I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 20 Taking refuge
Xue Xiang secretly made up his mind that he could not easily activate the Spirit Realm Rejuvenation again, and he had to cherish this last blessing.

"Professor Qian is indeed very knowledgeable."

Xue Xiang stood up, bowed, and said, "I wonder if Elder Qian has the time to be my private tutor and teach me the basics of cultivation?"

For one hour each day, I am willing to offer two hundred spirit threads as payment.

Qian Ming remained silent for a few moments, then nodded in agreement.

In old age, the only thing people lack is money.

The conditions offered by Xue Xiang were undeniably generous.

…………

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the snowstorm was followed by clear skies.

After getting up early in the morning, the family greeted each other with "Happy New Year," and Xue Xiang, Liu Mei, and the little guy built a row of snowmen in the yard.

The little guy was putting a hat and scarf on the snowman when Liu Mei slipped and fell to the side.

Xue Xiang grabbed him, but his foot slipped, and the two fell to the ground with a thud.

Their eyes met, their lips met, and breaths blew in each other's faces.

Liu Mei quickly averted her gaze, her jade-like face flushed red, and Xue Xiang was stunned.

If it weren't for the sound of his mother's footsteps, Xue Xiang wouldn't have been willing to get up.

He had just raised his eyebrows when there was a commotion outside the door. It was the neighbors coming to pay their respects for the New Year, and everyone was carrying a full hand.

Mother Xue had never seen such a scene before. In previous years, she would only visit two or three neighbors during the New Year.

At this moment, some of the arriving neighbors even lived across the street.

Since they were guests, Xue's mother and Liu Mei could only hurriedly receive them.

Fortunately, everyone had a clear goal and came to Xue Xiang. After exchanging a few words and a few words with Director Xue, they wisely made their way back.

Just as the group of neighbors had left, the officials from Jiufenshan arrived, and Long Youdao mingled among them.

After another round of welcoming and seeing off, the Yunmeng Times team arrived.

Led by President Zhou Mengyu, there were more than a dozen people in total.

Today, the Yunmeng Times is thriving, with excellent benefits and treatment, and everyone has a bright future. They can only respect Xue Xiang, their guide.

The Yunmeng Times did not stop publishing during the New Year. Zhou Mengyu and others came over just to make a formality, as they were in a hurry to return to the office to handle some business, and Xue Xiang did not try to stop them.

Only an old man with a white beard was called to the side room by Xue Xiang and spoken to for a few words.

This man, whose real name is Feng Bai, is a veteran storyteller.

The manuscript of "I Came From the Mortal World" was provided by Xue Xiang, but it was Feng Bai who adapted it into a vernacular legend.

However, Feng Bai's official position at the newspaper was that of an editor, and no one knew the true relationship between Feng Bai and "Fan Jian" (a popular Chinese literary magazine).

After seeing Feng Bai off, it was past 9 AM. The snow in the courtyard had been trampled away, and the main room was filled with gifts.

Urged by his mother, Xue Xiang brought New Year's gifts and, together with Xue Shi, headed to his uncle Song Yuan's house.

Before he arrived, his aunt, Zhang, along with Song Zijie and Song Yuan, were already looking out at the door.

Upon seeing the two, Zhang hurriedly went to greet them, scolding Song Zijie for taking the gift. While scolding Xue Xiang for being too formal, she swept snowflakes that were not even there from Xue Xiang's clean new clothes.

Xue Xiang was led into the main hall, where Song Yuan took her children to play.

Song Zijie originally wanted to enter the main hall, but was driven away by Zhang.

"Captain Xun, Brother Wu, Happy New Year."

Xue Xiang recognized the two people sitting below his uncle Song Yuan and greeted them with clasped hands.

These two men were Xun Sizhou and Wu Kui, who worked in the police force. They were the ones who dealt with Xue when he provoked his evil neighbor Liu Er.

"Director Xue, Happy New Year."

Xun Sizhou and Wu Kui quickly stood up and bowed.

Back then, when they bribed Xue Xiang, he was just an ordinary clerk holding the Plum Blossom Token. Now, Xue Xiang has become the deputy director, a significant difference in status.

Song Yuan glared fiercely at Zhang Shi, who had followed him in, and said coldly, "Go and prepare the meal!"

He already knew the purpose of Xun Sizhou and Wu Kui's visit and did not want to cause trouble for Xue Xiang. He had instructed Zhang Shi in advance to stay outside when Xue Xiang came and invite him to come over. He explained the situation to Xue Xiang first, and if Xue Xiang found it difficult, he would step in to stop the matter.

Clearly, Zhang was coveting the generous gifts from Xun Sizhou and Wu Kui. She pretended to agree, but when the time came, she welcomed Xue Xiang in first.

“Our nephew is here, so we can’t skimp on food and drink. Everything’s been prepared, so I’ll get the kitchen started right away.”

Zhang left like a gust of wind.

Xue Xiang bowed to Song Yuan in greeting, and Song Yuan helped Xue Xiang up, his face full of satisfaction.

"Captain Xun, Brother Wu, are you acquainted with my uncle?"

Xue Xiang took his seat.

Xun Sizhou blushed and cupped his hands, saying, "We dare not hide it from Director Xue. We only recently learned about the relationship between Uncle Song and you."

I only recently became friends with Uncle Song, and I've come here, shamelessly, to ask Director Xue for help.

He knew Xue Xiang was a smart man, so he simply told the truth.

Song Yuan was stunned. In just a short while, he had been promoted from "Brother Song" to "Uncle Song".

Xue Xiangdao said, "Tell Captain Xun that if it's within the bounds of the law and can be done, I, Xue, will have no objections."

Xun Sizhou was overjoyed and told him what he wanted.

It turns out that he wanted to be transferred from the patrol team to the law enforcement team, preferably to the law enforcement team of the Seventh Hospital.

"I see. Let me ask. It's not a big problem. We should have news after the government opens."

Xue Xiang was willing to help with anything within his capabilities and that wouldn't cause any harm. In the public service, having more friends meant having more options.

"Thank you, Director Xue."

Xun Sizhou and Wu Kui were both excited.

They had already found out that Director Xue was a confidant of Chief Secretary Xie.

During the trial at the Haitang Hall, Chief Secretary Xie personally stood up for Director Xue, which shows how much he valued him.

As long as Director Xue nods in approval, this matter is set in stone.

"One thing to note is that Brother Xun was a squad leader in the patrol team. If he is transferred to the law enforcement team, I cannot guarantee that he will be the captain."

Xue Xiang said the ugly truth upfront.

Xun Sizhou waved his hands repeatedly, "How could I dare to hope for such a small team leader? I would be extremely grateful to be able to serve under Director Xue." The patrol team deals with all the messy things on the streets, while the law enforcement team deals with all the cases.

The Seventh Court was in charge of commerce and education, and the enforcement team under the Seventh Court was the most lucrative position.

With the important matters settled, Wu Kui insisted on hosting, but Song Yuan refused, saying, "It's the New Year, how can an uncle make his nephew eat out?" So he invited Xun Sizhou and Wu Kui to eat at home.

After dinner, Song Yuan organized a card game, but Xue Xiang said he had something to do and left the little guy to play with Song Yuan at the Song family's house.

Xue Xiang returned home, took the gifts, and rushed to Qian Ming's house. Even if it meant paying money to learn from him, Xue Xiang still recognized him as a teacher.

Qian Ming was greatly surprised by Xue Xiang's arrival and rarely showed a smile.

After sitting at the Qian family's house for a while, Qian Ming asked when classes would begin.

Xue Xiang couldn't wait any longer and said that he would rent the refining room and start the class immediately.

Qian Mingdao said, “I am an old man living alone here. My children are all in Yong’an. I am feeling very lonely. Why would I need to rent a workshop? They can learn here with me.”

At that moment, Qian Ming led Xue Xiang into the west room, where sunlight streamed in through the skylight, making it bright and airy.

Xue Xiang and Qian Ming sat facing each other on two futons. Qian Ming said, "The process of learning is a process of resolving doubts."

Before I begin formal instruction, why don't you tell me your questions about cultivation, and I can try to answer them for you.

Xue Xiang nodded, "Master Qian, there is something I don't understand. The Spirit Guiding Technique is not a secret, and spirit threads can be obtained everywhere in life."

In today's world, those who cultivate themselves are as numerous as carp crossing a river.

Despite the massive consumption, why has this spirit silk still become the currency of daily life?

Qian Ming stroked his beard and smiled, "Being able to think of this shows that you have observed carefully."

After the sage attained enlightenment, his literary lineage resonated through the galaxy, drawing upon the spiritual power of the nine heavens and flowing into this world.

As a result, spirit ore is no longer scarce, and due to its strong control, it cannot be mined in large quantities without permission.

However, the consumption by ordinary people is only a drop in the ocean compared to the reserves of spirit ore.

Therefore, we have the unique situation where spiritual silk is both a consumable and a form of currency.

Xue Xiang cupped his hands in greeting, "Could you tell me about the different stages of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation?"

Qian Ming laughed and said, "You really flatter me. I'm only at the seventh level of Qi Refining. It's already good enough that I can barely explain the Qi Refining realm."

Once you reach the first level of Qi Refining, you draw in over a thousand strands of spiritual energy from your body, and that's it.

Reaching the second level of Qi Refining requires approximately one spirit stone. Upon completion, one's strength and physique will improve, and one will experience a slight sense of Qi.

Once you reach the first or second level of Qi Refining, you're basically no different from an ordinary person.

"Reaching the third level of Qi Refining changes everything; spiritual energy can be released externally, allowing one to cultivate techniques."

Xue Xiang seemed to be deep in thought. "I heard someone say that the tenth level of Qi Refining is actually only the fourth level?"

Qian Mingdao said, "That's not wrong. Between the first and third levels, there are almost no barriers to cultivation. You just need to guide the spirit into your body and light up your spiritual apertures."

There are spiritual obstacles on the third and fourth floors;
Spiritual obstacles exist on the sixth and seventh floors, and on the ninth and tenth floors.

Therefore, some people say that the first to third layers can be regarded as the first stage, called "guiding qi into the body".

The fourth to sixth floors are considered the second stage, where Qi flows through the meridians.

From the seventh to the ninth floor, spiritual energy swirls.

The tenth level is considered the pinnacle of Qi cultivation, signifying the opening of all acupoints.

Xue Xiang said, "If that's the case, then let's divide it into four layers. Why make it into ten layers?"

Qian Ming pointed to Xue Xiang's navel, "This line, stretching from three inches below the navel all the way to the intersection of the navel and the navel, is it that a star is lit up with each layer you go in?"

There are nine stars in total across the nine levels. At the tenth level, the nine stars are connected, thus forming a spiritual root.

Xue Xiang suddenly understood, "Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Master Qian."

Qian Ming nodded slightly. "Do you aspire to take the imperial examinations?"

Xue Xiang paused for a moment, then nodded, but didn't know why Qian Ming asked that question.

Qian Mingdao said, "That's right. Remember, the entire court of high-ranking officials are all scholars."

Besides its spiritual energy, this is also a world brimming with literary talent.

From the highest heavens to the deepest netherworld, from the Dragon Palace to the Demon Realm, since the sage united with the Dao through literary cultivation, the world has been different.

Throughout the eight directions and six realms, gods, demons, and Dao ancestors all must kneel before the Sage.

From then on, this world became a world dominated by scholars.

While the methods of cultivation are wonderful, the highest level is literary cultivation.

Taking the imperial examinations cultivates literary talent, which, through its subtle and continuous flow, can converge into a mighty river. With a wave of the hand, it can overturn the heavens and earth; with a snap of the fingers, it can suppress gods and demons.

How can we not take it seriously?

"May I ask, Master Qian, is it true that passing the imperial examination guarantees a literary talent?"

Xue Xiang knew very little about literary style.

Qian Mingdao said, "All the successful candidates in the Confucian examination will enter the Wenyuan Forbidden Area to undergo trials."

At the very least, one can gain an aura of literary refinement that protects against evil spirits.

Those who achieve outstanding results will ascend the Azure Cloud Platform for trials, where they will extract their own unique literary energy.

Those with even greater fortune will have their bodies tempered by literary energy, thus achieving the Mysterious Night Eye.

"What is the Mysterious Night Eye?"

"It allows one to see in the dark, read without light, discern subtle details, and break through obstacles. This ability is truly wondrous, but it is said that no one has attained it for many years."

Xue Xiang listened with rapt attention, while Qian Ming chuckled and took out a wooden figure covered in veins and acupoints. "A tall building starts from the ground up, so let's start with the basics and learn about acupoints first..."

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed, and Qian Ming was astonished by Xue Xiang's extraordinary talent for learning.

He could learn almost anything after just one lesson, and Xue Xiang was often able to apply what he learned to other situations.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Xue Xiang had already learned most of the acupoints that Qian Ming had prepared for a month.

For an instructor, nothing is more gratifying than finding a talented person to teach. After inquiring whether Xue Xiang was tired, he continued teaching.

Two hours later, Qian Ming stopped the "acupoint" tutorial and took out a test paper to examine the teacher.

Half an hour later, Xue Xiang finished answering the questions, and Qian Ming quickly determined the score without a single mistake.

(End of this chapter)