Morning light gradually spread across the quiet village.
Soft golden sunlight slipped through the cracks of the small wooden house while distant villagers slowly began their daily routines outside.
Inside—
Lian still sat cross-legged in the same corner.
Eyes closed.
Body unmoving.
His mother slowly stirred beneath her blanket before blinking sleepily toward the room.
The moment she noticed him—
she paused slightly.
Lian remained seated quietly with unusual focus.
Her eyes softened almost immediately afterward.
…He must be cultivating.
Careful not to disturb him—
she quietly rose to her feet before silently beginning her usual morning preparations near the stove.
Occasionally—
she glanced toward him again.
But never interrupted.
Beneath the house—
the white lizard remained motionless within the earth.
His spiritual gathering had already ceased long ago.
There was no reason to continue.
The child had already crossed the initial threshold.
Now—
the lingering traces of spiritual perception simply remained within Lian's awareness naturally.
Time passed quietly.
Eventually—
Lian's eyelashes twitched faintly.
Then slowly—
his eyes opened.
The moment they did—
excitement immediately appeared across his exhausted face.
He looked terrible.
Dark circles rested beneath his eyes.
His lips were dry.
Clear signs of an entire night without sleep.
Yet despite that—
his expression was brighter than it had been in days.
"…I really sensed it…"
Even now—
the memory still felt unreal.
Spiritual energy.
He had truly felt it last night.
Lian quickly tried standing afterward—
only for his legs to immediately give out beneath him.
"Woah—!"
THUD.
He nearly collapsed sideways onto the wooden floor before awkwardly catching himself against the wall.
His mother immediately turned around in alarm.
"Lian!"
"I'm okay!"
Lian laughed awkwardly while painfully rubbing his numb legs.
"…I just sat too long."
His mother sighed helplessly before walking over.
"You didn't sleep all night?"
Lian grinned despite his exhaustion.
"…I think I finally succeeded."
His mother blinked slightly.
"…Succeeded?"
Lian nodded rapidly.
"I sensed spiritual energy."
The excitement in his voice became impossible to hide.
"I really felt it last night."
His mother stared at him briefly afterward.
Then relief and happiness slowly spread across her face.
"…Really?"
Lian nodded again immediately.
"I'm going to tell Village Head Wa Shi right away."
He carefully tried standing once more.
Though his legs still trembled slightly beneath him.
His mother quickly supported him with a helpless laugh.
"At least eat first."
"You look ready to collapse."
Lian scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Only now realizing just how exhausted he truly felt.
Still—
the excitement inside his chest completely overshadowed the fatigue.
Because after all the failure—
all the frustration—
he had finally taken the first true step toward becoming a cultivator.
Beneath the house—
the lizard watched silently.
After hurriedly eating with his mother—
Lian practically rushed out of the house.
"Slow down before you fall again!" his mother called helplessly from behind him.
But the boy was already gone.
Excitement completely filled his face as he hurried through the village paths beneath the morning sunlight.
Several villagers greeted him along the way—
but this time he barely slowed down enough to respond.
His heart pounded rapidly within his chest.
He did it.
He truly did it.
Soon—
he arrived outside Village Head Wa Shi's residence.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Moments later—
Auntie Xu opened the door.
The moment she saw his expression—
she blinked slightly.
"…Lian?"
Lian immediately nodded.
"I sensed spiritual energy last night!"
Auntie Xu laughed softly afterward.
"Well, no wonder you look so excited."
"Come in."
Not long afterward—
the backyard once again became quiet beneath the gentle morning sunlight.
Lian sat cross-legged upon the ground.
This time—
his posture appeared far more confident than before.
Village Head Wa Shi stood calmly behind him with both hands folded behind his back.
The old man's weathered eyes silently studied the boy.
Thoughtful.
…Only a few days.
And without assistance.
For a low-grade Five Element spiritual root—
that speed was genuinely surprising.
Even Wa Shi himself had expected the boy to struggle for at least several weeks before successfully sensing spiritual energy.
Interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
Nearby—
Xu Mei also watched curiously beneath the tree while Auntie Xu smiled quietly from the side.
Eventually—
Wa Shi spoke calmly.
"Since you can now perceive spiritual energy…"
"…we will move on to the next step."
Lian immediately straightened slightly.
Excitement flashed across his face once more.
The old village head continued.
"Perception alone is not cultivation."
"You must now learn how to absorb spiritual energy into your body and guide it correctly through your meridians."
His expression became slightly more serious afterward.
"This stage is dangerous for careless beginners."
"If spiritual energy circulates incorrectly, it may damage the meridians."
"So listen carefully."
Lian immediately nodded seriously.
"Yes, Village Head."
Wa Shi slowly raised one hand afterward.
Faint spiritual energy gathered lightly around his fingertips.
Then—
he gently pressed a finger against the center of Lian's forehead.
The moment contact formed—
Lian's eyes widened slightly.
A faint cool sensation instantly entered his mind.
At the same time—
Wa Shi began speaking calmly.
"Close your eyes."
"Focus on the spiritual energy around you."
"Then slowly guide it inward."
"Do not force it."
"Do not chase it aggressively."
"Allow it to enter naturally."
Lian quickly obeyed.
His eyes closed once more.
His breathing gradually steadied afterward.
The backyard slowly fell silent beneath the morning wind.
And beneath the earth below them—
the white lizard watched silently.
Humans truly cultivated in troublesome ways.
The backyard remained quiet beneath the fading evening light.
Wind drifted softly through the trees overhead while faint spiritual energy slowly gathered around Lian's seated figure.
His breathing had gradually stabilized.
Slow.
Rhythmic.
The faint traces of spiritual energy he guided through his meridians no longer scattered apart immediately like before.
Though clumsy—
it was finally moving.
Village Head Wa Shi stood silently behind him for several long moments.
His aged eyes observed carefully.
The old man could clearly sense it now.
Thin streams of spiritual qi were successfully circulating through the boy's body.
Weak.
Extremely weak.
But undeniably real.
A cultivator's foundation had finally begun forming.
Eventually—
Wa Shi slowly exhaled.
"…Good."
Lian's eyelids twitched slightly upon hearing the voice.
"But do not stop."
"The moment you lose concentration, the circulation will collapse again."
Lian immediately steadied his breathing further.
Carefully maintaining the spiritual flow exactly as instructed.
The old village head watched for another moment before finally straightening fully.
His expression remained calm outwardly.
Yet inwardly—
he was genuinely surprised.
A low-grade Five Element root sensing spiritual energy this quickly without external assistance was already uncommon enough.
But successfully guiding circulation only hours after beginning the next stage…
That was even rarer.
Perhaps the boy truly possessed unusual perseverance.
Or perhaps—
Wa Shi's eyes narrowed faintly.
—the spirit beast meat and Blue Spirit Berry had tempered the body more than expected.
Either way—
it was beneficial.
The old man finally turned and slowly walked away across the backyard.
"Continue circulating until sunset."
"Do not force speed."
"Focus only on stability."
"Yes, Village Head!"
Lian replied immediately without opening his eyes.
Wa Shi disappeared back toward the house afterward.
Only Lian remained seated beneath the tree.
Xu Mei quietly watched from nearby for a little while longer before eventually leaving as well.
Soon—
the backyard became silent once more.
Only the sound of wind remained.
And beneath the earth below—
the lizard watched calmly.
Golden eyes half-lidded.
Observing the faint spiritual energy circulating within the boy's body.
Slow.
Inefficient.
Fragile.
Yet strangely persistent.
The lizard remained motionless beneath the soil.
Then inwardly—
a quiet thought surfaced.
Human cultivation truly was troublesome.
For him—
spiritual energy obeyed naturally.
Instinctively.
But humans…
They clawed upward step by step.
Struggling endlessly just to draw in the smallest traces of qi.
The lizard watched silently as sweat slowly formed along Lian's forehead from maintaining the circulation.
Interesting creatures.
Weak.
Yet stubborn beyond reason.
Time passed quietly afterward.
The sun gradually lowered beyond the distant mountains while spiritual energy continued circulating slowly through Lian's meridians again and again.
Each cycle became slightly smoother than the last.
The evening sky glowed deep orange beyond the village walls.
Soft wind drifted through the backyard while spiritual energy gradually faded around Lian's seated figure.
Another circulation cycle completed.
Then—
Village Head Wa Shi finally stepped forward.
"…Alright."
"That is enough for today."
Lian immediately stopped circulating spiritual energy.
The faint qi flow inside his body gradually settled before he slowly opened his eyes.
For a brief moment—
exhaustion flashed across his face.
But immediately afterward—
excitement replaced it.
He had truly succeeded.
He could still faintly feel the spiritual energy lingering within his meridians even after stopping cultivation.
Different from before.
Different from being ordinary.
Wa Shi stood calmly before him with both hands behind his back.
"…From this moment onward—"
"you have officially stepped onto the path of cultivation."
Lian's breathing tightened slightly upon hearing those words.
The old man continued calmly.
"But whether you walk far upon this path…"
"…or die somewhere along the way…"
"…depends entirely upon your own effort."
"Cultivation is not something gained overnight."
"It requires patience."
"Persistence."
"And discipline."
Lian immediately lowered his head respectfully.
"Yes!"
"This junior understands!"
Then he bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Village Head."
"For giving me this life-changing opportunity."
"I will forever remain grateful."
Wa Shi looked at him silently for a moment afterward.
Then lightly shook his head.
"You should not thank me too much."
"Your own hard work brought you here."
"If you lacked determination, even teaching you would have been pointless."
Lian scratched the back of his head awkwardly upon hearing that.
Still smiling slightly.
The old man continued calmly afterward.
"Now that you've learned the basics, you no longer need to come here every day."
"You may cultivate on your own from now on."
Lian immediately nodded.
"Yes, Village Head."
"Then this junior will take his leave."
But just as he prepared to stand—
Wa Shi suddenly spoke again.
"…Cultivation requires resources."
Lian paused.
The old village head reached into his sleeve before removing a small jade bottle.
Then handed it toward him.
"You will not progress far relying solely on natural absorption."
"There are four Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills inside."
"They should help your early cultivation."
Lian froze briefly in shock.
"A-Ah?"
Wa Shi's expression remained calm.
"As the one who guided you onto this path…"
"…I cannot leave you completely empty-handed."
Lian hurriedly accepted the bottle with both hands.
His expression instantly filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Village Head!"
"I-I'll definitely remember this kindness!"
Wa Shi merely nodded faintly.
Then continued.
"If you encounter spiritual herbs, beast materials, ores, or anything valuable in the future…"
"…you may bring them here to exchange for cultivation resources."
Lian immediately understood.
Resources.
Everything in cultivation required exchange.
Nothing came freely forever.
Still—
he carefully held the jade bottle like a priceless treasure.
Four Qi Gathering Pills.
To him—
this was already something unimaginably precious.
Nearby—
Xu Mei quietly watched the scene beneath the tree.
And beneath the earth below them—
the white lizard remained motionless.
Golden eyes calm.
Qi Gathering Pills.
Low-grade.
Weak.
Yet for a newly initiated human cultivator—
valuable enough to change months of progress.
Interesting.