92: Chapter 91: Undercurrents Surge 92: Chapter 91: Undercurrents Surge Hou Niao realized that among those sent to Yinling, there were indeed those with deplorable conduct.
This was the normal Cultivation World, not everyone was positive and sunny, treating mortals as their foundation; there were still those who muddled through life seeking pleasure, and there must be those who committed evil deeds and acted as they pleased.
As a place akin to punitive exile, Yinling naturally had individuals like Hou Niao who were retaliated against for offending others, but there were definitely those who were deservedly punished based on concrete evidence.
These people, of course, were unwilling to patrol around Yinling, so they engaged in reckless behavior at Fang Family’s Castle instead.
Qian Chong was probably such a person, with lechery being his label; before cultivators truly comprehended the Great Dao and stepped into Tongxuan, it was difficult to completely eliminate certain vices common among ordinary people.
This was the reason behind the unfriendly treatment he received at the entrance of the fortress by the man in the red turban.
Everything has a source; there is no hate without cause.
“Also, why would this Guo from the Town Government lead the leftover cultivators out?
What did they encounter?
Was it an accident or man-made?
Even if they lack ambition, cultivators should at least have some basic vigilance, right?”
Yao He spread his hands, “They refuse to talk, who knows if it’s because of pride or some other reason?
These questions can only be asked when the Inspector returns and communicates with Guo from the Town Government…
I rarely come back to Fang Family’s Castle, the last time was a year ago.
I have no informants here, these Fang family members won’t tell us everything.”
Hou Niao was speechless, the chaos here made it seem as though the Yinling region was showing signs of spiraling out of control, but that wasn’t his concern.
“If you had to choose, would you stay at Fang Family’s Castle or go out patrolling?”
Without hesitation, Hou Niao replied, “Patrol!
This place is like a birdcage, the sky is too small…
and besides, I don’t like to be around people who don’t like me.”
Yao He laughed, “Could you try to change them?”
Hou Niao shook his head, “I don’t have that leisure.
I came here to learn swordsmanship, not to save all beings; besides, it’s not my mess, why should I be the one to wipe their asses?”
With your character, Brother Hou, patrolling is the perfect job!
But be careful, patrolling isn’t just about bravery, even more important is strength.
For example, the position you’re in was vacated by a patrolling cultivator who lost his life for you.”
That evening, Hou Niao didn’t stay inside the Town Government mansion; of course, he had nowhere else to go and likely wouldn’t be welcomed elsewhere.
So, he climbed onto the rooftop of the Town Government building to bask in the heavenly light.
This spot could almost be considered the highest point in Fang Family’s Castle, aside from the seven-story wooden tower, there was no place higher; looking far into the distance, the vast darkness of the land was devoid of any lights, dead silent.
He began his unwavering evening ritual, battling fiercely with the Wandering Souls within the Soul Realm, and started to attempt slowing down his fierce and unmatched swordsmanship…
As for the accumulation of Spiritual Power within his Dantian, he didn’t have many methods to speed up the process, only to progress step by step; considering efficiency, cultivating both Dantians at the same time did have a complementary effect, but the benefit was limited and wasn’t enough to progress at breakneck speed.
Both his Dantians were at a level just scratching the surface.
If he had to provide a precise figure, their fullness likely wouldn’t exceed thirty percent.
This was the result of the Spiritual Power accumulated throughout his body feeding back during his ascension to the Upper Realm, not the product of these past ten plus days of cultivation.
Moreover, he understood that the difficulty in cultivating the Dantian lay ahead, becoming increasingly challenging as it approached fullness, a major characteristic of Dantian cultivation.
From the Quanzhen Sect’s scriptures, even those with top-tier talent needed at least half a year at this stage.
For the mediocre, the time was indefinite, with plenty of cultivators spending their entire lives stuck in the Essence Building Realm, so it was difficult to set a standard.
Was his pace above the standard?
It would take a period of steady cultivation to determine.
The Purple Mansion Vortex, through his exploration over half a year, had somewhat revealed its value, greatly aiding in enhancing his combat ability, but so far he hadn’t noticed anything exceptional in terms of cultivation speed.
It not only helped with swordsmanship but also in practical application.
For example, what he was currently focused on solving was the issue with Sword Qi.
When there is Qi in the Dantian, used with a Sword, it manifests as Qi Gang; this is the phenomenon where a cultivator’s sword strikes emit varying lengths of Sword Qi.
To mortals, the emitted force seems to be of the same kind, simply referred to as Sword Qi, longer and brighter if one’s cultivation is profound, shorter and dimmer if it’s weak.
But that’s not entirely accurate.
In the world of cultivators, Gang and Qi are different.
Gang is condensed from the Lower Dantian, while Qi is transformed from the Middle Dantian; they appear similar externally but are fundamentally different.
People speak of the essence, Qi, and spirit; not mentioning the spirit, which is beyond his reach at this level.
Here, essence refers to the comprehensive inner secrets of the human body, the most valued by practitioners of Body Cultivation; when projected outward, it becomes Gang, which can break through all barriers.
As for Qi, it’s the pathway for cultivators to connect with heaven and earth.
Favoured by the Daoist Sect, its external release is Qi, capable of moving heaven and earth.
This reflects the different emphases of various cultivation schools.
For instance, schools that prioritize Body Cultivation focus on the human body itself, viewing the body as a treasure trove of endless resources.
Therefore, they base all three Dantians on the cultivation of the Lower Dantian.
On the other hand, schools led by the Daoist Sect emphasize borrowing the forces of heaven and earth.
Since heaven and earth are infinite, so is the Dao.
Humans coexist with heaven and earth, sharing in their resources…
so the foundational basis of the Daoist Sect’s cultivation is unequivocally the Middle Dantian.
The Quanzhen Sect doesn’t show preference in this regard, leaving it up to the cultivators themselves.
In fact, this is the choice of most cultivators who can’t define their future direction at the outset of their cultivation journey.
Therefore, they can cultivate any Dantian, and as they reach higher realms, they will still need to work on the other two anyway.
Before reaching Tongxuan, cultivators mainly focus on one Dantian to break through to the higher realms for its simplicity and higher success rate; this is the orthodox path.
After reaching Tongxian, whether willing or not, they would inevitably come into contact with another Dantian during the cultivation process and then make further choices.
Owing to the Purple Mansion Vortex, Hou Niao greedily cultivated both Dantians at the same time.
This meant that if he wanted to generate Sword Qi using a sword, could he choose between Gang or Qi?
Or could he mix them together?
Or create a dual-headed snake Sword Qi?
This might cause difficulties in his sword practice, but if solved well, it could also lead to unexpected and formidable effects.
During his journey, he had constantly been addressing this issue, challenging Soul Ghosts and demons along the way to evaluate which of the two methods was more suitable for combat.
Would he choose depending on the target?
Or would he merge a unique form of Qi Gang?
These questions required countless experiments, trials to be conducted within the heat of battle!
Therefore, he had no choice but to become a patrolling cultivator, wandering the Yinling Wilderness every day, in search of more opportunities to fight.