Lin Yi interrupted Chen Jingming and said, "I don't plan to join any sect."
Chen Jingming looked at the young man before him. Lin Yi's eyes were deep and his gaze unwavering, much like his old friend Lin Zhengyang from his youth. Both were the kind of people who, once they made a decision, would never turn back, even if they hit a brick wall.
Chen Jingming paused for a moment, then asked, "What are your plans next?"
"I plan to go down the mountain to travel in a few days. When I return, it will be time to take back the Dayan Temple," Lin Yi said.
Chen Jingming sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "If I don't become a True Person, I'm afraid I won't be able to get the Dayan Temple back." He didn't say this aloud; some things are better left unsaid than known.
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Chapter Five: Seven-Star Robe, Sword Cultivator
On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head.
Winter goes and spring comes, thunder rumbles at the Awakening of Insects, and all things revive. There is also "Jia Wood" in the east, the first of the Heavenly Stems, which universally transforms all things. Its image is in the sky, representing thunder and dragons, which perfectly matches the true meaning of the Azure Dragon.
At this moment, dragons soar through the nine heavens, winds and clouds surge, and the yang energy between heaven and earth rises and flows endlessly. Tender buds break through the soil, green bamboos grow taller, and everywhere is a scene full of vitality.
In a quiet room of Tingtao Pavilion at the Baibaijia Academy in the western district of Lechun County, Lin Yi, who had been sitting cross-legged on a couch, opened his eyes and slowly stood up. His movements were slow, as if he were carrying a heavy load.
A sound came, and Lin Yi's whole body throbbed, his acupoints vibrated in unison, forming a series of wisps of starlight shooting out from his pores.
The light condensed, almost becoming tangible, transforming into a robe shaped like a crane's cloak, adorned with celestial star patterns and connected by runes.
This robe, woven from light, is as still as gauze and as swift as smoke; with the slightest tremor, it scatters starlight.
Within the robe, the seven stars are aligned, forming the central axis of evolution. Naturally, they resonate with the stars in the sky. Even during the day, when Lin Yi is indoors, the omnipresent power of the stars still surges in like a tide.
"The Seven Star Robe is finally complete." Lin Yi's voice was full of joy. The Seven Star Robe is not only a defensive spell, but also has the effect of body tempering. It combines internal cultivation with external application, and its mysteries are endless.
Within his dantian, the yin and yang and the five elements mingled and transformed into a true energy as brilliant as a galaxy, its starlight flickering and connecting with the acupoints throughout his body.
After a while, the true energy of the galaxy that Lin Yi could hold was saturated. With a thought, Lin Yi closed all his acupoints, severing his connection with the stars in the sky.
Afterwards, he returned to his bed, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, sensing the condition within his body.
It's as if an eye has grown inside my body, able to clearly "see" everything, from the five internal organs to the smallest blood vessels, everything is clearly visible.
The Star River True Qi surged through his limbs and bones, opening up some previously blocked meridians and giving Lin Yi a stinging sensation, as if he had been pricked by a needle.
However, as the meridians are opened and the flow of qi and blood is facilitated, a feeling of comfort and pleasure follows.
The satisfaction and joy brought by this practice are so captivating that one can't help but become immersed in it.
…………
As night fell, the stars shone brightly.
Hungry, Lin Yi pushed open the door and went out. Although he had already cultivated a Dao body and stepped into the Innate Realm, becoming a magician was only a matter of time. However, he was still a long way from the point of practicing breath control and abstaining from grains, and living on air and dew.
Lin Yi had almost run out of money and was so broke that he could no longer afford the expensive "Bigu Pill," so he had no choice but to find some food to satisfy his hunger.
The canteen in the Hundred Schools Academy is called Jingxiang Kitchen.
Although it was late at night, the lights in Shizuka's kitchen were still on.
As soon as Lin Yi reached the door, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old in a blue robe came to greet him. Seeing that Lin Yi was wearing a Taoist robe, he said, "Please come in quickly, layman."
After Lin Yi went inside, he casually chose a seat on the first floor and said, "Give me three side dishes and a bowl of spirit rice, and hurry up."
"Okay, please wait a moment, layman." After saying that, the young man in blue immediately walked towards the kitchen.
A little while later, the food was served.
All three side dishes were exquisite, with perfect color, aroma, and taste. The chef at Jingxiang Kitchen is undoubtedly the most skilled in the entire Lechun County.
The rice is translucent, like grains of crystal.
Lin Yi ate slowly and deliberately, the spiritual rice leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth. At the same time, a gentle spiritual energy rose from his abdomen and was quickly refined.
Spirit rice is the main ingredient for refining "Bigu Dan" (a type of fasting pill), and it can only be grown in spiritual fields nourished by spiritual veins.
There is a spiritual vein beneath the Dayan Temple. Although it is only a small, ordinary spiritual vein, it has cultivated several acres of spiritual fields, which can barely be self-sufficient. With the capital to be independent, they do not need to be concerned about the Hundred Schools of Thought.
This is the "ground" in the four essentials of spiritual practice: wealth, companions, Dharma, and ground.
After finishing his meal, Lin Yi paid the bill and was about to leave.
At this moment, a young man dressed in white, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, walked in. He held a long sword in his left hand and a bag that was still dripping blood in his right hand. His gaze was sharp and his aura was piercing.
The young man in white shouted, "Waiter, bring the wine!"
"You're here." The young man in blue who had previously entertained Lin Yi came running over with a pot of wine in his hands, saying solicitously, "Young Master Kongxu, you're back."
The Empty Young Master nodded, casually tossed the bag in his right hand to the ground, took the wine pot from the young man in blue, and began to drink directly from it.
After finishing the wine in one gulp, Young Master Kongxu casually tossed the empty wine jug onto the table, kicked the blood-stained bag at his feet, and said, "Take this inside and deal with it properly. Cook it tomorrow and send it to Cloud Pavilion."
"Alright," the young man in blue said, stepping forward and reaching out to lift the bag. Unexpectedly, the bag on the ground didn't budge.
The Empty Prince laughed and said, "There's the head of a hundred-year-old pig demon inside. If you could lift it with one hand, this pig demon would have been killed long ago. There would be no need for me to take action."
Upon hearing this, the young man in blue blushed, then struggled to lift the bag with both hands, before staggering toward the kitchen.
Lin Yi watched this scene quietly. Although he knew that the Hundred Schools Academy often issued some tasks, such as slaying rampaging monsters or clearing away ghosts and evil spirits, he had never participated in them.
“This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar. If you’re not busy, why don’t you sit down and have a drink?” Young Master Kongxu suddenly extended an invitation to Lin Yi.