Enlightenment Cultivation

After a simple meal, Lu Tianyou went on another date with that girl.

Night on Qingming Mountain was neither pitch-black like Hua'an Town nor ablaze with lights like Anle City. The sky here always stayed a hazy, warm white, as though covered by an enormous veil of light. Even during Hai Time, Li Mo no longer saw those indescribable horrors.

It made Li Mo feel safer than he ever had before.

He did not know whether the Lingmu Sect was capable of standing against those indescribable monsters that seemed intent on devouring the entire world. Perhaps they had merely built a refuge where their disciples could live in peace.

But whatever the case,

at least in that moment, Li Mo felt utterly at ease, as though he had returned to his carefree childhood.

"At least it's safe here."

With a faint smile, Li Mo noticed that a pavilion atop a rockery in the distance was packed with people, all jostling to peer outside the Enlightenment Hall.

Curious, Li Mo went over as well.

After a while,

he reached the edge of the pavilion and saw a spirit bird over a zhang long drinking from the pond outside the courtyard wall. Its whole body was a beautiful blue-violet.

Li Mo had never seen such a beautiful, enormous bird. He stared, momentarily lost in a whirl of wild thoughts.

"If the tigers and leopards of the Eighteen Mountains saw a giant bird like that, would they still try to pounce on it?"

Just then,

the giant bird seemed to have had its fill. It held its head high and let out a clear, ringing cry before spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. A faint blue glow shone from its body, like a star rising slowly into the heavens.

The Enlightenment Hall students lucky enough to witness the sight all let out excited gasps.

"Wow!"

Only after the giant bird had disappeared into the distance did everyone reluctantly leave the pavilion.

Li Mo left the rockery too and strolled along a path behind the Enlightenment Hall. He felt as though he had returned to his days as an apprentice at Jimin Hall. After walking for a while, he noticed three people practicing martial arts in a secluded, deserted spot ahead. Their movements were still rather clumsy.

After a brief moment of surprise, Li Mo quietly approached.

"Are you all discussing martial arts techniques?"

The three students, two men and one woman, paused and turned to look at Li Mo.

The girl was rather burly, and when she saw Li Mo, her face lit up with delight.

"You're Li Mo, right?"

"Hm?"

Li Mo paused and looked at the bold, rugged-looking girl.

Her skin was somewhat dark and rough. She had thick brows and big eyes, and her sturdy frame seemed full of strength. When she smiled at Li Mo, she showed two rows of gleaming white teeth. He had no recollection of her at all.

Still, since she knew his name, she had to be a classmate.

"You don't remember me? I'm Ma Ling. I noticed you at the banquet three nights ago. You're quite the expert—I was startled by you back then!"

Ma Ling walked toward Li Mo enthusiastically, looking eager for him to teach her a few moves.

This bold girl was practically a tomboy. She grabbed Li Mo's hand as soon as she came over; he had never met a girl like her.

"These two are brothers from Shangfeng Prefecture."

When the two heard Ma Ling call Li Mo an expert, they both looked amazed and clasped their fists toward him.

"I'm Niu Li."

"I'm Yang Guang. I hope Brother Li will be generous enough to offer some guidance."

Li Mo paused and looked at the three of them suspiciously.

Ma Ling, Niu Li, Yang Guang. Was this some kind of horse-cow-sheep combination?

He grumbled to himself but did not refuse. He showed them a couple of moves. Now that his Three-Way Swordplay had reached great mastery, he effortlessly left the three of them wide-eyed and thoroughly convinced. They clapped and cheered.

"Sure enough, you're an expert!"

Ma Ling gazed at Li Mo with shining eyes. He shuddered, thinking, Is this tomboy actually falling for me?

Niu Li was just as shocked.

"Has your swordsmanship already reached great mastery? I've never seen such nimble, fierce swordplay!"

Li Mo nodded in confirmation.

The three of them immediately sucked in a sharp breath. They looked at Li Mo as if he were a monster, while Ma Ling's gaze grew even more heated.

All three had practiced martial arts since childhood, yet they were still some distance from mastering their skills. They could barely be considered Third-Rate Experts in the martial world, good enough to deal with ordinary people. The shock they felt on seeing someone about their age who had already mastered his martial arts was easy to imagine.

Yang Guang eagerly stepped forward.

"Brother Li, I've been practicing my Sunward Swordplay for four years, but there are a few moves I still can't get the hang of. Please, show me what I'm missing!"

"Then let me take a look at your swordplay."

That was one of the benefits of reaching great mastery in martial arts. Since Li Mo could use various sword techniques with ease, he understood the body's joints, organs, and weak points like the back of his hand. He was thus familiar with the patterns behind all kinds of swordplay.

At Li Mo's words, Yang Guang immediately demonstrated his swordplay.

But to Li Mo, Yang Guang's technique was full of openings. He was still at the basic stage of memorizing moves by rote. Li Mo watched patiently, then gave him a few pointers.

Yang Guang suddenly understood and was thoroughly convinced.

Seeing this, Niu Li and Ma Ling also stepped forward to ask for guidance.

Li Mo held nothing back. Drawing on his martial arts experience, he offered them both some pointers, and before they knew it, the night had deepened into Hai Time.

"Li Mo, how about the four of us form a martial arts group from now on?"

Ma Ling could not help suggesting.

"Um... I'm really sorry."

Li Mo replied sincerely, "My ambition is to become a cultivator. As for martial arts, I'm fine with practicing now and then to keep fit, cultivate my character, and keep my skills from getting rusty. But I absolutely won't lose sight of the greater path and neglect my cultivation for something minor."

Practicing martial arts was one thing; cultivation was another.

Li Mo knew exactly what he was pursuing. His earlier martial arts training had only been meant to lay the groundwork for his cultivation. When the time came, he had to choose what mattered.

"Practicing now and then... that works too!"

Ma Ling happily agreed, and the four of them parted ways.

The more people Li Mo got to know at the Enlightenment Hall, the more he encountered all kinds of personalities. It all felt wonderfully fresh and fulfilling. He returned to his dorm with a smile and saw that Lu Tianyou was already asleep.

The next day,

Ding Wei arrived for class right on time.

As promised, he began explaining the breathing, qi circulation, and cultivation methods for the Eye of True Spirit. He carefully went over all the cultivation matters and sensations of qi that everyone needed to pay attention to.

Before they knew it, most of the day had passed.

Many people were completely lost. The various points Ding Wei had explained went in one ear and out the other.

After all, the lessons covered not only the so-called sensation of qi but also how spiritual energy circulated through the meridians.

Without a solid foundation of knowledge, memorizing everything by rote was indeed very difficult.

"In short, talent and aptitude are just as important in cultivation. Your task from here on is to do your utmost to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Once you've completed the first step, you can cultivate our sect's main technique, the Eye of True Spirit, using the breathing and qi-circulation method I've just explained."

With about an hour left before class ended, Ding Wei told everyone to practice on their own and look for the so-called sensation of qi.

Li Mo sat on a cushion and closed his eyes tightly as well.

The quality of one's sensation of qi was linked to the purity of one's spiritual root.

A good sensation of qi could absolutely make cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. It was a hidden aptitude among cultivators.

Perhaps it had something to do with his mastery of Three-Way Swordplay, or perhaps Li Mo's spiritual root was simply very pure. Following Ding Wei's instructions, he had only just begun to sense his surroundings when he felt the spiritual energy of heaven and earth circling his body, layer upon layer, faintly present.

Then he tried the Lesser Celestial Circuit breathing method of the Eye of True Spirit, and discovered that the spiritual energy was gradually beginning to gather inside him.

In an instant,

Li Mo felt an indescribable coolness and comfort bursting from within his body and spreading outward. It was like a long-drought land finally receiving rain, and he sank into the sensation, unable to pull himself free.

So this is the bliss of cultivation. It really is completely different from practicing martial arts.

The saying went that martial artists trained their sinews, bones, and skin externally, and a single breath of qi internally. This was that so-called breath of qi!

After a while,

an excited cry suddenly rang out in the classroom, disrupting Li Mo's cultivation. He opened his eyes and frowned at the person who had made the noise.

The one shouting and carrying on was none other than Zhou Zheng, who possessed the Wind-Clearing Physique.

"I can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth! It's so wonderful! The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is everywhere—this feels amazing!"

He was still just a child who had recently undergone the Hair-Binding Rite, and immediately began waving his arms and dancing with excitement.

Li Mo frowned slightly, then recalled how he had first encountered a Spirit Stone two months earlier and instinctively absorbed the spiritual energy inside it. He, too, had been intoxicated by the exhilarating comfort that had washed through his body. At once, he understood.

What's that guy doing? He's spoiled the mood.

Lu Tianyou reluctantly opened his eyes. He looked at Zhou Zheng, waving his arms and dancing at the other end of the classroom, and seemed displeased.

"If that guy hadn't interrupted me, maybe I would have sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth too."

Just then,

Uncle Ding Wei rose from the front of the classroom and went over to Zhou Zheng.

After asking him a few questions, he announced to the others, "Congratulations to Zhou Zheng. He's the first student in our class to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on his own. All right, that's it for today. Class is dismissed."

At his words, many people crowded around Zhou Zheng to ask him about the secrets of cultivation.

A few girls looked at him with the exact same expression Ma Ling had worn when looking at Li Mo the day before. Zhou Zheng was thoroughly enjoying himself, unable to tear himself away. He kept sharing his experience with everyone. He was quite generous, not selfish at all.

Lu Tianyou pursed his lips, seemingly a little unhappy, then stood up and looked at Li Mo.

"Want to go eat?"

"I want to keep sensing for a while."

Li Mo decided to strike while the iron was hot and fully master the Eye of True Spirit's Lesser Celestial Circuit breathing method. As Ding Wei had said, he would first complete one Lesser Celestial Circuit of qi circulation.

"Fine, I'll go first. Guo Hongjuan's waiting for me, heh heh."

Lu Tianyou had only just left when Ma Ling came over with a smile. She sat on the cushion Lu Tianyou had just occupied and smiled at Li Mo.

"We're practicing martial arts over there again tonight. Are you coming?"

Li Mo looked apologetic. "I'm looking for the sensation of qi today."

"There are still three months before the examination. What's the rush?"

"Alas, the early bird gets the worm."

At that, Ma Ling left with a look of regret.

The classroom emptied out more and more. After a while, Wang Feng came over to Li Mo, stretched lazily out of boredom, and looked at him.

"Brother, how's your sensation of qi?"

Seeing that it was Wang Feng, Li Mo smiled. "Pretty good. What about you?"

Wang Feng shrugged.

"When I was in Yuan City, I didn't start out cultivating the Eye of True Spirit. Later, because of my family's arrangements, I had no choice but to switch to it. Before I came here, I'd already reached the fourth layer. I'm only here to go through the motions. As my old man puts it, since I'm here to seek a marriage alliance, I should keep a low profile. Harmony in the household makes everything prosper."

Li Mo stared at him in astonishment.

The initial realm of a cultivator was called the Qi Refining Stage, which had twelve layers in total.

Wang Feng had already reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining.

According to what Uncle Ding Wei had said, after passing the Enlightenment Examination, students would graduate smoothly if they could raise their cultivation to the fourth layer of Qi Refining within the next three years. If they reached the seventh layer or higher, they could freely join any hall in the Lingmu Sect and take up a post.

The position Li Mo aspired to, an inspector in Heaven's Mandate Bureau, was considered a thankless assignment in the sect's Special Service Hall for cultivators on the Outer Sect staff. It wasn't a first choice.

"Are there Lingmu Sect people in Yuan City too?"

"Of course."

Wang Feng answered casually, "For one thing, almost all the upper echelons of the various sects have joined the military or maintained close ties with it, drawing stipends from the court. And the Heaven's Mandate Bureau, which is responsible for maintaining public order in Da Gan Kingdom, has plenty of Lingmu Sect people too. Back in Yuan City, I only had to spend some silver to hire cultivators from various sects to tutor me. I might not have been able to hire a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, but there were plenty of Qi Refining Stage cultivators around. The person who taught me the Eye of True Spirit was a tenth-layer Qi Refining inspector. It only cost three strings of cash a day."

Li Mo could not help clicking his tongue.

Three strings of cash a day—that would be ninety taels of silver a month, far more than he made in a year as a Traveling Doctor.

Of course,

prices in Yuan City were surely much more outrageous too.

"So what spells can you use?"

"I only know one low-grade, beginner-level Wind Blade Technique, but I run out of mana after using it a few times. Oh, right, there's also the Spirit Eye that comes with my main cultivation technique. Besides identifying magical artifacts and pills, it's basically useless. I've tried it before. I couldn't even beat a constable, let alone those martial arts-trained head constables."

Although cultivators had a high starting point and a high ceiling, in the early stages they had to study all kinds of theoretical knowledge. Without deep reserves of mana or mastery of spells and magical artifacts, they naturally weren't a match for martial artists.

But after building up even a little, once they mastered all kinds of spells and magical artifacts, their strength would rise rapidly.

For instance, cultivators who reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining or higher after three years of training in a sect would be more than a match for ordinary martial world swordsmen once they joined Heaven's Mandate Bureau.

Even experts who had cultivated Inner Strength and reached the so-called Postnatal Realm would face nine chances in ten of dying when up against a cultivator.

After Wang Feng left,

Li Mo slowly closed his eyes and continued cultivating. He only left the classroom, thoroughly satisfied, after successfully completing one Lesser Celestial Circuit of qi circulation.