The Qi Gathering Mechanism of Yin-Yang Mansions

Gold and jade rise and fall, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days have passed.

After all the affairs and personnel allocation of Cui Shu Lou and Xu Chun Fang returned to normal.

Yan Chen then traveled back to the Gold Melting Valley with Wang Fu and Junior Sister Lu in a flying shuttle.

Inside the shuttle.

Wang Fu smiled and looked Yan Chen up and down, then laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly:

"No wonder Junior Brother Yan has won the favor of Steward Zhu. In just two months, he has broken through to the third level of Qi Refining. This kind of cultivation speed is probably enough to catch up with some disciples from second- or even first-rank clans!"

The path of cultivation is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Many cultivators who consider themselves exceptionally talented are trapped in a single realm throughout their lives and never make any progress.

Wang Fu has been at the third level of Qi Refining for three years.

Before this, he had spent seven years of hard work to become a disciple at the third level of Qi Refining, instead of a mortal with no magical powers.

This was under the circumstances that he came from a local clan and inherited the traditional lineage of Taoism.

If it were those unorthodox cultivators, taking this step would be even more difficult.

Advancing to a higher realm every eight or ten years is not uncommon.

This makes Yan Chendaohui's excellence and talent even more apparent!

Indeed, he is a born cultivator!

Yan Chen smiled calmly and shook his head, saying:

"Good fortune is predetermined, and inspiration comes by chance. The reason why Junior Brother was able to break through is simply due to luck, plus the help from many people in the valley. There is nothing to boast about."

"I am very pleased that you have this thought, junior brother."

"This is the truth."

Beside her, Junior Sister Lu was fiddling with the brass array plate in her hands, quite seriously.

After listening to their conversation, he couldn't help but turn his head and take a few more glances at this "Junior Brother Yan".

The other person was poised and elegant, spoke calmly and clearly, and had striking features and a handsome, refined appearance, which gave off an immediate sense of approachability and made people want to get to know them.

"I forgot to mention, there's one more small matter I can discuss with Junior Brother Yan."

Suddenly remembering something, Wang Fu began to tell Yan Chen about the three men, Lü Mao and his companions, with great interest.

On the day of the New Year, the valley received a letter from Yan Chen, saying that something had happened at Xuchunfang, and he explicitly and implicitly pointed out that the supervisors of the three courtyards under Rongjin Valley were related to this.

But it seemed that Manager Zhu had already foreseen the details and had previously assigned several stewards to clean up the mess.

The original intention was to use Lü Mao and his two companions as pawns to weaken the strength of the heretics, and then, after they had served their purpose, to discard them and bring them into the valley to be dealt with according to the rules.

Unexpectedly, the three disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

It's quite bizarre.

Yan Chen listened in silence.

A golden glint subtly flickered in his eyes, illuminating the words—

[Qu Ying, the supervisor of the Forging Institute, died and his karma was extinguished.]

[Yan Mo, the supervisor of the quarry, died and his karma was extinguished.]

[The supervisor of the Engraving Institute, Lü Mao, died, his karma extinguished.]

……

……

The shuttle arrived in front of the Yanxuan Palace and came to a stop some distance away.

Wang Fu and Lu Shimei each had their own affairs to attend to, while Yan Chen had to go to Huacai Tower to report on his duties. The three of them bowed to each other and said their goodbyes for the time being.

Outside Yanxuan Hall, there was still the same steward.

Upon seeing Yan Chen, he was first taken aback, then stunned.

"Qi Refinement Level Three... Junior Brother Yan, you've reached Qi Refinement Level Three!?"

Yan Chen smiled and bowed slightly as a greeting, then walked away without saying anything more, heading towards Huacai Tower.

Above the eaves, two black crows suddenly became joyful, flapping their wings and circling in the air.

The Taoist priest in charge was speechless for a moment, then smiled with relief and murmured:

"The differences between people are like famous mountains and hills, rivers and streams. They are both created by nature, yet they are worlds apart. If we insist on comparing them, wouldn't we just be asking for trouble and adding unnecessary worries?"

……

……

Inside Huacai Building.

This time, there were no golden boys and jade maidens accompanying him, and Yan Chen did not have any messengers in his possession.

After being informed by a senior brother in charge, I was allowed to enter the meditation room where Senior Sister Zhu was.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister."

Yan Chen bowed and said "good".

"Um."

Zhu Zhilan was sitting upright at her desk reading a book when she saw Yan Chen arrive. She casually put the book aside, rested her chin on her hand, glanced at him, and after a few seconds, a slight smile appeared on her lips. She said:

"All my previous words were well-intentioned; now it seems you truly are a remarkable talent!"

Yan Chen felt ashamed and, not wanting to dwell on what kind of "talent" he was, changed the subject and told Senior Sister Zhu about all the big and small matters inside and outside the market.

Incidentally, he also presented Zeng Deyan's primordial spirit to the other party.

This primordial spirit had been separated from the body for a long time and was already very weak. If Yan Chen had not constantly nourished it with "Qingyuan Chengming Qi", it would probably have already been scattered.

Zhu Zhilan glanced around, casually accepting the weakened primordial spirit, and then said:

"You've done a good job. Both the market town and the lower three courts are currently short of capable personnel. Who do you think are suitable to fill these vacancies?"

"It is entirely up to the person in charge to make the decision."

I'd like to hear your opinion.

Yan Chen frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"In my humble opinion, Senior Sister, Yu Shunan is a responsible and upright person who can temporarily take over the position of manager at Xuchunfang."

"As for the supervisors of the three lower academies, Li Xuanyi of the Forging Academy is honest and upright, and is a good candidate. However, his cultivation level is insufficient, which is debatable."

"As for the other two academies, I'm afraid I don't know much about them, so I won't say much about them."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhilan nodded slightly, offering no comment, and changed the subject, saying:

"Now that you have broken through to the third level of Qi Refining, according to the valley's custom, you should take on the role of steward."

"You can go to the steward in the building later. He will give you a steward's robe and a token, and select a quiet room for you in the valley as your place to live and cultivate."

"Besides that, you probably don't know anything about the cultivation of the mid-stage Qi Refining realm, do you?"

Zhu Zhilan smiled as she looked at Yan Chen.

Yan Chen felt a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart.

Thanks to the excellent traditions of the Jade Sleeve Sect, he knew very well that when it came to cultivation, who would be willing to teach others without expecting anything in return?

The other person's tone and demeanor always gave him the illusion that he was about to fall into a pit at any moment.

The most frustrating thing is that, even so, he still has no choice but to step into this trap.

Cultivating the Tao is difficult...

"Please enlighten me, senior sister."

Yan Chen said with considerable respect.

Fortunately, Zhu Zhilan didn't keep them in suspense and got straight to the point:

"In the early stage of Qi Refining, the body is pure and cleansed of impurities, and Qi is condensed... All of this is to lay the groundwork for the middle stage of Qi Refining."

"And the key lies in the Qi mechanism."

"Qi originates from Qi seed. It is formed by absorbing Qi from the body through circulation and ingestion. It only acquires attributes through the refinement of Qi through cultivation methods. It was originally an external thing."

"The cultivation of the middle stage of Qi Refining requires the complete refining of Qi into one's own. During cultivation, one can generate true Qi on one's own without relying on breathing in and out the primordial Qi of the heavens. This true Qi is inexhaustible and without any hindrance."

"To reach this state, one must open up one's dwelling and guide the flow of Qi; only then can one succeed."

Yan Chen's heart stirred, and he listened silently.

"The so-called mansions also have a yin and yang distinction, namely yang mansions and yin mansions. The order of opening yang mansions and yin mansions varies from person to person, but there is only one point that must be noted."

At this point, Zhu Zhilan paused deliberately for a moment before speaking slowly and deliberately, quite seriously:

"The balance of Yin and Yang, and the mutual generation of the five elements, constitute the fundamental principles of spiritual practice."

"Therefore, when guiding the Qi mechanism and opening up the dwelling, it is also necessary to ensure that the two sexes generate each other and follow the order of Yin and Yang in harmony."

"Only when all four abodes are filled with vital energy can one reach the mid-stage of perfection. Upon reaching this realm, one may hope to join the Eight Channels and become a 'Daoist Transmission' disciple!"

……