"Heaven" had unexpectedly become more than just the person Huang Tian—it had become a concept!
"My superpower has evolved once again!"
A smile spread across Huang Tian's face. Then his expression turned serious. He quickly switched on the light and took a pen and paper from the bedside table drawer.
"Bzzzt..."
The sounds from the world where the Thick Earth Sect was located stuttered for a few seconds once more, then became exceptionally clear.
"...Next, I will explain the cultivation secrets for the first three levels of the Qi Refining chapter of the Yellow Heaven Mountain-Suppressing Spirit Scripture.
If there's anything you don't understand, make a note of it for now. Once I'm finished, you can ask your questions. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Good. Quiet down, focus your minds, and listen carefully!"
"...Cultivation begins: Yellow Heaven, thick earth; embrace the origin and preserve the One; the mountain spirit opens the apertures; qi flows through the Purple Court; the stars turn through the circuit; the river cart moves of its own accord; jade is planted in the Yellow Court; true breath grants longevity...
"As for 'Yellow Heaven, thick earth; embrace the origin and preserve the One; the mountain spirit opens the apertures; qi flows through the Purple Court,' it means to focus your mind on the Yellow Court, breathe slowly and deeply, gradually cast aside distracting thoughts, and still your mind.
"Then guide the spiritual energy with your thoughts. Let it travel from the Yellow Court up the Governing Vessel, passing the three gates of the coccyx, the spinal passage, and the Jade Pillow, until it reaches the Baihui. This completes one Lesser Celestial Circuit of spiritual power..."
As Mo Qiu, an instructor of the Thick Earth Sect, spoke, Huang Tian took notes.
Fortunately, Mo Qiu didn't speak quickly—in fact, he spoke very slowly. Sometimes he would repeat the same sentence three or four times, giving Huang Tian plenty of time to write everything down.
Half an hour passed before Mo Qiu finally stopped. By then, several sheets of paper on Huang Tian's desk were covered in writing.
The actual cultivation method was only a little over three hundred characters. The rest consisted of cultivation tips and various esoteric phrases.
"Do you have any questions? Ask them all. Don't hesitate," Mo Qiu's voice rang out.
But few people asked anything. Clearly, Mo Qiu had explained things very well, and nearly everyone understood.
Seeing this, Mo Qiu said, "Since there are no questions, I'll explain how to cultivate two basic spells: the Earth Golem Technique and the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique.
"The Earth Golem Technique shapes earth into a human form. It's the most commonly used protective spell among this sect's lower-level cultivators. It has four key steps: sensing the earth, forming its shape, imbuing it with spirit, and commanding it...
"The Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique can turn mist into clouds and clouds into rain. Of course, if the sky is clear and sunny, this spell will be far less effective. But if it's already about to rain, casting the spell can make a thunderstorm more violent.
"Still, you'll mostly use this spell to irrigate spirit fields and medicinal gardens. Its power is secondary..."
As Mo Qiu went into greater detail, Huang Tian took notes with tireless enthusiasm.
Half an hour later, Mo Qiu's voice abruptly stopped, and the world fell silent around Huang Tian.
"Is that... time's up?!"
Huang Tian suddenly understood.
He looked at the pages covered in writing. Both the Earth Golem Technique and the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique were fully recorded!
"Not bad, not bad. Tonight, I didn't just get a cultivation method—I also wrote down two spells.
"I just wonder if this Yellow Heaven Mountain-Suppressing Spirit Scripture can be cultivated on Blue Star."
Huang Tian took a light breath and carefully read through the cultivation method he'd copied onto the paper several times.
Once he was sure he understood it completely, Huang Tian turned off the light. The room fell dim, with only a few wisps of cool light slipping through the curtains and adding a sense of quiet to the space.
Huang Tian sat cross-legged. His mind gradually settled, and a wisp of consciousness seemed to drift out of his body, brushing against the various forms of qi between heaven and earth.
Suddenly.
Huang Tian felt a cool stream of qi flow into his Yellow Court, then slowly travel along his meridians until it reached the Baihui. From there, it circulated back to the Yellow Court.
As one Lesser Celestial Circuit ended, Huang Tian's eyes snapped open. In the night, they gleamed with unusual brightness.
"There really is spiritual energy on Blue Star?!"
He didn't hurry to continue cultivating. Instead, he fell into thought.
"If there's spiritual energy, could there be cultivators too? But in all my twenty-odd years, I've never heard of any... Could it be that I've never encountered them because my level is too low?
"Still, the odds of cultivators existing are pretty small. Otherwise, the world wouldn't be so quiet. After all, if there really were cultivators, would not a single one of them eat beef?
"Surely the world won't be peaceful before I start cultivating, and then, once I do, the Dragon Group, the Association of Supernatural Abilities, superpowered people, and immortals will all show up?
"I'm not the protagonist."
Huang Tian pondered, "But whether cultivators exist or not, with my current cultivation, I'd better keep my head down and lie low."
If he wanted to avoid eating beef, he'd at least need to be able to withstand a nuclear blast, right?
If he couldn't withstand one, he'd better play it safe for now.
"Back to cultivating!"
Huang Tian pushed all his wild thoughts aside and focused once more on drawing in qi.
The next morning, golden sunlight shone in every direction. Huang Tian slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
"According to Mo Qiu, once a yellow cloud of qi condenses inside the body, that means you've become a first-level Qi Refining cultivator."
He silently sensed the area around his Yellow Court. A golden-yellow vortex of qi was floating there.
"Most people need at least three months to condense a cloud of qi, but I did it in one night. Could I be a cultivation genius?"
He blinked. It seemed perfectly reasonable to him.
His superpower was so heaven-defying. Wasn't it only natural for it to come with a transformed physique?
Huang Tian smiled as he got out of bed and went to the window. He pulled the curtains aside and opened it. Dazzling but mild sunlight spilled over him.
He looked down at the street. There were plenty of cars passing by, and their horns blared now and then. Pedestrians hurried along, likely on their way to work or school.
"Hm?"
Huang Tian's gaze sharpened as it fell on a little girl with a schoolbag, walking along the sidewalk.
They were about fifty or sixty meters apart, yet Huang Tian could make out the tiny words on her schoolbag!
"Genius Scientist."
It was clearly the brand name of the bag.
"My eyesight has actually gotten this good!"
A hard-working small-town exam taker, Huang Tian had been nearsighted since his first year of middle school. His eyesight had stayed at over three hundred degrees right through graduation.
He usually didn't wear glasses, so he couldn't see very well if something was far away. But now, even with the little girl so far off, he could make out the words on her schoolbag perfectly.
"It's not just my eyesight. My hearing and sense of smell have improved too."
All he had to do was focus a little, and he could hear pedestrians by the roadside talking as they bought breakfast. A light sniff was enough for him to pick out the smells of all kinds of breakfast foods.
"The changes cultivation brings to the body really take effect at once."
Huang Tian couldn't help marveling.
He was only at the first level of Qi Refining—the very first step on the path of cultivation—and already it had such powerful effects.
What would things be like once he reached a higher realm?
Huang Tian looked forward to finding out.
But...
"I should go downstairs and get breakfast first. I cultivated all night, and even if I'm not mentally tired, my stomach's protesting."
Before you continue