Chapter 3: Luck

After cultivating for over a dozen years without sensing anything, the Innate Purple Qi Art… actually responded the instant he started running it this time!

An incredibly thin stream of energy moved from the Huiyin point on the Ren meridian. Moving along the Qugu, Zhongji, Shenque… through Zhongting and Tiantu, all the way to the Chengjiang point. Though this energy stream was as fine as a strand of hair, and sometimes broke up or seemed hesitant in clogged meridians, it surged forward with unstoppable force, clearing every single acupuncture point along the Ren meridian!

While Qin Li’s expression was utterly strange, the Innate Purple Qi Art didn’t falter even slightly. It was like someone wandering the desert, dying of thirst, who suddenly spots a spring of pure water. However shocking it is, their first instinct is always to throw themselves forward and drink their fill.

This is exactly how Qin Li was. Right then, he wouldn’t consider whether this could harm his body, or act like in cheesy stories and pinch his thigh to see if he was dreaming. In short, a broad grin splitting his face, our Comrade Qin Li happily guided his vital energy, racing recklessly towards the Du meridian…

The ancient texts said, ‘Following the ordinary path makes a man, reversing it makes an immortal’. That means the Du meridian flows upwards while the Ren flows downwards. With the proper cultivation method, the practitioner circulates their primal vital energy. Women focus on cultivating the Ren meridian to enrich their blood essence; men focus on cultivating the Du meridian to enrich their vital energy. Starting from ‘settling the mind’ and ‘entering stillness’, one reverses the flow, thus strengthening the body. When the Qi pathways of both the Ren and Du meridians run smoothly, cultivating both life and inner power are achieved.

But how could Qin Li know any of this? The Old Taoist Priest knew it very well, but the old priest never believed the child he picked up by the roadside had the potential for Immortal cultivation—so why would he bother explaining this to him?

So, Qin Li had always believed that clearing the Ren and Du meridians would make one a top-tier master. Combined with his innate boldness and careful nature since childhood, clearly understanding the location of every acupuncture point, he cultivated the Innate Purple Qi Art right there in his bed. In less than two kè (approx. 30 minutes), he actually managed to clear both the Ren and Du meridians completely!

If anyone knew, they would surely cry out in disbelief!

This could only be down to Qin Li stumbling blindly yet being impossibly lucky. Normally, any true master who had cleared the Ren and Du meridians was at least a hundred years old! To think of clearing all these meridians without decades of training or vast amounts of Natural Treasures—that was truly a scenario only found in stories.

This Qin Li on the Tianyuan Continent bore a nickname within the Qin Family that would have shamed the original Qin Li: “Foundation Master”!

Yes, Qin Li’s physique wasn’t just fundamentally excellent externally; his internal foundations were also superb. All of this stemmed from Qin Hanyue possessing a very ordinary Cultivation Method called “Foundation Essentials”. Ordinary, because everything written inside was so simple that anyone who could read could comprehend it and start cultivating. Extraordinary, because this book was the only thing Qin Li’s faceless father had left for his mother!

Not a gold hairpin. Not a jade bracelet. Few would ever imagine a man gifting this to his lover, and solemnly telling her, “If you bear a child, have them cultivate this. Ignore what others say. Simply keep doing your part. One day, I will come for you both.”

For just those words, for thirteen years, Qin Hanyue endured mockery and hardship alone, raising Qin Li by herself and never leaving the Qin Family—afraid that if she left, that man might never find her.

Often, a single belief is enough to sustain a person for a lifetime. For Qin Hanyue, it was exactly so.

Years ago, members of the Qin Family had even taken this Cultivation Method to study. They tossed it back as trash. Foundation? If foundations were that effective, why would we need high-level Yuanli Heart Methods? Why would we need Advanced Combat Techniques?

And the original Qin Li… being mocked until he vomited blood and died, was directly linked to this very Cultivation Method!

This Qin Li, however, was not that Qin Li. Having cultivated the Innate Purple Qi Art, Qin Li knew better than anyone else. His body, in the Old Taoist Priest’s words, was truly an exceptional Cauldron—a born cultivation physique!

Whether he could become an Immortal, Qin Li didn’t know. But as long as he kept cultivating this way, there was no doubt he would become a peerless powerhouse before turning twenty.

Thinking of the deep-seated resentment and grief within the memories, thinking of the life Qin Hanyue had lived for over a decade, thinking of the Qin Family’s harsh treatment of him and his mother all these years…

The fickleness of the world; family affection thinner than paper!

Qin Li scrambled out of bed. He couldn’t help but burst into wild laughter!

Starting today, whoever provokes this old man again, I’ll break your legs! Whoever dares insult my parents again, I’ll smash your foul mouths!

When it comes to spine and grit, I’ve never been short of it! Lying low and enduring patiently, I can do that too. But if anyone isn’t scared of being stalked like prey by a wolf, ready to tear your throat out at any moment—then go ahead, try your luck with me!

Qin Hanyue, cooking in the courtyard, suddenly heard her son’s crazed laughter. She quickly put down what she was doing. The door was already shattered; from outside she could see Qin Li standing barefoot on the floor, grinning foolishly. An overwhelming sadness surged through her—Was her fate so bitter? Had her son… actually lost his mind?

“Little Li, tell Mother… what’s wrong?” Qin Hanyue asked softly, careful not to startle him, afraid his already sensitive and fragile nerves would shatter.

Qin Hanyue wrinkled her nose. As a lady born into nobility, even in reduced circumstances, she kept this humble dwelling spotless. Yet now, she detected a terrible, unbearable stench—like the sour, rotten smell radiating from a beggar who’d never bathed.

This astonished her profoundly. She had washed her son every single day while he was bedridden. Where could this smell be coming from? Eyes darting subtly around the room, she spotted nothing amiss.

Then the smell hit her again, confirming it emanated from her son. This discovery shattered her heart completely. If her child smelled like this inexplicably, how could he possibly be well?

At this thought, Qin Hanyue forgot how the stench threatened to overwhelm her. She rushed forward and clutched Qin Li to her chest. Unable to hold back the pain any longer, she broke down and wept bitterly. All the grievances endured for thirteen years, all the heartache of thirteen years, all the patience of thirteen years… every emotion bottled up in her chest erupted at once.

Qin Li stood frozen, allowing Qin Hanyue to embrace him. Utterly bewildered, he thought, What’s happening? Everything was fine just now, so why is she crying so terribly?

He wanted to say something, but had no idea where to start. Merged with the original memories, he fully understood the suffering his mother had endured over the years. From a physiological perspective, suppressing emotions for too long without release could make a person ill.

So, having a good, hard cry and venting it all out… might actually be good for her health.

“Well, well, well! Better to be lucky than early! What a touching mother-son reunion! Tsk, tsk… my eyes must be failing me. Is this still that noble young mistress? Could it be… you’re resorting to this trick to evade punishment? What a cunning plan!” A sharp, piercing woman’s voice suddenly rang out at the courtyard gate.