After Qi Chuan and the others left the Inheritance Hall, they were led by the Immortal Master to another smaller peak.
"This is Red Dust Peak. Every new disciple joining the main branch will stay here for some time. In the future, you will cultivate here. Only when your cultivation is high enough will you be granted your own independent peak," said the Immortal Master.
Qi Chuan surveyed the peak. The scenery was quite nice, though it was a lot less impressive compared to the peak where the Inheritance Hall was located.
It was estimated that the concentration of Spiritual Qi was also lower.
However, for Immortal Seeds who hadn't even reached the Qi Refining First Layer, it was evidently sufficient for cultivation.
Soon, Qi Chuan and the others were quickly settled.
Red Dust Peak had many tile-roofed houses scattered around. Though slightly old, they were not dilapidated and were suitable for living.
In the mountainside, some farmlands were set up with many busy farmers who were mortals. Their produce supplied the Immortal Seeds on Red Dust Peak.
Thus, cultivating here was worry-free in terms of clothing and food.
The Immortal Master had already left, and Qi Chuan chose a tile-roofed house to settle in.
As night fell.
On the bed inside the tile-roofed house, Qi Chuan sat crossed-legged with the Evergreen Technique scroll placed between his legs, reading intently by the candlelight.
Previously, he only had limited time in the Inheritance Hall and hastily experimented, gaining very limited insights from the Evergreen Technique. Yet, it gave Qi Chuan a slight foundation.
So now, reading through it was much smoother.
But many of the obscure and difficult-to-understand parts still left him with only a half-knowledge, seeming both understood and not understood.
After reading it once, as expected, words floated into his view.
[You carefully read the Evergreen Technique, attempting to comprehend the entry-level, triggering a fivefold critical strike, gaining fivefold insights. Your understanding of the Evergreen Technique has increased.]
Qi Chuan savored it carefully.
He realized that, although it was only a fivefold increase, due to the care and meticulousness he put into reading this time, the insights gained were even more than the hundredfold critical strike from the first cursory reading.
At this pace, his speed in understanding the Evergreen Technique would probably be very fast.
[You carefully read the Evergreen Technique, attempting to comprehend the entry-level, triggering a threefold critical strike, gaining threefold insights. Your understanding of the Evergreen Technique has increased.]
[You carefully read the Evergreen Technique, attempting to comprehend the entry-level, triggering an elevenfold critical strike, gaining elevenfold insights. Your understanding of the Evergreen Technique has increased.]
…
With Qi Chuan's relentless efforts, time quickly passed.
In just one night, Qi Chuan managed to fully comprehend the Evergreen Technique.
The speed cannot be considered slow.
After all, having fully comprehended it, future cultivation would basically be free of errors.
If he hadn't truly understood it and recklessly tried to cultivate, the failure would be minor, but it might also have some influence on his body's meridians.
"Next, as long as I successfully sense the Spiritual Qi drifting between heaven and earth, attract it, introduce it into my body and refine it into a strand of mana, I can transcend my mortal form and become a true cultivator, an Immortal Master at the Qi Refining First Layer!"
Qi Chuan felt invigorated.
Striking while the iron is hot, he disregarded his fatigue, immediately following the Evergreen Technique's description to set up a cultivation posture, closed his eyes tightly, and began to sense the Spiritual Qi.
For those who haven't yet possessed mana, sensing Spiritual Qi was extremely difficult.
Due to the spirit root in his body, Qi Chuan could barely perceive a faint mystic aura emanating from the void.
However, the mystic aura was elusive, hard to pinpoint its location.
Let alone attracting it into his body.
"This might be the disadvantage of a Lower Eighth Grade Spirit Root, still too low."
Qi Chuan sighed, as the resonance with Spiritual Qi was intimately related to the quality of one's spirit root.
No choice, he could only forcefully sense.
[You attempt to sense the drifting Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, triggering a twofold critical strike, gaining twofold insights. Your skills in sensing Spiritual Qi have gained a slight improvement.]
The first attempt at sensing ended in failure.
Nonetheless, Qi Chuan wasn't discouraged, as his skills in sensing Spiritual Qi improved.
Next attempt would undoubtedly be easier.
He immediately began to try again.
[You attempt to sense the drifting Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, triggering a fivefold critical strike, gaining fivefold insights. Your skills in sensing Spiritual Qi have gained a slight improvement.]
[You attempt to sense the drifting Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, triggering a threefold critical strike, gaining threefold insights. Your skills in sensing Spiritual Qi have gained a slight improvement.]
Just as he intended to continue sensing.
However at this moment, his head shook a little, and his eyelids grew heavy.
Qi Chuan clearly felt his consciousness becoming drowsy, responses becoming somewhat sluggish.
"Is this an indication of excessive Power of Divine Soul consumption?"
Qi Chuan was startled.
He should have known that he was still in a mortal body, both in terms of physical strength and the Power of Divine Soul, they were very weak.
During the process of sensing Spiritual Qi, the consumption of the Power of Divine Soul was considerable.
If too much was consumed and couldn't be recovered, he would risk becoming a fool.
He immediately ceased cultivation, went out to eat an early meal, then returned to sleep.
After a long sleep, he awoke, shook his head, feeling much better, with the Power of Divine Soul seemingly somewhat recovered.
Only then did he dare to continue attempting to sense the Spiritual Qi.
As days passed.
With the tributes from those mortal people outside, the Immortal Seeds were able to cultivate without worries.
The cultivation immortality method lay before their eyes, and Spiritual Qi was present in their surroundings. The path to becoming an Immortal Master was right under their feet; hence, all the Immortal Seeds secluded themselves, doubling their efforts in cultivation, aspiring to become true Immortal Masters.
However, although nothing was lacking, this first step in cultivation immortality stumped many Immortal Seeds.
After all, their spirit roots were too poor, just the Lower Ninth Grade, considered the poorest of spirit roots.
Understanding the mysteries of the Evergreen Technique, sensing Spiritual Qi, introducing Qi into the body, and finally refining it into true mana—every step in this process was replete with obstacles.
Thus, as days passed, not a single one managed to enter the Qi Refining First Layer, and one by one they wore worried expressions.
However, for Qi Chuan, it did not seem particularly difficult.
A month later.
[You introduce Qi into your body, circulate the Spiritual Qi within your body for a complete circulation, triggering a hundredfold critical strike, gaining a hundredfold insight, successfully refining a strand of mana, and advancing to the Qi Refining First Layer.]
On the bed, Qi Chuan sat cross-legged, a strand of mystic aura flowing through his meridians. After completing a full circulation, it finally arrived at the lower abdomen, merging into the Dantian.
At the instant it entered the Dantian, the color, state, and even the emitted fluctuations of that mystic aura underwent a certain transformation.
Up until this moment, this strand of Spiritual Qi had finally been truly transformed into Qi Chuan's own mana, ready to wield, and unleash great power.
Swoosh.
Suddenly, Qi Chuan opened his eyes, a glint flashing through his jet-black pupils, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty.
"Very good."
Perceiving his internal condition, Qi Chuan smiled slightly, actually feeling immensely joyous inside.
In the earlier days, he had also successfully introduced Qi into his body before.
However, shortly after, all the Spiritual Qi within dissipated, failing to convert into mana.
Just now, he felt he was only a step away, thinking this time was bound to fail, deciding to exert a few more efforts next time for success.
Yet, unexpectedly, he triggered a hundredfold critical strike, bypassing the follow-up efforts.
Today, he finally became a true cultivator.
In the mortal town of the Qi Family, from now on, when people saw him, they would probably greet respectfully with "Immortal Master!"
However, the path of cultivation immortality belonging to him had just begun to unfold.
At this moment, he could feel that the strand of mana within was emitting a mystic fluctuation, gently nourishing his body.
Currently, his body was essentially still mortal.
But with the presence of mana, under such nourishment, it would continuously strengthen, eventually growing akin to a martial arts master within the mortal world, with a robust physique, free of diseases, impervious to poisons.
His lifespan would naturally increase significantly.