Cultivation Lacking Spiritual Energy? A One-Stop Shop for Self-Production and Self-Sale, Interested?

A year after Sun Wufan was laid to rest, the two brothers prepared a meal with three sets of utensils and went to his grave to eat and talk with their grandfather.

After cleaning up, Sun Wuchen called out to Sun Wukong.

"Wukong, we are both ten years old now. I intend to guide you in beginning your cultivation." Indeed, he was ready to start. He had waited until now primarily to protect their foundations.

Cultivating too early damages one's roots. To get a head start, one can use spiritual herbs to nourish the body; once the body is well-fortified, one can safely begin training early, and the progress will be smoother.

However, the dosage and potency of such herbs are critical. Although Sun Wuchen understood these things, this place lacked spiritual herbs, and there was no spiritual energy in the world at all. Thus, he had delayed cultivation time and again.

Until now, though their bodies were not fully grown, he believed they had sufficient resilience; he just needed to manage the intensity carefully.

"Cultivation? What is that? Can it make me as strong as Grandfather?" For over a year, Wukong had come to terms with his grandfather's death.

After all, they ate and spoke with "Grandfather" every few days, as if he had never truly left.

"As for that, I am not sure. We will only know after we try." Honestly, Sun Wuchen was uncertain if the path of cultivation was even viable here.

This place lacked spiritual energy, so there was no way to begin. However, he possessed an ancient technique that might solve this problem.

The Yin-Yang Creation Method was an ancient technique passed down through the Yin-Yang Immortal Sect for countless ages. He had been allowed to read it once when he became an elder, though he had chosen not to switch to it.

Later, when he became a Supreme Elder of the Yin-Yang Immortal Sect, he could study it at will. He had researched it for a time and eventually concluded that this ancient marvel was obsolete.

The Yin-Yang Creation Method posits that all things in heaven and earth possess spirit, and all paths and laws should follow nature. It is a technique that absorbs essence to transform into spirit without binding it.

Simply put, it absorbs the essence of the sun and moon to refine it into spiritual energy, but it does not force the absorption of that energy. Instead, it lets nature take its course, allowing the energy to either nourish the world or sustain the body.

In the ancient era, when spiritual energy was abundant and creation was infinite, this might have been a top-tier technique. Absorbing the world's energy was primary, while gathering the essence of the sun and moon was secondary; they complemented each other perfectly.

But by his era, the world had changed drastically, and spiritual energy was scarce. Ordinary cultivators already relied heavily on pills made from spiritual herbs to aid their progress.

Furthermore, when practicing the Yin-Yang Creation Method, most of the refined spiritual energy was plundered by the world itself; what the practitioner could retain was minimal.

The Yin-Yang Immortal Sect had been founded on this technique, yet they kept it without practicing it—a helpless reality.

In an age of scarcity, popularizing this method of changing the world might have helped the environment. But in a world where the strong prey on the weak, practicing a method that weakens oneself to strengthen others would surely lead to being devoured by the world!

Reborn here, with no spiritual energy in the world, practicing this method was even harder. Yet, it had become their only hope. It was the only one that did not fundamentally rely on spiritual energy.

"Wukong, sit cross-legged like this. I will teach you the method of breathing and meditation... Straighten your back, open your chest, relax your shoulders... Place your hands on your knees, palms facing the sky; legs folded before your hips, curved but not tangled, soles facing the sky; keep your body upright and your face straight, crown pointing to the sky..."

"The soles of your feet echo with the earth, this is the Earth Pillar; your palms control the dantian in your waist and abdomen, this is the Palm Wheel; your crown corresponds to the heavens, this is the Heavenly Spirit..."

"Big Brother, I don't understand." Although Wukong mimicked Wuchen's posture well, he could not grasp the meaning behind the words.

"You don't need to understand; just do as I say. You only need to calm your body and mind as much as possible. Remember as much of the technique as you can."

Wuchen was naturally not too harsh; cultivation, after all, must be done slowly.

Today, he wasn't even planning to teach the full technique, just helping Wukong build a foundation: "Next, I will teach you a breathing technique to use with your meditation."

"Breathing is the act of inhaling and exhaling, gathering energy and harvesting spirit. What I am teaching you is the Whale-Swallow Turtle-Exhale Technique. Inhale boldly and exhale slowly. When inhaling, open the gates of your organs; when exhaling, gather the energy and release it gently. It relies on the rhythm of three and nine: inhale through the nose for a count of three, exhale through the mouth for a count of nine. Repeating this cycle will nourish the breath of life..."

Wuchen demonstrated while explaining, and Wukong tried to follow along.

"Pfft!" Soon, Wukong, sitting cross-legged, let out a fart. This made Wuchen beam with joy: "Not bad! You've grasped the knack of moving energy and the mystery of clearing your passages so quickly. Just like that, keep it up."

Nearby, Wuchen also sat cross-legged. Once his mind was focused and calm, he began to circulate the Yin-Yang Creation Method. A profound and gentle aura permeated the air, becoming even more ethereal under the sunlight.

As the sun set and the moon rose, Wuchen wore a look of contentment. Both he and Wukong were bathed in a faint mist of spiritual energy. Even the flowers and grass around them swayed without wind, as if they were joyous.

After a while, as the chill began to set in, Wuchen stopped the technique and opened his eyes.

They were too young and their cultivation too shallow to train excessively, especially late at night when the cold air was too heavy and could damage their foundations.

"Wukong... is he truly a genius?!" Just as Wuchen was about to wake Wukong to get a midnight snack, he was surprised.

At this moment, Wukong was using the breathing technique to absorb the lingering spiritual energy in the air to nourish his body, even without a formal cultivation method.

However, what surprised Wuchen most was that his lively, restless brother seemed to have entered a state of complete focus. His mind was clear of distractions, as still as a mountain.

On the path of cultivation, techniques and resources are important, but they are tangible.

Only the state of mind requires years of tempering, and even then, success is not guaranteed. Many reclusive hermits spend years cultivating their hearts, only to have their progress shattered in an instant.

It is easy to break but hard to build, yet one cannot do without it.

"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and blessing may hide misfortune. This cycle is truly profound; it is hard to say, truly hard to say." Wuchen had watched his brother grow up; innocence and ignorance were Wukong's traits.

Yet these traits were the result of an accident—that life-and-death ordeal when he had cracked his head. For a moment, Wuchen could not tell if that fall had been a blessing or a curse.

Seeing that Wukong would not stop anytime soon, Wuchen did not disturb him and returned to the house alone.

"Wukong, come eat something. Don't eat too much; we'll rest for a bit after, then it's time for bed." By the time Wukong finished absorbing the remaining energy, Wuchen had the food ready.

"Big Brother, what just happened? That feeling was so comfortable." Wukong was still savoring the sensation; the feeling of warmth throughout his body was truly marvelous.

"Come, eat while we talk." As he invited Wukong to eat, Wuchen explained some basic concepts of cultivation.

At the same time, Wuchen had a new idea for Wukong's training; there was no need for both brothers to hang themselves from the same tree.

Soon, the two brothers finished their meal and cleaned up together. After Wuchen provided Wukong with more knowledge, they spent some time in the cool night air before returning inside to rest.

After they left, the flowers and grass that had absorbed the spiritual energy seemed to linger on their presence, swaying gently under the moonlight.