"Alright, let me tell you about cultivation!" Hearing this voice, Jian Xin looked around in surprise, only to be startled because the old man was nowhere to be seen, yet she could hear him clearly.
"The people of the continent are roughly divided into two kinds: cultivators and mortals. Therefore, the entire continent is divided into the Mortal Realm and the cultivation realm. Mortals can become cultivators through cultivation techniques, martial arts, and the like, allowing them to enter the cultivation realm. There are also mortals in the cultivation realm, and similarly, there are cultivators in the Mortal Realm. However, there is a rule: cultivators are strictly forbidden from using force against mortals; otherwise, they will face sanctions from Wanping Hall. This is a sect dedicated to protecting the Mortal Realm. Of course, it's not as fair as people imagine, so you must be careful if you ever run into them. This is a rule of the continent, but whether people actually follow it is hard to say."
"There are ten domains in the cultivation realm: the Fire Domain, Water Domain, Stone Domain, Gold Domain, Herb Domain, Wind Domain, Spirit Domain, Yin-Yang Domain, Beast Domain, and Emperor Domain. Where you are right now should be the Mortal Realm in the eastern part of Spirit Domain."
"To put it broadly, cultivation means drawing upon the power of heaven and earth to temper oneself, forming spiritual pills, Golden Cores, Grotto-Heavens, Saint Pills, Immortal Pills, and so on within the body. Cultivation techniques can help you cultivate better. As for the finer details, I'll teach you when you meet me in the future."
"Cultivation also has levels, categorized into Body Refining, Qi Gathering, Pill Condensation, Golden Core, Grotto-Heaven, Saint Transformation, and Immortal Ascension. As for what comes after that, you don't need to know; it does you no good anyway."
"The level you are currently at should be the Body Refining Stage. Body Refining is sequentially divided into skin, flesh, bones, blood, and internal organs—meaning you use external force or Spiritual Power to temper these five parts I just mentioned. You were rather reckless this time, directly combining the first four steps together. It's a miracle you survived."
"What follows Body Refining is Qi Gathering. Since you've already completed the first four steps of Body Refining, Qi Gathering shouldn't be far off. During the Qi Gathering Stage, you can absorb a small portion of the spiritual qi of heaven and earth into your body to cultivate, forming a network of cultivation pathways within you. Gradually, this forms a Dantian, storing the absorbed Spiritual Power within it. When the Spiritual Power inside the Dantian is condensed enough, combined with the practice of cultivation techniques, this Spiritual Power will condense into a pill, which brings you into the Pill Condensation Realm. Of course, the more Spiritual Power you gather during the Qi Gathering Stage, the harder it will be to condense the pill, but naturally, it will also be much stronger."
"Upon entering the Pill Condensation Realm, the spiritual qi in the Dantian condenses into a pill, which also marks your complete transformation into a cultivator, granting you the qualification to enter the cultivation realm. In the Pill Condensation Realm, cultivators have a chance to awaken a constitution. A constitution can... can... what can a constitution do again? Anyway, having a constitution makes you much stronger! Some people even manifest their constitutions during the Body Refining and Qi Gathering stages—take you, for instance, your constitution is quite special. The continent is vast and boundless, and cultivators' constitutions vary widely; each constitution has special effects. You'll understand when you see them for yourself; there's no way for me to let you experience it right now. You'll know once you unlock your own constitution. Furthermore, constitutions are also divided into grades. The lowest is the mortal constitution, meaning no constitution at all; next are the spiritual constitution, profound constitution, saint constitution, immortal constitution..."
"At the same time, the path of cultivation does not rely solely on spiritual qi. Common alternatives include mental energy, also known as Soul Power, as well as alchemists, Talisman Masters, array masters, and so on. Every profession has its unique aspects; for example, alchemists can refine elixirs, Talisman Masters can create talismans, and all of these can aid cultivators in cultivation and combat. Every profession is graded, and these professions are highly sought-after everywhere. Though they might not be exceptionally strong in personal combat, they usually command a large following. Various places have also established organizations like the Alchemist Guild and Talisman Master Guild where professionals gather—a force no one wants to cross, no matter where you go. You must be careful if you run into them in the future."
"Also, the continent isn't inhabited solely by the human race; there are many other races with different cultivation methods and distinct abilities. Among the major races are humans, the Beast Clan, the primordial spirit race, the Beast Clan—wait, the latter two launched a great war ten thousand years ago, and after being driven back by the Great Emperor Qiongyu, they retreated into the Beast Domain."
"Seems like there's nothing left to say... Oh, right, there's one more thing: Spiritual Herbs. These are wonderful things! They have marvelous effects for tempering the physique, strengthening the body, and aiding cultivation. For example, if you had possessed a suitable Spiritual Herb just now, you wouldn't have fallen into such a desperate plight. Elixirs refined from Spiritual Herbs are even better, representing a qualitative leap in effectiveness compared to raw Spiritual Herbs. The grading of elixirs and Spiritual Herbs is the same: below the saint grade, they are divided into nine ranks, and each rank of elixir is further split into lower, middle, upper, top-tier, and perfect quality. In fact, legend has it that there is an even higher grade known as legendary, though I've never seen it myself. The naming conventions for elixirs above the saint grade are similar: saint-grade elixirs, immortal-grade elixirs..."
"Now let me talk about myself. I am the ancestor of an empire nearing the central region. This is just a part of my soul, so I carry very little with me; perhaps my true body has already re-formed. There are ten domains in the continent, with countless sects and countless treasures everywhere. There are countless treasured lands, and of course, deadly grounds as well. In Dongling, there are a few, named Jiuyou, Sword Mountain... as for the rest, I don't know. Why am I even telling you all this..."
"As for you, based on my observation just now, your constitution is a Dual Soul Physique. This means that when you cultivate, you can simultaneously train two sets of powers and even possess two constitutions. A constitution like this is rare to see even once in ten thousand years. I don't know whether this is your good fortune or your misfortune. But for some reason, one of your aspects is in your current weak state, while the other is extremely powerful, capable of rivaling even a peak-condition me in Soul Power. I will give you a relevant secret manual I obtained from a secret realm—of course, it's just a remnant scroll. No, no, if you don't need it, you don't need to—don't suddenly..."
"...Old man? Old man? Where did everyone go? You shouldn't have completely dissipated yet, otherwise I wouldn't still see green spiritual vapor drifting around. Hey! Where are you?!"
...
"No response. Fine, I'll get out of here first. That was all so vague—in the end, I still have no idea what cultivation actually is. That old man is completely unhinged; he's definitely not a good person!"
...
"I'm sorry, but you completely botched that explanation. Is that really how you teach disciples of the imperial family? Qing Feng, you've utterly disgraced the Fourteen Generals!"
Before the old man could finish speaking, he was pulled far away. Here, he could see Jian Xin, but Jian Xin could not see him. Just as he was about to sit down, a disdainful voice sounded beside him. He turned his head, startled, and landed flat on his bottom. "Liang You? Is it really you? There was nothing I could do! Did you expect me to chat with her about imperial secrets and sect mysteries? Or chat with her about which of my descendants to discuss? Besides, right now my mind is a complete mess, and I've forgotten a ton of things—like cultivation techniques and martial arts!"
Liang You snorted. "Despicable. But why are you also..."
"I already told her, and you heard it too. I don't know... Wait, you too? You aren't just a remnant source incarnation here?" Qing Feng had been sitting with a nonchalant expression, but Liang You's use of the word "also" made it impossible for him to stay seated.
"Mn."
"Your disciple?"
Liang You paused, a look of profound heartache crossing his face as he said, "...My son, Shi Wei... life and death unknown."
"...Looks like the price we all paid for taking those items back then has finally caught up with us!"
"This place isn't for you two to catch up on old times!" A dark shadow quietly emerged. The two men looked over simultaneously—it was Jian Xin, but not the Jian Xin who had just called Qing Feng an unhinged old man. Instead, this was a "Jian Xin" radiating an intensely cold aura, looking identical in every way!