The Four Realms of Cultivation

"What should I do?"

Lu Chuan sat on his meditation cushion, lost in thought, his expression flickering between light and shadow.

A long time passed.

"I suppose I have no choice but to keep a low profile and cultivate. What else can I do?"

Lu Chuan shook his head, a trace of helpless laughter appearing on his face.

This great calamity was something even the immortals could not escape; it was unavoidable. What could a tiny mortal like him possibly do?

Nothing at all!

Lu Chuan sighed softly to himself. He was very clear about his current position and self-awareness.

He was just a mortal.

And among mortals, he was not a great figure with peerless martial arts or a lofty, prominent status, but a common, ordinary nobody.

The only difference between him and other mortals was perhaps the memories of his past life, which allowed him to know some things about the future.

This could be considered his only advantage.

But even if he knew the future, so what? He still couldn't do anything about it.

Furthermore, he worried that if he changed certain events, he might ruin someone else's plans and be wiped out by his grandmaster, whom he had yet to meet.

Given his grandmaster's capabilities, he believed that killing him without anyone noticing would be no harder than crushing an ant.

"So... letting things take their natural course is perhaps the best choice for me right now."

At this thought, Lu Chuan suddenly had an epiphany: "Instead of wasting time thinking about the future, I should seize the time to cultivate properly and improve my strength. That way, I can at least protect myself."

He glanced at the room where Shen Gongbao had entered; the door was tightly shut.

It was clear that Shen Gongbao was very angry at his advice to give up holding the List of Conferred Gods, so...

Lu Chuan's gaze was complex, and he sighed in his heart: "Master, with today's advice, I have fulfilled my duty and sentiment as a disciple..."

From this day forward, he, Lu Chuan, would never speak of this matter again.

For one, he was not pedantic or blindly loyal. Knowing that Shen Gongbao was determined to see this through and would listen to no one, he would not invite trouble by trying to persuade him to give up.

Secondly, if he said any more, he might be the one facing disaster, with calamity falling from the sky.

After sitting for a while, Lu Chuan rose from the cushion and took the initiative to tidy up the courtyard; after all, this was where he would be living from now on.

The courtyard was neither large nor small—definitely spacious enough for two people—and the ground was paved with bluestone.

After finishing, Lu Chuan looked at Shen Gongbao's door. Seeing it remained shut, he could only shake his head, walk over, and kneel down.

"Master, this disciple knows he was wrong. Besides martial arts and Daoist techniques, I am also willing to learn your military strategy."

Lu Chuan said loudly: "In the future, I will also do my utmost to assist Master in supporting a wise ruler, establishing achievements that will last for generations, and leaving behind a name that will be remembered for eternity..."

If one were to ask what was most miraculous in the world of the Conferred Gods, besides those powerful magical artifacts, it would be those strange Daoist techniques.

Many mortal generals of Yin Shang possessed secret arts taught by extraordinary people, most of which were related to the Jie Sect—bizarre, varied, and immensely powerful.

Furthermore, the disciples of the Exposition Sect, in addition to their refined martial arts, each possessed their own unique secret techniques.

For instance, Nezha, who had a lotus body and no soul; Lei Zhenzi, who grew wings on his back; Yang Jian, who practiced the Eight-Nine Profound Art; and the underground specialist, Tu Xingsun...

In this world, if one went out without magical artifacts or Daoist techniques, Lu Chuan would be too embarrassed to even show his face.

Inside the room.

Shen Gongbao was sitting by a small table, reading a scroll of military strategy. Hearing Lu Chuan's voice, he glanced toward the door.

He then smiled slightly and continued reading the scroll.

Lu Chuan's aptitude as a disciple could be considered quite good—somewhere between medium and high—and he was very satisfied with him.

Of course, his actions were also intended to grant Lu Chuan a measure of worldly wealth.

After all, the Immortal Path was difficult to achieve, and the calamities were numerous. Lu Chuan might not get his wish in the future, so it would be better to secure some worldly prosperity, ensuring their time as master and disciple was not in vain.

Yet, he hadn't expected this brat to be ungrateful, turning around to advise him not to hold the List of Conferred Gods, not to care about fame and fortune...

But was he, Shen Gongbao, the type of person who cared about fame, fortune, or wealth?

If he couldn't even let go of those things, he would never attain the Dao or become an immortal. The reason he wanted to hold the List of Conferred Gods was, in fact, for three simple reasons.

First, he wanted to use this opportunity to apply his talents and strategies for governing the country, assisting a wise ruler and benefiting the common people.

This way, his knowledge wouldn't just rot away in his mind, and it would be a great merit—why not do it?

Second, these arts of governance and warfare were not taught to him by Yuanshi, but were things he had learned on his own out of interest during his spare time.

However, because he studied too many miscellaneous things, it took up time and hindered his cultivation, leading Yuanshi to believe he was prioritizing the trivial over the essential. He had also sensed that Yuanshi was somewhat displeased with him.

Therefore, he could use this opportunity to prove to his master that what he had learned was useful. If he could handle this task beautifully, wouldn't his master's face shine with glory throughout the Three Realms?

And third, who else in the entire Exposition Sect, besides him, could shoulder such a heavy responsibility?

Many of his junior brothers in the Exposition Sect already considered this task his and had offered their congratulations in advance. If someone else were to take on this heavy burden, wouldn't it imply that someone else was more capable than him?

Lu Chuan waited for a long time after speaking, but no sound came from within.

Left with no other choice, he could only kneel there honestly.

After kneeling for a full hour, Lu Chuan's legs had gone numb and lost all sensation when the door finally creaked open, and a person stepped out from inside.

"Ah, the weather is truly pleasant today; I slept so soundly!"

Shen Gongbao opened the door and stretched, then said with a look of feigned surprise, "Eh, disciple, what are you doing kneeling here? The ground is cold, hurry and get up..."

Acting!

Keep on acting!

Lu Chuan looked up at Shen Gongbao.

Must say, he really played the part well.

If it were a more honest disciple, they might have truly been deceived by that expression, but as for him, hmph...

"Thank you, Master!"

Lu Chuan said with a look of "gratitude."

Soon.

Time reached noon, and Shen Gongbao had Lu Chuan begin his cultivation again.

The cultivation system used by Qi practitioners was not the common Golden Core or Nascent Soul found in novels, but the path of refining Qi and cultivating truth, divided into four stages: Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit to Return to Void, and Refining Void to Merge with the Dao!

From the first three stages, one could see that Qi practitioners primarily cultivated the three treasures of the human body—Essence, Qi, and Spirit—strengthening them until they merged into a Primordial Spirit.

At that time, the outer body would return to the innate state, while the inner body would purge the true yin from the Primordial Spirit to achieve a pure Yang spirit.

These were the three great realms known as Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, and Refining Spirit to Return to Void.

Finally, there was Refining Void to Merge with the Dao.

This stage indicated that the work of cultivation was already sufficient; one no longer needed to cultivate, but rather had to enter the world to perform good deeds and accumulate enough merit before one could attain the Dao and become an immortal.