Although Xu Chunniang did not understand exactly what Qi Introduction meant, she had heard the leading senior brother mention on the Flying Ship that it was the first step on everyone's Path of Cultivation, and not one easily crossed.
Those with poor talent and low comprehension sometimes needed half a year before succeeding.
After thanking Steward Zhao, Xu Chunniang hurriedly grabbed her token and Grain Abstinence Pills, then ran toward the Lecture Hall. She had to finish the Common Knowledge Class as soon as possible.
After returning to the Lecture Hall, Xu Chunniang plunged straight into the West Courtyard and began listening to the Common Knowledge Class.
In terms of interest, these Common Knowledge Classes were far more engaging than the literacy lessons. They covered only the most basic things, and with the instructional images, they were simple and easy to understand.
It was also in the West Courtyard that, through a tiny Metal Sphere, the world of cultivation slowly lifted its mysterious veil before Xu Chunniang...
It took Xu Chunniang a full seven days to finally finish every Common Knowledge Class. Her eyes shone brightly, and she still wanted more.
"I never thought the world of immortals would have so many novel things. Besides the cultivation method we must learn, we can also choose techniques to cultivate, as well as all kinds of spiritual artifacts. Some can attack, while others can defend...
Beyond that, we can choose directions such as spirit plants, puppetry, formations, talismans, alchemy, and beast taming for specialized study. As long as we master a specialty, we will not have to worry about future Contribution Missions..."
Xu Chunniang took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in her heart. She had not even formally begun cultivating yet. Once she set foot on the Path of Cultivation, this wondrous world would truly open itself to her.
Next, she needed to attend lessons on the second floor and achieve Qi Introduction as soon as possible!
Early the next morning, Xu Chunniang went up to the second floor bright and early, her heart full of excitement.
The Lecture Rooms on the second floor were much larger than those on the first and could hold more than a hundred people at once.
Apart from the "Cultivation Method" Lecture Room, which guided newly admitted disciples in cultivation, the other Lecture Rooms bore signs reading "Spirit Plants," "Beast Taming," "Spells," "Talismans," "Artifact Refining," and so on. They were all taught by Foundation Establishment senior brothers from the Inner Sect.
Xu Chunniang withdrew her gaze and entered the "Cultivation Method" Lecture Room.
What surprised Xu Chunniang after entering was that there were already two or three people inside. They sat cross-legged where they were. When they saw someone enter, they merely turned to glance at her before withdrawing their gazes and resuming their meditation with closed eyes.
Xu Chunniang's expression shifted slightly. It seemed that while she was working hard, no one else had been idle either.
She found a corner, copied their posture, and sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, waiting for the Inner Sect Uncle-Master to arrive...
Who knew how much time passed? Xu Chunniang was dozing groggily when a burst of commotion startled her awake.
The Lecture Room had somehow filled with people. They were all crowded by the door and windows, craning their necks to look outside.
Xu Chunniang followed everyone's gazes. The instant she saw what was happening outside, her drowsiness vanished without a trace. A white-robed figure was actually flying over on a sword!
She had seen such a scene in the Common Knowledge Class in the West Courtyard. She had not expected to witness it in reality so soon.
The one arriving on a sword was an Inner Sect Foundation Establishment Uncle-Master. Yet after jumping down from his sword, he did not come over. Instead, he entered the neighboring Lecture Room marked "Beast Taming."
Not long after the Inner Sect Uncle-Master who taught the "Beast Taming" course arrived, several more figures flew over on swords. After one of them leaped down from his flying sword, he headed toward their Lecture Room.
When the new disciples saw the Foundation Establishment Uncle-Master approaching, they hurried back to their seats and sat down. Still, none could hide the excitement on their faces.
"Martial Uncle Gu is teaching today! It took Martial Uncle Gu only thirty years to go from Qi Introduction to Foundation Establishment. Even in the Inner Sect, that speed is exceedingly fast."
"Martial Uncle Gu's lessons have always been vivid, progressing from shallow to deep. Coming today was not in vain."
"Quiet. Martial Uncle Gu is about to begin. Breaking discipline in his class will get you thrown out of the Lecture Room!"
Only after hearing the discussions around her did Xu Chunniang learn that this uncle-master was surnamed Gu and possessed extraordinary cultivation talent. Before she could listen further, however, she saw all the disciples straighten up with solemn expressions. Instinctively, she sat even straighter and pricked up her ears.
Gu Yuan'an swept his gaze across the Lecture Room and nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, let us begin. Last time, we spoke of how Heaven and Earth have Qi, and Qi gives birth to all things.
This means that Heaven and Earth contain spiritual energy, and all things are born from spiritual energy. Yet spiritual energy cannot be seen or touched. Only after we achieve Qi Introduction can we sense it while cultivating.
And spiritual energy is not a single kind of substance. It has attributes. When you were tested, you all learned the attributes of your Spiritual Roots, correct?"
Gu Yuan'an paused and swept his gaze over the disciples in the room. Only after seeing them nod did he continue.
"Besides the five common attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, and the three mutated attributes of Wind, Thunder, and Ice, spiritual energy has some other attributes as well. But I will not discuss them here. For now, you need only remember these eight.
When cultivating, you can draw in the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Generally speaking, you will find it easier to draw in spiritual energy that matches your Spiritual Veins.
For example, when someone with a Metal, Wood, Water Three-Element Spiritual Root cultivates, the spiritual energy he draws in will mostly consist of Metal, Wood, and Water spiritual energy, while the other five types will be fewer."
"Then wouldn't disciples with Four-Element Spiritual Roots and Five-Element Spiritual Roots be able to draw in more types of spiritual energy instead?" one disciple asked.
Gu Yuan'an glanced at the disciple who had asked. "Correct. If someone with a Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivates, they will draw in the five types of spiritual energy: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
However, cultivation speed will not increase just because one draws in more types of spiritual energy. On the contrary, precisely because disciples with Five-Element Spiritual Roots must balance five kinds of spiritual energy while cultivating, they are the slowest.
When disciples with Single-Element Spiritual Roots cultivate, they absorb only one kind of spiritual energy. They do not need to balance it at all and can absorb it directly, so their cultivation speed is the fastest."
The disciples suddenly understood. No wonder disciples with Single-Element Spiritual Roots and Dual-Element Spiritual Roots had all entered the Inner Sect.
They either did not need to balance spiritual energy at all, or had relatively little spiritual energy to balance. Thus, their cultivation speed was much faster than that of others.
Some disciples revealed dejected expressions. Most of them had Four-Element Spiritual Roots, or even Five-Element Spiritual Roots.
Quite a few disciples with Three-Element Spiritual Roots secretly felt fortunate. Though they were not as gifted as those with Single-Element Spiritual Roots or Dual-Element Spiritual Roots, they were not too bad either.
"Disciples with Five-Element Spiritual Roots need not belittle themselves. After all, in learning spells, Five-Element Spiritual Roots possess an incomparable advantage. They can learn spells related to the five elements more quickly."
Gu Yuan'an took in everyone's expressions and spoke calmly.
"Although cultivators with Five-Element Spiritual Roots progress slowly, if they can master spells related to all five kinds of spiritual energy, they can possess a considerable advantage in actual combat.
It is simply that disciples with Five-Element Spiritual Roots face great difficulty in the early stages of cultivation, and few can persist until Foundation Establishment.
Yet those Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivators who achieve Foundation Establishment mostly possess combat abilities far exceeding those of other cultivators.
In short, the path of immortality holds ten thousand opportunities. There are quite a few Five-Element Spiritual Root disciples with immortal destiny. The founding ancestor of our Carefree Sect was a powerful Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivator."
Before you continue