Qingming Peak lay to the north of the Qingyun Mountain Range. Compared with the deserted Qingyou Peak, it was much livelier, with many disciples cultivating. Most of them, however, looked middle-aged or elderly, and the place seemed far more somber than Qingyun Peak. Still, the other branches of the Qingyun Sect never dared look down on Qingming Peak, because its old men specialized in studying formations and restrictions. They had immersed themselves in the art of formations for many years. Once they set up a formation, even someone a level above them would be no match and would be trapped inside, unable to escape.
"Father, are those formations?" Ling Tian looked at the strange things on Qingming Peak. The stones and trees had been arranged according to certain patterns, faintly resonating with the world around them. It all seemed mysterious and unfathomable. Ling Tian had read The Complete Guide to Formations, after all, so he knew a little about them.
"This is Qingyou Peak's protective formation. It hasn't been activated yet; these are just crude things, nothing impressive." With Lingyun's cultivation and experience, he naturally looked down on Qingming Peak's formations. Then he changed tack. "Still, the formations here are every bit as good as Qingyun Peak's Sect Protection Array. For people at their current level to set up something like this is quite impressive."
"Father, you said these formations were crude, but I can't understand them at all. I've read that book, The Complete Guide to Formations, many times." A hint of confusion and dejection showed on Ling Tian's face.
"Haha! It's called a complete guide, but how could it really cover everything? It only teaches the barest basics of formations." Hearing Ling Tian's words, Lingyun laughed, then added, "Besides, with your Mental Cultivation not even strong enough to form spiritual awareness, how could you understand formations set up by people on Qingming Peak whose Mental Cultivation has reached the Golden Core, Embryonic Transformation, or even Nascent Soul Realm?"
"Oh, so that's how it is. It seems the Dao of Formations is vast and profound, too." Ling Tian's face was full of wonder, and his dejection vanished. It made sense. They had cultivated for so long, while he was still so young. It was only natural that he couldn't understand the formations they had set up.
"Every trade and every path has its own strengths. Each one is vast and profound; we've only learned a fraction of any of them. When you travel the world, never look down on any profession or craft. If someone studies it deeply enough, they can comprehend the Great Dao and gain extraordinary abilities." Lingyun spoke calmly.
Lingyun's former sect, Lingxiao Pavilion, valued embracing all rivers and learning from the strengths of every school. He knew better than to underestimate any path of cultivation, even one that seemed weak.
"Yes, I'll remember your lesson, Father." Ling Tian answered respectfully. He knew his father was giving him a warning.
"Senior Lingyun, you honor my peak with your presence. I'm sorry I wasn't here to welcome you. Please forgive me." Just then, a sprightly old man drifted over, greeting them from a distance.
"Peak Master Yuan, you're too polite." Lingyun's tone was calm. From his words, the man was Yuan Ming, the peak master of Qingming Peak.
"May I ask what brings you here, Senior?" Yuan Ming wasn't bothered by Lingyun's coolness and asked.
"I'm just taking Tian'er around for a look. You don't need to accompany us; go about your business." Lingyun waved a hand, still as calm as water.
Yuan Ming glanced at Ling Tian beside Lingyun, his face full of regret. He seemed indignant over Ling Tian's Congenital Meridian Blockage and saddened that Heaven had robbed the world of a promising talent. He let out a long sigh, then said, "This junior will take his leave."
With that, he flashed away and vanished.
"Come on. Let's go to the back peak of Qingming Peak." After Yuan Ming left, Lingyun spoke to Ling Tian, who was looking around.
Ling Tian said nothing and followed his father.
Many disciples were cultivating on Qingming Peak, most of them with their eyes closed as they meditated on the Dao of Formations. Lingyun and his son walked past without drawing so much as a movement from them, as if they hadn't even noticed them. Cultivators were supposed to have such focus and the resolve to remain unmoved by outside distractions; without it, they could never enter the true halls of cultivation.
Before long, they reached the back peak. Unlike Qingyou Peak, with its thick stands of trees, this place had artificial waterfalls and springs, secluded paths and pavilions, and strange rocks and trees. Yet everything seemed to blend seamlessly into the mountain, perfectly at home in nature.
"Tian'er, look. That's the Orange Spirit Mist Sea. The mist never clears, no matter how much time passes. You can't see anything more than a foot or so away inside it, and it has some amazing effects. It's perfect for practicing Mental Cultivation when you're just starting out." After they had walked a little farther, Lingyun pointed to a sea of mist not far from a small pavilion.
No one knew how far the mist sea stretched. It covered a vast area of the back peak of Qingming Peak. What was amazing was that the mist was orange, and the spiritual energy within it shimmered thickly, making it seem quite extraordinary.
"Father, do I just go straight in?" Ling Tian asked, uncertain. He didn't believe it could be that simple.
"Of course not. Once you're inside, try to use your mind to 'see' things. The more you see, and the clearer they are, the better." Lingyun smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying anything.
"Oh, I understand. I'll go in, then." Ling Tian thought it over for a moment before answering.
"Go ahead, but don't go too deep at first, or you might get lost in there." Lingyun cautioned him, then went to sit in the pavilion nearby.
Ling Tian slowly entered the Orange Spirit Mist Sea. A cool breeze brushed against him, and it felt wonderful. After walking in a few meters, he realized how unusual the place was. He had seen other seas of mist before, and the fog on Qingyou Peak was almost as thick. But here, he couldn't see even a foot ahead, whereas with his eyesight, he could see at least ten yards through the fog elsewhere.
"Creation really is wondrous. The Great Thousand Worlds are so colorful, full of marvels and surprises!" Ling Tian couldn't help exclaiming.
He walked a few more meters, then remembered his father's warning and went no deeper. After looking around, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. He concentrated on sensing the scenery around him. Before long, he sensed countless tiny orange particles of energy all around him.
"Father said I should use my mind to 'see,' but why can I only sense these little energy particles?" Ling Tian wondered aloud.
"Seeing means using my eyes. My eyes can only look at one small area at a time, while my mind senses everything around me. I should be able to focus my mind on one spot, right? Use it like an eye." Ling Tian thought, then began to test the idea.
He concentrated his Mental Power in one place and focused on the hand he held out in front of him. Before long, he sensed a difference. He no longer saw only the energy particles around him; he could truly "see" a hand. It was only a blurry shadow, but he had seen it.
"Huh, it really works! Heh." Ling Tian cried out in surprise. But his concentration slipped, and he could no longer see his hand.
"Sigh, my Mental Cultivation is still too weak. Father said he can see everything he wants within dozens of miles, even over a hundred. His range and how long he can maintain it are both far beyond me. I wonder when I'll reach that level?" Ling Tian couldn't help dreaming of the future. He admired his father even more. After all, right now he could barely see one small spot a foot away.
"I'd better not reach for the stars just yet. The most important thing right now is to develop spiritual awareness. Once I have it, I'll be able to project it outside myself. Then I should be able to see farther, right?" Lingyun had once told him that cultivation required taking one step at a time. He mustn't become greedy for what lay beyond his reach; he had to build a solid foundation. A solid foundation was crucial, and Ling Tian wouldn't forget that. With that thought, he focused on "seeing" his hand again.
Time slipped by, and a quarter of an hour slowly passed. Ling Tian began to feel he couldn't keep going. His Mental Power was being drained heavily; this was much more exhausting than looking with his eyes. Gradually, a fine layer of sweat beaded on Ling Tian's forehead. The drops grew larger and larger, then ran down his face.
"Ugh, I didn't realize it would drain so much. This is exhausting." Ling Tian let out a breath, but kept trying to "see" his hand.
"I've only held on this long, and I'm already about to give out. No, I can't give up now." His stubborn streak kicked in, and he gritted his teeth and persevered.
If Lingyun knew Ling Tian had managed to last a quarter of an hour on his very first try, he would probably be astonished. Most people needed many attempts before they could even manage to see what was around them, and lasting a few seconds was already impressive. Ling Tian, of course, knew none of this. He still thought his Mental Cultivation was too weak and that he needed to train it harder.
He persevered for perhaps another quarter of an hour before his Mental Power was finally exhausted. He couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground. Sweat soaked his clothes and spread into a large damp patch on the earth.
"Ugh, my head really hurts." It took about half an hour before Ling Tian slowly woke. His head felt as if it were splitting; he was groggy and utterly weak.
"Huh, my Mental Power is recovering fast—more than twice as fast as before." Ling Tian had exhausted his Mental Power before while trying to cultivate spiritual energy, and back then it had recovered much more slowly.
"My Mental Power has strengthened a little, too. Father was right. Every time it's completely exhausted, it grows a little once it's fully recovered." A moment later, Ling Tian noticed the change in himself and understood what his father had meant.
Whether he cultivated spiritual energy or Mental Power, both normally grew slowly. It took a long time for that growth to build up enough to be noticeable; usually, he wouldn't notice any increase at all.
"Huh, the orange energy particles around me are rushing toward me. What's going on?" Ling Tian had only just awakened and hadn't yet gathered his mind, so he could sense the orange energy particles around him converging on him.
"The energy particles gather at the center of my brows and disappear. They must be entering my mind. No wonder my Mental Power is recovering so quickly. The orange mist sea can replenish Mental Power. So that's why Father brought me here!" Ling Tian suddenly understood.
There was fog on Qingyou Peak every day, and at its thickest it was almost as dense as this. At first, Ling Tian had wondered why his father had brought him here. Now he understood.
"I'd better get back to cultivating. I can't let Father's painstaking efforts go to waste." With that thought, Ling Tian began another round of cultivation.
And so Ling Tian began a hellish training regimen. Whenever his Mental Power was full, he concentrated it to "see" his hand again; whenever it was exhausted, it quickly recovered in the mist sea. His Mental Power slowly grew through this cycle of exhaustion and recovery, over and over again. By then, the hand he could "see" was no longer as blurry as it had been at first. He could just barely make out each finger.
"Phew, I'm exhausted—and hungry. But I can clearly feel my Mental Cultivation improving. It feels great. The fatigue and hunger are worth it." Ling Tian had been cultivating for four hours, from morning until now, without a drop of water. With all that effort, of course he was exhausted and hungry, nearly collapsing from the strain.
"I'd better eat something and drink some water first. If I pass out again, I might not wake up for a long time." As he spoke, he took the rations, fruit, and water flask he had prepared earlier out of his Storage Ring and wolfed them down.
After eating his fill (there was no alcohol here, of course, so don't dwell on it, everyone), Ling Tian rested for a while before continuing to cultivate. The cycle of collapsing and waking began all over again. Lost in cultivation, Ling Tian had no idea how time was passing. And since he was inside the Orange Spirit Mist Sea, he couldn't see the sky changing, either.
"Chirp! Chirp!" In the small pavilion outside the mist sea, Humei suddenly began chirping, a hint of anxiety in her voice. By then, darkness had fallen, and the sky was already dotted with stars.
"That boy loses all sense of time once he starts cultivating. If we don't call him, he'll probably keep going." Lingyun looked up at the sky and stretched his body, sore from sitting for so long.
"Tian'er, it's getting late. Time to head back." Lingyun's loud shout sent sound waves rushing into the mist sea.
"Why do we have to go back so soon? Hasn't it only been a little while?" Ling Tian was completely bewildered. To him, it felt as if only an hour or two had passed. Still, he stood and walked out.
"How did it get dark so quickly?" Ling Tian emerged from the mist sea. The stars overhead were showing him just how much time had slipped away.
"Tian'er, how did your training go?" Lingyun asked with concern.
"Not bad. I can just barely make out my hand now." Lingyun moved his body, and the crackle of his bones echoed far through the silent night.
"Mm, that's pretty good. Let's go." As his voice rang out, a Jade Flute appeared. Lingyun took Humei and Ling Tian with him and turned into a streak of green light, whistling away. Before long, they had vanished into the night.
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