Chapter 16

In the quiet of the night, lost in thought, yet without a clue.

With a long sigh, A Mu decided to stop thinking about these matters. He retracted the black vine back into his body and then took out the "Root Nurturing Technique" left by Tieyun to read it carefully.

No matter what, A Mu knew that the most important and feasible thing for him to do at this moment was to cultivate diligently. He could only start by nurturing his immortal root.

The "Root Nurturing Technique" was the most basic method of the Northern Cold Sect, specifically designed for young cultivators to nurture their immortal roots.

The so-called immortal root is the root of cultivation. According to the cultivation rules of the Sea of Desolation and the Divine Land, the immortal root is not something one is born with, but rather something that is cultivated later in life.

In places with dense spiritual energy, following certain techniques, some young cultivators can nurture their immortal roots in the dantian, while others cannot.

Although the young cultivators have been selected, those who can nurture an immortal root are less than one percent.

The immortal root is divided into nine grades from first to ninth, with the grade representing the potential for future cultivation. For example, a young cultivator who nurtures a first-grade immortal root will likely achieve only a high initial cultivation level, with little chance of reaching a fixed cultivation level. A young cultivator who nurtures a fifth-grade immortal root will mostly reach a high fixed cultivation level, and may even advance to the Spirit Realm. In the past, Han Qianli and Bai Yifeng both nurtured seventh-grade immortal roots.

Even if the immortal roots are of the same grade, their attributes can differ, leading to differences in cultivation techniques and achievements.

No matter how you look at it, nurturing an immortal root is the first step for a cultivator to condense qi and refine the body. However, how many young cultivators stop at this stage? Tens of thousands, perhaps.

Initial cultivation, fixed cultivation, Spirit Realm, Holy Spirit Realm, soul cultivation, and scattered soul—three realms and six levels. Each level is a test of survival, and the path of cultivation is extremely difficult.

Thinking about this, A Mu couldn't help but sigh deeply. But A Mu deeply understood the principle that the strong are respected. Whether it was to fulfill his master's instructions or to live as a strong person, A Mu had to cultivate diligently.

Unfolding the "Root Nurturing Technique," A Mu read it with a calm mind.

This technique is designed for young cultivators to practice on their own, so it is simple and easy to understand, merely a basic method of absorbing and exhaling qi. However, the Northern Cold Sect is one of the three major immortal sects in the Northern Desolation, and the "Root Nurturing Technique" is far superior to the techniques of ordinary sects.

A Mu was born with wisdom and had an extremely strong comprehension ability. Such a basic cultivation technique was not difficult for him.

Unconsciously, A Mu was completely immersed in it.

The "Root Nurturing Technique" was truly marvelous. A Mu sat cross-legged, his mind clear, and felt something around him subtly moving.

In fact, A Mu's constitution was extraordinary, and this subtle movement was the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that he could sense.

The Northern Cold Mountains are the first place in the Northern Cold Region where spiritual energy gathers. The spiritual energy here is abundant, far surpassing other places.

A Mu needed to adjust his breathing according to the method recorded in the "Root Nurturing Technique," taking one long and three short breaths, quickly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and then guiding it through the meridians to the dantian.

Following this method, if one has exceptional talent, the spiritual energy will soon enter the body. However, this spiritual energy cannot gather in the dantian; ordinary people can only absorb a small part, gradually accumulating it to nurture their own immortal root in the dantian.

This immortal root is the foundation of future cultivation. With an immortal root, one has a place for the spiritual energy to reside, allowing for initial cultivation, condensing qi, and refining the body to gain the power of a cultivator, known as cultivation power. Further, one can solidify the foundation and advance to the Spirit Realm, cultivating spiritual energy and a spiritual body and heart, and eventually reach the Soul Realm, manipulating soul power, and finally cultivating an immortal soul that cannot be extinguished.

The immortal root is like a seedling of a towering tree, the foundation of all cultivators. To make it grow lush and tall, one must cultivate continuously.

According to the "Root Nurturing Technique," the first step of absorbing spiritual energy into the body is the first hurdle for many cultivators.

When spiritual energy first enters the body and circulates through the meridians, it gradually changes one's constitution, causing the practitioner to feel extremely uncomfortable.

Mild cases involve a tingling sensation all over the body, while severe cases feel like ants piercing the heart. However, this feeling usually does not last long, generally disappearing in three to five days, or at most ten days, as the meridians adapt to the circulation of spiritual energy.

In fact, most of the spiritual energy passes through the body, and practitioners generally refer to these initial days as "spiritual energy passing through the body."

On his first attempt at practicing the "Root Nurturing Technique," A Mu felt the spiritual energy around him moving, and then he tried to guide this spiritual energy into his body.

He originally thought this would not be easy and was prepared for the pain of spiritual energy passing through his body.

However, to A Mu's surprise, when he followed the method of the "Root Nurturing Technique" to regulate his breathing, the spiritual energy that was moving around him actually entered his body through his seven orifices, and A Mu could even feel some spiritual energy entering through his skin.

The numbness and the sensation of ants piercing the heart, as recorded in the "Root Nurturing Technique," did not appear at all. A Mu only felt a fine stream flowing through his meridians, heading straight for the dantian.

A Mu felt no discomfort at all, but rather a sense of comfort, like a withered seedling being nourished by a gentle rain.

Moreover, the fine streams of spiritual energy slowly gathered in A Mu's dantian, without passing through his body as mentioned in the "Root Nurturing Technique."

"Could I really be a cultivation prodigy?" A Mu was secretly surprised. "Could it be the demon coffin?"

However, when A Mu sensed it, the demon coffin in his dantian was still nowhere to be found, so it was likely not due to the demon coffin.

A Mu did not think about it further. Since it wasn't a bad thing, he remained calm, continuously regulating his breathing, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was absorbed into his body like water flowing into the sea.

If a Northern Cold Sect cultivator knew that A Mu could so easily guide the spiritual energy into his body on his first attempt at practicing the "Root Nurturing Technique," they would be speechless with shock.

Although the "Root Nurturing Technique" is simple, it is not something a young cultivator can practice so easily. After all, if cultivation techniques were as easy as martial arts stances, they would not be called immortal techniques.

But for A Mu, practicing the "Root Nurturing Technique" was even easier than practicing martial arts stances.

Such talent is not only beyond the reach of the Northern Cold Sect's leader Han Qianli and the prodigy Bai Yifeng, but even in the entire Northern Desolation, it would be hard to find one or two people with such talent.

Thus, A Mu spent his first night in the Northern Cold Sect in this wondrous practice of regulating his breathing.