Chapter 43: Sharing Sutras and Transmitting the Dao, the Sec

After the time it took to brew a pot of tea.

Clang!

Su Yis ethereal figure stopped in place. He stood at the center of the courtyard and sheathed his sword.

With one last hum of his sword, the rippling darkness and moonlight regained their former tranquility.

Delightful! Su Yis eyes lit up, and he felt intoxicatingly, joyously uninhibited.

Why did he call it the Rejoicing Sword?

His body was like colored glass, his heart like the sun and moon, radiant yet tranquil. He rejoiced, both body and mind.

This was one of the reasons Su Yi was so devoted to the Dao of the Sword.

After washing up, Su Yi returned to his room, picked up the ginseng tea hed brewed in advance, and drained his cup.

The liquid instantly washed away his exhaustion.

.

My progress in the Refining Sinew stage is noticeably slower than in the Refining Muscle stage,?thought Su Yi as he silently took in his bodys subtle changes.?But now that Ive taken up residence in the Apricot Clinic, I have no shortage of herbal medicines. So long as I maintain this rate of improvement, Ill reach full completion of the Refining Sinew stage within a month..

But no matter what, I have to assemble a supply of spiritual medicines before I start Refining Bone. I have no hope of tempering my skeleton to the marrow like frost level by relying solely on ordinary medicinal herbs.

Su Yi couldnt help but sigh.

Hed originally planned to take a stroll through the Azurecloud Mountains. The mountains continued for hundreds of miles, vast and sweeping. They undoubtedly included places with concentrated spiritual energy.

Spiritual medicines had always arisen in such places!

But lately, hed been busy with his cultivation, and quite a few things had happened, all of which delayed his plans to scour the mountains for medicine.

Mystic Master, Ive decided. Suddenly, Qing Wans timid voice emerged from within the gourd.

Su Yi was stunned. Theres no one else here at night. Youre welcome to roam as you please; theres no need to stay in the gourd all the time.

Uh Oh! Before long, Qing Wan floated up in her red dress, her pretty little face sheepish. She whispered, Mystic Master, without your orders, I dared not leave without permission.

Enough. You dont have to be so reserved. Its not like Im some villain; why are you so on edge? Su Yi shook his head. He could tell that whenever she saw him, she froze like a startled rabbit, so scared she dared not breathe too loudly. She spoke timidly too.

When their gazes met, her eyes were filled with terror and awe.

She made it seem like he bullied her on a regular basis.

Despite his words, she still seemed cautious. Su Yi couldnt be bothered to pursue the matter, so he said, What did you decide?

Qing Wan squeezed her fists, as if trying to build up courage, but in the end, she still dared not meet Su Yis gaze. Mystic Master, I have no memories of before I died. I dont want to leave this world without them, so. So

Su Yi finished her sentence for her. So, youve chosen to cultivate and see if you can recover your lost memories?

Qing Wan hurriedly nodded. Mmhm!

Relax, murmured Su Yi. Even if you cant recover them on your own, Ill help you.

From the moment he first laid eyes on Qing Wan, he discovered that although she was only the lowest class of ghost, a mere yin soul, her soul body was unusually pure.

Add that to the fact that shed forgotten her life, and Su Yi realized that there was something unusual about her, which piqued his interest.

Thank you, Mystic Master. Qing Wans bright eyes shone with gratitude.

Her eyes really were beautiful; big, with depths you could get lost in. The corners of her eyes were slightly slanted; she had a pair of bright phoenix eyes.

When eyes like that smiled, they were shockingly enticing, with an innate charm.

Alas, she still looked like a young woman in her teens. She was beautiful and pure, but lacking mature charm.

Nevertheless, it was undeniable that she would blossom into the type of monstrous beauty that could topple a nation. She still had lots of room to grow.

First, Im going to teach you the introductory incantation for the Ten Directions Asura Sutra. This should be enough to temper your soul body and transform you, step by step, from a yin soul into a phantasm.

As he said this, he sat before his desk, took out paper and a brush, and began splashing ink across the page.

Upon becoming a phantasm, a ghosts soul body was so concentrated, they no longer needed to fear the sunlight. They could walk through the mortal world in much the same way as everyone else.

This was the only way to step properly onto the path of the ghost cultivator.

Furthermore, ghost cultivators were different from ordinary cultivators; their soul power was the source of their corporeal bodies. They had no need to temper their flesh, blood, or qi like ordinary martial artists.

Thus, upon becoming a phantasm, they could step directly into the Origin Dao.

But evolving from a yin soul into a phantasm wasnt easy. First, shed need to become a haunt, then a specter. Only then could she become a phantasm.

Before long, Su Yi set down his brush and pointed to the freshly-written cultivation technique. Take a look. Gett your avorite ovels at no/v/e/lbn(.)com

Qing Wan carefully drifted over, not daring to get too close to Su Yi. She lowered her head and focused on the text.

A moment later, she exhaled and said, Mystic Master, Ive memorized it.

That quickly? Su Yi ws surprised.

She looked at him, her gaze clear and innocent, but she sounded a bit lost. I dont know why, but I committed everything to memory at a glance. One read-through, and I remember every word without any deviations.

Su Yi arched his brow. Your powers of comprehension are surprisingly good. In that case, Ill go ahead and explain its profound mysteries. Given your memory, remembering them shouldnt be difficult.

He then began by explaining the techniques name. The Ten Directions Asura Sutra is the highest Daoist classic the Ghost Emperor of the Western Seas ever wrote, as well as the number one secret scripture in the eyes of the worlds ghost cultivators.

After obtaining this sutra in his past life, Su Yi once read through and scrutinized it. In the end, he reached a conclusion

The path of a ghost cultivator was completely different from ordinary soul cultivators.

No matter how weak a soul cultivators fleshly body might be, they were still living, breathing, human beings. They used their blood, qi, and cultivation to nourish and temper their souls.

Ghost cultivators, conversely, walked the path of the dead. As they underwent metamorphosis, their path led them to the Netherworld!

Take the Ghost Emperor of the Western Seas. He regularly claimed himself the envoy of the Netherworld.

Su Yi was no stranger to the Dao of the Netherworld either. His ability to reincarnate and cultivate anew involved mysterious concepts like Samsara and rebirth; both were part of the Netherworld Dao.

It was no exaggeration to say that should Qing Wan cultivate alongside him, even if her success was underwhelming, shed at least wind up on par with the Ghost Emperor of the Western Seas

Before long, Su Yi explained the cultivation techniques intricacies in detail. Do you have any other questions?

Qing Wan shut her eyes and thought for a moment, then shook her head. Mystic Master, it seems this cultivation method. Isnt really that hard to understand.

Su Yi took a deep look at her. From now on, youll cultivate this sutra. Stay in the Soul-Nourishing Gourd during the day. At night, you can wander freely within the courtyard, but you are not to take so much as a single step beyond its walls without my orders.

Yes. Qing Wan meekly acknowledged his command.

Facing Su Yi, it was as if she didnt know what refusal and resistance were

Su Yi turned away and paid her no further heed. He lay down, and before long, he was fast asleep.

Late at night, everything was still.

Qing Wan waited for a long time, as if building up courage. Finally, she lifted the hems of her dress and carefully floated outside of the room and sat atop the old locust tree.

The red cloth of her dress swayed in the wind. Her feet were unshod, revealing her fair skin and toes that looked like theyd been carved out of white jade. She kicked her legs in the air as she enjoyed the night breeze. Finally, she relaxed completely.

Qing Wan looked up through the branches and peered into the starry, moonlit sky, her big eyes shining with delight.

Her pink lips parted, and she hummed a melodious, ethereal tune.

A king of old toured the Western Sea and encountered the secluded Elder of Draconic Awe. He went north, entered the spirit caves of the immortal mountain, and pilfered the spiritual talismans of Yu the Great. But the ultimate texts of heaven and earth cannot be revealed lightly. Unless fortune aligns, you cannot force it. Those who try will lose their homeland

As she hummed the last portion, she froze. An ineffable grief and sadness coursed through her.

I. I never learned this tune. So why can I hum it? Could it be related to my missing memories? The young woman in the red dress looked silently up at the night sky, a lost look in her eyes.

Although she didnt realize it, Su Yi stood by his window, his hands behind his back, watching the petite figure in red atop the locust tree.

A strange light flashed through his eyes. The Western Seas, the Elder of Draconic Awe, spirit caves, and the pilfered talismans of Yu the Great? ..What an interesting song.

Chapter end