Chapter 160 Divine Position, Spiritual Essence
"The Four Symbols are the Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger, representing the spiritual energy of the four directions, which are wood, water, fire, and metal..."
Chen Yi silently recited the incantation of the Four Symbols Technique, guiding the true energy within his body to circulate along the twelve main meridians and the Ren and Du meridians in a grand cycle.
Now his cultivation has reached the seventh rank of perfection, and the true essence in his body has transformed from gas to liquid, far surpassing its previous quality and quantity.
Therefore, when the true energy surges in his meridians, one can vaguely hear a rumbling sound like a rushing river.
At this moment, as these sounds intertwined, the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured in like a river flowing backward, flowing from his limbs and bones into his meridians and dantian.
After the Four Symbols Technique has circulated through the Great Heavenly Cycle four times.
Chen Yi felt his heart, nerves, and energy flow upwards along the Ren and Du meridians, eventually settling at the Yintang acupoint between his eyebrows.
Instantly, he felt his mind fall upon a cloud of nothingness.
In a daze, he saw one after another phantom appear in the gray sea of clouds, occupying the four directions.
It was vaguely discernible that they were the phantom images of the four divine beasts of the four directions—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.
"Draw spiritual energy from all directions into the Qi Sea, and open the four divine positions..."
The incantation for the Four Symbols Technique suddenly appeared.
Chen Yi suddenly realized—the Qi Sea was not only the Dantian and the Tanzhong point, but also the Yintang point.
Only by opening up the space between the eyebrows and the sea of qi can one attain the four divine positions.
As he came to understand these things, the four slightly booming roars and cries from before became clearer.
Listening closely, the roars of tigers, the cries of dragons, the howls of turtles, and the cries of phoenixes echoed in his ears one after another.
The next moment, the path of the Four Symbols Technique changed.
The true essence that originally belonged to the dantian and the sea of qi in the chest, like a whale swallowing, merged with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and fell directly into the sea of qi in the glabella.
With just one breath, the true essence within the forehead and dantian was filled.
With the second breath, the true energy within the three major energy centers—Dantian, Tanzhong, and Yintang—surged dramatically.
During the third breath, the true essence transformed into liquid mercury, and one could vaguely sense four-colored light entwining around it, as dazzling as a rainbow.
Chen Yi noticed these changes and saw a line of large golden characters float before his eyes:
[Cultivation successful. Cultivation level: Lower sixth rank.]
[The Four Symbols Technique (Earth Rank) has been upgraded to the Proficient level, unlocking the Divine Position and granting the blessing of Wood, Water, Fire, and Metal spiritual energies.]
[The Xuanwu Breath Concealing Technique, blessed by the elements of wood and water, can nourish the body and cultivate vital energy.]
[The Mountain Collapse Fist, empowered by the Fire Spirit, gains immense power.]
[The Falling Dragon Spear has been enhanced by the Golden Spirit, increasing its sharpness.]
[The Hundred Flowers Palm receives the blessing of the Water Spirit, gaining the power of flowing water.]
[The Meteor Butterfly Step is blessed by the Wood Spirit, granting it surging power.]
[The dragon and phoenix dance, blessed by the wood and fire spirits, enhances the power of the vortex...]
Upon seeing this, Chen Yi paused slightly, then said, "It's done."
If the Earth-rank Four Symbols Technique has such power, how strong would it be if it reached the Heaven-rank?
However, he has only just reached the middle third rank, and the effects of True Essence and the power of the Four Spirits are not obvious, far less direct than the Dao Intent.
Only when his cultivation level improves further will he be able to unleash the true power of his technique.
Top three ranks?
Tsk, no wonder Liu Lang said earlier that he was defeated by Xiao Jinghong in one move.
The strength of a top-tier martial artist compared to a middle-tier martial artist is immense.
With these thoughts in mind, Chen Yi once again immersed himself in the operation of the Four Symbols Technique.
The surrounding spiritual energy returned to calm, with only a faint trace of spiritual energy being drawn into his body.
Inside Jiaxingyuan.
"Um?"
Xie Tingyun, who was meditating with his eyes closed, seemed to sense the strange changes in the surrounding world. He suddenly opened his eyes and walked out of the wooden building.
"This feeling is..."
She frowned and looked around, carefully sensing her surroundings.
A moment later.
Xie Tingyun frowned slightly, a look of suspicion on his face. "Is that all?"
There was indeed a slight change in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth just now.
She cannot perceive errors.
"It felt like someone had broken through in their cultivation level."
Xie Tingyun tilted her head, her beautiful eyes looking left and right, but none of them seemed quite right.
In the Spring Lotus Garden, there was only a frail scholar and a mountain girl, who obviously could not have caused such a change in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
In Sifangzhai lived a frail old scholar, who also lacked any real cultivation.
The only possible candidates are the armored soldiers in the middle or front courtyard.
Xie Tingyun thought for a moment, muttered a few words to himself, then shook his head and went back into the wooden building to sit cross-legged.
She had only two missions this time: to deal with the old demon of the Illusionary Sound Sect and to protect the eldest daughter of the Xiao family.
And the second task is more important.
Therefore, the Illusionary Sound Sect could only pursue and kill her after the matter with the Xiao family was resolved.
We can't let that old devil of the Illusionary Sound Sect get away with this.
...
It was just past 9 PM.
Most of the lights in the quiet house have been turned off.
Only two lanterns hung outside the pavilion and two outside the main hall in the courtyard.
As the wind blew through the rainy night, the lanterns swayed gently, their candlelight flickering softly, illuminating a hazy scene.
In the dim light, a dark figure tumbled into the courtyard from behind.
After a brief pause, he walked straight into the open main room and quietly lit the candles on the altar.
As the light shone, the old man, who was sitting quietly in the armchair, opened his eyes, glanced at him, and waved his hand in acknowledgment:
"Sit down and let's talk."
The visitor was tall and dressed in all black. He bowed and closed the door before sitting down in the chair at the back.
It seems to be a habit to keep the upper body in the shadows.
The man in black spoke in a low voice, "My lord, something has happened."
Upon hearing this, the old man asked without changing his expression, "What is it?"
Once upon a time, the once-large Xiao family home was like a lump of coal, full of holes, and he had long been accustomed to troubles and changes.
It's nothing unusual, I suppose.
"The secret guards I deployed in the black market were all wiped out last night."
"Overnight?"
"yes."
The man in black, his face covered with a black cloth, spoke with a grave expression through his large, bright black eyes:
"Although I haven't found out who did it yet, people with that kind of power can be counted on one hand in the entire black market."
"The most likely candidate is Black Fang from Mingyue Tower. He controls the entire black market, so finding his secret guards wouldn't be difficult."
"Secondly, there are those few evil and heretical people they keep."
The man in black paused, looked at the old man, and said with a hint of suspicion, "But I can't figure out their reason for taking action."
The old man lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Something unusual must be going on."
"Check if Black Fang is planning anything big lately."
"Alright, I'll have someone contact Black Fang shortly."
"Don't let the other families get away either. Those people are always opportunistic. If someone takes the lead, they won't mind making the situation in Shuzhou even more chaotic."
The man in black nodded, already understanding the meaning behind the old man's words.
Such actions, clearly targeting the Xiao family, may well lead to even bigger moves in the future.
If we don't investigate thoroughly and take precautions in advance, we will inevitably face a situation where "everyone pushes us when we're down."
A moment of silence.
After confirming there were no other instructions, the old man asked, "Anything else?"
The man in black thought for a moment and said, "Miss Cui has not made any unusual moves recently."
"When Chen Yunfan was around, the two of them would stroll around and play together."
"With Chen Yunfan not here, Cui Qingwu also stays in Tingyuxuan and never goes out, as if he came to Shuzhou specifically for Chen Yunfan."
Upon hearing this, the old man chuckled and said, "The eldest son of the Chen family is truly blessed."
The man in black asked, puzzled, "Luck?"
"The luck of being born into a particular family."
"He is not only the legitimate son of the Chen family in Jiangnan Prefecture, but also married into the Cui family in Qinghe. Now he also has the Emperor's trust and is known as the 'Top Scholar'."
"It's no exaggeration to say he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth."
The old man couldn't help but sigh with emotion as he said this: "If others can have such smooth sailing for twenty years, I hope our Wuge can too."
The man in black smiled and echoed, "Young Master is blessed with good fortune; naturally, he will turn misfortune into good luck and grow up smoothly."
The old man nodded, and a serious expression appeared on his aged face.
"We can't let our guard down, let's continue."
The man in black said, "Besides Miss Cui, we haven't found the person who helped my men that night, but they should be near the West Market."
"I have already ordered people to keep an eye out for people near the West Market. Once he makes his next move, we should be able to confirm his identity."
After listening to the man in black, the old man nodded and said, "Every single person who has helped my Xiao family will be richly rewarded in the future."
The man in black nodded. "There's one last thing. People from the Liu family in Jingzhou are almost at the prefectural city."
The old man paused, his hand gripping his cane, and a serious expression appeared on his face: "Who is it?"
"Liu Yu of the second branch, and Liu Wen, the second son of the first branch of the Liu family, and Liu Zhaoxue, the third daughter."
"Liu Yu is not well-known. Although he is not as famous as his elder brother Liu Zhen, the governor of Jingzhou, he holds a high position in the Liu family."
“Xinglinzhai and Liu’s Cloth Shop were both businesses he was in charge of.”
The man in black paused for a moment, and seeing that the old man was listening quietly, he continued:
"Young Master Liu is a scholar who took the provincial examination last year, but for some reason he did not participate in this year's metropolitan examination."
"As for the Third Miss Liu Zhaoxue... the secret guards don't have much information, only that she is very beautiful and is known as the 'Number One Beauty' of Jingzhou."
After listening, the old man simply nodded slightly and looked down at the light and shadow at his feet.
The hall fell silent.
The only sounds were the pitter-patter of rain outside the door and the rustling of willow branches in the breeze.
A moment later, the old man raised his head and looked at him, then ordered in a deep voice:
"Have the guards keep a close eye on them."
"I need to know every detail of where they went, who they met, and what they said after they arrived in Shu Prefecture."
"good."
"The same goes for Liu Hong."
"After that case was closed, he and the Provincial Administration Commissioner did nothing, presumably waiting for someone from Jingzhou to come."
As the old man finished speaking, a hint of murderous intent appeared on his face. "If Liu Yu and the others do not accept this outcome, there will still be setbacks in the grain tax collection of the three towns."
"Perhaps this time we should show the Liu family some weapons."
Upon hearing this, the man in black also became more serious, stood up, and bowed, saying, "Your subordinate obeys."
"Alright, let's deal with these matters together."
The man in black paused, hesitated slightly, and asked, "My lord, should we tell the second young lady about these things?"
The old man thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Don't distract her for now. The Mid-Autumn Festival isn't far away. We can tell her when she comes back."
"I understand."
Wait until the person leaves.
The old man sat quietly for a moment, then got up, blew out the candles on the table, and slowly walked to the side room.
Only a barely audible sigh remained:
"Ten more years to go, this old man has to hold on..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
