Chapter 56 - Spirit Piercing Needle Technique
Su Ming walked the northern ridge of White Lotus Peak alongside Bai Qingxian and Elder Bai Zhen, looking down at a patch of tilled earth cleared for spiritual herbs. The morning wind carried a slight chill, rustling the pine needles along the stone path.
"I have informed Elder Zhen that you now know of our origin," Bai Qingxian said, her voice quiet. "And what we intend to do."
Elder Bai Zhen bowed, his hands clasped in his wide sleeves. "Peak Master Su’s discretion is appreciated. We do not wish to bring trouble to your peak, but re-establishing Medicine Valley in this world is our long-term goal."
"You are part of the sect now," Su Ming replied, his tone relaxed. "As long as you do not bring any harm to the sect, my peak remains quiet, and our agreements are fulfilled, your past is your own."
Su Ming nodded, calculating the long-term prospects. Re-establishing Medicine Valley would eventually require vast amounts of resources and influence, but housing them on his peak for now was a sound investment in the future.
Further down the stone path, Lin Yao watched the three walking figures. Over the past few weeks, she had quietly begun taking on minor missions from the Administrative Hall, traveling to the local mortal cities on her own. As the eldest disciple of White Lotus Peak, she had realized she could no longer simply rely on her master for everything. Verifying the missions, Su Ming did not stop her. Practical combat in the mortal world was a steady tempering for her sword, and she was determined to carry her own weight.
Still, holding a basket of fruits meant for the guest pavilion, she couldn’t help but keep her eyes glued to them. A bright, knowing smile spread across her face as she watched them discuss in close proximity.
’The Peak Mistress is responsible,’ Lin Yao thought, nodding in quiet satisfaction. ’She is already walking the grounds with Master, planning their home. I must ensure no one disturbs them.’
Unconscious of the matchmaking, Bai Qingxian turned back to Su Ming. "For the reconstruction, we cannot rely on standard medicine. We need a Life-Stabilizing Elixir to anchor Wang Tian’s vital energy during the procedure. It is a secret Medicine Valley recipe combining high-grade Yin and Yang herbs."
Su Ming reached into his storage ring and produced a wooden box. Opening it, he revealed three pristine stalks of Crimson Sun Ginseng and two frost-rimed Nether Frost Lilies—rare high-grade Yang and Yin herbs from his secret realm adventures. "Will these suffice?"
The Bais stared, their composure momentarily shattered by the sight of Su Ming instantly producing those herbs out of his storage rings. Sure, back at their previous world, they had a steady supply of those herbs, but Su Ming producing them instantly was a bit unexpected.
"These are excellent," Bai Qingxian said, recovering her guard. "But they only represent the main elements. To prevent them from clashing violently during refinement, we need a key balancing agent. Ten-year-old Sweet-Stem Grass. It should be an easily available ingredient. We also need several standard auxiliary herbs to complete the recipe."
"But..", She paused, "Refining this elixir is a slow, meticulous process requiring a massive volume of Qi. Since Uncle and I have low cultivation and we will need some time to recover, you must learn basic alchemy and refine it under our guidance."
"Alright....I will handle the procurement," Su Ming said.
At the central Medicine Hall, Su Ming secured the auxiliary items. However, when he asked for ten-year-old Sweet-Stem Grass, the deacon shook his head. "We only stock fresh bundles. The ten-year-old variant is held exclusively in the reserves of the Alchemy Peak."
Su Ming consulted Elder Lu in the inner rooms. The old healer pulled a small bronze token from his drawer. "Take this token to Elder Ling at the Vermilion Flame Peak registry. He will be able to help you."
"Thank you, Elder Lu," Su Ming said.
Su Ming flew to the Alchemy Peak, where the air smelled of charcoal and sulfur. Great plumes of black smoke rose from the natural volcanic vents along the cliffs.
At the outer registry, he presented the recommendation token to Elder Ling.
"Ten-year-old Sweet-Stem Grass and pulse stabilizing pills, spirit replenishing pills, and basic alchemy cauldron and alchemy books?" Elder Ling raised an eyebrow. "What does White Lotus Peak need with these?"
"A personal study," Su Ming replied, hands in his sleeves. "I require the raw grass today. The stabilizing pills can be delivered once they are processed."
"The stabilizing pills will take some time," Elder Ling agreed. "But we can provide the aged grass, alchemical recipe books, spirit replenishing pills, and a standard practice cauldron now."
Su Ming paid in spirit stones and contribution points. Checking his storage ring on the way out, he felt a twitch in his chest. The purchase had cleared out a massive chunk of his funds; he was again running dangerously low on resources.
’Alchemy for sure is a money-making profession,’ Su Ming thought, staring at the metaphorical dent in his wealth. ’No wonder so many cultivators attempt to learn alchemy. The entry cost is enough to bankrupt an ordinary disciple.’
The next day, Su Ming met Bai Qingxian in his study.
"We will begin with the anatomy of the human meridian network," she said, placing a diagram of the spine on the desk. "Unlike sword Qi, which is designed to cut, a physician’s Qi must act as a stabilizing thread. You must learn to refine your Qi into microscopic, hair-thin filaments."
For two hours, she detailed the specific pathways required for the surgery. Su Ming listened quietly, translating her medical concepts into meridian nodes and pathways. He realized his self-taught library knowledge was full of gaps, lacking the systematic depth of her heritage. In a rare moment of quiet focus, he found himself genuinely enjoying the private lecture.
She showed him a blueprint. "To execute these precise nodes, you need twelve specialized needles. It is best to have multiple sets fabricated."
Su Ming examined the blueprint, planning a visit to the Forging Peak later.
"Normal cultivators have only twelve principal meridians," she explained, pointing to the diagram.
Su Ming recalled his scans of Wang Tian. To reconstruct his meridians, his calculations showed he would need to connect a complex layout of nodes - a total of one hundred and eight.
"What about those with more?" Su Ming asked. "Do some possess more or unique meridians?"
"Of course, there are 36, 72, and even 108. Medicine Valley records say those with one hundred and eight meridians possess legendary physiques," she replied. "They face no bottlenecks in cultivation. But such records are extremely rare, bordering on myth."
Su Ming nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself. He had no intention of revealing that the blueprint he was preparing did not stop at twelve meridians, but was designed to weave a complex network of one hundred and eight meridians for the Shattered Sword Physique.
As long as she believed he was only attempting a standard reconstruction, the true scale of his miracle would remain hidden. He looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recalled his scan from her pavilion. "What about your secondary veins... aren’t they similar to special meridians?"
Bai Qingxian instantly froze. The pointer in her hand went still, and her composure vanished, replaced by a defensive posture. Her eyes locked onto him, cold and alert, realizing he had scanned her body path during one of their earlier interactions.
She waited for a deflection or an explanation, but Su Ming merely sat back, adjusting his wide sleeves with a perfectly normal expression. He offered no excuses. He simply waited.
Finding no way to probe his motives, she let out a slow, defeated sigh, her shoulders dropping slightly. "Those are my Sacred Spirit Veins... a Bai Clan bloodline trait. They grant no bottleneck-free cultivation, but they allow a high level of spiritual qi purification. That is all."
Hearing her explanation, Su Ming simply looked at her and nodded.
Bai Qingxian’s eyes narrowed. The realization hit her immediately - he already knew exactly what they were, and he had simply waited for her to confirm it herself. A sudden spark of frustration rose in her chest.
"You..." She rubbed the bridge of her nose, letting out a sharp breath. "Nothing gets past you, does it, Peak Master Su?"
"We should continue," Su Ming said, gesturing toward the diagram, his face returning to its lazy expression.
Bai Qingxian closed her eyes for a brief moment to calm her rising agitation before she reclaimed her composure. "Right. The Spirit Piercing Needle Technique..."
***
"Now, the practical training," she said. "The Spirit Piercing Needle Technique requires absolute precision. Manifest a single thread of Qi."
Su Ming closed his eyes and projected a silver Qi thread from his index finger. Backed by his mastery, his Qi was stable, and he narrowed the thread down to the width of a grass blade.
"No," Bai Qingxian said, stepping closer. "It is far too thick. You will tear his marrow. It must be scaled down. You are using too much force."
She stepped behind him, her cool fingers grasping his wrist to correct his hand’s alignment. "Do not force compression. Align the flow along the center line. Let the outer edges dissolve into stasis while the core remains sharp. Breathe out slowly."
Her proximity did not distract him. Treating his body as a map of meridian channels, Su Ming analyzed the micro-refinement of her own Qi against his.
’Her control over the scale of force of Qi is extraordinarily precise,’ he thought. ’She is balancing the subtle pressures of Qi to neutralize the expansion.’
"Try again," she said, releasing his wrist and stepping back.