5: Kowtowing and drinking tea

"This is? The notes of the former Aotian Sword Immortal? These are all that Sword Immortal's cultivation insights!" Gu Wanquan held the notes, his heart thumping wildly.

The Cultivate method of a former Sword Immortal!

Now it was in his own hands, Gu Wanquan felt it was so surreal!

Gu Wanquan immediately opened the notes; sure enough, there was a technique for Qi Refining inside, but this technique consisted of only two sentences:

"Mind and body at peace, hide the Qi within the body!"

Flipping through, the obscure and difficult phrases in the notes left Gu Wanquan full of questions.

He knew the characters, but when the words in these notes formed a line, he couldn't understand them at all.

"How about asking Master?" Gu Wanquan glanced at Su Yi's room, then dismissed the idea; it seemed he had just provoked Master's Life Qi, so it was better not to cross him now.

He then sat cross-legged, letting his body and mind relax, quietly feeling what it meant to hide the Qi within the body.

As soon as a person relaxes, random thoughts inexplicably flood the mind.

Gu Wanquan was born in a small mountain village where a hundred households made a living by hunting.

His parents died when he was young, and Gu Wanquan only survived thanks to the help of the village neighbors.

Gu Wanquan felt that when he grew up, he would surely be a qualified hunter and would definitely be able to afford his own house through hunting.

Until three days ago, a Yao Beast attacked the village and slaughtered everyone, leaving only Gu Wanquan.

That day, flames shot into the sky, and the familiar neighbors all died in that unforeseen disaster.

Though trembling all over, fueled by revenge and anger, the fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy charged at the giant Black Rat Demon with a Hunting Knife!

The Yao Beast also spotted Gu Wanquan, opening its crimson bestial eyes and its toothy maw at him.

A fifteen-year-old boy and a Yao Beast four or five meters tall.

The two were incomparable; the outcome seemed to have been decided long ago.

But before the Hunting Knife in Gu Wanquan's hand could fall, the seemingly invincible Yao Beast before him split into two.

Countless boulders surged, swallowing the Yao Beast in an instant.

The Yao Beast that had been rampaging through the village was buried under countless boulders before it could even let out a single wail.

"I'm a bit late, child. Are you all right?"

Yu Zhen appeared before Gu Wanquan. Though elderly, he was exceptionally calm, as if killing the Yao Beast just now was as easy as crushing an ant.

At this moment, Gu Wanquan witnessed true power and realized that there really were Cultivators in this world comparable to immortals!

Sitting cross-legged, many things flashed through Gu Wanquan's mind. As his thoughts multiplied, his spirit became increasingly tired, even giving him a drowsy feeling.

The bright moon rose high, the sky was clear and the clouds were thin, as if heaven and earth were about to rest. Amidst the silence of the wilderness, it felt as if Gu Wanquan was the only one left in the world.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, Gu Wanquan suddenly entered a mysterious and profound Realm.

A point of light began to glow before Gu Wanquan's eyes, followed by more and more, until his vision was almost covered by a white light.

He began to lose sensation in his body; Gu Wanquan couldn't even tell if his eyes were open or closed.

Seeing more and more points of light, Gu Wanquan panicked.

Just as Gu Wanquan wanted to resist this Realm and return to reality, he suddenly remembered what Su Yi and the Sword Immortal's notes had said:

"Hide the Qi within the body!"

Gu Wanquan looked at the point of light closest to him, staring intently at it, calling out in his heart for the light to come over.

The point of light seemed to hear Gu Wanquan's inner voice and began moving toward him.

The moment the point of light merged into Gu Wanquan's body, countless more began to converge toward him.

If any Cultivator saw this scene, their eyes would probably pop out in shock.

A Genius who could achieve Qi Induction during their first Cultivate session would be a peerless Genius rarely seen in ten thousand years, even throughout history!

The instant the points of light entered Gu Wanquan's body, his gaze suddenly changed. His mind seemed to be ignited by some Spiritual Qi, and countless inexplicable things instantly surfaced in his head!

Unforgettable hatred and a rage like a massive wave burned in Gu Wanquan's eyes. His originally clear gaze became deep and complex, as profound as a deep pool.

In those eyes, there was an inexplicable mystery, as if they contained the ultimate truths of heaven and earth.

From bewilderment to sky-high hatred, from sky-high hatred to utter shock, from utter shock to ecstasy, and finally, even a hint of madness!

Various expressions flickered rapidly across Gu Wanquan's face, representing the boy's intense mental activity, as if he were digesting momentous news.

Gu Wanquan stopped absorbing the points of light. The boy bowed his head in thought for a moment, then skillfully exited his Meditation, as if he had practiced it millions of times before.

He clenched his still-tender fists, feeling a bit unaccustomed.

"It's been a long time since I felt such a weak body!" Gu Wanquan sighed to himself in his heart.

Then, as if remembering something, Gu Wanquan suddenly turned around and ran frantically toward Su Yi's room.

He burst through the door and looked at the person on the bed—the regret that had haunted him his whole life, the one he couldn't even die in peace for. Words were at the tip of his tongue, but his throat felt blocked.

Staring blankly at Su Yi on the bed, Gu Wanquan felt like he was in a dream.

Su Yi, who was almost asleep, suddenly woke up and sat up. Seeing Gu Wanquan staring at him intensely while panting like he was sick, he immediately roared with Life Qi, "Are you crazy, kid? Not sleeping in the middle of the night and not letting me sleep either?"

But the out-of-breath Gu Wanquan seemed possessed, just staring intently at Su Yi without saying a word.

Being stared at like this by someone in the middle of the night was quite creepy.

Holy crap, could this kid have suffered a Qi Deviation just after starting his cultivation?

Su Yi was startled and hurriedly got out of bed, walking to Gu Wanquan's side and reaching out to grab his wrist.

To Su Yi's surprise, Gu Wanquan instead grabbed his wrist back, holding his hand in a death grip.

"Mas... Master..." Gu Wanquan spoke with a raspy voice.

"I'm here, I'm here. I know you're anxious, but don't be anxious yet. Let me take a look first!" Su Yi comforted Gu Wanquan while trying to pull his hand away.

Hiss, what did this brat grow up eating?

Why is his strength so great?

For a moment, Su Yi actually couldn't pull his hand out of Gu Wanquan's grip.

Gu Wanquan's eyes cleared, and he hurriedly released Su Yi's hand in a panic, bowing his head and saying, "Master, I suddenly remembered that I haven't kowtowed to you or performed the Apprenticeship Ceremony yet!"

Hearing Gu Wanquan's words, Su Yi first breathed a long sigh of relief, then a surge of anger rose.

He raised his hand and gave Gu Wanquan a rap on the head. "Are you really mental, kid? You almost scared me to death in the middle of the night just for this?"

Gu Wanquan suddenly looked up and said to Su Yi seriously, "This is very important. Without kowtowing and the Apprenticeship Ceremony, I don't count as your disciple!"

Looking at Gu Wanquan's determined gaze, Su Yi was about to speak but swallowed his words.

With an 'I give up' expression, Su Yi sat on a stool, yawned, and said weakly, "Fine, fine. Hurry up and kowtow, then go to sleep!"

Gu Wanquan rubbed his hands together, somewhat flusteredly poured a cup of tea from the table, walked respectfully to Su Yi, and spoke with serious determination:

"Master above, I, Gu Wanquan, take you as my Master today. A teacher for a day, a father for a lifetime. From now on, I will follow Master's words and fulfill Master's wishes. If I violate this vow, I, Gu Wanquan, am willing to be struck by heavenly lightning, have my body and soul destroyed, and never be reincarnated..."

Watching Gu Wanquan curse himself so desperately as if afraid he might have even a slight chance of survival, Su Yi hurriedly interrupted, "Uh, you really don't need to be so harsh!"

Gu Wanquan didn't care at all. After insisting on finishing all his self-curses, he presented the tea to Su Yi.

Su Yi looked at the tea before him. Though it was bizarre and he didn't know what kind of madness had gripped the kid, he still took the tea and drank it in one gulp.

When he saw Su Yi finish the tea he offered, Gu Wanquan's tense expression suddenly relaxed, and his face was filled with an excited smile.

Looking at the overjoyed Gu Wanquan, Su Yi said without good Qi, "Get out, get out! I've finished the tea, what are you laughing at? Scram and go to sleep!"

When Gu Wanquan was kicked out of the room, an unstoppable smile still hung on his face.

Looking up slightly at the starry sky, his smiling face was already covered in tears at some point, while the voice that haunted him most rang in his ears:

"You and I only had a verbal agreement as Master and disciple; you never officially took me as your Master, and I never drank your tea. From now on, there is no longer any connection between us! We need not meet again in this life!"