Chapter 017: A Century of Spirituality (Additional Chapter for Brother Gambler's Generous Reward)

“Damn! Ice Spirit Flower?”

“What about the Ice Spirit Flower? It’s thriving, and should bloom within three days. Don’t you dare try anything funny!”

“No, something’s wrong with the Ice Spirit Flower…”

“Why are you suddenly so jittery?” Lin Zhan looked at Za Shi, who had just leapt down from the Froststone, with confusion.

He followed suit, jumping down and approaching the place where the Ice Spirit Flower grew.

The crystalline, translucent stems, a few jade-white leaves, and at the top, three buds sculpted like ice, poised to bloom but not yet open—nothing seemed amiss. What could possibly be wrong?

“Huh, that leap you made… you’re acting strange too,” Za Shi remarked with his usual indifferent tone.

Lin Zhan was nearly losing his mind. What on earth was happening? The flower remained the same, and so did he, yet Za Shi’s odd movements and cryptic words had left him thoroughly unsettled.

“This Ice Spirit Flower, its century-old spiritual essence has dwindled to just a year. And you—before today, you were merely a novice fumbling at the threshold of Qi Refining. Now, you’ve become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, reaching the mid-stage of the Human Rank. Congratulations… cough, cough!”

“Senior Brother Shi, don’t scare me!” The Ice Spirit Flower’s spiritual essence was severely damaged; as its caretaker, Lin Zhan was surely doomed. He could hear the teasing in Za Shi’s words.

“How is that scaring you? Why not try drawing in some spiritual energy from your surroundings? Once it enters your body, see if it accumulates somewhere within you. That’s what the cultivation world calls Foundation Establishment! Qi Refining is the initial stage of the Human Rank, Foundation Establishment is the mid-stage, and reaching the peak completes the late stage. I’m certain—you’ve already reached the mid-stage. Your Foundation Establishment is complete!”

Za Shi was somewhat frustrated. He couldn’t fathom why Lin Zhan was so extraordinary. When he himself began cultivation as a child, it took three whole years to progress from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment. Yet Lin Zhan had made the leap in a single day.

Lin Zhan was drenched in sweat. It was true: his spiritual power was concentrated in the Nine-Star pattern on his right palm. That must be equivalent to fulfilling the requirements for Foundation Establishment—a unique form, perhaps, but Foundation Establishment nonetheless. He really must have absorbed the flower’s spiritual essence; this fact could not be changed.

“I have to confess!” Lin Zhan wore a bitter expression. Why did misfortune always find him? If only he’d known that refining Qi would lead to such dire consequences, he would have been far more careful. Now, regret was useless.

“Sigh, I’ve never seen anyone as foolish as you!”

Whoosh!

Za Shi returned to the Froststone, his expression solemn as he picked up the wine jug. Lin Zhan had never seen him so serious before.

“Eleven, listen to me. About the Ice Spirit Flower, whatever you do, don’t admit anything. And before others, you must hide your cultivation level—even from Za Yi and Za Jiu. Let me think—maybe there’s a way to resolve this.”

Za Shi sat in silence. Lin Zhan dared not disturb him, standing nearby like a child awaiting parental punishment after making a mistake.

After a while, Za Shi rose, swept his sleeve, and departed, leaving behind only a single sentence: “I’ll come find you in three days!”

Lin Zhan was left alone atop the Froststone, utterly bewildered and worried.

“Can Senior Brother Shi really be trusted? Shouldn’t I go confess to Big Brother Yi instead? Isn’t this all terribly wrong?”

“Huh? What’s this?” Lin Zhan noticed a booklet on the Froststone. He picked it up and saw that the cover bore three characters: Wind, Rain, and Cloud.

The moment he saw these words, he was entranced. The flowing, unrestrained script seemed alive—wind stirring, rain falling, clouds gathering and dispersing. The dynamic power of nature, as grand as the shifting stars, surged forth.

He opened the first page. Written there was a mantra for movement and footwork. Suddenly, the Nine-Star pattern in his palm seemed to unlock a new domain, spiritual energy within it stirring spontaneously. Each page’s mantra was rapidly absorbed into his consciousness.

Like the wind—sometimes gentle, sometimes wild and untamed. It could be a stream’s soft gurgle in the wilds, or the fierce roar of the ocean, sweeping all before it.

Like the rain—steady and persistent, slipping quietly into the night, or like a storm of arrows, breaking through every barrier, overwhelming all, conquering fortresses.

Like the cloud—gathering and dispersing with the wind, accumulating until rain falls, rising with the wind into tumultuous billows, fading into gentle tranquility, and in a glance, the sky is vast and boundless.

This “Wind, Rain, and Cloud” manual was clearly left here by Za Shi on purpose!

He had deliberately left it for Lin Zhan to find. Once opened, one couldn’t help but learn it—the footwork would imprint itself onto his consciousness, never to be forgotten.

On the Froststone, Lin Zhan was infused with the “Wind, Rain, and Cloud” movement technique. At that moment, he could focus on nothing else. He sat cross-legged and began to explore the mysteries of this realm.

Wind emphasizes footwork—untraceable, blending into all things invisibly. This is the highest level of mastery in movement.

Rain emphasizes form—when facing an opponent and needing to move or dodge, the shortest and fastest path is usually a straight line. But when that isn’t optimal, one can borrow the wind’s footwork, shifting at various angles and directions.

Cloud is a new realm, attainable only when wind and rain combine seamlessly.

“Wind, Rain, and Cloud” consists of nine levels. Now, Lin Zhan began to recite the mantras with full concentration. Spiritual energy, guided by the Nine-Star pattern, surged through his veins and meridians.

His veins, strengthened and expanded by spiritual energy over time, were now incredibly tough and full.

Suddenly, a ripple arose around him—not the wave of spiritual energy entering his body, but the initial surge of the “Wind, Rain, and Cloud” movement technique.

If he mastered the wind’s initial surge, he would have taken the first step—the basic entry into the movement art.

“No wonder Senior Brother Shi’s landing from the Froststone was so light—he had the wind's momentum to aid him. Unlike me, who drops like a weight into water, feeling the jarring impact. No, I must keep training!”

Lin Zhan set to work, practicing diligently. This movement technique required repeated practice to reach the stage where mind and body moved as one—steps light as wind, swift as sudden rain, advancing and retreating like clouds gathering and dispersing.

Unaware of the passage of time, Lin Zhan had leapt up and down the Froststone hundreds of times, weaving nimbly through the medicine field.

Though the tall medicinal plants were lifeless, they made excellent training obstacles for the beginner’s level of Wind, Rain, and Cloud.

“Heh, so my efforts weren’t wasted after all! Not bad—this fellow’s quite diligent!”

From a distant watchtower overlooking the medicine field, Za Shi stood for a long time, gazing at Lin Zhan, his eyes filled with a myriad of emotions.