Chapter Forty: The Tower of Shaping

The trees stood tall and dense.
Two figures walked beneath the shade.
Qingyuan held a pair of scissors in one hand and a sheet of white paper in the other.
He was cutting paper, shaping it into tigers and wolves, each about the size of a palm, closely resembling the wooden carvings of such beasts.
The ancient mountain sprite Gu Cang followed close by, occasionally glancing at him, filled with curiosity.
“Paper-cutting as horses…”
Qingyuan smiled and said, “Those with great magical power can cut white paper so that, when it falls to the ground, it becomes a white horse. But my skill is insufficient—yet. For now, I’ll practice my craft; once I reach the Second Heaven and condense my form, I’ll carve runes upon them, and then the technique can be employed.”
At the mention of runes, Gu Cang’s expression grew vague.
Back when Qingyuan faced him, he had pasted more than a dozen fire talismans upon himself.
Those fire talismans had intricate patterns but little true spirit, merely absorbing residual fire energy. To ordinary people, they appeared unremarkable, and only creatures with keen senses might mistake them for actual flames.
In truth, those talismans could not harm such spirits.
Now that Gu Cang had cultivated true energy, Qingyuan’s talismans would be as useless as scraps of paper.
“Those talismans were mere tricks,”
Qingyuan observed his expression and said, “True runes require a rune base, rune core, and rune foot—all three. The rune core, also called the rune’s heart, must be infused with genuine energy. Then, the talisman becomes a spirit rune. These runes aren’t just to frighten you; if struck by one with great power, it could burn you to ash.”
Gu Cang was startled by this.
“But there are many kinds of runes,”
Qingyuan continued, “Once I reach Second Heaven, I’ll paint runes onto these paper beasts. Such runes are central to the art of turning paper into horses—the true energy within the rune core is essential, the very foundation of the technique.”
Gu Cang pondered and then asked, “When will you reach Second Heaven, sir?”
Qingyuan replied calmly, “Today.”
Gu Cang was briefly stunned.
Qingyuan pointed ahead. “There’s a cave. Once I enter, you seal the entrance with a large stone and guard it for me. Three to five days at most, whether I break through or not, I’ll emerge.”
Gu Cang nodded dazedly.
…
Through focused cultivation, Qingyuan had reached the peak of First Heaven.
Attaining Second Heaven was no simple feat, but earlier, when he encountered the young officer of the White-Clad Army, the thrust of the spear…
As the blade neared, the murderous intent and fortune converged, the sharp force pressing forward.
In that instant, Qingyuan gained many insights.
The young officer never imagined that his final strike would pierce through Qingyuan’s bottleneck.
Seated cross-legged, true energy circulated throughout his body, flowing through limbs, bones, organs, and meridians.
“Refining Form Tower.”
He closed his eyes, envisioning the sun of June shining upon him, revealing the Ninefold Jade Tower.
The first tower: Qi Refining Tower.
This tower was open, true energy flowing within, white and gray, wisps drifting gently.
The chamber was empty, simple on all sides, containing only accumulated true energy.
This energy passed through the meridians, entered the dantian, crossed the sea of qi, returned to the ancestral cavity between the brows, and settled in the Qi Refining Tower.
A single rotation was one cycle.
Thirty-six cycles made a grand cycle.
“First tower, stores true energy, nourishes life and longevity.”
“Second tower, true energy condenses form, forging a magical body.”
He opened his eyes suddenly, gleaming with brilliance, and cried, “Open!”
Ten inches of true energy surged, spiraling upward into the Second Tower.
His blood surged, faintly echoing with the song of earth dragons.
The Second Tower opened!
Refining Form Tower!
…
The cave was silent.
After a long time, a great wind swept through.
The wind emerged from Qingyuan’s hand, roaring and stirring up dust.
“Excellent.”
Qingyuan was overjoyed, chuckling quietly, “True energy can now leave my body. Though I cannot yet directly form spells, at least I have the foundation for them.”
“True energy has entered the Refining Form Tower; I have stepped into this realm and am now a cultivator of Second Heaven.”
“But this is only the beginning. The true energy in this Second Tower must be honed, gradually shaping a form—then it will be perfected. At that point, I can attempt to open the Third Tower.”
Thinking thus, he took a bag from his chest containing paper, brush, and cinnabar.
He began to draw talismans.
The timing was different from ordinary talisman painting.
However, now that he was of Second Heaven, the influence of timing no longer mattered.
He started with a fire rune.
The previous fire runes relied on intricate patterns and residual fire energy from the hearth, mostly to deceive and bluff. Now, he infused them with his own true energy, pouring it into the rune’s core.
Rune base.
Rune core.
Rune foot.
All completed in one breath.
With magical power infused, spiritual intent was born within the rune core.
This fire rune was a spirit rune.
Unlike the ordinary runes from before, Qingyuan sensed the presence of fire within this one.
“Burn!”
He suddenly shouted, true energy pouring forth as he threw it.
The talisman ignited in midair, forming a fireball that struck the rock wall.
The stone was charred black, white smoke curling upward, heat radiating.
“Spellcraft…”
A gleam of joy flashed in Qingyuan’s eyes as he smiled.
He looked at the paper beasts he had cut.
With the right runes painted, these would become the spell of turning paper into horses.
Yet he knew his mastery of Second Heaven was still shallow; he could practice the art, but it would be but a shell.
Thus, he needed the tiger and wolf wood carvings as anchors.
“Runes…”
Qingyuan closed his eyes.
The rune patterns for the paper-to-horse technique were more complex than fire runes, and the beasts were only palm-sized, requiring refined skill to carve upon them.
He would wait a few more days…
Thinking thus, he walked toward the cave entrance.
“Gu Cang, step aside for a moment.”
With that, he pressed his hand against the stone at the entrance and pushed forcefully.
With a rumble, the stone—though as tall as a man—rolled away easily.
Qingyuan stared in astonishment at his hands.
They were as pale and slender as before.
But his strength had increased greatly?
“Could it be that with every breakthrough in Heaven’s realm, my strength grows?”
He was amazed.
He had pondered much in recent days and reached two conclusions: first, with the earth dragon entering his body, he had gathered the earth’s energy of millions of years, transforming his foundation and perhaps gaining divine power. Second, he had consumed the Nine Bulls and Two Tigers substance on a whim.
The Nine Bulls and Two Tigers, crafted by an immortal himself, was no common item. Though it was destroyed in refinement, it might still have wondrous effects—especially for someone mortal like him.
“I was indeed reckless in consuming the Nine Bulls and Two Tigers.”
He sighed, feeling a pang of guilt.
Precisely because of this guilt, he often dreamed of the white crane youth sent to execute him.
He sighed again, stepping out of the cave and gazing at the clear sky.
The path of longevity…
I have advanced once more!
PS: At last, I’ve received a recommendation! Next week, let’s aim for the rankings… Also, in the related section, I’ve compiled a list of rewards from the past ten or so days since the book opened. I’m truly delighted, haha~