Chapter 9: Drawing Qi into the Body

Unlike strength training, where one can consume spirit beast meat to increase power and soak in medicinal baths to fortify the body, cultivating control relies solely on oneself. This process demands intense concentration, allowing for no carelessness. As the Senior Sister once said, it's about "finding the right sensation and controlling power with your body, not your mind."

What Lu Yang had to do was to grasp the tofu naturally, without any deliberate effort.

By the end of the day, Lu Yang reeked of beans from head to toe. His eyes, having been focused on the tofu for so long, had nearly gone crossed. Fortunately, the experienced puppet gave Lu Yang two slaps, and his eyes returned to normal.

When it was time to eat, Lu Yang looked at the table laden with tofu and remained silent.

There was stir-fried tofu, deep-fried tofu, steamed tofu, tofu pudding, and tofu boiled in soy milk... All the ingredients were from the tofu Lu Yang had ruined during the day. Lu Yang heard that the tofu pudding and soy milk were gifts from an enthusiastic shop owner. Lu Yang internally cursed his ancestors.

Lu Yang knew that as long as he couldn't control his strength, he wouldn't be able to eat anything else. In other words, either he or the tofu would be ruined.

Tofu, however, was not an ordinary food. Long-term consumption could balance a cultivator's Five Elements, prolong their breath, and increase their stamina during combat, offering countless benefits. But no one could endure eating tofu every single day.

Lu Yang had no choice but to eat, his head bowed, pondering how to better control his strength the next day.

***

A glaring white light shone on the sleeping Lu Yang's face, making his eyelids stick tightly together and his expression contort. Slowly, he adapted to the strong light before attempting to open his eyes.

It was a pure white space, surrounded by thick mist. Only a small area around Lu Yang was clearly visible, and he couldn't find the source of the light.

"Where is this?" Lu Yang felt a surge of panic. He had been sleeping in the Daoist Sect, a place teeming with experts, and his Senior Sister was right next door. Who could have silently pulled him into this mysterious space? Was this entity benevolent or malevolent?

A majestic voice emerged from the mist, ancient and distant, as if speaking from the depths of time, echoing through the river of eternity.

"Young man, this is a temporary space I have created. No one can detect it." Lu Yang's heart tightened. The entity's methods were inconceivable, and he could only hope that it held no ill will towards him.

"I have witnessed eons, seen countless mighty cultivators whose power was unmatched under heaven, yet all eventually succumbed to the erosion of time, their fervent struggles against heaven and earth turning into a final sigh before death."

"No matter how peerless they were, I remain free and at ease, existing eternally." The voice was ancient and hoarse, tinged with a faint weariness of endless emptiness.

The existence of this supreme being was beyond Lu Yang's comprehension.

"Today, on a whim, I divined that you are fated to be connected with me, so I summoned your soul to this temporary legacy space."

"This space contains everything you need from the Qi Cultivation stage to the Tribulation Transcending stage: cultivation techniques, elixirs, secret manuals, cultivation insights... everything. At each stage you reach, you will unlock a portion of my legacy." Lu Yang breathed a sigh of relief. The entity seemed friendly. He clasped his hands and politely asked, "May I ask who you are, Senior?"

The Senior chuckled three times, then slowly walked out from the thick mist. The Senior had a fair complexion, pale skin, and a square head—it was a block of tofu.

Tofu Senior drew closer, its speaking speed accelerating: "I am Tofu Heavenly Venerate! This is my lifelong knowledge. The more tofu you eat, the faster your cultivation will advance, your foundation will become solid, you'll be able to challenge those above your level, have beauties on both sides, and reaching the pinnacle of the continent will be no problem..."

Lu Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He abruptly opened his eyes, sat up from his bed, and looked around blankly. It was pitch black and silent as a tomb. Only then did he sigh in relief. "It was just a dream. Thank goodness it was a dream."

Lu Yang felt the cold sweat on his back and shivered, still lingering in fear.

***

Yun Zhi slowly opened her eyes. A blue ray of light retracted from Lu Yang's room, pulling back to her fingertip. "This way, he should cultivate more diligently," Yun Zhi murmured to herself.

Her master had once told her that appropriate pressure could be transformed into motivation, inspiring people to strive harder. Yun Zhi herself was a successful example, so she believed her master's words held much truth. Thus, she used a dream-entering spell to give Lu Yang a little push.

"The lines provided by Eighth Elder were quite embarrassing. I wonder how he usually says them." Yun Zhi was skilled at seeking advice from others. All the steps and dialogue in the dream were written by Eighth Elder, who had also guaranteed they would be effective.

***

After some more time, Yun Zhi saw Lu Yang effortlessly gripping tofu, tossing it high into the air, and catching it steadily. He could even use the tofu as a sandbag, throwing it back and forth with the puppet.

The soft tofu seemed like an extension of his own body, responding to his will with perfect control. "Treating light as heavy, you have achieved it. This stage is complete."

Lu Yang smiled. He was no longer the same person he had been. With continuous practice of gripping tofu, his restless heart had gradually calmed. He could achieve this without any specific mental cultivation techniques or incantations.

"What should I practice next?" Lu Yang no longer pursued the same progress as his fellow disciples. He trusted that Senior Sister's arrangements for him had a profound purpose.

Yun Zhi rarely showed a smile, but she did now: "Consolidate your Qi Cultivation stage."

Lu Yang froze, pointing to himself, "Qi Cultivation stage? Me?"

He had no idea when he had reached the Qi Cultivation stage. Didn't the books say that Qi Absorption required guidance from a senior, cultivation techniques, closing the five senses, and clearing meridians to succeed? Those with poor talent even needed elixirs for assistance.

He hadn't met a single one of those conditions. Senior Sister hadn't told him how to absorb Qi, nor had she taught him any astonishing immortal cultivation techniques. He hadn't closed his five senses or used a mysterious sixth sense. As for his meridians, he didn't recall ever clearing them.

Daoist Sect disciples typically didn't need elixirs for Qi Absorption; they were geniuses selected from thousands. If they needed elixirs to enter the Qi Cultivation stage, they might as well withdraw from the sect. Lu Yang believed he wouldn't need elixirs either, but the question was: how did he become a Qi Cultivator?

"Three mornings ago," Senior Sister prompted.

Lu Yang suddenly remembered the morning three days prior. He had woken up very early that day and, facing the morning light, closed his eyes, pondering how exactly he could grasp the tofu.

As his thoughts deepened, he gradually lost awareness of his surroundings, feeling as if he had transformed into a rising stream of clear Qi, wandering between heaven and earth. Then, his consciousness descended, returning to his body, and his entire being felt suddenly enlightened, as if a warm current was flowing in his Dantian.

It was during that very instance that he successfully gripped the tofu.

He recalled that Senior Sister hadn't been present when he practiced gripping the tofu. It turned out she had been observing him from somewhere he didn't know. "It seems that feeling was Qi Absorption," Lu Yang murmured to himself, lost in thought.

That sensation was truly wonderful, like being among the clouds, enveloped in warmth, so comfortable that he didn't want to open his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, he had already achieved his small wish: absorbing Qi into his body and becoming a Qi Cultivation stage cultivator.