Chapter 23

Situ Ya saw Luo Li's appearance and whispered, "Interesting little guy!"

Situ Ya led Luo Li through the mountain gate and the welcoming pavilion, entering the outer courtyard of the Tuo She Hall. Situ Ya brought them to an old man. The old man wore a blue robe, had a three-foot-long beard, and his white hair was tied in a Daoist bun. His face was as rosy as that of an eight or nine-year-old child, giving him a somewhat immortal appearance.

Situ Ya walked over and said respectfully, "Passing through a myriad of flowers, not a single leaf sticks to the body! Uncle Ji An, two new boys have arrived!"

Then he said to Luo Li and the others, "This is the head of our Tuo She Hall, Elder Ji An! I have something to attend to, so I'll leave now!"

After saying this, as if afraid of something, he crossed the courtyard and disappeared amidst the red flowers, green grass, and continuous buildings.

Luo Li and the others bowed respectfully; this was the leader of the Tuo She Hall!

Elder Ji An looked at them and said, "Passing through a myriad of flowers, not a single leaf sticks to the body! New arrivals, very good, very good! What are your names?"

Luo Li bowed and replied, "Luo Li!" Gao Peng also answered, "Gao Peng!"

Elder Ji An said, "Good, you are new arrivals. Today is your first day, so don't rush to work. Go to the third steward, Yong Chuan, first. He will arrange your accommodations!"

"Your current task is to practice diligently, quickly break through the nine barriers, open the qi sea, and become a true cultivator!..."

Luo Li and Gao Peng listened carefully. Elder Ji An spoke for a full half an hour before stopping. At this point, Luo Li and the others understood why Situ Ya had left so quickly; he was afraid of Elder Ji An's nagging.

Finally, the third steward, Yong Chuan, arrived, and Elder Ji An stopped talking. Steward Yong Chuan led Luo Li and the others into the building complex.

In the distance, a waterfall split into two in mid-air, with one half flowing into a river that ran through the Tuo She Hall.

Using this stream, they cleaned the filth. Along the river, there were slaughterhouses, skinning areas, dissection areas, material processing areas, and storage areas. These were used to slaughter spirit beasts, process their flesh and blood, and obtain various spirit materials.

Beyond these areas, in the distant forest, rows of stone buildings were arranged, which were the cultivation places for the Tuo She Hall disciples.

Steward Yong Chuan looked to be in his thirties, with a short beard on his upper lip, very light eyebrows, and squinted eyes. He was slightly overweight. On the way, he would give orders to anyone he saw.

"Little Seven, use some strength, are you a girl?"

"Old Sha, work hard. If you don't finish skinning these today, you won't get any food!"

He led Luo Li and Gao Peng to the distant stone buildings, pointed to two connected stone buildings, and said:

"Alright, these are your accommodations! Fifth-grade refined chambers, with a breathing rate of 400 per breath, suitable for your cultivation.

"Once you open the qi sea and enter the first level of the Qi Condensation stage, you will receive the sect's benefits and be upgraded to fourth-grade refined chambers! Fourth-grade refined chambers have a breathing rate of 200 per breath.

"If you are hungry, go to the canteen. It is open 24 hours a day, but the food is ordinary and does not contain any spiritual energy. If you want to eat spirit grains or spirit meat, you need to buy them with spirit stones."

Gao Peng nodded and went to choose a stone building. Luo Li, however, said to Steward Yong Chuan:

"Brother Yong Chuan, I am a third-grade disciple, and my accommodation should be a third-grade refined chamber!"

Yong Chuan was taken aback, looking at Luo Li in disbelief. In the Tuo She Hall, only Ji An, who was at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage, was a first-grade disciple. The rest, including himself and Situ Ya, were at the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage, making them third-grade disciples. Now, another third-grade disciple had appeared, which was quite surprising!

New disciples being promoted to third-grade disciples was not uncommon, especially for sect affiliates. However, being promoted to third-grade disciples upon entry and then assigned to the Tuo She Hall was unprecedented. Those with abilities would not choose to come to the outer courtyard.

He then took Luo Li's token and examined it repeatedly, finally confirming it. He said:

"Follow me!"

He had no particular feelings towards Luo Li. A third-grade refined chamber was just that, not a big deal. Luo Li followed him, and they walked for several miles into a dense forest, where there were about six or seven stone buildings.

Yong Chuan pointed and said, "You will live there! This is a third-grade refined chamber with a breathing rate of 100 per breath!"

He turned to leave but suddenly remembered something and said:

"You are surnamed Luo, from the Luo family of Yinzhou. Is Xi Yi your ancestor?"

Luo Li felt a chill in his heart. This question must have some history. He nodded and said, "Yes!"

Yong Chuan coldly snorted, turned around, and left without even looking at Luo Li!

Indeed, this person had some grudge with Ancestor Xi Yi, probably from three years ago. However, Luo Li was not worried; this was not a big deal. In the Lingdie Sect, this was just a stepping stone for him to familiarize himself with the cultivation world.

Looking at the stone building, Luo Li took a deep breath. This was his temporary home. The stone building was a two-story structure, covering thirty square meters, with a sturdy and elegant exterior, unadorned and simple, built from high-quality granite and marble. It was protected by a true essence shield to prevent outsiders from entering.

Luo Li used his token to touch the shield, and it immediately disappeared. The stone building's door opened, and this place now belonged to Luo Li. He slowly entered the stone building. The building was divided into two floors. The first floor had two rooms: a cultivation room for the owner to practice, and a martial arts training ground for practicing spells, sword techniques, and controlling spirit butterflies. However, the defense array needed to be activated with spirit stones; otherwise, it would be dangerous.

The second floor had a large bedroom for the owner to rest, with only a stone bed and no other bedding. Besides the bedroom, there were a bathroom, a toilet, a kitchen, a storage room, a tea room, a study, and a meditation room. All of these were empty.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Luo Li opened it, and a servant appeared, saying:

"Senior, we have come to deliver the sect's benefits."

After saying this, a group of people entered. They laid bedding on the stone bed, carpets on the floor, and filled the other rooms with tea sets, books, and other items.

However, these items were of ordinary quality. If you wanted better ones, you had to buy them yourself.

After they left, Luo Li took a deep breath, entered the bathroom, took a shower, and then went to the first-floor cultivation room to start practicing.

Sitting on a cushion, this was Luo Li's first time practicing. Only by successfully practicing, breaking through the nine barriers, and opening the qi sea, would Luo Li truly become a cultivator and enter the true cultivation world.

Luo Li carefully recalled the Heart of Freedom Sutra. This scripture emphasized the development of one's own potential, allowing one to fully realize their abilities.

Then he recalled the Accumulation of Tiny Soil Technique. The characteristic of this scripture was to accumulate and save, not wasting a single bit. The longer one practiced, the more accumulated and saved, and the stronger one's cultivation would become!

Both were good, but which one should he practice?

Luo Li began to study, "A tree that can be embraced grows from a tiny sprout; a nine-story terrace rises from a pile of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step..."

"Even if you reach the Zen gate, there is no need to stay; even if the Dharma cave is deep, there is no need to explore it. If you ask about the heart of freedom, it is like a dream that does not enter the great槐宫 (槐宫 is a reference to a place in a dream, often used metaphorically)."

Which one should he choose? Luo Li asked himself!

Suddenly, one of the six remaining good deeds in Luo Li's body shattered, transforming into a strange essence energy and infusing Luo Li. Luo Li gained some insight!

But this was not enough. More good deeds shattered, the second, third, and fourth!

Then the two cultivation techniques began to merge, optimizing and combining the best and strongest aspects based on the scriptures Luo Li knew!

This fusion had a prerequisite: it must be based on the scriptures Luo Li knew. He had heard that on this basis, the fusion and optimization would not exceed this scope, automatically evolving and improving!

Then Luo Li obtained a mixed cultivation technique, combining both the Heart of Freedom Sutra and the Accumulation of Tiny Soil Technique! This way, he could both develop his own potential and accumulate power!

With this mixed cultivation technique, Luo Li no longer hesitated and began to practice!

He sat upright, entered a meditative state, and controlled his qi, focusing on the true essence in his body. In just three breaths, Luo Li's mind went from chaotic thoughts to complete focus, free of distractions. This was a habit he had developed in the Tianjue Killers' Hall!

His entire mind quickly entered a state of no thought, no hearing, no movement, no welcoming, no farewell, no contention, and no clarity. His mind focused on the dantian, and he began to breathe according to the cultivation technique!

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, exhale, inhale, inhale, exhale, inhale...

Three long exhalations, one short inhalation, two short inhalations, and three long exhalations, following a strange frequency. Luo Li began to breathe and practice. This strange breathing technique, completing one cycle, was called one breath.

After one breath, he began the second, then the third. As Luo Li continued to breathe and practice, this was cultivation!

This was a long, boring, and tedious process. Without his practice in the Tianjue Killers' Hall, he would not have been able to persist. He would have lost patience, leading to a fluctuating mind, and ultimately given up, wasting time and energy.

After 200 breaths, Luo Li suddenly felt his body become hot!

This heat was extremely comfortable, making him feel as if he were floating. In the Heart of Freedom Sutra, this was called entering the Immortal Platform.

This meant he had begun to condense qi. Luo Li immediately felt an endless flow of spiritual energy surrounding him, being absorbed into his body!

His body felt like a sponge, absorbing endless spiritual energy, like a deep abyss, devouring everything. With this absorption, a feeling of extreme comfort spread throughout his body!

It was so comfortable, so pleasant, putting him in a magical state, filled with joy and happiness!

Yes, happiness, a happiness that surpassed everything, a joy like that of the heavens. Even high-ranking officials, beautiful women, exquisite delicacies, and the consumption of the Five Stone Powder could not compare to this feeling!

It was so pleasant, so good, so satisfying, this was life!

No wonder Father always wanted me to leave Yinzhou and come here to practice. Truly, one does not know until they practice, and life can be so enjoyable!

It was so pleasant, so satisfying, no wonder the legendary senior cultivators would close themselves off for decades without stepping out of their doors. This feeling was so pleasant, why go out? Staying in the cultivation room to practice and enjoy this pleasure was the way to go!

No one could resist this pleasure, this satisfaction, this satisfaction!

It was like this. Mortals always thought that cultivators were detached, practicing for decades without any desires. But in reality, only those who practice know. It is not that cultivators can endure loneliness and cut off their emotions and desires, but because they can experience pleasures that mortals cannot imagine. Only a fool would not continue to practice.

Compared to mortals, the desires and obsessions of cultivators might be even stronger, not less. Otherwise, they would not have reached this point today!

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