9: Chapter 9 Wind Chime Bamboo Leaves

The Quiet Room's windows were tightly shut, with only a few wisps of morning light leaking through the gaps, casting long, thin patches of light on the floor in front of the meditation cushion.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged, holding a fragment of a lightning-struck stone in each hand.

The surface of the stone fragments was rough, and those tiny, pale purple patterns were almost invisible in the dim light; only the faint tingling sensation transmitted from his palms reminded him of the violent energy contained within.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes to focus, and slowly circulated the Qi Guiding Art.

The very first moment he tried to draw out the residual Thunder Spiritual Energy from the stone fragments, Lin Xuan's brows knit tightly together.

Pain!

That wisp of pale purple Spiritual Qi, difficultly drawn out, was nothing like the gentle nature of the dew-condensing grass.

It felt like countless tiny, barbed needles; the moment it entered his Meridians, it brought sharp, piercing pain and a strange, burning, numb sensation.

His Meridians felt as if they were being violently scraped; the circulation speed was more than thirty percent slower than usual, and every inch of progress required more mental effort to suppress that violent will that wanted to scatter and tear apart everything in its path.

The efficiency was distressingly low.

After circulating for a full half-cycle, most of that wisp of Spiritual Qi had dissipated; only a tiny bit, as thin as a strand of hair, finally sank into his Dantian, merging with the stream of Spiritual Power he had worked so hard to maintain, barely causing a ripple.

"This won't work." Lin Xuan opened his eyes, fine beads of sweat already seeping from his temples.

At this rate, once the three stone fragments were exhausted, the amount of Spiritual Power he could increase would be limited, and he might even leave hidden injuries due to damaged Meridians.

He remembered the cool, moist vitality released when the leaf of the dew-condensing grass dissolved.

After hesitating for a moment, he took out a treasured dew-condensing grass leaf and held it in his mouth.

A cool aura spread out, nourishing the Meridians that had just been stung and burned by the Thunder Spiritual Energy.

Feeling much relieved, he grasped the lightning-struck stone again and attempted to guide it.

This time, he adjusted his strategy: he no longer tried to forcibly "tame" that violent Spiritual Qi, but instead used his own relatively peaceful Thunder Spiritual Energy as a guide.

Wrapping it with the gentle vitality provided by the dew-condensing grass, like building a soft channel to guide a water flow, he cautiously "received" that wisp of violent Thunder Qi.

The process was still sluggish and painful, but it was smoother than before. The violent factors were slightly neutralized by the vitality; although it still stung, there was no longer that tearing sensation.

He found the method!

Lin Xuan's spirit lifted; he suppressed the fatigue rising in his heart and devoted himself entirely to this grind-like Cultivate.

With one dew-condensing grass leaf combined with nearly an hour of absorbing Spiritual Qi from the lightning-struck stone, when the first stone fragment in his hand completely turned into an ordinary grey stone with no more traces of Spiritual Qi fluctuations, the Spiritual Power in Lin Xuan's Dantian finally solidified just a little.

Although it was still far from forming a complete new strand of Spiritual Power, it was indeed growing.

"It works!" He felt determined, not daring to slack off, and followed the same method.

The shadows of the sun moved slowly within the light patches from the window gaps, from morning to noon, and from noon to tilt.

Inside the Quiet Room, there was only the uneven sound of Lin Xuan's breathing, occasionally mixed with a suppressed groan.

When the third, and largest, lightning-struck stone completely dimmed, Lin Xuan was drenched in sweat, his face pale, his lips lost of color from biting them, but in his closed eyes, a startling brilliance shone through.

Inside his Dantian, the originally weak, drifting stream of Thunder Spiritual Energy was clearly thicker and more solid by a small circle! Sensing carefully, the total amount of Spiritual Power had accumulated from the previous twelve strands to fifteen!

"Fifteen strands..." Lin Xuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, carrying a trace of weak Thunder Qi.

Although the thirty-six strands required for Level 1 Qi Refining were still far out of reach, these three unexpectedly obtained lightning-struck stones, combined with the dew-condensing grass, were worth nearly two months of his previous hard Cultivate!

More importantly, he had found an auxiliary Cultivate method suitable for his own inferior Lightning Spiritual Root—using gentle wood-attribute Spiritual Qi (dew-condensing grass) to nourish the Meridians, then guiding the violent Thunder Qi (lightning-struck stone) to refine it.

This "stone and grass combined" method, while still inefficient compared to those with excellent Spiritual Roots, had opened a window for him.

Just as he was preparing to regulate his breath and recover his exhausted mental energy, a somewhat noisy commotion came from outside the courtyard, with the faint sound of youths talking.

Lin Xuan stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open slightly.

He saw that outside this originally quiet courtyard in the Zone C of Emerald Bamboo Peak, seven or eight youths, all wearing the same light cyan Outer Sect Disciple uniforms, had gathered, surrounding an expressionless Deacon Disciple.

The Deacon Disciple was around twenty years old, with Level 3 Qi Refining cultivation, and the jade plaque at his waist was slightly different from ordinary Disciples, engraved with the character "Deacon".

"...Are you all clear? Collect 'Wind-Bell Bamboo Leaves'; every one hundred intact leaves can be exchanged for one contribution point."

"The task deadline is five days, and the location is the periphery of the 'Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove'."

"Disciples below Level 1 Qi Refining can all accept this, but they must not enter more than three miles into the bamboo grove; violators will be severely punished."

The Deacon Disciple's voice was monotonous, and he spoke quickly; after finishing, he took out a Jade Slip and let the Disciples who intended to accept the task come forward to register.

"Only one contribution point? And it requires a hundred intact leaves? When will we finish collecting that?" A short, chubby youth muttered, clearly feeling the reward was too low.

"Junior Brother Wang, be content." A tall youth next to him patted his shoulder, lowering his voice.

"With our Aptitude, not having reached Level 1 Qi Refining, there are very few tasks we can accept."

"Although this collection task is boring, it is at least safe, and we can take the opportunity to look around in the mountains and try our luck. I heard that occasionally one can find some scraps of Low Grade Materials in the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove."

"That's right, it's better than being cooped up in the courtyard all day staring blankly at the 'Qi Guiding Art'."

Another thin, small youth chimed in, his face full of helplessness, "I've been in the Sect for ten months and have only accumulated twelve strands of Spiritual Power. At this rate, it will take another year or two to reach Level 1."

Complaining was one thing, but several youths still stepped forward to register. The short, chubby youth hesitated for a moment before following suit.

Lin Xuan watched quietly from behind the window. Contribution points... he needed them too much now.

The Low Grade qi gathering pill had long been used up, and there were few Spirit Stones left; if he relied only on the dew-condensing grass and the thin Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, his Cultivate speed would revert to its original state.

Although this task reward was low, it was the only way to earn contribution points he could access at the moment.

He did not go out immediately, but waited until the Deacon Disciple had finished registering and left with the Jade Slip, and the other youths had dispersed in twos and threes, before tidying his clothes, walking out of the small courtyard, and heading in the direction of the Deacon Hall of Emerald Bamboo Peak.

The Deacon Hall was located on a relatively open platform halfway up Emerald Bamboo Peak; the building was simple and antique, and there were not many Disciples coming in and out, appearing somewhat deserted.

The one on duty in the hall was the young deacon from just now.

"Senior Brother, Disciple Lin Xuan wishes to accept the task of collecting Wind-Bell Bamboo Leaves." Lin Xuan stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

The Deacon Disciple raised his eyelids to look at him, seemingly having no impression of this face, but nodded perfunctorily, took out the Jade Slip, pointed with his fingertip to input Lin Xuan's name and information, and then handed a small wooden token to Lin Xuan.

"This is a task token; use it to receive Materials and submit the task."

"The Wind-Bell Bamboo Leaves must have intact blades, no damage to the edges, clear veins, and each hundred leaves must be bundled with flexible grass stems."

"There are markers on the periphery of the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove; do not go deep. Before noon five days later, submit the collected bamboo leaves to this hall for inspection. Go."

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Lin Xuan took the token, which felt slightly cool to the touch, and it was engraved with simple runes and the small words "Wind-Bell Bamboo Leaves · Emerald Bamboo".

He did not leave immediately, but feigned curiosity and asked: "Senior Brother, this Disciple is a newcomer; I wonder if there is anything I need to pay special attention to in the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove?"

The Deacon Disciple, perhaps because he was idle, or perhaps seeing Lin Xuan's respectful attitude, rarely spoke a few extra words: "The Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove is a Sect spiritual bamboo garden cultivated by the Sect in its early years. Now that its grade has fallen and the Spiritual Qi is thin, it mainly produces Materials for Low Grade talisman paper."

"There is no danger on the periphery, occasionally some common snakes and insects."

"Remember not to be curious and go deep. After the three-mile boundary marker, the bamboo forest becomes denser, and it is said that there is some trouble in the depths; Disciples have gone missing there in the early years."

"The Sect has ordered that those who have not reached the Late Stage of Qi Refining are not allowed to enter without authorization."

"This Disciple understands, and will definitely keep it in mind." Lin Xuan thanked him again, and then retreated from the Deacon Hall.