A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had merely spoken casually and was not genuinely worried about Yao Pei. With her family background and status, it was hardly his place to concern himself with her affairs. Even putting aside her lineage, Yao Pei’s cultivation was above his, and she possessed a semi-immortal object, the Staff of Merit, making her far more formidable than him.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu’s full attention was on divine power. Divine power originated from incense power and faith, just as blood qi came from physical essence, and magical power was derived from the soul and spirit.

On this matter, Qi Xuansu did not beat around the bush and openly raised his question.

Perhaps because Qi Xuansu was too straightforward and unreserved, Sun Hewu did not overthink it. He simply assumed the young man was eager to learn.

The elderly Sage explained, “Incense power is similar to magical power in that both originate from the human spirit. The difference lies in that incense power comes from the spirit of others, while magical power comes from one’s own spirit. For a Martial Arts Practitioner, blood qi is refined from one’s essence and blood, which are tangible and visible, making it real. However, the spirit is intangible and unseen, which is why magical power and incense power are considered illusory.

“The reason why Qi Refiners are regarded as the mainstay of the Daoist Order is that they can balance both aspects—refining essence into qi, then refining qi into divinity, following a sequential progression that emphasizes both reality and illusion and harmonizes yin and yang.

“You can think of Banished Immortals as a higher-level form of Qi Refiners, while Rogue Cultivators can be considered a lower-level form of Qi Refiners. Though these three have different external manifestations, their underlying essence remains interconnected, which is why a Rogue Cultivator can complete the gap and become a Banished Immortal.”

Qi Xuansu mused, “So, essentially, they are basic, intermediate, and advanced Qi Refiners?”

“More or less.” Sun Hewu nodded before bringing the conversation back on track. “When discussing incense power, we must address how to convert the spirit of others into one’s own use. The strength of incense power is related to one’s cultivation level as well as the intensity and sincerity of the devotees’ faith.

“Incense power from ordinary people is dispersed and weak. Once released, it quickly dissipates into the air. Actively gathering it is impractical unless one is a Shaman at the Ancient Immortal level. The effort required far outweighs the benefits.

“For a top-tier Shaman, collecting scattered incense power is comparable to how Heavenly Beings absorb the essence from heaven and earth. Besides those in seclusion, have you ever seen anyone who spends all their time meditating and cultivating? Shamans cannot continuously collect incense power, which is why a medium is needed.”

Qi Xuansu listened intently and fell into deep thought. “So, a medium is something that can collect and store incense power?”

“You are indeed a promising student.” Sun Hewu smiled approvingly and nodded.

“Force that is concentrated in one place is often more effective. Incense power is also a form of force. But how can it be gathered in one place? The answer is worship. But how can mere mortals see a true god? In the end, they are simply bowing to a statue of clay or wood. That is why we establish Daoist temples everywhere and enshrine statues of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor.

“No matter who bows before the statue, their incense power converges upon it. Since ancient times, burning incense has been known to restore one’s spirit, and incense smoke aids in gathering incense power, even serving as a carrier to slow its dissipation. That is why incense burning is always part of worship and why it’s called incense power.

“If you pour a cup of water onto a table, it will spread out and evaporate quickly. But if the water stays in a cup, contained within a small area, it lasts much longer. Incense power follows the same principle. When gathered in one place, it does not dissipate easily.

“A statue serves as a natural vessel, making it perfect for storing incense power. This way, we do not need to waste effort collecting scattered incense power. We only need to draw from the stored ‘cup’ at regular intervals.

“Of course, this is just a very basic method. The top Shamans can collect incense power without relying on statues as mediums. As long as their followers silently recite their names in their hearts, the incense power will naturally be drawn to them. This is similar to how Wu Luo preaches through dreams.

“However, such techniques are extremely advanced, just like how top Martial Arts Practitioners can devour an entire flood dragon in a single meal. While the external manifestations differ, eating a flood dragon and eating common livestock share the same essence—both are methods to strengthen one’s energy.

“The same applies to Shamans. These matters are far beyond your current level. You only need to know they exist without delving too deeply. Also, the important thing about statues is consecration. The Buddhists are masters of this practice.

“The Daoist Order has imitated their methods. The Buddhists describe it in mystical terms, claiming that only after consecration can a true Buddha be invited into the statue. If the statue is left unconsecrated, it may be occupied by evil spirits, who then consume the incense power.

“But in reality, it’s not that complicated. Whether it be Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, how could they possibly reside in a mere statue? In truth, consecration is nothing more than a lock—or rather, a barrier formation. Once the seal is established, wandering ghosts, spirits, and malevolent entities can’t enter the statue and steal incense power.

“This brings us to the problem of internal theft. Since there is a lock, there must also be a key. Of course, this key is not a physical object. It could be a mantra, a talisman, or even an unseen spiritual channel. This key is controlled by the abbots in Daoist temples. Preventing internal theft has always been a major challenge, much like preventing the embezzlement of public funds. There has never been a perfect solution.”

Sun Hewu paused, glancing at Qi Xuansu. “You were involved in the second major Jiangnan incident, so you should understand the dangers of this.”

The Golden Tower Council officially classified the Purple Immortal Mountain case and the Jinling Prefecture calamity as part of the second major Jiangnan case, treating them as a continuation of the first major Jiangnan case. As a result, severe disciplinary actions were taken.

The Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master, along with the nine Deputy Mansion Masters—including Bai Yingqiong and Li Tianlan—were all issued major demerits and ordered to conduct deep self-reflection. Two Deputy Daoist Mansion Masters were reassigned, while another was dismissed from office.

Below them, 12 superintendents and 43 deacons were either dismissed or arrested. Over 300 individuals were investigated and held accountable.

This decree had already been made public throughout the Daoist Order via official bulletins, so Sun Hewu was well aware of it.

Sun Hewu continued, “Following the Buddhist model, we have established Daoist temples across the land to collect incense power. However, this incense power is highly impure, mixed with all sorts of desires—requests for wealth, promotions, protection, and blessings. If absorbed without refinement, at best, one’s mind would be damaged; at worst, one might descend into madness.

“Even the incense smoke, which acts as a temporary carrier for incense power, is itself an impurity. While it helps in gathering incense power, it is incredibly difficult to refine. The entire process requires filtration, purification, and refinement—the same way a Heavenly-Being Qi Refiner purifies the essence of heaven and earth into innate qi for themselves.

“This purified incense power is known as divine power. It can be used for strengthening the Spirit Guards’ armor, empowering Shamans in their cultivation, developing artifacts within Huasheng Hall, and even constructing divine bodies and divine kingdoms for Immortals. In some cases, it is more valuable than gold.”

Qi Xuansu pursued further. “Then how can one obtain divine power?”

“It is both difficult and simple,” Sun Hewu replied, holding nothing back. “You could start your own sect and preach—this is exactly what the secret societies do. That’s why they are called cults and cult demons.

“Another option is to seek out special artifacts, such as totems or sacrificial relics from Ancient Wuism. If you’re lucky, some of them may still contain residual incense power or even divine power. There are many ruins of Ancient Wuism in the southern borderlands, but Wu Luo also has her eye on these sites. You’re likely to encounter members of the Lingshan Witch Cult there, which makes it rather dangerous.

“You can also raid tombs. Throughout history, emperors have been worshiped by their descendants through incense offerings, so many artifacts within their tombs still contain residual incense power.”

“Oh, I’ve also heard that divine power or unprocessed incense power is sometimes sold on the black market. You can try your luck there, but you’ll need Taiping coins. I’ve never bought it myself, so I don’t know the exact price, but based on the Daoist Order’s internal valuation of divine power, a rough estimate for the amount of divine power required for a Guizhen-stage Shaman to ascend to a Heavenly Being would cost at least tens of thousands of Taiping coins. You should prepare at least ten thousand Taiping coins before heading to the black market, just in case.”

The more Qi Xuansu listened, the darker his expression became.

Stealing from Daoist temples, secretly preaching under the Daoist Order’s nose, snatching incense power from Wu Luo’s hands, risking death by countless booby traps and formations to raid imperial tombs, or simply buying it with money—these were his options.

Other than buying it, all the other options felt like a death sentence. But even if buying was the safest route, where was he supposed to find 10,000 Taiping coins?

Madam Qi had the money, but that was hers. He still remembered what she told him once, “Unless I die, my money has nothing to do with you.”

In other words, if Madam Qi were to meet an untimely end, she would leave him an inheritance. But until then, Qi Xuansu had to rely on himself. No matter how broke he was, he would not wish for misfortune to befall Madam Qi. If he truly had such thoughts, he would be inhumane and immoral.

On the contrary, he was actually hoping for Madam Qi to attain immortality, so he could ride on her coattails to ascension. In this era, people wished for their sons or husbands to succeed, so why couldn’t he wish for his mother to succeed? While he was at it, he might as well hope for his “wife” to succeed too.

Self-reliance and hoping for one’s mother or wife to ascend to greatness were not mutually exclusive. Everyone could leverage each other’s power, and he did not mind riding on their coattails.

But achieving immortality was far too distant. With Madam Qi’s temperament, her nature would not change even if she were to become an Immortal. Qi Xuansu would still be broke either way.

Zhang Yuelu was generous, but unfortunately, she was also poor like him and did not have much money to spare.

At times like this, the importance of Taiping coins became painfully clear. Even the mightiest of heroes could be stopped by a lack of money.

It was no wonder so many high-ranking Daoists still found ways to amass wealth. Money truly could move even gods and spirits.

Qi Xuansu murmured, “A fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master and Superintendent of Ziwei Hall gets a base salary of 200 Taiping coins per month. Including the various stipends, it only amounts to 300 Taiping coins per month. That’s 3,600 Taiping coins a year. If I don’t eat, drink, and spend a single coin, I’ll still have to save for three years. Even then, it might not be enough. If I need tens of thousands of Taiping coins, we’re looking at a decade of savings. That’s insane!”

If the old Qi Xuansu had known he could become a Heavenly Being in ten years, he would have thought it was unbelievably fast. But now that his ambitions had grown, he was no longer satisfied with such a pace. It was easy to move from frugality to luxury, but it was truly hard to go back the other way.

Sun Hewu shook his head and said nothing more.

In the Daoist Order, falling behind by one step meant falling behind at every step. After Zhang Yuelu became a Heavenly Being, both Yao Pei and Li Changge disrupted their own cultivation plans just to follow suit, fearing that they would lag behind. That was why advising Qi Xuansu otherwise was pointless.