Nourishing the Body

Shi Chen's eyes instantly erupted with an indescribable, fervent glow upon hearing this. It was a yearning and admiration for the path his master had walked.

He was about to speak, almost without hesitation, to voice the choice he had already made in his heart.

Yun Long, however, raised his hand and gently stopped him.

"Don't rush."

"Let your master finish explaining the other two paths first. Then, you can carefully consider and make a prudent decision. That would be the most stable approach."

Shi Chen took a deep breath, swallowed the words that had surged to his lips, and nodded respectfully.

"The second path is to abandon your previous martial arts accumulation and directly begin Qi Refining cultivation with your Mid-Grade Spiritual Root."

"The advantage of this path is that it's relatively stable, following a step-by-step process with less risk."

"However, its drawbacks are equally apparent. The Qi Refining techniques currently passed down in our Yun Family are generally not of high grade, and there are very few of them. If you cultivate using these, the possibility of you ultimately condensing a Mid-Grade Qi Refining foundation is extremely slim. You'll most likely only achieve Low-Grade Qi Refining, which will undoubtedly limit your future potential."

Yun Long's analysis was very fair, without any bias.

"As for the third path..." He paused for a moment, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

"I can try to use some connections to send you to the Qingyun Sect."

"With your Mid-Grade Spiritual Root, five inches in size, with Gold-Water Dual Attributes, you will definitely be able to enter the Qingyun Sect. If you can pass their inner disciple assessment and be accepted into their inner sect, there's a certain possibility."

"The Qingyun Sect is a great cultivation sect that has been passed down for tens of thousands of years, with an incredibly profound heritage. Within the sect, there must be many excellent cultivation techniques suitable for your spiritual root attributes, and there might even be inheritances that directly point to higher realms. If you can seize this opportunity, your achievements might far surpass the first two paths."

"However," Yun Long's tone shifted abruptly, becoming more serious.

"We in the Yun Family know almost nothing about the specific internal situation of the Qingyun Sect. What kind of treatment you'll receive there, whether you'll be diligently nurtured or subjected to ostracism, whether it will bring fortune or disaster, whether it's a smooth road or a thorny path—these are all things we currently cannot predict at all."

"The risks involved might even be greater than the first path."

The three paths were laid out clearly before Shi Chen.

"These three paths each have their advantages and disadvantages, as well as different futures and sceneries."

"You need to think clearly. This concerns your entire life. Once you choose, you must walk it unswervingly and do not regret it easily." Yun Long's gaze was as deep as the sea as he looked at Shi Chen, awaiting his decision.

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

His master had clearly laid out the three paths for him, and he already had his answer in his heart.

At this moment, he spoke again without hesitation, his voice clear and firm.

"Master, this disciple chooses the first path."

"This disciple wishes to follow in Master's footsteps, cultivate martial arts, and enter immortality through martial arts."

Since childhood, he had yearned for those Immortals who could fly through the heavens and roam the earth.

As his understanding of the path of seeking immortality deepened, he gradually realized that the Qi Refining Stage Immortals spoken of by mortals were not as omnipotent as rumored; that was merely the starting point of the cultivation journey.

To go further on this path, one must lay the most solid foundation.

Just like his master, Yun Long, invincible within the same realm.

The battle by Wanfang Lake not long ago, where his master single-handedly swept aside several Qi Refining cultivators, was already deeply etched in his mind.

Those Qi Refining cultivators who were usually so aloof seemed like mere clay chickens and pottery dogs before his master, utterly vulnerable.

This shock instilled in Shi Chen a near-blind admiration and trust in Yun Long.

In his heart, his master was the highest peak, the goal he would pursue his entire life.

Beside him, Shi Tie stood silently, his sturdy body unmoving, his expression unchanged.

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

This did not conflict with his lifelong belief of repaying the Yun Family's kindness; rather, it complemented it.

The corners of Yun Long's lips curved upward almost imperceptibly.

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

This child had not disappointed him.

If Shi Chen had chosen the other two paths, Yun Long would not have held it against him, but the joy in his heart would have been somewhat diminished.

In his heart, the importance of family and loved ones always surpassed everything else.

If Shi Chen had not made this choice, he might have had to spend effort finding other suitable candidates.

To walk the path of martial arts with spiritual root potential and forcibly refine Qi—what wondrous changes would occur through this process was crucial to the future development of the Yun Family, and it was something he absolutely had to figure out.

Yun Long withdrew his thoughts and his gaze returned to Shi Chen, filled with a hint of relief.

"Good."

A simple word, yet it carried an undeniable affirmation.

Since Shi Chen had made his choice, the next step was to meticulously cultivate this eldest disciple according to the plan he had already prepared.

The Yun Family's previous conditions were indeed stretched thin, and many perfect cultivation methods recorded in their inheritances could not be realized due to a lack of resources.

Now, all of that would begin to change with Shi Chen.

Yun Long pondered for a moment and slowly spoke, his voice steady but carrying a convincing power.

"Martial arts cultivation, body tempering is the foundation of foundations."

"And the best age to start body tempering is twelve years old."

"Our Yun Family's three Xiantian Gong techniques, including the Compendium of Materia Medica from your Uncle Yun He, all have explicit records of this."

"Before the age of twelve, it's not a time for idleness, but for 'body nurturing'."

"First nurture the body, then temper it. With such cultivation, the foundation will become ever more solid, and future potential will become ever greater."

Yun Long's gaze was profound, as if he could already see a certain possibility for Shi Chen's future.

"Therefore, starting today, for the next nearly two years, you will need to cultivate under your Uncle Yun He."

"With her help, properly recuperate your body, learn how to sense your own physical form, and understand the mysteries of every inch of your muscles, bones, skin, and membranes."

Shi Chen respectfully bowed in agreement, his eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

Yun Long nodded slightly, but his mind drifted to another layer of thought.

This "body nurturing" step, if conditions permitted, could even begin from the fetal stage.

However, after the Yun Family arrived in this Wanfang Lake town, among the many cultivation resources and ancient texts they acquired, they had never encountered any records related to this.

He naturally wouldn't dare to take risks with the child in his wife Li Lingyue's womb.

But, according to Yun He, the Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish that Li Lingyue took some days ago, with its gentle and pure spiritual energy, was, in a sense, an excellent way to "nurture the body" for both mother and fetus.

Yun Long was unaware.

Looking across the cultivation world, for eight or nine out of ten small cultivation families whose clans only had Qi Refining Stage cultivators, they had never even heard of the need for "body nurturing" before body tempering.

And among the remaining small families who knew the importance of "body nurturing," their family origins were mostly extraordinary, far from ordinary.