Volume 4, Chapter 60 – Dream-Peering

After finally finishing cultivation, Bai Xiang was still able to get up normally, but Bai Zhuqing was already drenched in sweat, her body limp as she collapsed onto the bed.

“Get up,” Bai Xiang ordered her. “This is my bed. Get down and wash.”

Bai Zhuqing had truly exhausted both her spirit and energy through the successive rounds of cultivation. She still refused to get up and clung to the bed, saying weakly, “What does it matter… I’m sleeping here anyway…”

Hm?

Bai Xiang frowned, lifted up her limp younger sister as if picking up a cat again, carried her to the washroom, and tossed her straight into the pool.

“The Taiyin Void Lung Meridian, the Taiyin Void Heart Meridian, and the Taiyin Void Pericardium Meridian correspond externally to the three yin meridians of the hand…”

Afterward, the two sat down again at the table, and Bai Xiang continued instructing her younger sister in detail, explaining what concrete improvements came from manifesting and refining those orifices and vessels.

“You can already guess from the names what primary organs each meridian continues into.”

“And each of those meridians is in fact formed by the continuation of hidden orifices. Including the Heaven-Pillar Vessel, there are actually dozens of hidden orifices that still have not been fully manifested and refined, which is why these meridians have not yet fully brought their effects into play. Even I cannot do that yet.”

“Hidden orifices and hidden vessels are really such mysterious things…” Bai Zhuqing clicked her tongue in amazement as she listened.

If these had been the manifest orifices and vessels, such a thing would have been impossible.

You wanted to open the vessels before lighting up the orifices?

Wasn’t the order completely reversed?

And yet, precisely this sort of phenomenon that ran counter to common sense could be realized with hidden orifices and hidden vessels.

According to Bai Xiang’s explanation, that was because these hidden orifices and hidden vessels did not truly exist inside the human body. Rather, they were attached to the Heart-aspect.

Heart-aspect, inner body, Body-scape, heart-stream. These differed from ordinary medical theory and could not be referenced or compared according to secular common sense.

“There are some things that are too idealist in nature. Even if I explain them now, you still won’t understand,” Bai Xiang said. “You only need to know that once these few vessels are opened, the strength and output of your spine, lungs, heart, and the like will all increase to a certain extent. Correspondingly, the other organs will also strengthen together over the next period of time. In the end, this will affect the blood production of your bone marrow. Prepare tonics, seize the opportunity, and thoroughly train all the manifest meridians.”

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“And your cultivation in the Path of Qi… although your Three Flowers are not yet complete, so the linkage between them is not that great and does not reach the level where one rise means all rise, there will still be an effect. You must also seize the opportunity to practice more.”

“Don’t even think about slacking off.” The moment Bai Zhuqing showed the slightest sweaty look of embarrassment, Bai Xiang suppressed her mercilessly. “I have to face the same things too. Don’t worry, I will stay with you these next few days.”

Is that you staying with me?

Isn’t it me staying with you?

Bai Zhuqing was not dense enough to miss it entirely. Deep down, she had already guessed that she was being used as a tool.

But she did not care.

To put it plainly, being able to serve as Xiang’er’s tool, being able to help Bai Xiang, was practically the thing she desired most in the world.

Besides, during cultivation she was also “visualizing” Bai Xiang. This sort of close, intimate contact was spoiled enough to count as pampering. She was thrilled by it, and could almost entirely ignore the fatigue in body and mind.

And so, a week passed quietly before Bai Xiang emerged from seclusion with Bai Zhuqing and began taking up outside affairs again.

Nothing major had happened over these past days.

Xiang Xian had come back once in the middle, and judging from Grandpa’s description of her, her attempt to break through to the Golden Core had probably failed.

Then, after hearing about Liu Yong, Xiang Xian set cultivation aside again for the time being and ran off to extract and study Liu Yong’s biological tissue.

Master is doing this again, letting too many thoughts crowd her mind. Breaking through like that probably won’t be easy.

Bai Xiang shook her head as she listened to the report.

In that respect, among all the people around her, Bai Zhuqing actually had the greatest advantage.

Because the girl’s mind was not so cluttered. Although she normally handled some dojo affairs as well, at least when cultivating together with Bai Xiang, she was able to think of nothing at all and let Bai Xiang take the lead.

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To say that her state of mind was like Guo Jing’s “pure childlike heart” would be going too far. But in truth, it was already not far off. Instead, this made the girl’s progress in the Path of Qi astonishingly fast, advancing by leaps and bounds.

Qing’er is already at the eighth layer now. One more step and she reaches the ninth, and after the ninth comes the False Core. Wouldn’t that mean she’ll soon catch up to Master’s cultivation?

I really should give Master a proper reminder later. At this rate, things won’t do.

Waving Bai Zhuqing off to the back mountain to pass on a message, Bai Xiang was soon approached by Guo Rongzhi.

“Second Senior Brother.” Bai Xiang rose to receive him.

“Junior Sister Dao Lord.” Guo Rongzhi gave her a light nod, and the two completed their greeting in the simplest, most concise manner.

“I’ve come to report on the progress of construction and manufacturing within the dojo,” Guo Rongzhi said frankly, handing the document in his hand to Bai Xiang.

Bai Xiang took it and flipped through it while listening to Guo Rongzhi’s explanations. Before long, she had reviewed all the details once.

First was the Void Demon scroll contributed by Monk Mibu. It had already been hung up, and the corresponding exchange system for visualization and study had also been established.

Second were the “artifact-talisman scrolls” and the “flying-vessel blueprints” sent over by the Qinglan Immortal Sect.

These were the things Guo Rongzhi loved most of all. Over the past days he had poured tremendous effort into them, hardly sleeping at all, throwing himself wholeheartedly into those scrolls and blueprints. Reportedly, he had already made progress in the manufacture of flying vessels.

In fact, with Starwater Company’s help, a small flying vessel had already been built, one that could be used to travel through the void.

This also tied into another matter that should be mentioned in passing. The great meteorite Bai Xiang had subdued from the Blackrock Demon Kingdom, the thing that had dubbed itself the Black Crystal Sacred Venerable, had black crystal stone growing out from its body. Daoist Fengxu and the other two regarded those crystals as treasures. Even in the Upper Realm, they would have quite considerable value.

As for the reason, Daoist Fengxu said it was because that material possessed very strong power of Loss of Order. Whether used as a cultivation resource or as fuel for certain artifact-talismans, it was highly useful and could be exchanged for quite a few things.

“There is one more matter.” Guo Rongzhi paused slightly.

“Before leaving, Daoist Fengxu asked me to pass a message to you. He said that Taixu Temple had obtained the coordinate array diagram for Shenwu Heaven, and left it with us in the letter.”

A letter?

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Bai Xiang sped up her page-turning and found the letter hidden in the fold of the final page. She pulled it out and saw that it was a talismanic diagram larger than a world map.

Utter gibberish.

That was her inward verdict.

This thing was more abstract than a star chart. She could not make sense of it, and did not dwell on it. Instead, she set it down and looked toward Guo Rongzhi. “So the flying vessel you mentioned before, Senior Brother, was it meant for…”

“I merely finished making the thing for you,” Guo Rongzhi nodded.

“Whether you go, and when you go, is up to you.”

This man really was not honest.

Bai Xiang narrowed her eyes.

Anyone who had ever helped Guo Rongzhi on Yuming Peak knew that he was obsessed to the point of madness with the flying vessels and artifact-talismans left behind by Shenwu Heaven, to the extent that he would dearly love to descend there in person, storm the imperial palace, and snatch up some secret treasures.

Now that he had glimpsed a chance, he had immediately tinkered together a small flying vessel.

What that meant, did it even need to be asked?

“How far is it?” Bai Xiang decided to get that clear first.

“Distance depends only on the route.” Guo Rongzhi said, “Some route nodes are faster and shorter, but the risk is higher.”

“Others are farther, but safer.”

It was similar to the difference between a transit array diagram and the Blood Sea.

Bai Xiang had some sense of the journey from the main world to Shenwu Heaven. She could distinguish that directly from the memories of Wu Qing and the others. A round trip would take roughly three to four days.

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Luck also played a part.

If one was fortunate and encountered few aftershocks of Void Tribulation and few troublesome Void Demons along the way, then the journey would be faster.

Otherwise, it would be slower. There was no fixed certainty in such a thing.

Three or four days, or even eight or ten, were all possible.

That was because Wu Qing and the others were too weak.

Bai Xiang thought to herself.

As for her, she had sealed the giant-armed Void Demon in the Blood Abyss with a single sword strike. If she made the trip herself, the efficiency would certainly be much higher.

And while she was at it, she could slaughter the relatives of her enemies down to the last one and prevent them from taking revenge in the future.

Thinking of it that way, she truly was a little tempted.

“If you intend to go, then you’d best set out quickly.”

Guo Rongzhi suddenly added this.

“Why?” Bai Xiang frowned.

“Because during this period, something linked itself to Hannah’s dream and peered into it. And Hannah, I had asked her to help with something, so she has seen this coordinate array diagram.”

Guo Rongzhi’s tone turned somewhat cold.

“That may mean we need to compete with the other side.”