Mythical Cultivation

Two days had passed since the medicinal bath. During these two days, Wu Ming had been meditating at home and practicing the art of absorbing qi, trying hard to enter a state of concentration and absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth. However, every time he succeeded in entering a state of concentration, he would come out of it because of excitement. He planned to go to his grandfather to ask for advice.

"Grandpa, every time I enter meditation, I wake up. What's going on? Didn't Instructor Zhang say it would take three to five days to succeed? Why haven't I even shown any sign of absorbing the heaven and earth's vital energy after two days?"

Wu Tianlong stroked his beard and smiled as he said, "We can't rush this. The three to five days that Instructor Zhang mentioned is still considered good. Only those of you who have used the medicinal bath will see results that fast. Normally, it would take ten days to half a month, and usually several months. The herbs and monster blood you used in this medicinal bath to strengthen your body are only the most basic effects. The medicinal bath is actually mainly to allow your body to adapt to the vitality of heaven and earth in advance, and to increase your body's sensitivity to the vitality of heaven and earth. This kind of strengthening will allow you to see results so much earlier than normal. It is because of our Li Village's connections in Qingyun Sect that we were able to obtain this medicinal bath method, so you must be content, calm down, and don't be impatient. Keep a peaceful mind."

After listening to my grandfather's words, I realized that I was too impatient. Cultivation is a gradual process. Don't think about achieving success overnight.

"You can relax first, read a book, calm your impatient heart, and then enter into meditation. Cultivation cannot be rushed, and what belongs to you will eventually be yours." Wu Tianlong said.

Wu Ming stopped impatiently thinking about practicing and instead practiced a few boxing techniques before going to his study to read. After two days of this, his mindset calmed down and he began to enter a state of meditation. This time, the meditation went much more smoothly. Although he still didn't absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth, it was much better than before.

For several days, Wu Ming continued practicing boxing, reading, and entering a state of meditation. On the tenth day, he finally absorbed the first wisp of heavenly and earthly energy into his dantian. He continued practicing until a strand of true energy formed within his dantian. Although he couldn't see inwardly, Wu Ming could feel a strand of true energy taking root in his dantian. Finally, he succeeded, but Wu Ming felt a slight discomfort in his body. He stopped practicing and prepared to go to his grandfather to ask if there was anything wrong.

"Grandpa, I absorbed the vital energy of heaven and earth during my practice today and cultivated a trace of true energy, but my body doesn't feel adapted. Is there something wrong?" Wu Ming asked.

When Wu Tianlong heard Wu Ming say this, he quickly put his hand on Wu Ming's hand, asking Wu Ming not to resist. He then used his true energy to probe Wu Ming's Dantian, and when he found that everything was normal, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's normal for your body to feel a little uncomfortable when practicing true energy for the first time. You will get more and more used to it in the future. You practiced true energy on the tenth day. Although you are not a top genius, you are still a genius, much better than your grandfather. There is still more than half a year before Qingyun Sect will accept new members. See if you can reach the first level of Qi training by then, so that you can have a higher starting point when entering the sect."

"Grandpa, I don't know what kind of sect Qingyun Sect is. Can you tell me about it so that I can be mentally prepared?"

"Since you asked, I'll tell you. Our Li Family Village is located in Linshui County, Qingjiang Commandery, in the northern wilderness of Yunzhou. You should know that the Qingyun Sect is the overlord of Qingjiang Commandery. In Qingjiang Commandery, they have the final say and have countless small sects and cultivation families under their jurisdiction. Our Li Family Village was founded over two hundred years ago by an outer disciple of the Qingyun Sect who was hopeless in his foundation-building stage. Although the Qingyun Sect has tens of thousands of outer disciples, no one outside of it recognizes them. However, over a hundred years ago, Li Family Village had only one inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect. In addition, Li Family Village was originally founded by Qingyun Sect disciples, so it was considered an insider. In the end, our Li Family Village had a slight connection with the Qingyun Sect. Although the Qingyun Sect doesn't care about this slight connection, it is a huge relationship for our Li Family Village."

"Grandpa, are outer disciples and inner disciples the same level of disciples in Qingyun Sect?" Wu Ming interrupted.

"Qingyun Sect's disciples are divided into several levels: outer disciples, inner disciples, and true disciples. Those who have just entered are not considered Qingyun Sect disciples, but only reserve members. Only those who have reached the fourth level of Qi training can be considered outer disciples. Disciples who fail to reach the foundation-building stage within twenty years of becoming outer disciples will be expelled from the sect and forced to venture out into the world. They can no longer be called Qingyun Sect disciples. Only those who reach the foundation-building stage can be considered official disciples of the Qingyun Sect. As for the true disciples, that is beyond our control. My hope for you is that you can become an inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect during your grandfather's lifetime. That way, even if your grandfather dies, he can die with peace of mind."

Hearing his grandfather say this, Wu Ming's heart warmed. "Grandpa, don't say such unlucky words. Why did the Qingyun Sect expel those Qi Refining disciples? Isn't it better to have more disciples?"

"Do you know how often Qingyun Sect recruits disciples, and how many disciples are recruited each time? Qingyun Sect recruits disciples every ten years, and recruits about a thousand people at a time. The lifespan of a cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage is at least a hundred years. If all of them were kept, then no matter how big the sect's territory is, it would not be enough, and no matter how many resources there are, they would not be enough to distribute. After all, no matter how low the cultivation level of a sect disciple is, he or she still needs some basic welfare. Therefore, Qingyun Sect only needs disciples above the Foundation Establishment Stage. This way, it can ensure the strength of the sect and also concentrate resources. Do you understand?" Wu Tianlong asked.

"Grandpa, I understand now. It means to concentrate resources to train elite disciples." Wu Ming thought, isn't this the survival of the fittest mentioned in the previous life?

"So, besides your own efforts, cultivation also requires external support. These are two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, each containing twenty pills. It will take you four or five days to fully digest each pill and expel the poison from it before you can use the next one. The Qi Gathering Pills will double your cultivation speed and should allow you to reach the first level of Qi Refining before the sect's envoy arrives."

Holding the Qi Gathering Pill his grandfather had given him, Wu Ming decided he couldn't let him down and would strive to reach the first level of Qi Refining within six months. In the days that followed, Wu Ming began to practice while taking drugs. The days of practice flew by, and before he knew it, six months had passed. During this time, Li Fei and the other four also gradually cultivated their True Essence. Several of the other ten or so people also reached the Perfection of Body Tempering and began to enter a state of meditation.

One day, with less than ten Qi Gathering Pills left, Wu Ming finally formed the first Qi cyclone in his Dantian. He knew he had reached the first level of Qi training. He took out his broadsword, which hadn't been used for over six months, and practiced a few times. He felt that without using his True Qi, he could now defeat four or five of his pre-Qi self. Using True Qi, he could defeat more than a dozen of his former selves. The difference in strength was truly immense.

After testing his own strength, Wu Ming prepared to tell his grandfather the news to cheer him up. After Wu Ming told Wu Tianlong the news, Wu Tianlong laughed and said, "My descendants of the Wu family are indeed not inferior to others. I'll go to Old Man Li's house and let him know the news." With that, he left. Wu Ming knew that his grandfather was going to show off.