Seemed a Little Slow

Deep within Lingxu Grotto-Heaven stood three or five thatched cottages amid exceptionally beautiful surroundings.

In such an environment, Fang Qing immediately began cultivating.

He currently possessed two Daoist secret manuals: the Longevity Art and the Purple Haze Skill.

Although these Daoist secret manuals from the martial arts world could not accompany Fang Qing to the end of his cultivation journey, they were still useful in the beginning, like bricks and tiles that each had their purpose.

With nothing else to do, Fang Qing first cultivated the Longevity Art.

This supreme art came from Guang Chengzi, the teacher of the Yellow Emperor. It had helped him break through to the Innate Realm in a single day. Now, as he once again circulated the Longevity Art, vast amounts of true qi flowed through his body. The Divine Fruit Fang Qing had eaten also provided him with abundant essence, transforming into incomparably dense true qi.

This was a tremendous improvement. At the Innate Realm, true qi could be projected outward, so the more true qi Fang Qing could wield, the stronger his attacks would be.

"Ye Zi, did you see that? Brother Fang really is a disciple of an ancient martial aristocratic family. With that bearing, he looks just like a grandmaster from a martial arts novel."

Pang Bo lay some distance away, but he could not lie still. He spoke quietly to Ye Fan.

"I saw it. This is Fang Qing's secret."

Ye Fan nodded and sensed his own body. After eating the fruit from the Ancient Desolation Forbidden Zone, he too felt as though he had boundless energy within him, yet to be released.

Should I go for a run and throw some punches to let it out?

"Should we work out too?"

Ye Fan looked at Pang Bo. "We have nothing better to do anyway."

"Ah, all right."

Under Fang Qing's lead, all three began training.

Fang Qing cultivated the Longevity Art, while Ye Fan and Pang Bo tempered their bodies.

Calling it body tempering was perhaps an exaggeration. They had no cultivation method, so they could only run and punch without any particular form or technique.

"It seems you can no longer wait."

At that moment, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face appeared. His wide sleeves fluttered, his feet did not touch the ground, and he arrived before the thatched cottages like the wind.

"You are...?"

The three stopped and looked at this figure who resembled an immortal.

"I am an elder of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, Wu Qingfeng. I am responsible for teaching disciples who have been here for three years."

The elder introduced himself.

"Greetings, Elder."

"No need for such courtesy."

Wu Qingfeng's demeanor was extremely gentle. As he spoke, the four arrived at the grassy area before the thatched cottages.

The four sat down.

Wu Qingfeng looked at Fang Qing, Ye Fan, and Pang Bo, then asked, "Do you think the sky is clean?"

This was his first question, and it seemed to concern cultivation.

The three exchanged glances. Ye Fan answered first, "There is not a cloud for thousands of miles, and the blue sky looks freshly washed. It appears very clean."

"Wrong. There is endless dust."

Wu Qingfeng shook his head and held out his palm. "Even between this palm and my hand, there is endless dust."

"What do you think this endless dust is?"

Wu Qingfeng asked again.

Pang Bo was somewhat stunned. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Dust is dust. What else could it be?"

"Dust is dust, but it is also a world. A flower contains a world, and a grain of sand contains a world. Perhaps a single desert is an endless world."

Fang Qing spoke as well.

"Very well said. It is indeed an endless world."

As Wu Qingfeng listened to Fang Qing's words, surprise appeared on his face, followed by great admiration. Of the three, he felt that Fang Qing possessed considerable natural insight and was highly suited for cultivation. As for Pang Bo, he still needed careful instruction and a deeper understanding of the principles of cultivation.

"..."

Hearing Fang Qing's answer, Pang Bo felt that he seemed a little slow.

A flower contained a world, and a grain of sand contained a world.

He seemed to have heard those words somewhere before, but he simply had not recalled them just now.

"Fang Qing put it very well. A flower contains a world, and there are endless worlds within dust as well. Of course, our bodies are the same."

At that moment, Wu Qingfeng continued. "Our bodies contain endless gates, as numerous as the dust between heaven and earth. If you can continuously open these gates, you can discover your true self and step into the realm of cultivation."

"So this is cultivation."

"Do you understand?"

Fang Qing nodded. "I understand."

Pang Bo rolled his eyes at Fang Qing. "Brother Fang, do you really understand?"

He did not say it aloud.

"Good. You can slowly come to understand these things later. For now, I will explain what the Bitter Sea is."

Wu Qingfeng spoke again, beginning with the foundations of cultivation.

All things in the world had their own lifespans. Some could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years, while others lived only a brief century. Some were born at dawn and died at dusk, their entire lives passing in the span of a flicked finger.

Time was merciless and always carved its marks upon all things. Trees had growth rings to record the years, while the human body also had a Wheel of Life. It was the foundation of life's vitality, containing the essence of the entire body, and it was where human cultivation began.

The Wheel of Life allowed ordinary people to bear children and Daoists to cultivate the body; it was the foundation of cultivators.

The Wheel of Life in ordinary people constantly dried up. When the body grew old and the Wheel of Life was covered in the scars of time, the moment it shattered was the moment an ordinary person died.

If magnified, the Wheel of Life, which appeared to be only palm-sized, contained within it a true heaven and earth. Within it lay the "Bitter Sea."

The Bitter Sea was born naturally and existed alongside the Wheel of Life.

The Bitter Sea submerged the Wheel of Life and, together with time, gradually eroded it away.

Thus, cultivators had to cross the Bitter Sea.

One must create life within the Bitter Sea, nurture vigorous vitality within desolation, then cultivate Divine Meridians and sacrifice forth a Divine Bridge. Only then could one reach the Other Shore and arrive at the end of the Bitter Sea.

"The Wheel of Life and the Bitter Sea merge into one, so in a sense, all cultivation begins with the Bitter Sea."

Wu Qingfeng explained in detail, imparting much common knowledge of cultivation to Fang Qing and the other two.

The three listened attentively and indicated that they understood.

"Over the next three months, I will help you embark upon the path to immortality and formally become cultivators. After three months, you will go before Lingxu Cliff with the others to listen to the Mysterious Methods."

As Wu Qingfeng spoke, he took out a book said to be the strongest foundational cultivation method in the world—the "Dao Scripture."

To first step onto the path to immortality, one had to lay a solid foundation. Many sages of the past had explored methods to sense one's own Wheel of Life, thereby guiding one's essence and energy to break into the Bitter Sea realm.

Throughout the Eastern Wasteland and even in more distant lands, countless sages had created their own methods. Yet the "Dao Scripture" was undoubtedly one of the most renowned cultivation methods.

The Dao Scripture—its very name was enough to explain everything.

It was a scripture recording the Great Dao, a Supreme Dharma Gate. Legend said it was an immortal canon; throughout the entire Eastern Wasteland, no ancient scripture could surpass it, only stand alongside it.

Of course, Lingxu Grotto-Heaven could not possess the true "Dao Scripture." They had only collected its opening chapter. Moreover, this opening chapter was not a sole copy and was circulated throughout the Yan Region. Otherwise, it would surely invite the calamity of annihilation.

Now, Fang Qing received the teachings of the Dao Scripture.