Life as a Rogue Cultivator

Chapter 323: Flying Sword Return to the Sea

The Yellow Dragon Sword Art’s nurturing technique is divided into two stages. The first stage is the method for refining a flying sword into the Qi Sea, and it consists of nine steps.First is “Guiding the Governing Vessel.” Second, “Guiding the Penetrating and Girdle Vessels.” Third, “Guiding the Conception Vessel.” Fourth, “The Nine-Nine Grand Circulation.” Fifth, “The Wandering Dragon Moves Through Taiji.” Sixth, “The True Spirit Enters the Sea.” Seventh, “Turning Rivers and Seas.” Eighth, “The Great Returning Loop.” Ninth, “The Flying Sword Returns to the Sea.”

The second stage focuses on nurturing the flying sword. The steps are simple, divided into the 'Greater and Lesser Celestial Orbit Fire-Nurturing Methods,' but they require long-term, steady practice.

Liu Xiaolou did not waste any time. He jumped straight into the first step of the first stage, Guiding the Governing Vessel.

The incantation was short and straightforward. Its purpose was to open the shared pathway for the flying sword to enter and exit. Following the instructions, Liu Xiaolou focused his spiritual sense on the Weilu acupoint.

Wait a second... the Weilu acupoint? In the Yellow Dragon Sword Art he was practicing, did the flying sword really go in and out through the tailbone? Other people’s flying swords all emerged from higher up. Su Jing’s came out through the crown of his head. Lin Twin Fish’s came from the back of his neck.

Well, whatever. Tailbone or not, as long as it could go in and out, that was fine.

Liu Xiaolou drew his spiritual sense back and resumed his cross-legged meditation. He focused on the Weilu acupoint. Then guided a thread of formless qi downward from it, visualizing it extending into the earth. The point where it met and merged with the ground he imagined as the Earth Aperture. He kept his spiritual sense delving deeper into that Earth Aperture, maintaining the connection between the Weilu acupoint and the Earth Aperture.

He kept this void-to-void connection intact for an entire day. Gradually, he felt the link stabilize. Only then did he split off part of his focus and guide true qi into it, little by little, filling the connection. This step was called “Hiding the Dragon,” and it took another night.

Once the true qi had fully filled the link, he began to rotate this true-qi “intangible line connecting his Weilu acupoint and the Earth Aperture. He spun it 81 times to the left and 81 times to the right, over and over without stopping, until the true qi grew lively and responsive, as if it had gained life. This is what is meant by cultivating the “Earth Dragon.” The point on the ground is the Earth Dragon’s Lair.

Then he kept the rotation going, spinning without pause, until... — sounded like a dragon's roar.

That meant the first step had reached minor completion.

Liu Xiaolou opened his eyes and saw the morning sun leap up from the surface of the sea once more. This was already the fifth sunrise since he had come ashore.

He got up, stretched his arms and legs a bit, and walked a couple laps around the hermitage. This place really was a good spot for secluded cultivation. Without him doing a thing, fish, shellfish, shrimp, and crabs had already crawled into the cracks and hollows among the rocks beneath the hut. He could just reach in and pull them out to eat, and they were unbelievably fresh.

After stuffing himself full, he didn’t rush into the second step. Instead, he headed back up to the island’s main peak, over a hundred feet high, and gazed out toward the northwest and north, across the open sea.

Every now and then he’d spot a few sail shadows flickering beside some far-off islands, but after watching for a bit, they’d vanish again. It wasn’t until noon that he finally saw a small boat slowly drawing closer. Getting bigger by the minute, heading straight for Nanjian Island.

Another hour or so passed, and Liu Xiaolou could finally make it out clearly. The person on that boat was none other than Lin Twin Fish. And she was completely alone; no one else with her.

By the time the boat reached Nanjian Island, Liu Xiaolou was already waiting on the shore. Before Lin Twin Fish even stepped off the boat, he called out, “How did it go?”

“Junior Brother Su has been confined,” Lin Twin Fish replied. “Three years.”

Liu Xiaolou’s heart sank. “That serious? If it comes to it, I’ll return it and go up to Xiqiao Mountain to accept punishment.”

Lin Twin Fish smiled and tried to reassure him. “It’s fine, Xiaolou. You don’t need to worry. Junior Brother Su is being confined by Martial Master Bai in Stone Swallow Gorge on the back mountain. That place is where disciples of the Southern Sea Sword Sect test their blades. He may not leave for three years, but for Junior Brother Su, it’s actually a rare opportunity to cultivate his sword path.”

Liu Xiaolou blinked, still not entirely at ease. “What was the charge?”

She answered, “Keeping bad company.”

“Is it serious?”

“It’s nothing. Heh, I’m at fault too for not paying closer attention. After I capture you and take you back to the mountain, I’ll have to accept punishment myself. You’ll be confined in Stone Swallow Gorge for a year.”

“Capture me and take me back? That’s…”

“Yes. When the time comes, just fight back with everything you’ve got. I won’t be able to catch you, and I’ll return to the mountain to report.”

“Then should I start resisting now?”

“No, no need yet. You can first learn the sword techniques. After some time, I’ll come back. By then you’ll have just learned them, your moves will catch me off guard, and that’s how you manage to escape. Of course, I’ll take the sword manual back with me. That way Junior Brother Su’s charges will be greatly reduced.”

“Learn sword techniques here? Is that really okay?”

“Yes. No one would ever think you’re on Nanjian Island.”

“Are you sure?”

"Yeah, Martial Uncle Bai said it himself. You're a cultivator from Jingxiang, so once you got your hands on it, you'd definitely head back north. That's why everyone the sect sent out is chasing that way. I changed course halfway on my own and came here first to check on Junior Brother Su's sword hermitage."

“This hermitage is really nice. Cultivating here feels great. Now that I've gotten used to the constant sound of the tides all around, I'm actually worried that once I leave, I won't be able to settle into meditation anymore.”

“Then stay here and cultivate for a while longer.”

“Really? Or should I look for another small island?”

“Better to stay here. Most of the other islands are visited by senior brothers and elders from the sect who come and go to cultivate. Nanjian Island is one that Junior Brother Su and I have always used, so hardly anyone else ever comes here.”

“Oh, oh, I see.”

“Alright then. I’m going to ‘capture’ you now. Cultivate properly while you’re here.”

“Okay. You can take the sword manual back right now.”

“You’ve learned everything already?”

“I have. Oh, by the way, if disciples from your sect really do come to the island, I…”

“There won’t be any ‘ifs.’ If someone really does land on the island, chances are they won’t be from our Southern Sea Sword Sect. When that happens, whether you fight or run is up to you.”

Lin Twin Fish rummaged through her storage artifact and pulled out two sealed jars of wine. “This is Wuye Clear Spring, brewed by our sect. Drinking it while cultivating the sword path is quite effective.”

After accepting the two jars, Liu Xiaolou reluctantly returned the sword manual. He watched Lin Twin Fish board the boat and sail away, feeling much more at ease. He then went back to the hermitage and resumed cultivating the Yellow Dragon Sword Art.

The second step was called Guiding the Thrusting and Girdling Vessels. It focused on cultivating the Penetrating Vessel and the Girdle Vessel. The method was just as straightforward:

Following the same approach as in the first step, Liu Xiaolou concentrated his spiritual sense on the Huiyin acupoint. He imagined his legs as towering cliffs, forming a deep canyon between two mountains. He then guided his true qi out from the Huiyin acupoint, letting it sink into the ground and connect with the Earth Aperture. The true qi became like a solid rod, churning through the canyon between the two mountains. When he felt the entire canyon begin to shudder, it finally triggered a chain of vibrations. Each joint trembled in turn, from the lumbar spine to the thoracic spine, and from the thoracic spine up to the neck, like beans rolling and clattering inside.

After seven days and seven nights of cultivation, he finally pushed past this hurdle.

Next came the third step: Guiding the Conception Vessel.

This step was even simpler. He was to focus his spiritual sense on the Pubic Bone. And once again, cultivate it until it connected with the Earth Dragon.

Liu Xiaolou lowered his head and stared for a long time, completely at a loss for words. Why did this Yellow Dragon Sword Art keep going for the crotch area?

But by the time he reached this stage, another realization dawned on him. The Yellow Dragon Sword Art really was freakishly similar to the True Mysteries Scripture.

Because of that familiarity, Liu Xiaolou’s progress with the Yellow Dragon Sword Art was astonishingly fast. As he worked through the nine steps of the Nurturing Technique, each step went more smoothly than the last. The further he advanced, the easier it became to get started. Beginning with the fourth step, known as “The Nine-Nine Grand Circulation,” he could complete a step in an average of three to five days. One month after arriving on the island, all nine steps had been successfully completed.

The instant the cultivation of “Flying Sword Returns to the Sea” was complete, the Three-Mystery Sword, guided by his mind, slipped into the Qi Sea through the Guanyuan passage formed by the Weilu, the Huiyin, and the Pubic Bone.

A sword with physical form traveled through a channel that was both real and unreal, before finally entering the formless Qi Sea. The experience was profoundly mysterious.

As Liu Xiaolou gazed at the flying sword suspended at the center of his Qi Sea, he saw five soft, branchlike extensions spreading from the tip of the blade. Nourished by the misty flow of true qi, they seemed to be stretching lazily, as if just waking up. He couldn’t stop the surge of excitement. His heart pounded like waves crashing, and he damn near teared up.