Chapter Six: The True Spirit Art of the Three Pure Ones

Lin Feng ascended the stairs at a measured pace and entered the room. His family was gathered in the dining area, having their meal. The square-faced, middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses was his father-in-law, Yao Zhentao. The woman with a shapely figure, her face thickly powdered and her makeup garish, was his mother-in-law, Lu Cuiyun. One was absorbed in reading the newspaper, while the other watched short videos on her phone, chuckling now and then.

At the table, a striking woman in business attire quietly ate her meal—his wife, Yao Qianqian. The three of them acted as though nothing had happened, continuing their cheerful little lives, completely forgetting that Lin Feng lay unattended in the hospital’s emergency ward, his fate uncertain.

During the three days he spent in the hospital, not a single member of the family came to see him, let alone care for him. Their cold indifference was absolute.

“I’m back,” Lin Feng said calmly, setting down his bag.

His father-in-law, Yao Zhentao, cast him a glance, wrinkling his nose before responding flatly, “Oh, have a seat and eat.”

Before Lin Feng could sit, a sharp smack rang out—someone had slapped the table. “Sit down and eat? What right does he have to eat? He goes to the hospital every day—whose money does he spend? In three years of marriage, has Lin Feng ever brought home a single cent? Why didn’t you just die out there, Lin Feng? What rotten luck!”

His mother-in-law, Lu Cuiyun, tossed her phone aside, crossed her arms, her breath heavy and chest heaving like bellows.

Yao Qianqian didn’t even bother to look up. Instead, she rose and said coolly, “I’m finished. I have work to do; please don’t disturb me.”

Her words were clearly aimed at Lin Feng, her demeanor indifferent, as if he were a stranger.

Seeing her daughter’s diligence, Lu Cuiyun’s face lit up with pride. “My good girl, don’t overwork yourself. I made you some soup—be sure to drink it all before you sleep!”

She watched her daughter go upstairs, then immediately turned sour, directing her spite at Lin Feng. “Don’t even think about eating. Even a dog at least guards the house. What about you? Can you guard the house? You useless thing—still want to eat?”

“Go wash the dishes. No one has done them for two days while you were in the hospital. The sink is full of dirty plates. And clean every room in the house—when you’re done, then you can eat!”

Her commanding tone made it clear she considered all this perfectly natural.

Lin Feng said nothing in reply. He picked up his bag and quietly returned to his room.

“Hey, did you hear me? Are you trying to rebel?” Lu Cuiyun shouted after him when he ignored her, her voice echoing through the dining room.

“Let it go,” Yao Zhentao interjected. “He’s just out of the hospital—he’s in a bad mood.”

“Hmph! I’ll let you off today. Lin Feng, if it weren’t for you, Qianqian would have married the young master of Binhai City long ago. She wouldn’t be suffering here with you! If you don’t want to stay in this marriage, just get a divorce and stop ruining my daughter’s life!”

Even with her husband’s intervention, Lu Cuiyun’s tirade continued for a long while before she finally quieted.

Lin Feng entered the bedroom, washed up, changed his clothes, then took out his bedding and spread it on the floor with practiced ease. In three years of marriage, he and Yao Qianqian had always shared a room but never a bed. She had never even let him touch a finger, let alone anything more.

But that suited him just fine. At this moment, Lin Feng had no other concerns; his top priority was cultivation.

“It’s now 2020. There are three years left until Grandfather is killed—I still have a chance!”

“Liang Fengnian, in my past life, I was weak and powerless for revenge. In this life, I, Lin Feng, will make you pay for your blood debt with blood!”

He sat cross-legged, entering a meditative state, and countless cultivation manuals accumulated over his hundred millennia of practice began to flow through his mind.

After perusing them for some time, a dazzling manual flashed through his thoughts like lightning.

“This is it... the True Spirit Method of the Three Purities!”

“It is said that this foundational manual was compiled over one hundred thousand years by the ancient human sage, the Patriarch of the Three Purities!”

“When I obtained this manual in my previous life, I had already cultivated for over thirty thousand years and stood at the pinnacle of the Golden Immortals. But this manual is meant for building a foundation—unless one abandons their cultivation and starts anew, it’s impossible to practice it. Thus, I missed my chance.”

“But now, reborn and starting from scratch, I must avoid the mistakes of my previous life and pursue perfection at every step, seeking the flawless Dao!”

Lin Feng retrieved the “True Spirit Method of the Three Purities” from the depths of his soul, studying it carefully, and discovered a myriad of profound mysteries within, filling his heart with joy.

The path of cultivation, after all, is built upon countless small efforts.

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; drops of water eventually form a sea.

Resolute, Lin Feng began his meditation. The spiritual energy within a ten-kilometer radius was drawn toward him, quietly merging into his meridians and flesh.

At midnight, Yao Qianqian returned to the bedroom from her study. Seeing Lin Feng sitting cross-legged on his bedding, she assumed he was up to his old tricks again. Her brows knit with displeasure as she thought, “Up in the middle of the night pulling these stunts again. Meditating like some Taoist priest—does he really think he’s one?”

“Why is heaven punishing me so? What did I do to deserve this?”

She pressed her fingers to her brow, disappointment flooding her heart, and looked at Lin Feng with even greater aversion.

The night passed without incident.

At dawn, as the first ray of sunlight pierced the window, Lin Feng felt a sudden surge of spiritual power coursing through his body.

A crisp, muffled sound echoed through his meridians—the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin was instantly cleared, the impurities within washed away by spiritual energy and forced out of his body. Filthy, muddy streaks seeped from his skin.

His cultivation had broken through; Lin Feng had formally rejoined the ranks of practitioners, reaching the first stage of a First-Class Meridian Unblocking Spiritualist.

“This True Spirit Method of the Three Purities is truly extraordinary. Even though the earth’s spiritual energy is so scarce, I broke through in a single night and entered the ranks of cultivators. At least now I have some means to defend myself,” he reflected.

Having cultivated for a hundred millennia, Lin Feng understood better than anyone what “unblocking the meridians in one night” meant.

To become a First-Class Meridian Unblocking Spiritualist, one must clear the twelve principal meridians and the eight extraordinary vessels, forming the lesser circulation within the body. Even in the most prosperous cultivation realms, the prodigies of great sects would need a month or even half a year to clear their first meridian.

But on a spiritually depleted Earth, Lin Feng had reached in one night what would take them a month. Besides his vast experience, his talent was clear.

He glanced down, wrinkling his nose at the foul stench emanating from the impurities on his skin, then washed thoroughly before stepping out of the bedroom.