I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 12 Master Qi

After his name was registered at the Capital Academy, a few days later, someone knocked on the door of the 26th academy (section A).

Outside the door stood a Taoist boy in a robe, followed by a lithe clouded leopard. Perhaps they had been waiting for a while, for the clouded leopard had already lazily lay down.

Ying Chan opened the courtyard gate and, seeing the pair, couldn't help but be surprised: "Where did you come from, boy?"

The young Taoist was quite composed. He bowed and asked, "Are you Senior Brother Ying Chan?"

"Exactly."

"This young boy is here on behalf of the Imperial Academy to deliver a message," the boy said. "Please come to Songfeng Altar this afternoon to listen to the lecture, senior brother."

"I see."

Ying Chan cupped his hands and replied, "I understand. Thank you for conveying the message, boy."

The young Taoist smiled slightly and secretly nudged the clouded leopard with his heel, waiting for the leopard to slowly get up.

"I'll take my leave now." The young Taoist bowed and rode off on his cloud leopard.

The clouded leopard looked lazy, but it was actually very fast when it ran. In the blink of an eye, it had reached the end of the road.

Ying Chan watched them until their figures disappeared before turning his gaze away.

Back inside, I finished reading the Ganying Jing (Scripture of Response and Intuition) which I had only partially finished in the morning, and then read the Xuanqiao Jing (Scripture of Mysterious Aperture) for a while. By then, it was past noon.

As usual, Ying Chan carefully put away all the Taoist books before leaving the courtyard.

Songfeng Altar is not among the more common preaching altars, but it should not be difficult to find out about it.

After passing through the clouds, Ying Chan stopped a classmate who was not in a hurry and politely asked for his advice, which he quickly received.

He headed north, where the main road turned into a path, then into stone steps, ascending higher and higher. Suddenly, he heard the pines on the mountain peaks swaying in the wind, creating a rustling sound.

Then we know that the Songfeng Altar is not far away.

Sure enough, the stone steps soon came to an end, and Ying Chan climbed to the top of the cliff.

The top of the cliff is paved with bluestone, and in the center of the plaza is a 33-foot-high altar, which looks like it is made of Han jade, with a warm and smooth color.

There was already someone in the square, an old Taoist priest with a gaunt face, but the Taoist robe he wore was the same style as Ying Chan's disciple, so he was obviously not a Taoist master in the academy.

The old Taoist priest was resting and recuperating when he heard footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Ying Chan cupped his hands in return, but seeing that the old Taoist was not in the mood for conversation, he did not start a conversation.

After a while, another girl who wasn't wearing a Taoist uniform arrived, but still didn't break the silence.

Thus, until the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), a sudden gust of wind blew through the pines. It did not attract much attention, but for some reason, a female Taoist priest appeared there in the blink of an eye.

The old Taoist priest's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he recognized the female Taoist priest. He bowed and greeted her, "Master Qi."

Upon hearing this, Ying Chan and the young girl also bowed and greeted him, "Master Qi."

Professor Qi had willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and a cool and aloof demeanor. Upon seeing this situation, he merely nodded slightly.

"No need for formalities." Her tone was calm, but her actions were swift and decisive. She asked, "When did the three of you enter the Daoist academy?"

The group exchanged glances, and the old Taoist priest spoke first: "This disciple entered the Taoist academy to cultivate five months ago."

The girl then said, "I entered the Taoist academy last summer, and it has been a year since then."

Ying Chan was somewhat surprised, but seeing Master Qi's gaze fall upon him, he still calmly said, "This disciple entered the Daoist academy a month ago, which is now more than thirty days ago."

These words immediately drew the attention of the other two, who looked at Ying Chan with surprise.

Professor Qi remained calm and continued, "Since you have registered at the Capital Academy, it means you have all made sufficient preparations."

"However, I still need to test him."

Then he pointed at Ying Chan and said, "You answer first."

What is the Mysterious Aperture?

After a moment's thought, Ying Chan replied, "When one is in a state of utmost emptiness and stillness, one is no longer a self, but only feels a vast and mysterious darkness, one is one with heaven and earth, and the Qi is brewing within. This is the most wonderful state of cultivation, hence it is called the Mysterious Aperture."

After listening attentively, Academician Qi offered no comment, and then asked the girl, "What is the abode of the gods?" The girl recited as if reciting a text, "The Crimson Palace of the Central Yuan is the abode of the gods. If the Crimson Palace remains still, the essence will not be wasted, and the spirit will not tire..."

Master Qi still did not comment, and then asked the old Taoist what the Small River Chariot and the Large River Chariot were, to which the old Taoist immediately gave an answer...

They went back and forth like this, asking countless profound questions about philosophical principles and doctrines, and the three of them were generally able to answer them.

Professor Qi still did not make any comments, but would occasionally point out errors.

Until dusk.

After asking a question, Master Qi said calmly, "The three of you have a good foundation and can indeed begin Qi cultivation."

Upon hearing this, the three of them perked up their ears. Master Qi was about to give them pointers on the techniques, but she waved her hand and released three beams of white light, which were distributed to each of them.

Ying Chan subconsciously raised his hand to catch it, and saw the white light transform into a slender object in his palm.

Upon closer inspection, it resembles a steel needle, yet it is much coarser.

Master Qi said calmly, "Starting tomorrow, the three of you will use this as a hook to fish by the Xiaqi River. Come back to see me in three days."

"At that time, we will discuss techniques based on each person's fishing results."

After saying that, he waved his hand and disappeared without a trace, accompanied by a gust of wind through the pines.

"This..." The three exchanged glances, and the girl looked clearly confused: "Fellow Daoists, what does the academy master mean by this?"

The old Taoist priest pondered for a moment and said, "How can we possibly fathom the actions of Master Qi?"

Ying Chan didn't think much of it, and just smiled: "In any case, we'll know the outcome in three days."

"I still have a lot of preparations to make for fishing tomorrow, so I'll have to decline now."

After saying this, he bowed again and gracefully descended from Songfeng Altar.

When I returned to the courtyard, the moonlight was already as clear as water.

Ying Chan now held an old bamboo pole and a bundle of hemp thread.

With a little processing, a few grooves are made in the old bamboo with a knife, and hemp thread is wrapped around it... and thus, a simple fishing rod is made.

It should be fine to wait a few days.

The cut bamboo sections, once shaved into strips, can be woven into a fish basket...

Ying Chan looked around and was quite satisfied, so he packed his things and prepared to go back to his room.

Before he could even get up, he suddenly saw a rainbow fly into the courtyard, which still looked quite dazzling even under the pale moonlight.

"Fairy?"

The colorful sparrow landed by the pavilion, glanced at Ying Chan, and said listlessly, "He's a Taoist priest."

"It's only been a few days," Ying Chan said in surprise. "Why does the fairy look so listless?"

"Taoist priest." Cai Que'er curled up into a ball of fluff and said sullenly, "Don't call me fairy anymore."

Ying Chan raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong, Fairy?"

"Sigh." The colorful sparrow said dejectedly, "I'm just a fast-flying sparrow, born without magic, and I can't learn to gather the essence of the sun and moon for cultivation..."

Ying Chan listened carefully and realized that Cai Que'er had been learning to collect the essence of the sun and moon from the spirits in the Taoist temple for the past ten days or so.

But for some reason, it just wouldn't let it get the hang of.

"This……"

Ying Chan was somewhat surprised and didn't know why.

After thinking for a long time, I could only comfort it by saying, "When Xuan Ying returns, I will ask him if he knows the reason."

Li Xuanying went into the mountains to gather herbs, and I was supposed to return within three to five days, so why haven't I seen him yet...?

(End of this chapter)