Chapter 7

The先天 realm is divided into nine levels, and the cultivation stage is also divided into nine levels. The strength of each level is roughly the same. In this world, those who have reached the ninth level of the cultivation stage are already dominant in their regions. Those who can break through from the ninth level of the cultivation stage to the first level of the先天 realm are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and it is difficult for even one to appear in a hundred years.

One must understand that although there is only one level difference between the first level of the先天 realm and the ninth level of the cultivation stage, that gap is like an insurmountable chasm.

Ten martial artists at the ninth level of the cultivation stage cannot even injure a master at the first level of the先天 realm. The gap between the two is too great. If they were to truly fight, those ten martial artists at the ninth level of the cultivation stage would be instantly killed.

And with the treasure left by his ancestors, he clearly did not need to practice martial arts anymore, but instead directly embarked on the path of cultivation, a path that martial artists in this world dare not even dream of.

For now, he did not need to have too much ambition, thinking about things like laying the foundation and ascending. He only needed to practice casually, and even at the first level of the cultivation stage, he would be equivalent to a master at the first level of the先天 realm.

He could instantly kill a group of world-class experts. At that time, let alone the small Chen family, even the 108 sects and families of the Falling Cloud Mountain, the Ling family could look down on them all.

Ling Xian's face was full of joy, as this beautiful prospect far exceeded his expectations.

Ling Xian took a deep breath, picked up the jade slip, and pressed it to his forehead. Immediately, large golden characters appeared in his mind.

Skipping the narrative at the beginning, the latter part of the jade slip recorded a cultivation technique.

Its name was the "Hundred Spirits True Explanation," a method of cultivation, with profound and abstruse incantations, each word a gem, containing profound meanings, which immediately attracted Ling Xian's attention.

The "Hundred Spirits True Explanation" is divided into three parts. The first part is called "Hundred Spirits Gather Qi." Cultivating to its peak allows one to lay the foundation.

Ling Xian's face was full of joy, but for now, he did not consider such distant matters. The family was in turmoil, and the most urgent task was to enhance his own strength.

He could not wait to sit cross-legged and silently recite the incantation of "Hundred Spirits Gather Qi": "A hundred rivers forget me, gather spirits without injury, absorb the essence of heaven and earth, gather the dew of the sun and moon, collect the world's spiritual energy, to temper my body..."

The night was quiet, and an hour passed quickly. Ling Xian opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and invigorated. This cultivation technique was indeed miraculous, far surpassing any martial arts in the world.

To be precise, the two were not even on the same level.

The only drawback was that cultivation was too slow.

The Ling family could not afford to wait!

Fortunately, in addition to this jade slip, the ancestor left several other treasures in the storage bag, the most important of which were the spirit pills.

In this small world, where the spiritual energy is thin, cultivation is twice the effort for half the result, but spirit pills can make up for it, greatly increasing the speed of cultivation after consumption.

Ling Xian probed his mind into the storage bag, and with a thought, a colorful, exquisite jade bottle appeared before his eyes.

The Spirit Qi Pill, suitable for cultivators at the first to third levels of the cultivation stage, can lay a solid foundation and greatly assist in absorbing the elemental energy of heaven and earth.

The name and effects of the pill were clearly written on the bottle, and this bottle contained hundreds of pills, enough for him to cultivate to the third level of the cultivation stage.

Ling Xian inverted the bottle and took out a snow-white, jade-like spirit pill, the size of a soybean, very cute, and a refreshing fragrance spread.

Just a whiff made him feel refreshed, and Ling Xian swallowed it in one go.

He then sat cross-legged and focused on refining the medicinal power.

A flame formed in his dantian, turning into warm currents that flowed into his limbs and bones...

There was no discomfort, only a sense of comfort.

Ling Xian's mind was immersed in it, forgetting all worries and the passage of time.

When Ling Xian opened his eyes again, the morning sunlight had already penetrated.

Morning mist filled the air, and Ling Xian probed his mind into his dantian, discovering a thread of green spiritual energy in the qi sea. Although a night of cultivation did not allow him to break through the bottleneck of the first level of the cultivation stage, he had gained a preliminary understanding.

This spiritual energy was indeed miraculous, completely different from true qi.

A martial artist's true qi is invisible and intangible, only perceptible, while spiritual energy is formless but has substance.

He wondered what would happen if he circulated spiritual energy like true qi. The ancestor said that the strength of the first level of the cultivation stage is already comparable to a master at the first level of the先天 realm. Although he had not yet reached the first level of the cultivation stage, his strength should have improved when converted to a martial artist's.

A thought flashed through Ling Xian's mind, and he could no longer suppress his curiosity. He sat cross-legged and circulated the few strands of spiritual energy he had cultivated last night using the method of circulating true qi.

At first, everything went smoothly, but when he reached the Ren and Du meridians, he encountered a setback. He could not pass through. Ling Xian exerted a little force, and with a loud boom, the spiritual energy passing through the Ren and Du meridians transformed into true qi.

Ling Xian had just started cultivating last night, and his spiritual energy was naturally very weak, only a few strands as thin as a hair, but after transforming into true qi, it became immensely powerful.

Compared to the true qi he had cultivated through martial arts, this true qi was like a giant compared to a dwarf, incomparable.

Not only was the amount of true qi abundant, but it was also extremely pure, washing through Ling Xian's meridians and instantly elevating his strength to an incredible level.

Originally, Ling Xian had practiced martial arts for over a decade, but his cultivation was only at the second level of the cultivation stage. However, at this moment, the bottlenecks that had troubled him before were like paper, one after another being broken through.

Third level of the cultivation stage!

Still rising!

Fourth level!

The surging true qi did not stop until it reached the peak of the fourth level of the cultivation stage.

Now, he was just one step away from the fifth level.

Ling Xian looked at his hand, his face still showing disbelief. In just one night, he had broken through two bottlenecks, leaping to the level of a third-rate expert from a nobody.

A small difference can lead to a huge gap. The fourth level of the cultivation stage is known as the "Hundred Li Supreme," who can be on equal terms with the county magistrate. Not to mention the fallen Ling family, even those still prominent families and clans, if they could cultivate to the fourth level of the cultivation stage at this age, it would be considered remarkable.

They had various spirit pills to consume from a young age, while he had reached this level in just one night.

Unprecedented and unparalleled!

This might be an exaggeration, but it was indeed astonishing.

Cultivation indeed cannot be measured by ordinary standards!

Ling Xian clenched his fists, his eyes bursting with intense confidence. Money gives heroes courage, and in this world where the strong are respected, what could bring more confidence and courage than supreme martial prowess?

If yesterday he had to use strategy against the Chen family, today, if he faced the Chen family again, he could rely on his genuine strength to contend with them.

For now, he might still be no match, but if given more time, the small Chen family would not even be in his eyes.

...

Ling Xian's heart was filled with heroic spirit as he stepped out of his room. Outside his room was a small courtyard, about a dozen yards square, slightly dilapidated but full of vitality.

In the courtyard were a few wooden stakes and several large stones, all tools for martial arts practice. Compared to other prominent families, they were extremely simple, but this was inevitable. After all, the Ling family had fallen, and even eating required careful budgeting.

But change would begin from this moment.

Ling Xian recalled the martial arts techniques of his family.

Although the Ling family was not what it used to be, the martial arts passed down by the family were still profound. After all, they had been passed down for a thousand years. Talent might decline, but martial arts would not.

Ling Xian had previously learned the Fire Dragon Fist and the Wind Thunder Palm.

Wind aids fire, and fire enhances wind. These two martial arts techniques complement each other, and when combined, their power is immense. However, when he practiced them before, they always felt awkward. Now, as he recalled them, each move was crystal clear, and the places that had troubled him before became clear.

Ling Xian knew that this was because his cultivation had greatly increased, and his path to cultivation had greatly enhanced his understanding of martial arts, as if he had suddenly become enlightened.

It was still early, and after sitting in meditation all night, Ling Xian decided to practice a set of boxing to loosen his muscles and bones. He combined the Fire Dragon Fist and the Wind Thunder Palm, and each move was immensely powerful.

In the heat of the practice, Ling Xian let out a loud roar and struck out with a palm, sending a man-sized boulder flying into the air and shattering it into powder.

Ling Xian's face showed satisfaction. Such palm strength was probably among the best among experts at the fourth level of the cultivation stage.

"Ah!"

A scream reached his ears.

Ling Xian turned his head and saw a man and a woman, their faces showing shock.

Ling Feng and Ling Yu, now his absolute confidants, were stunned by the clan leader's boxing.

"Clan, Clan Leader, your strength..."

The siblings almost thought they had seen wrong. Was this a daytime dream in the early morning?

"I am now at the fourth level of the cultivation stage."

Ling Xian did not intend to hide his strength. First, the clan members were trustworthy, and second, for the Ling family to rise, being high-profile was not a problem, and there was no need to hide.

"Fourth... fourth level of the cultivation stage."

Despite having seen Ling Xian's palm strength just now, the siblings were still so shocked they could not speak. They had grown up with Ling Xian, and they knew his strength very well. Wasn't he always stuck at the second level of the cultivation stage?

Not to mention, if the clan leader had such strength yesterday, he would not have needed to go through so much trouble with the Chen family. He would have had the confidence to face them head-on.

In other words, yesterday he needed to use strategy against third-rate experts, but in just one night, he had advanced two levels.

Note, in just one night!

Was there any justice in the world!

The clan leader's strength had soared, and Ling Feng and Ling Yu were genuinely happy, but it was too unbelievable.

The disciples of the Ling family had always been bound by a curse, with extremely poor talent. But the clan leader's cultivation speed was such that any genius would be ashamed to the point of suicide in front of him.

"I'll explain later. What brings you here?"

Ling Xian was not surprised. He understood their shock, but this was just the beginning.

For the Ling family to rise, he could not hide his strength. In the future, there would be even more astonishing speed. Yes, he could not reveal the matter of cultivation, but he would need to think of a good explanation. However, it didn't matter. As the saying goes, "habit becomes nature." After the clan members are shocked a few more times, they would get used to it.

PS: Important announcement, please read:

The second update today will be at midnight, which is 00:00 tomorrow. I am trying to impact the new book rankings. Don't worry, I am not playing with time differences. The two chapters for tomorrow will be updated as usual, so this chapter is just delayed, and the update volume will not be reduced.

Yes, I know some readers will say, "If you want to impact the rankings, why not burst out?" I also want to burst out, but the new book rankings have a word count limit. Once it exceeds 180,000 words, it will be taken off the rankings. So during the new book period, I dare not burst out. Please understand.

Old readers can see that compared to before, both the daily update volume and the word count per chapter have greatly increased. Rest assured, after the book goes on sale, I will definitely burst out.

Additionally, to impact the new book rankings, recommendations, clicks, and collections are all important. So, dear readers, please don't be stingy with your recommendation votes, and be sure to "add this book to your shelf." Rest assured, the story will become even more exciting, and it will not be cliché. Please believe me and definitely collect this book. Thank you!