Recreate the glorious era of [Kan Water]?!
Liu Zhijian was merely an angler; he didn't have such lofty ambitions.
If he could fish a flood dragon out of a river and a dragon out of the ocean in his lifetime, becoming a super-formidable angler, he would be completely satisfied and leave this life with no regrets.
It was just that this ambition was truly a bit petty and small-minded.
Liu Zhijian kept it buried deep in his heart, never daring to say it out loud for fear of being laughed at. Giving a couple of dry chuckles, he asked, "May I ask Master, how should I go about gathering [Clear Qi Above the River]?"
Li Chengxuan produced a jade slip he had prepared long ago. "This is the [Qi Gathering Method], along with annotations and experiences left behind by many sect predecessors."
"However, since the Old Method is no longer prosperous today, gathering qi is exceedingly difficult."
"Remember that the experiences of predecessors can only serve as a reference."
Liu Zhijian nodded in assent, took the jade slip, and headed to the side hall.
"This is way too long..."
Liu Zhijian picked up the jade slip and touched it lightly to the space between his eyebrows, instantly feeling a massive wave of information force its way into his mind.
Had he not already opened his meridians and possessed full, satisfied spirit, he likely would have passed out.
"No need to study—it's stuffed directly into my brain."
"If I had this stuff back on Earth, I definitely would have made it into college..."
The odd thought flashed past and vanished.
Liu Zhijian carefully organized the Qi Gathering Method in his mind.
The imagery of [Kan Water] lay in rivers and streams, in rushing, flowing waters.
Rivers had clarity and turbidity, prosperity and decline.
This [Clear Qi Above the River] naturally drew upon the imagery of "clarity."
"This Qi Gathering Method has ancient origins."
"Back then, cultivators mostly withdrew from the world to cultivate, prizing purity and clarity above all."
"Therefore, the qi they gathered also pursued 'pure, limpid clarity, where quiet waters run deep.'"
Liu Zhijian savored the words carefully. "This actually suits my temperament quite well."
Back on Earth, Liu Zhijian had visited Tiger Leaping Gorge; that majestic, overwhelming surge of water was truly awe-inspiring.
However, Liu Zhijian was steady and taciturn, lacking such a fierce, turbulent temperament.
"It's just that these requirements are way too ridiculous."
Before Liu Zhijian could enjoy his contentment for more than a moment, he found it somewhat unbelievable. "What does it mean by 'Find where the river water is purest, and gather water to refine qi on a day with no wind and no rain'?!"
Having read the sect's ancient texts and experienced trials down the mountain, Liu Zhijian considered himself somewhat familiar with Nanya Province.
Taking just that White Dragon River, it rushed and surged for far more than tens of thousands of li!
For such a long, massive river, asking someone to find the place where the water was purest—wasn't that just making life difficult?!
"No wonder Master said that gathering qi is difficult, sometimes taking several years or even decades!"
"River waters flow without pause, changing every single moment."
"Where the water is purest has basically become a matter of metaphysics."
Feeling a deep headache coming on, Liu Zhijian could only set aside the Qi Gathering Method for the moment to read the hard-won experiences and lessons of sect predecessors.
"This predecessor was very clever, going straight to the headwaters of a major river, which aligns perfectly with my own idea."
"What?!"
"The water volume at the headwaters isn't abundant, so one can only gather [Lesser Qi]."
Liu Zhijian had long since read the ancient texts.
[Proper Qi] was a broad avenue leading to Heaven.
[Mixed Qi] was a fork in the road, where it led depended entirely on luck.
[Lesser Qi] was simply a dead end; once cultivated to Qi Refining, there was no road left to walk.
Unless absolutely forced, Liu Zhijian would definitely not consider [Lesser Qi].
Liu Zhijian took a deep breath and patiently continued reading.
"This predecessor went to the river mouth where it enters the sea, but unfortunately became contaminated by [Heshui Water] and could only gather [Mixed Qi]."
"And this one struck out on an unconventional path, actually planting trees and flora extensively along both banks while educating the populace, attempting to create the imagery of 'clear rivers and peaceful seas.' In the end, after spending twenty years of painstaking effort, rather than gathering [Clear Qi of River Water], he accidentally gathered half a portion of [Human Emperor Qi]."
"..."
The failure stories of the sect's predecessors were truly a colorful assortment, each more remarkable than the last.
However, the predecessors who had succeeded in gathering qi mostly left behind only a few sparse lines.
Some instructed junior generations not to be eager for quick success and instant benefits.
Some lamented that after ten years of hard work, their wishes were finally fulfilled.
There was even a predecessor who left a message saying he had found an absolute shortcut to gathering qi, but because the remaining storage capacity of the jade slip was too small and he couldn't fit it all, he just wouldn't bother writing it down.
Reading it made Liu Zhijian want to curse out loud.
Three days later.
Liu Zhijian ultimately decided to step out of the side hall and go to Li Chengxuan to seek guidance. "May I ask Master, why are the summaries of failure in this jade slip so extremely detailed, while the details of successful qi gathering are so vague, or even... intentionally concealed?!"
Li Chengxuan chuckled upon hearing this and asked, "Do you understand the Dao theory of gathering qi?"
"Naturally, I understand."
Liu Zhijian nodded and answered, "That isn't anything difficult."
"Speaking of which, it's pretty much like finding a fishing spot."
"First, you select a stretch of water, then inspect it carefully, and finally determine a spot with the most fish."
"However, rivers are long and fish swim around—how can one ever be certain?!"
Li Chengxuan nodded slightly. "Your metaphor is quite apt."
"If I directly told you where the most fish were, what would you do?!"
Liu Zhijian faintly felt something was amiss, yet he still blurted out what he thought: "I would just rush straight over there and start fishing, saving myself a lot of trouble."
Li Chengxuan neither agreed nor disagreed, continuing to ask, "However, are you the only angler under Heaven?"
"Naturally not."
Liu Zhijian shook his head, recalling famous fishing spots in his past life—a literal forest of fishing rods, more people than fish, packed tightly together in a way that made one's scalp go numb just looking at it.
It was precisely for this reason that Liu Zhijian had resolved to travel and fish across the whole country, going exclusively to wild rivers and ponds rather than joining the crowd.
Thinking up to this point, Liu Zhijian froze, lost in thought.
Indeed.
If the place for gathering qi in a river were fixed at a single spot, every cultivator under Heaven seeking to practice [Kan Water] would probably rush there to [gather qi].
Even those who didn't practice [Kan Water] would go to join the fun, figuring they could sell it after [gathering qi].
The Purple Palace Golden Core Dao emphasized imagery in its cultivation.
In such a place clamorous with voices and foul atmosphere, even if one actually succeeded in gathering qi, could that qi still be called [Clear Qi of River Water]?
Although Liu Zhijian still had no real clue about [gathering qi], he strangely calmed down and said with a bit of shame, "Your disciple was too impatient."
Li Chengxuan didn't press further, continuing his guidance: "This applies not only to gathering qi, but even more so to your future cultivation."
"In any Dao lineage, the most important element is Dao theory, not spells."
"Dao theory is obscure and profound; ten million people will have ten million interpretations."
"Even if cultivating the exact same Dao lineage, if cultivators differ in their understanding of Dao theory, the spells, Immortal Foundations, and divine abilities they achieve will be vastly different."
"Conversely, if everyone cultivating the same Dao lineage ultimately turned out identical, wouldn't that be terrifying?"
Liu Zhijian came to a sudden realization and said in heartfelt conviction, "Your disciple has learned much."
...
...
Liu Zhijian settled his mind and stopped trying to hunt through the predecessors' annotations for clues on taking shortcuts. Instead, he earnestly re-read the Dao theory regarding [Kan Water] from start to finish, feeling he had gained a great deal.
"When it comes down to it, immortal cultivation is somewhat idealistic after all."
"As long as one's understanding of Dao theory is logically self-consistent, it is very likely correct."
"If one truly follows the footsteps of predecessors without the slightest divergence, it would actually be inferior."
"Looking at it this way, the concepts of the Old Method aren't outdated at all; on the contrary, they encourage innovation. I wonder how it managed to fall into decline to its current state."
Having sorted out his thoughts, Liu Zhijian headed down the mountain once again to gather qi.
...
...
Ancestral Hall.
Li Chengxuan was still absorbing spiritual qi, circulating it through his heavenly circuit.
Leveraging the shuttle ability of the [Two-World Bead], Li Chengxuan tempered his Dao heart in the mortal realms of both worlds, and his Dao attainment grew rapidly.
However, his cultivation level still needed to be polished bit by bit, tolerating not a single shred of deceit or sloppiness.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Li Chengxuan opened his eyes.
The [Two-World Bead] was trembling slightly.
It was Hua Chunning calling out to him from Earth.
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