"As the human body is formed from Primal Qi, the Manual teaches a method to revert the body to its original state of Qi.
Once one succeeds, they may shift between a stream of Qi and the physical form at will."
After a long while, Lü Yang opened his eyes, a look of joy appearing on his face.
In contrast to the Essence Exchange Cultivation Art, the Manual of Primal Qi stood as a complete and self-contained path of cultivation.
The Manual started from the mortal level, first introducing a set of body-tempering skills, which even included a complementary martial art.
Once the body was fully built, the cultivator was ready to begin the reversion to Qi — starting from the five internal organs, then the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. In the end, the entire physical form would be transformed into Primal Qi. From that moment on, ordinary Daoist arts could no longer harm them, and they would stand undefeated in battle.
In addition, the manual recorded numerous spells that can be used with Primal Qi, which greatly broadened Lü Yang's horizons.
But at this moment, Lü Yang, who was originally engrossed, suddenly froze:
"...Why does it end here?"
Lü Yang found that the "Manual of Primal Qi" in his hand was only the upper half and instinctively looked up at Liu Xin for an answer.
"Junior Brother, knowledge isn't given away without a price."
Liu Xin chuckled: "The second half of the 'Manual of Primal Qi' involves the secrets of establishing Foundation, and isn't included among the rewards; it must be exchanged with Contribution Points."
Upon hearing this, Lü Yang shook his head with frustration: "I see, I guess I was being greedy, Junior Brother."
"No worries, even half of the Manual is enough for you to cultivate in Qi Refining Stage."
Liu Xin kindly patted Lü Yang on the shoulder: "Come, I'll take you to Heaven Mending Peak to choose a Mansion in a great area, somewhere I can drop by from time to time."
Lü Yang nodded: "Thank you, Senior Brother."
.....
Half an hour later, at Heaven Mending Peak.
At the foot of the mountain, in a remote Mansion, Lü Yang officially settled down, while the original furniture and items inside were thrown out as trash.
Watching this scene, Lü Yang had a myriad of thoughts in his mind.
"Being an Official Disciple doesn't seem easy either..."
Heaven Mending Peak wasn't large, and the Stain Sect had countless registered disciples every year. Even if only one in ten thousand succeeded in promotion, it would still be enough to fill the entire peak.
But in reality?
As Lü Yang walked the entire way, Heaven Mending Peak was far from overcrowded; it even seemed a bit empty with many cave mansions unoccupied.
Where did all the Official Disciples go? Surely they could afford to rent a Cave Mansion?
Lü Yang shook his head, not delving further into this question, and instead sat cross-legged and began his first cultivation practice in the mansion, with his soles, palms, and the crown of his head facing upward toward the sky.
The instant he began cultivating, Lü felt a torrent of Qi—nearly twice as rich as what he had experienced in the Outer Sect—rushing into his Dantian, then circulating his entire body through the meridians, finally merging step by step into his five internal organs, skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.
His cultivation efficiency was so high that Lü Yang was truly surprised.
At the Mansion, cultivating for just an hour produced the same amount of Qi he would take a day to cultivate in the Outer Sect.
"No wonder the Mansion requires points to rent."
Once you've experienced the cultivation speed in a Mansion, it's hard to settle for anywhere else.
The next day, Lü Yang didn't go out but stayed in the Mansion, cultivating while reading the "Manual of Primal Qi."
"In this world, there is no concept of Spirit Root. While cultivation depends on talent, anyone can embark on the path of cultivation as long as one is willing."
However, cultivation didn't become much easier.
Though the mortal didn't need Spirit Root to cultivate, their future development in cultivation still depended on the grades of Qi--nine in total, further divided into thirty-six levels. The lower the grade, the purer the Qi; the higher the level, the greater the power.
Generally, if one's Qi is below the Seventh Grade, one cannot achieve Foundation Establishment; below the Third Grade, the chances of Core Formation are slim; and without First Grade Qi, the Golden Core stage is out of reach.
This was where cultivation techniques came into play.
Higher-level techniques produced purer Qi, which in turn offered greater potential for advancement.
"Without the support of a sect, cultivators truly have no way out."
Lü Yang couldn't help but sigh. Major sects offered cultivation techniques of all levels for their disciples to choose from, while wandering cultivators had to make do with whatever techniques they could find. Under such circumstances, no matter how talented they were, they started off behind, destined for a life of regret.
The difficulty of cultivation was evident.
Thinking of this, Lü Yang gradually frowned.
"The 'Manual of Primal Qi' could help me produce 'Primal Qi', which ranks at the First Level, Sixth Grade; so I have hope for Foundation Establishment, which is technically not on the bottom tier."
However, it still fell short of his expectations.
If he were just an ordinary cultivator, he might have settled.
But now, possessing such a marvelous artifact as the Centome, his potential was immense, and he was no longer satisfied with a technique that could only propel him to Foundation Establishment.
"If only there were a technique that can produce Qi of the First Grade kind...."
Lü Yang fantasized for a moment, then sighed: "Forget it, the path must be walked step by step. Haste makes waste."
"First cultivate the Manual of Primal Qi, achieve Foundation Establishment, then speak further...."
Upon establishing the Dao Foundation, one can have a lifespan of three hundred years, equivalent to that of a mortal dynasty. So cultivators in this stage were of higher status in cultivation world.
With the Centome, Lü was confident that he will grow stronger and obtain better techniques with each life, steadily progressing toward his goal.
As long as he was patient, and didn't rush, time will always be his faithful companion.
....
Ten days later, in Lü Yang's Mansion.
One could see a ethereal stream of White Qi, sometimes transforming into dense black smoke, sometimes into an invisible Qi sword, finally becoming a graceful presence resembling an immortal.
"I did it!"
The "Manual of Primal Qi," though profound, was not hard to practice. In just ten days, Lü Yang had successfully transformed his physical form, refining it into Qi.
[Name: Lü Yang]
[Lifespan: 18]
[Cultivation: First Level of Qi Refining]
[Talent Skill: Left-Handed Genius (White)]
[Cultivation Technique: Essence Exchange Cultivation Art (Perfection), Qi Transformation Technique (Perfection)]
[Abilities: None]
[Artifacts: None]
[Available Leaves of Centome: 99]
Looking at the updated information on the Centome, Lü Yang stepped on air, feeling in prime condition, and even the disease of his original body was cured itself.
"Hmm.....?"
Suddenly, just as Lü Yang was full of pride, his brows furrowed, stopping sharply. He looked at the Centome again, falling into contemplation.
"...No, that's not right."
It felt like something had been overlooked.
Lü Yang recalled: in this life, he had not met with any difficulty, smoothly becoming an Official Disciple, receiving the Manual of Primal Qi....
In the next second, Lü Yang finally realized what he had overlooked.
[Yu Suzhen broke through the Qi Refining Realm after plundering your Primordial Qi. Alas, sickness was deeply rooted, True Qi could not remove it, bedridden for several months, and finally died heavily ill.]
In the previous life, why did Senior Sister Yu die?
As an Official Disciple, she certainly received the Manual of Primal Qi. As long as she succeeded in cultivating it, how could she die from this minor illness?
Did she not succeed?
"Impossible!" Lü Yang shook his head.
The Manual of Primal Qi wasn't that hard to practice, and given that Yu Suzhen had the ability to break through to the Qi Refining Stage, she was talented enough to master this Manual in a few months.
"Unless she wasn't practicing the Manual of Primal Qi!"
In an instant, He felt a chill seize his heart, as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice.
The sound of his heartbeat had never been so clear, and his breathing became rapid, the excited expression quickly fading from Lü Yang's face:
"The Manual of Primal Qi...was it a trap prepared for me by Liu Xin?"
Lü Yang thought of the scene he had seen in the Treasure Refining Hall.
That Registered Disciple of the Treasure Refining Hall thought he had achieved greatness but had instead sought his own demise, failing not only to break through but transforming himself into the Bone Sword.
His fate mirrored the disciple's?
Just then, a familiar and friendly call suddenly came from outside the Mansion:
"Junior Brother Lü, are you there?"