Chapter 156: Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement
Green Bamboo had had no interest in reporting the matter, and naturally no interest in the reward either, so both spirit stones ended up in Liu Xiaolou’s hands.
Back at Ganzhu Ridge, the two of them went right back to their shameless cultivation life.
Green Bamboo was different from Liu Xiaolou. The reason she had “straightened him out” in the first place was for the sense of accomplishment. Once she had gotten her fill of that, the thrill faded, and in recent days she had rarely fooled around with him anymore.
But once the Abyssal Blackstone Formation was enhanced, the illusions inside became more vivid, more lifelike, and changed each time they entered. That rekindled her curiosity, and she started trying out with Liu Xiaolou whatever she saw in the illusions. Soon she was hooked again.
To help him better control the formation’s transformations, she began cramming him with the theory and formulas behind formations, especially the Golden Scroll Essentials of Formations. Some parts were so abstruse she didn’t even bother explaining and simply had him memorize them word for word.
“You won’t get it now. You’ll understand later. Come on, start reciting the Nine Divine Methods.”
“I got it…”
At the same time, Liu Xiaolou always treated dual cultivation with a serious attitude. Whenever Green Bamboo tried to let herself go, he did his best to pull her back with yin-yang techniques. The Sanxuan Sect’s yin-yang arts really did have remarkable effects. Each impact on the acupoints came much easier than before.
“The yin-yang art really is impressive. You should memorize it too…”
“Alright, alright, I’ll memorize it.”
“Be serious!”
“Heehee…”
“Once you’ve memorized it, just practice on your own. Don’t spread it around carelessly. This is a secret technique of my Sanxuan Sect!”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
The Yin-Yang scripture was truly profound. When paired with dual cultivation techniques, it greatly boosted the cultivation of the True Mysteries scripture. Just as the manual described, the very first time cultivating the Yin-Yang scripture, the speed of progress was astonishing. Like water flooding a thousand li, once it started it was unstoppable.
Of course, it would continue to provide support in the future, but not nearly as dramatically as that first time.
Because of this, Liu Xiaolou seized every moment and never let a chance slip by. After clearing the Jianliao and Tianliao acupoints, he went on to open the Tianyou, Yifeng, Zhimai, Luxi, Jiaosun, Ermen, and Erheliao acupoints in succession, advancing at a remarkable pace. Not only did he open acupoints more easily, his speed in absorbing spiritual energy also increased significantly. A single spirit stone could now be fully refined in just nine days.
After two months, he had pushed the Hand Lesser Yang Meridian all the way through to the Sizhukong acupoint. That was the final gate, and once it opened, he stepped into the fifth layer of Qi Refinement.
That night, panting for breath, Liu Xiaolou pushed himself up from behind Green Bamboo. He suddenly found himself staring at her for a long time, watching as sweat soaked through her undergarments. Green Bamboo was fixing her hair and asked, “What are you looking at?”
Liu Xiaolou sighed. “It’s been over three months. Soon I’ll have to go back to Shenwu Mountain. I really don’t want to.”
She smiled, patted his cheek. “I’m not going to keep cultivating with you forever. Don’t get any funny ideas.”
He asked her, “Are you close to breaking through a bottleneck? I can feel it. Your aura, even your presence, it’s changed a lot.”
Green Bamboo lay back down and said, “In your illusion formation, I saw many things. You’re right. I’m preparing to go into seclusion.”
Liu Xiaolou felt both glad and a little heavy-hearted. “Then let me congratulate you in advance. May you reach Foundation Establishment soon. After that, what do you plan to do?”
Green Bamboo draped her long legs over his shoulders, squeezed his neck between them, and gave a playful shake. “Of course I’ll carry on my sect’s legacy and make it flourish. I know what you’re hoping for, but forget it. I’m not going to keep this up with you.”
Liu Xiaolou let out another sigh. “I don’t have that kind of extravagant hope anyway. But tell me, after all this time, I still don’t understand. Why have you been with me like this? If it was just for the illusion formation… I don’t believe that.”
Green Bamboo said softly, “At the start, it was the sense of achievement, changing you, proving I was stronger than Lady Xi. But later… didn’t you ever feel guilty?”
Liu Xiaolou gave a wry smile. “You mean you feel sorry toward Fifth Lady?”
She nodded, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes. “After all, she’s a close friend of mine.”
After thinking for a moment, Liu Xiaolou said, “If one day—”
Green Bamboo circled her calf around and pressed her toe against his lips. “There won’t be such a day. And if there ever is, it has nothing to do with me.”
He looked into her eyes and nodded.
She smiled faintly. “That’s better.”
They gazed at each other for a while. Then Green Bamboo suddenly flipped over, got to her feet, and began putting on her clothes. “I’m leaving.”
Liu Xiaolou was stunned. “What? Where are you going?”
Without turning back, she said, “I can’t go on like this anymore. It isn’t right. I’m going back to Yuezhou.”
He called after her, “I didn’t even say anything…”
She glanced back. “Do you know what my greatest gain from this trip is?”
“What is it?”
“You made me realize something. Our understanding of ourselves can change. We thought illusions could show us everything clearly, but it isn’t just the illusions that shift; everything we see is changing. The selves we once believed we were might not be our true selves at all. And we won’t remain the same person forever.”
Liu Xiaolou froze for a moment, then asked, “When will I see you again?”
Green Bamboo gave no reply. She slipped away into the forest.
Liu Xiaolou stood staring at the pitch-black bamboo grove, feeling a hollow ache in his chest. “What does that even mean… why so cryptic…”
A sour and bitter feeling spread across Ganzhu Ridge, rippling outward.
After a long time…
Something stirred in his heart. He immediately sat down cross-legged and launched a fierce assault on the Sizhukong acupoint.
This acupoint marked the end of the Hand Lesser Yang Meridian. The name “Kong” meant emptiness. During cultivation, once spiritual energy flowed through the meridian and gathered here, it cooled and gave rise to a faint sound, as if drifting down from the sky. That sound was the sign of breaking through. For most people, it was nearly impossible to grasp the essence of that sound. To put it plainly, if you couldn’t imagine it, you couldn’t hear it.
This was the barrier to breaking through the Hand Lesser Yang Meridian and stepping into the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. It was one of the cultivation obstacles known as the “sound barrier,” which could only be overcome through insight. Yet the instant Liu Xiaolou’s spiritual energy touched the acupoint, he immediately heard that strange sound described in the True Mysteries Scripture. The sound of “orchids in an empty valley.”
The sound was familiar. He had heard it many times back in the small courtyard at Wuchao Town.
“Mm, ha, hum, ah, hoo…”
It was exactly the Five Tones described in the Yin-Yang Scripture!
He could still remember how, when Sister Qing practiced the Five Tones, each note rose and fell in harmony with the movement of his exploring fingertips. He knew every variation of every syllable by heart. And with Green Bamboo’s Five Tones, there was an added lingering aftertaste, filled with endless joy.
Every person had their own Five Tones, and different tones gave rise to different variations of the orchid-song in the empty valley.
As the orchid-song shifted, the Sizhukong acupoint gave a low wail, unable to withstand the rush. The barrier shattered, and true qi surged through, gathering in the acupoint's primordial pool.
This was the power of the True Mysteries Scripture working hand in hand with the Yin-Yang Scripture, allowing everything to flow together seamlessly today.
Liu Xiaolou broke through to the fifth layer of Qi Refinement and stepped into the mid stage.