Chapter 233: A Master’s Behest, the Sea-Gathering Art’s Second Half

When Ye Yiming heard this, he was taken aback and stared at Qin Haoxuan, dumbfounded. After a long moment, he finally said, “That’s not right. The first half of the Sea-Gathering Art can be cultivated all the way to the Tenth-Leaf of the Spirit Sprout Realm. Our Master even said that with your extraordinary talent, cultivating it to the Tenth-Leaf would be no problem. But you’re only at the Seventh-Leaf now, how is this possible?”

Qin Haoxuan helplessly spread his hands. “I don’t know either.”

Ye Yiming thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons, then said, “How about this? I will impart the second half of the Sea-Gathering Art to you on our Master’s behalf. Although my actions are a bit presumptuous, there is still some time before the ‘Entering the Mortal World’ trial ends. It would be a great pity if your cultivation were to stagnate during this time. I will report this to our Master after we return to the sect… You must absolutely not speak of this matter to anyone!”

Qin Haoxuan looked at his senior brother with gratitude. As a disciple of the Taichu Sect, he certainly knew how serious a crime it was to impart a cultivation art without permission. For Senior Brother Ye to teach him was to risk being expelled from the sect.

“Mm, rest assured, Senior Brother,” Qin Haoxuan nodded. He then glanced at Xing, who was standing to the side.

Xing was taken aback, then righteously puffed out his chest. “A genius demon from the Netherworld like me, my demonic integrity is rock solid! How could I possibly sell you out?”

“Since that is the case, listen well to the incantation, Junior Brother…”

Ye Yiming recited the incantation for the second half of the Sea-Gathering Art. The first half had only been five hundred words, and the second half was even shorter, only about three hundred. After he finished, Qin Haoxuan chewed on the words for a moment.

Seeing his slightly furrowed brow, Ye Yiming smiled. “Although the Sea-Gathering Art is divided into two parts, the first part treats the dantian as the sea and, using the Celestial River Dao Art as a foundation, treats the meridians as great rivers flowing into it. The second half, however, is about the water of the sea flowing back into the rivers, thus forming a forward and reverse cycle. As for the rest, it is not convenient for me to say more. I have only cultivated to the fourth level myself and have not yet fully grasped the entire art.”

He gazed at Qin Haoxuan and said, “The reason our Master did not impart the second half to you at the same time is because you have only been cultivating for a short time and do not yet understand what is meant by the ‘natural way of the Heavenly Dao.’ Cultivation is not just about blindly meditating and accumulating spiritual energy; you also need to comprehend more. When you encounter any doubts while cultivating this art, you should ponder what the ‘natural way of the Heavenly Dao’ is, and experience it for yourself.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded. After sitting down cross-legged, he silently recited the incantation in his mind. The three hundred words were not many, but each one was a pearl of wisdom. Fortunately, when he had been cultivating the first half, his Master had explained it to him in detail. Although the incantations were different, they were part of the same art, and their principles were interconnected. Even he, a semi-literate who had not read many books, quickly grasped it.

After more than an hour, he opened his eyes, which were filled with excitement and agitation. He had just circulated the complete version of the Sea-Gathering Art once, and he felt that his previously stagnant cultivation realm was showing signs of minute progress again. For a cultivator, the most terrifying thing was for their cultivation to stagnate. He had had such fears, which was why he had been so anxious to find the main group. Now that he had the complete art, his greatest worry was finally eliminated. How could he not be happy?

“Senior Brother, please stand guard for me. I’m going to take a Qi-Circulating Pill and cultivate,” he said. After pouring the Meridian Protecting Powder into his mouth and feeling its medicinal power protect his meridians and dantian, he took one of the pills Xu Yu had brought him and put it in his mouth.

The moment the pill entered his mouth, it dissolved and sank into his dantian. He activated its one-day effect, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to pour in frantically. A giant spiritual energy vortex appeared above his head, and the ambient energy from all directions surged towards him.

The spiritual energy in the area around his tent was the densest, while in other places it instantly thinned out, drawing the dissatisfaction of many other Taichu disciples who were meditating.

“Holy crap, Qin Haoxuan is taking a Qi-Circulating Pill again!”

“So much spiritual energy… it must be the pills Xu Yu gave him!”

…

In the rebel camp, the rogue cultivators saw the frantic spiritual energy from a distance and were all dumbfounded. “The speed of his spiritual energy absorption is so terrifying!”

“With such a frenzied absorption, could they have a Spirit Tree Realm elder… no, not even a Spirit Tree Realm elder has such a terrifying absorption speed. Could it be that the Sect Master of the Taichu Sect has come personally?”

…

In a tent next to Qin Haoxuan’s, which Li Jing had arranged for Lan Yan, she felt the powerful fluctuation of spiritual energy and her mouth dropped open in astonishment. She muttered to herself, “His cultivation is so weak, how can he absorb spiritual energy so terrifyingly? It’s as if all the spiritual energy in the vicinity is being sucked dry by him!”

Li Jing, who also sensed the frantic energy absorption, naturally knew he had taken a pill. Thinking of the pill, even he, an Unsurpassed Purple Seed, couldn’t help but purse his lips, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes. He thought for a moment and decided to go and pay this Junior Brother Qin a visit.

…

Qin Haoxuan, who had taken the pill, had no idea he had caused such a sensation. He immediately began to circulate the Sea-Gathering Art. Although he was not yet proficient with the complete version, having cultivated to the third level, he had gradually come to grasp its essence. The spiritual energy in his body once again began to surge.

The only thing he couldn’t figure out was why the first half was about rivers flowing into the sea, while the second half was the exact opposite. Weren’t the two parts in conflict? He couldn’t grasp the mystery, and his senior brother had told him to comprehend it himself. So, for now, he could only circulate the first half, then the second half, one forward and one reverse. Although doing this did allow him to feel his strength slowly increasing, it was more than ten times slower than before he had reached the Seventh-Leaf.

He thought long and hard. Having never seen the ocean, he had no choice but to simulate rivers and seas in his mind, carefully trying to comprehend the so-called “natural way of the Heavenly Dao.” According to his senior brother, the Sea-Gathering Art had been created by a senior cultivator who had gained enlightenment while observing the sea.

After a year on the path, Qin Haoxuan now knew that cultivation was a process of comprehending the natural way of the Heavenly Dao. In his shallow understanding, the most important aspects were balance and circulation.

…

“That’s right, circulation!” A flash of inspiration went through his mind. He suddenly understood why the first half was about rivers flowing into the sea, while the second was the exact opposite. If only the rivers flowed into the sea, there would come a day when the rivers ran dry, and the sea would overflow.

Chewing on the incantation again, he suddenly understood. He began to try and circulate the entire art in a blended fashion. Some meridians moved spiritual energy out of his dantian, while others moved it in, forming a subtle cycle.

The moment he grasped the complete Sea-Gathering Art, he felt the raging spiritual energy in his body form a benign cycle. Although the energy no longer roared as it had before, its circulation was much more regular, and his cultivation speed was many times greater.

He had originally only been able to digest one-fifth of the spiritual energy from the pill. Now, he had digested a full half. This improvement filled him with pleasant surprise. In that instant, he also understood his Master’s painstaking efforts. If he had been given the complete art from the beginning, it would not have been a kindness, but a detriment. He also now understood the true meaning of “The immortal path is long, one leaf, one step on a ladder.” Cultivation was not just a simple accumulation of spiritual energy, but more importantly, a comprehension of the Heavenly Dao. His own path had truly just taken its first step.

After the pill’s effects had worn off, he stood up, feeling refreshed and comfortable.

Ye Yiming smiled. “Junior Brother, while you were cultivating, Li Jing sent someone to invite you to his camp for a gathering.”

“Oh, Li Jing’s status here is quite high. Most of the Spirit Sprout Realm disciples have become his underlings,” Qin Haoxuan said with a faint smile. “Since he has sent an invitation, I shall go.”

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped. “By the way, Senior Brother, how many people from our Nature Hall came this time? Where are the other senior brothers?”