At this moment, though a scorching light burned in his eyes and his expression was more exhilarated than ever, his movements remained as steady as usual, without the slightest disorder.
Rising to his feet, Jiang Xuan first followed his usual habit, performing the rites of cleansing his heart, mouth, body, and hands. Only after the entire ritual was complete did he hold Qingli in his arms and close his eyes once more.
"Huff..."
In the state of Unity of Man and Sword, Jiang Xuan once again circulated the One Qi Sword Art, directing the Innate Qi within his body to activate the apertures he had long since located.
This time, Jiang Xuan's target was the Heart Palace Fire Aperture.
Wood gave rise to fire. After using the qi of liver wood to ignite his Heart Fire, the pure power of that Heart Fire quickly refined the ownerless spiritual qi from the outside world. The next instant, threads of Spell Power poured into one of the nine apertures in his Heart Palace.
"Buzz—!"
The influx of spiritual qi gradually solidified the aperture near Jiang Xuan's heart.
After another tea's time, a clear hum shook his Divine Soul. This secret aperture finally transformed from illusion into substance and settled firmly into place!
The instant this thirty-sixth aperture solidified, heaven-and-earth-upending changes erupted within Jiang Xuan's body.
Buzz buzz buzz—!
The thirty-five apertures he had already opened began trembling and resonating in unison! Their collective resonance drew his qi, blood, and Spell Power into the same rhythm, and an irresistible force forcibly dragged a vague, hidden treasury within his body out of the void.
That was his lower dantian, also known as the origin sea—the Mysterious Female Gate, the very foundation of a human body's ability to store essence and contain qi.
Its manifestation was not achieved in a single stroke. Like the opening of apertures, it had to condense from nothingness into reality bit by bit.
Apertures were nourished into being by a cultivator's Spell Power, but the Dantian Spirit Pivot required the synchronized resonance of all the body's apertures before it could manifest from the void.
Throughout the process, Jiang Xuan clearly sensed the Spell Power stored in his apertures being rapidly consumed. Their ongoing resonance also continuously battered his five viscera, six bowels, flesh, and meridians. The slightest carelessness could disrupt the circulation of his Spell Power.
Just as Dong Hao had said, this kind of resonance inherently carried risks. If he were disturbed midway through, or if his Spell Power proved insufficient, the manifestation of the Dantian Spirit Pivot would fail outright.
If I am not mistaken, the manifestation of the Dantian Spirit Pivot is also related to a cultivator's Spirit Root aptitude. The better the aptitude, the less resistance there is to its manifestation. That is why so few people failed before.
However, the students after this will have a chance of failing.
Jiang Xuan had now truly felt the tremendous impact Spirit Roots had on cultivators. They really affected every aspect of cultivation.
Fortunately, though Jiang Xuan's original aptitude might have been mediocre, after receiving the augmentation of the Three Purifications Spell: Truth Communion, he now possessed a Profound-Grade Supreme Spirit Root. That was already worthy of being called above average.
Not to mention, Jiang Xuan still had a secret move.
At a certain moment, with a "Buzz!" a clear chime suddenly rang out from the depths of Jiang Xuan's Divine Soul—the occupational passive of Clearheart Mirror [Self-Observation] had activated.
The mirror was like a blazing sun, illuminating the inner landscape of his body down to the finest detail. Jiang Xuan's powerful Divine Soul force followed the mirror's radiance and spread out in an instant, enveloping every aperture and meridian throughout his body.
The combination of Clearheart Mirror (Self-Observation) and Divine Soul force gradually transformed the somewhat scattered, disorderly resonance of Jiang Xuan's apertures into a seamless symphony of Dao Resonance under the harmonizing influence of his Divine Soul force.
With perfect control, the nurturing manifestation of his lower dantian became only natural. He did not even need to use an Origin Spirit Pill.
"Woom—!"
At a certain moment, Jiang Xuan felt an abyssal roar rise from deep within his lower abdomen. His lower dantian manifested completely, like chaos splitting open for the first time.
And when the lower dantian, this spirit pivot, appeared, an entirely different sensation suddenly flooded Jiang Xuan's body and mind.
At this moment, it was not as simple as gaining another "organ" for storing energy. He felt as though his body had been completed.
No... it is more than completion. Jiang Xuan's heart stirred as he clearly sensed that he had become like a seed, breaking free of its shell and welcoming new life.
Transforming from a human into a "seed" was not regression, but a leap in the essence of life.
He had evolved from an ordinary human into a "Spirit Seed."
What Jiang Xuan had not expected was that the system panel acknowledged this as well.
[Ding, it has been detected that the player's life essence has advanced. You have now transformed into a Bronze Folk (Green).] [Available main profession slots +1, available auxiliary profession slots +1]
"It worked!"
At the instant his dantian was opened and his spirit pivot took shape, even with Jiang Xuan's temperament, his eyes nearly reddened. The crushing burden that had weighed on his shoulders for days was suddenly lifted by more than half.
"Huff..."
Letting out a long breath of stale air, Jiang Xuan finally had the leisure to observe the fellow students cultivating beside him and take in the clouds, light, mountains, and scenery of this mountainside training ground.
As far as the eye could see, most students in the back rows were quietly recovering their strength or meditating in silence. There were surprisingly few whose expressions were truly anxious, caught between hope and fear.
After a brief thought, he understood. Most common-born students with mediocre Spirit Root aptitude already knew their limits. They understood that they had no chance whatsoever of receiving excellent or superior ratings. Without extravagant hopes, there would naturally be no disappointment at failing to obtain what they sought.
Such students, who cultivated silently and diligently, made up the overwhelming majority of the class. Yet there were also some quick-witted people gathered around the Aristocratic Clan children in the front rows, hoping to serve those lineage descendants in exchange for a sliver of cultivation resources.
There was no right or wrong in such a choice. In fact, by attaching themselves in this way, their future paths might become broader and stretch farther than those of the vast majority of ordinary students who buried their heads in bitter cultivation.
Unfortunately, the values I developed in my previous life keep me from going that far. Luckily, I do not need to!
The lower dantian origin sea, three inches beneath his navel, slowly expanded and contracted in synchronized resonance with his breathing and the apertures throughout his body. This newborn origin sea seemed to have planted a root in his Divine Soul, granting him an unprecedented sense of solidity and peace.
What it brought him was far more than comfort for his mind. It was true power that transcended the mundane.
"Huff..."
With every breath, his apertures drew in spiritual qi to nourish the origin sea. So long as this origin sea did not run dry, he could remain brimming with qi and blood, with inexhaustible stamina. With a single thought, he could also drive the power of the origin sea and make his physical strength surge in an instant.
This tangible strength, held firmly in his palm, filled Jiang Xuan with ever greater confidence.
When he raised his eyes again toward the front of the training ground, looking at those Aristocratic Clan children dressed in splendid robes and surrounded by crowds, all the gloom in Jiang Xuan's eyes had vanished, leaving only a calm, faint smile.
Now, I can finally say that I stand on the same starting line as you.
No, that is not right. At least seventy percent of you have not opened thirty-six apertures. As you are now, the vast majority of you already fall short of me!
"Buzz—"
Just as Jiang Xuan was brimming with spirit, the Sword of the Mind deep within his sea of consciousness suddenly let out a clear sword cry, like a cold cicada vibrating its wings.
After the sword cry, the sword light Jiang Xuan had tempered with mind-soul power grew more radiant and solid, while its sharpness increased by another measure.
At the same time, the game panel's notification sounded clearly beside Jiang Xuan's ear:
[You have brushed away the dust in your heart, making your mind-soul shine a little brighter. Your Soul Spirit power has received a slight increase, and your Sword of the Mind has become more condensed.] [Sword of the Mind experience +339] [Clear-Heart Sword Disciple profession experience +402] [Your clear-heart sword disciple level has increased, 2/5 (11/6000)] [Your Sword of the Mind has advanced. It is now at the second realm: Proficient, 17/3000]
...There was actually such a gain as well.
The increase in his confidence had actually driven the advancement of both the clear-heart sword disciple and the Sword of the Mind. This was far beyond Jiang Xuan's expectations. Yet after giving it another thought, he found it perfectly natural.
Sword Cultivators in the cultivation world have always placed the greatest importance on sword hearts and sword intent. The path of the sword speaks of unrestrained freedom, of sharpness, of seeing one's true heart and nature, of being unfettered... A true Sword Cultivator would never be someone burdened by gloom, shrinking back at every turn. Still less should one's heart be filled with the petty schemes of flies and dogs.
The world's impression of Sword Cultivators was never mistaken. Only a sincere heart that fears neither heaven nor earth and dares to draw its sword against those stronger than itself can nurture a Sword Cultivator who stands peerless beneath the heavens... So that was it. If I want the Dao Path of the clear-heart sword disciple to progress quickly, then I must always align with this sword heart?
At this thought, Jiang Xuan's lips curled upward. That... suits me perfectly well.
Thinking over the future path of the clear-heart sword disciple took Jiang Xuan some time.
But soon, he had no mind to dwell on any of that.
After taking several more deep breaths and confirming that his lower dantian origin sea was stable, Jiang Xuan immediately rose and walked toward Song Zhou, the lecturer seated at the front of the training ground.
It was not yet time for cultivation. And because of his earlier probing, Dong Hao had been paying close attention to Jiang Xuan. When he saw Jiang Xuan rise and head straight toward the front, Dong Hao's heart suddenly jolted, and a thought exploded in his mind.
Could he... have succeeded?!
At that thought, Dong Hao could no longer remain seated. He sprang to his feet and hurried forward, his excitement impossible to hide.
"Brother Jiang, y-you succeeded?"
"Mm."
Jiang Xuan's reply was calm, but that single short word made the joy on Dong Hao's face impossible to suppress any longer.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He burst into hearty laughter, utterly delighted, drawing the attention of quite a few people around them. Yet at this moment, he did not care in the slightest. He only praised Jiang Xuan enthusiastically, "I knew it, Brother Jiang. You are no creature that can remain trapped in a pond!"
His excited words drew even more gazes.
Seeing that it was Dong Hao speaking, and that he was fawning so openly over Jiang Xuan, who came from a common background, quite a few Aristocratic Clan children revealed looks of contempt and disdain. Some even instinctively moved away from Dong Hao.
"Shameful."
"A merchant is a merchant indeed. Not a shred of Aristocratic Clan heritage."
"Keep away from Dong Hao in the future. Walking with someone like that lowers one's status for nothing."
Dong Hao naturally heard the strange looks and whispered comments around him clearly, but he did not care in the slightest.
Not only did he not care, he grabbed Jiang Xuan's arm, his enthusiasm nearly earnest. "This is a momentous occasion for Brother Jiang and must be properly celebrated! Tonight is too rushed. Tomorrow, I will lay out a banquet at Drunken Fragrance Tower. Brother Jiang, you must honor me with your presence. We will not return until we are drunk!"
"Sure."
With the spirit pivot condensed, Jiang Xuan could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Moreover, he would still need Dong Hao's assistance in taking up the profession of Scripture Mystic Daoist, so he did not refuse the invitation.