Chapter Four: Nine Glass Lamps

Ge Qian put away the elixir, sighing inwardly. Have those of us without spiritual roots already been abandoned by the heavens? Has my right to pursue the Dao been stripped away? Or was my fate sealed from birth, destined for only a century of life before returning to dust and earth? You may deprive me of the qualifications to cultivate immortality, but you cannot extinguish my unwavering will to pursue the Way.

Ge Qian always believed in the legend of perseverance.

The Foundation of the Three Origins Technique was much harder to comprehend than the Wave Technique. Ge Qian’s talent was mediocre; some of his fellow disciples even called him useless, a parasite of the Heavenly Star Sect wasting precious resources. Yet he was meticulous and quick-witted—proof that Heaven never blocks all paths. Providence is not blind; everyone has their strengths, but people always tend to envy others, forgetting their own gifts.

After seven days, having grasped the principles of the technique, it was time to put it into practice.

The wood-element spirit liquid from last time had not been processed in the past few days and was reabsorbed by the tender sprout within him, but this time, it did not emerge again. Evidently, if the sprout’s spirit liquid is not refined within three days, it will be reabsorbed. If one wishes to obtain more, only by taking an elixir can it be achieved.

He swallowed a Marrow Cleansing Pill and began to meditate and cultivate. The pill melted instantly in his core, flowing into the sprout. Within half an hour, a droplet rich with wood-element spiritual energy fell into his dantian.

Ge Qian guided the spiritual liquid into his meridians using the Foundation of the Three Origins technique.

After less than three hours of cultivation, Ge Qian let out a miserable cry, collapsing and rolling on the ground in pain. It was a long while before the agony subsided.

Wearing a bitter smile, Ge Qian understood the saying: more haste, less speed. His meridians had been torn with wounds by the rampaging spiritual energy. A dozen days of rest would be needed to recover. Cultivation relied on meditation and the smooth circulation of qi through the body’s meridians, transforming it into one’s own magical power.

If the meridians are damaged, forcing cultivation is strictly forbidden. If they are completely ruined, one’s hope of treading the path of immortality is lost forever.

Ge Qian never forced things. He’d encountered similar mishaps once or twice before—nothing to fret over. But why could Du Tao cultivate, while he could not?

After much reflection, he finally found the answer. Du Tao refined spiritual energy slowly—a single drop of such pure spirit liquid would take him a month to absorb. Thus, he advanced steadily, step by step, suffering no harm. Ge Qian, on the other hand, tried to refine a vast amount of spiritual energy all at once. Cultivators focus on the refinement of essence, energy, and spirit. They have no undying bodies, only eternal dharma bodies.

The mortal body is fragile, so most cultivate magical artifacts for self-protection.

Lying on the ground, Ge Qian nodded determinedly to himself. If he wished to cultivate, he must first temper his body. Only then could he practice this technique without injuring his meridians.

Body-tempering arts are ancient cultivation methods. Gathering the three flowers atop the head, harmonizing the five elements, forging an indestructible physique—such warriors could shatter the void and ascend to higher realms. But these arts test the willpower of the practitioner, making them a hundred times harder than ordinary cultivation. Thus, their practitioners have become exceedingly rare.

Nevertheless, some body-tempering techniques have been preserved. All the major sects train a few such disciples, for their immense strength is useful for mining, quarrying, and extracting refined iron.

Thus, obtaining a body-tempering technique was not difficult. Every month, the low-ranking disciples of the Heavenly Star Sect held a small trading fair behind the mountain—perhaps he could find one there.

At this thought, a smile returned to Ge Qian’s face. He climbed onto his bed, took out some dried boar meat from his storage pouch, and began to eat heartily.

He estimated that the meat in his pouch would last a month. Having grown up in the mountains and hunted often with his father, Ge Qian found it child’s play to trap and shoot a large wild boar with a sturdy iron crossbow.

As he ate, he hoped to find the technique he needed at the trading fair. Quality was secondary; as long as it enabled him to cultivate the Foundation of the Three Origins technique, it would suffice. He had no thoughts of shattering the void—that was a distant dream. Everything could wait until he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

…

Fengwu Mountain stretched on for a thousand miles, lush with birds and beasts, fragrant with flowers and song.

Within a gorge where flowers bloomed in splendor, tall green pines stood, and several monkeys leapt and played among the branches. A beautiful young woman in a pale yellow dress, her features delicate, plucked a large rose, sniffed it, then tossed it aside.

A snow-white hand gently caught the flower, caressing it with affection. “Xiaoyue, such a lovely flower—why don’t you cherish it?” she said.

The speaker was even more beautiful than the rose itself, her ethereal, untainted aura making the whole valley seem brighter.

“My lady, it’s just a flower—nothing special,” Xiaoyue replied, puzzled.

“This is a rose. Roses symbolize love—sincere, pure affection. They are tokens of lovers, the foremost flower chosen between sweethearts. Only those in love have the right to pick them,” the woman explained, playing with the flower and smiling.

Xiaoyue protested, “But, my lady, I picked one and saw no sign of love!”

“Haven’t I told you? Here, we’re not in the Myriad Demon Mountains. Let’s call each other sisters. We grew up together, learned demon arts together; in my heart, you are my own dear little sister.” The woman feigned annoyance.

Xiaoyue immediately clung to her arm, moved. “Calling you sister is fine, but I still don’t understand why you traveled so far behind the Demon King’s back for a mere human cultivator. This is deep within human territory. If those powerful human elders discover us, they’ll skin us alive and take our inner cores!”

“That is love. I love him, and for him, I would give up the demon race—give up everything. As long as we can be together, nothing else matters.” The woman’s face glowed with happiness, as if a blissful life awaited her.

Xiaoyue pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation, watching her love-struck sister. “He’s just a human at the Qi Absorption stage. I can’t see what about him is worth such sacrifice!”

“What do you know? He’s a special person, with a heart of gold. For his mother and the people of his village, he traveled all the way to the Myriad Demon Mountains, knowing it was a forbidden place for humans—risking his life. He never harmed a single animal, even healing an injured white rabbit. He said all things in this world have spirit—man, demon, flora, all life is equal and deserves freedom! To live with a true gentleman, happily, is all I desire. Rules and dogma mean nothing to me.” The woman’s radiant smile made the flowers sway as if in celebration.

“But, sister, have you thought it through? Our demon kind have long lifespans. With his talent, reaching Foundation Establishment would be a miracle—at most, two hundred years before he returns to dust. If you stay with him, the difference between humans and demons will only hinder your path to immortality. Is two hundred years really worth it?” Xiaoyue asked earnestly.

“With my intelligence, of course I’ve considered it. I will join him on the path to immortality—together, we’ll become an immortal couple!” As she spoke, the woman turned her palm, revealing a crystalline jade lamp with nine wicks. “Do you know what this is?”

When Xiaoyue saw the lamp, her face turned pale, her body trembling with fear. “The Ninefold Glazed Lamp—the holy treasure of the demon race! Sister, how dare you steal it? If the Demon King finds out, he’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth. We must return it at once! Without the lamp, our race is doomed!”

The woman put the lamp away with a slight smile. “Look at you, so frightened. If you don’t tell and I don’t tell, who will know? Father is in seclusion and won’t emerge for a thousand years. The humans know nothing. As long as there are no leaks, it’s safe. I only borrowed it to cleanse Brother Li’s marrow and improve his physique so he can cultivate. Once I’m done, I’ll return it. Who will ever know?”

Xiaoyue sighed. “The power of love is truly overwhelming—it drives people mad.”

The beautiful woman glanced at Xiaoyue, her expression sly. “What is the innate talent of us Heavenly Foxes?”

“Transformation, of course!”

“Good. To help you understand love’s power, I’ll become you, and you’ll become me. Then you’ll see how important I am in Brother Li’s eyes. How thrilling! Let’s switch roles!” As she spoke, the woman swirled her skirt, a wave of demonic energy enveloped her, and in a moment, she had transformed into Xiaoyue’s exact likeness—down to her very aura.

The story “Mortal Path to Immortality, Chapter Four: The Ninefold Glazed Lamp” continues.