Modern Cultivation Guide 3.0

Modern Cultivation Guide 3.0

The next morning, Ji Qinglin was awakened by the sound of Coal Boss flapping its wings.

After living here for so long, the doors and windows had long since become unable to stop the clever Coal Boss.

Catching the lingering fragrance on its black feathers, Ji Qinglin lightly tapped the bird's head. "Off ruining my reputation again? Is she up?"

Caw, caw—

After living together for so long, Ji Qinglin and Coal Boss could exchange some simple information.

Since there were few customers in the morning, Ji's General Store opened rather late.

When he went next door, Yu Ye was indeed nowhere to be seen.

Not only had the bedding been folded neatly, but the entire Living Room had been cleaned as well.

So there really was still some distance between what he usually considered clean and true cleanliness.

Not a bad habit. Whether she became his disciple or not, she could at least work as a cleaner.

By the time Ji Qinglin came downstairs, Yu Ye was carefully examining the items on the shelves.

The close-fitting athletic outfit on Yu Ye restrained some of her advantages up front, yet gave her a youthful air. With sunlight spilling through the glass window behind her, she looked radiant all over. She seemed to have rested well yesterday and no longer appeared quite so guarded.

Yu Ye set down a section of meridian and looked up, only to suddenly see Ji Qinglin standing on the stairs, studying her at some unknown point after coming downstairs.

"G-Good morning, Master!"

Startled, Yu Ye picked up a rag and pretended to continue wiping the shelves.

Though she was still not quite accustomed to being a prospective disciple, she understood that she was living under someone else's roof.

Yu Ye: Does he not make any sound when he walks? Those stairs creak like mad whenever someone steps on them. Could there be some Treading on Snow Without a Trace module installed under his feet? Crazy Night: I mean, is there any chance he simply knows where to step so they will not creak? Yu Ye: ...

Ignoring Yu Ye's furtive, performative glances, Ji Qinglin poured himself a cup of hot water and moistened his throat. "Not bad. Pretty diligent. I can add five points for that during the evaluation period."

Coal Boss, perched on Ji Qinglin's shoulder, slightly raised its head and flapped its wings along with him, throwing its weight around like a fox borrowing a tiger's might, as though it were making hand signs.

"Thank you, Master. But if I clean for you, could I earn a little money? Hourly cleaners in Bangkok should make some income, right?"

Pfft!

Ji Qinglin nearly choked on his mouthful of water. Good lord, so she had not gotten up early because she was a clean freak—she wanted to make money off her master? Anyone capable of taking advantage of this master had not been born yet.

Still, Ji Qinglin did not reveal it easily. He merely changed the subject. "That can all be discussed later. Yu Ye, are you hungry?"

"Uh, a little, actually. But it would not be appropriate to make Master cook, would it? And that would not be an additional charge, right?"

Having had a debt entered into the ledger yesterday, Yu Ye had become cautious whenever food and clothing were mentioned.

"If you know it is inappropriate, why do you not do it yourself? The dried noodles are in the cabinet. Remember to make your master a bowl too."

"???"

Crazy Night: What did I tell you? A guy who can squeeze money and equipment out of dead robots, and you actually wanted to make money off him.

Yu Ye: Hmph. It is where I live too, anyway. I will just treat it as self-service.

Ji Qinglin opened the cabinet beside the refrigerator and took out dried noodles and seasoning packets.

Fortunately, food supplies in this world were still plentiful. Otherwise, Ji Qinglin, who had sampled only the tip of the iceberg of the great culinary traditions of China, would truly have found it hard to get used to things.

It was just that he usually lived alone, and over time, eating had become increasingly perfunctory.

After mooching a bowl of hot noodles from his disciple, Ji Qinglin watched Yu Ye noisily slurp down her second bowl and recalled what had been confirmed over the phone last night. He then asked, "Yu Ye, do you want to cultivate?"

Yu Ye wiped the soup from the corner of her mouth. "Cultivate? I have not decided yet, but for now, I think I will not."

"Why?"

"I heard the other elders say yesterday that our General Store seems to be spending more than it earns. There probably is not any spare money for cultivation. If I install those old goods from the shelves, I am afraid I might suffer a Cultivation Deviation if things go wrong."

Ji Qinglin cursed inwardly. Those old bastards, are they not even avoiding outsiders when they badmouth me now? Still, the fact that this little girl recognized the items on the shelves showed that she knew at least something about cultivation.

"Do not worry. If you want to cultivate, your master will naturally choose the best Cultivation Suit for you."

Crazy Night: Pah! As if anyone would believe you! You even put a few pieces of clothing on the tab! Where would you get the money for a Cultivation Suit? Yu Ye: Ha, at least his attitude is good. I suppose it counts as a well-intentioned lie.

Seeing Yu Ye lost in thought, Ji Qinglin continued, "But first, your master needs to ask how much you know about cultivation."

Hearing that Ji Qinglin seemed about to give a lesson, Yu Ye pushed away her bowl and sat up straight as well.

Knowing that the man before her had some skill, Yu Ye became more modest. "This disciple's understanding is still rather superficial."

"That is fine. Tell me what you know."

Yu Ye cleared her throat and recited, "The body is life, the soul is nature. On the path of cultivation, one practices Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul. The flesh becomes immortal and indestructible, while soul and life turn a hundred times without scattering. Thus one cultivates an eternal dharma body."

In this era, science and technology had restored some Eastern cultivation secret arts, but they only imitated the form. Most Qi Practitioners did not truly care about cultivating the heart or refining qi; they merely sought eternal life while pursuing power.

"The flesh is frail and bitter: one may use prosthetics to supplement the body, hormones to strengthen the foundation, or Stealing Immortal Path. Thus one proceeds through Foundation Solidification, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul to attain the Great Dao."

Paths for strengthening the body included installing Mechanical Prosthetics, using external objects to enhance the body, cultivating Immortal Bodies, and so on. There were five levels: Foundation Solidification, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul, each with three stages.

Someone like Yu Ye, healthy and strong yet not having begun cultivation through technological enhancements, was only in the Foundation Solidification Realm.

"The soul and life are light and thin: one may recreate and remold them, cultivate countless paths, or gather souls to replenish oneself. Thus one proceeds through Strengthening Soul, Tempering Spirit, Astral Projection, Yang Spirit, and Transformation into Purity to attain the Great Dao."

Soul cultivation focused on consciousness: turning consciousness into other things, cracking various protocols, or entering Virtual Space to absorb remnant souls. It likewise had five levels—Strengthening Soul, Tempering Spirit, Astral Projection, Yang Spirit, and Transformation into Purity—with three stages each.

Knowing that Yu Ye was reciting material from the Modern Cultivation Guide 3.0, Ji Qinglin waved his hand before she could finish. "No need to discuss Artifact Crafting, corpse cultivation, and the rest for now. Let us start with the most basic Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul. Which do you want to cultivate first?"

Technology could take shortcuts through certain stages of cultivation, but it had not accumulated over tens of millions of years after all, so one had to focus on certain areas.

This time, Yu Ye did not hesitate in the slightest. "The body! This disciple wants to cultivate the body first."

Crazy Night: Hey, hey, hey, why cultivate the body first?

Yu Ye: Then should I choose soul cultivation first, enter Virtual Space, and let you scare him to death?

Ji Qinglin nodded. "Very decisive. A wise choice. Soul cultivation is more difficult and dangerous, after all. So what path of cultivation do you choose?"

Yu Ye said wistfully, "If possible, this disciple would naturally choose Stealing Immortal Path. After all, I have not reached the level of enlightenment needed to abandon my fleshly body. But this disciple also knows that is not very realistic for us, so I still hope Master can give this disciple some time to prepare for cultivation."

Stealing Immortal Path meant using a cultivated Immortal Body and transplanting it onto oneself.

Though it was called an "Immortal Body," it was actually artificial high-strength biological meridians, bones, and even muscles. After all, the existence of so-called immortals had never been proven.

Yu Ye also knew that brand-new Artificial Meridians were extremely expensive. Ordinary Artificial Meridians also had to be replaced regularly, while higher-grade goods could last permanently—but every inch of meridian was worth its weight in gold. They were not something ordinary cultivators could afford.

Yet Ji Qinglin answered without the slightest hesitation. "Fine. Then Stealing Immortal Path it is. Your master will find you an A-grade Cultivation Meridian Set."

Yu Ye's clear almond eyes widened even further. "Master, you are not joking, are you?!"

Crazy Night: Hiss. Hurry and investigate. I suspect he sold you for a very good price.