Chapter 3: Qi Refinement Period

Zhao copied quickly, without bothering to think about the meaning behind it, believing he would have plenty of time later. After finishing the first five levels of the "Zhu Lang Jue" techniques, he felt he still had ample time, so he casually recorded the first five verses of the "Chang Chun Jue," which had the shortest text.

This old man's fireball actually possesses such terrifying power! Zhao felt a wave of shock in his heart, realizing that his past experiences could not explain everything happening before him, which further fueled his interest in cultivating immortality.

After carefully reading and thoroughly memorizing the mantra of the first level, he began to slowly guide the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body during his inhalation and exhalation, controlling this energy to circulate along the corresponding pathways within him, ultimately entering the dantian and converging into his own spiritual power, completing a small circulation. This was achieved quite easily, but the amount of energy gathered each time was pitifully small, even far less than that of those who started much later than him. Although he spent every day absorbing spiritual power without rest for four to five hours of sleep, and became increasingly proficient, the time taken to complete a circulation became shorter and shorter. However, it took nearly a year for him to finally gather enough spiritual power in the dantian and successfully control this power to impact several important acupoints within his body, achieving the perfection of the first level of cultivation and entering the second level of the Qi Refining Stage.

These five books appear quite ancient, with covers that are neither silk nor paper, clearly indicating they are extraordinary items. The covers are inscribed with the titles "Razor Gold Technique," "Eternal Spring Technique," "Waves Pursuit Technique," "Blazing Flame Technique," and "Earth and Stone Technique," corresponding to the five elemental attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, all of which belong to the basic cultivation methods of the Five Elements spells. As long as one possesses the corresponding elemental root, one can cultivate. For instance, a cultivator with Wood, Fire, and Earth elemental roots can practice any one of the "Eternal Spring Technique," "Blazing Flame Technique," or "Earth and Stone Technique." Theoretically, cultivators with multiple elemental roots can simultaneously practice various techniques, but in reality, no cultivator does so, as it is known that specialization is valued over multiplicity. The realm of cultivation is determined by the highest mastery of a particular technique; for example, reaching the thirteenth level of the "Eternal Spring Technique" corresponds to the thirteenth level of the Qi Refinement stage, and advancing one more level would make one a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if this cultivator with three elemental roots spends a considerable amount of time and energy cultivating the techniques of Wood, Fire, and Earth to the twelfth level, their cultivation level would still only be at the twelfth level of the Qi Refinement stage. Regardless of the size of their own spiritual power or the power of the spells they cast, they would not be as formidable as a cultivator at the thirteenth level of the Qi Refinement stage.

Once everyone had chosen their respective techniques, several ordinary members of the Jian family presented prepared paper and pens to each child. After all the children and bookkeepers received their paper and pens, the old man Jian Shi struck a series of peculiar poses with his hands, then pointed towards the five books of techniques in succession. Immediately, the five books emitted a variety of colored spiritual lights, forming five luminous orbs approximately two feet in diameter, enveloping the books within. Subsequently, characters of light swiftly flew out from the orbs, hovering above them. This dazzling five-colored orb attracted even more attention from some of the children compared to the previous fireball technique.

The purpose of continuous cultivation for cultivators is to elevate their cultivation realm. The higher the realm, the greater the enhancement of both magical power and lifespan. Generally speaking, the lifespan of a Qi Refinement stage cultivator is comparable to that of an ordinary person, typically living to around one hundred years if they pass away naturally. In contrast, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator can live to over two hundred years. As for those in the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages, their lifespans also increase exponentially. It is said that many Nascent Soul stage cultivators can live for over a thousand years, and there are a few such individuals in the Kingdom of Jinyan.

The old man continuously chanted incantations, his left hand constantly changing gestures, pointing at the fireball above his right hand. The fireball grew larger and larger, eventually reaching a diameter of about half a foot, roughly the size of a human head. Zhao Di, who was closer to the old man, could already feel a wave of intense heat emanating from the fireball, indicating that its temperature was extremely high. At this moment, the old man uttered the word "Go," and the fireball shot off diagonally, striking the rocky ground three zhang away. With a loud explosion, the hard rock surface was blasted out to a depth of more than one foot, creating a large pit over three feet wide.

Despite working so hard on self-cultivation, he finds himself inferior even to these five or six-year-old children, leaving Zhao Di somewhat speechless about his poor spiritual root.

In less than half an hour, all the children had finished copying. Old Man Jin put away the five books and left with a remark, "Work hard on your cultivation, and after you reach the first level, come find me at the Ruzige."

Old Master Jian did not keep them waiting for long. After briefly introducing some important considerations and basic methods of cultivation, he presented five different books of spells for the children to choose from

Zhao still remembers the scene from that day when he first saw the old man Jian Shi demonstrate the art of immortality, which excited him so much that he often dreamed of similar scenes for the following half month

Since each child is already aware of their spiritual root attribute, they are free to make their own choices.

The person responsible for teaching this group of children the introductory techniques is an elderly bald man with a white beard named Jian Shi. Although he is not young, his cultivation level is not particularly high, and his status within the family is quite ordinary

At the age of five, Zhao Di began to receive guidance from an elder of the Jian family, starting his own path of cultivation alongside other children with their respective books.

Upon hearing the old man say this, Zhao Di thought that the first level was quite easy to cultivate. Little did he know that it was not the case at all

The remaining children, however, were different; those with a fire affinity generally chose the "Flame Technique," perhaps drawn in by Jian Shi's performance

Zhao Di possesses five spiritual roots, encompassing all five types. He can cultivate the corresponding techniques for each of these roots. After listening to Jian Shi's introduction of the characteristics of various attribute techniques, he chose without hesitation to practice the "Wave-Chasing Technique," which is the fastest to cultivate. After all, his spiritual root attributes were originally not very good, so selecting an easier technique might not slow down his progress too much. As for the fact that the water attribute technique is the weakest in power, he did not take it to heart.

Zhao forced himself to memorize every word the old man said without missing a single one

"Live for over a thousand years, even as long as the heavens and the earth!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Di was nearly driven to madness; he could hardly wait to embark on the path of immortality.

This old man simply murmured a few incantations, then raised his right hand palm up. With his left hand, he gently pointed his index and middle fingers towards his right hand. Suddenly, a fireball with a diameter of six to seven centimeters appeared a few centimeters above the palm of his right hand, about the size of a fist, eliciting loud gasps of surprise from the children.

It is known that several children aged five or six have completed the first level of cultivation in just two to three months, while most of the others have done so in about six months

After the old man finished his demonstration, he looked at the astonished expressions of the children, nodded in satisfaction, and then began to teach the basics of cultivating immortality. Indeed, the children, captivated by the old man's performance, listened attentively one by one

As for this old man, he is at the early stage of foundation establishment and has already lived for over 180 years

Indeed, different attributes of cultivation methods possess distinct characteristics. Generally speaking, fire attribute cultivation methods have the strongest attack power, while water attribute cultivation methods are somewhat easier to practice. Wood attribute cultivation methods place greater emphasis on self-regulation, and practitioners of this method often enjoy a longer lifespan compared to practitioners of the same level. Metal and earth attribute cultivation methods also have their own unique characteristics

These are the first five layers of the incantations for the five types of martial arts, quickly write them down, as the light orb will disappear in half an hour. Although Old Man Jin's voice was not loud, it struck the children, who were mesmerized by the multicolored light orb, like a bolt from the blue, causing them to shudder and hurriedly pick up their pens to record it.

The path of cultivation is divided into nine major levels based on the different realms of practice, from low to high: Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Core Formation Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Spirit Transformation Stage, Void Refinement Stage, Integration Stage, Great Ascension Stage, and Tribulation Crossing Stage. The Qi Refining Stage can be further divided into thirteen levels, while the realms after Foundation Establishment are categorized into three stages: early, middle, and late. As for the Tribulation Crossing Stage, it is said to have only one level, which involves overcoming the celestial tribulation. Successfully passing the celestial tribulation allows one to attain immortality and live in harmony with the heavens and the earth. The Qi Refining Stage can be divided into thirteen levels, while the realms after Foundation Establishment are categorized into three stages: early, middle, and late. As for the Tribulation Crossing Stage, it is said to have only one level, which involves overcoming the celestial tribulation. Successfully passing the celestial tribulation allows one to attain immortality and live in harmony with the heavens and the earth.