Chapter 8

After selecting a cultivation technique, Gu Yun waited outside for a while, and then came out. He chose a supplementary cultivation technique called "Spring Rain Nourishing the Earth."

After a while, the tall Tong Li came out. This boy came from a rural area and couldn't read, so he randomly picked a book. Sun Hao took the cultivation technique from his hand, which turned out to be "Ten Thousand Grinding Strength," an earth attribute technique. As he flipped through it, a strange expression appeared on Sun Hao's face.

After waiting a bit longer, Zhong Lin selected his cultivation technique, and Sun Hao led the group back to his courtyard to start cultivating.

Cultivation cannot wait; it must be done as soon as possible.

Sun Hao sat in the training room, holding "Year Wheel Wood" in his hands, and began his cultivation.

Taking a deep breath, Sun Hao calmed himself and started to study "Year Wheel Wood."

The "Year Wheel Wood" technique is based on the principle of plant spirits' cultivation. Its energy is rich, continuous, and endless. The cultivation process should be gradual, steady, and solid, laying a strong foundation, one year at a time.

The technique states: "Ten-year wood is on par with other techniques; hundred-year wood makes one invincible at the same level; thousand-year wood is enchanting; ten-thousand-year wood has never been seen in ancient or modern times..."

The technique also records the standards for the quality of the true qi of "Year Wheel Wood" at the first level of cultivation: "Ten-year wood has patterns; hundred-year wood is like a shuttle; thousand-year wood is like a snail."

A tall building starts from the ground; cultivation should begin with "guiding qi into the body."

After reading "Year Wheel Wood," Sun Hao calmed himself and began to try cultivating. Qu Yougen had given him unprecedented pressure; he couldn't lose to anyone, especially not to Qu Yougen.

Moreover, being continuously underestimated, Sun Hao felt a sense of frustration.

Sun Hao sat cross-legged, and the "Blazing Fire Technique" circulated through his body in nine cycles.

After nine cycles of the "Blazing Fire Technique," the internal qi was stored in the dantian. According to the "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique," the fire internal qi was compressed and placed in one corner of the dantian, and a bubble was set on the internal qi according to the incantation.

This was the method of the "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique," aimed at protecting Sun Hao's Blazing Fire internal qi.

The wood element spirit qi would suppress the Blazing Fire internal qi, and if not handled well, the "Year Wheel Wood" would completely consume the Blazing Fire internal qi. The "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique" preemptively created a base for the Blazing Fire internal qi in the dantian.

Placing the Blazing Fire bubble in one corner of the dantian, Sun Hao silently recited the "Clear Mind Technique," calmed himself, and began to sense the qi.

"Year Wheel Wood" describes: "Among the five elements, there is wood, with fresh and clear spirit qi; it is continuous and long-lasting, and its color is green..."

The training room was silent, and Sun Hao's breathing was long and steady. The incantation of "Year Wheel Wood" kept echoing in his mind. He focused on sensing the spirit qi of the Immortal Mountain, especially the wood spirit qi.

The elder who taught the technique said that guiding qi into the body would take at least three to five months.

It was Sun Hao's first time cultivating, and he did not rush to guide qi into his body. He was not in a hurry.

With a calm mind and low expectations, he slowly sensed the qi. The incantations of the "Clear Mind Technique" naturally surfaced in his mind, a habit from his years of cultivation. Sun Hao entered a state of cultivation where he was both present and absent.

This time, the state was different from before. Unconsciously, Sun Hao felt as if he was soaking in a nectar, feeling comfortable all over. Then, his consciousness seemed to enter a world of four colors...

Four colors: green, yellow, blue, and gold...

With the incantations of the "Clear Mind Technique" and "Year Wheel Wood," green light points gathered around Sun Hao, following a predetermined path into his body, entering his dantian, and then circulating through his meridians according to the "Year Wheel Wood" route...

One circle, two circles, three circles...

As the circles continued, the spirit qi in the dantian transformed into true qi, which formed and filled the dantian. It discovered the Blazing Fire bubble in one corner of the dantian and tried to engulf it, but it failed, and a balance was reached, so they coexisted peacefully.

The "Year Wheel Wood" true qi ignored the Blazing Fire bubble and continued to circulate on its own.

With each breath, wood element spirit qi continuously entered Sun Hao's body, forming a small spirit qi vortex above the training room.

A spirit qi vortex at the first level of cultivation on the Immortal Mountain of the Green Wood Sect was like a grain of sand in the sea, insignificant.

However, for some people with ulterior motives, the appearance of this spirit qi vortex was very untimely.

Elder Qing floated in the air above the southern courtyard, rubbing his eyes, suspecting that he might be seeing things.

He had always felt that Sun Hao was unique. Knowing that Sun Hao was assigned to the southern courtyard, he came in the middle of the night to see how the boy was settling in at the Green Wood Sect.

What he saw was this.

Sun Hao, with four spiritual roots, was cultivating the "Blazing Fire Technique" and, on the first day of entering the sect, was guiding wood element spirit qi into his body?

Entering the first level of cultivation was not unusual, but the speed was too fast.

In a flash, Elder Qing silently entered Sun Hao's training room.

Carefully sensing the spirit qi vortex around Sun Hao, Elder Qing knew that this disciple had indeed entered the first level of cultivation.

A hint of doubt arose in Elder Qing's mind, which had been calm for many years. According to the records, Sun Hao had a clean background and no cultivation foundation. How could he enter the first level of cultivation on the same day he chose his technique?

What could have caused this strange phenomenon?

Could it be that the "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique" he obtained had some unique qualities?

Could it be that the "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique" had some special quirks that allowed him to guide qi in one night?

A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and a thought crossed his mind. He needed to find a way to examine Sun Hao's "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique." Elder Qing had been stuck in his current cultivation state for a long time, and seeing Sun Hao's unusual cultivation, he couldn't help but have some thoughts.

Then, Elder Qing's divine sense scanned Sun Hao, checking his state.

Hmm? There's actually a Blazing Fire Technique in the dantian?

Yes, this must be the method of the "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique." Elder Qing was surprised again. This boy had only been here for a few days, yet he could already use the method. He was truly a genius.

Noticing the Blazing Fire bubble, Elder Qing fell into deep thought again. Scenes of his interactions with Sun Hao floated through his mind, and his expression changed with his memories.

Mastering the method of the "Five Elements Wheel Spirit Technique" so quickly and understanding the essence of "Year Wheel Wood" cultivation so thoroughly, this boy's insight was astonishing. From his performance in the Heaven Supplementing Disk, his perseverance, character, and courage were also commendable.

This disciple, without mentioning anything else, had the best individual cultivation qualities in the Green Wood Sect.

The best in the Green Wood Sect!

Thinking about this, a thought arose in Elder Qing's mind. Should the sect focus on cultivating such a disciple?

For many years, Elder Qing had been in charge of the Heaven Supplementing Disk, and supplementing the sect with excellent disciples was his obsession.

Then, a cold sweat appeared on Elder Qing's forehead. He remembered his earlier greed. What was he thinking? How could he covet the cultivation method of a new disciple?

Upon discovering that Sun Hao had guided qi in one night, Elder Qing's first thought was to obtain Sun Hao's cultivation method. The simplest way was to search his soul.

With Sun Hao's current cultivation and divine soul, a soul search would likely result in his soul being destroyed.

Shang Zhiqing, Shang Zhiqing! Elder Qing sighed. Where has your cultivation of these years gone? A slight setback, and you start to have evil thoughts, almost leading to eternal damnation.

A cold sweat turned into a full-body sweat.

Elder Qing looked at Sun Hao, his expression gradually becoming calm, and his thoughts slowly returning to peace.

In a short time, Elder Qing had a myriad of thoughts, as if a long time had passed. When he finally came to his senses from the evil thoughts, he felt a great relief.

However, what surprised Elder Qing even more was that after the feeling of relief, his long-stagnant cultivation suddenly became clear, breaking through a bottleneck?

Suddenly, Sun Hao became more favorable in his eyes.

Without the intention to seize Sun Hao's cultivation technique, Elder Qing began to ponder how to handle this boy.

From his own perspective, Elder Qing felt that it was best to keep Sun Hao's cultivation speed a secret.

The spirit qi in Sun Hao's body circulated along a fixed path, and he felt as if he had become a big tree in a fresh and lush forest, breathing freely. He didn't know how long it had been, but he suddenly woke up.

What? Upon waking, Sun Hao immediately noticed the unusual sensation in his body. Was this the qi sensation described in "Year Wheel Wood"? Did I generate qi sensation in my body?

Strange, there's also a qi sensation in my meridians? This isn't the state of the first level of cultivation, is it? Did I enter the first level of cultivation? Wasn't it supposed to take three to five months?

Try it? Sun Hao activated the incantation of "Year Wheel Wood" and circulated it through his body for one cycle according to the first level of cultivation.

I really entered the first level of cultivation!

So easy? Confirming that he had entered the first level of cultivation, Sun Hao opened his eyes and jumped up, yelling, "Yes!"

Then, he saw the expressionless face of Elder Qing!

"Ah, Elder Qing, when did you come?" Sun Hao's face turned red, and he looked embarrassed.

He had just been a bit too excited.

Elder Qing was not offended, his face as calm as ever, and he said expressionlessly, "I've been here for a long time. How is it? Did you enter the cultivation stage?"

Sun Hao suppressed his excitement, "Yes, I just entered the first level of cultivation."

"Alright," Elder Qing nodded indifferently, "Your speed ranks within the top thousand in the history of the Green Wood Sect, which is pretty good."

That was true, but those ahead of Sun Hao were all family disciples who had already cultivated before joining the sect, naturally making them faster.

Compared to those who started cultivating after joining the sect, Sun Hao was the best.

"Only within the top thousand? There are so many who are faster than me," Sun Hao felt a bit discouraged, and his excitement quickly diminished.

Seeing Sun Hao's change in expression, Elder Qing found it quite interesting, his face still calm, "This cultivation speed is still a bit slow, so I can't directly make you a true disciple..."

Sun Hao's excitement dropped even further.

Elder Qing continued, expressionless, "Therefore, after careful consideration, I think the most suitable position for you is a secret disciple."

Secret disciple? What's that? Sun Hao had learned a lot about the sect from Old Zhang, knowing that the Green Wood Sect had miscellaneous disciples, outer disciples, inner disciples, and true disciples, but he had never heard of a secret disciple.

Seeing Sun Hao's puzzled face, Elder Qing explained calmly, "A secret disciple, the treatment is decent, but the main feature is secrecy. That means, once you become a secret disciple, you can't tell people you are a secret disciple, you can't show off your cultivation, you can't tell people I am your master, you can't..."

Looking at the expressionless Elder Qing, stammering, Sun Hao asked, "Elder Qing, can I become an inner disciple?"

"Sure," Elder Qing's face remained unchanged, "Once you reach the middle stage of cultivation, which is the fourth level, you can become an inner disciple. By the way, the treatment of inner disciples and secret disciples can be combined."

"Can I get two treatments?" Sun Hao immediately decided that being a secret disciple was not bad, as he could quietly make a fortune.

Elder Qing tossed a jade slip to Sun Hao, indifferent, "Not bad. This is the 'Breath Concealment Technique.' After cultivating it, you can hide your cultivation level. As a secret disciple, you must keep your cultivation level secret. Learn this technique as soon as possible. Before you master it, don't wander around. If your identity as a secret disciple is exposed, you will be sent back."

So serious!

Sun Hao was shocked again. It seemed that the emphasis on secrecy for secret disciples was quite strong. "Can't I even tell my fellow disciples?"

"Yes, in the entire Green Wood Sect, only I and the sect leader know," Elder Qing's face was extremely serious, "Not even Xiao Yun can be told," and even the sect leader, Elder Qing planned to inform later.

Elder Qing had Sun Hao bow three times and serve him a cup of tea, and he became a secret disciple. Before leaving, Elder Qing gave Sun Hao a sound transmission talisman for easy communication.

Watching Elder Qing leave on his flying sword, Sun Hao was still in a daze. He had guided qi into his body? And became a secret disciple? The only regret was the need for secrecy. Achieving cultivation success had to be kept hidden, which was really frustrating!

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