Primordial Qi

In the wide black hall, Li Danqing and a few others respectfully saluted the three great masters.

The three chairs were occupied by people with gray hair and old looks. The Izumo Sect had been established for a thousand years, and the three of them were the founders of the sect, namely Patriarch Izumo, Patriarch Baiyun and Patriarch Lingyun.

The one in the middle is the ancestor Izumo, his eyes are bright and sharp, as if he can see through people at a glance. The other two have their eyes closed.

"I brought eight people this time, one of whom is named Li Tianjun. He broke through the third level of Qi Nourishing Realm the first time he practiced the Five Elements Qi Training Art. He is a very good seedling. I want to accept him as my personal disciple, oh no, a direct disciple. The other few people have decent aptitude, and there is one who has the roots of a mortal. The upper sect wants someone to grow spiritual medicine, and I want to send him over." Li Danqing said.

The old man in the lead nodded, acquiescing to Li Danqing's request, and then said to the eight people: "Li Tianjun, step forward."

Goudan didn't react for a while. Li Danqing used his spiritual power to push him a step forward. Goudan, who was confused, realized that he was the one being called. He knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Disciple Li Tianjun, I greet the Grandmaster."

"You are not stupid. Stand up. I will test your physique and grant you an opportunity."

Patriarch Chu Yun spoke, and a ray of spiritual light shot out from his finger and wrapped around Li Tianjun. A bubble formed by the gathering of spiritual power wrapped around Li Tianjun. Half an incense stick of time passed, and suddenly, three bang sounds were heard. Li Tianjun actually broke through three times in a row and reached the sixth level of the Qi Nourishing Realm.

"Your bones are indeed good. They helped you break through the sixth level of the Qi Nourishing Realm and opened up a meridian gate. You have taken this opportunity." Patriarch Chu Yun said, and then he waved his sleeves, and the bones of the others were also detected. Gu Chenyu only felt that his body was scanned by something, but there was no change.

"Your spiritual roots are not obvious, and your eight meridians are blocked. Your aptitude is too poor. What a pity. But it doesn't matter. If you go to the upper sect and perform well, you may be rewarded with elixirs for longevity. It is much better than a short life of an ordinary person. For now, you can be a menial disciple." Patriarch Chu Yun said, but after all, he was not going to be a disciple of his own sect, so he didn't say much.

After a simple formality, only Li Tianjun was accepted as a direct disciple and was taken to Li Danqing's courtyard to be trained personally. The others still needed to go through a basic entrance examination, that is, starting as a menial disciple. When they reached the Kaimai realm, they could become registered disciples. When they reached the Juling realm, they could enter the outer sect.

Gu Chenyu, who was assigned to be a menial disciple, could also practice with the others. He also had to do some odd jobs for the sect on weekdays. The introductory method was the Five Elements Qigong Technique. He received a book with pictures and text explanations in the Sutra Library, and then followed a senior brother named Xu Mo to familiarize himself with the sect's environment.

"Menial disciples only need to work two hours a day. There are actually not many things for the sect to do. When you have nothing to do, you should study hard and practice diligently to improve your cultivation as soon as possible." Xu Mo said. He also started out as a menial disciple, with average aptitude. It took him three years of diligent study and practice to reach the Meridian Opening Realm. Because he has been there for a long time, he is more familiar with this part of the menial disciple.

"Yes, we will follow your teachings." Several people answered in unison.

Soon, they arrived at the place where people practiced martial arts, and saw hundreds of shirtless young men running quickly on the stairs carrying water. They poured the water into a pool or a water tank and then quickly ran down the mountain.

"This is the daily practice of menial disciples, and it has the effect of tempering the body. This water is drawn from the foot of the mountain. Basically, one trip can produce the effect of practice." Xu Mo said.

Gu Chenyu just felt his scalp tingling. This place was at least thousands of meters below the ground. The water pumped up from the bottom of the mountain would at least make him lose a layer of skin if he didn't die.

I remember that in my previous life, I was so exhausted after climbing a mountain that it took me four hours to barely reach the top. Now, I climbed to the top directly. The thought of it makes me question my life.

Several people also felt their legs go weak. Not to mention that they had to keep so much water in the bucket. If there was less than three-quarters of water, they would be asked to pour it out and start over. There were also elders from the sect recording and checking. If they were unlucky, they would be thrown down and fought again. There were elders flying in the air with swords who kept an eye on the disciples who were practicing and could ensure that there would be no casualties.

It turns out that cultivation is so hard. If ordinary people continue to practice like this, they will probably not be able to persist for long before they become exhausted.

As if he saw that several people were retreating, Xu Mo laughed and said, "Don't be afraid. What do you think this water is for? We carry it up there to make a magical medicine for body building. Soak in the pool at night, and it can cure back pain, leg cramps, and you'll be full of energy and can come back a few more times the next day."

"When you get up early in the morning, you can go to the middle-level martial arts field to listen to the elders' sermons, practice the Five Elements Qigong, and take turns to clean the sect for two hours. The rest of the time is basically for practice, so sometimes it is a good thing to be assigned to overtime chores so that it won't be so hard. Of course, practice is voluntary. Similarly, if you don't participate, you won't have the opportunity to take a medicinal bath. So, the sect has given the opportunity, and the practice is all up to the individual." Xu Mo added.

Although Gu Chenyu did not join the Chuyun Sect, he could also participate in the medicinal bath in this way, which was considered an opportunity.

When we arrived at the accommodation, the new disciples were divided into different mountains and basically all stayed on the mountainside, where there was a large flat area with houses. Basically, each person had a room with a bed, a desk and a wardrobe, which was enough for daily needs.

After following Xu Mo to learn about many matters, it was already night. With the badge of the errand disciple, Gu Chenyu found his own residence. The room was clean and tidy, and it was cleaned frequently on weekdays. The bed was already made, so he could lie down and sleep as soon as he moved in.

"The Izumo Sect is really magical. This kind of training method is the first time I've seen it. I thought it would be the kind of training that requires seclusion for a year or two, pure meditation. I didn't expect it to be physical training right away." Gu Chenyu muttered to himself. He wondered if he could succeed if he tried it tomorrow.

There is a glowing spiritual stone on the ceiling of the room. The effect is like the light on the blue star, but this spiritual stone is softer and can provide spiritual energy to help people practice.

Closing his eyes, Gu Chenyu calmly felt the energy in his body. He could clearly sense the existence of spiritual energy, and convert it into spiritual power as described in the technique, but it always left his body and there was no place in his body to contain it.

Without spiritual roots, it means that there is no qualification to be close to spiritual power, but I can clearly feel spiritual power. This is obviously unreasonable. Could it be because of the blockage of the eight meridians? Gu Chenyu thought a lot, and there was no reasonable reason to explain his situation. He couldn't say that it was fate.

In the morning, Gu Chenyu followed everyone to the martial arts arena to listen to the elders' sermon. There were already quite a few people sitting in the martial arts arena, and each found a place to sit cross-legged. The menial disciples were all wearing gray clothes, so they were tied together. The white ones were the registered disciples, and they were all sitting in the front. Gu Chenyu found a seat in the middle, thinking that since he couldn't get in the front, it would be good to listen in the middle. Many menial disciples also sat here, and he felt a little safe.

Soon, almost all the disciples had arrived, waiting for the elder who was going to give a lecture.

"You, and you, all of you, sit in the back." A tall and burly man said viciously while holding a person in his hand. He threw the person forty or fifty meters away. Behind him were seven or eight people, all of whom were registered disciples wearing white clothes.

"Do you know that this is our seat? We got up late today and let you younger ones sit here. Why don't you get out of here right now?" said the big man.

"Lu Bai, there is clearly a seat next to you. Your behavior is too much. The sect does not stipulate who has a fixed seat here. If you want to sit, get up early. It's nothing to bully others if you get up late."

Some people were indignant and spoke out to stop him. They were already no match for the registered disciples, and all the seats in the front were occupied by them. They also thought that a few inner disciples might not come to the morning class, so they could sit a little further in the front. But in the end, they met such an unreasonable guy.

"It's none of your business. I just like it here. What can you do? If you have the ability, open your meridians sooner, or we can meet in the arena." Lu Bai said indifferently. He was already a warrior at the seventh level of meridian opening, and those who were still in the Qi nourishment stage were definitely not enough for him to beat.

"Hey, there's a newcomer here. Come, let me test your bones to see if your bones are strong or not." Lu Bai said, and he was also rubbing his fists. Seeing this, Gu Chenyu suddenly felt uneasy, thinking: Damn, wasn't I quite far away? How come I was still being targeted?

When the conflict arose here, Gu Chenyu quickly changed his position, still to a position in the middle. Unexpectedly, he was still targeted by this guy.

"Brother, there is no need for that. I am new here and don't know the rules. I hope you will forgive me. I will leave right away, right away." Gu Chenyu said, and wanted to leave as soon as he stepped on the floor. He had heard many people scolding him for being soft-hearted and being driven away like a dog.

"You, stop, you're not bad, you know what humility is, just sit there. Senior brother likes junior brothers like you who know how to deal with things in a timely manner." Lu Bai waved his hand. He didn't want to argue with a kid. He just wanted to show off, and it was enough as long as his goal was achieved.

Soon, an old man with a sage-like appearance flew to the podium. He was the elder who was going to give the sermon.

"Today, we are going to talk about spiritual roots. As the saying goes, the starting point of a cultivation journey depends entirely on spiritual roots. There is a saying about Yin Yang and the Five Elements in the world, and the human body also corresponds to Yin Yang and the Five Elements. And spiritual roots are naturally innate. Spiritual roots represent talent. A single spiritual root means an extremely fast cultivation speed. Practicing the inherent skills will achieve twice the result with half the effort, and a single spiritual root is also known as a perfect spiritual root. From ancient times to the present, people with a single spiritual root have almost always reached the Venerable Realm within ten years. This terrifying cultivation speed is beyond the reach of us..."

After listening for two hours, Gu Chenyu roughly understood the meaning of spiritual roots. They are born with nature and everyone has them. However, different types of spiritual roots mean different cultivation speeds. People with a single spiritual root can cultivate very quickly because they have a higher affinity for spiritual power. They are like a huge sieve that only absorbs the corresponding spiritual energy, eliminating the process of condensation, so the speed is naturally fast. However, there are also limitations. It will be more difficult to cultivate other attribute skills. Spiritual roots are essentially all five elements, but these single attributes are the first characteristics of spiritual roots when they come into contact with spiritual energy. It is not suitable to cultivate if there are more than three types of spiritual roots, because with each additional spiritual root, the spiritual energy will be messy, which will reduce the absorption and affinity.

The manifestation of the five elements spiritual roots is that there are no spiritual roots, or the spiritual roots are not obvious at all. Gu Chenyu is very likely to be this kind of five elements spiritual roots whose spiritual roots are not obvious. It is extremely difficult to cultivate. When practicing a technique, the spiritual power must be converted into the corresponding technique.

There are only a few types of skills in general sects, and many sects can only accept disciples with corresponding spiritual roots, so getting started is as difficult as ascending to heaven. However, the Five Elements Qi Training Art is different. It is the result of thousands of years of wisdom of Dawu and the hard work of countless sages who studied day and night.

From the initial single spiritual root, to double spiritual roots, and then to the current five elements Qi training, even those with mixed spiritual roots can practice it. It is the entry-level practice for countless people in the Dawu Dynasty and is regarded as the number one wonder book in ancient and modern times among the people.

"The Dawu Dynasty, what kind of place is that?"

The more I studied the Five Elements Qigong, the more I felt the horror of that dynasty. Such a technique actually allowed everyone in the common people to practice it and enter the path of martial arts.

There were also sermons in the afternoon, but the chores disciples had to complete two hours of sect chores before they could come to listen. However, more people chose to go to the cloud ladder to temper themselves and get the opportunity to take a medicinal bath. Soon, in the consular hall, Gu Chenyu was assigned a task to clean the rooms. The workload was not large, just three rooms, and there was a fellow apprentice who worked with him.

"Brother Chu Tian, why don't you work too fast?"

Gu Chenyu was very puzzled. He was busy cleaning the room and had almost finished in half an hour, but Chu Tian asked him to work slower. Gu Chenyu thought that if he finished earlier, he could have more rest. Could there be some mysterious secret in this?

For a moment he thought of the saying "the more capable you are, the more work you should do" and thought to himself that he was working too fast and was about to be discovered as a nuclear-powered ox and horse.

"Brother, thank you for your advice." Gu Chenyu clasped his hands together and said gratefully.

"You're new here, right? You work so fast." Chu Tian asked, looking very pleased. This new disciple understood everything without him having to say anything, and was much better than those who didn't listen.

"Yes, there are many tricks involved. Please explain in detail, brother." Gu Chenyu asked sincerely and seriously.

"Have you seen the cloud ladder outside? We menial disciples have to go there to fetch water after finishing our work. It makes you question your life. You can enjoy a medicinal bath by fetching water once a day, but if you finish your work and are discovered by the elders, you will definitely be thrown to climb the cloud ladder. It's at least three buckets of water a day, and there is not much improvement in your cultivation. Instead, you are exhausted." Chu Tian said, feeling very dissatisfied in his heart. He would be lazy as much as he could, since he could get the opportunity for a medicinal bath anyway. He could take as long as he could working here, as long as he had enough time to reach the top.

"Oh okay?"

Gu Chenyu fell into deep thought. Indeed, this would make things easier, but cultivation would not be achieved by laziness. So Gu Chenyu asked, "What should I do if I want to see it?"

"It's very simple. Just let me do all the work. Just go to the cloud ladder. Senior brothers will distribute buckets for registration. The dozen elders in the sky will record it. But I still advise you not to think too highly of yourself. It's very tiring." Chu Tian was overjoyed and said happily. In his eyes, this was another day of slacking off.

"It's okay. I'm new here and I want to see the world. If something can't be done, just give up as soon as possible." Gu Chenyu said.

Chu Tian shook his head and looked at the boy of twelve or thirteen years old. It was as if he saw his former self, who also had lofty ambitions. Unfortunately, the path of cultivation was not that simple. Even if he took the medicinal bath five times a day, the effect would be the same. He could only absorb a little more in this way, but it was just a drop in the bucket.

"Go ahead, leave this to me." Chu Tian said. Gu Chenyu clasped his fist to express his gratitude, then trotted to the bottom of the ladder.

How can you succeed if you don’t try?

Looking at Gu Chenyu going away, Chu Tian also shook his head and said, "If it was really that easy, there wouldn't be so many people like me who would choose to slack off. It's difficult, too difficult. If you don't finish the training, you can't even reach the top. And what you think is the top is actually just halfway up the mountain."