Chương 128: Chapter 127: Pink Lotus Tea

Yang settled on the floor cushion at his table and took out the Cool Breeze Watering Technique manual from his sleeve. Cool Breeze Watering Technique. A water-attribute herb cultivation technique developed by spirit-plant cultivators specialising in temperature-sensitive herbs. Classified as a low-grade auxiliary technique, widely taught in sects with established herb gardens. Interesting. He hadn't considered temperature-sensitive herbs before.

His mind immediately went to the Volcanic-Tempered Iron Lotus from yesterday's competition. Grown in volcanic soil its whole life, it was likely one of those temperature-sensitive herbs, only in the opposite direction. He read on. The technique synthesised water by drawing moisture and qi from the surrounding air rather than channeling from qi an internal store. The cultivator gathers ambient water qi and the cool essence of moving air, then condenses both into liquid form directed by the hand toward the herb.

There were more details in the middle section about how the technique was performed. He made sure to go through every word before he reached near the end of the manual, where the techniques limitations were listed. Limitations Cannot be performed in extremely arid environments where ambient moisture is insufficient. Cultivators with conflicting elemental affinities may find it harder to achieve best results. (Fire Affinity) The cooling effect is gentle, not extreme.

It cannot freeze water, kill heat-attribute pests/creatures, or substitute for genuine ice techniques. This technique is not suited for combat unless one wishes to shower their enemies in cool, fresh spirit water. (It may revitalise your enemy with its refreshing qualities). Plants accustomed to harsh dry conditions may actually be harmed by its cool moist properties. Especially compatible with recovering or wounded plants regardless of attribute (except fire attribute herbs) due to its soothing effect.

Yang placed the manual down as he went through the last words. It was easier than the Spirit Spring Rain Technique. With this technique, he now knew four techniques. The Heaven-Refining Soul Sutra and three watering techniques. He was becoming a water cultivator, Yang despaired. Or rather, a gardener cultivator. None of the techniques he knew would actually help him in a fight. Unless he planned to put his adversary in a pot and try to drown them in spirit water, or maybe waterboard them.

He really needed to learn a few more proper techniques. He placed the teapot in front of him and formed the appropriate mudra and drew in the ambient moisture and air essence around him. It took a couple of tries to get the feel of it but within a few attempts he was condensing it into the tea pot. Once the tea pot was full he stopped the technique. He opened the pouch and added the same amount of tea leaves he had seen Senior Sister Li Mei Mei use.

His teapot was roughly the same size as hers so it should be fine and waited for it to steep. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. He couldn't resist opening and closing the lid a few times to check the colour but the inside was too dark to tell. He forced himself to put the lid down and read through the manual again just to pass the time. A few minutes later a faint steam began curling from the spout. He held his hand close. The steam was cold.

Yang poured himself a cup and brought it close to his face, it looked exactly as pink as it should. Now let's see if it tastes the same. He took a sip. Refreshing. Just as it was yesterday. The remaining strain behind his eyes from the morning's Heavenly Diversion eased. He took a few more sips and carried both the cup and teapot to the meditation platform. He settled down, placing the cup and pot beside him. Soon he was cultivating.

He absorbed the qi from the surroundings and let it settle in his dantian, then began the Heavenly Diversion. The qi rose, followed the Ren meridian to the crown, descended the Du meridian along the spine, and at the diversion points, seventy percent was directed toward his Sea of Consciousness. He performed the cycle again and again. When he reached the point where he usually stopped, but this time instead of stopping, he reached for the cup and took a sip. The relief was instant.

The pressure building behind his eyes eased back. Not completely gone but reduced, enough that he could continue. He did another round of Heavenly Diversion. The headache built again and he took another sip to abate it. He settled into this rhythm. A round of Heavenly Diversion, a sip of tea, another round. After every cycle the pressure built and after every sip it stepped back just enough for him to keep going. He did a dozen more rounds this way over the course of a couple of hours before finally relaxing.

He poured what remained in the pot into his cup. About half a cup. and drank it slowly as he tallied up the session. Double. He had practiced the Heavenly Diversion for roughly twice the duration he had managed that morning. For a moment, this was very satisfying. Then his mind poured cold water on it. He still couldn't cultivate the full day the way his fellow sect disciples could. And even the time he did cultivate, seventy percent of his qi was diverted away from his dantian.

So the cultivation he was actually achieving to advance his realm was still a lot lower than that of his fellow cultivators in the same realm. Ah well. Better than nothing. Small steps. One day, he'd look back at this period with fondness. He decided to take a look at his Sea of Consciousness. He delved in. The golden webbing was the same as it had become since returning from the Cardwright World. Familiar now. He moved toward the newer bud, the dim one. He stopped. There had been a change.

He wasn't certain at first. He leaned his awareness in closer. But yes. The bud looked more alive than the last time he had examined it. A faint liveliness to it now, nothing like the Cardwright World bud, which pulsed clearly and pulled steadily, but this one was no longer completely still. Something was stirring in it. It was developing. Yang pulled back slightly and wondered. The seventy percent of qi he diverted toward his Sea of Consciousness during the Heavenly Diversion.

He had assumed it was going toward its intended purpose, nourishing his soul. But looking at the web, looking at this bud, looking at how much denser the web had become since he started this technique, he had to wonder. Was the qi going where the sutra intended it? Or was it feeding this web? This bud? Or both? Up until today, he had thought his cultivation was simply slow. What if it was slower than even he had been thinking? His mind moved through the sequence. He died.

The bead found him in the void, or he found the bead. The bead did something, and his soul was preserved. He was reborn in a completely new world. He could cultivate qi in this life. In the Cardwright World, he had no body, no cultivation base. And yet. The bead, or the soul, or both, had kept absorbing energy each time he created a new card. But why only new cards? Why not the energy stones alone? Why had it needed him to keep creating new cards? His body cultivated qi.

But the soul, or the bead, could absorb other kinds of energy entirely. As the realisation landed, he felt something shift. Not from outside. But from within. A faint thrum from the web. A resonance, almost like agreement. Almost like relief. And Yang realised with disbelief that it had wanted him to know. Yang stayed in his Sea of Consciousness for a moment longer, looking at the web, at the dim bud, at the Cardwright bud pulsing steadily on its thread. He didn't know whether to be frightened or not.

He chose not to be. Yang was well aware that none of this would have existed without the bead. It had saved him. It had carried him through two worlds, and whatever it was, had been with him across two lifetimes. Whatever it came to be was simply his fate, for good or for ill. He chose to trust it. He withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness and opened his eyes.