Chapter 331: Washing Brush Practice Method

Ying Ruoli stepped two paces closer to Ji Yuan and whispered, "Uncle Ji, this appears to be a realm-ferry airship, carrying hundreds of people. Its defensive formations follow a traditional immortal sect method, but I don't know which sect it belongs to."

"Hmm." Ji Yuan acknowledged her, observing the airship in the distance. Though his face showed nothing, he was filled with curiosity.

Even with the airship's defensive formations, Ji Yuan's spiritual sight could discern a surprising number of mortals on board. Ji Yuan found it normal to see cultivators, demons, or even evil spirits. Seeing a few mortals wasn't unusual either, but discovering that at least one-third of the passengers were mortals was quite rare. In this society, ordinary people considered traveling to a few neighboring counties a long journey. So, seeing mortals on a realm-ferry airship was very unexpected, at least for Ji Yuan.

"Ruoli, I've never traveled on a realm-ferry before. Do they always carry so many mortals?"

The dragoness looked into the distance and shook her head. "Uncle Ji, you don't use them often, and neither do I. As a dragon, crossing realms by flying or swimming through the sea is far more comfortable for me."

"True. But they seem quite wary of you, don't they?"

Ying Ruoli smiled faintly. "While I don't really pay attention to that airship, they likely mistook the recent great thunderstorm as my doing. They probably think I'm undergoing an important transformation or am in a bad mood, and they don't want to provoke me."

Ji Yuan nodded. Dragons are indeed formidable, especially on the vast ocean. No one knows if their lair is beneath the waves, or if they have many aquatic demons serving them.

"They're saluting us. Let's return the gesture."

"Okay!" Hearing Ji Yuan, Ying Ruoli responded. She first took the brush Ji Yuan handed her, walked to the table, gently placed it on the brush stand, and then, with Ji Yuan, cupped her hands in salute towards the airship.

Seeing this from afar, the two true immortals on the airship who could discern the scene relaxed slightly. Avoiding trouble was always good. They did not dare to be negligent and bowed again towards the great whale, though this time their salute was primarily directed at Ji Yuan.

"Who is that person writing at a desk on the whale's back? And the flood dragoness, is she attending to him?"

"It's not entirely clear, and I'm not sure if he's also a dragon. But he seems amicable."

As the two true immortals discussed, the other cultivators with lesser abilities, or even the mortals with no cultivation at all, couldn't clearly see the distant situation. Everyone had been excited to see the massive dragon earlier. Now, they could only make out a large fish swimming below, but the figures on its back were as tiny as sesame seeds, their actions completely indistinguishable.

"Immortal Chi, should we fly away immediately or approach closer? Everyone on board is very eager to see them."

A cultivator in charge of operating the airship came over to ask. The two true immortals exchanged glances, then looked at the many curious people leaning over the ship's rail and those peering through the mystic windows in the cabin below. After some thought, one said:

"We can descend to a suitable distance, then slowly sail past them, but instruct the passengers not to shout. As we pass, everyone should bow towards the great whale's back."

Encountering two individuals traveling on a whale in the East Sea—one a flood dragon, the other writing at a desk on the whale's back—they were clearly extraordinary from any perspective. It was appropriate to pay their respects and also satisfy the curiosity of some passengers.

Thus, in the eyes of Ji Yuan and Ying Ruoli, the giant airship in the sky slowly descended, gradually approaching their position.

"Uncle Ji, should I tell them to go away?" Ying Ruoli asked, knowing Ji Yuan might be performing a ritual. Ji Yuan, however, shook his head.

"Let them be. The time is right, and I don't need to be distracted. They won't disturb me. Pay close attention when I perform the ritual; it will benefit your future transformation into a dragon."

Tonight, besides the usual practice of the Green Vine Sword absorbing pure qi and Ji Yuan's own cultivation, he also needed to temper the wolf-hair brush in his hand. With the brush and the assistance of pure qi, Ji Yuan felt he could try out some ideas, possibly allowing the dragoness to observe more clearly.

Meanwhile, General Giant Whale beneath them let out an indignant bellow. "It's one thing for this ship to fly in the sky, but does it really think it can outpace me on the sea? Humph!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Yuan felt a distinct lurch backward. The great whale had indeed sped up. However, the dragoness stomped her foot heavily, and General Giant Whale cried out in pain, immediately becoming docile.

"Tonight is New Year's Eve. Uncle Ji asked me to disperse the thunderstorm for a reason, so don't cause trouble." Ying Ruoli spoke coolly to General Giant Whale, who naturally dared not retort.

"Yes, yes, Lady Ruoli is right." General Giant Whale no longer dared to stir the water recklessly; in fact, he slowed down even further than before, seeking only stability.

Ji Yuan ignored the commotion, shifting his gaze from the distant airship to the starry sky above. At this moment, stars and moon shone brightly together under a cloudless sky. Midnight was not far off. He didn't need to meticulously track time; he only needed to observe the transition of the heaven-and-earth qi. He had witnessed the change from old to new year many times, with different atmospheres and environments bringing different shifts. He wondered what it would be like on the sea this time.

Soon, through Ji Yuan's wide-open spiritual eyes, a faint light subtly appeared between heaven and earth. Everything that had been blurry in his vision suddenly became distinct. Swathes of dim, misty qi emerged between heaven and earth, yet within them, two distinct currents of energy accumulated. It was this transition of qi that made the world in Ji Yuan's eyes exceptionally clear. On the vast East Sea, without the impact of human world qi, the transition between old and new was still awe-inspiring.

The misty qi appearing between heaven and earth formed a continuous expanse, beginning to separate into pure qi and turbid qi. Pure qi accumulated and ascended, while turbid qi dissipated as it descended, "tearing open" a new space within. From this, the pure qi of the new spring emerged, rising with the clouds to unveil the New Year.

At this moment of transition between the old and new year, the dragoness only felt a slight sensation, subtly perceiving the change in the celestial timing, but without much profound feeling. This was certainly true for General Giant Whale and the vast majority of people on the distant airship. However, in Ji Yuan's eyes, it was a profound transformation of heaven and earth, one that astonished him every time he witnessed it.

Unless he was completely unconscious, Ji Yuan never missed this moment each year, and it was no different now. With a wave of his hand, the Green Vine Sword shot into the sky, instantly ascending high into the firmament, plunging into the pure qi of the new spring that was about to dissipate between heaven and earth.

*Clang...* A clear sword chime resonated from the distant heights.

The world was still shrouded in night, but to those with sensitive spiritual perception, it seemed as if a flash of silvery-white light had illuminated for a moment. The Green Vine Sword skillfully cut off a small wisp of the new spring's pure qi, then, carrying it, returned to the sea surface. At the same moment, Ji Yuan reached out and grasped the brush handle, twisting the brush tip toward the sky a few times to draw the wisps of cloud-qi brought by the Green Vine Sword into the brush tip, subsequently circulating it through his own body. This transformation took only a few breaths, yet for Ji Yuan, it felt like a long and deeply satisfying period of cultivation.

At this moment, Ji Yuan's posture as he twisted and shook the brush in the air changed again. It seemed as if he was rapidly writing something towards the sky, using this method to meticulously gather every last remnant of pure qi onto the brush tip.

"Focus your mind on the brush tip, observe the separation of pure and turbid qi in heaven and earth."

Ying Ruoli paused for a moment, then quickly adjusted her focus, directing her attention to the tip of the wolf-hair brush in Ji Yuan's hand. Below, General Giant Whale, who had been swimming quietly, also had a sudden flash of insight. One of his sharp eyes turned rigidly to an angle, trying with all his might, despite the discomfort, to observe.

From the tip of the wolf-hair brush, pure qi gathered like invisible ink, forming fleeting characters—a type of celestial script that could not be preserved. Even with Ying Ruoli's cultivation, she could only glimpse them for a fleeting instant. Yet, in that single moment, it was as if her mind fractured and strange phenomena shifted before her eyes. She seemed to witness the very moment, mere breaths ago, when heaven and earth's pure and turbid qi separated, unveiling the New Year.

"What was that…?" Ying Ruoli murmured to herself, as if entranced. She wanted to observe more closely, but the wolf-hair brush in Ji Yuan's hand had already stopped writing in the air.

General Giant Whale, however, was different. He couldn't truly see the celestial script that existed for only a few breaths, as the dragoness could. But he could feel the profound shifts in the pure and turbid qi within it. He was now completely dazed, even his swimming becoming wobbly.

To those on the realm-ferry airship—cultivators, mortals, and the few refined demons—none could witness the wondrous sight in Ji Yuan's eyes, nor could they discern the celestial script on the brush tip like the dragoness. They were also far less privileged than General Giant Whale, who, despite his proximity, only caught a partial glimpse.

Though they couldn't perceive the celestial phenomena, by observing Ji Yuan, they felt something even more profound and indescribable. Mere breaths ago, the old year transitioned into the new. Whether cultivators, mortals, or refined demons on the airship, they sensed that on the distant whale's back, as one person wielded the brush, that specific area seemed to transform into a vast expanse, vaguely appearing infinitely distant yet startlingly clear, as if within reach. This allowed even mortals to clearly see the scene on the whale's back, as if they were standing nearby.

A strange sensation, both distinctly clear and incredibly muddled, intertwined. Apart from that spot, everything else around them appeared, as if in an illusion, enveloped in a dim gray mist. Then, within a few breaths, all blurriness vanished without a trace, leaving only a persistent green glow emanating from the tip of the blue-robed man's brush on the whale's back.

"What just happened?" On the airship, one true immortal dazedly asked his senior brother. He knew something extraordinary had certainly occurred but couldn't identify what it was.

The yellow-robed true immortal beside him was also lost in thought for a long time, but then he began to mutter. "All the purification of heaven and earth we just felt originated from that person's single stroke. The immortal scriptures say that at the moment the old year transitions into the new, the phenomena of pure and turbid qi pervade the cosmos, containing myriad subtle transformations, and are the very root of all life. Could this person be…"

The yellow-robed immortal paused for a moment, then a sentence blurted out: "Washing the brush with turbid qi to refine the old year's essence, wielding the brush to generate the new year's pure qi. This revered master is using the separated qi of heaven and earth to cleanse his brush and practice his art!"