First Cultivation

Ye Yun and Tian Ling'er hadn't even arrived at Tai Chi Cave when they saw Tian Buyi and Su Ru waiting at the entrance from afar. Ye Yun's heart skipped a beat. During this time, Su Ru had truly treated him like a son, taking meticulous care of him to the point where even Tian Ling'er felt a bit jealous. This was one of the reasons Tian Ling'er constantly sought trouble with Ye Yun. Now, the two of them had come together to teach him the simplest basic cultivation method, which moved him deeply.

"Master, Mistress," Ye Yun said, his lips quivering slightly after greeting them. He couldn't find the words to express his gratitude at that moment. After all, Tai Chi Cave was located in the back mountains of Great Bamboo Peak, and usually, only disciples who had cultivated Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao to the third level or above were allowed to cultivate there. The fact that he could come here just as he was starting to cultivate showed how highly his master and mistress regarded him.

Su Ru smiled gently and patted Ye Yun's head. "Alright, good child. Come in with Mistress. Haven't you always wanted to cultivate? Mistress will start teaching you today."

"Mhm, I will definitely study hard," Ye Yun nodded vigorously.

Tian Buyi nodded and turned to walk into Tai Chi Cave. Seeing this, Su Ru smiled slightly, took Ye Yun's hand, and followed him in. Tian Ling'er pouted and ran up to hug Su Ru's other arm.

Tai Chi Cave wasn't just a single large cave; it was divided into several separate compartments inside, each serving as a secret chamber. The chambers were separated by thick stone doors with excellent soundproofing, preventing any disturbances from the outside world during cultivation. After entering the main hall of Tai Chi Cave, Tian Buyi told Ye Yun, "Cultivate well," and then walked into one of the secret chambers with his hands behind his back.

Su Ru watched Tian Buyi's receding figure and chuckled softly. "Ling'er, you should go cultivate too. You've been slacking off enough these past few days. It's time to focus, lest your junior brother catches up to you."

"How is that possible? I started cultivating years before him. No matter how talented he is, he can't possibly surpass me. Junior brother, just give up on that idea. You'll never be able to surpass this senior sister in this lifetime." With that, Tian Ling'er snorted coquettishly and strode directly into the nearest secret chamber.

Su Ru couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle at her proud daughter. "Xiao Yun, your senior sister is just like this. Don't mind her. Let's find a secret chamber and start cultivating too."

Ye Yun nodded. "Mhm, I know. Senior sister is actually very good. It would be even better if she didn't pinch my cheeks."

Su Ru smiled and pulled Ye Yun towards one of the secret chambers, saying, "Xiao Yun, you need to remember, these secret chambers are for cultivating peacefully. Once someone enters a chamber, the mechanism will lock the door. Normally, it cannot be opened from the outside. There's a small hole on the door, fitted with a water mirror, which can be used to observe the situation inside and prevent accidents. Besides avoiding external interference, the concentration of spiritual energy inside is much higher than outside, making cultivation here twice as effective. So, whenever you want to cultivate in the future, try to do it here. It will save you a lot of effort."

"Mhm, Mistress, I understand. I will definitely cultivate diligently," Ye Yun nodded solemnly. He finally had the chance to cultivate and wouldn't slack off. After all, he needed this to gather the energy to go home.

As Ye Yun followed Su Ru into the secret chamber, he realized it was only about ten square meters, slightly smaller than a room in reality, and had no windows. The light source came from a few luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling, emitting a soft glow. Although their brightness wasn't comparable to modern incandescent lights, it was close.

Besides the luminous pearls, there was only a small, low table in the chamber. A small bell sat on the table, and next to the table was a bamboo mat about one square meter in size. The mat was likely made of Black Knot Bamboo. There was nothing else in the chamber.

After closing the stone door, Su Ru pulled Ye Yun to sit on the bamboo mat. Then, her gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a solemn expression. "The profound arts of our sect are deep and wondrous, often coveted by demons and evil beings. You must take a solemn oath: after learning them, if you are no longer a disciple of our sect, you shall never pass them on to outsiders."

Ye Yun was not surprised by Su Ru's request. Sect secret manuals were crucial for inheritance, and if learned by someone with ill intentions, the sect could be targeted. This was the same everywhere, so he readily raised his right hand and solemnly said, "Heaven above, I, disciple Ye Yun, swear that as long as I live in this world, I will never reveal the secrets of the Qingyun Sect's Daoist methods. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die without a burial place."

Seeing Ye Yun take the oath, Su Ru's expression immediately softened, and she nodded with a smile. "You already understand the body's meridians and acupoints. Now, I will teach you the cultivation method for the first level of 'Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao.' Meditate and observe as I instruct you, feel the sensation of Qi, and strive to open your acupoints and guide spiritual energy into your body as soon as possible."

"Mhm, I understand, Mistress," Ye Yun nodded earnestly.

Su Ru had always trusted Ye Yun. Although he looked young, he was very sensible, unlike other children who always wanted to play and couldn't settle down. What surprised her even more was Ye Yun's photographic and eidetic memory. In just three months, he had mastered the obscure text and the human meridian diagrams. This time, he hadn't disappointed her either. She had only recited the first level cultivation manual of Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao once, and Ye Yun could recite it back word-for-word.

After answering Ye Yun's questions, Su Ru told him to try cultivating first. However, something astonishing happened. As Ye Yun began to cultivate according to her instructions, she clearly felt the concentration of spiritual energy in the secret chamber increase. Although Ye Yun hadn't absorbed this spiritual energy, it all revolved around him. This was his very first cultivation session, and it had only been less than a minute. She remembered that it took her a full hour to sense the surrounding spiritual energy during her first cultivation, and it took her three days of practice to guide it over. Opening all her acupoints and guiding spiritual energy into her body took her over a month. But what she was witnessing now defied her understanding. This wasn't just genius; it was monstrous! Still, she hoped for more such monsters.

Immersed in the wonderful feeling of his first cultivation, Ye Yun was completely unaware that he had stunned Su Ru speechless. He was currently reveling in the warm, pleasant sensation of being enveloped by spiritual energy. Furthermore, Su Ru had made a slight miscalculation. Ye Yun's actual time spent sensing spiritual energy was only three seconds; the rest of the time was spent calming his excited emotions. As for the spiritual energy, it hadn't been guided by him at all; it had come to him proactively.

Seeing that Ye Yun's cultivation had begun on the right track, Su Ru nodded with satisfaction and quietly left the secret chamber, her footsteps silent. Not long after Su Ru left, Ye Yun, still immersed in the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by spiritual energy, opened his eyes. He didn't know if his situation was normal, but unfortunately, Su Ru wasn't there when he opened his eyes. However, he understood that his cultivation hadn't gone wrong, because if it had, Su Ru wouldn't have left.

I'm shamelessly recommending and collecting again!