Lee Hyun was certain that he had entered Qi Refining Stage 1.
Of course, compared to those he had once seen fighting in the sky, he was probably worth less than a speck of dust.
But that did not matter. He was stronger than he had been yesterday.
If he encountered a wild beast in the mountains, he felt he would no longer have to flee blindly as he had before. If he lost his footing on a mountain path, he probably would not be injured so easily, and even if several ordinary grown men came at him, he felt he could defend himself.
More than anything, unlike the ageless body he had obtained by sheer chance, this achievement was something he had accomplished himself after sitting in lotus position every day, reciting the mnemonic formula, and failing countless times.
A deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction welled up from within him.
When he exhaled, it felt as though the turbid qi that had accumulated inside his body was leaving along with his breath.
Then a horrible stench assaulted his nose.
“Ugh.”
Lee Hyun reflexively covered his nose and looked around the room for the source of the smell, only to lower his gaze to his own arm a moment later.
Blackish-yellow, oily grime was seeping out through his skin, and sticky filth was oozing from his neck, back, and face as well.
Startled, Lee Hyun hurriedly checked his pulse, but his heart was beating more strongly than before, and there was nothing wrong with his body. If anything, he felt cleaner and lighter than ever.
Only then did he remember what he had read in the 《Introductory Guide on Cultivation》.
It said that after successfully achieving Drawing Qi into the Body, spiritual qi would wash through the meridians, expelling some of the turbid qi and impurities accumulated within the body.
When he had read it, he had imagined it would amount to nothing more than sweating a little. He had never expected something like rotten mud to pour out from his entire body.
“The smell...”
Beside him, Wang Shao shifted in his sleep and wrinkled his nose.
Lee Hyun thought Wang Shao might wake up if he stayed like this, so he quietly climbed down from the bed.
Whoosh.
The instant his foot touched the floor, his body shot forward.
“...!”
He had thought he was simply taking a step with the same amount of force as usual, yet he nearly went flying. Lee Hyun hurriedly braced himself with his toes and stopped, then grabbed a spare robe and quietly slipped out of the room.
...
A short distance downhill from the Outer Gate residences was a stream flowing down from the mountain. The sun had yet to rise, so no one else was around.
The stench grew even worse when he took off his robe, and the sticky filth clung to his skin like a thin shell.
“This is a bit much...”
He grimaced and stepped into the water.
The streamwater flowing down from the mountain was cold enough to chill him to the bone. Even so, when he moved a little spiritual power in his dantian, warmth spread throughout his body and drove away the cold.
Lee Hyun scrubbed himself vigorously from head to toe.
The filth dissolved into the water and washed away, but one rinse was nowhere near enough. Only after scrubbing several times at the residue that had worked its way beneath his fingernails and between the strands of his hair did his natural skin finally emerge.
Lee Hyun submerged his head one last time, then surfaced and let out a long breath.
His breath turned into white mist and dispersed into the dawn air.
His body felt astonishingly refreshed.
It was as though years of accumulated fatigue had been pulled clean out from between his bones and muscles. His vision was clear, and he could hear the water flowing through the valley and even sense beasts moving in the distant forest.
Lee Hyun looked down at his face reflected in the water.
It was still the plain face of a young man around nineteen. However, his previously dull complexion had grown a little clearer, and his eyes were noticeably brighter than before.
He looked at a stone by the stream about the size of his head.
Normally, it was large enough that he would have needed to crouch down and lift it with both hands.
Lee Hyun cautiously gripped the stone with one hand.
It came up with ridiculous ease.
“Oh?”
Almost without thinking, he raised his arm, and the stone rose all the way above his head. It was not weightless, but he did not even need to grit his teeth.
When he set it down, it landed with a thud, gouging a deep depression into the soil beneath it.
This time, he looked up at the steep slope beside the stream. Normally, it was steep enough that he would have needed to use his hands while climbing.
Lee Hyun put strength into his legs.
His body sprang lightly upward.
Once, twice.
After reaching the top of the slope in only a few steps, he looked back down the way he had come. He was not even slightly out of breath. His legs were still brimming with strength.
‘This is fun.’
Lee Hyun came back down and began scrubbing the robe he had taken off in the water, only to discover something surprising. The grime had not soaked into the fabric at all. Once he submerged it fully in the flowing water, swished it around, then pulled it out and shook it off, it immediately looked as good as new, and even the moisture soon vanished.
‘As expected! Even the clothes in a sect of immortal cultivators are different.’
...
When Lee Hyun returned to the room, Wang Shao was still asleep.
Lee Hyun lay down on his own bed. His body was not tired, but as soon as he closed his eyes, perhaps because the tension had finally left him, he quickly fell asleep.
...
That morning.
“Lee Hyun.”
“Yes.”
Wang Jin studied him for a moment.
“You achieved Drawing Qi into the Body at dawn today.”
Soft exclamations rippled through the lecture hall.
Wang Shao stared at Lee Hyun with his mouth hanging open.
“Yes.”
“The seventh, is it... Not bad.”
Wang Jin spoke in a tone that neither particularly praised nor dismissed him.
“For the time being, focus on adapting to your body. There was even an idiot who got so excited after entering Qi Refining Stage 1 that he kicked a wall and broke his ankle.”
Several of the youths struggled to hold back their laughter.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Wang Shao leaned closer.
“Brother, when did you succeed?”
“At dawn today.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were asleep.”
“You should have woken me up!”
Even after cultivation ended that day, Wang Shao kept peppering him with questions.
He asked how much lighter Lee Hyun’s body felt, whether he could break stones, what spiritual power felt like, and whether Wang Shao himself showed any signs of an approaching breakthrough.
Lee Hyun answered as best he could, and Wang Shao immediately climbed onto his bed and sat in lotus position.
“I’ll break through today too.”
“Don’t push yourself.”
“Don’t worry. Mine is an Earth, Metal, and Water triple spiritual root. We both have a triple spiritual root, Brother, so I’ll succeed soon too!”
Several days later, before dawn, Wang Shao finally succeeded in Drawing Qi into the Body.
If not for the stench of the impurities oozing from Wang Shao’s body, Lee Hyun might have congratulated him a little more enthusiastically.
...
Time passed quickly.
By the fiftieth day after entering the sect, those who still could not sense anything even while sitting in lotus position could be counted on one hand.
Those who had broken through to Qi Refining Stage 1 earlier repeatedly practiced controlling their spiritual power with the Qinghe Qi-Drawing Art under Wang Jin’s instructions.
They gradually became accustomed to controlling their strength as well. Lee Hyun found the process quite enjoyable.
...
On the ninetieth day after entering the sect.
When Lee Hyun entered the lecture hall, he discovered that its arrangement had changed.
A folding screen had been set up on one side of the hall, and the three people who had yet to enter Qi Refining Stage 1 were sitting in lotus position behind it under the guidance of an outer disciple.
Their faces were filled with anxiety.
There was still some time left before the hundred-day mark, but it could not have been easy to watch everyone else move on to the next stage.
Wang Jin walked behind the long table at the front of the lecture hall.
Stacks of books lay upon it.
“Starting today, those of you who have entered Qi Refining Stage 1 will learn the basic cultivation arts commonly used in the Outer Gate.”
A murmur passed through the lecture hall.
“The Qinghe Qi-Drawing Art is a cultivation art meant for Drawing Qi into the Body. It is not suitable for advancing to Qi Refining Stage 2 or higher.”
Wang Jin looked over the disciples.
“You must choose a cultivation art with your spiritual roots and the work you will take on in the future in mind. Before Qi Refining Stage 3, it is possible to switch cultivation arts, but you will have to disperse most of the spiritual power you have already accumulated. Do not take this lightly.”
He picked up the book on the far left.
“The Verdant Wood Vitality-Nourishing Art. Those with a Wood attribute spiritual root can cultivate it. Its speed at drawing in spiritual qi is average, but its nature is gentle, and injured meridians recover quickly. It also helps with sensing the vitality of spirit herbs, so it is suitable for those who wish to work at Medicinal Field Peak.”
Lee Hyun’s interest was piqued.
The reason he had chosen Qinghe Valley in the first place was to learn how to grow spirit herbs.
Wang Jin picked up the next book.
“The Crimson Flame Art. A Fire attribute cultivation art. Of all the cultivation arts I will introduce today, it has the fastest cultivation speed, and its spiritual power is highly explosive. It is advantageous for learning Fire attribute techniques and alchemy. However, its nature is harsh. It can easily scorch your meridians, and cultivating it for long periods causes fire toxin to accumulate within the body. I do not recommend it to anyone hotheaded.”
Wang Jin lifted the third book.
“The Sovereign Earth Art. Earth attribute. Its cultivation speed is slow, but its spiritual power is substantial and stable. At the same realm, it can sustain defensive techniques longer than other cultivation arts. It is also useful for those who intend to tend spirit fields or learn formations.”
He continued with explanations of the fourth and fifth books, the 《Metal Edge Art》 and the 《Mystic Water Art》.
The Metal Edge Art produced sharp spiritual power and had great offensive strength, but it also eroded the cultivator’s own meridians, requiring a steady supply of medicinal materials to keep the body in good condition and making it expensive to cultivate.
The Mystic Water Art had a smooth flow of spiritual power and could change with great flexibility, making it compatible with all kinds of techniques, but prolonged use caused cold to accumulate within the body.
Of the cultivation arts introduced so far, Lee Hyun could choose from the three corresponding to the Wood, Fire, and Earth attributes.
The Verdant Wood Vitality-Nourishing Art was advantageous for cultivating spirit herbs, the Crimson Flame Art suited alchemy, and the Sovereign Earth Art excelled at managing spirit fields and defense.
None of them seemed like a particularly bad choice.
Then Wang Jin picked up the sixth and final cultivation art.
“Last is the Primordial One-Qi Art. It has no attribute requirement, so anyone can cultivate it regardless of their spiritual root. Because the process of drawing in spiritual qi corresponding to one’s own spiritual root and refining it into spiritual power is safe, it also carries the lowest risk of qi deviation.”
Wang Jin paused briefly.
“Its cultivation speed is the slowest.”
Disappointment appeared here and there throughout the lecture hall.
“However, the reason we teach this cultivation art to disciples is that it has many advantages. The spiritual power refined through this cultivation art is called Primordial True Qi, and as it is released, it can freely transform, allowing you to use techniques whose attributes do not match your own spiritual roots. Their power will be somewhat reduced, but it is an extremely useful property. Why do you think that is?”
Wang Jin looked over the disciples for a moment before continuing.
“Because we often need to use techniques of many different attributes. To give you a simple example, how many techniques would someone working as a spirit-plant cultivator in Qinghe Valley need to use?”
Wang Jin pointed at Wang Shao.
“You answer.”
Wang Shao’s eyes widened at being called on so suddenly.
“Techniques used by spirit-plant cultivators?”
“Yes.”
Wang Shao thought for a moment, folding down his fingers one by one.
“A technique for watering spirit herbs... and maybe one for making the soil more fertile?”
Wang Jin’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Do you think that would be enough? Spirit plants are not weeds that grow on their own just because you plant them in a field and give them some water.”
He raised a finger and formed a small hand sign in the air.
A wisp of pale cloud appeared above his palm, then released several fine droplets of rain.
“First, there is the Spirit Rain Art. It is a Water attribute technique that uses spiritual power to create a small cloud and produce rain imbued with spiritual qi. It is broadly useful when cultivating most spirit herbs.”
As the cloud dispersed, a yellow glow appeared at Wang Jin’s fingertips.
A pile of soil in the corner of the lecture hall turned itself over and loosened. Only the tiny grass roots and fragments of stone mixed within it were pushed outside.
“The Earth attribute Soil-Turning Art. It is a representative technique used to till hardened ground, sift out stones and weed roots, and allow the soil of a spirit field to hold spiritual qi evenly.”
Wang Jin flicked his finger.
A slender silver needle cut through the air.
The needle pierced a flying insect clinging to one of the lecture hall’s pillars, then vanished without leaving so much as a mark on the pillar.
“The Metal attribute Yang Metal Art. It is a technique that kills only spirit insects without touching the leaves or stems of spirit herbs. Naturally, spirit insects are difficult to kill with Fire attribute techniques. Most of the time, using a Fire attribute technique will burn the spirit herbs as well. Therefore, this technique is a fundamental skill for spirit-plant cultivators. Of course, if your control is poor, you will riddle the spirit herbs with holes before you kill the spirit insects.”
Several youths unconsciously glanced toward the pillar.
“Then there is also the Wood attribute Germination Art. It infuses seeds with vitality to help them sprout.”
Wang Jin lowered his hand.
“Everything I just mentioned is nothing more than the basic techniques learned by spirit-plant cultivators. Yet even those already require four attributes: Water, Earth, Metal, and Wood.”
One boy raised his hand.
“Then couldn’t we simply assign a different spirit-plant cultivator to each attribute? We could have one person handle the rain and another till the soil.”
“That is also one method.”
Wang Jin readily acknowledged it.
“A great sect with cultivators to spare, one that can assign several specialized spirit-plant cultivators to every spirit field, could certainly do that.”
A trace of bitterness entered his voice.
“But aside from our one Golden Core Patriarch, every cultivator in Qinghe Valley is at Foundation Establishment or below. On top of that, because our spirit fields are of poor quality, we have to cultivate spirit herbs over a wider area to compensate. There is a great deal of work to be done, while the people and resources available to us are limited. If you had to call a cultivator who knew the Spirit Rain Art every time the spirit herbs needed watering, summon someone who knew the Soil-Turning Art whenever weeds needed clearing, and search for someone who knew the Yang Metal Art whenever spirit insects appeared, how troublesome do you think managing each spirit field would become?”
Wang Jin seemed to want the disciples to choose the Primordial One-Qi Art. However, after hearing that it had the slowest cultivation speed, the disciples’ reactions remained lukewarm.
Lee Hyun turned his gaze toward the place where the 《Primordial One-Qi Art》 lay.
‘But does it matter if my cultivation speed is slow?’