Progressing Through Failure

Time slowly passed, and Ling Tian gradually became familiar with this movement technique. He could perform as many variations as possible, and each movement was executed halfway, leaving the other half implied. The small grove was filled with his phantom-like figures, creating layers of illusions, making it impossible to distinguish which one was the real Ling Tian. The Swift Shadow Rabbits, seeing that Ling Tian was no longer paying attention to them, gathered not far away, chirping anxiously.

"Coo coo!" Time unknowingly passed until noon while Ling Tian was cultivating, and his stomach served as the best "alarm clock." He looked around and noticed that the Swift Shadow Rabbits had dispersed at some point, so he had no choice but to go pick some fruit to eat.

"This move can also be done like this, it's faster and has more variations," Ling Tian muttered to himself while eating, even taking a few steps when inspiration struck.

As he thought more, Ling Tian increasingly felt the profoundness of the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique. He now realized he had only just begun to grasp it and truly wanted to see its ultimate potential. He wondered how far his mother, Humei, had practiced it.

"Hmph hmph, little rabbits, let's see if you dare to be so arrogant this time." After demonstrating a set of movements again, Ling Tian finished eating his fruit. He now somewhat looked forward to the Swift Shadow Rabbits arriving soon.

Ling Tian didn't have to wait long. A few minutes after he finished his fruit, the first rabbit silhouette appeared, followed by more and more Swift Shadow Rabbits. Seeing Ling Tian waiting for them, they immediately chirped non-stop, appearing extremely excited.

"It's about to begin," Ling Tian shouted when most of the rabbits had arrived, and then he pounced.

Seeing Ling Tian lunging like a hawk, the Swift Shadow Rabbit pushed off with its legs and shot away, leaving a long afterimage behind it that slowly faded after a moment.

"Trying to run? Let's see how I catch you." Ling Tian seemed to know the rabbit's next move, his hands becoming a blur of afterimages, intercepting the rabbit's escape route in advance.

"Squeak squeak!" The Swift Shadow Rabbit let out a startled cry, suddenly accelerating and making a sharp turn, narrowly escaping.

"Still a bit short, but there's been significant progress," Ling Tian murmured, looking at a handful of rabbit fur in his hand.

"Squeak squeak!" The Swift Shadow Rabbit looked at the fur drifting from Ling Tian's hand, its squeaks of pain and anger incessant.

"Hmph hmph, who told you to mock me," Ling Tian said nonchalantly, even making a funny face at the rabbits.

"There are still too few variations, and the movements are a bit stiff. Otherwise, I would have caught this rabbit long ago," Ling Tian summarized his failed experience and, with that in mind, moved towards the rabbit again.

Seeing Ling Tian approaching again, the rabbit had to muster all its energy. Instantly, rabbit silhouettes and human figures filled the air, making the forest lively.

Thus, Ling Tian slowly improved through failures.

The sun set and the moon rose, and the black night sky began to gradually envelop Qingyou Peak.

Except for the first time when he accidentally grabbed a tuft of fur from a careless rabbit, Ling Tian hadn't gained any advantage from the Swift Shadow Rabbits. However, Ling Tian wasn't too anxious. He felt he was improving every moment, and this feeling of slowly getting stronger was fulfilling and made him very happy.

After failing to catch a rabbit again, Ling Tian looked up at the sky. It was already dotted with stars, so he had to stop for the day, bid farewell to the rabbits, and head back.

And so, about a month passed. Every morning, Ling Tian would come alone to catch Swift Shadow Rabbits. He also practiced his movement technique at night. He didn't get discouraged by his failures, and gradually, the rabbits began to feel the strain. Although they hadn't been caught yet, they had lost quite a bit of fur, which was painful. This angered them greatly; being surpassed by a "little guy" they looked down upon was incredibly frustrating.

One day, Ling Tian was once again vying with the Swift Shadow Rabbits. Over the course of the year, his movement technique had become even more mystical and elusive. With every move, illusions flickered, making him appear unreal. He pounced towards a bald rabbit, and in an instant, illusions swirled, surrounding the rabbit. The rabbit spun rapidly, but Ling Tian was faster. Before it could react, he had grabbed the rabbit he had been tormenting for a long time.

"Squeak squeak!" The rabbit was extremely shocked and angry. Over the past month, its fur had become sparser, and it was constantly on the verge of being caught, yet it was unwilling to give up easily.

"Hehe, you ran, stinky rabbit, let's see if you dare to mock me again." Ling Tian's face was filled with joy. This was the first time he had caught a Swift Shadow Rabbit, and he was naturally overjoyed.

"Squeak squeak!" The rabbit cried out in alarm and struggled with all its might.

"Not convinced? Hmph hmph, I'll eat you. Braised rabbit tastes quite good," Ling Tian pretended to be fierce, scaring the Swift Shadow Rabbit. Having played with these rabbits for so long and having them help him practice his movement technique, he couldn't bear to truly harm them.

"Squeak squeak!" The Swift Shadow Rabbit's eyes were filled with terror, as if it could understand Ling Tian's words. It no longer dared to struggle and looked at Ling Tian pleadingly.

"Little fellow, are you convinced? Haha, don't worry, don't worry, I won't hurt you." Seeing the Swift Shadow Rabbit's plea, Ling Tian's expression shifted. He thought to himself, Mother said all living things have spirits, and one should not kill indiscriminately. It seems to be true.

With that thought, Ling Tian released his grip on the Swift Shadow Rabbit. Seeing Ling Tian's hand loosen, the rabbit immediately fled.

"Hehe, let's continue." Ling Tian chuckled, scaring the fleeing rabbit into running even faster. He indeed had the potential for Lingyun's cunning.

Saying that, he picked up another rabbit. As he became more proficient, Ling Tian's success rate in catching rabbits increased. Eventually, almost no rabbit could escape his grasp. However, he never harmed the rabbits, and as he became more familiar, he no longer even pulled out their fur. The rabbits were also happy to play with him. Here on Qingyou Peak, where humans were scarce, it was rare to have someone to play with.

"Tian'er, I heard you can now catch Swift Shadow Rabbits quite skillfully?" Lingyun asked suddenly one night during dinner. Although he was asking Ling Tian, his tone was one of certainty.

"Yes, Father," Ling Tian replied truthfully.

"Swift Shadow Rabbits are no longer suitable for your cultivation. Go catch Lightning Ferrets instead," Lingyun said with a gentle smile, appearing calm and extraordinary.

"Understood, Father," Ling Tian replied after a moment of thought.

In the Yao Beast Miscellaneous Talk, there was a description of Lightning Ferrets: "Fast as wind, swift as lightning, extremely agile, even faster than Swift Shadow Rabbits." Ling Tian, having read this book, naturally knew the characteristics of Lightning Ferrets.

"In the future, you must learn to find suitable targets and cultivate on your own. After all, you understand your own situation best," Lingyun added.

"Yes, I understand, Father," Ling Tian replied respectfully. He knew his father was doing this for his own good and understood his father's earnest intentions.

The next day, Ling Tian eagerly went to catch Lightning Ferrets. The Swift Shadow Rabbits no longer posed a challenge to him, and he had long since lost interest.

From then on, Ling Tian began his own cultivation. During the day, he would go into the mountains and forests to catch various wild beasts for fun. At night, he would return to read the books Lingyun had given him. The books Lingyun gave him were comprehensive, and he read them with great interest, not finding them boring. Instead, he was often captivated by the content, but his desire for cultivation methods and Spiritual Energy grew even stronger, and he became more expectant and yearning for the outside world his father spoke of.

During this period, he also attempted to cultivate multiple times, but each time the energy particles entered his body, they were inexplicably devoured by his internal system and no longer under his control. Each attempt left Ling Tian mentally exhausted and weary. After several such attempts, although he made no progress in cultivation, his mental cultivation advanced significantly, reaching the peak of Qi Condensation, with the possibility of breaking through to the Qi Solidification Stage at any moment.

Once he reached the Qi Solidification Stage, his mind could generate Spiritual Sense, allowing him to directly read the contents of Jade Slips instead of relying on books. Moreover, the speed of reading with Spiritual Sense was incomparable to reading with his eyes. Furthermore, it was important to know that a single Jade Slip contained a massive amount of information. The content of all the books Lingyun had given him probably wouldn't fill even the most common Jade Slip.

Most importantly, with Spiritual Sense, he could perform internal observation, and his Spiritual Sense could also be projected outwards slightly. At this point, he could also choose an object to communicate with and practice Object Flight, provided he had sufficient Spiritual Energy to support it.

It could be said that the Qi Solidification Stage was a significant turning point on the path of cultivation. A cultivator at the Qi Solidification Stage who could practice Object Flight would not fear even cultivators at the late stage of Qi Condensation. Even if they couldn't defeat them, they could fly away, and those who couldn't fly could never reach them, giving them an innate advantage.

"Alas, what use is powerful mental cultivation when I can't cultivate Spiritual Energy? Even if I can communicate with objects, I can't practice Object Flight," Ling Tian sighed with disappointment.

The desire to fly had always been his dream. So many years had passed, and although he no longer mentioned this dream, it was only to avoid making his father and mother sad about him being a "waste." But a dream remained a dream; it wouldn't fade with time but would only become more intense.

"I wonder when the person Father mentioned who would bring me a cultivation method will arrive. I wonder if it will be suitable for a 'waste' like me," Ling Tian mused with a hint of self-deprecation and underlying worry. He hadn't forgotten the mysterious smile his father had given him years ago when he mentioned someone would bring him a cultivation method.

"Alas, there's no point dwelling on things I can't change now. I should focus on cultivating my physical body. Father said there's a big misconception in the cultivation world today, focusing heavily on the cultivation of Primordial Spirit and Spiritual Energy while neglecting the cultivation of the physical body. I wonder what the difference is between these two types of cultivation," Ling Tian was also a person of broad-mindedness. He quickly shifted his focus to other matters, not wasting too much thought on things he couldn't change for the time being.