5:00 AM.
Wang Ping opened his eyes. Since he was still unable to continuously circulate the Spiritual Qi within his body, he had fallen asleep less than Half an Hour into his meditation. Upon waking, he immediately got up, pushed open the door, and drew a bucket of cold water from the courtyard well. After a quick wash, he saw that Yu Cheng Taoist had already emerged from his room, carrying a stove.
After bowing to Yu Cheng Taoist, Wang Ping went to the training grounds to practice the Chang Chun Technique. Yu Cheng Taoist began preparing ingredients for chicken soup. By the time Wang Ping had finished a full set of the Chang Chun Technique and was ready to begin his Qi Cultivation meditation, the soup was already stewing.
"Don't be in a rush to start your Qi Cultivation today."
Yu Cheng Taoist took out the wooden box from yesterday and opened it under Wang Ping's curious gaze. Inside was a cyan-colored egg, its shell adorned with a beautiful ring of patterns.
"This is a Spirit Snake Egg. From now on, place it in the palm of your hand when you practice Qi Cultivation."
Having read voraciously over the past year, Wang Ping knew what a Spirit Snake was. They were born with spiritual intelligence, favored creatures of heaven and earth. Most importantly, they could distinguish good from evil—much like an alignment-detection spell from a game in his past life, they could judge a person's character.
"Thank you, Master!" Wang Ping immediately bowed in gratitude.
"I have calculated that this little one will hatch within three months. You must stay with it at all times during this period so it can become familiar with your aura. This will ensure it acknowledges you as its master after hatching."
"Yes!"
"Good. You may begin your Qi Cultivation."
Wang Ping obeyed, sitting cross-legged to meditate. The moment he began to circulate the Qi Force in his body, Yu Cheng Taoist sent a stream of Spiritual Qi into him to act as a guide.
When the Qi Force had completed one cycle within Wang Ping's body, the Spirit Snake Egg in his hand began to roll back and forth. The little creature inside seemed rather excited.
As Wang Ping continued his Qi Cultivation, he felt an unfamiliar aura enter his Spirit Sea. At the same time, Yu Cheng Taoist's voice reached him, "Calm your heart and mind. Continue meditating."
Wang Ping quickly focused his thoughts. The unfamiliar aura remained, but he could sense a sleepiness emerge from its emotions before it fell quiet. Wang Ping's mind returned to a state of calm, and the Qi Force in his body soon completed five Grand Circulations.
Then, Wang Ping opened his eyes and heard Yu Cheng Taoist call out, "Come and eat."
…
「Time flies in cultivation; three months passed in the blink of an eye.」
The height of summer was over, and autumn had arrived in Yongshan County, though the weather remained hot. That morning, when Wang Ping got up and opened his door, he saw Yu Cheng Taoist standing at his own doorway, performing a divination.
"The little one with you should hatch today. When you begin your Qi Cultivation later, just circulate the Inner Qi in your body as you always do. Leave everything else to me."
"Okay!"
Wang Ping nodded.
As usual, he first performed a set of the Chang Chun Technique, causing the Qi Force around his body to form invisible vortexes. The amount of Qi Force Wang Ping could now command was at least double what it had been when he first perfected the technique.
While his body was brimming with Qi Force, Wang Ping walked over to a straw mat and sat cross-legged to begin his Qi Cultivation.
After completing one Grand Circulation of Qi Force, Wang Ping could clearly feel the emotions within his Spirit Sea—emotions that were once unfamiliar but now moved about as if in their own home. Today, they were especially excited.
Following his master's instructions, Wang Ping didn't let his mind wander to deal with it and continued his Qi Cultivation as usual.
When he completed his second Grand Circulation of Qi Force, a small crack appeared on the shell of the Spirit Snake Egg in his hand. In the next moment, the area around the crack began to slowly bulge.
As Wang Ping's Qi Force began its third Grand Circulation, the white membrane inside the crack tore, creating a small hole. A small, grayish-white head poked out, its slightly filmy eyes glancing around. Then, its roughly five-inch-long body quickly broke free from the shell.
At that moment, a frog leg appeared before the little creature's eyes.
The little creature didn't hesitate, taking a bite immediately. But when its eyes flickered up and it saw the person offering the leg, it trembled in fright. The frog leg in its mouth dropped into Wang Ping's palm as it instinctively tried to flee toward his sleeve—a place its subconscious registered as safe.
But in the next moment, the little creature's body was suspended in mid-air. A cyan light carrying a Seal Spell sank into its head. Then, a faint white light shot out from the creature's head and entered the space between Wang Ping's eyebrows.
After the white light vanished, it landed on Wang Ping's palm before darting into his sleeve and coiling itself around his wrist.
Wang Ping instantly felt a connection.
Just then, Yu Cheng Taoist's voice rang out, "Continue your Qi Cultivation!"
Wang Ping refocused his mind. The vibrating, bluish-purple light on the surface of his body returned to a state of calm. A moment later, the Spirit Snake poked its head out of his sleeve and looked left and right.
Confirming there was no danger, the Spirit Snake, still coiled around Wang Ping's wrist, moved toward the fallen frog leg. It blissfully swallowed the leg in one gulp. Then it wrapped around Wang Ping's finger to survey its surroundings once more. After again confirming there was no danger, it opened its mouth and began to absorb the flowing, bluish-purple Spiritual Qi around Wang Ping.
A quarter of an hour later.
Wang Ping slowly concluded his practice. Some of the Spiritual Qi on the surface of his body flowed back inside him, while the rest dissipated into the air. The Spirit Snake, seeming not quite satisfied, gave its little head a shake before sliding down from Wang Ping's finger and coiling around his wrist.
At that moment, Wang Ping opened his eyes. The first thing he did was look down at his wrist, and their eyes met.
'I'm hungry…' A young girl's voice, tender and childlike, echoed in Wang Ping's Spirit Sea.
"A Spirit Snake is very hungry right after hatching. Feed this frog meat to her."
As Yu Cheng Taoist spoke, the young girl's voice echoed in Wang Ping's Spirit Sea again, 'That old man has a very powerful Mystic Sect aura.'
A glint flashed in Wang Ping's eyes upon hearing this. He turned, took the frog meat from Yu Cheng Taoist, and fed it to her piece by piece. This time, she ate with peace of mind.
"Her parents said that if it were male, it would be named Yuze, and if female, Yu Lian," Yu Cheng Taoist said, watching the happily eating Spirit Snake. "Also, when you are out and about in the future, you must remind her not to casually probe others."
That sentence was packed with information, but Yu Cheng Taoist didn't elaborate, so Wang Ping didn't ask. He simply replied, "Based on the voice, I'm guessing she's a girl."
"Then her name is Yu Lian, as in lotus flower. On your path of cultivation, she will be your most important partner. You can even choose not to trust me, but you must always believe her words!"
Having said this, Yu Cheng Taoist gestured for Wang Ping to come eat.
Wang Ping stood, washed his hands, and by the time he walked back to the Stone Table, Yu Lian had already fallen asleep, coiled around his arm.
After they finished eating, Yu Cheng Taoist asked, "How many of the Buddhist Family's scriptures have you read?"
"Less than a third!"
"What are your thoughts on them?"
"The concepts of the Buddhist Family are grand, and their ideology holds great wisdom. However, neither their wisdom nor their concepts are suited for our world."
"Mm."
After listening, Yu Cheng Taoist simply nodded without another word. Just as he was about to turn and return to his room to meditate, the sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
It was Elder Wu. He ambled up to the courtyard gate and pushed it open.
"Last night, there was a ripple in my Spirit Sea during meditation. I did a quick divination… By the end of this year, I'll have lived for two full sixty-year cycles, yet I still haven't found an heir for my lineage. I suppose the Ancestral Masters couldn't stand it any longer and gave me a nudge from the great beyond."
"You're leaving?" Elder Yu Cheng asked calmly.
"That's right!"
"When?"
"Right now." Elder Wu chuckled and looked at Wang Ping. "I've eaten your food for several years. Let me show you a little trick as a token of my gratitude."
With that, he tossed out a bamboo slip…