Chapter 1: The Bai Family Child

Mizhou, Heishan County.

The Heishan Mountains stretch like a dragon, running east to west across the entire county.

Deep within the Heishan Mountains, it is said that third-stage demonic beasts, comparable to Golden Core cultivators, hide, making the area sparsely populated but rich in spiritual herbs.

The eastern part of the mountain range has been fully developed, with the largest force in Heishan County, the Qingfeng Sect, situated there.

The foothills are home to over fifty cultivator families of various sizes, spread across the mountains. This region houses more than eighty percent of Heishan County's cultivators.

After all, the spiritual veins essential for cultivators are rare outside the Heishan Mountains, and the lush vegetation and abundant demonic beasts make it convenient to gather various cultivation resources. Over time, it naturally became a haven for cultivators.

Despite the presence of so many cultivator families and a behemoth like the Qingfeng Sect, the vastness of the Heishan Mountains ensures they are not crowded. If the quality of the spiritual veins is not a concern, a small family of dozens can occupy a hundred miles of land without anyone objecting.

Among the many cultivator families, the Bai Family is known for its expertise in spiritual plants. Their ancestor was originally an inner disciple of the Yulong Sect, thousands of miles away. Born into poverty, he managed to step onto the path of cultivation due to his spiritual root, but after decades of hard work, he still had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Seeking opportunities, he traveled west and, by a stroke of luck, found a cave dwelling relic in the Heishan Mountains using a tattered treasure map. He discovered the legacy left by a previous cultivator, including a Foundation Establishment Pill, which is a treasure for all Qi Condensation cultivators.

With this Foundation Establishment Pill, the Bai Family's ancestor successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage and settled in Heishan County, establishing a cultivator family.

Now, the Bai Family has been passed down for hundreds of years, with over ten thousand members, firmly rooted in Heishan County.

However, among the ten thousand members, those with spiritual roots and listed in the family register do not exceed two hundred. Among ordinary people, about one in a thousand is born with a spiritual root, and in cultivator families, this ratio is slightly higher, but most are of lower quality, such as five-element or four-element spiritual roots.

Only a small family like the Bai Family treats each member with a spiritual root as a treasure. In the Qingfeng Sect, five-element spiritual roots are directly called "waste spiritual roots," and there is no need to start cultivation.

If a person has all five elements of spiritual roots, the efficiency of refining heaven and earth's spiritual energy is extremely low, and even a lifetime of hard work can only reach the late Qi Condensation stage.

If a person has only one type of spiritual root, they are called a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and the path to the Golden Core stage is smooth. For these favored children of heaven, the Foundation Establishment stage is easily attainable.

However, with nearly ten million people in Heishan County, the Qingfeng Sect's talent recruitment ceremony every ten years rarely finds a Heavenly Spiritual Root. The last time such a cultivator seed appeared was almost a hundred years ago.

After completing one full cycle of the Eternal Spring Technique, Bai Zichen felt a stable flow of spiritual energy remain in his dantian, unlike the past few months when no matter how hard he practiced, it was like trying to fill a leaky raft with water.

"Exactly one hundred days, successfully guiding the qi into my body. From today on, I am a true cultivator, at the first level of Qi Condensation!"

Even though he had the mindset of an adult from his previous life, he was only nine years old in this life. The path of cultivation was elusive, and although he had been exposed to it from a young age, it was only when he truly became a cultivator that he truly believed he was in a world of cultivation and immortality, where seeking the Dao and eternal life was no longer a myth.

In his previous life, with decades of surplus social productivity, Bai Zichen graduated from school and became a hermit, indulging in various virtual games, with a particular fondness for cultivation games.

Unexpectedly, after an all-night gaming session, he found himself in this world, as a member of a collateral branch of the Bai Family.

Bai Zichen's parents were ordinary Bai Family members without spiritual roots, living in the foot of the mountain in Mozhuzhen. With the Bai Family's protection, although they had no hope of becoming cultivators, their lives were relatively stable, free from the worries of heavy taxes and natural disasters that plagued other commoners.

The greatest wish of every Bai Family member is for their child to become a cultivator, not only to bring glory to the family but also to achieve immortality and elevate the entire family.

The mayors of the Bai Family's secular towns are all relatives of accomplished cultivators.

Bai Zichen's branch had not produced a cultivator for three generations, and they lived in Shangbaizhen, making a living from manual labor. It was not until his father's generation that his elder brother, Bai Jiuan, was found to have a spiritual root and was taken to the main family on the mountain.

After thirty years of diligent cultivation, Bai Jiuan, with a four-element spiritual root, had only reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation, but he was already a significant figure in Mozhuzhen.

Bai Jiuan, as a cultivator, took good care of his younger relatives. He returned home every few years, and during his last visit a year ago, he tested his young nephew and discovered that he had a three-element spiritual root, which brought great joy to the family.

Bai Zichen finally felt a weight lifted from his heart. Over the years since his reincarnation, he had been worried countless times that he might be a commoner without a spiritual root, destined to farm the land for the rest of his life.

In the Bai Family, the standard practice is to test for spiritual roots at the age of ten, but the direct descendants of cultivators often start testing at six or seven years old to avoid affecting their mental awareness and begin preparing for cultivation early.

Since Bai Zichen was found to have a three-element spiritual root, he naturally returned to the Bai Family's territory with his uncle Bai Jiuan.

In those thousand-year-old sects, a three-element spiritual root is considered mediocre and would be overlooked. However, in a small family like the Bai Family, with only a hundred or so cultivators, it is considered above average.

Moreover, Bai Zichen's three spiritual roots are in a mutually beneficial relationship, making him even more rare and valuable.

Bai Jiuan was very concerned about his nephew. After bringing him back to his bamboo house, he spent time teaching him various cultivation basics and knowledge, and spent spiritual stones to buy medicinal baths and spiritual foods to gradually improve Bai Zichen's constitution.

After nearly a year, he finally introduced Bai Zichen to the Eternal Spring Technique to start his cultivation.

The Bai Family, with over a hundred cultivators, are all descendants of the same ancestor, but over generations, many have become distant relatives.

Having a direct bloodline cultivator, Bai Zichen and his uncle could support each other on the path of cultivation, making them more reliable than other family members.

Guiding qi into the body is the first hurdle for every cultivator. The first page of the Eternal Spring Technique records that it takes a hundred days to guide qi and step onto the path of immortality.

Of course, this is a general estimate. Those with exceptional talent might take a month or two, while those with poor talent, like a waste spiritual root, might take a year or two.

The first step on the path of cultivation clearly reveals the difference in spiritual roots.

Bai Zichen took exactly a hundred days, neither fast nor slow, making him realize that his talent, while not bad, was far from that of geniuses.

Becoming a cultivator, Bai Zichen felt a complete transformation. He lightly leaped off the bed, stretched, and began to plan his cultivation strategy.

"The Eternal Spring Technique has no particular strengths in combat, but it excels in stable true essence and long-lasting qi, reducing the risk of cultivation mishaps. Before the Foundation Establishment stage, there's no need to worry about the technique. The most important issue is where to obtain cultivation resources and what special skills I have to rely on."

Bai Zichen's young face showed a maturity that belied his age.

With his uncle's guidance, Bai Zichen understood that besides innate talent, cultivation resources are the most important. With countless elixirs and treasures, even a waste spiritual root cultivator can be piled up to the Foundation Establishment stage with massive resources.

The Bai Family's patriarch is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and there are seven or eight late Qi Condensation cultivators in the family. This is enough to maintain the current situation, but expanding and developing is beyond their capabilities.

The family's income, after distributing to the top cultivators, leaves only a few spiritual stones per year for the rest, and they mainly rely on themselves.

If one does not reach the Foundation Establishment stage by fifty, their cultivation path is over!

This is a famous saying in the Heishan Mountains, meaning that if one cannot reach the peak of Qi Condensation and attempt the Foundation Establishment stage by fifty, their cultivation path is essentially cut off.

Qi Condensation cultivators have much stronger physical bodies than ordinary people and are free from illness, but their lifespan is limited to one hundred and twenty years.

After fifty, their vitality gradually declines, making it increasingly difficult to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. In the stories Bai Jiuan told, many elderly cultivators, after reaching the peak of Qi Condensation, tried to break through the Foundation Establishment stage, but none survived the massive spiritual energy impact.

"Immortals touch my head, granting me eternal life."

Bai Zichen opened the Heishan County Annals, his gaze resolute.

"Without immortals to guide me, I will rely on myself."

He had the idea to finish writing it, which he had started about five years ago.

(End of Chapter)