Soul and Sword

It was almost evening. The sunlight peeking through the gaps in the dungeon bars began to fade. For half a day, Lu Xian spent his time meditating in silence. The flow of Qi energy flowed smoothly within his body. His breathing was calm, his chest movements were regular, and his entire body was surrounded by a calm aura that faintly glowed.

"Thanks to the help of the jade slip given by Qin Chang'er, I managed to open all five of my meridians." He muttered softly with a faint smile.

He then reached for his sword that was leaning against the wall. The sword was still rough, without any fancy carvings, but it had a strong aura. The weapon was the fruit of his hard work, not a gift from anyone. Now it was time to move on to the next stage — the union of the soul with the sword.

This technique was called the Soul Union Technique. In this method, the cultivator's soul would merge with his Dao tool — in Lu Xian's case, the sword. Once the soul merged, the bond between the sword and its owner would be absolute and inseparable. This bond was like bone and blood — if the sword was destroyed, then the soul would be shaken as well.

"Sword and bone as the foundation… soul and blood as the content." he said in a serious tone.

He started to sit cross-legged, placing his sword on his lap, then closed his eyes. His Qi energy and consciousness began to penetrate the sword. The temperature in the room slowly changed, the air became heavy and oppressive. Spiritual aura slowly gathered, forming a thin vortex that circled Lu Xian.

Time passed. Who knows how many hours he had been in that condition. Sweat dripped from his temples, but his expression remained calm. Until finally, in one long breath, the process of soul unification was perfectly completed.

Suddenly there was the sound of light footsteps approaching. Lu Xian immediately opened his eyes and turned towards the source of the sound. In the midst of the dimming light, a graceful figure in pure white clothes appeared from the shadows of the corridor. It was Qin Chang'er.

"How about the jade slip I gave you? Very useful, right?" Qin Chang'er asked with a gentle smile.

Lu Xian nodded gratefully. "This is very useful to me. Thank you, senior. I will definitely always remember senior's kindness."

Qin Chang'er replied with a sweet smile. "Your cultivation is already at the Qi Creation level 3 stage. What a good improvement."

"After merging my soul with the sword using the soul fusion technique, my realm rose to the Qi Creation level 3 stage. This is all thanks to senior's help." Lu Xian said humbly.

"Ah, don't be too excessive. I only gave you a jade slip. The one who did it was you." Qin Chang'er replied lightly.

"Still, even the slightest kindness from senior has a huge impact on me." Lu Xian said sincerely. Then she hesitated a little, "Oh right, by the way, why did senior come here? Aren't you afraid of being suspected by the sect master?"

"I came here to see your cultivation improvement… and to give you this." Qin Chang'er reached into her pouch and took out a small, silvery-gold pill. "This is a Sedimentation Pill, a level 5 pill. Use this tonight so that when you get out of prison, no one will know or see you."

Lu Xian accepted the pill with both hands respectfully. "I am very grateful, senior."

At that moment, a slumbering sound was heard from the other side of the room. Zhao Li, who was sleeping, seemed to be starting to wake up.

"Who are you talking to, Lu Xian? It's so noisy…" Zhao Li muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

Qin Chang'er immediately stood up and prepared herself to leave. "Okay Lu Xian, I have to go before I get caught."

"Yes. Thank you again for everything."

After Qin Chang'er left, Zhao Li turned his head with a half-awake gaze.

"Who was the person who talked to you just now?" Zhao Li asked suspiciously.

Lu Xian immediately diverted his attention. "No one. Maybe you just misheard."

"Really?"

"Yes, you just woke up."

Zhao Li only nodded slightly and did not prolong the conversation. "Oh yeah, by the way, no one has delivered food yet? I am very hungry."

"Maybe they haven't delivered it yet." Lu Xian replied.

Zhao Li quickly went back to sleep, showing his lazy and indifferent nature. However, Lu Xian did not mind. He just sighed and continued to concentrate.

A few minutes later, footsteps were heard again. Qin Chang'er came carrying two large plates of roast chicken, pork, and some dried vegetables.

Zhao Li, who was sleeping, suddenly smelled a tempting aroma. "Wow, this smells of chicken and roast pork…" he said as he dozed off.

It turned out that he was dozing off.

Lu Xian and Qin Chang'er held back their laughter at Zhao Li's silly behavior. Lu Xian picked up a piece of roast chicken, then pushed it to Zhao Li's nose.

"Roast chicken… so delicious…" Zhao Li said in his sleep.

"Open your mouth, this roast chicken wants to go in." Lu Xian joked.

Zhao Li opened his mouth in his sleep, and Lu Xian immediately put the chicken into his mouth. Instantly, Zhao Li woke up.

"What happened?!"

Lu Xian and Qin Chang'er chuckled, seeing Zhao Li's confused face. But as soon as Zhao Li turned towards the food, his expression changed to enthusiasm.

"So this isn't a dream!"

Zhao Li immediately ate the food greedily, without the slightest bit of shame. Lu Xian only ate a quarter of the food, letting Zhao Li enjoy the rest.

But for him, food was just a complement. Because in the true cultivation world, a cultivator should not need to eat.