Chapter 77: A Seemingly Similar World

Chen Xiyi sat on the second floor of the restaurant. A few delicate dishes were placed in front of him. Watching the bustling crowds of people coming and going downstairs, he could not help but sigh.

Earlier, when he dug out silver coins, copper coins, and those banknotes from the grave mound, he had a strange feeling of déjà vu.

‘A seemingly similar world,’ he thought.

Listening to the discussions of the diners around him, he realized that this world somewhat resembled the era of warlord chaos from his previous life. There were also those foreigners who came to do business, selling weapons to support various warlords and then buying silk, porcelain, and other goods to take back for trade.

The strange thing was that these foreigners were unusually quiet. They showed no signs of throwing their weight around, as if they had been beaten into submission and were behaving meekly.

However, they probably still had privileges. After all, the feudal dynasty had become a thing of the past in this era, but due to various messy situations, warlords had grown too powerful and were now engaged in endless infighting, making everything even more chaotic.

Basically, one day it was Commander Zhang in charge, and the next day it was Commander Li, leaving the common people with no means to survive.

In other words, the warlords who took turns controlling a single small town could collectively collect taxes for the next ninety years.

The small town Chen Xiyi had found was relatively remote and was under the control of a fairly powerful warlord. Fortunately, this warlord was decent and did not engage in excessive taxation or oppression.

As for how he found this town? Of course, he looked at the map. He headed for the nearest place on the map that had many white dots and a proper prefix.

And so, here he was.

His Scholar Costume was quite useful. At least when he entered the town, not many people were willing to give him a hard time.

Even though the feudal dynasty had become a thing of the past, those who could read and write still held a certain social status. Except for a few local ruffians, most people would not deliberately trouble others on the street.

Casually picking up a peanut with his chopsticks and tossing it into his mouth, he had originally thought this was a world where the extraordinary was apparent. But now, he felt he might have been mistaken.

The number of Qi Refiners was pitifully small. He had briefly examined the map and estimated that only about a hundred people had the prefix “Qi Refiner.” In other words, there were only around a hundred Qi Refiners in this world.

However, one interesting thing he noticed was that many people who were not Qi Refiners could still use spells through specific rituals, objects, arrangements, and the like.

Because they could not practice Qi Refinement and Spirit Cultivation, but if they used specific methods, they could borrow power. For example, with talismans—using rooster blood, cinnabar, and other materials at specific times and places to draw specific symbols—they could create talismans that gathered Yang Qi, Fire Qi, and other extremely yang and rigid energies.

In this way, such talismans could have the ability to suppress demons, ghosts, and even kill them.

Then there were Ritual Implements, such as Wooden Swords made from thunder-struck peach wood. After being consecrated through rituals, these implements could possess Qi Mechanisms like Thunder Qi and Fire Qi. They could even recover on their own after being used to subdue demons or eliminate evil, unlike talismans, which were disposable.

Of course, this was not the most frustrating part. The most frustrating part was that Qi Refiners were called “Qi Refiners,” but in reality, they cultivated only their Primordial Spirit. They used Qi to nourish their spirit but did not train their bodies.

In other words, even if your Primordial Spirit was powerful, if someone stabbed you, you would still die. Their bodies were like those of normal people, but their souls were extraordinary.

However, if their Primordial Spirit cultivation was sufficient, they could survive after death. But without a body, they could no longer practice Qi Refinement and Spirit Cultivation, causing their Primordial Spirit to continuously deplete until it eventually perished. This was just his speculation; he did not know the exact details.

There were benefits, though. If their Primordial Spirit cultivation was sufficient, even if their bodies aged, they could achieve a form of prolonged life through Soul Possession and rebirth.

Qi Refiners were divided into two realms: Qi Commanding and Spirit Wandering. These two realms were also mentioned in the Book of Changes.

Qi Commanding meant generating a Primordial Spirit to control Qi Mechanisms, while Spirit Wandering allowed the Primordial Spirit to travel beyond the body.

In reality, these two realms were not about combat strength but rather the progress of one’s Primordial Spirit cultivation.

‘Luckily, I am a Player. I have equipment and cannot die. Otherwise, if another time-traveler ended up in this chaotic world and encountered such a flawed Qi Refiner system, they would probably be so frustrated they could vomit blood.’

Cultivating only the nature but not the life force, the Yin soul would never attain sainthood through countless tribulations.

Chen Xiyi had some understanding of the theory of nature and life force. This system of cultivating the nature but not the life force was more like the Buddhist practice focused on the next life. Of course, it was only similar, not identical.

Qi Refiners used Qi Mechanisms to nourish their spirit and continuously achieve rebirth. This was about cultivating the present life, but they overemphasized the Primordial Spirit and neglected the body. Thus, their longevity largely depended on the Primordial Spirit’s ability to perform Soul Possession.

Within Chen Xiyi’s Primordial Spirit, the Water Qi, Earth Qi, and Purple Qi continuously absorbed and released the corresponding Qi Mechanisms around him, nourishing and enhancing his Primordial Spirit. However, because these three Qi Mechanisms originated from the most powerful top-tier Fairies/Spirits, the Qi Mechanisms being absorbed were filtered and refined multiple times, making them extremely pure but relatively scarce in quantity.

In truth, Chen Xiyi knew that his way of cultivation was problematic.

Normal Qi Refiners practiced Qi Refinement and Spirit Cultivation using their own Human Qi or Yang Qi for absorption and release. Alternatively, some had secret methods that required multiple Qi Mechanisms. Generally, they would only absorb the specific Qi Mechanisms needed to nourish their Primordial Spirit. They would not recklessly absorb as many Qi Mechanisms as Chen Xiyi did all at once.

From a long-term perspective, this behavior was no different from sabotaging one’s own path. Unless it was required by a specific sect’s tradition to use these Qi Mechanisms in combination, most would specialize in one type or absorb the Qi Mechanisms needed for their inherited methods. They would not accept every Qi Mechanism indiscriminately like Chen Xiyi.

Of course, the being above who had achieved Dao Harmony was an exception—that was a top-tier expert.

Chen Xiyi was also an exception. As a Player, he was rather abnormal.

First, he did not have the Qi Mechanisms that a normal person should have. Whether it was the Yang Qi, Human Qi, or any other series of Qi Mechanisms that humans possess, he had none. He did not even have the Death Qi or Yin Qi found on dead people. He was essentially a blank slate.

More importantly, he had two types of Qi Mechanisms that neither normal people nor Qi Refiners should possess: Water Qi and Earth Qi. These two Qi Mechanisms were usually associated with Feng Shui convergence, demons, ghosts, or certain special cultivation methods. They generally did not appear in normal people, but Chen Xiyi had them nonetheless.

It had to be said, he was starting to doubt whether he was even human.

Even though these two Qi Mechanisms were provided by Jianghu and Shanyue.

‘My path as a Qi Refiner seems to have gone seriously off track.’

Chen Xiyi felt that he needed to modify the method of Qi Refinement and Spirit Cultivation to suit his situation.

But the problem was that he did not have enough knowledge to support such changes, so he had to find a way to acquire sufficient knowledge.