Basic Breathing Technique

Xiao Yue smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Looks like you don't intend to give up. Good thing I brought your things."

"My things?" Su Shi'er looked up, momentarily stunned.

As soon as he spoke, Xiao Yue waved her hand, and several items appeared in it: a set of blue-green clothes, two books, and an iron token.

"This is your Identity Token. Your name is on it. The sect uses it to verify its disciples' identities."

"The Disciple Robe is made from Cloud Dream Silkworm Silk. It can stretch or shrink a little to fit your build. Amazing, right?"

"And these two books are the Sect Manual and an introductory cultivation method, the Basic Breathing Technique!"

Smiling, Xiao Yue introduced the items one by one, then handed them to Su Shi'er.

After a moment's thought, she added, "Also, every disciple who joins the sect can collect three bottles of Foundation Cultivation Pills from the Pill Pavilion each year."

"Of course, once you reach Qi Refining stage six, you can choose a proper cultivation method from the Scripture Pavilion. You can also collect an additional ten spirit stones and three bottles of Qi Gathering Pills."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Su Shi'er accepted the items. His gaze swept across the Basic Breathing Technique book, and eagerness flashed in his eyes. He hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed to Xiao Yue in thanks.

To him, nothing else mattered. This book that taught him how to cultivate was the treasure he had dreamed of.

"All right, you look like you can hardly wait, so I won't disturb you. Work hard on your cultivation. Han Yu has already reached the peak of Qi Refining stage one. You keep at it too." Xiao Yue watched Su Shi'er with a smile, noticing the eagerness in his eyes.

Despite her words, she did not believe Su Shi'er could match Han Yu, who possessed a supreme dual spiritual root. Still, a few words of encouragement were in order.

With a smile and a shake of her head, she hurried away.

After seeing Xiao Yue off and firmly committing her instructions to memory, Su Shi'er returned to his room. Unable to wait any longer, he picked up the Basic Breathing Technique and began reading it carefully.

The book contained not only cultivation methods for the first six levels of the Qi Refining stage, but also some basic cultivation knowledge and two minor spells, the Fire Control Technique and the Wind Calling Technique.

Su Shi'er did not pay much attention to this information. Still, his memory was good, and a single read-through left him with a rough grasp of it.

His attention remained focused mainly on the cultivation section.

The book described in detail the techniques used at each level to absorb Qi into the body and circulate it within.

Su Shi'er showed some talent in this regard. After reading it once, he largely understood what it meant.

To be safe, however, he carefully read the book twice more. Only then did he sit cross-legged and nervously attempt to cultivate.

After taking so many Foundation Cultivation Pills, he could already clearly sense the faint traces of spiritual Qi in the air.

But when he actually tried to absorb Qi into his body, he discovered just how difficult it was. Those wisps of spiritual Qi were like wild horses that had slipped their reins, all but impossible to tame.

For several days in a row, Su Shi'er cultivated day and night. At first, he was worried that the Man in Black might come looking for him at any moment.

On second thought, however, he realized the Man in Black might never guess that he actually possessed a spiritual root, much less that he had joined the Yun Ge Sect.

With that thought, he set his mind at ease for the time being.

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r>Despite his young age, he displayed tremendous patience in his cultivation.

Yet it was not until the fifth day that he successfully drew his first wisp of spiritual Qi into his body.

Feeling that wisp of spiritual Qi inside him, Su Shi'er brightened and hurriedly locked onto it with his mind.

Then he strained to guide the spiritual Qi through a complete circulation according to the cultivation method. After one circuit, it transformed into a grain-of-rice-sized cluster of true essence and flowed into the sea of Qi in his dantian.

The next instant, his body trembled, and an immensely pleasant sense of ease swiftly spread through him.

Exhaling a breath of white vapor, Su Shi'er beamed and clenched his small fists in excitement.

"Wonderful! From today onward, I count as a Qi Refiner too!"

"This tiny bit of true essence can't do anything yet, but it's a good start! Keep going!"

Taking a deep breath, Su Shi'er continued absorbing Qi into his body and refining spiritual Qi.

But even after cultivating for ten days straight, he had only refined a few more wisps of spiritual Qi, adding a few barely perceptible specks of true essence to his body.

Such progress and results left him utterly disappointed in his spiritual root.

"This won't do. At this rate, actually reaching Qi Refining stage one will remain beyond the distant horizon!"

"If I can't improve my cultivation soon, never mind taking revenge on the Man in Black-I probably won't even pass the Newcomer Trial three years from now."

"Looks like I'll have to try a Qi Gathering Pill. But you have to reach Qi Refining stage six before you can collect these medicinal pills. There must be a reason for that."

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Su Shi'er muttered to himself, then took a Qi Gathering Pill from inside his clothes.

As he examined the Qi Gathering Pill in his hand, his expression briefly froze.

"According to the book, cultivators' medicinal pills come in four grades: low, middle, high, and supreme. Supreme-grade medicinal pills contain no impurities, so they're translucent throughout, like flawless white jade."

"Because these medicinal pills contain no pill toxin, cultivators can take them without limit, making them incredibly precious. Could everything that Pill Furnace purifies be a supreme-grade medicinal pill?"

At this thought, Su Shi'er grew excited.

Other people had to take all sorts of precautions when using medicinal pills and regularly find ways to clear the pill toxin from their bodies. But with the medicinal pills he refined using the Mysterious Pill Furnace, he had nothing to worry about.

Forcing down his excitement, Su Shi'er returned his gaze to the Qi Gathering Pill in his hand.

For him, the most important thing right now was to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible.

After a moment's hesitation, he resolutely swallowed the Qi Gathering Pill.

The medicinal pill immediately dissolved into an enormous surge of spiritual Qi that flooded his entire body. The next instant, Su Shi'er's face turned scarlet, veins bulged all over him, and unbearable pain seized him.

Though he had prepared himself mentally, only when he experienced it did he understand how agonizing it was.

Although the spiritual Qi contained in the Spirit Gathering Pill was not as violent as the spiritual Qi of the world, its sheer volume was far beyond what any Qi Refiner below Qi Refining stage six could withstand.

At that moment, he could not cultivate normally at all. The pain nearly knocked him unconscious. The terrifying spiritual Qi threatened to burst every meridian in his body!

As his consciousness faded, Su Shi'er thought of the hatred he carried. Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to summon a shred of awareness and drove the breathing technique with all his strength, enduring the pain as he refined the spiritual Qi within him. Xiao Yue smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Looks like you don't intend to give up. Good thing I brought your things."

As his consciousness faded, Su Shi'er thought of the hatred he carried. Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to summon a shred of awareness and drove the breathing technique with all his strength, enduring the pain as he refined the spiritual Qi within him.