After weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Xuan ultimately made his decision—the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method.
"My first priority in cultivating the Dao has never been competing fiercely with others. It is preserving myself and seeking a long life. The One Qi Sword Art can certainly strengthen my killing power, but the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method can truly raise my chances of surviving."
"Buzz!"
The instant his resolve settled, the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method's complete general outline, cultivation secrets, and qi circulation routes suddenly surged forth from Jiang Xuan's mind.
"One breath steadies the mystery; attain the utmost emptiness, preserve steadfast stillness, and let ten thousand thoughts return to one withoutness..."
"...Four breaths cleanse the turbid; things that flourish grow old, the turbid departs and the clear remains, returning once more to the true state of an infant..."
"...Eight breaths unite with Heaven; man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, breath follows nature, revolving together with the Dao..."
The true words of the Dao Arts flowed through the lake of his heart like a stream, their every word and sentence etched firmly into the depths of Jiang Xuan's Divine Soul.
At that very moment, Jiang Xuan suddenly sensed a trace of subtle obstruction.
He discovered that several points in his breathing rhythm were faintly incompatible with the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method's qi circulation route.
"The Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art's circulation is fixed, but the internal structures of human bodies have countless minute differences... It is only natural for there to be incompatibilities when I cultivate according to my predecessors' experience..."
As a measure of understanding arose in his heart, Jiang Xuan sensed something else. Inspiration came to him like a divine gift, and while quietly reciting the formula, he slowly adjusted his breathing and altered several minute points in the art's qi circulation route, making it increasingly suited to his own meridians and Root Bone.
"Exhale, inhale..."
Time slowly passed amid Jiang Xuan's adjustments. Before long, the time it took for an incense stick to burn had gone by.
When he stopped adjusting, he was astonished to find that this Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method had become like his own breathing. With the slightest movement of his thoughts, it circulated on its own without the slightest obstruction.
"Still not enough. The Minor Achievement realm of this art requires it to circulate endlessly on its own even when I do not recite the formula and am deep in sleep."
With that thought, Jiang Xuan subconsciously took several breaths.
With each exhale and inhale, the Spell Power within his dantian circulated of its own accord. The Cosmic Cycle of the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method naturally began to operate.
At the same time, a string of system notifications rang out by his ears.
[You have activated the Dao Foundation Contract and successfully formed an exclusive Dao contract with the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method] [Available Dao Foundation Contract slots: 1/1] [Art compatibility in progress... Compatibility complete! The Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method has been transformed into your exclusive life-bound qi cultivation art] [You gained insight during the art transformation process. The Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method has broken through! Current realm: Second Realm—Proficient (19/4900)] [You spontaneously circulated the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method once. Art proficiency +2] [You spontaneously circulated the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method once. Art proficiency +3]
His breathing and the art's circulation had completely synchronized, making Jiang Xuan's breaths long and even. Yet now, every breath he took was equivalent to a complete circulation of the art, while strands of Heaven and Earth spiritual qi were drawn into his body and refined into life-bound Spell Power belonging solely to him.
And because of the perfect compatibility, Jiang Xuan's art progress increased by +2 or +3 with every breath.
"At this rate, breaking through to the Third Realm with the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method, turning it completely into my instinct, is just around the corner!"
Of course, this uninterrupted cultivation also had an unavoidable problem—blood and qi consumption.
Cultivation at the Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening stage could never bypass the fundamental principle of Refining Essence into Qi.
But after concentrating and sensing for a moment, Jiang Xuan found that this problem was not unsolvable.
First, when operating passively, Jiang Xuan's Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Method remained in a low-energy state. Though the rate at which he refined spiritual qi would be somewhat slower in this state, the consumption was correspondingly lower.
Second, the human body constantly leaked life essence outward. Now that Cosmic Cycle Circulation had begun, every pore across his body had closed, firmly locking within him the essence that should have dispersed. It happened to serve as the foundational sustenance for his art's passive operation.
"Though operating it this way will still cause a slight blood and qi deficit... as long as I consume more spirit meals, supplement them with Vitality Pills, and pause from time to time, I should barely be able to sustain it..."
Before the thought had fully passed through his mind, Jiang Xuan shook his head.
Indeed, with low-energy mode and intermittent circulation, he could barely maintain his blood and qi balance. But in that case, his cultivation speed would inevitably be greatly reduced.
And Jiang Xuan knew clearly that his current circumstances simply did not allow him to slow down.
—Though he had been given an Excellent Rating, Jiang Xuan had not forgotten that he was among the last batch to receive it. There were nearly forty people in the Dao-Bearing Class whose cultivation surpassed his.
Nor had he forgotten that the second round of assessment at Star Daoist Academy had only around ten slots.
Forty people were fighting over ten positions, and every one of those ranked near the top had subordinates to support them. Taking Dong Hao's faction as an example, aside from Jiang Xuan, he still had Mu Yuan, Wu Chen, Fu He, and Nan Zhi assisting him.
The others, such as Zeng Jun and Su Lin Yin, were the same.
Only Jiang Xuan stood alone, without anyone to rely on.
What was more, because he owed Dong Hao many favors, he would have to lend a hand in the later assessments.
"..."
"Last among those promoted, weak and alone, and I still have to devote energy to repaying favors. There are too many disadvantages. Even with the Career Panel's help, if I do not carve out another path, the second round of assessment will still carry some danger for me."
Thinking this, Jiang Xuan resolved to keep the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art operating around the clock. As for the additional blood and qi expenditure caused by the art's circulation, he had also formed a vague solution.
"At the Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening stage, the core of replenishing blood and qi lies in one word—'eat.' And eating comes down to no more than two points. First is food quality. Only high-energy Spirit Materials and spirit meals can make up for cultivation's enormous consumption. There is no need to worry about that. The Spirit Stones I won from the bet, the resource rewards for the Excellent Rating, and occasionally fleecing Dong Hao a little—I will not lack spirit meals or medicinal pills in the short term."
"The second issue is digestion. Only when what one eats is completely digested and fully absorbed by the body can it be transformed into one's own blood and qi origin."
Aristocratic Clan children like Zeng Jun and Dong Hao held vast resources, yet they had failed to pull ahead of Cold Gate prodigies. The core reason lay here—one's capacity to digest and absorb had a limit. No matter how many spirit meals or how fine the pills, if they could not be digested, then one simply lacked the fortune to enjoy them.
And Jiang Xuan had found a way to break the deadlock for both problems.
With that thought, Jiang Xuan moved his mind and summoned the attribute panel again. This time, his gaze locked firmly onto the empty slot for auxiliary careers.
With Spirit Pivot Condensation and the rise in his rank, not only had he gained another main career slot, but an additional auxiliary career slot had also been unlocked.
And the method he had thought of to break the deadlock was hidden right here.
"Buzz..."
As he stared, a dense list of auxiliary careers, together with their respective requirements, appeared before Jiang Xuan's eyes.
Apprentice Painter, Apprentice Calligrapher, Kitchen Apprentice, Blacksmith Apprentice, Stream Angler...
His gaze swiftly swept over the list before finally settling on the lifestyle career, [Kitchen Apprentice].
"A Kitchen Apprentice is essentially a kitchen helper. A cook's core ability is using cooking to transform Spirit Materials and spirit meat that are difficult for the human body to absorb into spirit meals that are easy to absorb and rich in nourishment. That happens to solve the issue of resource quality."
However, compared with cooking for himself, Jiang Xuan cared more about another advancement path on this career line.
"Cooks and diners are two sides of the same coin, inseparable from one another."
"If I remember correctly, in Celestial Immortal Realm, the Kitchen Apprentice's advanced class change has an exceptionally special route. Its name is—Gourmet!"
The core trait of this career in the game was that when consuming the same food with beneficial effects, a Gourmet's effect increase was thirty percent greater than that of other careers, and the duration of the benefit was likewise extended by thirty percent.
Furthermore, Celestial Immortal Realm had a fullness mechanic. Characters who became Gourmets had a fullness limit far beyond that of other careers, allowing them to eat more food.
"If translated into reality, a Gourmet's trait should mean that whenever they consume any spirit food, medicinal pill, or spirit fruit, their absorption and conversion efficiency will greatly increase. More importantly, their digestive ability will undergo a qualitative change and allow them to bear a greater intake of resources."
"And this career's upper limit is extremely high. So long as one lives in this world, no one can escape the word 'eat.' Even those cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao have the ancient saying: 'Those who consume water are good at swimming and can endure cold; those who consume earth are without mind yet wise; those who consume wood possess great strength yet are violent; those who consume grass walk well yet are foolish; those who consume leaves produce silk and become moths; those who consume meat are brave and fierce; those who Consume Qi attain divine clarity and longevity.'"
"When first changing into a Gourmet, one merely eats tangible spirit meals. After advancing, one may directly devour all kinds of qi veins between Heaven and Earth. At the pinnacle, one can transform into a sacrifice master that devours all spirits, even swallowing Dao concepts."
"I'll choose it!"
To ease the blood and qi deficit, Jiang Xuan decided to become a Kitchen Apprentice.
Though he had already made up his mind, a closer look revealed that he still could not directly take up the career.
[Kitchen Apprentice requirements ①: Slice and prepare one hundred portions of vegetables. Finished products must meet the standard of being thin as cicada wings (not achieved) ②: Control stove flames thirty times. Must precisely control three levels of heat: high, medium, and low heat (ordinary fire is sufficient) (not achieved) ③: Season soup dishes thirty times. Must make at least three soups that can be rated "delicious" (not achieved) ④: Personally complete the cooking of at least thirty full meals (ordinary grains and vegetables are sufficient; no mandatory Spirit Material requirement) (not achieved)]
"Knife work, heat control, seasoning... None of these are difficult. When Dong Hao treats us to a meal tomorrow, borrowing the restaurant kitchen should let me finish all of them in one go."
He had first cultivated for an entire day, then taken up the Qi Refiner career he had long dreamed of, and finally planned out his future path of cultivation. After this string of matters, Jiang Xuan's mind was already weary.
Seeing this, he did not busy himself further. He simply lay down on the bed and rested with his eyes closed.
Previously, rest had only been rest for him. But now:
"Exhale, inhale..."
With every breath, strands of Heaven and Earth spiritual qi were drawn into his mouth and nose, circulating through his entire body in rhythm with his breathing before being slowly refined.
Everything was far too natural. Before he knew it, Jiang Xuan had cast the matter of breathing exercises to the back of his mind and fallen deeply asleep.
He slept peacefully, but the commotion stirred by his Excellent Rating continued to spread through the night.
In Bamboo Forest Town, the Zhou Household's lamps remained lit throughout the entire night. On the spirit peak occupied by the Su Household, hushed conversations also echoed for a long time.
The next day, just as dawn began to break, Jiang Xuan woke.
After waking, he was still as he had always been. He carefully wiped down his desk, then lit an incense stick before the calligraphy painting bearing the two words "Heaven and Earth" on the wall.