Chapter 58: The Return of Gui Geng
As night descended, Chen Yan finished his evening meal and instructed Gui Geng to illuminate the courtyard with a flashlight. He meticulously inspected each Green Spirit Stone that composed the Spirit-Gathering Formation. Once satisfied, he retrieved the batch of White Jade Talismans that had arrived earlier in the afternoon. For once, that black-hearted merchant showed a trace of conscience—Chen Yan had ordered a hundred, yet a generous twenty extra had been included as a gift.
Chen Yan casually infused a few of the talismans with Qi, then handed them over to Gui Geng.
“Your task is to place these into the Formation Nodes—each talisman will sustain the formation for two hours. Your job is simple: replace them every two hours, like swapping out batteries. Understood?”
“…” ([Do I not need sleep?!])
Gui Geng obediently acknowledged the order, though Chen Yan couldn’t shake the feeling that the turtle demon was looking at him strangely.
([So this was the accursed device that had me scurrying back and forth the past few days?!])
With the talismans inserted into the Formation Node, the Spirit-Gathering Formation, which had lain dormant for days, was finally reactivated.
As strands of Heaven and Earth Qi gathered within the villa’s courtyard, Chen Yan took a deep breath, savoring the thickening energy in the air before turning back inside.
The moment he stepped through the door, he found Gu Qing Yi leaning against the wall, arms crossed, silently watching him.
“Forgive my lack of refinement, Lady Gu. Resources here are scarce, so I had no choice but to cobble together this makeshift formation,” Chen Yan said with a self-deprecating smile.
Gu Qing Yi blinked, pausing for a moment to process the term “makeshift formation.” Then, shaking her head, she replied, “This Spirit-Gathering Formation is quite well done. I inspected the formation script—the technique must have come directly from the Venerable One. Given the scarcity of Qi in your world, reaching this level of cultivation by the age of twenty-two is already impressive.”
Chen Yan raised a brow. ([If I told her I’ve only been cultivating for less than a month, would that make me Heaven’s favored son? A divine illegitimate child?])
“But using those mediocre jade talismans as Formation Nodes is a bit wasteful,” she continued.
“Not a waste—doesn’t cost much.”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s simply too troublesome.” Gu Qing Yi shook her head. “Are you unaware of a better alternative?”
“Oh?” Chen Yan’s eyes lit up. He clasped his hands formally and adopted a solemn expression. “Please enlighten me!”
Gu Qing Yi chuckled lightly and stepped outside. Without hesitation, she seized Gui Geng, who had been stationed near the flowerbed’s Formation Node.
“Revert to your true form.”
“…Understood,” Gui Geng muttered. He dared not disobey and, with a few tremors, transformed into a massive, millstone-sized ancient turtle.
Gu Qing Yi frowned. “Too large. Make yourself smaller.”
“…”
Gui Geng’s massive frame shrank slowly until he was only the size of a palm. “Master, this is the smallest I can manage—my cultivation is insufficient.”
“It’ll do.”
Gu Qing Yi whispered an incantation beside his head. Upon hearing it, Gui Geng’s eyes gleamed with newfound understanding.
“Do you comprehend?” she asked.
“Yes!” Gui Geng’s voice trembled with excitement. “Many thanks for bestowing this technique upon me!”
Gu Qing Yi set him gently onto the flowerbed. Gui Geng crawled into the Formation Node, tucking his head, limbs, and tail into his shell.
In that instant, the Qi flowing through the Spirit-Gathering Formation reversed, converging upon the Formation Node. The ancient runes etched upon Gui Geng’s shell pulsed with a soft luminescence before the glow settled, allowing the formation’s Qi to once again disperse evenly throughout the villa.
Dusting off her hands, Gu Qing Yi turned back to Chen Yan, who was staring at her, eyes wide.
“What?” she asked.
“…This actually works?”
“If there’s no suitable Magical Artifact, he will suffice,” she explained matter-of-factly. “In truth, he’s even more efficient than most artifacts.”
Chen Yan exhaled slowly. “Aren’t you worried that animal rights activists will come after you?”
Gu Qing Yi didn’t quite catch his meaning, but she guessed he was jesting. Shaking her head, she elaborated, “Gui Geng is a Turtle Demon Cultivator. This season, he would be entering hibernation anyway, sleeping for several months.
Moreover, this formation gathers Qi, concentrates it at the Formation Node, and then radiates it outward. By acting as the Node’s Core, he will be continuously bathed in Qi, greatly benefiting his cultivation. I also just imparted to him a method for tempering his body with Qi.
Spending three months in this state will advance his progress more than years of ordinary training.”
Noting that Chen Yan was still processing her words, Gu Qing Yi continued, “Demon Cultivators rarely excel in spellcraft. Aside from a few innate divine abilities, they rely primarily on their physical might. The body-tempering method I passed on was taught to me by a Demon Cultivator friend from the Hell-Suppressing Platform. It is well suited to him.”
Chen Yan remained silent.
Gu Qing Yi narrowed her eyes. “What? Do you have a problem with it?”
“I’m just thinking… The only one in this household who does chores has just been turned into a Formation Node. Who’s going to clean the place tomorrow?”
Gu Qing Yi smiled, cracking her knuckles. “I’d wager it’ll be you.”
“…Alright. You win,” Chen Yan conceded with a helpless nod.
—
The Mortal Cultivation Realm consists of three stages: Entry, Origin, and Platform Ascension.
According to Gu Qing Yi, Chen Yan had now stepped into the Origin Stage, the second phase of a cultivator’s path.
He speculated that this rapid advancement was not purely due to his own efforts. Saving Lu Si Si had granted him a massive influx of Qi feedback from the Heavenly Dao—perhaps some form of merit-based reward?
Had he relied solely on himself, reaching this stage would have likely taken years of painstaking cultivation.
According to Gu Qing Yi, the world was barren of primordial energy. Even with the most refined cultivation methods, progress remained painstakingly slow. The Heavenly Dao forbade the emergence of beings beyond the Heavenly Mortal Realm, perhaps for this very reason.
Gu Qing Yi, a master of battle techniques, was unskilled in spellcraft—yet with such an exalted martial expert at his side, how could Chen Yan let the opportunity to seek guidance slip away? At night, he requested Gu Qing Yi to act as his guardian, demonstrating his Vital Energy Circulation Method before her. He sought her wisdom regarding his cultivation.
Gu Qing Yi merely frowned and shook her head. “The Venerable One has bestowed upon you an unparalleled technique. I cannot claim to understand it. The Gu Clan’s battle method differs greatly from your cultivation path. I fear I am of little help.”
Though disappointed, Chen Yan listened as Gu Qing Yi continued, “Still, you have reached the Origin Stage—yet your energy flow remains somewhat sluggish. I suspect you have only recently broken through. At this stage, your priority should be steady refinement, allowing the primordial energy to flow smoothly through your meridians. Constant practice will solidify your foundation.”
Her eyes suddenly brightened. “There is a method… If you sleep near the formation’s core, alongside Gui Geng, the torrents of primordial energy will wash over you continuously. A month of this, and I guarantee your cultivation will improve significantly.”
She hesitated before adding, “However, there are… side effects. The human physique differs from that of a demon cultivator. This method will temper your body, but it may drastically alter your appearance. You might become… grotesque—thick-limbed and fearsome in form. Moreover, the process is painful.”
Chen Yan cast a glance at Little Madam Gu. Sleep beside that ancient turtle demon for a month?
“Is there another way?” he asked, not out of fear of ugliness, but rather an aversion to excessive muscle.
“Then you must simply devote yourself to cultivation, guiding the primordial energy through your body daily. This, too, will temper your physique—albeit far more gently.”
Chen Yan sighed.
“So in the end, there are no shortcuts. Just diligent effort and endless repetition.”
Gu Qing Yi shook her head. “Cultivation is nothing more than talent and dedication. There is no other way.”
She paused before murmuring, “I began cultivation at five. By dusk of that very day, I had reached the Entry Stage. Within two years, I attained the Origin Stage. Yet it took six more years to reach the Platform Ascension Stage—I was thirteen then.
“Another seven years passed before I shattered the Heavenly Gate, stepping into Transcendence and entering the Heavenly Mortal Realm. It was only through five years of bloodshed atop the Hell-Suppressing Platform, tempering my spirit through war, that I finally ascended. I reached the Heavenly Mortal Realm at twenty, among the top three in the Gu Clan’s history.”
Chen Yan absorbed her words before asking, “Then how long would it take me to advance from the Origin Stage to the Platform Ascension Stage?”
“I required six years within the Domain Realm, with my clan’s full support. You, however, are in a world of barren energy, with scarce cultivation resources. Even with your extraordinary talent and the Venerable One’s teachings… if you reach the Platform Ascension Stage within twenty years, consider yourself fortunate.”
Twenty years…
That was too distant a concern. Chen Yan dismissed the thought.
“Enough. I shall commit myself to training, stabilizing my foundation in the Origin Stage first.”
He glanced at the time—past midnight already. Rising to his feet, he declared, “Let’s go.”
“Go?” Little Madam Gu tensed.
“To teach a lesson, of course. Didn’t we agree to deal with Luo Qing of Falling Cloud Retreat?”
Feigning indifference, Little Madam Gu hesitated. “At this hour…?”
“Dark deeds are best done beneath the cover of night,” Chen Yan retorted. “Surely, you wouldn’t prefer broad daylight?”
His reasoning was irrefutable. With a resigned sigh, she donned a thick coat, pulled a hat low over her face, and masked herself.
Chen Yan studied her disguised form. “You seem rather experienced at this sort of thing… A veteran at mischief, perhaps?”
Beneath the mask, a faint blush crept over Gu Qing Yi’s face. She quickly turned away. “Quit talking nonsense and move.”
———
The two stepped into the night, heading toward the market street where Falling Cloud Retreat stood. The hour was deep; the streetlights flickered dimly, their glow swallowed by the winter winds. The streets lay barren, the night eerily silent.
Arriving at their target, they found the shop’s doors firmly shut. Chen Yan led Gu Qing Yi along the side, arriving outside the courtyard wall.
Checking for surveillance, he found none.
With a light step, he invoked Command of Evasion, gliding effortlessly over the wall. He barely caught sight of Gu Qing Yi’s movement—one moment she stood beside him, the next she was within the courtyard, as if the night itself had carried her there.
Darkness veiled the premises. Yet to his surprise, the west wing had collapsed into rubble, and the main hall had partially caved in. Even the roof was punctured.
Where once a fragrant osmanthus tree had stood, only an empty pit remained. Its trunk now lay unceremoniously across the courtyard.
“…What happened here?” Chen Yan was dumbfounded.
Gu Qing Yi regarded the wreckage with unreadable eyes. “Perhaps… renovations?”
Chen Yan rolled his eyes. “Who renovates in the dead of winter?”
With no signs of inhabitants, an idea took root in his mind.
Luo Qing may have been remodeling—but why not help him along?”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation