Cultivation: Entering Samadhi

"So the Patriarch is actually a Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivator!"

"Although the Five-Element Spiritual Root cultivates slowly, if you learn Sorcery well, you'll be formidable in a fight!"

The crowd erupted in murmurs, especially the disciples with Five-Element Spiritual Roots, whose expressions became animated.

While cultivation with Five-Element Spiritual Roots was slower, there was still a sliver of hope for Foundation Establishment with effort.

Moreover, after Foundation Establishment, they could be much stronger than cultivators of the same level.

"However, before Foundation Establishment, you Outer Sect Disciples should spend more time improving your cultivation, as cultivation is the foundation of everything."

Gu Yuan'an said with a solemn expression, "That's all for topics related to Spiritual Qi. What comes next is the main point: how to harmonize and absorb Spiritual Qi..."

Unknowingly, the two-hour lecture time had ended. After finishing his lecture, Gu Yuan'an left by Sword Riding.

The crowd gazed at the departing figure, feeling greatly benefited and still wanting more. Some were reluctant to leave and immediately began meditating on the spot, trying to sense Spiritual Qi.

Xu Chunniang thought for a moment and didn't linger in the Lecture Room.

She returned to the East Courtyard on the first floor, to the Lecture Room where she had stayed for a month.

Martial Uncle Gu had said that cultivation was best done in a quiet, secluded place with abundant Spiritual Qi.

Although the Lecture Room on the second floor was spacious, it was too crowded, making the environment less ideal than the independent Lecture Room on the first floor.

Upon re-entering the Lecture Room, Xu Chunniang paused the teaching automaton, sat down cross-legged, and followed Martial Uncle Gu's instructions to sense the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.

Xu Chunniang slowed and softened her breathing, silently reciting the Cultivation Method of the Carefree Art in her mind while sensing the flow of Spiritual Qi around her.

Several hours passed, but she felt nothing.

Xu Chunniang opened her eyes, feeling somewhat disappointed. She had tried very hard to sense it, but couldn't feel any Spiritual Qi.

Martial Uncle Gu had clearly said that sensing Spiritual Qi was the most basic step and not very difficult; one could sense it as long as their mind was calm enough.

Could it be that her mind wasn't calm enough?

Xu Chunniang vaguely realized the crux of the problem. Although she had been trying hard to sense it and the surroundings were quiet, she kept thinking about sensing Spiritual Qi quickly, seeming too impatient...

Realizing the issue, Xu Chunniang took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, and resumed her meditation.

This time, she stopped thinking about how to sense Spiritual Qi. She merely slowed her breathing, closed her eyes, and calmed her mind.

As her breathing became longer, Xu Chunniang felt the surroundings become increasingly quiet, her mind clearer, and her entire being felt weightless, as if floating.

As the meditation continued, this profound state deepened. Before long, she actually "saw" a small blue dot!

Xu Chunniang's heart trembled. This small blue dot was water-attribute Spiritual Qi; she had sensed it!

However, as her heart trembled, the small blue dot disappeared, and she also withdrew from that mysterious state of deep concentration.

Xu Chunniang opened her eyes with some annoyance. She knew it was her excitement upon sensing the Spiritual Qi that had scared the blue dot away.

"Calm down, be serene. Sensing Spiritual Qi is nothing. Only after harmonizing three types of Spiritual Qi and absorbing them into your body, then guiding the Spiritual Qi through a cultivation cycle using the Cultivation Method, can it be considered true Qi Introduction."

She had only just learned to enter a state of deep concentration and seen a trace of Spiritual Qi. She was still far from Qi Introduction!

Xu Chunniang controlled her emotions and began to enter a state of deep concentration again...

Xu Chunniang's life returned to a routine. Every morning, she went to the "Cultivation Method" Lecture Room to listen to the Foundation Establishment Uncle-Master's lectures. During other times, she would return to the independent Lecture Room on the first floor to practice entering a state of deep concentration.

Every time she attended a class, she specifically chose a seat in the farthest corner. Furthermore, since no one dared to cause trouble during the Foundation Establishment Uncle-Master's classes, it was quite peaceful.

This routine continued for a week. During this week, she still hadn't successfully achieved Qi Introduction, but the Spiritual Qi she could sense while in a state of deep concentration was increasing.

Starting the day before yesterday, she had begun trying to harmonize Spiritual Qi, but harmonizing Spiritual Qi was more difficult, and she hadn't made much progress yet.

After attending classes for a week, she had finished listening to the lectures on the Cultivation Method of the Carefree Art.

Attending classes further would not significantly help with Qi Introduction, so Xu Chunniang decided to stop attending classes starting tomorrow and focus on Qi Introduction first.

Having made up her mind, Xu Chunniang took out a map, preparing to return to her dormitory. Although living in the Lecture Hall was convenient for cultivation, daily life had many inconvenconveniences.

Xu Chunniang walked out of the Lecture Hall and headed towards the dormitory. On the way, she passed the Scripture Hall.

From a distance, she saw a large crowd gathered around the Scripture Hall and suddenly remembered that on the first and fifteenth of every month, a Golden Core Elder would give a lecture at the Scripture Hall, which all Outer Sect Disciples could attend.

That was a Golden Core Elder! The Foundation Establishment Uncle-Masters in the Inner Sect were already quite formidable and could fly by Sword Riding. Golden Core Elders were far more powerful than Foundation Establishment Uncle-Masters.

Xu Chunniang, almost without hesitation, broke into a run towards the Scripture Hall.

The Scripture Hall, both inside and out, was packed to the brim. Xu Chunniang was late and couldn't even squeeze into the Scripture Hall's entrance. However, there were many people around her who also couldn't get in, all standing respectfully outside.

The Golden Core Elder had not yet arrived, and some people began to chat quietly about gossip from the Inner Sect.

A thin man whispered, "Did you hear? This year's Inner Sect has produced an incredible genius named Shangguan Xue. It's said she has an Ice-element Single Spiritual Root, and her Spiritual Root purity has reached a rare ninety!"

"Hiss! Really? Then this person must have been taken as a direct disciple by a Golden Core Ancestor, right?"

The thin man who spoke earlier smiled mysteriously but shook his head, "No."

"No?" The others were very surprised. "No way, with such good cultivation aptitude, she couldn't possibly not be noticed!"

"Exactly. A few years ago, that Huangfu Tian, he had a Fire-Wood Dual Spiritual Root, and the highest purity of his Fire Spiritual Root was only eighty, yet he was still taken as a disciple by a Golden Core Elder from Pill Peak!"

"And Wei Dawu, who just entered the Inner Sect this year, has a Gold-Fire Dual Spiritual Root, with a Gold Spiritual Root purity as high as seventy-eight. He was spotted by a Golden Core Elder from Artifact Refining Peak as soon as he entered. If someone truly has a single Ice Spiritual Root and ninety purity, wouldn't the Golden Core Elders fight over them!"

"Exactly, you aren't just trying to trick us, are you?"

Faced with the others' doubts, the lean man's expression remained relaxed, even carrying a hint of a smile.

"Everyone, I only said that the Golden Core Elder didn't take in that Ice-element Spiritual Root genius, I didn't say the Nascent Soul Ancestor didn't take them in."

As soon as he said this, everyone else was shaken.

"What, they were actually favored by a Nascent Soul Ancestor? I've been in the Carefree Sect for fifty-six years, and this is the first time I've heard of someone being taken as a disciple by a Nascent Soul Ancestor."

"It's rumored that our Carefree Sect has two Supreme Elders with Nascent Soul cultivation. They are focused on the Great Dao and haven't concerned themselves with external affairs for a long time. They don't even come out of seclusion unless the sect is in mortal danger. I never expected they would actually accept disciples."

"Alas, I only regret that my Spiritual Root talent is too poor. Let alone the Nascent Soul Supreme Elders, even the Golden Core Elders don't think highly of our aptitude!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their words filled with envy for the talented disciples and helplessness regarding their own aptitudes.