Volume 4 Chapter 7

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Volume 4 Chapter 7: Retreat

On the seventh day of the first month of the fiery moon, the day of rainwater, with dragons and phoenixes returning, it is favorable for rituals, apprenticeships, and blessings, but unsuitable for weddings, bathing, construction, or burials.

According to worldly customs, no matter what you do, you should ask the elders in the clan. These elders came together and created this "Hundred Days Auspicious and Inauspicious", which might seem an excuse to eat and drink for free, but it has indeed supported many idle elders. Whether it is suitable or not, this is how they guided people’s actions.

Even the wise and open-minded Second Elder, whom Xu Qingfan respected, was no exception. Xu Qingfan clearly remembered a day from his childhood when there was no food in the village, but the Grand Elder and Second Elder’s declaration of "no hunting for three days" left everyone in the Xu Family Village hungry for three days.

As a cultivator who has started to understand the slightest bit of the Heavenly Way, of course, they wouldn’t believe in these things. The Heavenly Way is just the rules of the world, a domain and not a strict set of instructions.

However, what puzzled Xu Qingfan was that Liu Huaxiang, a cultivator at the Condensed Core Stage, was quite knowledgeable about these things. When Xu Qingfan decided to seclude himself for meditation to merge with the "Wutong branch" on a certain day, Liu Huaxiang immediately brought up the "Hundred Days Auspicious and Inauspicious" and made a comprehensive evaluation of the day’s merits and demerits, finally giving Xu Qingfan the conclusion that "although it’s not great, it isn’t too bad either."

Faced with this vague evaluation, Xu Qingfan could only respond with mixed emotions, unable to argue with his elder Liu Huaxiang.

Before entering his seclusion, Xu Qingfan bowed deeply to Liu Huaxiang and said, "Thank you, Martial Uncle Liu, for your guidance during this time. I will never forget it. Since I don’t know how long this retreat will take, please take care of Ting’er for me."

Liu Huaxiang nodded and smiled, "Ting’er is a very good little girl, so you needn’t worry. Your seclusion might take quite a long time, and I’ll take Ting’er around, collecting materials needed for casting secret techniques, just in case you don’t achieve Condensed Core Stage this time. Rest assured in your seclusion."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang’s words, Xu Qingfan was slightly surprised and asked, "But Martial Uncle Liu, Jiuhua Mountain is already sealed, others cannot come in nor can we go out, so how will you leave the mountain?"

Liu Huaxiang gave a sly smile and whispered, "The mountain is closed off by sealing the ‘Nine Pole Array’. Although the ‘Nine Pole Array’ surrounds Jiuhua Mountain, leaving doesn’t necessarily have to go through it."

"Martial Uncle, are you saying…?" Xu Qingfan asked in surprise.

Liu Huaxiang didn’t elaborate, merely smiled and said, "There’s no such thing as a flawless barrier in the world, nor is there a wall without any gaps. Besides, how can a mountain truly be sealed? If something unexpected happens, wouldn’t people be trapped inside Jiuhua Mountain? Our Jiuhua ancestor had immense wisdom, surely he considered these reasons?"

Hearing Liu Huaxiang speak so cryptically, Xu Qingfan realized this matter probably involved Jiuhua’s secrets. Given his own status, Liu Huaxiang wouldn’t say more, so Xu Qingfan wisely refrained from asking further. He nodded to Liu Huaxiang and then turned to look at Ting’er.

"Ting’er, your uncle’s retreat this time is uncertain in duration. During this period, you must listen carefully to Martial Uncle Liu’s words. Don’t practice endlessly, understand?"

Ting’er nodded obediently, her eyes clear as a lake, though revealing nothing about what might be concealed beneath.

Then Xu Qingfan looked up at Little Green, who stood behind Ting’er. Noticing Xu Qingfan’s gaze, Little Green shivered, seemingly overwhelmed by fear of Xu Qingfan, and began retreating nervously.

Seeing Little Green’s reaction, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but chuckle. He was about to comfort it, advising not to trample the plants in Liu Huaxiang’s "Herb Garden," but then realized Little Green, though clever among demon beasts, didn’t understand human speech. He couldn’t help but mock himself. Was a long retreat such a big deal? Why worry so much?

In truth, this retreat weighed on Xu Qingfan’s mind because it would be the longest since he started his immortal cultivation. Previously, retreats were for healing, refining tools, or enhancing skills, lasting only two or three months. According to Liu Huaxiang’s estimation, this retreat might last four or five years or even longer, so it was no surprise Xu Qingfan felt apprehensive.

Bowing again to Liu Huaxiang and patting Ting’er’s head, Xu Qingfan hesitated no more and turned to walk toward his thatched hut.

Although the door had closed, shutting out the outside world, Xu Qingfan’s once fluctuating emotions suddenly became calm and steady. He leisurely walked to the bed, sat cross-legged upon it, closed his eyes, and began a retreat that held great significance for him.

Normally, the "Wutong branch" with its Phoenix aura was considered a divine artifact in the cultivation world. Xu Qingfan had only possessed it for a little over two years, and the "Spirit Purging Sutra" he practiced was incomplete. How could he so quickly merge with it?

Yet, fate had its own plans. After two years, Xu Qingfan could only initially harness the energy within the "Wutong branch" to barely reach the state of unity between mind and object, controlling the artifact with his soul. However, on Huandao Island, an anomaly between him, Feng Qingtian, and the "Wutong branch" resulted not only in gaining a trace of Phoenix bloodline within him but also greatly strengthened their bond. Furthermore, a significant portion of the Phoenix Spirit Qi from the "Wutong branch" was transferred to Feng Qingtian to heal him, reducing the energy of the "Wutong branch" itself. Although this lowered the likelihood of Xu Qingfan reaching Core Formation after merging with it, it also simplified the conditions for their merger.

For all these reasons, Xu Qingfan was able to reach the conditions to merge with the "Wutong branch" just over two years after acquiring it.

Despite this, the objective of Xu Qingfan’s retreat was merely to attempt merging with the "Wutong branch," for even with its reduced energy, the "Wutong branch’s" Spirit Qi was abundantly full, more than double that within Xu Qingfan himself.

Therefore, before this retreat, Xu Qingfan had no confidence in his success of merging with the Wutong branch and had no idea how long it would take him to emerge from the retreat.

Let us not digress and focus instead on how, after Xu Qingfan calmed his mind, the Spirit Qi within him began to flow gently. The two qi of Wither and Flourish, along with Phoenix Spirit Qi, each moved along their own paths ceaselessly. As the Spirit Qi flowed, Xu Qingfan’s aura became mysterious and impenetrable, with green, gray, and red glows continuously flickering and transforming around him, bathing the little hut in vibrant colors.

After a short while, once Xu Qingfan ensured his mindset and internal condition were in optimal states, he did not hesitate and connected with the "Wutong branch", which had transformed into a hairpin above his head. A brilliant red light filled the hut, with temperatures rising sharply. As the "Wutong branch" separated from his hairline, Xu Qingfan’s long hair, now unbound, swayed gracefully with the fluctuations of the Spirit Qi.

At the moment when the "Wutong branch" reverted to its original form, Xu Qingfan suddenly opened his eyes, fiery brilliance flashed within them. Immediately, he spit out a mouthful of essence blood that sprayed towards the "Wutong branch", every drop thoroughly drenching its body.

Unlike before when Xu Qingfan used his blood to activate the "Wutong branch," this time, after being covered with Xu Qingfan’s blood, the "Wutong branch" transformed into tiny red lights that entered his body. As these red lights continued to merge with him, Xu Qingfan’s aura became increasingly mysterious.

Though standing before you is a cultivator, anyone seeing this would feel as if a phoenix is resting before them, feigning sleep.

The tattoo of a flame phoenix on Xu Qingfan’s temple grew brighter and seemed to come alive, ready to spread its wings and fly.

…

Meanwhile, outside Xu Qingfan’s hut, ever since he went inside, Liu Huaxiang and Ting’er have been standing there, as if waiting for something.

After a long while, an unusual change occurred. A powerful aura suddenly emerged from Xu Qingfan’s hut. Fiery light seeped through the cracks of the hut, and the air temperature soared, causing the ancient snows atop Jiuhua Mountain to melt rapidly. Liu Huaxiang and Ting’er seemed to hear a clear phoenix cry emanating from within the hut.

Witnessing these changes, Liu Huaxiang nodded with satisfaction, knowing Xu Qingfan’s mind had entered a tranquil state, oblivious to the outside world. He softly said to Ting’er beside him, "Ting’er, let’s go down the mountain."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang’s words, Ting’er looked up in confusion, not understanding how they should descend.

Suddenly, an unusual light flashed in Liu Huaxiang’s eyes, and upon seeing it, Ting’er immediately fell into unconsciousness.

When Ting’er suddenly fell into a coma, Little Green roared at Liu Huaxiang, but upon receiving a stern glare from Liu Huaxiang, dared not move again. Instead, it stayed protectively in front of Ting’er, feeling that Liu Huaxiang at this moment was even more terrifying than Xu Qingfan, who controlled its Soul Bead.