Chapter 6, The Path of Cultivation

As the fish belly white gradually turns red, the morning glow fills the sky, and a glimmer of gold leaps up from the maple forest. In an instant, Mi Xiaojing takes a deep breath, and strands of purple energy flow into his heavenly spirit, directly into the true word illusion tower within his heart. In that moment, the entire illusion tower emits a purple radiance.

The repairs at Xiyan Gate generally require going up the mountain to collect mountain goods, such as wild fruits like mountain walnuts, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. Once processed, these can be exchanged at the market for items such as needles, threads, coarse cloth, and seasonings. Some items can be made at home, but others cannot be self-produced; oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar all need to be exchanged.

The crowing of the rooster sounded, that was the chicken raised by the long-term workers. As the rooster sang, a hint of fish-belly white appeared in the sky

This set of martial arts is quite brief, consisting of only about ten movements, and is called Yan Shou Quan. Mi Xiaojing practiced it twice before stopping, and after a simple grooming, he climbed onto the roof of the house, facing the east, the direction where the sun rises, and began to perform breathing exercises.

Little Brother Xiaomi, Master Zeng Li invites you.

As soon as I reached the corner of the gate, I saw a child of about seven or eight years old running over.

Gently knocking on the door, Mi Xiaojing waited quietly outside

The sun rises from the eastern maple forest, and in just a moment, after this time has passed, one can no longer absorb this trace of purple energy. Since the beginning of his cultivation, Mi Xiaojing has had to go up to the roof to absorb this trace of purple energy, except on rainy or snowy days. For him, this has become an instinctive habit, akin to the essential needs of eating, drinking, excreting, and sleeping; missing any one of them is not an option.

Having completed everything, Mi Xiaojing finally picked up the backpack and prepared to head up the mountain

Mi Xiaojing was unaware of the Illusory Form Tower, which meant that within his Heart Tower, there existed a derivative treasure. Therefore, he always believed that the Heart Tower he was cultivating was just like this, and that the appearance of anything was normal. Since he lacked this insight, he had no doubts whatsoever; after all, he had only been cultivating for three years, and in terms of the Derivative Sect, he was only learning the foundational principles of Derivative Studies, with his practice just beginning.

Mi Xiaojing held a broom, first cleaning the yard thoroughly, then going into the room to clean again. Additionally, she lit three incense sticks in front of the shrine, which is a daily ritual she must perform. Mi Xiaojing is quite devout in this regard

In both the realm of the mundane and the realm of cultivation, there exist similar techniques that involve gathering a trace of the pure Yang purple energy. However, within the Western Yan Sect, the only person who practices this is Mi Xiaojing. This is not something taught by the masters of the Western Yan Sect; rather, it is a natural inclination of his. The true reason behind this is the influence of the Ten Thousand Character Mantra Banner.

Saying this, he took out a few roasted walnuts and handed them to the child

This trace of Qianyang purple energy was soon quietly absorbed by the Ten Thousand Character Mantra Pillar. Due to Mi Xiaojing's insufficient cultivation, he was unable to nourish the Ten Thousand Character Mantra Pillar, and only this trace of Qianyang purple energy could still support the Yanbao Mantra Pillar

At the same time, a small amount of golden mantras is sealed within eighteen derivative pearls, gradually transforming the pearls and effectively enhancing them. After a certain period, these derivative pearls will evolve into special weapons, but for now, they are merely in their embryonic stage

Alright, I will go.

Once the homework is completed, during the daytime, Mi Xiaojing does not engage in cultivation. With autumn arriving, he must go up the mountain to gather various wild fruits and vegetables, as well as many herbs that are harvested in the fall. If he does not go up the mountain at this time, when the heavy snow falls, there will be little left to harvest on the mountain

The eighteen wooden beads represent the six roots, six dusts, and six consciousnesses, symbolizing the eighteen realms

The Xiyan Gate has three main halls: the Yuanjue Hall, the Guanfat Hall, and the Juexing Hall. Master Zeng Li serves as the head of the Yuanjue Hall, and Mi Xiaojing is also affiliated with the Yuanjue Hall at the Xiyan Gate.

Each time the mantra is recited, Mi Xiaojing is unaware that faint golden characters of the mantra will emerge from the myriad-character mantra banner. These characters combine with the words of his recitation before flying into the illusory tower. Sounds and words that would originally dissipate easily are instead affixed to the illusory tower through this power

After a night of cultivation, the Tower of Mantras has solidified a bit more and has also increased in height slightly, which is imperceptible if one does not pay attention

An aged voice sounded: "Come in!"

Mi Xiaojing pushed open the door and walked inside

Therefore, autumn is the busiest season for the practitioners. The Xiyang Sect only provides meals, and everything else must be managed by themselves. The practitioners lead a very difficult life. Of course, the arduous training in the sect always brings suffering, and this is also a form of cultivation

In other words, Master Zeng Li is the direct superior of Mi Xiaojing. In the Xiyan Sect, the hierarchical relationship between superiors and subordinates is very clear, with distinct levels of status. Similar to the cultivation sects, there are well-defined ranks, and the position of the chief master is extremely high within the Xiyan Sect

A niche is placed on the offering table, with an incense burner, two offering plates, and three incense sticks inserted into the burner, rising in wisps of fragrant smoke

Mi Xiaojing gently touched his head

The austere practice at the Xiyan Gate can be considered relatively peaceful, whereas some other sects of austere practice truly embody hardship. They have but one meal a day, their clothing barely covers their bodies, and not only do they lack proper housing, but they also must cultivate in the deep mountains, enduring the elements. Such a form of practice is utterly impossible to sustain without a resolute will.

The Yanmuzhu and the true word banner in the heart resonate with each other. Each time one practices, the hand, eye, heart, and speech unite as one. Therefore, cultivating the true word banner in the heart is also cultivating the Yanmuzhu in the hand, with the external and internal aspects complementing each other.

The Yian Treasure conceals itself; once it recognizes its master, it will shroud its brilliance. Thus, until now, no one has discovered that Mi Xiaojing possesses such a treasure of the Yian Sect. Even if a master of the Yian Sect were to come, they would similarly be unable to see through it

Mi Xiaojing opened his eyes. A night of cultivation had completely restored his spirit and physical strength. He got up from the bed and walked to the open space in front of the meditation room. Mi Xiaojing began to practice his boxing. This set of boxing techniques was not meant for combat, but rather for relaxing the muscles and invigorating the blood. After sitting in meditation for an entire night, it was essential to engage in some physical activity.

Carrying a backpack, Mi Xiaojing arrived at the room on the side of the central courtyard, which was the residence of the first seat.

Those children who are not yet ten years old are preparatory disciples of the Yanxiu sect, considered the next generation within the Xiyang Sect. Most of them are sent by farming families from the mountains, and among them are many orphans or those abandoned at the gate of the mountain, who were taken in by the Yanxiu of the Xiyang Sect. Initially, Mi Xiaojing was adopted in this manner.

Only after this wisp of purple aura completely merged into the Void Shape Tower did Mi Xiaojing descend from the rooftop

Certainly, these mountain goods are not exchanged by the craftsmen of Xiyanmen themselves; rather, they mostly rely on hired workers or long-term employees within Xiyanmen to make the exchanges. For instance, Mi Xiaojing has already accumulated a significant amount of dried goods, and at the end of each month, long-term workers go to the market. At this time, they can be entrusted to bring back the daily necessities that are needed.

This room is twice the size of Mi Xiaojing's room, and it also features a large earthen kang that occupies one-third of the room's space. The layout is quite similar to that of Mi Xiaojing's room, with a bamboo bookshelf and an additional desk, as well as several bamboo storage boxes in the corner of the wall