy rules stated that only those who failed to complete their tasks for three consecutive months would be asked to leave. Therefore, she would use these two months to focus on her cultivation!

Jiang Youling took a deep breath, formed the Zi-Wu Seal with her hands, and began to meditate according to the method taught by the Academy Master.

First, she stilled her thoughts, preventing delusions from arising.

Then, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, she visualized her Heart Lamp.

During this period, Jiang Youling had insisted on meditating every day after finishing her duties at the academy, so she was already very proficient in this routine.

Before long, a phantom image of a green lamp gradually emerged in Jiang Youling's sea of consciousness.

The wick was initially as small as a bean, but as she breathed, it slowly expanded, transforming into the shape of a green lotus.

Tiny flecks of golden light flickered upon the lotus petals, as if countless talisman runes were circulating and vanishing within them.

Jiang Youling knew full well that this phantom green lamp was not the "Heart Lamp" she was meant to visualize, but rather an illusion caused by strange light.

Sure enough, as her thoughts stirred, the lamp flame suddenly erupted with brilliant light. The surrounding darkness receded like a tide, revealing a small path paved with starlight.

Along the roadside, distorted black shadows could be faintly seen clawing and grasping, appearing as if they intended to destroy the lamp flame.

"When delusions arise, neither reject them nor follow them."

She recalled the Academy Master's teachings and remained unmoved, even as the black shadows tossed and roared.

After an unknown amount of time, the illusions all vanished. The world became silent and dark, leaving only the single Heart Lamp, like the moon reflecting in a cold pool—ancient and undisturbed.

—I possess a single Heart Lamp, capable of illuminating the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers.

Jiang Youling opened her eyes and instinctively looked down toward her Shanzhong acupoint.

Though she could neither see nor touch it, she knew that a Heart Lamp had already been lit there.

Once the Heart Lamp was lit, when Jiang Youling entered a state of stillness again, she could gradually sense the flow of qi within her body.

The Academy Master had said that this was the Ying and Wei qi, born from the essence of the five grains and the brilliance of the sun and moon.

"Ying is the essence of water and grain, harmonizing with the five viscera and spreading through the six bowels; Wei is the fierce qi of water and grain, its energy swift and smooth, preceding the four extremities and the muscles."

Jiang Youling carefully felt the trajectory of the Ying and Wei qi flowing through her body, attempting to find its pattern of movement.

However, the sensation of qi was intermittent and unstable; at times it was like a gurgling stream, clearly discernible, and at other times it was like dispersing mist, leaving no trace.

Every time she was about to grasp its rhythmic path, the breath would slip away from her perception like a swimming fish, leaving behind only a faint, ethereal warmth to prove its existence.

The more she tried to capture it, the weaker the sensation became, until eventually, even that faint warmth dissipated completely.

Her body felt empty, as if the previous sensation had merely been an illusion.

*Dong—*

A melodious bell chime drifted from afar. It was the hour of the Rooster; it was time for dinner.

Jiang Youling stood up, stepped out of the side hall, and walked toward the dining hall against the glow of the setting sun.

Upon arriving at the dining hall, she queued for her meal. Just as she was about to eat, Jiang Youling suddenly thought: since the Ying qi was transformed from the essence of the five grains, could she sense the changes in her internal qi while eating?

With a flicker of thought, Jiang Youling put a mouthful of black rice into her mouth. As she chewed carefully, she attempted to enter a state of stillness to seek that trace of qi.

However, after several attempts, her mind was filled with distracting thoughts, making it extremely difficult to enter a meditative state.

*As expected, it still won't work?*

Jiang Youling shook her head self-mockingly and simply cleared her mind, no longer forcing it, focusing only on her meal.

At that exact moment, as a mouthful of black rice was swallowed, a sudden warmth surged in her epigastrium—the sensation was thinner than a strand of hair, yet as vivid as a spring stream breaking through ice. It was precisely the Ying qi born from the essence of the grains!

Jiang Youling's heart jolted. Just as she was about to carefully sense the changes in the Ying qi, that minute warmth vanished completely.

Feeling a sense of loss, Jiang Youling continued to eat, trying to capture the qi.

Unfortunately, until the very last grain of black rice in her bowl was swallowed, that mysterious sensation of qi never reappeared.

Jiang Youling stared blankly at the empty bowl and suddenly laughed.

It turned out that this path of cultivation was no different from chasing shadows—when she deliberately focused her mind, there was no trace, yet when she had just emptied her thoughts, that wisp of Ying qi had arrived unexpectedly.

Since that was the case, there was no need to force it.

Jiang Youling set down her empty bowl and left the dining hall, only to see Shen Yingshu winking at her from not far away.

"I arrived a bit earlier than you. I only saw you coming when I was almost finished eating, so I waited here to go back with you."

A faint warmth rose in Jiang Youling's heart. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

"It was fine. It's not like there's anything to do if I go back early anyway. Besides, I received my monthly stipend today, so I'm in a great mood!"

As she spoke, Shen Yingshu couldn't help but pull out the spirit stones from her bosom, touching them over and over.

"Senior Sister said that for us disciples who haven't visualized a Heart Lamp or developed a sense of qi, we can't use spirit stones for the time being, but we can take Heart-Clearing Pills. The pills help us enter stillness quickly, dispel delusions, and allow us to visualize the Heart Lamp and develop a sense of qi sooner."

Jiang Youling also thought of the monthly stipend she had received this morning, and a sly smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. "I have already visualized my Heart Lamp!"

"What? So fast!"

Shen Yingshu cried out in surprise. "Did you use a Heart-Clearing Pill? How was it? Was the effect really that good?"

Jiang Youling shook her head. Too much had happened this morning; she had almost forgotten about taking the pill.

"No, I just... well, there wasn't much work today, so I took some time to meditate in the side hall. I didn't expect to accidentally visualize the Heart Lamp."

"Good for you! Jiang Youling," Shen Yingshu suddenly put on a stern face and poked her forehead with a finger, though her eyes held a mischievous glint. "I was wondering how you visualized it so quickly—it turns out you were meditating during your shift! If the supervisor sister finds out, look at how she'll punish you!"

Jiang Youling offered a shallow smile in cooperation, but she thought to herself that since Senior Sister Ruan had already begun openly suppressing her, she likely wouldn't mind if she slacked off.

Unaware of the internal situation, Shen Yingshu grabbed her hand and hurried back.

"No way, we entered the sect together; I can't let you get too far ahead. I'll take a Heart-Clearing Pill when we get back to see if I can catch up."

Helpless, Jiang Youling allowed herself to be pulled back to the courtyard, only to watch as Shen Yingshu returned to her room and shut the door with a loud *bang*.

"Youling, I'm going to start meditating now! Just you wait—with the help of this Heart-Clearing Pill, I will definitely light my Heart Lamp tonight!"

Looking at the tightly closed door, Jiang Youling shook her head speechlessly and turned to go back to her own room.