A groan left someone’s mouth as they slowly opened their eyes.
They were within a dark space, their hands on the cold, earthy ground.
‘Where am I?’
It was Nangong Xuanhe who had awakened after falling off the cliff.
He glanced around, feeling a cold breeze brushing against his face.
He couldn’t understand where he was, only that he saw a light.
As his vision got better, he realized that he was in a cave at the side of the mountain.
Somehow, this cave had an inward drift, saving him from falling to his death.
It seemed the heavens heard his cries for mercy.
He crawled towards the hole, looking out to see the great forest stretching out with no end.
You would think it stretched infinitely.
“Don’t tell me I got lost!?”
“How am I supposed to get out of here!?”
Nangong Xuanhe began to panic.
His anxiety began to take hold of his heart, not allowing him to breathe properly.
After a bit of panic, he took deep breaths.
He let himself calm down.
He settled down, allowing him to come to terms with his current reality.
He was stuck, and he needed to get out before class started.
He knew a terrible punishment would await him, and even worse, it would only give Gu Xuanming a much higher expectation of their father, unlike himself.
He thought back to the support package, which only had 200 primordial stones and pretty basic attire.
He knew his brother must have gotten even better support, so in rage, he stormed out of the dorms, grabbing a bottle of wine and drinking his anger away, trying to distract himself.
And then everything happened, leading him to this moment.
Nangong Xuanhe decided to scour the small cave he was in.
It was really small, about the size of his own dorm room, with a leak at the top, sharp rocks that were near the wall, and—.
“W-what is that!?” He shouted.
It was a skeleton dressed in a torn robe!
He hadn’t realized it before, but now that he was paying attention, he could smell the scent of death!
Nangong Xuanhe stared at the skeleton for a long time, unsure of how to proceed with this.
He wanted to escape, but there was something on its finger.
A ring.
A majestic ring, layered with silver and gold, with a blue jewel on the top.
Nangong Xuanhe, despite fearing the skeleton, felt oddly drawn to the ring.
It was as if it were calling to him, demanding he put it on.
The voices, while quiet, were enough to tempt him, reeling him in like a rabbit following a carrot held by a wolf.
He had become a victim of their soothing words as they began to promise power and recognition.
It promised him the power to surpass his brother if he chose to wear the ring.
The moment he heard that idea, he immediately snatched the ring from the skeleton, breaking the finger bone off the hand.
At that moment, he began to salivate, slowly slipping the ring onto his right ring finger.
…
It had been 3 hours, and Gu Xuanming had continued trying to open his meridians.
During these hours, he had made substantial progress, able to locate about 50% of the meridians in his body.
He had opened them quite easily, but he hadn’t begun absorbing.
After all, he would much rather just open them all consciously first, then start absorbing Qiang Qi.
It was the most optimal path to follow after all.
He had also been using primordial stones and holding them in his hands as he cultivated so that he could cultivate without losing energy or sweating.
That left his robe clean.
‘I’ve made substantial progress.
I should start going over to class.’
Gu Xuanming stood up, dusting his butt off before leaving his dorm.
As he did, the wind blew, brushing against his pale skin.
Looking into the sky, a deep-seated hatred bloomed once more, seeing the strings that puppeted him like a doll.
His eye twitched, a crack in his nonchalant expression shown once again.
Looking back down, he found himself in the classroom, waiting for the instructor to arrive.
As usual, he sat in the same spot.
He noticed how everyone must have received their support packages as they were all wearing the common robes you could find off the street, except Gu Xuanming, who had on some fashion.
People couldn’t help but ogle the black robe, which had a robe under it decorated with solid gold.
But even more so, people were practically drooling at Zhao Cangsheng’s outfit, for he looked more like an emperor than anything.
His red robe had been decorated with dragons, woven by the most expensive threads one could find in the Northern Plain, with rings on his fingers that served as protective charms.
Finally, Xu Changfeng had arrived. New chapters come out on g.com first.
He looked around to check who was and wasn’t here.
He could immediately point out Zhao Cangsheng; he was especially glimmering compared to everyone else.
He also noted Gu Xuanming, but he couldn’t see his brother.
Slam!
The door slid open, and out stepped Nangong Xuanhe!
He was covered in dirt, from skin to robe, with bugs in his hair, wearing the ring he had found.
“You’re a minute late, boy.” Xu Changfeng said with a fierce tone.
One could tell with such a tone of voice that he was not happy.
Nangong Xuanhe bowed his head as hard as he could!
“I apologize, elder!
I have no excuse!”
Xu Changfeng gave the boy an intense glare.
“Of course you don’t.
There is no excuse for being late, not even by a minute.”
“Sit down.”
His head was lowered in shame, taking his seat.
But that didn’t matter anymore.
He looked at his ring, a smile stretching across his face.
It was a real and genuine smile, one he hadn’t had in years.
After getting settled, Xu Changfeng took a deep breath.
“Anyway, as I said yesterday, today we’re talking about paths and the qi types.”
Xu Changfeng grabbed the chalk and began drawing on the board.
“Like I said yesterday, there are four types of qi that are produced around the world.
The Qi you’re focusing on, Qiang Qi, Shen Qi, Ziran Qi, and Qiankun Qi.”
“Qiang Qi is born from our planet, Blue Star, directly.
This type of qi is perfect for refinement and enhancement.
It’s why this qi is the first step, as it refines and enhances the body, making it suitable for other energies to enter.”
“Keep in mind, this doesn’t only apply to the body, as it can also be applied to objects.
So, if you happen to use a weapon, you can reinforce it so it doesn’t break or maybe even your robes.”
Xu Changfeng glanced at Zhao Cangsheng, smirking.
“Zhao Cangsheng, I’m sure your family gave you top-quality robes.
Care to tell us what it offers you?”
Zhao Cangsheng looked at the teacher, rubbing his nose, and he chuckled.
“I’m glad you asked.”
He stood up off the mat, allowing everyone to admire the threads.
“My father gave me this robe, which offers triple-layer protection against qi techniques!
It can also store the energy from within primordial stones, so all I need to do is wear it, and I will never feel tired when meditating.”
Xu Changfeng nodded with approval.
“Indeed, that is nice.”
“Now enough of that.
Next is Shen Qi.”
“Shen Qi is created from mentality.
The mind itself and the soul.
This kind of energy allows a person to gain a sort of clairvoyance.
Your senses get sharper, and you can sense intent.”
“For example, if I desire to swing my blade at you, you will see it ahead of time before the swing commences.
This kind of qi can also help you sense the emotional state of a person, which we like to call Spirit Vision.
This often means people cannot lie to you unless they know how to control their emotional state.”
“Ziran Qi, on the other hand, is created by nature, so think of animals and trees, and it allows a cultivator to use qi techniques.
Unfortunately, I’m only on my third stars, so I can’t use a qi technique, which is why I’ve brought the sect leader today to show you all.”
Everyone murmured to each other.
“The sect leader?”
“I’ve heard that despite being on the same level as cultivator Gu Chenyin, he is still weaker than him.”
“Yeah, and that he’s also big and fat.”
“Ahem!”
His glare pierced their souls.
Zhao Cangsheng rolled his eyes, unamused by their bickering or his threat.
Gu Xuanming, on the other hand, was actually quite curious.
He wanted to know who the head was, so that he could be wary of them.
After all, if he intends to pursue his path, he needs to make sure that no one stands in his way, and the sect leader is definitely someone who would do so.
Slide.
The door opened, and in stepped the sect leader.
Just as the disciples said, he was indeed round.
His hair and beard were long, with signs of old age, along with wrinkles.
He also wore a nice robe.
“Hoho, so these are the next generation?
They are indeed quite promising.
My name is Jiang Haotia, and I am your leader, so do impress me.”
“I was called in for a demonstration, so I will do just that.”
Raising his hand, the man made a hand gesture, mimicking a wolf.
This gesture would create a shadow wolf within his own shadow below his feet.
Just then, a glowing outline of green enveloped Jiang Haotia.
He had begun to circulate Ziran Qi throughout his body, flowing this energy into his hand, then his shadow.
At that moment, his shadow began to contort, taking a whole new, more physical form.
The shadow emerged from the ground, taking the form of the silhouette of a wolf, with fiery, pitch-white eyes and lacking its own shadow.
Everyone was amazed by the qi technique.
Some wanted to touch it.
“This is a qi technique.
It is a technique formed by creativity and thought.”
“Unlike martial techniques, which are learned from Jade slips and passed down in families and knowledge, a qi technique is entirely dependent on the user.”
“While you can learn techniques from others, it is highly recommended that you create your own.
By doing this, it makes you less unpredictable, especially in combat.”
“Your instructor here will teach you how to fight tomorrow, right?” Jiang Haotia said.
Xu Changfeng nodded.
“Yes, I will.
From this day forward, your classes will be 2 hours long.”
Some disciples groaned in annoyance, already feeling like an hour of teaching was enough.
After all, they were more focused on gaining the prize for stones.
Jaing Haotia dispersed his technique, bowing as he left the room.
After that, Xu Changfeng stood before the class again.
“Well, right, then there is Qiankun Qi.
This kind of qi is only usable once you reach your 5th stars and beyond.
After all, it is divine qi from the stars, able to take the form of any sort of qi, making it the most versatile energy in the world.”
“And finally, the paths.
I can’t say much about them because of their diversity, but what I will say is that there are many common ones.”
“As I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, ‘Your stars align to your path’.
This quote comes from a cultivator who had created a new path to power.”
“Paths are the way that one chooses to use their newfound power.”
“For example, one may choose to follow the Martial Path, focusing more on martial arts and enhancing said martial arts with qi.
Others may choose the Alchemy path, a path focused on alchemy, allowing you to easily create medicines, pills, and other things.
Of course, a path is subjective and is whatever you choose for it to be.
You can also add a little spin to an already existing path.”
“For example, my student Qing Yuru, who is your senior, she follow a path called Martial Poison, mixing martial arts with alchemy, mainly in the creation of poisons.”
“We highly recommend you do this if you cannot forge your own path.
It creates uniqueness and opens the door for others to possibly follow in your footsteps.”
“You aren’t here just to learn, but to be an example.
That is your role as a cultivator.
While everyone around you may be mere mortals, it shows diligence and pride.
It proves you’ve grown; it proves you have power.”
“Am I clear?”
“Yes, instructor!”
Xu Changfeng nodded, glad they all understood what he was saying.
“Very well, class is over!”