Chapter 44 - 40: Sun and Moon Essence

Chapter 44: Chapter 40: Sun and Moon Essence

The unexpected harvest of the Rising Sun Purple Qi that morning was like a brand-new window opening before Xu Mo, revealing a more profound world of cultivation that went beyond simple, arduous practice. The subtle nourishment that pure energy provided to his qi, blood, and spirit was not immediately obvious, but its high quality and potential long-term benefits to the very source of his life left him utterly captivated.

Xu Mo was absentminded all morning. After completing his daily Power Control and Cold Weapons practice, his thoughts would inevitably drift to the rooftop, toward the sun that had now climbed to its zenith, its rays growing ever more intense.

’The Sunrise Qi is so miraculous. The energy from the midday sun must be even more immense, right? If only I could absorb it...’ A bold and tempting thought sprouted in Xu Mo’s mind.

Driven by this intense curiosity and desire to explore, Xu Mo once again ascended to the rooftop platform just after noon, when the sun was at its peak.

Unlike the crisp silence of the morning, the rooftop at noon was a completely different scene. The accumulated snow reflected a blinding white light. Though the air remained frigid, it felt a little warmer under the sun’s direct rays. The sun hung high overhead like a colossal, burning, platinum-gold fireball, brazenly pouring endless light and heat upon the earth.

Xu Mo took a deep breath, suppressing a flicker of apprehension. He faced the sun and once again assumed the Pile Training stance of the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training.

He settled his mind, and his qi and blood began to circulate along their designated paths. He tried to perceive and draw in any potential external energy, just as he had that morning.

However, in the very instant his Cultivation Technique activated—

Disaster struck!

A completely different type of energy, like an invisible tidal wave, slammed into Xu Mo’s senses!

This was utterly unlike the gentle, pure, and life-filled Purple Qi from the morning. What Xu Mo sensed now was a violent, scorching energy, brimming with aggression and destructive intent. It didn’t feel like ’qi’ at all, but rather like countless minuscule, burning ’needles’ or ’flames’ carrying the brutal urge to incinerate and tear everything apart.

This energy didn’t gently offer to merge with him. Instead, it tried to use brute force to pierce his skin and bore its way into his body.

’This is bad!’

Alarm bells screamed in Xu Mo’s mind as a profound sense of crisis, born from primal instinct, seized him. This energy was anything but benign. It was far beyond what someone of his current Cultivation Realm could ever hope to control or absorb.

Xu Mo could even ’feel’ his own skin—the extraordinarily tough membrane he’d developed by reaching the Cowhide Realm—prickling and burning under the assault of this violent energy, as if being pierced by countless red-hot needles.

’It was easy to imagine the catastrophic consequences if this energy truly invaded his body and merged with his relatively ’gentle’ qi and blood. At best, his qi and blood would be thrown into chaos and his meridians damaged. At worst, he would be immolated from the inside out, his internal organs burned to ash.’

HMPH!

Xu Mo let out a muffled grunt, his face instantly paling. He made a split-second decision, forcibly severing his connection to the outside energy. At the same time, he rapidly drew back his circulating qi and blood, focusing all his mental energy on stabilizing his body. He became like a stubborn stone cast into a raging fire, sealing his gates to block the malevolent intrusion.

Having lost its ’channel’ of entry, the violent, scorching energy swirled and battered against Xu Mo’s skin for another moment. Ultimately, it failed to breach the defenses of the Cowhide Realm or his willful blockade and gradually dissipated into nothing.

Xu Mo slowly relaxed his stance and staggered back a step. A fine sheen of cold sweat had broken out on his forehead, and his back was soaked. He gasped for air, staring with lingering fear at the sun, which still blazed intensely overhead.

’That was close... What domineering power!’

Xu Mo now fully understood. The Qi Collection spoken of by the ancients was not something to be done carelessly. There was a profound truth to the saying, "Inhale the morning clouds, gather the dusk of the setting sun."

At dawn, as the sun first rises, its qi is nascent. It contains boundless life force and is gentle and pure, making it easy for the human body to accept and absorb. This is called Lesser Yang Qi or Purple Qi, and it is the best for nourishing the body and mind.

At noon, however, the sun is at its strongest, and its qi also reaches its peak. It is masculine and brutal to the extreme, and is called Old Yang Qi or Sun Essence. While this power is incomparably immense, it is far too violent. Without an extremely high Cultivation Realm and a special Dharma Gate for protection, forcibly absorbing it is tantamount to self-immolation.

’It seems I’ll have to wait until I reach the Iron Bone Realm, or perhaps even the Golden Body Realm, when my muscles, bones, and organs are all sufficiently strong, before I can even think about trying to harness this midday Sun Essence...’ Xu Mo mused, engraving the lesson from this misadventure deep in his heart.

’The path of cultivation is indeed fraught with danger at every turn. It’s not just about personal breakthroughs. Even something as seemingly ordinary as Qi Collection carries enormous risks and tolerates no sloppiness or greed.’

After his noontime scare, Xu Mo found himself back on the rooftop at dusk. As the sun set in the west and the sky began to darken, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering hesitation and dread.

The memory of the discomfort caused by the scorching, domineering Sun Essence was still fresh. What would the energy of the evening twilight be like? Could it also hide unknown dangers?

But then Xu Mo recalled the line from the book: "Inhale the morning clouds, gather the evening twilight." A flicker of anticipation ignited within him. Since the morning’s Purple Qi was beneficial, then its counterpart, the twilight, was probably not harmful.

’I can’t just give up for fear of choking. I’ll be cautious. If anything feels wrong, I’ll stop immediately.’

Having made his decision, Xu Mo faced the setting sun in the west. It was just about to sink behind the distant mountains, painting the horizon’s clouds in brilliant shades of orange and red. He once again assumed his Pile Training stance.

As his mind settled, Xu Mo cautiously began to circulate his qi and blood, slowly extending his senses outward.

Unlike the vibrant vitality of the morning or the violent heat of noon, the energy Xu Mo perceived this time possessed a tranquil, peaceful quality, with even a slight hint of coolness.

A faint, almost imperceptible energy, as cool and clear as moonlight, silently suffused the air along with the sun’s fading rays. It didn’t actively try to merge with him like the Purple Qi, nor did it assault him with domineering force like the Sun Essence. Instead, it was like a silent stream, requiring Xu Mo’s focused and delicate intent to guide even the faintest wisp into his qi and blood.

Once inside his body, this wisp of energy didn’t cause his qi and blood to surge or grow, nor did it bring any feeling of spiritual elation. It was like a single drop of water merging silently into a great river.

The circulation of his qi and blood seemed to grow smoother and a bit more restrained. The frantic energy was soothed, its torrential rush slowed slightly, replaced by a sense of settled depth.

If the Rising Sun Purple Qi represented ’generation’ and ’ignition,’ leaving one invigorated, then the Dusk of the Setting Sun represented ’convergence’ and ’settling,’ bringing peace to the mind.

It brought no discernible increase in his power, but it also seemed to have... no side effects. It was simply ordinary, as natural as breathing.

Xu Mo maintained this state for about half an hour. When the last sliver of twilight vanished from the horizon and night began to descend, the cool energy disappeared along with it. He slowly relaxed his stance, carefully attuning himself to the changes in his body.

His power hadn’t increased, his defenses hadn’t improved, and the total volume of his qi and blood felt unchanged. Yet a strange sense of peace and tranquility lingered in Xu Mo’s heart. The mental tension from the day’s risky cultivation seemed to have eased considerably. His entire being felt as if it had been cleansed by the gentle night, leaving him exceptionally serene.

’It seems this twilight qi is primarily for ’nourishing the spirit’ and ’calming the mind.’ It might have unexpected benefits for balancing out my daytime cultivation, especially for counteracting the agitation and hot-headedness that can come from practicing fierce External Skills like the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training,’ Xu Mo thought, coming to a realization.

Although it didn’t directly nourish his qi and blood or enhance his potential like the Purple Qi, and it certainly didn’t offer the explosive power he imagined from the Sun Essence, this subtle, ’soothing’ and ’settling’ effect was just as crucial for a long life of cultivation. It could help him maintain a clear head and a peaceful heart, avoiding the risk of going berserk.

’Since it’s not harmful and it calms my mind, I’ll make this evening practice a regular thing,’ Xu Mo decided. ’Who knows? With long-term accumulation, this seemingly unremarkable energy might have an unexpected effect someday.’

And so, two new, fixed items were added to Xu Mo’s daily cultivation schedule:

At dawn, as the eastern sky brightens, ascend the rooftop. Face the rising sun and collect the Rising Sun Purple Qi to nourish his qi and blood and nurture his foundation.

At dusk, as the sun sets in the west, ascend the rooftop. Face the afterglow and gather the Dusk of the Setting Sun to calm his mind and pacify his agitated qi.

Xu Mo called this routine: Cultivating the Sun and Moon Essence.

’I wonder if I’ll turn into some kind of monster if I keep this up for too long,’ Xu Mo mused.

Although Xu Mo had yet to perceive any Moon Essence, this dawn and dusk cultivation already allowed him to experience the profound mystery of breathing in sync with the natural world.