Chapter 15

"There is a saying, the Way of the Body encompasses the five organs and the bloodstream; one cannot attain the Way without profound understanding. If so, one must first open the body to absorb qi, temper the tendons, and forge the bones, only then can this body be planted with the immortal root, and the path to immortality will be within reach!"

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. Zibi did not appear again, perhaps because he was detained for causing trouble or because he felt embarrassed for not avenging Gu Xuyao. However, this did not affect Gu Xuyao's state of mind. In fact, after he began studying cultivation books, he quickly forgot about these trivial matters. After all, his purpose for being here was to cultivate and become a cultivator, then find his parents. This goal could be achieved in any department.

These books were for pre-cultivators who had yet to master mental visualization. They contained the most basic information, but for Gu Xuyao, they were like enormous treasures that captivated him.

"The Way is the Way, sensing the heaven and earth, condensing the divine jade, and integrating it into the dantian. Ascending to the clouds is just a matter of time."

Cultivation of the Way and cultivation of Strength were two different paths from the beginning. Cultivation of the Way emphasizes enlightenment. They must fuse their understanding of primordial energy and themselves into a divine jade, which will become their life. As long as the divine jade exists, so does the person; when the divine jade perishes, so does the person.

Cultivation of Strength, on the other hand, involves cultivating a root. This immortal root is formed by the fusion of primordial energy and one's will and perseverance. Once this immortal root is integrated into the body from the center of the forehead, it merges into the bone marrow and grows stronger as the cultivator progresses. Unlike the divine jade, the immortal root is already part of the cultivator's body. Unless the cultivator's physical body is completely destroyed, the immortal root will continue to regenerate. This regeneration does not mean regrowing a severed limb; if the cultivator's physical body is destroyed, the immortal root will naturally disappear.

Where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. Although the immortal root is not as obvious a weakness as the divine jade, the divine jade can perform functions that the immortal root cannot.

For example, when comparing cultivators of the same level, the primordial energy mobilized by the divine jade is definitely more powerful than the strength provided by the immortal root.

"Opening the body to absorb qi, tempering the tendons, and forging the bones, these two must be achieved first before the immortal root can be condensed..." After ten days of reading, Gu Xuyao found himself more and more energized. Initially, he only read cultivation books, but then he flipped through a geography book and became fascinated.

Besides cultivation, cultivators must also master things like magical treasures, spirit beasts, and fierce beasts.

"Lingxiao Realm, so the place I live is called Lingxiao Realm. It is said that the immortal root will change after being refined to a certain extent. I wonder how many such experts exist in the Lingxiao Realm..." Gu Xuyao was not one to indulge in fantasies, but even so, after learning a bit about this magnificent and diverse world, he couldn't help but start to imagine.

"Puff." Closing the book heavily, Gu Xuyao stopped thinking. The most important thing now was cultivation. The first step was to make his body capable of absorbing qi throughout.

"Primordial energy is like a gentleman, and also like a stubborn old woman. Sincerely inviting it can lead to a connection, but conversely, it can also be forced."

Primordial energy is everywhere, present in every breath of air Gu Xuyao inhales. However, these primordial energies only stay in his body for a short while before flowing away.

"The book only mentions opening the body to absorb qi but doesn't tell me how to do it. Do I have to go to the training room and ask a senior for help..." After flipping through the book, he found no mention of how to open the body to absorb qi. Remembering that Ruling had said the training room was where they cultivate the immortal root, Gu Xuyao had no choice.

Rather than remain puzzled in his room, Gu Xuyao preferred to go directly to the training room to find out. After all, he had already spent ten days in this room, something that had never happened in Leishi Village. If Gu Xuyao had to stay in a room for ten days, the sun would surely rise in the west the next day.

Saying go, he went. That was Gu Xuyao's character.

Pushing open the door, the outside was a quiet morning. The sun had already risen, and the sunlight filtered through the white leaves, lazily shining on Gu Xuyao's face. Perhaps because he hadn't been outside for a long time, he found it hard to open his eyes.

"Gu... Gu..." Every time, Gu Xuyao couldn't predict when Zibi would appear. Just like this time, while feeling the warmth of the sunlight, Zibi suddenly spoke from the side.

"Zibi? It's been a while. How have you been these days?" Gu Xuyao turned his head. This time, Zibi wasn't as enthusiastic as usual. Gu Xuyao felt something was off, and when he saw Zibi's face, he realized how foolish his question was.

"Your face... There are obvious bruises. Even with my experience, I can tell these are still healing. If they were fresh, they would be even worse."

"Who did this to you, so severely..." Gu Xuyao frowned, suddenly remembering the reason Zibi had left, feeling a wave of guilt.

Seeing Gu Xuyao notice the bruises on his face, Zibi looked embarrassed, took a few steps back, and lowered his head slightly.

"It's nothing, just a minor accident during cultivation. I came to tell you that the Strength Department is actually quite good..." His voice grew softer as he spoke.

Gu Xuyao's frown deepened, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.

"Zibi, did you get into this state because you spoke up for me? This Taiheng Sect is too much. You just gave a little opinion, and they beat you up. I'll go report this to the head of the Tu Ye Department!" As he said this, Gu Xuyao reached out to grab Zibi.

But Zibi gently dodged Gu Xuyao's hand. This action reminded Gu Xuyao that he was no longer in Leishi Village, nor was he the best hunter. Or rather, that identity no longer mattered.

"Gu... Gu, I'm fine. Don't go. If you go, it will only be bad for you. It's my fault, I was too impulsive. Anyway, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I have things to do. In three days, it's time for practice again. I need to go cultivate. We'll talk next time..." Zibi felt a mix of emotions but couldn't express them, so he left, leaving Gu Xuyao standing there.

His mind was blank, or perhaps too many colors had made him unable to see any color. Too many things were swirling in his mind, leading to this result.

After a while, Gu Xuyao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Enough, enough." Gu Xuyao clenched his fists. "I can't change anything now. The only way is to cultivate well..." He gritted his teeth and strode towards the teaching hall.

Fifteen minutes later, Gu Xuyao arrived at the teaching hall. The cultivators guarding the entrance were no longer the same two. After confirming his token, Gu Xuyao entered the teaching hall.

The training room was isolated to the east of the teaching hall. Compared to the practice rooms of the three departments to the west, this place was quite cramped.

"Gu Xuyao, the 36th generation disciple of the Strength Department, seeks guidance on opening the body to absorb qi." The door of the training room was tightly closed, surrounded by overgrown weeds, and a musty smell permeated the air. Clearly, this place was not often visited. In fact, cultivators recruited from the mortal realm were always a minority, with most cultivators being passed down within the cultivation world.

"Creak..." The door of the training room opened on its own, releasing an even stronger musty smell.

"Come in..."

A lazy voice. Gu Xuyao didn't care and walked straight in.

The inside of the training room was quite dilapidated, just a large room, empty except for some blackened cushions on the ground.

"Opening the body to absorb qi, huh? Hmm, you're just starting to cultivate?" The dirty man got up from the ground, disheveled and unkempt, with messy gray hair covering most of his face. He seemed to have just woken up, with dirt around his eyes, matching his greasy hair and the musty smell around him. It was unclear if he had made himself look this way to fit the training room.

"Yes."

The man nodded and wiped his dirty finger on the ground, leaving a thick layer of dust on it.

"First, eat this. It's the Qi-Stabilizing Divine Pill. After eating it, the primordial energy won't flow out of your body. Then I'll teach you what to do." Saying this, the man extended his hand towards Gu Xuyao.

Before the hand reached Gu Xuyao's nose, he smelled a foul odor, unsure what the man had touched to produce such a smell.

Gu Xuyao awkwardly coughed and bowed.

"Senior, I have just entered the sect. I hope you won't tease me."

"You're quite smart. Do you know, there was really someone who ate this mud pill and then complained to me that it was bitter. Hahaha, isn't that funny?" The man laughed heartily.

Gu Xuyao couldn't laugh. The matter with Zibi was on his mind, and he just wanted to cultivate quickly.

"Hmph, you're no fun." The man's personality was like a child, and Gu Xuyao didn't know how to respond. "Opening the body to absorb qi, right? Here, here. Take this pill and follow the method on the paper to practice for ten hours each day. If you can't achieve it in ten days, don't continue." Saying this, the dirty man threw a packet of pills and a piece of paper to Gu Xuyao.

The paper was clean, and the packet of pills was new, clearly not a joke.

"Thank you, Senior. I'll take my leave." Gu Xuyao bowed and turned to leave.

"Hmph, no fun. Hehehe, you're better. You're here to play with me again..." The man muttered to himself. As Gu Xuyao closed the door, he saw the man holding a fat rat by its tail, as if talking to it.

The training room was managed by only one person, and such a person at that. This puzzled Gu Xuyao. Logically, even if the number of mortal cultivators was small, this should still be a matter of the sect's reputation. There was no reason to have such a dirty old man in charge.

Not caring about that, Gu Xuyao clutched the packet of pills and the paper, quickly left the teaching hall, and headed back to his room.

Now, he truly didn't want to waste a single moment.