Ning Ri immediately sat upright. "Please, go on."
His understanding of Heaven Defying Sect's cultivation was indeed hazy at best.
Chen Xingfeng said, "Since we need an example, let's use cultivation. In normal cultivation, the realms are Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation. You know that, right?"
Ning Ri nodded. "I do."
Chen Xingfeng said, "In normal cultivation, Qi Refining means drawing qi into the body. Qi is divided into pure and turbid, and Qi Refining is no exception."
"If the spiritual qi absorbed into one's body is pure, and one uses the proper methods to temper it, expelling impurities and making that spiritual qi ever clearer and more flawless, then one is a Pure Qi Cultivator."
"Some people have poorer talent and need external aids to help temper it before they can become Pure Qi Cultivators."
"If the spiritual qi absorbed into one's body is mixed and impure, and it is tempered improperly—or not tempered at all—then one is a Turbid Qi Cultivator."
"Qi Refining is not difficult, and talent is not valued quite so highly at this stage. So, counterintuitively, Turbid Qi Cultivators generally have poor cultivation environments or incorrect cultivation methods, yet their talent is often quite good."
Ning Ri understood.
Turbid Qi Cultivators were the small-town test-takers.
Chen Xingfeng said, "Under such circumstances, there are specialized Qi Washing Methods and Qi Washing Magic Treasures to help these Turbid Qi Cultivators wash their qi. As long as they have not reached Foundation Establishment, it can be washed."
"However, such magic treasures are extremely expensive and beyond the reach of most. Only major sects can afford to provide them..."
Ning Ri fell into thought.
Then Chen Xingfeng suddenly veered off-topic. "Oh, right. Did you know that I created the latest generation of Qi Washing Magic Treasures?"
Ning Ri keenly sensed that something was off, but he still exclaimed, "You're incredible!"
Chen Xingfeng did not acknowledge the praise. Instead, he said directly, "Someone at the Foundation Establishment realm can refine this treasure, but those without a talent for artifact forging learn it very slowly."
"But you are different. I believe you can learn it in three days at most. And I think you will very likely innovate upon it, giving the Qi Washing Magic Treasure more comprehensive functions and bringing it a whole new face..."
"I can take the lead for you. Orders from across the entire Cultivation World will pour in your direction. If you lack money, refine a batch. If you do not, make them wait. They will still have to rack their brains trying to curry favor with you."
"When the time comes, you can build a tower as tall as Craftsmanship Tower, and the entire tower can be sculpted from spirit stones."
"Tempted?"
Ning Ri: "..."
Holy shit, what a pie in the sky!
Was this Chen Xingfeng's ability to poach people?
His ability to paint a pie in the sky was not inferior to his artifact-forging ability at all!
Seeing Ning Ri's silence and his clearly stunned expression, Chen Xingfeng was satisfied. This was precisely how he intended to wear down Ning Ri's resolve—by slipping the benefits of leaving Heaven Defying Sect into their conversation.
He continued, "The qi in your body is pure qi, correct?"
Ning Ri nodded.
This Qi Refining cultivation was built by the panel. This was no ordinary purity—this was 8K ultra-high definition.
Chen Xingfeng said, "Then you also understand that only pure qi can be used for normal Foundation Establishment."
"But Heaven Defying Sect's method of Qi Refining is somewhat different from normal cultivation."
"For instance, someone in Heaven Defying Sect used turbid qi for Foundation Establishment."
Ning Ri froze...
Chen Xingfeng said, "This is not entirely unheard of. There are cases like this even in the normal Cultivation World."
"Cultivators who do not have time to wash the spiritual qi in their bodies and are forced to establish their foundation will do this. In the end, they obtain a Turbid Foundation."
"But that person from Heaven Defying Sect was different. He insisted on using turbid qi for Foundation Establishment. At the time, everyone opposed him; even people from Heaven Defying Sect opposed him."
"Do you know why he did it?"
Ning Ri asked in astonishment, "Why?"
Chen Xingfeng said, "That person said, 'Purity and turbidity turned against each other, yin and yang overturned—this is the principle of defying Heaven. Once the Turbid Foundation emerges, defying Heaven will naturally be as easy as turning one's hand.'"
"And what no one expected was that he succeeded. After using turbid qi for Foundation Establishment, he truly set foot upon his supreme path to the pinnacle."
"After that news spread, quite a few cultivators in the normal Cultivation World were greatly encouraged. They too had once been forced by various unavoidable circumstances to condense Turbid Foundations. Now that someone had succeeded, they felt they could succeed too..."
"Granted, after that, no one else followed that person from Heaven Defying Sect onto the supreme path through a Turbid Foundation. But at least quite a few cultivators with Turbid Foundations went on to the Golden Core path..."
Hearing this, Ning Ri was utterly shocked. This was far too awesome. His eyes immediately lit up as he said, "Then isn't that a good thing?"
How was this heretical cultivation?
This was clearly a broad road of light!
Chen Xingfeng waved a hand. "Using turbid qi for Foundation Establishment is inconceivable, but the example I gave is still within the bounds of acceptance."
"I gave this example first so you could understand Heaven Defying Sect step by step."
"The examples I heard afterward were much harder for me to comprehend."
"For example, I distinctly remember that someone in Heaven Defying Sect became a Qi Refining cultivator through Smoky Atmosphere."
Ning Ri: "?"
"What the hell?!"
"Is it the Smoky Atmosphere I know?"
Smoky Atmosphere.
In the narrow sense, it meant cooking fumes.
In the broad sense, it meant the bustling, lived-in aura of everyday life.
But...
What did that have to do with the Qi Refining realm?
Facing Ning Ri's uncertain expression, Chen Xingfeng nodded. "Yes."
Ning Ri was dumbfounded. "You can use that to cultivate?"
"Your question is also my question," Chen Xingfeng said quietly.
Ning Ri said in disbelief, "Turbid qi is still barely within the realm of comprehension..."
"After all, when all is said and done, turbid qi is still spiritual qi—just a little murkier."
"But what is Smoky Atmosphere?"
"How do you circulate a cultivation method with that? How do you absorb it into your body?"
"Cultivating with Smoky Atmosphere..."
"How is that any different from using Wok Qi for Foundation Establishment?"
After saying all that in one breath, an image could not help flashing through Ning Ri's mind:
One person touched another's Dao Foundation, then praised it—
"Your Dao Foundation really has some Wok Qi!"
What kind of utter nonsense was this?
Chen Xingfeng said calmly, "Look, I have only given one example, and you already cannot understand it. But Heaven Defying Sect does not have merely one or two examples like this."
"Are you sure you can understand them?"
As he spoke, he was inwardly pleased. It seemed Ning Ri was not truly dead set on staying in Heaven Defying Sect after all.
But just as he finished speaking, Ning Ri abruptly regained his calm. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Actually..."
"It is not impossible to understand."
Chen Xingfeng: "?"
Ning Ri laughed. "After all... even someone like me, who refuses to take any shit, can become a Qi Refining cultivator. So Foundation Establishment with Smoky Atmosphere is not entirely impossible to understand."
Chen Xingfeng said nothing after hearing that, only shook his head.
Ning Ri gave a dry laugh and changed the subject. "But, Master Xingfeng, can you tell me how this Smoky Atmosphere is circulated? I cannot quite understand it. Could it just be hearsay passed from mouth to mouth?"
But Chen Xingfeng refused to answer. "I do not know those details either. I only know that after that person successfully established his foundation, his Dao Foundation was extremely peculiar."
Ning Ri asked, "How peculiar?"
Chen Xingfeng said quietly, "Can you understand the feeling of a group of people walking out of your dantian?"
Ning Ri: "?"
He stretched out a hand, scratching his head blankly. "Uh, wait. You mean that after Foundation Establishment with Smoky Atmosphere, it turned into a group of people?"
Chen Xingfeng nodded.
Ning Ri: "..."
Holy crap.
The Dao Foundation created by inhaling cooking fumes was a group of people? Smokers? Was this a smokers' Dao Foundation? What kind of nonsense was that?
Ning Ri asked, "Is this senior with the Smoky Atmosphere Dao Foundation still around?"
Chen Xingfeng said, "The Grandmaster of Heaven Defying Sect."
Ning Ri pressed his lips together and fell silent...
After thinking it over, he laughed awkwardly. "That really is a little heaven-defying. But if Smoky Atmosphere can be used for Foundation Establishment, can Frustration Qi work too? Haha, I have quite a lot of Frustration Qi."
He had only meant to make a joke and ease the atmosphere.
But Chen Xingfeng said expressionlessly, "It can."
Ning Ri: "?"
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