The Vessel Forging & Qi Ignition Realm.
The core foundation of this initial stage was simple; forging one’s mortal body to become optimal for cultivation, igniting the inner fire of qi within the dantian, and guiding that refined energy through every pathway in the flesh.
With Senior Xuanling’s occasional guidance, Lucian carefully unblocked all one hundred and eight acupoints in his body, forging clear, stable pathways through his twelve primary meridians and eight extraordinary vessels to link them directly to his dantian.
Applying the principles of the Eternal Profound Scripture, he regulated his breathing, drawing the dense spiritual mist from the room and refining it into pale, shimmering strands of pure qi.
Though the concept sounded straightforward, it was anything but simple. It took Lucian a day and a half of continuous meditation to finish the initial cycle.
When he finally opened his eyes...
Grumble—!
This time, instead of a snarling zombie, it was his own stomach growling furiously from hunger.
"Uh..."
Lucian closed his eyes again, looking slightly embarrassed.
Floating nearby, Senior Xuanling began bobbing in the air with laughter.
– Haha! Mortal worries of eating!
The white orb vanished through the chamber wall, returning a few minutes later with several plump, glowing fruits hovering behind it. They looked remarkably like... fresh red tomatoes.
– Eat this, it will be quite beneficial to you!
Lucian bit into one. It was sweet, crisp, and bursting with a mild, gentle warmth of Fire Qi.
After finishing the tomatoes, Lucian wiped his mouth and immediately resumed cultivating in earnest, steadily accumulating more qi within his dantian reservoir.
Nearly three months passed in this quiet, monotonous routine—eating spiritual tomatoes, cultivating, discussing cultivation with Senior Xuanling, and, as the mortal body demanded, taking a dump.
He was forced to stick to tomatoes because the other spiritual plants growing in the sect’s gardens were high-grade herbs. Xuanling warned him plainly that if he even ate a leaf from those plants, his body would instantly explode from spiritual energy overload.
It turned out that starting cultivation didn’t magically detach a person from worldly concerns. Lucian occasionally missed his fast-paced life on Earth filled with smartphones and entertainment, but this quiet routine gave his mind a rare, welcome peace.
After these months, Lucian felt his qi reservoir pressing against the inner walls of his dantian. He felt it was time to master auxiliary arts while also starting body cultivation.
– Let me remind you once again, each human has their own limit in forging their vessel. I disliked your attitude of defying me. Should I start giving you punishments now?
Xuanling grumbled, circling his head.
"Senior, I told you, just give me one week. That week ends tomorrow," Lucian replied calmly.
There were no neat levels or numbered sub-stages to the Vessel Forging & Qi Ignition Realm. A cultivator couldn’t simply absorb endless energy and suddenly break through to some arbitrary ’ninth layer’ like the cultivation stories on Earth claimed.
’I wonder if Luther would be disappointed to know that one simply can’t absorb surrounding energy and break the power system on a whim?’
Innate talent and physical structure mattered deeply here.
Because every human was built differently, every vessel was unique. The entire purpose of this foundational realm was to temper the physical vessel so it could naturally withstand and host spiritual energy.
Having trained in such a dense environment, Lucian knew he had hit the temporary limit of what his mortal frame could hold.
’Until I break down and rebuild my vessel, my cultivation won’t advance any further.’
It was time to change strategies.
When the next morning arrived, Lucian sat with Xuanling to discuss his plan.
"...that’s why I am thinking of starting with the Eternal Jade-Bone Method."
– Hmm... Fine.
Xuanling hummed.
– But you will also need resources to complete that method, not to mention you simply can’t sit down and cultivate that method. Alright, I will train you in the Eternal Jade-Bone Method.
The white sphere hovered in place before suddenly splitting itself into two identical glowing orbs and one disappeared into the distance.
– Let’s move. You will go through a lot of agony this time.
Lucian followed the other orb out of the retreat and into the grand central pavilion, taking his stance in the middle of the wide jade floor.
"I am ready!" Lucian called out.
Instantly, hundreds of tiny, needle-sharp points of spiritual light condensed around the floating orb, glowing like dangerous golden fireflies.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
All of them shot forward at blinding speed, raining down on him from every angle.
’Isn’t this a bit too much?!’ Lucian thought, immediately activating his movement technique; the Nine Heavens Cloudstep.
Because this was his very first time using the movement art in live combat, his footwork was clumsy and stiff.
As a direct result—
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Dozens of light projectiles slammed across his chest, back, and thighs with the force of hard rubber bullets. Lucian winced in sharp pain, but almost immediately, a cool, soothing sensation spread through his body as the Eternal Jade-Bone Method reflexively absorbed the kinetic shock.
Lucian wasn’t fooled by the temporary relief.
If all the bones in his body shattered from the impact, who was going to perform the technique then?
Grit your teeth, dodge, and circulate. This was what he needed to do for now.
Simultaneously operating the Nine Heavens Cloudstep to evade while circulating the Eternal Jade-Bone Method to temper his bones from the hits he couldn’t dodge, Lucian threw himself into the storm, improving his mastery with every bruise.
Hours slipped away until evening settled over the peaks. Lucian finally collapsed onto his back, gasping for breath, his entire body screaming in exhaustion and dull ache.
"Haa... haa..."
– Tsk! Tsk! What a waste!
Xuanling clicked its tongue—even though the orb had no mouth—as the second half of Xuanling floated over from the side garden, carrying a large clay pitcher filled with a thick, dark red liquid.
"What is this?" Lucian asked, an ominous feeling crawling down his spine.
– Just blame yourself! You are not strong enough, so I have to break down high-grade ingredients and mix it with tomatoes to give you a tonic! I can’t even make a proper pill for you!
’I really don’t like senior’s word choice...’ Lucian thought wryly, wondering if his senior was secretly an alchemist.
Reluctantly, Lucian took the pitcher and drank the concoction down.
It tasted bittersweet and thick. But the second the liquid hit his stomach, a warm rush of vitality surged through his limbs, soothing his bruised muscles and rapidly stitching his hairline bone fractures.
– Don’t make such an expression, you now need to drink this everyday, hahahaha!
With that, Lucian’s daily routine took on a new, bruising rhythm: dodging projectiles, practicing footwork, tempering his skeleton, and downing a large pitcher of unique tomato tonic every evening.
The sun and moon cycles rolled across the sky.
Days turned into months as Lucian systematically trained in the Eternal Jade-Bone Method, polished the evasive footwork of the Nine Heavens Cloudstep, mastered the techniques of the Five Elements Harmonizing Art, and developed a piercing offensive attack he called Micro-Point Piercing Light—a technique inspired directly by Xuanling’s relentless daily projectile beatings.
Holding all these disparate arts together in perfect equilibrium was the Eternal Profound Scripture, providing an unshakable foundation and limitless potential.
Lucian could even feel his soul strengthening day by day, resonating in harmony between the scripture’s mental framework and the physical refinement of his bones.
After another brutal day of training, Lucian slumped flat onto the grass, panting as Xuanling drifted down, carrying his signature tomato tonic.
– Why do you look so listless?
Lucian stared at the drifting clouds, exhaling a long, weary breath.
"Senior, it just feels like yesterday when I dropped here. Who could believe I passed these three years with raw tomatoes and this tomato juice?"
– You unfilial thing! This is not tomato juice!!!
Three years had passed in the blink of an eye.
***
Lucian sat on the roof, staring at the night sky. The unfamiliar constellations twinkled in strange alignments, and an immense, silver moon hung motionless above the peaks.
He knew it was all an elaborate illusion maintained by the ancient sect arrays.
– What are you thinking?
Xuanling’s voice chimed in his head as the orb drifted down to float beside his shoulder.
"About The Primordial Origin Realm which overlaps with reality, if the sect isolated itself did it also isolate itself with the Primordial Origin Realm?"
Through their quiet evenings together, Lucian had learned that the Primordial Origin Realm was the true, ultimate source of all spiritual energy in the cosmos—an unseen plane that overlapped physical reality and provided the fundamental structure that stabilized the entire universe.
– Again with that nonsense overthinking! Just cultivate and you will know everything in due time!
Xuanling snapped in an exasperated, scolding tone. The sheer curiosity of this kid was truly boundless.
"Senior, won’t you tell me about the highest framework?" Lucian pressed further.
– If you ask once again, I will throw you in Nightmare Formation!
Lucian shuddered slightly at the memory.
The so-called Nightmare Formation was nothing more than Xuanling firing ten thousand concentrated light projectiles simultaneously from every conceivable angle.
Over the past three years, Lucian had only managed to pry a few high-level cultivation lore from his senior by shamelessly flattering it with compliments and coaxing it during meal breaks.
That was how he had learned about the Primordial Origin Realm, the Highest Framework that sustained cosmic laws, and The Primordial Origin that governed the grand pillars of Chaos, Space, and Time.
The orb quieted down, hovering steadily in front of him.
– You have something to say, don’t you?
Lucian met Xuanling’s gaze in silence.
As Xuanling observed him, the spirit couldn’t help but feel a quiet sense of pride.
Gone was the frail, bewildered youth who had stumbled out of thin air three years ago. Through sheer grit, Lucian had forged a remarkably solid foundation. His physical frame had broadened, his skin held the faint, jade-like luster of tempered bone, and his soul was tranquil and sharp.
Xuanling knew that if Lucian pushed himself, he could easily break through the next realm.
Yet a crucial piece was still missing.
Lucian had never faced a true life-and-death crisis. As brutal as Xuanling’s training had been, simulated danger could never replicate the cold, suffocating pressure of a genuine enemy trying to take your life.
More importantly, if Lucian truly wished to complete the open-ended framework of the Eternal Profound Scripture, he could not stay cooped up inside an empty paradise forever.
Lucian took a deep, steadying breath.
"Senior, I think I will be leaving this place and I want your answer too senior, won’t you come with me?"
There was no playful banter in his voice this time. He looked straight at the glowing orb with complete, unshakable seriousness.