Nourishing the Body

At Yun Long's words, an indescribably fervent light burst from Shi Chen's eyes—the yearning and reverence he felt for the path his master had walked.

He almost opened his mouth at once to state the choice he had long since made in his heart.

But Yun Long raised a hand and gently stopped him.

"Don't rush."

"Listen to your master finish explaining the other two paths first. Then consider them carefully and make your decision with caution. That would be the safest course."

Shi Chen took a deep breath, swallowed the words at his lips, and nodded respectfully.

"The second path is to abandon your previous Martial Dao foundation and begin Qi refining directly with your mid-grade Spiritual Root."

"The advantage of this path is that it is relatively safe. You proceed step by step, and the risks are smaller."

"However, its drawbacks are just as obvious. The Qi refining techniques currently passed down by our Yun Clan are generally of low grade and exceedingly few in number. If you cultivate them, your chances of ultimately condensing Mid-Grade Qi Refining are infinitesimal. More likely than not, you will only achieve Low-Grade Qi Refining, which will undoubtedly limit how far you can go in the future."

Yun Long's analysis was fair and impartial, without the slightest bias.

"As for the third path..." He pondered for a moment, his gaze growing somewhat distant.

"I can find a way to use some connections and send you to the Qingyun Sect."

"With your five-inch Gold-Water Dual Attribute mid-grade Spiritual Root, you can certainly enter the Qingyun Sect. If you can pass their inner sect examination and enter the Qingyun Sect's inner sect, there is also a certain possibility."

"The Qingyun Sect is a great cultivation sect with a legacy spanning tens of thousands of years. Its foundation is incomparably profound. There must be many excellent techniques within the sect suited to your Spiritual Root attributes, perhaps even inheritances that point directly toward higher realms. If you can obtain such an opportunity, your achievements may surpass those of the first two paths by far."

"But," Yun Long suddenly changed tack, and his tone became several degrees more solemn.

"Our Yun Clan knows almost nothing about the Qingyun Sect's internal circumstances. What treatment you will receive there—whether you will be carefully nurtured or pushed aside, whether it will bring fortune or disaster, whether the road will be smooth or covered in thorns—these are all things we currently cannot predict at all."

"The risks involved may even be greater than those of the first path."

The three paths lay clearly before Shi Chen.

"Each of these three paths has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as its own different future and scenery."

"You must think this through. It concerns your entire life. Once you choose, you must walk that path steadfastly and never turn back lightly." Yun Long's gaze was as deep as the sea as he watched Shi Chen, waiting for his choice.

There was not the slightest hesitation in Shi Chen's dark eyes.

His master had already dissected all three paths with perfect clarity, and he had long since reached an answer in his heart.

Now, he spoke again without hesitation, his voice clear and resolute.

"Master, this disciple chooses the first path."

"This disciple is willing to follow in Master's footsteps, cultivate the Martial Dao, and enter immortality through martial arts."

Since childhood, he had been filled with yearning for those immortals who soared through the skies and roamed between heaven and earth.

As his understanding of the path of seeking immortality and the Dao deepened, he gradually came to understand that the Qi Refining Stage immortals whom ordinary people spoke of as lofty and unreachable were not as omnipotent as the legends claimed. That was merely the starting point of the cultivation path.

To travel farther down this road, one had to lay the most solid foundation possible.

Just like Master Yun Long, invincible among those of the same realm.

The scene from the battle by Wanfang Lake not long ago, where his master had swept aside several Qi Refining Stage cultivators alone, had long been branded deeply into his mind.

Those Qi Refining Stage cultivators, usually so high and mighty, had been like earthen chickens and clay dogs before his master—utterly unable to withstand a single blow.

That shock had given Shi Chen an almost blind worship and trust in Yun Long.

In his heart, his master was the loftiest mountain, the goal he would pursue for the rest of his life.

At the side, Shi Tie's burly body stood quietly, his expression unchanged in the slightest.

No matter what decision his son made, he would support him unconditionally.

This did not conflict with his conviction to spend his life repaying the Yun Clan's kindness. Instead, the two complemented each other perfectly.

The corners of Yun Long's mouth lifted ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Shi Chen's answer was precisely the one he had hoped for most.

This child had not disappointed him.

If Shi Chen had chosen either of the other two paths, Yun Long naturally would not have held it against him. It was only that the joy in his heart would certainly have been somewhat diminished.

In his heart, the importance of the Lineage and family would always stand above all else.

If Shi Chen had not made this choice, he might even have spent effort seeking other suitable candidates.

Using the aptitude of a Spiritual Root to walk the Martial Dao path and forcefully refine Qi—what marvelous changes might occur in the process was crucial to the Yun Clan's future development, and something he had to thoroughly understand.

Yun Long gathered his thoughts and looked at Shi Chen once more, his gaze carrying a trace of satisfaction.

"Good."

A simple word, yet it carried unquestionable affirmation.

Since Shi Chen had already made his choice, it was time to carefully nurture this eldest disciple according to the plan Yun Long had long prepared.

The Yun Clan's circumstances in the past had indeed been stretched thin. Many of the perfect cultivation methods recorded in their inheritances could not be realized due to a lack of resources.

Now, beginning with Shi Chen, all of that would change.

Yun Long pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, his voice steady yet carrying a power that inspired conviction.

"In Martial Dao cultivation, body tempering is the foundation of all foundations."

"And the best age to begin body tempering is twelve."

"This is clearly recorded in our Yun Clan's three Xiantian Gong techniques, including your Martial Uncle Yun He's Compendium of Materia Medica."

"Before the age of twelve, one is not to idle about, but to 'nourish the body.'"

"Nourish the body first, then temper it. Only by cultivating this way can one's foundation grow ever more solid, and one's future potential ever greater."

Yun Long's gaze was profound, as though he had already seen some possibility in Shi Chen's future.

"Therefore, starting today, for the next nearly two years, you will cultivate under your Martial Aunt Yun He."

"With her help, properly nurture your body. Learn how to sense your own fleshly body and understand the mysteries within every inch of muscle, bone, skin, and membrane."

Shi Chen bowed respectfully in acknowledgment, his eyes full of anticipation for the future.

Yun Long gave a slight nod, but another thought surfaced in his heart.

If conditions allowed, this step of "nourishing the body" could even begin during the fetal stage.

However, among the many cultivation materials and Classics the Yun Clan had acquired after coming to Wanfang Lake Town, they had never encountered any records related to this.

Naturally, he did not dare lightly experiment on the child in his wife Li Lingyue's womb.

Still, according to Yun He, the Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish Li Lingyue had consumed some time ago possessed gentle, pure Spiritual Energy. Its nourishment of both mother and fetus could, in a sense, also be considered an excellent method of "nourishing the body."

Yun Long did not know this.

Across the entire Cultivation World, among those small cultivation families with only Qi Refining Stage cultivators guarding their clans, eight or nine out of ten had never even heard that one needed to "nourish the body" before body tempering.

As for the remaining small families that understood the importance of "nourishing the body," the origins of their Lineages were mostly extraordinary, far from ordinary.