Shortcuts to Cultivation

Wen Zhong thought Di Xin didn't know the white dog wasn't a real white dog.

Di Xin knew Wen Zhong didn't know he already knew the white dog wasn't a real white dog.

Therefore, Di Xin was acting.

Wen Zhong was also acting.

From Wen Zhong's attitude after returning, Di Xin could sense that he was temporarily safe, but not absolutely safe.

Not a single detail could be overlooked, otherwise, if he slipped up anywhere, he would surely be finished.

After Wen Zhong left, Di Xin eagerly opened the silk cloth to read the contents, reading very carefully.

He didn't care about the level of the cultivation technique, as he could only use it as a starting point to cover for his magic power that might be exposed later.

Surprisingly, upon closer inspection, Di Xin actually gained quite a bit.

The way he obtained his magic power was through consuming Spirit Pills, not through proper cultivation. In other words, although he had reached the middle stage of the Human Flower Realm, he was completely clueless about cultivation techniques.

"So this is the cultivation method, Origin Power is converted in the Qi Sea by absorbing spiritual energy..."

"So cultivating Origin Power is actually this difficult..."

"Cultivation requires much higher aptitude than I imagined..."

Di Xin mused as he read.

Although it was his first time encountering a cultivation technique, understanding this one was no problem at all. If he had never encountered Origin Power before, if Origin Power had never manifested in his body, it might have been a different story.

This was essentially a process of theory and practice confirming each other. With the Origin Power in his body as a foundation, theoretical problems naturally became clear.

After reading for a full half hour, Di Xin put away the cultivation technique, tucked it into his robes, and began pacing in the imperial garden.

"Great King, I couldn't find that big white dog. Your humble servant suspects some fierce dog has cultivated some Demonic Arts. With me here, it absolutely won't dare to enter the Royal Palace again."

Not long after, Wen Zhong returned to the imperial garden from wherever he had been, reporting back to Di Xin.

As a subject, having arrangements, actions, and feedback was the most basic protocol.

"That's good. The safety of the Royal Palace depends on you, Grand Tutor." Di Xin said politely.

"I dare not, I dare not, Great King, you flatter this old servant!" Wen Zhong quickly bowed.

"Oh, right, Grand Tutor..."

Di Xin seemed to just remember something, took out the cultivation technique, and asked Wen Zhong some difficult questions.

Most of these questions were about basic common knowledge in cultivation techniques.

Like what is the Qi Sea?

Like what is One Heavenly Cycle?

What is a Lesser Heavenly Cycle, what is a Greater Heavenly Cycle?

And then, where is this acupoint, and where is that acupoint?

He appeared to be a complete novice in cultivation.

Wen Zhong didn't find it troublesome. Whenever the Great King asked, he answered each question in detail.

In his view, it was normal for someone encountering a cultivation technique for the first time not to understand these things.

After asking over a dozen questions in one go, Di Xin stopped talking and changed the subject: "Grand Tutor, how much time do I need to gain the strength to defeat that white dog?"

"Hmm..."

Wen Zhong thought about his wording, unable to suppress a chuckle. Having a goal was good, but making the white dog the target was too amusing.

However, this was normal. The Great King's strong desire to cultivate must have an internal motivation, and his internal motivation was that dog.

"Is it difficult to estimate?"

Seeing Wen Zhong remain silent, Di Xin pressed him.

Wen Zhong dared not say that the Great King could never defeat the white dog in this lifetime, as that would be too discouraging. He could only offer a perfunctory reply: "As long as Your Majesty cultivates day and night without rest, it will take ten to eight years. After all, that dog has likely absorbed the essence of the sun and moon and cultivated for five to six hundred years to be able to change its form and size. Ten to eight years is already considered very fast."

"Uh, that's still a long time... Alright, I will cultivate day and night..."

Di Xin muttered to himself after a moment of confusion.

"Great King, you still have state affairs to handle and the empire to govern. Your Dragon Body is important, you cannot cultivate day and night!"

Hearing Di Xin say this, Wen Zhong became anxious. He was only trying to fool Di Xin, thinking that the Great King might just be having a fleeting whim to cultivate and wouldn't persist for long. If the Great King abandoned everything else to focus solely on cultivation, he himself might become a sycophant criticized by many.

"Alright, alright, I will manage my time. Grand Tutor, let me ask you again, roughly how long will it take to cultivate Origin Power?"

Di Xin agreed readily and then asked again.

"This... Your humble servant cannot say for sure. For those who are fast, it might take ten days to eight days. For those who are slow, it might take ten years or eight years. Given Your Majesty's aptitude, cultivating Origin Power within three to four years would be the absolute limit, so Your Majesty should be mentally prepared."

Wen Zhong deliberated carefully before giving Di Xin an answer.

"Three to four years? That's too slow!" Di Xin frowned slightly. He said this, but in his heart, he thought, This is bad. If it takes three to four years to cultivate Origin Power at a normal pace, and I reveal that I have Origin Power too early, there will still be flaws.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again: "Grand Tutor, are there any methods to cultivate Origin Power faster?"

"This..."

Wen Zhong pondered for a moment before offering a solution. "I do have a method, but it requires the consumption of precious Spirit Pills. However, the materials needed for these Spirit Pills, which aid in cultivation, are all rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, making them exceedingly valuable. Furthermore, the process of refining the pills is very difficult; a slight mistake can turn them into duds. Therefore, obtaining such a pill is not easy."

Wen Zhong paused before continuing, "Moreover, consuming these Spirit Pills has a drawback..."

"A drawback? What drawback?" Di Xin looked at Wen Zhong.

Wen Zhong explained, "Consuming Spirit Pills can shorten the time it takes to cultivate Origin Power. However, consuming Spirit Pills differs from normal cultivation, as it can lead to dependency on the pills and slow down the normal cultivation speed."

"For example, progress in cultivating a technique will be slower after consuming Spirit Pills compared to the normal speed. This slowness is persistent and usually accompanies one's entire cultivation journey. Thus, some people would rather spend more time initially cultivating Origin Power than use Spirit Pills. Unless there is sufficient support of Spirit Pills for cultivation, but... that's practically impossible. Spirit Pills are so rare, how many could anyone possibly obtain?"

"Is that so?" Di Xin nodded slowly. This was something he had only learned today.

However, it seemed that Spirit Pills weren't a problem for him!

"Right, since we're talking about Spirit Pills, I might as well mention another path. Consider it as a way for the Great King to learn more."

Wen Zhong suddenly seemed to recall something and added immediately.