On the seventh day, at night.
The clouds dispersed and the moon began to rise, its light shimmering like water.
A soft white light draped over the skies of Gaojing City, reflecting off the snow and ice accumulated on the hills, trees, rooftops, and canals.
Lu Xian sat cross-legged on the cloud bed in the main room, his breathing slow and steady.
In his mind, strands of lotus-shaped soul essence floated out, like a divine being wielding a brush, sketching the unparalleled majesty of the three-eyed divine figure taming the dragon.
After an hour, the image of the three-eyed divine figure appeared in his mind.
In the courtyard, the large yellow dog, emerald snake, alligator turtle, monkey and rabbit, and parrot all synchronized their breath with Lu Xian, their frequencies perfectly aligned.
The five-colored spiritual lights merged into the void and eventually converged into the courtyard's well.
Tonight, the spiritual mechanisms in the courtyard were several times stronger than on previous nights.
In the bamboo forest to the east, new shoots the size of a little finger emerged from the ground during the cold winter season.
In the water pit to the north, the three-foot-thick block of ice melted, and the alligator turtle floated on the clear water surface, with faint scales shimmering in the water.
In the shack to the west, small silver-white metal pieces slowly formed. These coral-like metal pieces emitted a sharp aura, merging into the monkey's body and causing it to exude a chilling aura, like a sheathed sharp blade.
In the birdcage to the south, the feathers of the large parrot stood on end. Faint flames surrounded its body, and within its round eyes, a glimpse of a huge winged phantom could be seen, igniting a fiery golden-red flame.
The large yellow dog sat upright in the center of the courtyard.
Threads of yellow energy surrounded it, and above its head, a three-foot-tall mountain shadow floated. The entire courtyard became heavy and oppressive because of the presence of this small mountain shadow.
The well water spun rapidly, sending out a vibrant and lively water light that quickly surged into the courtyard, forming an invisible canopy that enveloped the entire courtyard.
Lu Xian took a deep breath at the right moment.
In his mind, the image of the three-eyed divine figure brightened and vibrated.
The golden-tusked jade elephant beneath the divine figure's feet lifted its head slightly, its curved tusks sweeping left and right.
In the void, among the countless hazy and illusory stars, a point of clear light flickered. It suddenly turned from its vague and ethereal state into a semi-solid form, mirroring the moon and stars in the sky.
High above the sky, a faint mist surrounded the moon.
A fine, imperceptible clarity flowed down like dew, directly entering Lu Xian's spiritual core.
Lu Xian lightly shouted, and his right hand's five fingers trembled. Five strands of clear light shot out from his fingertips, drilling through the cracks of the window and entering the bodies of the large yellow dog and the others in the courtyard.
Lu Xian's body trembled violently.
The large yellow dog, emerald snake, and others also trembled violently.
Lu Xian took a deep breath, and the water light in the courtyard rapidly merged into his body, fusing with the nectar pouring down from the moon.
His bones and organs vibrated, and his marrow and brain emitted a crystal-like radiance. He had already reached the pinnacle of the Gathering Qi realm, and unexpectedly made a big leap forward.
Even for a cultivator with exceptional talent, reaching the pinnacle of the Gathering Qi realm would mean having a strength equivalent to a thousand catties.
In the Gathering Qi realm, a strength of a thousand catties was the limit for ordinary mortals.
Lu Xian's physical strength, nourished by the moonlight nectar, had already surpassed this limit, reaching around 1,200 catties.
Following that, the water light in the courtyard entered his entire body and nourished his meridians. The human body possessed a great treasure, with the twelve main meridians intertwining throughout the body.
The twelve main meridians naturally connected.
In the process of cultivating the Gathering Qi realm, part of the cultivation was to develop the originally tiny and fragile twelve main meridians into thick and solid ones, like earthworms transforming into dragons.
In the Gathering Qi realm, the stronger the twelve main meridians were developed, the more powerful the essence of blood and flesh refined from them, and the stronger the "Elemental Core" cultivated through cultivation techniques.
Nectar entered his body, and the water light poured in.
Following the Lu family's "Rushing Waves Hand" martial arts recorded on a stone tablet in the residence's ancestral hall, Lu Xian's twelve main meridians faintly trembled, producing three thundering sounds like rolling thunder.
Within the span of a breath, three main meridians were developed.
In these three powerful main meridians, massive essence of blood and flesh surged out like a tidal wave, instantly transforming into a lucid blue-misty Elemental Core the size of a fist, swirling and rotating in his dantian.
In the span of one inhalation, Lu Xian achieved the Triple Heaven peak of Opening Meridians.
The Elemental Core revolved forty-nine times within the dantian before transforming into strands of mist that circulated throughout his body, making his physique even more resilient.
For a cultivator with the best aptitude, reaching the pinnacle of Opening Meridians would grant a strength of a thousand catties.
Ordinary martial arts techniques opening one main meridian would add eight hundred catties of strength to the physical body.
Hence, a top practitioner with twelve layers of Opening Meridians could reach a physical strength limit of 16,000 catties!
However, with the moonlight nectar entering his body, even before opening the main meridians, Lu Xian's physical strength had soared to 3,600 catties.
Opening the meridians and infusing water light further added 2,400 catties of strength for each main meridian.
The "Rushing Waves Hand" martial arts technique was an excellent technique, much stronger than ordinary cultivation techniques. Breaking through the twelve main meridians with the "Rushing Waves Hand" technique would grant an additional 3,600 catties of strength for each main meridian.
The anomalies within his body subsided, and the brilliance of his soul essence receded from the three-eyed divine figure in his mind. Lu Xian's physical strength stabilized at 21,600 catties, and the brilliance of his soul essence grew brighter and solidified.
A milky-white qi sprayed out, stirring up a gust of wind that caused the household items to faintly clatter.
Lu Xian stood up slowly, chuckled softly, and descended from the cloud bed like a falling leaf, light and soundless.
He raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
Activating the imperial martial arts technique of the Lu Clan, "Surging Waves Hand," strands of misty-blue Elemental Core flowed into his palm. His entire right palm became faintly watery, like a piece of sea blue crystal, devoid of any flesh or blood color.
On the table in the room, there was an iron oil lamp.
Lu Xian casually slapped the solid iron oil lamp, and with a "crack," the lamp shattered into dozens of pieces. However, Lu Xian's palm didn't feel any pain or itchiness. Not a single spot of redness appeared on his skin.
With a strength of thousands of catties added to this immensely powerful Surging Waves Hand, one can only imagine the destructive power it would possess if aimed at a person!
"The first generation Lu Clan, truly deserving of the wealth built through martial achievements."
Lu Xian sighed softly, "It's a pity that even compared to the great Yan, the Red Dust Mortals, there are only a few in the vast Lu Clan who practice this technique."
"Ah, if our ancestors knew, I wonder if they would turn in their graves!"
"However, for me, martial arts are only a means of protection. What I truly seek..."
Lu Xian muttered to himself softly, then moved to a corner of the room and took out a neatly folded white cloak. He also took a white mask and put it on, then quietly opened the door and stepped out.
The big yellow dog wagged its tail and followed him out.
Receiving the same moonlight nectar, it had grown larger and its fur had become more sleek, its eyes shining brightly with a hint of golden light.
Lu Xian patted the dog's head and pointed towards the courtyard gate.
The big yellow dog nodded, slowly walked to the gate, and lay down behind it, closing its eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Lu Xian smiled. He lightly stomped his foot, causing a slight tremor in his soul essence in his mind. A bright white light sprayed out from the well in the courtyard, rapidly enveloping the entire courtyard in a faint white mist.
Throughout Rain and Dew Alley, the accumulated snow on the rooftops gradually rose into the air, forming strands of white mist.
Wrapped in the white cloak, Lu Xian's body became ethereal, like a ghost, blending into the mist.
The extremely faint mist flowed out from the streets of Rain and Dew Alley and spread through the small market, No. 1 Dock, flowing into the canal west of Anle Lane.
The surface of the river also began to be shrouded in mist.
In the dark night, under the moonlight, the mist was so faint that it went unnoticed.
Lu Xian relied on this mist to conceal his figure and swiftly glided across the frozen surface of the canal.
With a light tap of his toes on the ice, invisible winds enveloped his body, allowing him to travel several zhang with a single light movement. This speed was several times faster than that of the exotic war-horses infused with the bloodline of strange beasts.
In the Gathering Qi realm, after six hours of non-stop running, one could cover a thousand li in a day.
In the Opening Meridians realm, if one used all their strength and ran for six hours without rest, they could cover five thousand li in a day.
And now, with the use of the mysterious power he visualized through the three-eyed divine figure, Lu Xian controlled the flow of wind. His speed was even faster than that of a top expert in the twelve layers of Opening Meridians, more than doubling their speed.
In a single hour, Lu Xian could travel around fifteen hundred li.
He quickly passed through Min'an Lane and reached the No. 3 dock in Rain Shun Alley, landing on the shore.
Along the way, there were bridges connecting both sides of the canal.
In the middle of the night, night-watch martial defenders with lanterns patrolled the bridges.
However, not a single person noticed Lu Xian racing across the icy river.
Lu Xian smoothly stepped onto Rain Shun Alley, and the faint white mist began to spread through the streets of Rain Shun Alley.
A County Fuyin official, riding a horse and accompanied by a group of martial defenders, walked through the misty street. The cold-faced County Fuyin official suddenly shivered and exclaimed, "What?! Why is it suddenly so cold?"
Lu Xian passed by this group of people, with a distance of merely four or five zhang between him and the official. Despite carrying lanterns and torches, they failed to notice his presence. Instead, the County Fuyin official's horse seemed slightly aware, letting out a few loud snorts and trembling intensely.
Lu Xian turned into a side street, swiftly flew like the wind, and arrived at the northeast corner of Rain Shun Alley.
Here, a mansion that spanned six buildings front and back and had a double-crossing courtyard occupied an area of over a hundred mu. Hanging above the main entrance was a golden plaque bearing the words "Bai Mansion."
This was the home of the Bai family, where Lu Xian had been promised in marriage since childhood.
Bai Changkong, his nine sons, twenty-something grandsons, one granddaughter, and a large group of daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law usually resided here.
Rain Shun Alley was one of the four prestigious first-grade marketplaces in Gaojing City, known for its wind-calling, rain-favoring, country-stabilizing, and people-peaceful qualities. The individuals living here were also distinguished. Even a small two-court yard like this one could fetch an astronomical price.
Bai Changkong was well known for his "clear reputation," phrases like "a life with two sleeves untarnished" and "upright integrity" could be applied to him.
With Bai Changkong's official salary, he couldn't afford, let alone maintain, such a residence.
But he was a "great sage."
How could a great sage lack money?
Bai Changkong's three-foot ink art could reportedly sell for... no, a scholar's affairs should never be monetized.
Bai Changkong's three-foot characters alone could fetch hundreds of guan of money as fine calligraphy!
On top of that, he was an author.
A collection of poems, lyrics, and essays.
"Tsk, what a wealthy man with two untarnished sleeves."
Lu Xian sneered, circled around to the back of the mansion, leaped up, and landed in the backyard.
(End of the chapter)