Cultivating the Qi Condensation Formula begins with sensing the presence of spiritual energy and Inducing Qi into the Body.
In her room, there was a meditation cushion specially provided for cultivation. Xu Yuxiu sat cross-legged upon it, assuming the five-center-upward posture as described in the Qi Condensation Formula. She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and began to perceive the existence of spiritual energy.
Spiritual energy exists between heaven and earth; it nourishes all things, and one can harness it for personal use by guiding it through the arts.
Within moments of closing her eyes and concentrating, Xu Yuxiu sensed a speck of light igniting within the darkness.
Soon, more specks of light began to flicker in succession. She could feel that these light points seemed to possess a certain sentience, drifting around her body like lively little spirits.
"So this is spiritual energy!"
Seeing such a scene while deep in concentration, Xu Yuxiu could hardly hide her excitement. A look of joy spread across her pale, youthful face.
Having sensed the presence of spiritual energy, Xu Yuxiu did not linger to admire it. She quickly began to circulate the Qi Condensation Formula, attempting to draw those specks of spiritual light into her body.
As the formula circulated, the light points seemed to receive guidance, beginning to drift toward her.
When the first wisp of spiritual energy entered her body, she felt as if a cool breeze had been poured into her, a sensation so refreshing and delightful that she wanted to immerse herself in it.
Yet, Xu Yuxiu did not linger in that feeling. She knew that Inducing Qi into the Body was only the beginning. Once the energy entered, it had to be guided to the dantian in her lower abdomen to be refined. Only after the spiritual energy was refined into spiritual power could it truly be considered her own.
Continuing to circulate the Qi Condensation Formula, Xu Yuxiu began to guide that wisp of energy toward her dantian.
The spiritual energy traveled through her meridians once before plunging straight into her dantian.
Then, a sudden anomaly occurred. The moment the energy entered her dantian, it felt as though it had collided with something, scattering instantly upon impact.
This change caused Xu Yuxiu to open her eyes in surprise, her expression filled with disbelief. "What is happening?"
After pondering for a while and carefully comparing her experience with the Qi Condensation Formula, she could find no answer.
She closed her eyes again, focusing her mind to sense the situation within her dantian.
As her mind sank inward, Xu Yuxiu perceived the abnormality within. Ordinarily, one's dantian is relatively peaceful; once energy enters, one simply needs to circulate the formula to begin refining it.
Her dantian, however, was quite different.
While concentrating on her internal vision, Xu Yuxiu saw that her dantian was filled with turbulence. Even as her mind sank in, it nearly suffered an impact. Fortunately, she reacted quickly, steadying her mind to avoid being scattered by the chaos.
Seeing the state of her dantian, she understood the reason.
"Fire and water do not mix. This conflict has made my dantian volatile; any spiritual energy that enters is bound to be struck, leaving little to be retained!"
Thinking of this, Xu Yuxiu felt a wave of disappointment. It was no wonder that despite having a dual Spiritual Root, she had been relegated to an outer disciple.
Having realized this, her mood calmed significantly. She brushed aside the chaotic thoughts in her mind.
"The path of cultivation depends on oneself!"
A fierce determination grew in Xu Yuxiu’s eyes. "If my cultivation speed cannot match others, I will use time to bridge the gap. If others cultivate for one hour, I will cultivate for ten!"
She firmly believed that with effort, she would not fall behind the others.
Without delay, she went to work. She closed her eyes again, sensing the spiritual energy, and following the guidance of the formula, she drew it into her dantian for refining.
She cultivated until nightfall.
At the hour when day and night shifted, a strange ripple emanated from Xu Yuxiu's room.
When she opened her eyes again, the shadow that had clouded her brow had vanished, replaced by irrepressible joy.
"Qi Condensation Level 1, I’ve achieved it!"
Feeling the single, drop-like bead of spiritual power in her dantian, Xu Yuxiu couldn't hide her excitement.
Achieving Qi Condensation Level 1 in a single day was considered a sign of excellent talent among most cultivators. Had it not been for the peculiarity of her dantian, which caused most of the energy to be scattered, she might have reached this stage even sooner.
However, she also noticed something unusual. While the vast majority of the spiritual energy she absorbed and guided into her dantian was dispersed, what remained seemed far purer and easier to refine. The spiritual power refined from this pure energy also appeared more refined than the formula described.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuxiu found her dantian a bit easier to accept. She knew that while it was easy for cultivators to refine spiritual power, refining and purifying that power required immense energy and time, with no guarantee of significant results. This was undoubtedly a massive advantage for her.
Xu Yuxiu felt a secret thrill. She did not intend to tell anyone else; this was her secret.
With her cultivation reaching Qi Condensation Level 1, she felt her sickly body being nourished by the spiritual power. It was like long-parched land being moistened by sweet rain, beginning to show signs of vitality. The little face that was usually pale as paper began to glow with a hint of rosiness, moving toward a healthier hue. She clenched her small, thin hand and found it no longer as weak as before.
After breaking through to Qi Condensation Level 1, she also noticed that her spirit had become vibrant. With a mere thought, she could project her divine sense.
The divine sense was incredibly profound and miraculous; even with her eyes closed, she could perceive her surroundings through it. Currently, however, her divine sense could only cover a radius of about one zhang.
Through her divine sense, she could perceive the aura of Shen Fengjiao in the room next door. She was also cultivating, but it seemed she hadn't even reached the stage of Inducing Qi into the Body; one could only hear the sound of rhythmic breathing, with no fluctuation of spiritual energy.
Xu Yuxiu had no habit of prying into others' privacy and quickly withdrew her divine sense.
"Qi Condensation Level 1 is just the beginning. I must continue to work hard!"
Riding this wave of mental vigor, Xu Yuxiu closed her eyes once more, focusing her mind as she entered a state of cultivation.
With the foundation of Qi Condensation Level 1, her speed in sensing and absorbing spiritual energy was noticeably faster than before. Even so, she could still only refine a small portion.
Three days passed in this manner.
When she awoke from her cultivation again, it was because of a Sound Transmission Talisman.
It was a talisman sent out by the sect, aimed at the newly arrived disciples. Through it, Xu Yuxiu learned that the Taixuan Sect’s recruitment had concluded, and the sect had issued cultivation requirements for all new disciples.
She did not know the requirements for inner or chore disciples, but for outer disciples, they were required to reach the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer within a year. Failure to do so would result in being demoted to a chore disciple. To regain the status of an outer disciple, one would have to reach the Qi Condensation 9th Layer within three years and pass the outer disciple examination.
The talisman not only contained these requirements but also detailed the benefits for outer disciples. Xu Yuxiu noted one crucial point: new outer disciples had the opportunity to go to the Dao Transmission Platform once a month for free to listen to teachings.
Since the outer sect consisted of disciples at the Qi Condensation stage, the teachings were primarily led by Foundation Establishment stage disciples, though occasionally, Golden Core stage elders would appear. This was undoubtedly vital information.
"Qi Condensation 3rd Layer, the Dao Transmission Platform..."
Xu Yuxiu processed the information from the talisman, her eyes growing brighter. "I must reach the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer within a year. I absolutely cannot be demoted to a chore disciple!"
She had already read the Taixuan Sect’s rules and knew how difficult the life of a chore disciple was. They were responsible for most of the sect's manual labor, often leaving them with less than two hours a day for cultivation. If she were demoted, her cultivation time would be severely curtailed!
A sense of urgency welled up in her, compelling her to cultivate even harder.
Xu Yuxiu focused her mind once more, pouring herself into her cultivation.