Chapter 57.1: Xi Jia? There’s something wrong with his brain.
Chapter 57 Part 1
Dual cultivation was just one method of cultivation.
Profound Sect (Reservoirs) of Heaven and Earth, Source of Boundless Qi.1
In this world, each person was born with their own unique qi. The yin-yang five elements were contained within the qi, giving rise to their own different physiques and attributes. Xi Jia had a Body of Extreme Yin with strong yin energy. This was part of his most prominent qi. And Ye Jingzhi had a Body of Three Fiends with soaring baleful energy. His qi was mainly baleful energy.
In the Xuanxue world, there were techniques that could be cultivated alone, and there were techniques that focused on the blending of qi. Dual cultivation was a practice in which two people guide their qi into one, transforming the five elements and yin-yang. The two would overlap and complement one another in order to cultivate.
Xi Jia sat cross-legged on the floor with both hands raised and holding Ye Jingzhi’s palms. He didn’t know what he should be doing, but Ye Jingzhi let him touch his hands so that was what he did. Then, Ye Jingzhi closed his eyes and started chanting, “Overseeing the Heavenly Spirits, following the Cardinal Directions of the Spirits. Taking Yin as the front and Yang as the back. Derived from the Three Qi, Inner Fiends are powerful deities. Unity of Yin and Sha, subduing ghosts, fiends, and spirits.”2
The voice fell, and Xi Jia suddenly felt a calm and gentle force rush forth from the floor and slowly flow into his body.
This force was gentle and steady like tall mountains and thick soil. Xi Jia noticed that his body was being enriched by this force. Each of his muscles became even more powerful. After the force gathered in his arms, it followed along the meridians of the arms and slowly spread toward his hands. When the force reached his palms, a faint and soft golden light emerged between their palms.
Ye Jingzhi said in a low voice, “The qi of earth is surging, and the technique has already started. Jia Jia, relax and don’t worry.”
Xi Jia gently nodded and relaxed his whole body.
The cultivation of Unity of Yin and Sha was basically done by Ye Jingzhi. Brother Jia didn’t understand anything. The only thing he could do was to hold the other’s hand. Master Ye recited the incantations, drew the talismans, and guided Xi Jia’s yin energy within his body and fused it with his baleful energy.
At first, Xi Jia still thought it was novel. It was very fascinating to see his own palm emitting light. However, slowly, he started to feel bored.
This kind of cultivation was really too boring. For a whole day over 10 hours, incantations were recited every few hours, and the rest was just holding hands, not talking, and slowly feeling the cultivation technique move in his meridians. Ye Jingzhi had to pay attention and guide their yin and sha energies. Xi Jia didn’t have to do anything and just sat in a daze.
Xi Jia senselessly stared at the ceiling. Because he was truly bored, he even looked down, counted the tiles on the floor, and discovered that there were a total of 42 tiles. After two hours, he raised his head to look at Ye Jingzhi. He noticed that Master Ye’s eyes were closed, and his expression was tranquil. There simply wasn’t any bored expression. Instead, his expression was calm and steady.
For their first dual cultivation, they practiced for 13 hours from morning to evening.
When Ye Jingzhi had said, “The first step has been successful,” Xi Jia was relieved. After obtaining permission, he finally put his hands down.
Despite 13 hours of continuous hand-holding, 13 hours without food or water, Xi Jia unexpectedly didn’t feel tired, but he was really bored. He rubbed his arm and asked, “Mas-……Jingzhi, can doing this method of cultivation actually relieve fatigue? Before, I would get tired after raising my hand for 10 minutes, but now I don’t feel tired even after holding it up for so long.”
Ye Jingzhi gently nodded, “During cultivation, there’s the qi of earth to build the foundation, so generally speaking, you wouldn’t feel tired. Jia Jia, your meridians are almost completely blocked so it’s impossible to cultivate again in the future. But, we are cultivating the Unity of Yin and Sha that can refine your body. After cultivating, your body should be better.”
Xi Jia nodded in understanding. This would definitely be better. Brother Jia now felt that his whole body brimming with strength and that he could tear apart 10 ghosts.
However, he was even more curious, “Is it always like this when you Celestial Masters cultivate?”
Ye Jingzhi asked, “Like what?”
Xi Jia, “Just like this……Um, without moving for more than 10 hours, not doing anything else, and just concentrating on cultivating?”
Ye Jingzhi thought for a bit. He first shook his head before nodding, “This has something to do with the strength of each Celestial Master. I started cultivating when I was 4. Because of the Body of Three Fiends, I got it very quickly, only using three days to grasp the basics. However, before I was 11, I was unable to control the qi of earth well and still couldn’t completely go fasting. So I could cultivate at most for 10 hours before I had to stop, rest, and eat. But now, I can cultivate continuously for a month with no problem.”
Upon hearing this, Xi Jia asked in shock, “You couldn’t cultivate continuously before you were 11? Then, why don’t I feel tired or hungry right now?”
Ye Jingzhi said as if he suddenly remembered something, “Jia Jia, what do you want to eat? I remember that there’s still some vegetables in the kitchen.”
Xi Jia didn’t react for a moment, “Wait, Master Ye, I’m not hungry at all right now, why do you need to cook?”
Ye Jingzhi coughed two times in guilt, probably because he knew that he was in the wrong. He actually didn’t correct his appellation, and instead, he averted his gaze. After hesitating for a moment, he said in a quiet voice, “I forgot about this before. Right now, you’re not hungry because of the qi of earth. You’re unable to guide the qi of earth, but I can guide enough of the qi of earth so you would feel like you could fast. But in reality……”
Before he had finished speaking, a loud rumble sounded in the room.
Xi Jia, “……”
Ye Jingzhi immediately said, “Jia Jia, what do you want to eat? I’ll go make it! In the future, we’ll cultivate 10 hours at most, and we will never cultivate for this long again.”
Xi Jia who was hungry to the point of a stomach ache, “……”
After not eating for an entire day, Xi Jia was truly so hungry that his chest stuck to his back.3 During dinner, he ate three bowls of rice in a row. He listened to Ye Jingzhi talk about dual cultivation while eating.
Xi Jia couldn’t make sense of the book, Unity of Yin and Sha. Only by listening to Ye Jingzhi did he know that the secret book had a total of 7 parts. It might take a year or more for ordinary people to cultivate this technique. However, Xi Jia and Ye Jingzhi’s energies of yin and sha were too strong. They only needed 13 hours to complete the first step. The next 6 parts might take a bit longer. But at most, they only needed a month for the cultivation to be successful.
During this period, because the baleful energy was being guided by the yin energy, Ye Jingzhi’s Year Fiend shouldn’t erupt again.
Knowing that Ye Jingzhi’s Year Fiend had truly stabilized, Xi Jia finally let go of the large rock in his heart.
The following week, Xi Jia had been dual cultivating with Ye Jingzhi. Each time before dual cultivating, Master Ye would always earnestly make a large table of good food, wrapped them up with plastic wrap, and placed them in the fridge. As soon as they finished their cultivation, they would be quickly microwaved and given to Xi Jia to eat. However, even like this, Xi Jia still lost some weight due to irregular eating times and overeating.
Seeing that his wife’s face had lost weight, Ye Jingzhi constantly blamed himself. Xi Jia didn’t feel much, and he could also be considered as someone of the entertainment circle. The entertainment industry was very strange nowadays. Many people like pretty boys. They didn’t need muscles, but they needed to be thin.
Before, Brother Jia had been fed by Master Ye for half a year and gained 5 kilograms. But now, he was thin again and felt great.
However, after continuously cultivating for so many days, Xi Jia was bored senseless and slowly realized one thing, “Is it always this boring while cultivating?”
Ye Jingzhi didn’t really understand what Xi Jia had meant. He was immersed in peeling prawns and giving Xi Jia food as he shook his head, “Not boring.”
Xi Jia asked, “Jingzhi, don’t you feel bored while we’re doing dual cultivation these days?” Xi Jia thought about it and explained, “Everyday, we don’t do anything. Just sit there and honestly cultivate. Without watching TV, without playing on the computer, just sitting there……is it really not boring?”
Ye Jingzhi put the peeled prawns into Xi Jia’s bowl. He raised his head, and his eyes were clear, “Not boring. Cultivating is like this.” It wasn’t boring before. Now that you’re here, it’s even less boring……
Ye Jingzhi didn’t speak the latter words. He was secretly happy by himself and continued to peel prawns for his wife.
However, Xi Jia thought of something, “Could it be that you’ve been cultivating like this for all these years?”
Ye Jingzhi thought it was nothing and nodded, “En, Celestial Masters practice like this.”
Xi Jia was speechless for a moment.
In the past, Brother Jia always felt that this group of Celestial Masters of the Xuanxue world were too unreliable. Taking Pei Yu as an example, he often made errors, was careless and impatient. Even like this, he was ranked seventh on the Modou Rankings. Wouldn’t they be even more unreliable if it were any other Celestial Master?
However, cultivation was something dry and dull.
On the path of cultivation, there was only one person. For decades, countless days and nights, there would only be you alone, silently meditating, cultivating, and connecting with the qi of heaven and earth. It wasn’t like learning language or math where you could do exercise questions and listen to teachers’ lectures. What Master could teach to his disciple were only the most basic techniques and chants. The rest were up to yourself to analyze. The Xuanxue world was like the so-called, “The master teaches the trade, but their skill depends on their own efforts.”
Suddenly, Xi Jia felt deep veneration for the Celestial Masters of the Xuanxue world. At least, Brother Jia wasn’t able to do it, cultivating alone for decades as if it was a day. It had only been a few days, and Brother Jia was about to go crazy.
Translator’s Addition:
C+: Ahhhh, so bored, bored, boredddddd!
Mirror: Ahhhh, I’m holding wife’s hand~ Ah, I should concentrate!
Translator’s Notes:
1 Excerpt from the Golden Mantra and it’s in the summary. Reservoir might be a better fit than sect hence the parenthesis. ↵
2 Excerpts from various Daoist incantations along with the author’s own.↵
3 Chest stuck to his back – to be famished ↵