Translator: AnubisTL
After the dust settled in Shengtian, the Wu Dynasty plunged into utter chaos.
The various Grassland Tribes brought by Tuwa Ha'er naturally refused to retreat and return to the Grasslands.
They knew they couldn't hold the Imperial City. Instead, they retreated to Yun Province, where they coalesced into a formidable force.
However, without Tuwa Ha'er's Life-Preserving Spirit Talismans, their resistance against the relentless assassinations by Maple Country Martial Artists was ultimately unsustainable.
The restoration of the Maple Kingdom was now imminent.
Of course, these matters were entirely irrelevant to Li Qing. After slaying Tuwa Ha'er and obtaining the Immortal Ascension Token and the Earth Origin Manual, he retreated back to his blacksmith shop.
No matter how tumultuous the world's affairs or the Jianghu Martial World became, he had no desire to get involved.
A month slipped by unnoticed. During this time, Li Qing had been immersed in comprehending the Earth Origin Manual, but all he felt was his scalp growing numb.
He still hadn't even grasped the basics. This Immortal Cultivation manual proved far more challenging than he had anticipated.
"The gap between the Immortal Path and the Martial Dao is truly vast," Li Qing sighed, wondering if he truly lacked a Spiritual Root, making Immortal Cultivation impossible for him.
However, Li Qing refused to give up. Every beginning is difficult, and he had plenty of lifespan to keep trying.
During this period, he had forged many fine weapons, though none could be considered magical weapons. Their quality was still quite impressive.
Thinking of this, Li Qing glanced at his remaining lifespan, the number 178 clearly visible.
Indeed, through forging those weapons, his lifespan had not only failed to decrease but had actually increased slightly.
Combined with the five years of lifespan he gained from successfully forging the Wandering Dragon Dagger, he could now live past two hundred years old!
The only problem was that forging an ordinary weapon now only granted him one month of lifespan.
Fortunately, he still possessed half a piece of Extraterrestrial Meteorite Iron, left over after forging the Wandering Dragon Dagger.
It wasn't much, totaling only about the size of two fists. It was impossible to forge a weapon with it. Instead, he could grind off small amounts each time and incorporate them into Bone-Piercing Awls, transforming them into deadly hidden weapons: Fallen Life Nails!
After studying the Earth Origin Manual for so long, Li Qing was starting to feel slightly drowsy. He was about to close his eyes for a short nap.
However, not long after, Li Qing's keen senses detected an extremely subtle movement from the rafters. Had he not been a Grandmaster of the Martial Dao, he might not have noticed it at all.
Hearing the sound, Li Qing merely smiled faintly without opening his eyes, continuing to feign sleep.
Soon, a hand stealthily reached for the snow-silver Wandering Dragon Dagger at his waist.
Slap!
In the darkness, Li Qing's swift and precise slap knocked the thieving hand away.
"You rascal! Instead of properly studying the Earth Origin Manual, you've been trying to steal from me for a whole month. Now you're even trying to steal my Wandering Dragon Dagger!"
"Next time, I'll chop off that hand of yours."
Li Qing's tone held little anger, but rather a hint of amusement, clearly recognizing the thief.
"Hehe, Brother Li, you're such a bore! You're already a Grandmaster of the Martial Dao, yet you're still glued to that Immortal Cultivation manual. And you're still awake at this hour?"
"Just finished studying the Earth Origin Manual?"
As the speaker chided him, he deftly lit the oil lamp in the Blacksmith Shop, illuminating the room.
At that moment, Li Qing opened his eyes and looked at the person before him.
That's right, it was Ning Yuan, the Star-Stealing Divine Thief he had rescued from the Imperial Palace a month ago.
Since leaving the palace, their relationship had grown closer. They weren't exactly soulmates, but sharing a drink together was no problem.
Ning Yuan, holding a jar of Li Qing's favorite Winter Plum Wine, sat himself down at the table and poured a cup for each of them.
"Come on, try this. This jar of Winter Plum has been aged for at least thirty or fifty years. The Taoyuan Tavern considers it their most prized treasure and refuses to sell it. It took me quite some effort to get my hands on it."
Seeing his familiar demeanor, anyone who didn't know better might have mistaken Ning Yuan for the master of the place.
Li Qing rolled his eyes but still sat down, eager to taste the aged Winter Plum Wine.
"You haven't learned your lesson from the Imperial Palace incident? Still up to your old tricks, eh?" Li Qing teased.
At this, Ning Yuan bared his teeth. "Damn it, who knew that Grassland Dog Emperor would set up traps in his own secret vault? Doesn't he worry about hurting himself?"
"And who says I haven't learned my lesson? Look at this!"
As he spoke, Ning Yuan spread open his robes, revealing a layer of soft armor beneath.
Seeing this, Li Qing couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself, "This guy is truly a treasure."
Ning Yuan's idea of "learning his lesson" wasn't to give up stealing, but to wear an extra layer of protective iron armor while doing it.
Li Qing didn't know what to say, only sighing in exasperation. "Obtaining such a cultivation manual is no easy feat. Countless emperors have dreamed of possessing one. It's a pity you're wasting your time on this instead of cultivating properly!"
In truth, now that their relationship had grown closer, Li Qing wouldn't have minded letting Ning Yuan copy a copy of the Earth Origin Manual to cultivate alongside him, so they could keep each other company.
However, he definitely wouldn't return the so-called Immortal Ascension Token. After all, Ning Yuan had stolen it from the Nine Lotus Sect, and Li Qing had no qualms about keeping it.
At this point, Ning Yuan's expression dimmed slightly, but he quickly recovered.
"Sigh, who says I don't want to cultivate? Just a few days ago, I finally deciphered the manual. Following its instructions, I tried to sense the heaven and earth spiritual energy and refine it into my body, but I felt absolutely nothing—no sensation of refining qi at all."
"I guess I must be someone without a Spiritual Root."
"Forget it," Ning Yuan said, waving his hand dismissively. "Without a Spiritual Root, you can't practice Immortal Cultivation. I'm too lazy to even try. What about you? Have you given up yet?"
Li Qing was too embarrassed to admit that he hadn't even begun to practice the cultivation manual, let alone attempt to circulate the major and minor heavenly cycles as described.
"Cough, cough," he said tentatively. "Maybe the spiritual energy in this area is too thin, making it difficult to sense?"
"I don't think so," Ning Yuan replied indifferently. "I probably just lack the aptitude for a Spiritual Root. But that's normal, isn't it? You said only one in ten thousand people possess one."
"Alright, alright, let's drink," Ning Yuan said, raising his cup.
The two men clinked glasses, and the room filled with the rich aroma of wine, its intoxicating fragrance lingering in the air.
Slightly tipsy, Ning Yuan grumbled, "That damn Taoyuan Tavern is definitely exaggerating. This Winter Plum Wine is at most ten years old, definitely not thirty or fifty."
Li Qing paid no attention to this, instead using the alcohol as an opportunity to subtly probe Ning Yuan about how he had circulated the cultivation manual through a full cycle.
Finally, Ning Yuan sensed something amiss. He turned to Li Qing and asked, "Brother Li, you haven't grasped this cultivation manual yet, have you?"
"There are only four floors in total, and you haven't even mastered the first one?!"
Li Qing could only nod in resignation, admitting his relatively poor aptitude.
This left Ning Yuan somewhat incredulous. He thought to himself, A Martial Dao Grandmaster with such poor comprehension?!
But then he remembered Li Qing's exceptional talent for forging weapons, making the creation of magical weapons a trivial matter for him.
This thought immediately extinguished the slight sense of pride that had just begun to bloom within Ning Yuan.
Indeed, people are fundamentally different.
"Come, let me guide you. Calm your mind, quiet your spirit, and sink your consciousness into your body."
Ning Yuan immediately used his Inner Strength to dispel the effects of the alcohol and took on the role of Li Qing's mentor, teaching him how to circulate his Inner Strength according to the cultivation manual's instructions.
Following Ning Yuan's guidance, Li Qing recalled the contents of the Earth Origin Manual, suddenly gaining a deeper understanding.
"How is it? Can you sense the heaven and earth spiritual energy?" Ning Yuan asked, blinking curiously.
At that moment, Li Qing had no time to respond. His entire focus was consumed by circulating the Earth Origin Manual.
Suddenly, Li Qing sensed a wisp of mysterious substance enveloping his body, surging towards his meridians.
This must be heaven and earth spiritual energy!
Li Qing was both shocked and delighted, nearly breaking out of his meditative state. But he quickly calmed himself, refining this heaven-and-earth-like spiritual energy into his meridians and then guiding it towards his dantian.
After a long time, completing a major and minor heavenly cycle, he could distinctly feel a tiny trace of mana in his dantian.
Though pitifully small, almost negligible, it was undeniably the result of his cultivation through the Earth Origin Manual!
He had mana. He had a Spiritual Root. He could cultivate this Immortal Cultivation manual!
The realization sent Li Qing's breath quickening, and he nearly burst into tears.
Damn! After a month of hard work, I've finally made it!
Heaven truly rewards those who persevere!
Li Qing slowly opened his eyes, his expression complex.
Seeing this, Ning Yuan cautiously asked, "How is it? Did you sense the heaven and earth spiritual energy? Were you able to refine it into your body as the manual describes?"
"Actually, it's fine if you can't sense it. You're already a Martial Dao Grandmaster. Who needs a so-called Spiritual Root? Being a Martial Dao Grandmaster in the mortal realm is plenty carefree!"
"If nothing else, you can pass this Immortal Cultivation manual down to your descendants and see if any of them have..."
Before he could finish, Ning Yuan noticed Li Qing's expression had changed. He cautiously asked, "You wouldn't happen to be able to cultivate, would you?"
Li Qing simply smiled without answering.
"You truly deserve to die!"
Ning Yuan, finally understanding what this meant, was utterly devastated. He was so enraged that smoke seemed to be pouring from his seven orifices, cursing the heavens for their unfairness.
Why did this man possess such extraordinary Martial Dao talent, reaching the Grandmaster Realm at such a young age? Not only that, but he was also a master blacksmith, capable of forging Peerless Divine Weapons that ordinary mortals could only dream of obtaining!
As if that weren't enough, this man also possessed the legendary Spiritual Root, making him eligible for Immortal Cultivation.
Even Ning Yuan, who usually maintained a rather open-minded attitude, couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
The gap between people was simply too vast!
"Cough, Brother Ning, thank you for your guidance today," Li Qing said with a cough.
But Ning Yuan wore a look of utter despair, unsure what words could possibly comfort him now.
(End of the Chapter)
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