The Azure Frost Sword and the Moonlit Tome

Saying goodbye to Su Hanxing, Chi Qiu let out a long breath. Though Su Hanxing seemed to harbor no ill will, Chi Qiu couldn’t entirely lower her guard around him. With the two finally parting ways, Chi Qiu felt a sense of relief.

She returned to her thatched hut, placing the longsword she carried beside her prayer mat.

The sword measured three feet long and about an inch wide. Its blade was a cyan-blue, layered with shimmering water patterns, as if covered in frost and snow. This was the high-grade magical artifact Chi Qiu had just acquired: the Azure Frost Sword.

Originally stored within a cyan ring, the sword was inaccessible to Chi Qiu, a mere mortal currently lacking the true qi required to open it. She had to ask Su Hanxing for help, extracting the Azure Frost Sword, the Moon Gaze Treasure Canon, and several spirit jades and wondrous pills.

These items now lay in a heap on her prayer mat.

From the prayer mat, Chi Qiu picked up a white page, no larger than her palm. Made from an unknown material, the page felt cold and rigid to the touch. Four prominent characters stood out on its surface: “Moon Gaze Treasure Canon.”

Below them, a hundred or so tiny, densely packed characters followed, their meaning obscure and difficult to decipher.

Chi Qiu took her time, studying the text meticulously and pondering its nuances. Soon, she grasped the essence of this cultivation method. It was a technique to help mortals transcend their ordinary state, requiring the absorption of lunar spiritual energy at night.

If cultivation proceeded smoothly, one could shed their mortal coil and enter the path of cultivation in just a few days.

In this realm, the Daqi Emperor, the ruler for tens of thousands of years, had categorized the stages of cultivation as follows:

Mortal: Unable to perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, representing the countless common folk of Daqi.

Transcendent: Capable of sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and able to use it to refine the physical body. Reaching this stage would alter one’s temperament based on the type of spiritual energy absorbed.

Spirit Nourishing: Spiritual energy is stored within the body, enhancing physique but not usable for combat. This was Chi Qiu’s previous cultivation stage.

Heart Scripture: Transforming the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into one’s own true qi, enabling control over objects and combat.

God Concealing: Where the soul and physical body merge into one, allowing for easy limb regeneration. This was Su Hanxing’s current stage.

Dharma Manifestation: Able to summon and control the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to form a dharma manifestation for combat.

…

The first threshold on the path of cultivation was perceiving the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. When Chi Qiu first attempted cultivation, it took her a full year to finally sense this energy. This highlighted the disadvantage of rogue cultivators.

It was said that first-rate sects in Daqi taught methods for sensing spiritual energy, and their compounds featured large spirit-gathering formations. These formations concentrated spiritual energy, making it effortless for disciples within the sect to perceive it.

Fortunately, Chi Qiu had already successfully perceived spiritual energy in her past life, so she naturally didn’t need to learn how to do so again. Even though she hadn’t entered a meditative state yet, she could still vaguely ‘see’ the spiritual energy constantly overflowing and rising throughout the world.

Now, all she had to do was wait for nightfall and then meditate outdoors to absorb the lunar spiritual energy.

After finishing the Moon Gaze Treasure Canon, Chi Qiu placed it back on the prayer mat. Next, she picked up a white jade stone, roughly the size of a fist. This was a spirit jade, a type of spirit stone found deep within mineral veins, transformed into jade by the earth’s immense pressure.

Its spiritual energy content was a hundred times greater than ordinary spirit stones, making it useful for both cultivation aid and bartering. Chi Qiu had rarely encountered such a rare item before, and any she did acquire were quickly absorbed.

Now, seeing so many spirit jades piled into a small mound, Chi Qiu yearned to lie among them, even wanting to hug a few while she slept.

After caressing the spirit jade for quite some time, Chi Qiu finally set it down. Beside the prayer mat lay five wooden boxes, each a foot long and three inches wide. Crafted from sandalwood, these boxes bore the Daqi imperial seal and various spirit plant motifs.

As Chi Qiu opened a sandalwood box, a rich, dense medicinal fragrance immediately wafted forth. With just a light sniff, Chi Qiu felt refreshed, her vision seemingly sharpening.

Inside the wooden box lay ten neatly arranged, pale-green pills, their surfaces perfectly smooth and flawless. Etched into the inside of the lid was a mysterious small formation array, with a small, exquisite spirit jade at its center.

Chi Qiu didn’t attempt to remove the spirit jade. Su Hanxing had warned her before leaving that the box contained a small spirit-sealing array to prevent spiritual energy leakage. Carelessly damaging the array would cause the true qi within the pills to dissipate, significantly reducing their efficacy.

Concerned about the true qi leaking, Chi Qiu quickly closed the wooden box without further inspection.

Though these pills were called ‘Spirit Elixirs,’ they contained vast amounts of true qi. They were exceptionally precious, meticulously refined by master alchemists who controlled heat and spirit plants, drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Putting away the elixirs, Chi Qiu picked up the last item: a palm-sized black flying boat. It, too, bore the Daqi imperial seal. This flying boat was a low-grade magical artifact, capable of restoring its original size when activated with true qi.

It served as an excellent choice for both a dwelling and a means of travel. However, this flying boat was clearly far inferior to Su Hanxing’s Jade Sand Skiff, as it lacked a spirit-gathering array. To power it, one would either need to fill it with spirit stones or expend one’s own true qi.

Chi Qiu couldn’t use this item yet, so she put it away for now. All that remained was to patiently await nightfall, when the lunar star would hang high in the sky.

Winter days were always fleeting. Before long, dusk settled, and the cool, faintly blue lunar star slowly ascended from the northeast. Chi Qiu had already swept away the snow outside her thatched hut, placing her prayer mat, used for meditation and sleep, outside as well.

Chi Qiu wrapped her white cloak tightly around herself, her body involuntarily trembling slightly. She considered starting a fire for warmth but feared its heat would disperse the lunar spiritual energy. Thus, she braced herself against the biting cold.

Closing her eyes, she entered a meditative state, her mind steadfast, carefully sensing the myriad, mixed spiritual energies between heaven and earth.

Before long, Chi Qiu perceived an intensely cold spiritual energy slowly descending from the sky. She understood in her heart that this was the lunar spiritual energy. As the lunar spiritual energy permeated her body, Chi Qiu recited the incantation from the Moon Gaze Treasure Canon, attempting to draw the energy through her body into all her meridians.

This was a lengthy process, but fortunately, Chi Qiu had experienced it once before, and her mental fortitude far surpassed that of a mortal. In less than a quarter of an hour, she successfully guided the first wisp of lunar spiritual energy into her meridians.

After circulating rapidly through her meridians for one cycle, the lunar spiritual energy gradually dissipated. Chi Qiu felt as though her entire body had been immersed in cold water, yet she didn’t feel chilled; instead, it was refreshingly cool and utterly comfortable.

What astonished Chi Qiu even more was that her body’s meridians were completely unobstructed. Even the minutest wisp of spiritual energy could successfully complete a full circulation. It was crucial to remember that while the first step of transcending mortality and entering the Dao was sensing spiritual energy, the most vital step was relying on that energy to clear the meridians, allowing it to circulate smoothly within the body for physical and spiritual tempering.

With her meridians entirely clear, Chi Qiu realized that any subsequent cultivation, whether circulating spiritual energy to refine her body or transforming it into true qi to condense a divine aperture in her dantian, would be several times faster than others.

Joy surged through Chi Qiu’s heart. She intensified her efforts, continuously absorbing lunar spiritual energy to refine herself. With each circulation of lunar spiritual energy within her, Chi Qiu’s body became purer, her affinity for the energy grew, and her absorption rate accelerated.

As Chi Qiu absorbed the lunar spiritual energy to temper her body, her appearance and physique gradually began to transform. Her already waist-length hair grew wildly, spreading across the ground, its tips beginning to acquire a faint ice-blue hue. Her face also underwent subtle changes, slowly shedding its youthful innocence as a cool aura emanated from within.

Her figure became more slender and firm, no longer frail as before. Though she might appear thinner at first glance, her form exuded greater vitality.

With such intense cultivation, time seemed to fly by. Chi Qiu felt as though only an hour had passed, yet the lunar spiritual energy in the world began to dwindle, eventually vanishing, replaced by an intensely fiery spiritual energy.

Chi Qiu opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a mass of long hair on the ground, half black and half ice-blue. Patting the snow from her body, she barely stood before nearly tripping over her own hair. Only after repeatedly examining it did she confirm it was indeed her own.

After considerable effort, Chi Qiu gathered her hair and walked back to the thatched hut. She picked up the Azure Frost Sword from the ground, found the right spot, and with one swift cut, trimmed her hair back to its original waist-length.

Then, Chi Qiu belatedly realized that she no longer felt cold. She shed her cloak, emerging from the hut in only her inner garments, and indeed found herself unafraid of the bitter chill. This discovery filled her with immense joy.

Her joy was short-lived. Chi Qiu suddenly noticed a heavy sensation in her chest. She looked down, only to see that the curve of her bosom had significantly increased overnight. It was then that she remembered: spiritual energy tempering would alter her appearance.

Her last transcendence in her previous body had been three years ago, and the changes had been slow and subtle, which was why it had slipped her mind for so long.

Chi Qiu was curious about her new appearance, but there was no bronze mirror in the hut. She had no choice but to go to a small stream not far from her dwelling, clear away the snow, and use the frozen river surface as a mirror.

Chi Qiu leaned her head closer to the icy surface, but the rough ice made it difficult to see clearly. Only when her face was practically pressed against the ice did she notice that her eyes seemed to have turned the same color as her hair tips.

Disappointed that she couldn’t clearly see the changes to her face, Chi Qiu felt a slight reluctance. However, she wasn’t willing to spend more effort on it. She decided she would simply buy a bronze mirror another day.

With that thought, Chi Qiu picked up the Azure Frost Sword, chiseled out a head-sized block of ice, and carried it back to her hut to boil water and cook.

After eating her fill, Chi Qiu took out a spirit jade. She no longer wished to wait until nightfall to slowly absorb lunar spiritual energy for cultivation. Her sole desire was to shed her mortal body as quickly as possible and re-embark on the path of cultivation, deeming the consumption of extra spirit jades well worth it.

From that day forward, Chi Qiu cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy from spirit jades during the day. At night, she went outside to draw in lunar spiritual energy for body tempering, repeating this cycle endlessly.

Seven days later—

Chi Qiu sat cross-legged outside her thatched hut. In the night sky, the lunar star hung like a colossal jade plate, still cool and brilliant. Tonight was a full moon, and the lunar spiritual energy was exceptionally abundant.

Chi Qiu’s cultivation had reached its final stage. Her black hair had completely transformed into an ice-blue hue, and the cool aura emanating from her was several times more potent than seven days prior.

Within Chi Qiu’s body, a vast torrent of lunar spiritual energy surged through her meridians, relentlessly rushing into her five viscera and six bowels. In a daze, Chi Qiu even felt her very existence merging with the spiritual energy.

Under such intense absorption, the last unrefined corner within Chi Qiu’s body was thoroughly cleansed by the lunar spiritual energy. After seven days and the consumption of twenty-six spirit jades, Chi Qiu had finally undergone a complete metamorphosis, once again embarking on the path of cultivation.