Chapter 2 : Spiritual Energy Catalyzes Inner Force, First Revolution Completion
Chapter 2: Spiritual Energy Catalyzes Inner Force, First Revolution Completion!
The morning mist had yet to disperse, halfway up Qingyun Peak where the outer sect disciples of the Taiyi Dao Sect resided.
Gu Yan was already carrying a bucket of clear water as he pushed open the wooden door to the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
“You may only clean, not read.”
At the entrance, an elderly man with white hair and beard reclined on a rattan chair with his eyes closed, yet his voice clearly entered Gu Yan’s ears.
“Yes.”
Gu Yan responded respectfully, lifting the bucket and cloth as he began wiping.
This elder’s surname was Duan. The outer sect disciples privately called him Elder Duan Pavilion. It was said he was a second-revolution martial cultivator.
Martial cultivation had nine revolutions, each revolution a world apart.
At the second revolution, one could already project inner force outward, splitting stone and breaking steles.
Having a second-revolution martial cultivator guard the outer sect Scripture Pavilion was somewhat excessive, but it also showed how much importance the sect placed on its texts.
After about an hour, the cleaning was finished.
Elder Duan Pavilion inspected the place, then took out a stack of yellow paper from his robe, counted out five sheets, and handed them over.
The yellow paper was about the size of a palm, with a special texture.
This was the Taiyi Dao Sect’s contribution currency.
Disciples often jokingly called it Taiyi Currency.
It only circulated within the sect—outside, it was worthless.
Yet within the sect, it was hard currency for exchanging pills, weapons, and even better housing.
Gu Yan carefully stored the five contribution papers and turned toward the C-Grade Herbal Garden.
The herbal garden was located on the sun-facing slope on the eastern side of the peak, covering over thirty mu, enclosed by a finely crafted stone wall. Inside, it was divided into dozens of sections, growing various medicinal herbs.
He came here to remove weeds and water the herbs.
This was his daily fixed duty.
No need to compete for tasks—just report on time, and he would steadily earn three contribution points each day.
Such a good position was fiercely contested in the outer sect.
Gu Yan obtained it entirely because the eldest managing disciple of the garden, Chen Chu, had been a close friend of his parents.
“Xiao Yan, you’re here?”
In front of the stone house at the garden entrance, a gray-robed, white-haired middle-aged man greeted him with a smile.
This was Chen Chu, over fifty years old and still stuck at the late stage of the first revolution.
The first revolution of martial cultivation focused on body refinement, divided into three stages: early stage tempering vitality and blood, middle stage generating inner force, and late stage filling nine acupoints.
Chen Chu had entered the late stage twenty years ago, yet had never managed to condense a qi vortex to break through to the second revolution.
“Elder Chen.” Gu Yan greeted respectfully, then retrieved his tools from the house.
“Xiao Yan, same as usual today—areas seven to twelve.”
“Oh, one more thing. Elder Xuanqing sent word two days ago. While visiting friends, he discovered several rare poisonous herbs. His return date is uncertain.”
“Let’s take extra care of the garden—don’t let anything go wrong.”
Gu Yan nodded.
This garden belonged to Elder Xuanqing, an outer sect elder obsessed with alchemy and a second-revolution martial cultivator.
There were many highly toxic plants in the garden. Once, a disciple had accidentally touched a Corrosive Orchid Herb—within three days, flesh and blood melted away, leaving only a skeleton.
Since then, all disciples working here had been extremely cautious, as if walking on thin ice.
The five sections Gu Yan was responsible for each covered about half a mu, planted with common healing herbs such as Dew Condensation Grass, Scarlet Blood Vine, and Three-Leaf Azure Ganoderma.
He first carefully inspected each plant’s condition, recording abnormalities, then used a long-spouted bronze kettle to fetch water from a specially made canal, watering each plant meticulously.
The water was mixed with trace amounts of medicinal residue that nourished the herbs—a formula prepared by Elder Xuanqing.
Then came clearing dead leaves, weeds, and loosening the soil.
In this herbal garden, silence was the norm. Speaking too much led to distraction, and distraction could lead to mistakes.
And here, mistakes often came at a heavy cost.
Only during the midday break would Gu Yan sit with Chen Chu in front of the house and chat briefly.
Chen Chu would talk about amusing stories of Gu Yan’s parents or remind him about cultivation precautions.
“Cultivating inner force requires letting things happen naturally.”
“You’re currently at the early stage of the first revolution. Your vitality and blood are nearly tempered—next comes sensing that trace of qi within your body and transforming it into inner force.”
“You cannot rush it, but you also cannot slack off.”
Gu Yan listened attentively, occasionally nodding.
As the sun tilted westward, the workday ended.
As usual, Chen Chu distributed the contributions—three sheets of yellow paper, each worth one point.
Gu Yan stored them, said his farewells, and headed toward the outer sect dining hall.
The dining hall was located on the west side of the main square of the peak, a three-story wooden and stone structure.
It was dinner time, and the hall was bustling with hundreds of outer sect disciples.
Gu Yan walked to the exchange window and glanced at the wooden price board on the wall:
Two vegetarian dishes: one contribution
One meat dish: three contributions
One bowl of Hundred Refinement Valley Rice: two contributions
Plain white rice: 0.5 contribution
The duty disciple behind the window waited lazily.
After a brief thought, Gu Yan took out several Taiyi Currency notes. “One meat dish, one bowl of Hundred Refinement Valley Rice, and two vegetarian dishes.”
The disciple collected the currency and handed him a numbered wooden token.
Gu Yan found a quiet seat by the window. Soon, a servant disciple delivered his meal on a tray.
This meal cost five contribution points—equivalent to his entire income from the Scripture Pavilion today.
But Gu Yan never treated himself poorly. Cultivation required stamina—eating well was always right.
He barely touched the silver left by his parents, saving it for emergencies.
Since sect contributions couldn’t be taken outside, they should be used where it mattered most.
And food was one of those priorities.
After eating slowly and finishing his meal, Gu Yan stood up.
As he left the dining hall, he touched the remaining Taiyi Currency in his robe.
Five points from the Scripture Pavilion in the morning, three from the herbal garden, five spent on dinner—net gain of three today.
Including previous savings, he now had fifty-three points.
By the time he returned to his residence, the sky had already darkened.
Closing the courtyard gate, the world instantly fell silent.
Gu Yan did not light a lamp. He sat quietly on the stone stool in the courtyard for a while.
Only after his mind was completely calm did he enter the room and sit cross-legged on the wooden bed.
At this time, ordinary outer sect disciples might be tempering their vitality and blood or practicing martial techniques.
But what Gu Yan intended to do was entirely different.
He closed his eyes, his breathing gradually evening out.
His mind concentrated, and his awareness slowly extended outward.
Gradually, faint points of light appeared around him, drifting within his perception.
Those were the five elements’ spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
The Five Elements Spiritual Body could sense and absorb spiritual energy.
But the absorption speed depended on technique and environment.
Without a cultivation method or guidance, even with this body capable of sensing spiritual energy, the speed could not be fast.
Last night, Gu Yan had tried the entire night, absorbing only five or six light points into his body, without knowing how to use them.
But this morning, he had an idea.
Now, it only needed verification.
Gu Yan began circulating the “Taiyi Dao Virtue Scripture · First Revolution Chapter.”
This cultivation method was a core inheritance of the Taiyi Dao Sect, rumored to lead directly to the realm of the Sixth Revolution Five Immortals.
But outer sect disciples could only obtain the first revolution chapter.
To gain further inheritance, one had to enter the inner sect, accumulate contributions, and prove one’s talent.
After all, the sect was not a charity—how could it hand out its foundations freely?
The First Revolution Chapter was mainly divided into three steps.
Early stage: temper vitality and blood, strengthen the physique.
Middle stage: sense qi, transform it into inner force.
Late stage: fill the nine acupoints with inner force, laying the foundation for the second revolution’s qi vortex realm.
Gu Yan had originally been at the early stage of the first revolution. His vitality and blood were nearly tempered, yet he had never sensed that so-called qi.
Now, he deliberately guided the five-colored light points he had absorbed into his body, circulating them according to the route recorded in the technique.
At first, there was no reaction. The spiritual energy drifted lazily through his meridians, separate from the vitality and blood.
But Gu Yan remained calm, trying again and again, carefully adjusting the rhythm and strength of his guidance.
After about half an hour, a sudden change occurred.
When a thread of red light—seemingly fire-element spiritual energy—flowed through the Tanzhong acupoint in his chest, the previously dormant vitality and blood suddenly boiled!
Immediately after, all the five-colored light points inside his body seemed to find direction,
beginning to circulate along the technique’s route in an orderly manner, faster and faster!
Boom!
It felt as if some barrier within his body had been shattered. A warm current arose from his Dantian, rapidly spreading throughout his entire body.
This was inner force!
Gu Yan was startled, yet he dared not lose focus, continuing to circulate the technique.
The newly born inner force surged wildly under the enhancement of spiritual energy, like streams converging into rivers, rushing forward.
The first acupoint, Tanzhong, filled.
Located at the center of the chest, behind the sternum.
Its filling meant inner breath could now flow through the chest and abdomen, mobilizing thirty percent of the body’s vitality and blood with each breath.
The second acupoint, Qihai, filled.
Located one and a half inches below the navel, at the Dantian—the foundation of martial cultivation, the core of inner force generation and storage.
What would normally take months to fill was instantly completed under the infusion of spiritual energy.
The third acupoint, Mingmen, filled.
Located at the center of the lower back, opposite the navel.
It governed innate essence. At this stage, waist strength doubled, and the body became as stable as stone.
Guiding a strand of earth-element spiritual energy into it, Gu Yan felt a steady warmth rise from his lower back.
It was as if an invisible pillar supported his entire spine.
Then, Dazhui, Laogong, Yongquan, Taiyang, Shenque…
Eight acupoints lit up in succession, forming a network. Inner force transformed from spiritual energy circulated endlessly within them.
Only the final piece remained to complete the small circulation and achieve full completion of the late stage of the first revolution.
The ninth acupoint was Baihui.
Located at the crown of the head, beneath the hair whorl—the convergence of all yang, where all meridians returned.
In martial cultivation, Baihui was the hardest to fill. One had to raise inner force from the soles at Yongquan, pass through the spine to Dazhui, breaking through numerous barriers before reaching the heavenly gate.
Another half hour passed.
Gu Yan took a deep breath, mobilizing all the spiritual energy within his body.
The earth-element energy at the soles responded first, surging upward like a rising dragon.
Mingmen, Dazhui, and other acupoints lit up one by one like a string of lamps being ignited.
The Tanzhong in the chest and Qihai in the abdomen surged simultaneously, storing power for the final push.
When all the spiritual energy gathered at the crown—
Gu Yan heard a clear ringing in his mind, like a bell being struck.
Baihui acupoint suddenly opened!
In an instant, all nine acupoints trembled simultaneously. Inner force transformed from spiritual energy flowed freely, forming a perfect cycle.
The pores across Gu Yan’s body slightly opened, faint white vapor seeping out.
This was a sign of inner force reaching its peak, beginning to nourish the body externally.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Though no lamp was lit in the room, everything appeared as clear as daylight to him.
The grain of the wooden table, the faint glimmer of dew on a spiderweb in the corner…
Late stage of the first revolution, nine acupoints filled.
According to martial knowledge, progressing from early to late stage required at least a year or two for those with good talent.
Ordinary outer sect disciples needed decades of hard work.
Yet Gu Yan had crossed from early stage, past middle stage, directly to late stage in less than two hours.
And this was merely the result of introducing a small amount of spiritual energy combined with a basic cultivation method.
Gu Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulence in his heart.
He carefully sensed the changes within his body. The inner force stored in the nine acupoints was pure and steady, indeed the orthodox inner force of the Taiyi Dao Virtue Scripture.
Yet deep within, there was a faint trace of the five elements’ attributes—that was the residual mark of spiritual energy.
“Inner force is ultimately inner force, different from spiritual energy.”
“But since spiritual energy can catalyze inner force cultivation… can it go further?”
A bold thought emerged:
Use martial techniques as the vessel, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as the sail.
So what if he lacked an immortal cultivation method?
He could use the martial technique as the framework.
But instead of using spiritual energy to catalyze inner force—
he would replace inner force entirely with spiritual power.
Store it within these nine acupoints.
Tonight’s leap from early to late stage of the first revolution had already proven that this path might be feasible.
With a thought, his personal panel appeared:
【Gu Yan】
【Lifespan: 20/80】
【Realm: Qi Refining · First Layer】
【Entry: Five Elements Spiritual Body · Orange】
Looking at the panel, he fell into thought.
The realm was still Qi Refining First Layer—he had expected to reach the second.
Immortal cultivation was indeed different from martial training.
However, what exactly determined the realm classification on this panel?
Was it total spiritual power? Purity? Or something else?
According to the cultivation novels he had read in his previous life, the Qi Refining stage was usually the starting phase of immortal cultivation, divided into nine or thirteen layers.
No matter—he would simply continue drawing energy into his body and accumulate spiritual power.