In late spring, the long Green Stone steps outside Ziyang Sect's mountain gate had been baked scorching hot by the warm sun.
Shen Hao stood at the foot of the stairs with a half-worn cloth bundle on his back, unable to resist wiping the sweat from his brow. The wind swept down from the mountains, carrying the fresh scent of grass, trees, and spiritual energy, stirring the tips of his hair. He came from Green Ox Village, a remote settlement a hundred li from Ziyang Sect. Its hundred-odd households were all farmers who faced the yellow earth with their backs to the sky. Forget cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao—even the county town was rarely visited by anyone from the village.
If Ziyang Sect's Outer Sect deacon had not passed through Green Ox Village three months ago and discovered that he possessed Three Spiritual Roots, Shen Hao would probably still have been in the fields with his parents, tending crops.
"Next, Shen Hao!"
The clear voice of the Outer Sect Disciple in charge of reception broke Shen Hao's train of thought. He hurriedly clutched the identification papers to his chest and strode to the Spirit Testing Pillar. The pillar was jade-white from top to bottom and roughly the height of a person, its surface carved with profound patterns as it glimmered with faint spiritual light.
"Place your palm on it and calm your mind." The receiving disciple urged him impatiently.
Shen Hao did as instructed. The instant his palm touched the Spirit Testing Pillar, a cool sensation spread from his fingertips. Holding his breath, he sensed three weak yet utterly distinct currents within his body slowly gathering in his palm. Moments later, three rays of light lit up on the pillar—green, yellow, and red—corresponding respectively to his wood, earth, and fire Spiritual Roots.
"Three Spiritual Roots, Low-grade Talent." The receiving disciple gave it a glance, casually marked the register, and said flatly, "Go over there to collect an Outer Sect Disciple's clothes and token. From now on, you'll live in Room C-3."
Shen Hao nodded repeatedly in thanks. He accepted the Gray Disciple Robe, a wooden token engraved with the characters "Shen Hao," and a thin booklet. Written on its cover were the words Ziyang Outer Sect Basic Qi Cultivation Art—the introductory cultivation method for Outer Sect Disciples.
He followed the crowd deeper into the mountain. Along the way, he saw many boys and girls dressed in the same Gray Disciple Robes, some excited, others apprehensive. As one of the foremost great sects in the southern part of the Eastern Profound Continent, Ziyang Sect had several thousand Outer Sect Disciples and several hundred Inner Sect Disciples. As for Core Disciples, they were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Room C was a row of crude wooden houses, with a small open patch in front just large enough for two people to practice swordsmanship. Shen Hao pushed open the door to the third room, and a damp smell rushed at his face. The furnishings inside were simple: a wooden plank bed, a battered wooden table, and nothing else.
He set his bundle on the bed, carefully held the Ziyang Outer Sect Basic Qi Cultivation Art in his hands, and sat at the table to read it closely. The writing in the booklet was neat. Its opening passage laid out the essentials of the Breathing Technique: "Rise with the sun and rest at sunset. Draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, circulate it through the meridians three times, and return it to the Sea of Qi..."
Shen Hao became so engrossed that he only snapped back to himself when the sky outside the window gradually darkened. Following the booklet's instructions, he sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and calmed his mind.
At first, he sensed only silence all around him; even his own heartbeat was clearly audible. He did not know how much time passed before he seemed to feel a faint, indistinct current of air lingering at the tip of his nose. He tried guiding it according to the mnemonic, but the current was like a mischievous child—just as it brushed his fingertips, it vanished without a trace.
Once, twice, three times...
Shen Hao did not lose heart. Having worked the fields alongside his parents since childhood, he understood better than anyone that practice made perfect. After countless attempts, when the first faint thread of spiritual energy finally flowed slowly along his meridians and into his Sea of Qi, an indescribable sense of comfort instantly swept through every limb and bone in his body.
He abruptly opened his eyes, which were brimming with delight.
Outside the window, the moon hung high in the middle of the sky, its silver radiance spilling across the sill. Shen Hao clenched his fists and silently swore: From this day forward, he would carve out a path of immortal cultivation that belonged to him alone within Ziyang Sect.
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