The Beginning of Immortal Cultivation

All she saw ahead were flashes of azure and blue light. In an instant, the surroundings fell silent, and the chirping of insects vanished at once.

Jiang Lu peered through a gap in the grass. She could only see the flickering lights flashing in and out. After a long while, she heard the wind rustling robes. When she looked again, darkness had returned to the surroundings, with only the bright moonlight spilling through the gaps in the leaves onto the ground.

Jiang Lu remained lying where she was, not daring to move. She did not know whether those two people had left, nor did she know if anyone else might be nearby.

Her pounding heartbeat was especially distinct within the silent forest.

As second after second passed, the sounds of insects gradually resumed around her. Only then did she cautiously stick out her head and look behind and around herself. Slightly hunched over, she jogged forward. She had to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, she kicked something and tripped, falling to the ground.

Hiss—

She sucked in a sharp breath.

Looking down, she saw what seemed to be a piece of sheepskin parchment. Remembering that the two men had fought here just moments ago, she immediately clutched the parchment to her chest and ran deeper into the forest.

After she left, several first-rank demonic beasts came to this spot. They lifted their hind legs to mark several places, while the other demonic beasts clenched in their jaws dripped blood from their necks all over the ground as they moved.

The scent in the air, carrying blood and the stench of demonic beasts, gradually mingled together before drifting outward on the wind.

It was not until dawn began to break that Jiang Lu finally stopped. Her footsteps were unsteady, her face so filthy that her features could barely be seen, and her clothes had been torn in many places. She licked her cracked lips.

Suddenly, she spotted what seemed to be a stream ahead. Without time to think, she immediately ran over, scooped up several mouthfuls of water with both hands, and drank. Then she washed the sweat stains and other grime from her face.

This single day had been more eventful than the twenty-two years of her previous life.

Yet she did not dare close her eyes. After all, cultivators had the ability to identify people by their aura. She did not know whether those two cultivators would return to that place, nor was she certain that, even after running so far, they would not find her.

She lowered her head and unfolded the sheepskin parchment in her arms. It was thin and rolled up into a small bundle, but once opened, it revealed rows of characters.

Before she could examine it closely, she immediately folded it shut again. She vaguely felt that those two men had been fighting over this item, though she did not know why it had fallen.

Fine beads of sweat seeped across her forehead, and her face turned pale in an instant.

If they truly had been fighting over this item, then they would definitely return there. If they followed her aura here, she would not live to see tomorrow's sun.

She tore off another piece of flatbread and began eating. Then she got to her feet and continued deeper into the dense forest. Though the forest held dangers, those two cultivators were far more terrifying at the moment.

Hmph—

At the hour of the Snake, one of the cultivators from the previous night's battle returned here. The smell of blood clung to him, and his robes were stained with quite a bit of it.

He swept his gaze around the area and found no trace of the sheepskin parchment. He then examined the surrounding auras, only to find them particularly chaotic, with the stench of demonic beasts mixed with blood.

It had to be here. He had searched all the way back and found no trace of it.

Suddenly, he detected a trace of human aura. Someone had beaten him to the prize!

He cursed under his breath.

Then he headed in the direction Jiang Lu had fled. Yet halfway through the pursuit, the aura vanished.

His vicious gaze continually searched the surroundings, trying to find even the slightest trace.

Damn it, the auras were far too mixed. He had only followed that faint trace here, yet it had disappeared just like that.

The veins on his fists bulged as he swung one hard at a nearby tree trunk. A dent appeared in the trunk. Gritting his teeth, he cast a deep look over the surrounding dense forest before finally leaving unwillingly.

Jiang Lu stopped as she looked at the increasingly lush forest around her.

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Then her body went limp, and she leaned against a tree trunk. Turning to look behind her, she saw nothing but densely packed trunks and shrubs. The traces of her path here had long since been concealed.

Feeling the sunlight streaming through the gaps, she immediately unfolded the sheepskin parchment. It was covered in all kinds of runes, and these runes bore a striking resemblance to the words in Daoist scriptures she had seen on Blue Star.

She had always liked Daoism and would visit Daoist temples whenever she had time to calm her mind and gather her spirit. Thus, she recognized quite a few characters.

Though she could not understand all of it, she could still grasp the general meaning.

This was an introductory cultivation method. Anyone who began cultivation through this method could learn whether they possessed Spiritual Roots, and what kind of Spiritual Roots they had.

That way, there was no need to undergo testing elsewhere. After all, not every Lineage possessed Spirit-Testing Stones. With this cultivation method, disciples within a Lineage could confirm early on whether they could cultivate. Those with decent talent could even directly draw Qi into their bodies.

According to what was written above, only those between ten and twelve years old could be tested.

She happened to be the right age. Perhaps this was precisely her fortuitous opportunity.

An ownerless thing belonged to whoever held it.

Following the cultivation method on the sheepskin parchment, she immediately sat cross-legged on the ground. Whether she could cultivate immortality depended on this attempt.

Having experience with meditation, she quickly relaxed. Her long, even breathing accompanied the cries of insects and birds around her, and she felt as though she were nestled in a warm embrace.

Several days later, the two flatbreads in her arms had already been eaten, and sweat beaded on Jiang Lu's forehead.

Clearly, she had followed the instructions above. Why had there been no change at all these past few days?

If she still could not draw Qi into her body today, she would have to go out and find food.

That evening, just as she was preparing to give up, a warm sensation suddenly arose in her dantian. Joy filled her heart.

Calming herself, she followed the warmth in her dantian and sensed the tangled meridians throughout her body. A soft glow radiated from her.

The creatures around her cautiously poked out their heads. The instant they touched that ray of light, they swiftly withdrew, daring only to hide behind trees and peek out with curious eyes.

Jiang Lu only felt as though countless tiny points of light were circling around her body. Following her senses, she saw spiritual energy of every color in the air, cautiously surrounding her.

So this was spiritual energy?

There are so many colors. If every color corresponds to a Spiritual Root, then what kind of Spiritual Roots do I have?

According to the sheepskin parchment, a Single Spiritual Root was best, Multiple Spiritual Roots came next, and a Mixed Spiritual Root was the worst. Aside from the number of Spiritual Roots, their purity also mattered. The higher the purity, the faster one cultivated and the better one's talent.

She slowly absorbed the spiritual energy she sensed into her body. With a thought from her, those multicolored points of light surged into her dantian.

As though responding to the call of the spiritual energy within her, more spiritual energy swiftly poured into her body. It continuously battered Jiang Lu's meridians, widening them again and again under the impact.

Feeling the pain in her meridians, she gritted her teeth. Could I have used the wrong method? The parchment said it would feel very comfortable!

Why does it hurt so much?

She wanted to stop immediately, but she could not halt the surging spiritual energy. She did not know how much time had passed; it felt as though she had endured several nights of darkness.

A faint burning sensation arose in her dantian. Then, with a soft pop, a lake appeared within it. This was the sign that a cultivator had entered the Qi Refinement First Layer.

After the pool of spiritual energy in her dantian calmed, the aura around Jiang Lu also gradually stabilized.

She had actually skipped drawing Qi into her body and entered the Qi Refinement First Layer directly!

She slowly opened her eyes and felt sticky all over. She immediately ran toward the nearby stream.

After washing herself clean, she felt as though her senses had become much sharper. She raised her hand, looked at the spiritual energy at her fingertips, and frowned slightly.

She seemed able to absorb any kind of spiritual energy. Could she have Multiple Spiritual Roots? Or a Mixed Spiritual Root?